Why Don't You Climb Down Off that Movie Screen?

It is always funny when you expect to see or hear something in a movie, and it does not turn out quite the way you expected. I watched "The Terminal" for the first time yesterday, and when Tom Hanks begins to speak at the beginning of the movie, I expected the regular Tom Hanks voice to come out, but when "Viktor Navorsky" spoke I was thrown off for a second. I thought it was a very interesting, inventive film, but Catherine Zeta-Jones' performance left something to be desired. I guess when you share the screen with Tom Hanks it is easy to look like you are trying too hard. He seems to slip into the skin of his characters, and his actions as Forrest Gump, Captain John Miller, and Viktor Navorsky are incredibly natural.

I have held off on writing about this, and it will probably not reach the ears of those who could do something about it, but I would like to rant about the lack of a quality bookstore in Abilene. In general, those who are in college are people who enjoy reading, and with 5 colleges/universities/places of higher learning in Abilene, those people make up a significant portion of the population. They desire a place where they can go to look at books, purchase books, or maybe just flip through the pages of books to immerse themselves in the new book aroma. The place needs to have some sort of propriety and understanding that it is selling some of the great texts that have changed the world. Nice, plush chairs and a place where you can drink coffee are added bonuses.

With all of that said, Hasting's is anathema to book lovers. I do not want to be able to purchase my books in the same place that I can buy an NSYNC cardboard standee. If you relegate the portion of the store where books are sold to one corner or side, and give more room to the CDs and DVDs, the books are crying out for a store of their own. They want to be in a place where they are the main attraction, where they do not have to share the limelight with "You Got Served."

It would be folly to believe that an executive from Barnes and Noble or Borders reads my musings, but hey, we can all hope for a Chrismukkah miracle. Thanks for allowing me to get that out, and yes, it feels great.