B(u)y NOOK or b(u)y book

You’ve all probably heard the term “by hook or by crook” at least once in your life, right? In a nutshell, aforementioned means ‘by any means necessary’ – and I find it to be quite apt when it comes to reading.

Whether or not it’s a ‘real’ book I’m holding in my hand, a PDF I’m reading on my laptop, or e-books on my NOOK (which we can call NOOKbooks), the fact of the matter is that I shall use all the resources I have and, by those means, satisfy my love for reading.

I’ll try to get in some reading “by whatever means necessary – be they fair or foul”…

…so I suppose that having the NOOK counts as my bit of ‘foul’.

After all, it isn’t sold anywhere but in the U.S., which makes me wonder if it’s even legal for me to have *cue dramatic music*

You know, a lot of people think that books aren’t necessary anymore, and that they might be phased out within the next ten to twenty years – though, I’ll admit, I hope it’s later rather than sooner… Because I still love the feel of a book in my hand; I love turning the pages, relishing the new book (or old book, even) smell, looking at my bookcases with pride as I see my collection grow.

However, this does not mean that I am a technology-phobe. I love my NOOK. When it’s lying in my handbag, all snug in its protective cover, it looks just like a journal/ day-planner. It isn’t too heavy, easy to carry about… You don’t have to worry that you’re busy hurting it’s spine or folding the pages, like with a book, plus you can have lots of books in your library and then select which one to read, giving you more options than a novel (one story, and when it’s over, will you go back and read it again immediately? Didn’t think so…).

Another nice thing about the NOOK is its user friendliness. I can lie about any which way I want, and I can prop it up against a pillow or my knee or wherever and continue reading without having to worry how I’m going to manoeuvre myself accordingly in order to enable me to turn a page. This might seem like ‘laziness’, but you try lying on your side and then having to shift every now and again to read a book. Plus, if you sit propped up on one elbow, your arm eventually gets tired.

But I’m not here to debate the pros and cons of books and e-readers in an attempt to ultimately decide which side gets my final vote. I’m still going to purchase ‘real’ books, and I’ll purchase and download e-books for my NOOK. It’s as simple as that – the best of both worlds. To quote a twitter update I read this morning: “I’m tired of thinking about e-books and the transformation of the publishing industry. I just want to read.”

And I shall… by NOOK or by book.

Wonder if this is how Smudgy feels now that I have the NOOK... not that she's ever really tried to nom my books... take them out of the bookcase, yes, but nom? Hmm...

Dear *(fill in the blank)*-jokes

Hullo faithful readers!

I apologize most profusely for not blogging since… wow… it’s almost been a week already, hasn’t it? *slightly embarrassed face*

I don’t really have a good excuse. I’ve been spending my time reading… Oh, wait – that’s a pretty good reason to me!! 😉 I’m having lots of fun reading on my NOOK, and I’ve become so used to it that I wonder how it’ll feel to read a ‘real’ book again. I actually started reading Glenn Cooper’s THE TENTH CHAMBER yesterday, bought myself the book (a ‘real’ book, at a bookstore), yet I cannot seem to get into the story… which is kind of sucky, since I’ve been longing to read it after finishing his first two books in August

Anyway, it’s pretty darn hot over here. Feels like my brain is turning into mush. So, instead of typing out an entire post (i.e. blogging myself), I’m going to post some jokes I received in my e-mail inbox from my older sister. Hope you all have a lovely Tuesday!

(Corny/ lame, I know...)

Dear people who say they’re a ninja when they catch things after dropping them

 

Ninja’s don’t drop things.

Sincerely, a ninja

—

Dear Lady Gaga

It’s okay. I have a st-tuttering problem too.

Sincerely, P-p-p-porky the P-p-pig

—

Dear old men at the gym

Wearing short shorts does not make your manhood look any more attractive.

Sincerely, the world

—

Dear Peter Pan

Sneaking around a child’s bedroom and inviting them to Neverland? Been there, done that.

Sincerely, Michael Jackson

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Dear 16 and pregnant

Thanks for helping me feel better about my life.

Sincerely, 21 and single

—

Dear man in the car picking his nose

Please realize that just because you are in your car doesn’t mean that you are hidden from the world.

Sincerely, I can see you

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Dear skin-coloured band aids

Please make one for every skin colour.

Sincerely, black people

—

Dear future employer

Please ignore those Facebook photos from college. I can explain.

Sincerely, misbehaved

—

Dear optimist

That’s not a light at the end of a tunnel, that’s the train.

Sincerely, pessimist

—

Dear girls making kissy faces on MySpace and Facebook

There’s a reason we close our eyes when we kiss.

Sincerely, boys

—

Dear Cupcakes

The fact that you cover yourselves up with icing says a lot about your self-esteem.

Sincerely, Muffins

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Dear Cat

Sorry for hoisting you into the air whenever ‘The Circle of Life’ plays.

