Blockbusted

I learned today that our local Blockbuster store will be closing soon. It has been here for as long as I can remember, and I have rented hundreds of video tapes, DVDs and blu-rays. Of course after it closes it won't be hard to still get movies. There are a couple of independent video stores in the neighbourhood, and they should survive for awhile. But when they are gone it will be all VOD or downloading. Kurt Vonnegut once wrote a blurb about how he would go down to the newsstand periodically to get a large manila envelope. When asked why he didn't just keep a stack of envelopes in his desk drawer he replied that he preferred the routine of getting them as needed from his friendly neighbourhood newsman. As he put it "we are born to fart around." Going to Blockbuster has been one of my favourite ways to fart around for the past 12 years. Guess I'm going to have to change the routine.