When I started blogging, I had this blog for regular posts, and I created the Memory Keeper to blog about special family memories. My hope was that I would use those as a springboard for a book. This year, I started the 'A Year of Blogging' as a creative writing experiment. Over the course of the year, it has become harder and harder to keep up with all the blogs. Then I confused the matter even more by putting memories into this blog instead of the Memory Keeper.
So I've decided to consolidate. The posts from the Memory Keeper are now in this blog and are in order. Then I deleted the Memory Keeper. Wow, as a writer, hitting 'delete' was hard. And then confirming that I wanted to delete it was even harder. But I relaxed, because I knew my posts had been safely moved to my 'Fibro Thoughts'. I checked that all the posts were here before I hit delete.
When I finish the year-long experiment, I will have just one blog. And I think that is sufficient.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Mom and The Bear
I was talking to a coworker the other day about our rural roots. She grew up in West Virginia, and we understand what each other means when we talk about growing up in the country. Somehow, the topic of wild animals came up. We talked about the moose in NY and how I have yet to see one, and then we talked about bears.
While it has only been in the past decade that people in my hometown are spotting moose with any regularity, the bears have always been there. Black bears. And there is something about boys in that area who love to explore in caves in the spring. The problem is, you never know when the cave has a bear in it. I remember as a child, I was maybe 7 or 8, we were staying at the babysitter's for Easter break. She took all of us hiking in the woods, and the boys, being boys, ventured ahead of the girls and younger kids. Before long, the boys came running towards us, and telling us to get back to the house. They had wandered into a cave that had a bear in it, and the bear wasn't hibernating any more! As a teenager, I was babysitting another set of boys over Easter break, and we had a similar experience. They went into a cave and came running out. As I told these stories, it did make me wonder how we survived childhood!
My parents live in the country, but they are actually in a little village. Their house is in the valley. Our neighbors, who were also our Aunt and Uncle, lived next door, but their house was at the base of the mountain. Uncle Sid always had bears in his garden.
Dad planted a garden each year. Each year the garden got a little bigger, and Dad put in more things. He always had great success with potatoes- he'd grow enough potatoes to get us through winter (he stored them in the cellar, which was like a traditional root cellar- stone walls and dirt floors). He tried corn one year. I think it was only the one year. If he tried it more than one year, I distinctly remember what was the last year! And I can't believe I haven't blogged about this before.
We were teenagers, but I think I wasn't yet old enough to drive, so I must have been about 14 or 15. We stayed home alone by that point. Mom gave us a list of chores to do each day when she was at work. She also left instructions for supper. Our responsibility was to at least have supper started by the time she got home. In the summer, we usually ate a lot of fresh veggies from the garden. The one day she told us to pick a few ears of corn and cook them up to have with dinner.
That afternoon, my sister and I took Mom's big cooking pot down to the garden. Mom and Dad's yard is about 1/3 of an acre, and the house sits closer to the front of the yard. The garden was always at the very back of our property. As we walked across the yard and got closer to the garden, we could hear something in the garden. It didn't sound like a dog or birds. We couldn't really see anything, but we didn't want to get close enough to take any chances. So we turned around and went back to the house.
We fixed everything else for dinner. Mom came home, exhausted because it had been a particularly rough day at the bank. She asked where the corn was, and we told her we didn't pick it because something was in the garden. Mom got very upset with us, and grabbed the pot herself. She went down through the yard muttering about her two teenagers who couldn't do the simplest task. My sister and I stayed close to the house. We knew either Mom was going to find something and come back, or she wasn't going to find anything and we were going to be in bigger trouble. The safest bet was to stay by the house so we could make a getaway.
Mom got within a few feet of the garden and something black raised up out of the garden. It was a bear cub. My mother screamed, dropped the pot, and came running back to the house. She was yelling at us 'get in the house! close the windows!' She kept looking for the mama bear, because where the cub is, mama isn't far behind. It took Mom quite a while to catch her breath when she got back in the house.
