Thursday, December 6, 2012

#Reverb12: Days 5 & 6

I was traveling for work yesterday so this is a double post.

Day 5: Independent. How have you supported an independent business this year. Small, family owned = beautiful.

I picked this prompt because I was on my way to my bookclub meeting. I go to a bookclub at a small local bookstore in Newton, MA called Newtonville books. I've been a member of that bookclub for years and when I finished grad school in 2009 my one promise to myself was to re-join bookclub. They have added a non-fiction book club as well so in February I'll be doing that one and reading 'Moby Duck'. I always like to mix a little non-fiction in my fiction so there you go.

Do you have an independent bookstore that you enjoy? Did you know that if every person bought 1 book for every 3 that they buy at an small bookstore (versus Amazon) that would help support that area bookstore? Just 1 out of 3. Come on now. You can do it. Buy a pair of socks on Amazon instead. Or some ice fishing gear.




Day 6: Invention. What invention were you grateful for this year?

I'm grateful for a handful of things I use daily. Heated seats, satellite radio, heated mirrors on my commute into work. Remote start for that 30F night where I'm leaving a warm yoga studio. Airplanes for saving me an 8 hour drive for a work trip. My iPhone for making it so I really don't have to tote my laptop around for work trips (hard to babysit a laptop when I'm by myself at a trade show). My TiVo for making me have no idea what is on when and what day of the week (a good thing, I'm out of town for a few days and everything is waiting for me).

What is an invention that would be nice to have?

Something to make all of the boutique hotels I stay in (often in buildings from the early 1900s) not have the rooms be 1000F. It makes it hard to sleep. Hard to get dressed up all fancy. And the dial on the wall to control the heat is all a sham. Thank goodness the windows open or else I'd be a big sweaty mess to each conference. LOVE this style of hotel and supporting an Independent business (there's that word again). I just hate the temperature thing. It's not very green of them to have the heat jacked up.

Another invention I would like is a bike path that goes along rte 9. Some days it would be nice to consider biking to work. There's no way to do it without getting killed, sadly.

That's it. I'm pretty content with all of my other devices and innovations. :)




2 comments:

  1. Great posts, Leah, thank you. Glad you like and support Newtonville Books, I've always liked it. In Waltham, we have Back Pages Books, and I really like Alex, the owner, who is enthusiastic and knowledgeable and has launched a couple of publishing projects through the bookstore.

    When you mentioned invention, I couldn't help but think of Through the Looking Glass (http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/c/carroll/lewis/looking/chapter8.html) I certainly agree with you about road and air travel and iPhones. Thinking of something that wants inventing, however, will take a little more time. I thought of developing an app that would ask me questions about my progress, whether I was meeting my goals, leading a life in accordance with my values, but I'm not a developer ...

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    1. Garrett, thanks for the tip on the bookstore in Waltham. I've never been! I'd love to check it out. Thanks for the Looking Glass reference and link. I like your app idea. Maybe promote it to a Wellness Company and sell your idea? :)

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