Pregnant with a bookstore on a surfboard

Dear folks,
The moving process is way later than anyone expected because the construction just is not yet done. Up till the end of August, everything seemed to be in place for finishing up by Oct. 1 so that we could come right over after our absolute last day at Kalverstraat 185. But... in spite of overwork and immense motivation on the part of the builders, without steel for the staircases, lots of other things can't be finished. We hope to receive the steel railings today, Oct. 30th, and to finish off the first floor this week so that some of these books can find their new places and the first floor can open. The science fiction books will come up a little bit later, when their home along the ramp is safe to shelve.
Why am I still so calm, people ask. After all, the store has practically no sales for a month while salaries and other expenses continue. Isnt it scary? It is, and yet it can't be. It's very much like giving birth as a mother. A long period of anticipation is followed by uncertainty, pain, extremely hard work and undescribable joy. Just like with a pregnancy, you begin a life-changing process which normally turns out all right but occasionally not. The due date is known but the actual date of birth remains a mystery. There's a person growing inside you, yet you have no control and little knowledge about the possible outcome. Life as you know it will change forever within a short period of time, life as a couple will change in ways unforeseen, and with all this going on, the job of the mother is to stay calm for the health of her baby, her self and those closest to her, like the father of the child.

In this building project, I can't pretend to be in control. (I can suggest, ask questions, nudge and go to experts for counsel.) It feels like swimming under water much of the time - but with the assurance that a surf board is at hand. Although I can't control the waves, I can learn to ride them. Pregnant with a bookstore on a surfboard. Now there's an image!

We colleagues at ABC are frustrated by the long period without our books and our customers. But how are you doing? Write us a note here on our blog and let us know how you are experiencing this unexpected ABC-less period.