Dad came home and washed up, then set down at the table. As Mom fixed his plate, he looked around and said 'No corn?' Mom said 'No, there was a bear in the garden'. Dad shook his head, and told us there wasn't a bear. My sister and I told him the experience we'd had, plus watching it rear up at Mom. Dad still didn't believe us. He just chuckled at our over active imaginations and ate the rest of his dinner. See, while Uncle Sid had bears in his yard, we'd never had one in ours. Plus,between our house and Uncle Sid's was the brook, which has about a 10 foot drop from the yards into the brook. So the bear would have to either take the road and cross the bridge, or make a steep drop into the brook and back out of it.
After dinner Dad went out to the garden and found bear tracks. He could also see the corn had been pawed and torn, and there was quite a mess in the garden. He came back to the house shaking his head in disbelief. Yes, we'd had a bear in the garden. Then he got concerned because it had been so close to the house, and he decided he wouldn't plant corn again.
It's been probably twenty years since Mom met the bear, but we still get a laugh out of it. My sister and I can still hear the irritation in her voice as she went down through the yard. My mother doesn't run often, so that made it even funnier. Someday, when I think it won't scare them, this is one of the stories I'll be sharing with Sydney and Drew.
While it has only been in the past decade that people in my hometown are spotting moose with any regularity, the bears have always been there. Black bears. And there is something about boys in that area who love to explore in caves in the spring. The problem is, you never know when the cave has a bear in it. I remember as a child, I was maybe 7 or 8, we were staying at the babysitter's for Easter break. She took all of us hiking in the woods, and the boys, being boys, ventured ahead of the girls and younger kids. Before long, the boys came running towards us, and telling us to get back to the house. They had wandered into a cave that had a bear in it, and the bear wasn't hibernating any more! As a teenager, I was babysitting another set of boys over Easter break, and we had a similar experience. They went into a cave and came running out. As I told these stories, it did make me wonder how we survived childhood!
My parents live in the country, but they are actually in a little village. Their house is in the valley. Our neighbors, who were also our Aunt and Uncle, lived next door, but their house was at the base of the mountain. Uncle Sid always had bears in his garden.
Dad planted a garden each year. Each year the garden got a little bigger, and Dad put in more things. He always had great success with potatoes- he'd grow enough potatoes to get us through winter (he stored them in the cellar, which was like a traditional root cellar- stone walls and dirt floors). He tried corn one year. I think it was only the one year. If he tried it more than one year, I distinctly remember what was the last year! And I can't believe I haven't blogged about this before.
We were teenagers, but I think I wasn't yet old enough to drive, so I must have been about 14 or 15. We stayed home alone by that point. Mom gave us a list of chores to do each day when she was at work. She also left instructions for supper. Our responsibility was to at least have supper started by the time she got home. In the summer, we usually ate a lot of fresh veggies from the garden. The one day she told us to pick a few ears of corn and cook them up to have with dinner.
That afternoon, my sister and I took Mom's big cooking pot down to the garden. Mom and Dad's yard is about 1/3 of an acre, and the house sits closer to the front of the yard. The garden was always at the very back of our property. As we walked across the yard and got closer to the garden, we could hear something in the garden. It didn't sound like a dog or birds. We couldn't really see anything, but we didn't want to get close enough to take any chances. So we turned around and went back to the house.
We fixed everything else for dinner. Mom came home, exhausted because it had been a particularly rough day at the bank. She asked where the corn was, and we told her we didn't pick it because something was in the garden. Mom got very upset with us, and grabbed the pot herself. She went down through the yard muttering about her two teenagers who couldn't do the simplest task. My sister and I stayed close to the house. We knew either Mom was going to find something and come back, or she wasn't going to find anything and we were going to be in bigger trouble. The safest bet was to stay by the house so we could make a getaway.
Mom got within a few feet of the garden and something black raised up out of the garden. It was a bear cub. My mother screamed, dropped the pot, and came running back to the house. She was yelling at us 'get in the house! close the windows!' She kept looking for the mama bear, because where the cub is, mama isn't far behind. It took Mom quite a while to catch her breath when she got back in the house.
Dad came home and washed up, then set down at the table. As Mom fixed his plate, he looked around and said 'No corn?' Mom said 'No, there was a bear in the garden'. Dad shook his head, and told us there wasn't a bear. My sister and I told him the experience we'd had, plus watching it rear up at Mom. Dad still didn't believe us. He just chuckled at our over active imaginations and ate the rest of his dinner. See, while Uncle Sid had bears in his yard, we'd never had one in ours. Plus,between our house and Uncle Sid's was the brook, which has about a 10 foot drop from the yards into the brook. So the bear would have to either take the road and cross the bridge, or make a steep drop into the brook and back out of it.
