Half-Price Books, Letters to the President and a Man Named Psycho Joe.

Yesterday morning, after picking one of my best friends up from his new apartment, Ryan and I made a quick trek down to Half-Price Books. I figured, since we were only five miles away, it wouldn't be that bad on gas. And since we were going back to my house afterwords anyways, I figured ten extra miles wouldn't kill us. That and I actually had some spending money, which was a great thing.

Normally we hit the dollar bookshelves in the back first. I cannot say enough good things about the invention of dollar books, they're awesome. Now, instead of the bulk of my library being books that I've paid for with an arm and a leg, it's made up of books that any kid in high school or college could buy with their lunch money, and go away with a handful of awesome books. But, yesterday was different for me. Instead of hitting the dollar section first, I decided to hit the hardbacks.

Although it's called Half-Price Books, the majority of their hardback titles of which I speak of now are anywhere between 5-7 bucks a pop. Only the extremely new hardbacks and paperbacks like Clive Cussler's Corsair, and David Baldacci's First Family suffer from the name of the store. As much as I -- as well as every other Dirk Fan, and Sean King Fan -- would like the new hardbacks to be as cheaply as 5 dollars -- or even 7 dollars for that matter -- they're instead, between 13-15 dollars.

Realistically, if a person were to do the math, 15 bucks isn't exactly half the price of a hardback, especially since they cost around 27 dollars now. But I'm not one to bitch, considering the fact that the most expensive new-used book such as Corsair is twelve dollars cheaper than buying a copy new. And besides, they have to make a profit some how, otherwise they wouldn't still be in business!

The good people at Half-Price Books now how to sell 'em too. As I browsed the stack of used hardback copies of Corsair, I didn't find a single one that I wouldn't have bought, and that's saying a lot, considering how anal I am about my books being in prestine condition.

Anyways, I digress... (Which is something I need to stop doing!)

I browsed the used hardbacks looking for any hardback copy of any of the books in the 1632 alternate history universe, but alas my search was to no avail. So, I headed over the dollar section. There wasn't really any good titles that I hadn't already read and thoght to be mediocre, or that I didn't already posses. So, I hit the bulk used paperback shelves, and came away with four treasures: the first and second books in Troy Denning's Star Wars: Dark Nest Trilogy (The Joiner King and The Unseen Queen, respectfully), a prestine edition of William H. Keith Jr.'s Bolo Brigade, which is of course set in Keith Laumer's Bolo Universe, and finally David Drake and Thomas T. Thomas's Book I: An Honorable Defense, set in the Crisis of Empire universe, which David Drake created himself. All of which, I look forward to greedily devouring, when my reading schedule opens up.

After I hit the paperbacks, Ryan was already out the door and had his purchases tucked safely away in my car. However, I wasn't done. Just as I reached the check-out counter, I realised that they had clearance CD's for $2 a pop. So, I hastily ran through their rows, passing every Garth Brooks, Backstreet Boys and Kids Sing-Along-Songs CD's known to man. It was enough, quite honestly, to make me sick.

And then there they were -- like two shining nuggets in a pile of gold plated dog crap -- shining brighter than all the rest: Blues Traveler's '97 album: Straight On Till Morning, and Hawk Nelson's '04 freshmen album: Letters to the President.

Real quick: You know it's rather sad, when a Christian punk rock band from Ontario, Canada release their freshmen album with a title like 'Letters to the President' with their first hit single having the same name as the album, and becoming famous! If you stop and think about the times, back then the post 9/11 feel was still rather strong, but gradually dying only to be replaced with people questioning Bush's Presidency. I don't know about you guys, but I find that rather hilarious, that a band like Hawk Nelson would want to write a letter to the President of the UNITED STATES, when they don't even live in the same country!

Again, I digress...

As soon as we made our way out into my car, I popped in Blues Traveler's CD. I skipped through the majority of the songs, like I usually do when I first hear an album I'm anxious about, then stopped it on a song called 'Psycho Joe' and listened to it once through. I mean come on, wouldn't want to listen to a song with a title like that!? (Okay, maybe not... Maybe it's just me. Weirdos.) Then, I popped in Hawk Nelson's CD, and Ryan and I rocked it out all the way back home.

Now I told you this, only to tell you about the time I spent with God today, and how all of this plays into it.

But that'll have to wait until later. I still have to finish reading The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan before I go to bed, so that Ryan and I can record our review for it tomorrow, and it's already 12:30!