3 Minutes With Your Arlington Neighbor: Terry Nebeker, House Smudger and Indy Book Seller

Introducing your neighbor, Terry Nebeker. 

What's your morning routine?
Perfect morning: Walk the Weimareader (my dog, Sandy). Enjoy 3 different hot beverages while reading my old-fashioned newspaper. Bonus points for a day featuring a review by book critic @RonCharles. Exercise. Sauna. Shower. Breakfast. Internet. If I start with this last one, I never do the rest.

What do you do for a living? And what's the best thing about your job?  
I work at One More Page Books, an independent bookstore in Arlington. I get to meet & hang out with cool, creative people -- authors, illustrators, wine & chocolate experts (we sell those too). I'm surrounded by books, and I get to sample the wine & chocolate before we sell them.

What's the hardest?
Spreading the word that there's a cool indie bookstore in Arlington that sells books, wine, and chocolate and has great author events. Making time to read all the great books that are out there. Deciding which red wine is my favorite this week.

How long have you lived here?
I've lived in Arlington since 1982. So, 32 years. I'm a refugee from Great Falls, which was quite the outpost when I was growing up -- we had to drive to McLean to go grocery shopping or visit the library. It was all farms, tractors, cows, and horses.

What's your favorite thing about living here?
I love having sidewalks (see Great Falls, above) and access to Metro. I can get to the city in 20 minutes for art, theater, politics, or food.

If you had to arrange a secret meeting here, where would you have it?
Probably in the underground of the Lee-Harrison shopping center. There are shops there, but all kinds of hidden stairwells and doors.

Tell us something about yourself that most of your neighbors don't know.
I smudge my house regularly.

When you want a really indulgent snack here, where do you go and what do you get?
If I'm in a hurry, I grab one of the excellent chocolate bars we sell at the store. My favorite right now is Zoe's Harvest Crunch Bar. She's local; we love to support other local businesses. If I have time, I love a slap of Trader Joe's Manchego with homemade guacamole and a glass of red wine.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
Stay in the present moment, and always expect the best. Worrying about the future makes you anxious. Fretting about the past makes you depressed, and very poor company. Look for beauty and you will find it, always.

What are you doing after this interview?
I'm hosting a launch party for an author at One More Page. It's my favorite kind of event -- he's bringing in food, buying some wine for his guests to taste, and has invited all his friends and colleagues to celebrate his new work.