Confessions of an Uber Nerd

I read a lot.  A lot a lot.  We’re talking total nerd fest up in here.

One summer, my brother in law could not get over the fact that I spent entire day on the beach reading a book.  Five hours.  Reading.  Same book.  In the sun.  And all I could think to say in response was, “I’m in heaven.”

Nerd alert!

At any given time, you could find a stack of books on my bedside table that include a few professional reads, something Jodi Picoult-esque, an embarrassing amount of chic lit, a humor novel, a memoir, the latest People magazine, back issues of Cooking Light and the newest edition of The Reading Teacher.  (Okay, you can also find four or five half empty or totally empty water glasses.  It’s a phenomenon.  They follow me and then can’t seem to find their way to the dishwasher.  Whatevs.  At least I’m hydrated, right?)

Notice I said “could.”  As in past tense.

Then I got an iPad.  I heart my iPad.  HEART.  Now instead of a pile of books on my nightstand, you’ll find a variety of books downloaded on my iPad.  (Sorry, Barnsey…I still hit your children’s section pretty hard so I don’t feel that bad.)  I read my magazines on my iPad.  I read my fave blogs on my iPad.  iPad, iPad, iPad.

I felt all stream-liney and tech saavy.

And you know what?  Last week, I realized that I actually read LESS.

Because now I can click over to my email and answer just one more, switch to Evernote and work just a little bit more, spend another second tweaking the page I put in Dropbox, and then shame spiral my way onto Facey Face before my little eyes start to droop and ultimately my iPad smacks me in the face as I fall asleep.  (Seriously.)

So, methinks I’m off to the bookstore tomorrow to remedy my little situation.  Once a nerd, always a nerd.

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12 Comments
  • I know use my iPad for reading only on trips so that I don't have to carry stacks of books. I still want a book in my hands for my normal every day reading.

    That said, I've downloaded a bunch of books onto my iPad and am dying to read some of them with no trip in sight.

    October 6, 2011 at 1:08 pm
  • Oh my gosh, this is SO me, right down to being smacked in the face with the iPad. (How can something so light hurt so much?? And the embarrassingly loud noise that makes! Who would have thought?)

    I end up going online when I am intending to read books because I keep making (in total nerd speak) text-to-world connections and want to look stuff up. What did other people think of this chapter? Let me read the Amazon reviews (again.) Oh, that reminds me, I wanted to read more about x,y,and z…it's never ending.

    I started turning my lamp light out when it's "offline time" and lowering the iPad screen to its dimmest to send myself the cue to power down. Then I force myself to stay with the book until I'm ready to sleep. Or the iPad hits me in the face.

    October 6, 2011 at 1:08 pm
  • I got my first iPad last August…and, truth be told, I'm reading more.

    Nerds come in many different styles, colors and dates of manufacture, so when I would put down my laptop to pick up a book, I always looked longingly at the laptop wondering, who was writing something I might be missing…or the "checking of one last email" etc.

    Now, with the iPad, I don't have to lay one down to do the other. I'm sure I've doubled the amount that I now read (and no, I haven't done a scientific study…not nerdy in that way). iBooks has me hooked and I have a personal rule that I can't get anything new to read until I finish something I already have. (For a while I was collecting new stuff so fast that I had to have a 2 for 1 rule…finish 2 before you get 1).

    I'm now exploring connecting to the library…

    Partly it's a question of concentration using meditation skills. When you meditate you need to return your brain to the "focus point" whenever it wanders. The same is true with reading on the iPad.

    You read, read, read…check email…oh, wait, I'm supposed to be reading…read…read…read…launch the ESPN app to see the baseball playoff highlights…ooops…read, read, read…

    …but if I'm reading something I really enjoy, then eventually it will grab my attention and pull me in. Then there won't be anything which can distract me…

    …except when it hits me in the face.

    October 6, 2011 at 4:04 pm
  • Reading Nerd here as well! I spent the whole summer reading….a book for everyday of summer vacation. I may have an addiction.

    Laurie
    http://www.chickadeejubilee.blogspot.com

    October 10, 2011 at 2:24 am
  • I'm with Stu… I read so much more with my ipad and actually spend less time doing other stuff. Because it's sooooo easy to get another new book.

    It's like crack or chocolate cake. Abso cannot stop hitting that "1 click" button at Amazon.

    Bought the ipad for school, now I realize that if I want to get anything done, I have to leave it at home.

    October 10, 2011 at 2:24 am
  • That's why I'm sticking with my not-able-to-get-email/internet Kindle. Plus, I really like the e-Ink. But really, my ADD cannot handle having the WHOLE ENTIRE INTERNET right there next to my book. I seriously do a better job paying attention to my book when I'm also watching TV…unless it's a TV show with a plot…usually it's just white noise…

    October 10, 2011 at 2:24 am
  • I am glad to hear I'm not the only nerd! I can easily read a whole weekend and love it. I haven't got an ipad yet but want one b.a.d. I worry about exactly what you are describing because since joining the blogging world I read less. Maybe a nook or kindle with no wifi would be best for me…
    ✿Erika
    2B Honey Bunch

    October 10, 2011 at 2:24 am
  • I use my iPad a lot but I also use my Kindle to read and I read a LOT more than with paper books. The iPad screen is harder to read from because of the brightness–the e-ink of Kindle rocks my socks!

    October 10, 2011 at 2:24 am
  • I love to read too! I am also in Heaven if I can just spend a sunny day outside reading as my dogs play in the yard. I don't have an iPad but I do have a Kindle app on my phone, and it is nice to have emergency access to a book at all times. BUT I believe nothing is quite the same as a REAL book! 😉

    October 10, 2011 at 2:24 am
  • I am stopping by to let you know that I love reading your blog and I am presenting you with a Versatile Blogger Award! Check it out at http://www.mrsteachnology.blogspot.com!

    October 10, 2011 at 2:24 am
  • Oh yeah, I totally love reading. I'm hurting right now because something is wrong with my Scholastic Order and I haven't gotten the next Percy Jackson Book yet! There's nothing like wanting a book and not having it!!

    You've just decided me though. I want a kindle vs. an Ipad. I've been tossing between the two, and now I do. I want to spend my time reading, not surfing!

    October 12, 2011 at 5:14 pm
  • I am so glad to know that I am not the only "nerd" out there! However, my family called me a freak! When we went on vacation my entire group of family and friends went in the water, laid around, and then, after less than 2 hours were ready to leave. I on the other hand had at least another 2 hours of reading in me. I refused to leave with them! Told them to take al of the beach stuff, just to leave me and my chair alone!

    My brother actually tried to count how many books I read this summer, but lost count. However, now that I read on my Nook and iPod, I know exactly how many I read (and reread). I just refuse to tell!

    October 12, 2011 at 5:14 pm

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