Something non-fannish for a change

Anyone who's ever been to Portland, Oregon (and that's OR-ee-gun, folks, not or-ee-GONE, and you'll get laughed at if you pronounce it wrong) has likely visited Powell's City of Books, or been told that they simply must visit Powell's if they go. It's hard to describe Powell's, but the most important thing to know is that it takes up an entire city block. I mean, a big block, and that's just the main store. It has stripes of different colored tape that you follow to get from section to section, it's that damn big. And it carries used books on the shelf next to new books, so if you're lucky, you can often save yourself a few bucks when you're looking for something special. They carry everything. And they have a great cafe, too. I used to drive down to Portland every other week, when I had two sets of friends living there and my partner and I alternated weekends with them. So I spent a lot of time at Powell's, and I wear my Powell's sweatshirt that is starting to get thin and worn with pride. Whenever I do, people stop me and have to discuss their love of Powell's.

It's no surprise to people who know them that they feature stuff about writing and books on their web site. They recently had a Decade of Reading Contest, and thanks to black_bird_777 for letting me know that the winners had recently been chosen and posted on Powell's web site. The winning essay is about Elie Wiesel's Night (something that I completely agree should be read by everyone), and it's truly a two-hanky, deserving essay. Get out your Kleenex. For some reason, wisteria_, it reminded me of you. Yay for teachers, I always say. Truly one of the most thankless and important jobs in the world.