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Due to some peer pressure, I have moved my blog to tumblr. Please follow me at http://amyswall.tumblr.com/

A Generation of Funny

Honest to God the first movie I ever remember seeing is The Jerk. I'm sure that I was much older at the time than I seem to remember myself--but either way I was probably still too young to be watching it. No, I was not a latch-key kid who stumbled upon this R rated Steve Martin movie on cable while my parents weren't home. I simply grew up in a house where my dad quoted his favorite movies all the time and rather than keep us in the dark--my parents allowed us to watch these movies with them.

Oddly enough my sister who was all about dresses and high heels by the age of three ended up being more interested in sports than movies, so she bonded with my dad over their love of the New York Mets. Having the attention span of a pea, I couldn't sit still for an entire inning of a ball game let alone an entire season. The comedies my dad watched however, pulled me right in. No, I couldn't understand the rules of baseball or why it was so entertaining but the punchlines of classic comedies like Animal House, Back to School, and Spaceballs were ideas I could wrap my elementary school brain around.

By the time I hit third grade my dad had introduced me to Second City, Saturday Night Live, and all of the works of Mel Brooks. Although I did briefly get caught up in that mid 90's Jonathon Taylor Thomas hysteria, my first true love was comedy. I read everything I could on the comedians of the time: John Candy, Phil Hartman, and yes even Rob Schneider. I watched hours and hours of Benny Hill and the Tracey Ullman Show In the fifth grade thanks to a brilliant monologue written by my dad, I killed at a school talent show telling funny jokes about my preteen sister.

To speed this story along, let's just say that 20 odd years later, comedy remains a huge part of my life. It's true I graduated from watching old repeats of sketch comedy shows from the 70's to immersing myself in the work of The Kids in the Hall and The State. For a brief period of time I even rode the train into Manhattan on a weekly basis to watch $5 comedy shows in the village. However, despite developing my own appreciation for what's funny, I don't think comedy would mean as much to me today if I hadn't spent that time with my dad.

Listening to him recite lines verbatim and cracking up mid-sentence helped me to understand how to tell when something is truly funny. I spent much of my childhood playing the fool in my family trying to get that reaction out of anyone who would listen to me. Some people thought I was hysterical, others thought I was weird. But honestly, when it came to funny I didn't really care if anybody else laughed as long as my dad got a kick out of it.

At a very young age my father gave me the gift of comedy and today I get to return the favor. While we do still gather around as a family to watch the grand finale of History of the World Part 1, I have taken special care to further my father's own comedic education. While some parents continue to revel in "the good old days," my dad is laughing at Stephen Lynch songs and pouring over Simon Pegg movies. If you ask him to, he can even explain to you who Michael Showalter is. In a way I guess the teacher has become the student.

I am writing this entry after having just watched Paul together. I was delighted to once again be watching my dad quote lines from a movie that he loved. This time however, sitting there giggling--each in our own way, we were enjoying the movie as equals. Tonight, delighting in the comedy before us we came together, two different generations of comedy enthusiasts simply sharing a laugh.

So Long Astoria...I Mean Borders

So Long Astoria…I Mean Borders.

Written by Amy Wahl

Today I woke up knowing what it would feel like if The Goonies failed to save their homes from those evil developers. This week I along with 11,000 other Borders Employees found out that our “homes” would not be saved. Despite the liquidation of hundreds of stores earlier this year, constant news reports, and never-ending rumors, I think we were all holding on to the hope that someone would use their buried treasure to keep our company afloat. Since that pirate financier never showed up, we must now face that reality that in a few short weeks Borders will cease exist, as we know it.

Much like Those Goonies who refused to say die, I am choosing to spend my last few weeks of employment enjoying the company of my comrades, my coworkers. As I begin to close down a store that means so much to me, I smile through misty eyes and try to hide the fact that my heart is broken. I’m sure that many people have wrestled with the loss of a job before, but in a way I think am also mourning the loss of a piece of myself.

I was only 19 years old when I walked into my local Borders Bookstore and applied for a job. I signed on as a cashier excited to work 15 hours a week ringing up customers and telling them to read “The Giver”. The first two years went by in a blur as I juggled work and college courses while attempting to maintain a social life.

By the time school was over I had grown out of wearing graphic t-shirts to work everyday and had learned how to apply makeup and wear dresses. I went on to fill many roles within the company over the years, but always remained in the same store. As I watched so many of my colleagues transfer to other stores or simply move on from the company, I could not bring myself to leave. Family and friends alike would ask me, “Why not go somewhere else? You have enough experience.”