Sincerely, a Lion King enthusiast

—

Dear Fox News

So far, no news about foxes.

Sincerely, Unimpressed

—

Dear Short People

No I don’t play basketball, do you play miniature golf?

Sincerely, tall people

—

Dear Noah

We could have sword you said the ark wasn’t leaving ‘til 5.

Sincerely, Unicorns

—

Dear Twilight fans

Please realize that because vampires are dead and have not blood pumping through them, they can never get an erection. Enjoy fantasizing about that.

Sincerely, Logic

—

Dear Icebergs

Sorry to hear about the global warming. Karma’s a bitch.

Sincerely, The Titanic

—

Dear J.K. Rowling

Your books are entirely unrealistic. I mean, a ginger kid with two friends?

Sincerely, anonymous

—

Dear America

You produced Miley Cyrus. Bieber is your punishment.

Sincerely, Canada

—

Dear boyfriend

I can make your girlfriend scream louder than you can.

Sincerely, spiders

—

Dear Voldemort

So they screwed up your nose too?

Sincerely, Michael Jackson

—

Dear Yahoo

I’ve never heard anyone say, “I don’t know, let’s Yahoo! it…” Just saying…

Sincerely, Google

—

Dear girls who have been dumped

There are plenty of fish in the sea… Just kidding! They’re all dead.

Sincerely, BP

—

Dear Justin Bieber

Ariel would really lover her voice back.

Sincerely, King Triton

—

Dear Rose

There was definitely room on that raft for the both of us.

Sincerely, Jack

—

Dear windshield wipers

Can’t touch this.

Sincerely, that little triangle

—

Dear Taylor Swift

If it is of any interest to you, Romeo and Juliet both kill themselves in the end.

Sincerely, Shakespeare

—

Dear Saturn

I liked it, so I put a ring on it.

Sincerely, God

—

Dear Rubik’s Cube

Done!

Sincerely, colour-blind

—

Dear Santa

Please tell me how you managed to stop at three Ho’s.

Sincerely, Tiger Woods

—

Dear boys wearing skinny jeans

I… Can’t… Breathe…

Sincerely, your balls

Home Employment

Home employment, you may ask? As in working from home without having to deal with the ‘stress’ of being in an office around others?

Do not be fooled by the title of this blog post, bystander – for it is a great and noble thing I take upon myself to ensure that the innocent are protected and that all that is good (and hygienic) stays intact…

…when I am employed at my parental home… to do some heavy-duty cleaning.

My mum sent me an e-mail over the weekend with the subject being (you guessed it) ‘Home Employment’. That is how I found myself to be there early-ish this morning, ready to take on the task at hand while hoping that the accumulative dust factor would not get to me.

I hung my mum’s washing out to dry and washed two of my bathroom mats. As luck would have it, aforementioned mats released a vast amount of beige and orange fluff, causing me to have to clean the washing machine twice before I was satisfied with its non-fluffy state. I did the ironing, ensuring that not a crease was to be found upon intense scrutiny…

And then, of course, I had to dust and vacuum… The. Entire. House. :-O

Four bedrooms. Two bathrooms. The study. The kitchen. The hallway. The living room. The dining room. A pretty big house with a far-less-than-pretty amount of dust and the like. It’s no wonder I was sneezing like a red-nosed reindeer (why else do you think Rudolph’s nose looks like that? It’s a combination of awful hay fever and a sinus problem!!)

I managed to clean everything, of course, even if it meant breaking my back and having to go down on my knees to reach a certain spot sometimes… And all of this by lunchtime, don’t you know.

Now (three hours later) I still feel dirty and sweaty and various shades of unsanitary. At least I’ve managed to get all the dust and ‘grime’ out from under my nails. All I want to do is sit down with a cup of tea and read THE COLORADO KID – by Stephen King – on my NOOK *sigh*

On the job front, I applied for a position yesterday, though it seems to be magazine publishing (whereas I would like to stay in book publishing). Nothing to worry about – while I’m searching for a job, my freelance copy-editor/ proof reader status (which, of course, I’ll be doing from home at the moment, thus still making me home employed) has already secured me my first ‘client’… said client being a friend of mine who needs me to work through her entire Masters thesis.

Even if I charge ‘minimum wage’, that amount times the extent of the document will be sure to bring in a pretty penny. I don’t really want to charge her for it, yet she insisted on making an ‘appointment’ with me on Monday and that she’s going to pay (thus I won’t feel bad asking her for the smallest amount possible per page).

Things are sure to look up soon…

In the meantime, I don’t want to see a vacuum cleaner or a dust rag for an extended amount of time! Thank goodness I cleaned our apartment earlier this week: cleaning the two bathroom sinks, scrubbing the two toilets, washing the bath and scrubbing the shower floor, and…….