After dinner Dad went out to the garden and found bear tracks. He could also see the corn had been pawed and torn, and there was quite a mess in the garden. He came back to the house shaking his head in disbelief. Yes, we'd had a bear in the garden. Then he got concerned because it had been so close to the house, and he decided he wouldn't plant corn again.
It's been probably twenty years since Mom met the bear, but we still get a laugh out of it. My sister and I can still hear the irritation in her voice as she went down through the yard. My mother doesn't run often, so that made it even funnier. Someday, when I think it won't scare them, this is one of the stories I'll be sharing with Sydney and Drew.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Not a Goat
Whenever I'm typing a memory or telling a story about my childhood, I have to edit myself. My tendency is to type 'kid'. As in 'when we were kids.... ' Just as I get that three letter word typed, I hear my Grandfather's voice say "They are beautiful little girls, not baby goats."
'Kid' is used to describe a child, but it is also the word for a young goat. Grandpa Wager got very angry if he heard people refer to children as kids. Especially if the children being referred to were his only granddaughters. You could call us 'the girls' or 'Kathy's daughters' but don't ever call us 'kids'. I can't count how many people he corrected over this. Anytime he heard someone say 'kid' he would point out that they were referring to a child, not a goat.
I find myself wanting to use 'kids' with my sister's two children. Since I have a niece and a nephew, it's easier to say 'kids' than to spell it out and identify them separately. I usually get the word almost out and I hear that voice. So I've taken to referring to my sister's children as 'the munchkins'. I don't think that would have bothered Grandpa.
When I'm typing, I often type the word kid and then find this force pushing my fingers on the backspace key. Then my fingers type child or children in the space and continue on.
I'm not really sure why Grandpa didn't like the word kid. I know he didn't dislike goats. Grandma always had goats- when they were first married she had a pet goat. Perhaps he just felt it was really disrespectful. Grandma and Grandpa struggled for years to have children. They were married nearly 11 years before my Aunt was born. I think he felt children were a gift, and should not be confused with farm animals.
'Kid' is used to describe a child, but it is also the word for a young goat. Grandpa Wager got very angry if he heard people refer to children as kids. Especially if the children being referred to were his only granddaughters. You could call us 'the girls' or 'Kathy's daughters' but don't ever call us 'kids'. I can't count how many people he corrected over this. Anytime he heard someone say 'kid' he would point out that they were referring to a child, not a goat.
I find myself wanting to use 'kids' with my sister's two children. Since I have a niece and a nephew, it's easier to say 'kids' than to spell it out and identify them separately. I usually get the word almost out and I hear that voice. So I've taken to referring to my sister's children as 'the munchkins'. I don't think that would have bothered Grandpa.
When I'm typing, I often type the word kid and then find this force pushing my fingers on the backspace key. Then my fingers type child or children in the space and continue on.
I'm not really sure why Grandpa didn't like the word kid. I know he didn't dislike goats. Grandma always had goats- when they were first married she had a pet goat. Perhaps he just felt it was really disrespectful. Grandma and Grandpa struggled for years to have children. They were married nearly 11 years before my Aunt was born. I think he felt children were a gift, and should not be confused with farm animals.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Watching History
My friends know I am a diehard Yankees fan. I have not always been a diehard fan. I used to find baseball very boring. I've only been interested in baseball in the last decade or so. But, make no mistake, I have always been a Yankees fan. Which is no surprise. I grew up 3 1/2 hours from New York City. The Yankees are big in NY State. My father is a Yankees fan. So of course, I am a Yankees fan. (My sister for many years loved baseball, but was a Mets fan. She has since realized the error of her ways!)
One of the books I downloaded for free on my new Nook Color was 'The Last Boy'. It is a biography of Mickey Mantle. Mickey Mantle is the reason my father (and probably many men my father's age) is a Yankees fan. Mickey Mantle played for the Yankees from 1951-1968. My father was born in 1954. The years Mickey was smashing balls out of ballparks and creating records were the impressionable years of my father's youth. Mickey was an idol to the young boys playing in sand lots and front yards across the country.
