Friday, March 25, 2011

Not Reading

For the last couple of decades I've read and read and read, with most of my free time being spent with books.  Typically I read 50-100 books a year.  I get up in the morning and read while I eat breakfast, read while I use the bathroom, read while I brush my teeth...  In the evenings I read while I eat dinner, read on the couch for a bit, read while I brush my teeth, and so on...

But since coming to New York City in September last year, I've hardly read any books at all.  It's very strange to me, but I've thought about it and I guess it's a couple of things.

I haven't bought any comfortable furniture to read in.  There's the less than comfortable, cheap Ikea dining chairs, or the floor.  From the floor, though, there's no good lighting that'll come from behind to read, only overhead.  The lighting can be solved by using the iPad for reading, instead of a dead tree book...

When I have free time on the weekends, I just want to get out of the apartment, walk around and explore the city.  After ten years in India where I found getting out and walking to be uncomfortable (traffic, lack of sidewalks, noise, pollution, heat, feral dogs, etc.) now that I'm in a city where I'm comfortable walking, I don't want to spend as much time inside.

In the evenings, I don't feel like I have much time, and what I do I spend writing to Leena and reading friends' things on Facebook, and maybe a bit of light stuff on the web, like Slashdot.  But it's very quickly bedtime.

About the only time I'm really reading any books is when I'm in the bathroom...  And that's the most comfortable furniture, too...

When will I read again?  Maybe when it gets too hot to be outside in the summer.  Or when the newness of New York City wears off a bit.  And when I get a nice comfy chair or couch...

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