Hanging at the MOA

That would be the "Mall of America." Bloomington, Minnesota. I remember when we (in the media) dubbed it the Mega Mall. It is still quite a place. A shrine to consumer consumption. I was signing books and DVD's at the quaint Minnesot-AH! store: a place dedicated to all things Minnesotan. "Tales" fits in well. 

I was at a small table in the store's entry with a view of "Lids": a store dedicated to baseball caps. One of the perks of hanging out at the mall on a Saturday afternoon is the great people watching. It is a free show. The parade of humanity was incredibly entertaining. I learned that the mall has great cell phone reception. No dead spots. Nearly every person who passed me had their cell out. Four guys in a group five sauntered past. All four on the phone. I wonder if they were talking to each other. It wouldn't have surprised me. 

I marveled at the impeccably dressed woman with the runway walk who teetered on impossibly high heels. Those pencil heels must have been four inches high. Impressive considering she was also carrying several bags. I learned you can shop and still look great at the end of the day, a feat I've never achieved. 

An engaging, older man stopped by to chat. He has heard of "Tales" but begged off buying a book. He has too many he said. (Now, how can you have too many books! :)

He told me a story that I'm going to have to check out. It deals with a former DJ in the Twin Cities who worked at the venerable Top 40 station KDWB. This was in the 1960's, and "Donald K. Martin" (who was a friend of this gentleman) was driving to Duluth to see his girlfriend. The radio announcer was a pretty plugged in guy--he knew the local music scene--so when he saw a scruffy young man, with a guitar on his back, hitch-hiking on the shoulder of Highway 61, Martin stopped the car and said "Zimmerman! Where are you going now?" The young musician said "Out to New York to play a few songs." Martin gave the guy a lift. I wonder if Bob Dylan remembers that moment? Donald K. Martin does. 

A story for the sequel don't you think? The lesson? You just never know who you are going to run into either by the side of the road or in a shopping mall.