RUN FOR THE BORDERS

I was trying to get smart at my local Borders bookstore last night and happened upon a few little gems - my favorite, McSweeney's, released a set of not-quite-reference books ("Haggis-On-Whey World of Unbelievable Brilliance"):

Giraffes? Giraffes!

Your Disgusting Head: The Darkest, Most Offensive and Moist Secrets of Your Ears, Mouth, and Nose

Animals of the Ocean, in Particular the Giant Squid

After I bought the Daily Show's "America", I got kind of scared of purchasing fake reference books, but Dr. and Mrs. Haggis-On-Whey deliver better than Netflix. The reason for this is probably because the word on the street is Dave Eggers : Dr. and Mrs. Doris Haggis-On-Whey :: Samuel Clemens : Mark Twain - the books are genuinely entertaining, very silly, and highly recommended.

But - the main reason I write is because my local Borders had the two former titles in hardcover on sale for $2.99 each (which is exactly $0.94 less than a gallon of fuel at my local gas station). It's worth checking out - McSweeney's and Eggers both have great track records, as do things that cost less than $3.

Added bonus: The store employee who checked me out was quite impressed with my purchase. My being a member of their club or put-this-little-plastic-tag-on-your-keychain-thing, he noted that I would "definitely" be receiving some "Borders Bucks". I was like, "right on...", to which he replied, "man, you gonna have so many Borders Bucks, you can make it rain up in here next time!"

So look out for that - a few Friday nights from now, I'll be making it rain at...a bookstore...probably in the US History section, or maybe Architecture if I really decide to treat myself.