Library Books

Monday was supposed to be a day of intense reading. One of my library books needed to be returned by Tuesday; normally, I'd just renew it if I hadn't made it through yet...but this one had a hold on it, and renewal is not an option when some other library patron is foaming at the mouth to get it.

It's a good book. "You're Not Fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop To A Coffee Shop". It's one of the motivators for me to start this blog and keep it going. But I haven't finished it yet, and now have to return it, drat the luck. (And curse my slow reading speed, too, dadburn it!) I'm pretty sure that the secret to how I'm going to become rich and famous is in the last chapter, and since I have to take it back to the library, I'll never learn what I need to do.

What? You think I should just buy my own copy? Hmm. Not a bad idea. I'll think about it.

I'm also returning a book about using Sony Vegas movie editing software. The book is a couple of software versions out of date, but still has some hints that I might use in editing future videos. (Of course, the following question naturally arises: If I don't have the time and discipline to finish a good book within the three weeks granted by the friendly neighborhood librarian, how the heck do I expect to storyboard, shoot, and edit a video? Stay tuned, please, and you'll eventually find out.)

You would think that three weeks would be plenty of time to read and return books. But I typically check out too many at one time, and then scatter my reading time. One book becomes the nighttime, put-me-to-sleep tome. Another sits on the sofa and serves as something to page through when the baseball game is dragging. Another might be the one I choose for when I'm hanging upside down on my inversion table. And not a one of these techniques lets me tear through the required number of pages in the restricted number of days. Sigh.

Oh, I suppose I could give up some of my exercise hours. But, well...NO. I could give up some TV watching, but most of that only happens while I'm eating. I guess I could learn to eat faster. (Or eat less -- which might also allow me to cut down on workout time. Hmm.) Or I could learn to read faster...

Wait, I already tried that once. It was probably 20 years ago, but I did take a speed reading course at the local adult ed facility. And over the course of the class, I did manage to flip a LOT of pages in a short period of time. Our final project was to read a novel about the Titanic in something like 1 hour...and I did it! I even absorbed all the major plot points and morality lessons: lifeboats=good, icebergs=bad.

So why have I slowed back down? Because speed reading just wasn't any fun. It was work. And while I readily admit that the techniques do allow for a fair level of comprehension at an accelerated ppm (pages per minute), it also made my brain hurt. And my brain is fragile enough as it is.

I guess I'll return these books without finishing them. I can always put a hold on them myself, right?

Hey, support your local library, OK? And have a great day!