Literacy is awesome.

Saturday: I sat in my car and read, and then I sat outside and read some more... and then when the sun went down I went into my living room to continue reading...

this is what Twilight does to you, I've decided. I know, "OH GOD, STOP IT WITH THE TWILIGHT!"

don't worry, this isn't entirely about Twilight... although, I need to tell you that these books make you read to the point of recklessness... I'm in absolute geek territory. The kind that tempts you to join Internet discussion groups and make t-shirts.. NO NEED TO BE WORRIED, I'M NOT GOING THERE ... shit.... I hope.


(no hate for these girls! they're enviable because if I was their age, I would've made a fan site by now, that's right, the geek is out.)

Anyhow, it's Sunday and on this beautiful day, after playing with my dog and enjoying some of the sunlight, I drive to work. you see, I'm leaving for DC this week, and the anxiety of work imploding upon my return or in my absence gives me a panic attack.

I think I've stated this over and over again that I hate worrying, it takes so much out of me... but in place of worrying, I've found sanity in reading an insanely addictive Young adult novel. I knew this would happen tho, I knew I'd latch onto the intense adolescent fervor that is 'Twilight.'

So, in my cubicle, on a Sunday, I'd like to talk to you, the 3 people that are reading this, about books. and how much i love them, a lot. too much.

I owe too much to reading, seriously.

Just now, as I parked my car, I shut the engine, let the windows down, and read some more of the 3rd book in the twilight series, (Eclipse), that's right, 3rd book! It's not surprising me that they're so quick to get through, Stephanie Meyer -- the author, may not consider herself a writer, but I consider her an amazingly considerate storyteller, I think there's a definite and clear distinction between the two... and I think that's ideal for the kind of books she writes.

Here's how I see the difference.
Salinger, to me, is a writer, he has set a extremely particular world, set a tone and a sense of principles, he's not a storyteller in the way Meyer writes, even tho, in many ways, I'd even say he was a young adult writer too. Some of his stories in hit the nerve of that awkward period where you're in a fistfight with your version of the world versus the world's version of the world. I'd love to live in Salinger's world, but I think the difference between Meyer, the storyteller, and Salinger, the writer, is that the story-teller knows about your need to live in these stories, your need to extend the words on those pages a bit longer, to live in that world a lil longer and stretch your legs and take a walk in the pages ... so much so that storytellers offer up more than necessary for their readers... Salinger, not so much, the boy is a hermit that's (rightfully) refused any more of himself to us.

[yes, i did just compare Sal ... deal with it]

ANYHOW...

So, on books.

... in the parking lot of my company. I parked and noticed the new light blue Honda CRV next to me, windows down, like mine, I turned off my radio so I wouldn't bug them so much with the music from my car, it's a nice day and sometimes you just want to hear the day and not so much of the noise of the people in it, if that makes any sense at all...

so, I read, and the anxiety of finishing the work inside the building before me subsided. The same way I read and read when I was in Vietnam and the anxiety of family feuds and a looming identity crisis subsided as I read 'The Time Traveler's Wife.' (hardcore thanks to Wilson because if he didn't give it to me for my trip I probably would not have been able to escape any of that)

... so, back to reading, I kept reading and learning more about this oddly relatable world of young adults, handsome wistful vampires and the love that only kids can feel at that precise moment they realize they're capable of feeling for someone. The tingly fingertips kind of feeling when you realize that there's other people, aside from your friends and family that can break you apart if they ever decided to reject said love. it's kid love in kid form before it morphs into adult situations.. This is probably why the books are so addictive, because as dangerous as vampires and the like seem, broken hearts can be more dreadful.

I look at the clock and see that it's now or never and if I don't drag my ass out of that car then I'll be stuck in cubicle land anxiety FOREVER.

I get out and see that the Honda next to me contained an older lady, short hair, peach tank top, reading... like me, windows down, radio off.. and i giggled. she heard me and I just said,

"I'm doing the same thing, or was doing the same thing."

she smiles and asked, "what are you reading ..."

and this is the dilemma of loving to read, be prepared to be judged for it...

"oh, this vampire love story book, for... kids," (PLEASE DON'T JUDGE ME)

she smiled and started asking real questions about it, I even wrote it out for her so she could check it out, she said she was looking for a new book, she also made it a point to tell me the worst thing you can do, is write off books you've never read before, it's like writing off people....

she'd been reading, "The Swarm," 3 times now and needed to get out... she's apparently addicted as well..

and I let her talk about her addiction to the book, and to reading...

"Arm Chair Travel" is what she called it... she said that she wished she'd travel more often (she spoke in an adorable German-American accent) but her books give her plenty of perspective...

she said that she was so appreciative of the fact that it let her into the minds of people that might not have existed if writer didn't decide to create them, these characters and places might not have existed ... (I'm paraphrasing, it's not like I was writing this down as she talked to me)

then she took out another book, a German book about the plague and aliens, which she prefaced by saying,

"Don't think I'm crazy!"

to which I replied...

"Hello, young adult vampire love story reader, standing right in front of you!"

so we smiled and left it at that, her reading in her car, me walking into the building... feeling less anxious and more able.

so, I don't think I made my point about anything, other than the fact that the nice conversation was brought on by reading... that books are amazing, and that it's the closest thing I have to leading 15 lives at once, it's my escape from analyzing to death the one I've got... plus, it's fun.