How to Spend a Lazy Afternoon

I’ll admit it.  I’m a media junkie.  I’m also a comic book geek and an avid reader of fantasy, sci fi, and horror novels.  And the latest influx of geek movies (the Marvel movies, Green Lantern, LOTR, Harry Potter, etc.) has definitely pulled me more into my movie-watching love.  Netflix is one of my closest friends, and yes, I still shell out the money for a visit to a real movie theater when something I’ve been waiting for comes out.  I do love me some movies!

But at heart, I’m a reader.  And my Sunday afternoons (and some Saturdays, if I had something I just had to read) were always a treat for me.  That’s when I would sit down and just read for a few hours, usually polishing off a book in the afternoon.  If I was mighty industrious, I might start at lunch and read until late evening, knocking out a couple or three.  Throughout the week, I might read a book over several days by taking an hour at bedtime and reading, but my Sunday afternoons have always been my time to really devour a good book.

Now that I have a Kindle, that seems to be changing.  Here is this tiny, easy to carry around device that I’ve loaded with a veritable library of books.  Some new, some old favorites.  And I take it with me everywhere!  It goes to work with me, where I read on my breaks, even if it’s only 5-10 minutes.  It goes with me when I take my son to his trumpet lessons.  It goes with me to Band Booster meetings (if you’re a parent with a kid in marching band, you’ll know what this is… it might have a different name where you’re from, but it’s still the same thing).  I take it with me out to dinner, or when I go to visit my family, or go hang out with my friends.  I’ve always got a book with me!  Hell, I’ve got a couple dozen!

When I bought the Kindle, I rationalized the expense as useful for verifying formatting of my own books before uploading them to Amazon.  And yes, it’s useful for that.  I didn’t realize I’d become so fascinated, nay, obsessed, with having my Kindle everywhere I go.  I love the thing, and I love having a good book with me at all times.

But somehow, it’s changed something.  Sunday afternoons… there’s nothing special about them anymore.  I still might sit down and spend the afternoon devouring a book.  I might only read for an hour or two.  There’s just nothing special about it.  Part of it is the lack of the tactile parts of reading… holding the book, thumb in the spine to hold it open, turning the pages, the smell of old paper.  I miss that.  But part of it is that I always have a book with me these days, and can read a bit at a moment’s notice.

My love of reading hasn’t been dampened.  My love of writing never will be.  But somehow, the Kindle has made my Sunday afternoon ritual just feel like one more day.

So from now on, I think I’ll turn my Sunday afternoon into my most intensive writing time.  I used to write a page here, a page there, as I had time.  Much the way I’m reading, now that I have the Kindle.  So these two activities are flip-flopping.  Sunday afternoons are going to make a comeback, I can feel it!