A Saturday Ramble

Today I've been looking up authors who write fiction centered on Egypt - helping a customer with a little research. It's amazing how many such authors there are - who knew Egyptology was such a popular subject? OK, so maybe all of you already knew that but be polite, humor me.

Research is actually one of my favorite parts of this job, and a useful justification for a good laptop and wireless internet as well (smile). I never have time to be bored here, as there are always stacks of collectible books waiting for pricing, and each of those has to be researched first. Although most of my sales are paperback fiction, there are still folks who drop in to check out the classics or peruse the shelves in my antique secretary, which holds some of the older or more valuable tomes.

Secretary? Yes. I have a secretary. Unfortunately it's not the kind that transcribes notes, pays bills or does filing (I have to do that myself and there's always a backlog). This secretary is a lovely piece of furniture which was originally used as sort of a desk but also has drawers and bookshelves. It was imported from Wales and has been handy indeed. It's a nice focal point for the shop, as well.

Secretaries can be very handy to have around. A friend of mine who was a dealer in Egyptian antiquities and a custom framer used to refer to his secretary frequently. We'd be visiting, the phone would ring and he'd say "My secretary will get that", gesturing toward the enormous statue of Buddha over by the table holding the phone. Jacque's secretary was the perfect employee - never argued and the only benefit necessary was occasional homage. Also, she screened his calls very effectively. She wouldn't have been very efficient at shelving books, however, so I probably won't be looking for my own artifact any time soon.

Well, the clock on the wall tells me it's time to finish my iced mocha and flip the sign on the door from "open" to "shut" soon. Think I'll amble over to the Dockside for a Lavender martini - care to join me? I'll save you a seat.