Well, it had to happen. The writers have reconciled with "The Man". Life as we know it, we return to normal in the coming weeks. Once again we will not be forced to find our own enjoyment in life, as it will be spoon-fed to us from the comfort of our living rooms.

If you happen to be one of the few that have forsaken the Television Gods for the face-to-face entertainment that happens at Book readings, I have good news for you. Next week is going to be jam packed with something for everyone. First thing, we have a nice little band touring our fair country from South Africa. They are called Civil Twilight and will be playing an afternoon set at Dupont. They are pretty good and you will only be able to pick up their stuff from us during their performance. If you are mildly interested, spend a few minutes of your lunch hour at Dupont checking out this band.

On Tuesday the 19th, again at Dupont, please join me and a host of Rowdy Aussies as they celebrate one of their own. Steve Toltz will be reading a section of his new book "A Fraction of the Whole". If you remember last year's "Arsonist's Guide", this is kind of the same, but much more epic. I got an advance of this book at the end of the summer and burned through it. I compare it to "Arsonist's Guide" not because it deals with burning down houses (Although there is a whole town that burns down) but because of the spirit of the book. It is the tale of a young man discovering who he is through the stories of his father. Sounds kind of touchy-feely but if you add in that the father covers all the mirrors in the house, yanks the kid out of school every few months, and cuts his hair haphazardly, it gets slightly creepy and kind of surreal. I may not be selling it as well as I should, but it is a great story and I believe it will sound even better with an Australian Accent.

That covers the hip crowd. If you were born after the War (I am talking to you Baby Boomers out there) Heather Taylor is hosting another discussion in our Lansburgh store on the 21st. You may remember Heather from her Radio program geared toward boomers titled "The Heather Taylor Show". She will be holding a discussion with Poet, E. Ethelbert Miller. Her events are normally a good time and should be fun to witness. Not to mention, there will be treats!

There are loads of other things for you to do out there next week if you have weaned yourself off the television. I have only mentioned two and there are five in the stores along with the book club discussion at Crystal City on the 20th and Storytime in Old Town. That makes 7 different events for you to take in.

In other news, I am headed to Idaho this weekend. Just in case anyone was angry with me and wanted to come 'kneecap me', I will be in sunny* Idaho. It is my father's 65th birthday and I am going to surprise him. Don't tell him though. It is supposed to be a surprise. I think he might catch on when I show up at his house and ask to sleep in his basement. I am still trying to come up with a gift for him. What do you buy for your father on his 65th birthday? He isn't retiring, so a watch is out. A tie seems silly as he doesn't wear them, I thought about getting him something NASCAR-ish, but I have yet to find anything cool enough. Huh. I have tapped all the normal places I can think of if anyone has thoughts, I am willing to listen.

*Idaho is not sunny right now. In fact, the roof of my favorite greasy spoon in my home town recently caved in from the amount of snow. If they don't fix it, I may never go to Idaho again. I wish you a speedy recovery, North Hiway Cafe. Get well soon.