Book Shelf

Hello again. I apologize for my recent absence. I simply have not wanted to turn on the computer unless it was absolutely necessary. I realize that for some, blogging is absolutely necessary, but not for me. At least not in the last three weeks.

Anyway, there hasn't been too much excitement around here but I did get a new bookshelf. I decided to splurge a little and then it turned out it was on sale! Kismet. Obviously I was meant to have this bookcase. Isn't it beautiful?
It's mahogany. I love the drawers, they can be opened from either side. I got it at From the Source. (I also got the duck there last summer.) They have all sorts of cool furniture and these fabulous coat trees - really, trees. I rearranged the apartment to accommodate my new arrival and it feels pretty good. More like a real home somehow. Before, the furniture was pressed up against the walls. It gave me lots of floor space but I think it felt a little dorm-like. Now, even though there is less floor space, it feels better. The next task is to get a nice flat long piece of wood to create a work table. Maple would be nice.

Tightening Up

Did you know that Barnes & Noble has a new return policy? I discovered it today when I attempted to return something with a gift receipt. The new policy is: 14 days and you must have a receipt, period. This includes gifts with gift receipts though apparently they may let those go for 30 days at the managers' discretion. I do understand only 14 days for money back and I understand no returns for items without a receipt but those with a gift receipt? What will they do at Christmas? Will they enforce it or will there be special rules for the season? I don't know about you, but that eliminates the only reason I have for shopping at the mega store. I liked buying gifts there because returns were so easy for the giftee. Now I would much rather go to an independent bookstore or buy from wishlists on Amazon. It seems that many stores have tightened their policies, presumably to curb costs, but it may backfire. Though I suppose that nothing will really stop the consumption machine in this country. I do hope that this results in more people going to the little stores instead.

Vanilla and many many more...

I went to the Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden this past weekend. It was fabulous. If you live in New York you should go, quick, before it's over this weekend. And if you can go in the middle of the week when there's fewer people, all the better. I love plants and flowers in general and orchids are particularly amazing. There are about 24,000 species of orchid on the World Orchid Checklist (including the Vanilla Orchid) and about 800 names are added every year. Many of these are hybrids created by growers. If I was rich I would absolutely have an orchid greenhouse.I got this picture from the NYBG website since I didn't take any pictures at the show. I just wanted to look. But many people were taking pictures, with big cameras, with small digitals, with their phones. I think some people saw the whole show through the lens of their camera. I think that's a shame. I think they lost something in their zeal to capture the image. Better to really see them and smell them and then buy some post cards at the gift shop. You can also buy an orchid. Some species (like the moth orchid that you see for sale everywhere) are not too hard to care for. The folks in the shop can help you pick out the right one for you. I don't get enough light in my apartment which is probably a good thing as I would have walked out with several.