Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Books
Me and reading books don't go well together. I take couple of eons to finish 100 pages of anything. Once every couple of years, I would feel that I have to read something, mainly because somebody told me that there is a lot to read! Then I would google (Definition: to search for information about a specific stuff through the Google search engine; Pronunciation Key: goo-'gle' as in 'play'), for libraries and bookstores in my vicinity. Then I would yahoo for directions to that place. Then I would 'post it' them on my steering wheel. Then I would drive to wherever it is. And then, I wouldn't read after getting there!
My favourite hangout for reading books is Barnes and Noble. I'd go there, appreciate and admire the atmosphere of that place. One would look like a very learned person there. Look at all the people who seem pretty serious about Italian vegetarian cooking. Look at the students who would take their homework assignments to the coffee table just in front of the Starbucks No.2 inside the bookstore and still wouldn't know whether to order decaf or chai latte. I've even looked at a 80 year old man tearing the plastic cover of "do not open unless you wish to buy, strictly for 18+ only" magazines :) Well, all this stuff would take about 10-15 minutes. I'd then go to the bargain section, of course not to buy anything. I'd eagerly open up a book about antique cars, browse through a few pages and conclude that it is not my thing. Ok then, take the first escalator to the middle section and try to locate book by nostradamus. That was the one book that they ran out of that day. Go to the photography section - flip through all the books there. Yes, I have assimilated the content in all the books in just under 40 seconds. May be I am still trying to locate a book, which would interest me more. I step into the cooking section - it struck me so forcefully that I got out of that section in half a second. Move on to books about Beethoven's life, Mozart's letters, Western Classical Music Encyclopedia. Well, these books are too thick for me. So move on again and end up in the astronomy section. I would flip exactly six pages in a book about saturn when an involuntary reflex on my body forces my eyes to look at a section which has books about self-improvement. Would I go there? No I am already improved. don't need anymore improvement. But the section next to it sounds interesting - World History. You can guess the rest. Not done yet, so take the 2nd escalator to the upper section. Go around the section for a few yards and you suddenly find yourself out of the store. Now, that's terrible - you have to get back into the store again. After all, you haven't begun reading anything yet. After about an hour or so, my mind tells me that I have been out of the house, so I need to get back. Only after that would I feel a sense of accomplishment for the day. May be the reading can wait until next weekend.
I don't know what happened in Barnes and Noble, but one old lady would have gone home thinking I am a Photographer; another pretty one would have loved to talk to me about world history; the nerd would have been interested in asking me questions about space and may be the 80 year old man was thinking of selling his vintage car to me.
Jimmy: What did you end up doing on saturday afternoon?
Me: Well, unlike you, I "Barnes and Nobled".
Then there was another bookstore called Borders.....
Over the years, I have matured enough to live this experience completely in my mind whenever it occurs to me that I should go out and read. This takes only about five minutes.
You know, they should try to make a novel with just 10 pages in it. By the time I get to the last chapter, it is embarassing to admit, I forget the character names. To me, each chapter in the novel talks about different people. So, I can take a two week break in between chapters.
"....and then the Galileosauras attacked Ted in the museum..."
Well, wait a minute, is it the same Ted from the first chapter? or was there even a Ted in the first chapter? Is the author trying to make a point here? AM I MISSING SOMETHING?
I had a fairly long engagement period that lasted for 9 months. My fiancee would want me to read some romantic novels (she came really close to finding out about my 'long distant relationship' with novels). Anyway, I then borrowed something that she recommended from the library closeby, which I never knew existed. When the librarian told me that I could renew the book twice for a period of three weeks after the first three weeks, I shouldn't have heard it. Somehow, when I returned the book after feeling unhappy that I hadn't fully read it, it was time for me to get married.
Unfortunately for me, the topic surfaced during our honeymoon.
Ok, let me get back to reading this book that I've to return tomorrow.
My favourite hangout for reading books is Barnes and Noble. I'd go there, appreciate and admire the atmosphere of that place. One would look like a very learned person there. Look at all the people who seem pretty serious about Italian vegetarian cooking. Look at the students who would take their homework assignments to the coffee table just in front of the Starbucks No.2 inside the bookstore and still wouldn't know whether to order decaf or chai latte. I've even looked at a 80 year old man tearing the plastic cover of "do not open unless you wish to buy, strictly for 18+ only" magazines :) Well, all this stuff would take about 10-15 minutes. I'd then go to the bargain section, of course not to buy anything. I'd eagerly open up a book about antique cars, browse through a few pages and conclude that it is not my thing. Ok then, take the first escalator to the middle section and try to locate book by nostradamus. That was the one book that they ran out of that day. Go to the photography section - flip through all the books there. Yes, I have assimilated the content in all the books in just under 40 seconds. May be I am still trying to locate a book, which would interest me more. I step into the cooking section - it struck me so forcefully that I got out of that section in half a second. Move on to books about Beethoven's life, Mozart's letters, Western Classical Music Encyclopedia. Well, these books are too thick for me. So move on again and end up in the astronomy section. I would flip exactly six pages in a book about saturn when an involuntary reflex on my body forces my eyes to look at a section which has books about self-improvement. Would I go there? No I am already improved. don't need anymore improvement. But the section next to it sounds interesting - World History. You can guess the rest. Not done yet, so take the 2nd escalator to the upper section. Go around the section for a few yards and you suddenly find yourself out of the store. Now, that's terrible - you have to get back into the store again. After all, you haven't begun reading anything yet. After about an hour or so, my mind tells me that I have been out of the house, so I need to get back. Only after that would I feel a sense of accomplishment for the day. May be the reading can wait until next weekend.
I don't know what happened in Barnes and Noble, but one old lady would have gone home thinking I am a Photographer; another pretty one would have loved to talk to me about world history; the nerd would have been interested in asking me questions about space and may be the 80 year old man was thinking of selling his vintage car to me.
Jimmy: What did you end up doing on saturday afternoon?
Me: Well, unlike you, I "Barnes and Nobled".
Then there was another bookstore called Borders.....
Over the years, I have matured enough to live this experience completely in my mind whenever it occurs to me that I should go out and read. This takes only about five minutes.
You know, they should try to make a novel with just 10 pages in it. By the time I get to the last chapter, it is embarassing to admit, I forget the character names. To me, each chapter in the novel talks about different people. So, I can take a two week break in between chapters.
"....and then the Galileosauras attacked Ted in the museum..."
Well, wait a minute, is it the same Ted from the first chapter? or was there even a Ted in the first chapter? Is the author trying to make a point here? AM I MISSING SOMETHING?
I had a fairly long engagement period that lasted for 9 months. My fiancee would want me to read some romantic novels (she came really close to finding out about my 'long distant relationship' with novels). Anyway, I then borrowed something that she recommended from the library closeby, which I never knew existed. When the librarian told me that I could renew the book twice for a period of three weeks after the first three weeks, I shouldn't have heard it. Somehow, when I returned the book after feeling unhappy that I hadn't fully read it, it was time for me to get married.
Unfortunately for me, the topic surfaced during our honeymoon.
Ok, let me get back to reading this book that I've to return tomorrow.
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