The Vampire Chronicles, Vampire Classes, and Other Things

11:20 am
Location: Tennis Courts
Having arrived late to class, the instructor tells me he has no more space. I play with a class of little 5-8 year old boys. The dark, rosy cheeked boy with striped t-shirt beats me 0-4 all four games.

12:30 pm
Location: Outside of Cold Stone
I have a scoop of Sweet Cream on a cone, listening to Dido.

12:35 pm
Location: Library
Reading is unparalleled by anything on Earth. Cupped between two doors is a new world waiting to be unleashed, a lover waiting to be indulged.
Read the first line. The second. The first page. The world quietly and unassumingly slips away, allowing you room to enter a realm delicately constructed of words. But no...they are not just words. Every phrase is a caress, every character has a gentle heartbeat like satin fluttering in the wind.
Settle in. Indulge. The pages feel thin and soft--the fibers stroke the pads of your index finger and thumb with each turn of the page.

1:15ish
Location: Borders checkout
"Oh!" Her face brightens. "The Vampire Chronicles! Wow, this is so convenient. Is the whole series in here?"
"No. Just the first three--Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, and The Queen of the Damned."
"So there's more? Do you know how many are in the whole chronicle?"
I flip open my book and tap the page that lists everything written by Anne Rice. "There. See? It lists everything."
"Ah, I see. Wow, so there are a lot more, then, huh? Yeah, in my Vampire class, we studied Anne Rice a lot."
Silence. I'm not sure what to say to that, but I feel the overwhelming urge to ask her what exactly is taught in a Vampire class.
"Do you want a plastic bag?"
"No, it's fine, thanks. I'll carry it."