My grandfather is a Mets fan. Although the Mets were formed in 1962, so before that he must have been either a Dodgers or a Giants fan (before both teams moved to California). I'm not sure who he liked before the Mets. I know he has never been a Yankees fan, which made it more interesting when my Dad threw his loyalties behind the Yankees. My father is not a fairweather fan. He is diehard- through the good times and the bad. He has taken his share of ribbing when his teams aren't doing so well, and he is ecstatic when they are.
Reading the book about Mickey Mantle has given me some insight into Dad's childhood idol. I didn't even realize Dad was a big Mickey Mantle fan until we went to Yankee Stadium a couple of years ago and went to Mickey Mantle's restaurant in NYC. We were on a bus trip, and many of the people were Dad's age. They started reminiscing about Mickey Mantle, and I learned quite a lot. But Mantle played 50 years ago, I know very little about him, except that he is considered one of the greatest Yankee players, and that he was an alcoholic.
The book is written by another Mantle fan, and she writes of her struggle to balance the real man with the childhood hero. I'm more than halfway through the book, and I think she's done a good job. I've learned that he wasn't the most clean-cut person. It seems he was always injured, and it's a wonder he could play ball at all. Then I look at what he accomplished, and it's easy to see why he remains an idol.
I've been reading this book as the greatest Yankee of my generation, Derek Jeter, has been marching towards 3000 hits. The 3000 hits is a milestone in itself, but of all the amazing men who have worn the Yankee uniform over the years, Derek Jeter is the first to reach 3000 hits. In the midst of this story, two of Jeter's teammates, Granderson and Teixeira are hitting home runs similar to the summer of 1961 when it was the M&M boys (Maris & Mantle) on a home run marathon. I know that I've been watching history being made, and I can't shake the feeling that in another couple of decades, they'll be talking about the summer of 2011 with the same reverence that they currently use for the summer of 1961.
It is exciting, watching all of this. Of course, today I'm watching it on color TV, with play by play announcing. I don't have to wait for the paper to come in the morning to check the box score (which my father said he did). I can even follow things on the Internet. But it is still exciting, it's a very heady feeling. And it's a great summer to be a Yankees fan. This must have been what it felt like when Dad was a boy. Maybe people even felt this way back when Babe Ruth was playing. Someday Sydney and Drew will ask us what it was like to see Derek Jeter play.
I know there is more to life than baseball. There is also hockey and college football. Of course, I am kidding. Sports is not the only thing in life. It is one of my hobbies, and makes an otherwise dull Saturday afternoon so much more interesting. It's also a good excuse to stay inside in the air conditioning! So congratulations to Derek Jeter on hitting #3000 today. You have been an incredible role model for the next generation. It's nice to know a good guy can still be a hero.
One of the books I downloaded for free on my new Nook Color was 'The Last Boy'. It is a biography of Mickey Mantle. Mickey Mantle is the reason my father (and probably many men my father's age) is a Yankees fan. Mickey Mantle played for the Yankees from 1951-1968. My father was born in 1954. The years Mickey was smashing balls out of ballparks and creating records were the impressionable years of my father's youth. Mickey was an idol to the young boys playing in sand lots and front yards across the country.
My grandfather is a Mets fan. Although the Mets were formed in 1962, so before that he must have been either a Dodgers or a Giants fan (before both teams moved to California). I'm not sure who he liked before the Mets. I know he has never been a Yankees fan, which made it more interesting when my Dad threw his loyalties behind the Yankees. My father is not a fairweather fan. He is diehard- through the good times and the bad. He has taken his share of ribbing when his teams aren't doing so well, and he is ecstatic when they are.
Reading the book about Mickey Mantle has given me some insight into Dad's childhood idol. I didn't even realize Dad was a big Mickey Mantle fan until we went to Yankee Stadium a couple of years ago and went to Mickey Mantle's restaurant in NYC. We were on a bus trip, and many of the people were Dad's age. They started reminiscing about Mickey Mantle, and I learned quite a lot. But Mantle played 50 years ago, I know very little about him, except that he is considered one of the greatest Yankee players, and that he was an alcoholic.
