Sigh

My excitement has been tempered....the wait time for the e library books I have on hold currently is making me impatient. I did spend two hours reading a real (capable of being held and pages turned by hand) book at barnes and noble last night while ryan studied. This helped hold me over and may become something I do far more frequently.  I could spend hours in a bookstore. :)

free ebooks !

How exciting! Indulge me for a moment and be excited for my latest great find. (Pretend like I'm not one of the last people to find this...) I  discovered the most amazing app this weekend. I use the word discovered because searching for and finding new apps is kind of like our modern day version of discovering new worlds. (It's the closest we're going to come to understanding what columbus must have felt I'm sure!)

Anyway apparently there is an app out there allowing people to check out ebooks! From libraries! It's free! I can now read books for free on my smart device of choice. I'm not sure if you can understand how life changing this find is for me. These are not just the old old books you can find free from kindle or apple....this is excellent news for our  waning bank account and bookshelf space....not such great news for my waning study habit. 

(oh yeah. sorry for the suspense. the app is called overdrive media consul and odds are your library has a great collection of ebooks you never knew about either!!)

I also apologize for the excessive use of exclamation marks.

technology

I recently purchased an ipod touch.  I bought it for the apps.  Then, even more recently, I procured a palm pre!  This was much sooner than anticipated.  I worried my ipod would become obsolete after only a few weeks of enjoyment.  I no longer needed wifi to access twitter and pandora!!  I don't want to linger much longer on the topic of gadgets; however, I did decide I would attempt to make use of both and this was my plan.  I would use the ipod as a kindle (I suppose I will also listen to music, which, by the way, is a lesser-known function of the ipod apple should really try to market).  

One of the applications I downloaded to my ipod, obviously, was Kindle.  I've been a bit leery of the thought of reading an entire book without touching a page.  However, the ability to sit on my couch, browse the best-seller list, find a captivating book, and immediately read it appealed to my over-powering desire for instant gratification.  Instant gratification has always been a part of my life; ask my dad.  Case in point - I purchased the ipod and palm pre both within weeks of each other.  Anyway, this ease of availability, to someone with my tendency to devour novels in a few days (or hours), is beyond enticing.  At the moment I am choosing to overlook the possible expense.  :)

The first book.  I was supposed to read The Piano Teacher by Janice Lee for July's book club but it was checked out with undetermined wait times at every library.  I discovered that the cheapest way to purchase the book was through Kindle!  Finally, after much hesitation and wavering, I took the plunge.  I just finished the book tonight.  The experience was new and different, but I was drawn to the story just as if the book was physically in my hands.  The slight difference I need to investigate is how to determine my location in the book.  There are numbers at the bottom of the page, but they are not page numbers.  I've heard they might be line numbers.  We will see.  Overall, the first experience was not a disappointment.  I will become a return customer.   

I do want to tell you about this book because I was captivated by the story from page one.  But, I'm sure I've reached the point where a blog becomes slightly too long and you've most likely already mentally escaped to your next online destination.  Enjoy!!    

celebrities

i recently finished reading sTORI telling by Tori Spelling (so witty!).  i've seen her reality show on oxygen before and enjoyed it.  this was earlier this year when my television was advanced and allowed me to watch hundreds of channels as well as record shows when i couldn't watch at the time!  it has since reverted into it's 1990's format of 15 odd channels which cannot be recorded.  

i need to take a moment here and also say (for those of you who haven't heard me rant about this already) that fort wayne television channels are incredibly STRANGE!  the today show, for instance, cuts off at 9 for regis & kelly, which we all know is supposed to be on ABC.  AND ellen is on NBC at 4!  i have yet to look for oprah, but has anyone ever heard of oprah being on at a different time or on a different channel?  i didn't think so.  i don't know who in fort wayne i have to speak with to fix these problems but it is serious.

i'm sorry, back to the point.  i have seen tori spelling's reality show and i enjoyed it.  this is not a surprise because it seems that all reality tv shows, celebrity gossip magazines, and people.com photos can command my attention for many minutes of my day (who am i kidding...hours).  i know i'm not alone on this one.  you all do it too (maybe not mom and dad or ryan or zachary), so i suppose it's more accurate to say that most women i know find themselves in the same position as me.  we are fascinated by the lives of others!  this is especially true for celebrities because they are out there in front of us every day.  some even take it upon themselves to show us the "reality" of their lives by creating "reality" tv shows.  the quotation marks there are very important and necessary.  i can't explain the draw adequately, just know it's there and this is a widely-shared interest of teens, twenty-somethings, and i would assume the thirty-somethings as well.  (i will let you know once i get there).  

oh yes, the book.  i was drawn to the title.  it is so very witty and i thought that perhaps tori would be a witty and entertaining author.  after reading her book i found myself a little turned off to her.  yes, she has a witty style and (as per usual) i found myself drawn to the stories of her life in the spotlight.  however, i didn't find myself feeling sorry for her as i think she hoped her audience would.  i appreciate her ability to put herself out there and tell stories about herself which were not entirely flattering.  however, as the book eventually lets on, tori spelling looked for any way to make money in order to pay off her enormous debt.  this book, and her reality show seem like more of the same desperate attempt to make money and make heard her desperate cry that she is indeed NORMAL.  she is using books and "reality" tv to paint the "reality" of her life that she would like the world to see.  

i suppose i shouldn't let myself be disappointed.  the book really was entertaining; in exactly the same ways as the reality shows, magazines, and photos.  as an autobiography, the book did its job.  it painted a picture of a life through the author's eyes.  i will continue to watch "reality" tv, (that is if my television will give me the proper channels), and i will continue to read celebrity autobiographies from time to time.  what can i say, the lives of celebrities are and will remain...fascinating!