The Blogtastic Blogfest That Is Getmeoutofthis.net!

I’m writing this in the Borders in St. Louis that I often hang out at while waiting for appointments and such. And it just occurs to me how clearly book are on the list of things that I think it would be cool to like, but that I actually don’t like.

Okay, that’s not completely true. Let me explain.

I think Wine, as a concept and thing, is a cool idea. I think the concept of me drinking wine would be pretty sweet. But I’ve disliked all wine I’ve ever tried, and I am a teetotaller. I’m not going to actually drink wine. But the idea of drinking wine, that’s pretty cool. In the same way, the idea of drinking coffee is pretty neat. I hate the taste of coffee, but being someone who drank coffee is something that I could get behind with little to no issue. I won’t, but it’s fine.

Sitting here, at this table, completely surrounded by books… that’s a concept that I can get behind, especially as I put some words down on bloeg. I like the idea of books. I like the feel of books. I like having books stacked everywhere. I’m just not a big fan of reading books.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll read things for class, and every so often I’ll find a book that I just have to read, and I will devour it. But when I have lesiure time, reading books is basically the farthest thing from my mind. Hell, reading comic books is even difficult. I love Yotsuba&!, xXxholic, and Scott Pilgrim, but I have to force myself to set aside time to consume that media. I just play video games. To put it another way, I tend to watch Let’s Plays, which are other people playing video games, before I pick up a book. I’d have to be out of Let’s Plays before I’d think about making that happen.

It’s just weird. Here I am, studying English, which is something I completely enjoy. At the same time, so rarely do I actually engage with books, which is the core of what I’m studying. It’s just… strange. I don’t mind it. I don’t wish I’d read more. (Okay, I kind of do, but in the same way where I wish I’d exercise more. I know it won’t happen, and I’m fine with it, but hey, if it suddenly somehow did, that would be nice.) It’s just weird that I’m setting myself up to dedicate myself to this sort of thing that I simply don’t do.

At the same time, maybe that’s a benefit. As I said, it’s not like I don’t enjoy reading when I actually do it. Maybe that’s the appeal. I’d be doing at work something that I would enjoy, but it isn’t my leisure activity. It doesn’t “taint” my leisure in the same way that, I dunno, working at a restaurant would taint your enjoyment of that place’s food, since you’d eat there all the time. Reading is my work, and it’s fun work, but I leave it at the office. I want to be able to leave things at the office.

Maybe that’s it, then. Hm.