The book is written by another Mantle fan, and she writes of her struggle to balance the real man with the childhood hero. I'm more than halfway through the book, and I think she's done a good job. I've learned that he wasn't the most clean-cut person. It seems he was always injured, and it's a wonder he could play ball at all. Then I look at what he accomplished, and it's easy to see why he remains an idol.
I've been reading this book as the greatest Yankee of my generation, Derek Jeter, has been marching towards 3000 hits. The 3000 hits is a milestone in itself, but of all the amazing men who have worn the Yankee uniform over the years, Derek Jeter is the first to reach 3000 hits. In the midst of this story, two of Jeter's teammates, Granderson and Teixeira are hitting home runs similar to the summer of 1961 when it was the M&M boys (Maris & Mantle) on a home run marathon. I know that I've been watching history being made, and I can't shake the feeling that in another couple of decades, they'll be talking about the summer of 2011 with the same reverence that they currently use for the summer of 1961.
It is exciting, watching all of this. Of course, today I'm watching it on color TV, with play by play announcing. I don't have to wait for the paper to come in the morning to check the box score (which my father said he did). I can even follow things on the Internet. But it is still exciting, it's a very heady feeling. And it's a great summer to be a Yankees fan. This must have been what it felt like when Dad was a boy. Maybe people even felt this way back when Babe Ruth was playing. Someday Sydney and Drew will ask us what it was like to see Derek Jeter play.
I know there is more to life than baseball. There is also hockey and college football. Of course, I am kidding. Sports is not the only thing in life. It is one of my hobbies, and makes an otherwise dull Saturday afternoon so much more interesting. It's also a good excuse to stay inside in the air conditioning! So congratulations to Derek Jeter on hitting #3000 today. You have been an incredible role model for the next generation. It's nice to know a good guy can still be a hero.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
One Week Later
Last week, I ventured into the e-reader world. I debated it for a while, and then finally took the leap and ordered a Nook Color. When the box arrived, I could hardly contain my excitement. I was a little bewildered, because the box was huge. You could have fit several outfits in this box. My first reaction was 'this is NOT going to take up less room than the stack of books I currently pack.' Fortunately, it was a case of a box in a box in a box, and finally, several boxes later, I arrived at the Nook box.
I opened the box, looking for the manual. There was just a small pamphlet. How was I supposed to know how to use it? The pamphlet showed which button was the power button, and when I turned it on I found the manual was actually downloaded ON the Nook. Novel. Good thing I figured out how to turn it on so I could read the manual! The first instructions told me to charge my Nook to a full charge before using it. Apparently a full charge takes 3 hours. This was disappointing. It was already after 6pm, and charging the Nook for 3 hours would cut into the evening, leaving me little time to figure it out before bed. But charge it I did, although I cheated a little and went only about 2 hours and 45 minutes. Then the next step was getting it to recognize our WiFi network. For this, I needed a password. And Erich could not remember the password. He kept coming up with passwords, and none was the correct one. He asked 'what happens if I can't remember the password?' I checked the support website, and in the FAQ, it said 'if you don't know the password, ask your network administrator, or the person who set up the network'. Helpful. Our network administrator IS the person who set up the network, and that person is Erich. After reading the various notes around his desk, he gave me a list of several possible passwords, and the first one worked. Whew!
So after my Nook Color was charged and hooked up to our WiFi, it was time to start looking for books! I knew there were a lot of free books available, so I started there. I downloaded about 30, and then decided I needed to start reading and stop downloading. I have yet to actually buy a book, but I'm sure I will before long. I did buy the solitaire game pack for it, and enjoy trying to figure out the different games.
I showed Erich's Mom my new toy. She is a retired librarian, and avid book lover. Her reaction was 'I'm so glad you went with the Nook Color and not a Kindle'. She doesn't have an e-reader yet, but her plan is to get the Nook Color. Erich's Dad didn't know what it was, so we were trying to explain it to him. His question was 'how do you get books on that?' I explained that I download them directly to the device, and he just shook his head as if it's too much for him. I suspect my own Dad (and possibly Mom) will react the same. All that new fangled technology!
