Raxacoricofallapatorious May 22, 2006 ~ 5:00 pm
Posted by Julie in : Daily Grind, Rants , trackback
The Parachute Jump ~Coney Island
After a damned ad that the Sci-Fi Channel ran following Doctor Who Friday night, I spent the weekend looking for Doctor Who novels. Because I am a big geek like that. And yes, I have already watched Friday night’s episode three times, and I wasn’t even home for the majority of the weekend. Suck it. I can pronounce today’s title, can you?
The ad proclaimed that I could find said Doctor Who novels (featuring the Ninth and best Doctor, Christopher Eccleston) at a bookstore near me. One would imply from this that I could find these books anywhere, right? If I lived in Indiana, for instance, I was still promised that the books would be at “a bookstore near you” (me) by the commercial. Bullshit. I went to the Barnes & Noble by Lincoln Center. This is the largest Barnes & Noble in the city - its interior was used as the evil “Fox Books” megastore in You’ve Got Mail. This place is big. And yet, did they have my Ninth Doctor Adventures Doctor Who novels? They did not. They looked at me like “Doctor who?” when I asked about the books. No, people. Doctor Who.
Next I tried the Borders store at the Time-Warner center. Struck out there, too, even though their computer said one of the books was in the store. I don’t know where the hell that book was, but it was not in the right place. I sighed, and resigned myself to ordering the damn books over the internet. Annoying, since that would add shipping costs, but I was willing to do it.
And then I remembered a little place called Forbidden Planet, which is a store that specializes in comics and sci-fi stuff. I called them up and asked if they had the new Doctor Who novels. The guy on the phone immediately said “Which ones? With the Ninth Doctor? The one played by Christopher Eccleston?” A sigh of relief escaped me. I had found My People. “Yes, those ones.” “Oh, yeah, we’ve got quite a few of them.” Eureka.
So last night I went to Forbidden Planet, picked up two of the novels, took them to the register, and was greeted by the clerk saying “Ah, the Doctor!” Again, these are obviously My People. We had a nice little chat about the series and how it’s coming out on DVD in July, and I left, feeling good instead of feeling like a geek for watching science fiction, which is how the big bookstores made me feel. With my books. Which were not at a bookstore near me, as the commercial led me to believe, but rather at a sci-fi store that kicks ass and is populated with My People.
Take that, big chain bookstores.
Comments
geek
Yeah, you’re a geek. But I love that in a person.
Bunsen~Says the one who MADE yogurt. Hello, pot? This is kettle.
Serra~You understand because you are one of My People.
I’d call you a big time geek, but it would be kind of hyprocritical from the guy that collected comics for nearly 20 years, starting at 16.
And I LOOOOOOVE comic/sci fi shops! Good to know you’re one of us. I knew there was something I liked about you, you know, besides being a Queen fan and all around cool chick and everything.
Yeah! Take that! Dr. Who rocks!
The sad part is the geeks competing. Why can’t we all just get along? I’m from comic books (old school) and my husband is RPG. I have to explain the powers of the super heroes but he is all about spells and magic swords. Fortunately we both love Buffy, and I did get him into the SNG and Voyager world. I say all geeks should get along!
Live long and prosper.
Yep. You really ARE a geek. That’s a fact.
Isn’t it great when you can find a place with “your people”? That’s why I just adore the metaphysical bookstores and the RenFest. Those are my people. And hopefully I’ll get that job at Medieval Times when it opens up in July/August and then I”ll really be surrounded by my peeps. I mean, I am surrounded by a lot of my peeps at the spa, but they’re only partly my peeps
Finding peeps is always a bonus 
Have fun with your new book goodness.
Vince~I have a Lone Gunmen comic book. Remember the LGM? They started off in the X-Files and then had a brief spin-off of their own that should never have been cancelled because it was AWESOME? Yeah, I have a comic book from that brief series. I am a geek.
Nanner~Yay! Another of My People!
Geewits~It’s kind of like the Old Series Trekkies competing with TNG or DS9 Followers, isn’t it? To quote some Doctor Who: “Very….Spock.”
Cooter~But you love me for it, dontcha?
An old friend used to work at Forbidden Planet!! As for Fox Books..I didn’t know it was B&N…I JUST watched YOU GOT MAIL a few nites ago!
Mrs. M~I learned that bit about the B&N being Fox Books on a “Big Apple Tour” (you know the ones with the double decker busses?) a few years back. And I was just at Forbidden Planet again tonight - I swear, that place is ALWAYS busy.
Leeniemonkey~I have many peoples, but you knew that.
Fingers crossed for you and the RenFest gig!
Finding anything (decent) science fiction / fantasy seems to be a mission everywhere. I’ve even found some of my favourite authors under the “teenage” section.
Was looking for the correct spelling of Raxacoricofallapatorious and found you lot here… You sound like “my people!” It’s amazing the stares one can get when asking about Doctor Who novels or, heaven forbid, bringing the show up in mixed company– “Doctor… who?”
I used to live in comic book stores, and they are the last frontier for some of us.
Geeks and the Doctor rule. LGM too.
Carry on now!
p.r. Chung~FANTASTIC.
Welcome. 