Old School

Oh snap, ALA Libraries Direct.  It's like you knew how excited I used to get in anticipation of the school book fairs in elementary school.  It's like you knew how much often I read those fine, newspaper print beacons filled with the hopes of future books.  But seriously, including a link to old book club fliers?  GENIUS. Most of them appear to stylistically be from before my (reading abilities) time, but hey, we all can't be awesome harem pant, hypercolor t-shirt wearing, side pony-tail sporting children of the 90's, can we?  

And you, URLesque, well played on choosing to feature a 1990's Scholastic Book Club version containing a Maryanne and Logan Babysitters Club Book (also how I learned the world versus and that it could be abbreviated, not like it was a big deal or anything...).    It's not like I identified with Maryanne and had my first secret literary crush on Logan or anything...  Incidentally, a while a go a friend passed along the link to The Hairpin's The Babysitter's Club: Where Are They Now?  Most of them?  Dead on.  But the Logan assessment?  Dead off.  There is no way he's not fabulously Southern and gay.  Who's with me?

The Giza Gauntlet

Egypt threw down the gauntlet at the Giza Pyramids.  I wish I could say it was a really great experience, that the pyramids dazzled me, that I was inspired, etc.  But honestly, the hassling was so extreme at this tourist trap that I spent the first 45 minutes completely overwhelmed, frazzled, frustrated, and even near tears.  I knew it was going to be a bit intense, but what I realized retrospectively is though there were still busloads of tourists, I was more or less the only solo tourist visiting at the time.  Which meant open season on me.  I should have anticipated this; I already was aware that there were less tourists than usual (something that made me sad for Egypt's economy, but happy for my ability to actually see things and not be crowded at tourist places!), and that it was a pretty intense experience at the pyramids.  But holy. guacamole.  From the minute we approached the entrance in my cab, the cabbie let some guy hop into the front seat.  I was completely alarmed, and was all "What the what.  What are you doing?" We stopped at the "entrance" twenty yards away.  It was pretty clear it was not the entrance; thanks to my guidebook I was aware that this was a bit of a scam that is often run to get tourists to fork over extra money, rent a camel they don't want, etc.  

Librarian Mecca: Bibliotheca Alexandrina!

 As many of you know, I happen to have an occupational predilection towards libraries.  They excite me with their stores of fantastic knowledge and excellent organization.  Also, the big deal ones?  They tend to be kind of architecturally gorgeous.  Also:  books.  They've got them!  For all these reasons and more (as in, hello opportunity to visit the worlds first library even though the original was burned like six times so it's really not the real deal but whatever), I was stoked to visit the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.  And let me have you know: it is worth a trip.  I gasped when I walked in.  It is really that impressive, huge, and flat out architecturally gorgeous.  I want to go to there every day.  I want to work there.  I want to sneak in and live there in the way that the kids in From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler live in the Met.  No joke.  Am I gushing?  Is the Pope Catholic?  Deal.  I warned you of my occupational predilection.  

Rain and foreign book covers

 Hello friends. Shockingly, after an overnight train followed by a day in Cairo followd by leaving for the airport to travel 18ish hours home, posting was not a priority. I will update fully later so you'll get to know allllll about my adventures.  But to tide you over enjoy these phone pics from my last day in Egypt.

This picture? Evidence that it does actually rain in Cairo.  I was shocked! It lasted approximately 2 minutes, but I still think it counts, no?

Mmmmachiato @ Pottery Cafe, Cairo's hipster cafe.  Yes, they DO have sheesha and skinny cigarettes to accompany your skinny jeans!

I like the American cover sooooo much better.  Doesn't Katniss look like a Hogwarts bad girl?  There is no magic in the Hunger Games, cover artist!

Wall o'teen fiction at a Zamalek bookstore (yes, these are all in English).

Enjoy a gin fizz at a posh ye olde Victorian hotel with me!