There are a few reasons I chose the Nook Color over the other e-readers. I had researched each of them. I listened to my friends- there seems to be an equal number of Kindle owners and Nook owners. I read numerous reviews, compared the pros and cons of each. The things that pushed me into the Nook Color were:
1) It is in full color. The book cover is my first impression of the book, and many times it is what draws me to the book to pick it up and read the overview or the jacket.
2) It is WiFi. This means I can connect to the network at my house, or even at Mom's. I don't need to have a computer available.
3) You can surf the web on it. Don't laugh, but knowing that I could connect to facebook on my Nook Color was one of the things that sealed the deal. Due to my frequent travels, I find myself sitting in airports a lot, and yes, there are times that I think 'oh, I wish I could put that on facebook right now'. I am a facebook addict. I'm trying to get help.
4) It is Barnes & Noble. My family can buy me gift cards for B&N, and I can use those for books. My Mom doesn't shop on Amazon.
I have to say, I love my Nook Color. My friends are now saying 'we knew you would!' There are some drawbacks. The touchscreen took some getting used to. When the Nook Color is off, I see all the fingerprints on the screen and it's annoying. But if you have the Nook Color on, you don't see the fingerprints. It is a little heavier than I expected, and so I can't hold it as long as I might a regular book (unless of course, that regular book is one of my Civil War tomes- then they are about the same). If I have WiFi enabled, the battery wears down quicker than if I have WiFi off. And, since it is basically a small computer screen, my eyes get more tired looking at it than a paper book. Also, it is ONLY a WiFi device. I cannot hook it up to my computer, something I realized this week. A friend kept sending me links to free e-books, and I couldn't figure out how to get them onto my Nook. She told me to just hook it up to my computer, and I told her I can't. In fact, it says that in the manual. But, there are still 2 million books available, and there's no chance I'll read them all, so I'm not wanting for books.
The things I love about it are that it is really a little computer. I can read books, play games, and it even has Pandora-which came in handy the past few nights. I need noise to sleep. I usually fall asleep with my TV on. The cable connecting my TV and cable box is bad, and there's been no signal on my TV. The cable tech is coming this afternoon to fix it. Thankfully, my Nook Color has Pandora- I just logged into that and fell asleep to my Nook Color playing music! And since it's backlit, I actually could do some reading in bed in the dark. Another bonus.
I have browsed the web with it. In fact, I checked out my cousin's wedding registries the other day. It is not the best thing for browsing the web long term, for example, I won't be writing any blog entries on it or spending hours at a time on the web on my Nook Color. But for a few minutes, it's not bad. It will be perfect for those airport hours. When I look at the size of the Nook Color and think how many books I can fit on it, I see a lot more room in my suitcase! I see room for shopping trips and souvenirs. Of course, some people think 'my suitcase will be lighter', but I'm a realist. It may be lighter on the trip going, but coming back, it will most likely be full. My mother was thrilled that I won't be leaving stacks of used books at her house. I can even download children's books and games to use when babysitting Sydney and Drew. I don't know that I'll do that though, I'm a little weary of handing over such an expensive electronic device to the two of them. We may just stick to reading books the old fashioned way.
So yes, I love my Nook. But I'm not giving up on traditional books. In fact, I ordered four traditional books just last night!
I opened the box, looking for the manual. There was just a small pamphlet. How was I supposed to know how to use it? The pamphlet showed which button was the power button, and when I turned it on I found the manual was actually downloaded ON the Nook. Novel. Good thing I figured out how to turn it on so I could read the manual! The first instructions told me to charge my Nook to a full charge before using it. Apparently a full charge takes 3 hours. This was disappointing. It was already after 6pm, and charging the Nook for 3 hours would cut into the evening, leaving me little time to figure it out before bed. But charge it I did, although I cheated a little and went only about 2 hours and 45 minutes. Then the next step was getting it to recognize our WiFi network. For this, I needed a password. And Erich could not remember the password. He kept coming up with passwords, and none was the correct one. He asked 'what happens if I can't remember the password?' I checked the support website, and in the FAQ, it said 'if you don't know the password, ask your network administrator, or the person who set up the network'. Helpful. Our network administrator IS the person who set up the network, and that person is Erich. After reading the various notes around his desk, he gave me a list of several possible passwords, and the first one worked. Whew!
