My Bad!

            On Thursday morning during yoga and after that while singing I was distracted by both dread and anticipation over what might happen in a few hours when I’d be returning the books I’d bought from the Bob Miller Bookroom the day before. During song practice I played out various possible scenarios in my mind and worked out several arguments. I took into account that the management might immediately recognize their mistake and just refund my money but there was nothing to plan for in that scenario and so I dwelt more on the negative possibilities. I even took it so far in my imagination as to sue the bookstore for my $94.45.

            It’s amazing how one can sing in french and remember the lyrics and chords while at the same time formulate arguments about something totally unrelated.

            I had planned on showering before heading downtown but I started feeling sleepy around 10:30 and decided to just go to the bookstore and get it over with while I still had the energy. A shower probably would have perked me up though.

            When I walked into the bookstore there was a younger person at the counter. The cashier from the day before had the manner of a co-owner or manager but this person seemed like she just worked there. I put the bag of books on the counter and told her, “You guys sold me the wrong books yesterday." Immediately the person that had sold me the books came up and asked, “It wasn’t the right set?" She asked for the name of my professor and on hearing it she right away led me to the section where the books for Karen Weisman’s course were on display, including the Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Romantic Period. I remember telling her the day before that the book I needed was for Karen Weisman's course but I guess it hadn't registered. We went back to the cash and she relieved the other cashier so she could do a refund from me and I got a little over $30 back in cash.

            I found it interesting that her manner of businesslike indifference when she corrected her mistake and refunded my money was pretty much the same as when she'd sold me the wrong books in the first place. She didn’t apologize to me for her error but when I was walking out the door I overheard her say to her colleague, “Totally my bad!” I assume from her use of that expression that she’s a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which put “My bad" into popular use.

            I thought about going to look for the other two books on my list but I would be coming back downtown on Friday for a doctor’s appointment and so I figured I go book hunting after that. I went home, had a few strips of cucumber with hummus for lunch and then took a siesta.

            When I woke I picked up a message from Nick Cushing that he was around and so after I’d responded, within half an hour he was shouting up at my window. He brought two cans of beer and the negative and slide scanner that I’d offered to buy from him. I was surprised at how small it is I guess because my mind already registers a certain size to the word “scanner” because of the scanners I've seen. He explained how it works and I gave him $50 for it. I’m sure he’ll provide efficient customer support later when I start using the device. I have hundreds of unprinted negatives and slides and taking them to a lab would be very expensive so when I finally decide to turn them into photos this scanner should be very useful.

            We chatted for a while and then Nick headed out to eat a Parkdale roti at Ali’s.

            I worked on writing a blog post and then cooked dinner. I made a pot of gravy out of chicken fat and flour. I eat a lot less gravy now that I’m trying to lose weight. I used to save the fat every time I roasted meat but now I dump most of it out.

I watched the tenth episode of The Naked City. This story was about a young man named Jimmy who considers himself to be a nobody. He’s been following the news about a serial killer who only kills beautiful, disabled women and who uses a coat hanger to strangle them. Everyone is talking about the coat hanger killer and so he wants people to talk about him as well. He tries to turn himself in to the police and claim that he is the coat hanger killer, but they’ve dealt with a large number of others trying to make false confessions and have planted false information about the victims in the media so that when the confessor describes a victims clothing and only give the newspaper report they will know that his confession is false and so the police send Jimmy away. In Jimmy’s building is a pretty young pregnant newlywed with a clubfoot. She knows Jimmy by name and has always been very nice to him. When she sees him watching her from the shadows in the laundry room she thinks nothing of it and says hello. He offers to carry her laundry basket for her and she lets him into the apartment, telling him to put it into the bedroom. She gets a call from her husband who gives her the news that the coat hanger killer has finally been caught. Jimmy finds a coat hanger in Nora’s bedroom closet and tries to strangle her, telling her that he has to do it because he wants to be somebody. She tells him that she always thought he was somebody and it causes him to stop. He runs away and Nora calls the police, who chase him to the top of a church where he gives himself up.