When cornered I’d rattle off something basic such as “They’re short handed, they need me.” or “I won’t find a job that pays as well.” However, deep in my heart I knew that the reason I couldn’t leave was because I had fallen in love with my job—not my actual job but the community that came along with being a part of the Borders family. I loved spending time with my coworkers and helping our kooky customers find that book whose title they could never remember although the cover was blue and the author’s name ended in y. There was honestly nowhere else I’d rather have been.

I understand that this may seem like a sappy love letter to a corporate company, however it’s really a fond farewell to a way of life that is quickly disappearing. With the convenience of online shopping and digital E-Readers, bookstores are sadly becoming obsolete. I loved working at Borders. It gave me a place to go every day where I could share my knowledge and passion for literature with other people who were equally appreciative of books.

Over the years I made many friends and acquaintances there. I led book club meetings, ran events for our adolescent customers, and on one occasion served as the store’s holiday elf. I started there as a meek teenager studying to become a teacher. My job taught me that although I loved working with children, I could better serve them by being an advocate for reading, independent learning and exploration. In a few weeks when our doors close, I will leave my job as a confident adult with a Master’s Degree in Library Science. I will finally move on from the store that I have served for 7 years. Even though I won’t be working for Borders any longer, I will take the experiences that I have gained there with me into my future life.

As I wrestle with the thought of saying goodbye to my job, and ultimately the place that has helped me grow into myself, I am hopeful that others will remember the good times they have had at their local Borders Bookstore. I am confident that I am not the only one who has felt a special bond with this company. Although I remain incredibly sad over the loss of my workplace, I am comforted to know that others are feeling the loss of Borders as much as I am.

While this does mark the end of Borders Bookstores, it does not have to signify the end of the book community. Just as The Goonies faced being separated by the demolition of their neighborhood, we too stand on the brink of the unknown. If we go quietly without a fight, the only bookstores left will be the virtual kind.

As we mourn the loss of an exceptional company, let us not forget about the other bookstores that are still out there. It may not feel the same at first, but concentrate on getting that community feeling back. Relish in the experience of being able to physically pull a book off the shelf and read it. Ask your local bookseller for some recommendations. If nothing else, enjoy the feeling of knowing that although one bookstore company has fallen, there are others out there ready to serve your book-reading needs. Together we can launch the bookstore renaissance.

Oh Hello

I'm going to start off honest here, I am new to the blogging community. I assume it's a welcoming community being that there seem to be so many bloggers nowadays. But anyway, I am new, I am a little bit green and just getting my blogging legs so be gentle with me. I'm going to start things off with a little bit of info about myself and why I'm here.

This year I graduated from college--hopefully for the last time. I have spent the last few months defogging my brain of all the excess stress that built up there while cramming for final exams, writing reports, and carrying out lesson plans.While clearing my head I realized that there were things to think about and to comment on other than the issues I had been reading about in my text books.

A mind blowing discovery indeed, I slowly began jotting down my thoughts and opinions in one of the dozen journals I received as graduation presents over the years. However after about a week of writing, I remembered part of the reason I hate journals is because my handwriting sucks. So here I am attempting a blog so that I can express my point of view while avoiding the embarrassment of sharing my cruddy handwriting with others. So that is why I am here.

Who am I? My name is Amy and I am a resident of a small town in Long Island New York. I've lived in the same house for 26 years and have dabbled in everything from stand up comedy (in the 5th grade), to food services, to teaching, and to selling books. I have been an employee at Borders Books and Music for more than a quarter of my current lifespan. I walked in when I was 19 years old to buy a copy of The Giver (because I lost mine) and walked out with a job.

I am a sucker for 80's and 90's movies. I enjoy shameful music such as ABBA and Good Charlotte without much shame. I fell in love with Elvis Costello at a young age not because of his music but because of his famous meltdown on Saturday Night Live--although his music did eventually blow my nerdy mind away. I am a pretty liberal person, I believe in peace and love and general tolerance. I will share my opinion with anyone who is interested but I'm not looking to preach to anyone and I hate being preached to so please don't do that.


My hopes for this blog is that my writing will amuse you while provoking you to share your own voice with others. I look forward to blogging about important issues such as the future of libraries as well as less crucial matters like which was the better Corey, Feldman or Haim--I'm a Feldman girl myself. I will be starting things off with some older pieces I've shared other places and continue to add new content as the juices get flowing.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I can't wait to start our virtual friendship!