So after my Nook Color was charged and hooked up to our WiFi, it was time to start looking for books! I knew there were a lot of free books available, so I started there. I downloaded about 30, and then decided I needed to start reading and stop downloading. I have yet to actually buy a book, but I'm sure I will before long. I did buy the solitaire game pack for it, and enjoy trying to figure out the different games.
I showed Erich's Mom my new toy. She is a retired librarian, and avid book lover. Her reaction was 'I'm so glad you went with the Nook Color and not a Kindle'. She doesn't have an e-reader yet, but her plan is to get the Nook Color. Erich's Dad didn't know what it was, so we were trying to explain it to him. His question was 'how do you get books on that?' I explained that I download them directly to the device, and he just shook his head as if it's too much for him. I suspect my own Dad (and possibly Mom) will react the same. All that new fangled technology!
There are a few reasons I chose the Nook Color over the other e-readers. I had researched each of them. I listened to my friends- there seems to be an equal number of Kindle owners and Nook owners. I read numerous reviews, compared the pros and cons of each. The things that pushed me into the Nook Color were:
1) It is in full color. The book cover is my first impression of the book, and many times it is what draws me to the book to pick it up and read the overview or the jacket.
2) It is WiFi. This means I can connect to the network at my house, or even at Mom's. I don't need to have a computer available.
3) You can surf the web on it. Don't laugh, but knowing that I could connect to facebook on my Nook Color was one of the things that sealed the deal. Due to my frequent travels, I find myself sitting in airports a lot, and yes, there are times that I think 'oh, I wish I could put that on facebook right now'. I am a facebook addict. I'm trying to get help.
4) It is Barnes & Noble. My family can buy me gift cards for B&N, and I can use those for books. My Mom doesn't shop on Amazon.
I have to say, I love my Nook Color. My friends are now saying 'we knew you would!' There are some drawbacks. The touchscreen took some getting used to. When the Nook Color is off, I see all the fingerprints on the screen and it's annoying. But if you have the Nook Color on, you don't see the fingerprints. It is a little heavier than I expected, and so I can't hold it as long as I might a regular book (unless of course, that regular book is one of my Civil War tomes- then they are about the same). If I have WiFi enabled, the battery wears down quicker than if I have WiFi off. And, since it is basically a small computer screen, my eyes get more tired looking at it than a paper book. Also, it is ONLY a WiFi device. I cannot hook it up to my computer, something I realized this week. A friend kept sending me links to free e-books, and I couldn't figure out how to get them onto my Nook. She told me to just hook it up to my computer, and I told her I can't. In fact, it says that in the manual. But, there are still 2 million books available, and there's no chance I'll read them all, so I'm not wanting for books.
The things I love about it are that it is really a little computer. I can read books, play games, and it even has Pandora-which came in handy the past few nights. I need noise to sleep. I usually fall asleep with my TV on. The cable connecting my TV and cable box is bad, and there's been no signal on my TV. The cable tech is coming this afternoon to fix it. Thankfully, my Nook Color has Pandora- I just logged into that and fell asleep to my Nook Color playing music! And since it's backlit, I actually could do some reading in bed in the dark. Another bonus.
I have browsed the web with it. In fact, I checked out my cousin's wedding registries the other day. It is not the best thing for browsing the web long term, for example, I won't be writing any blog entries on it or spending hours at a time on the web on my Nook Color. But for a few minutes, it's not bad. It will be perfect for those airport hours. When I look at the size of the Nook Color and think how many books I can fit on it, I see a lot more room in my suitcase! I see room for shopping trips and souvenirs. Of course, some people think 'my suitcase will be lighter', but I'm a realist. It may be lighter on the trip going, but coming back, it will most likely be full. My mother was thrilled that I won't be leaving stacks of used books at her house. I can even download children's books and games to use when babysitting Sydney and Drew. I don't know that I'll do that though, I'm a little weary of handing over such an expensive electronic device to the two of them. We may just stick to reading books the old fashioned way.
So yes, I love my Nook. But I'm not giving up on traditional books. In fact, I ordered four traditional books just last night!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)