The Vent and Rant Thread

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

I have rather more than that in both categories. An exact count of the physical books would be tough to do, as many are in boxes in an offsite storage unit. I am double and sometimes triple rowed on the shelves.


Too many adults never do learn to see reading as fun. It's forced down their throats at school, often in manners that will take any fun out of it, and it's seen as a chore to be done because they have to.

The Harry Potter books are a bright spot because they got that kind of readership, and were read by enormous numbers of adults as well as the kids that were their intended audience. It was the first fiction a lot of adults actually read for pleasure.

(And Juvenile/YA publishing is an industry bright spot. I was in a mall Barnes and Noble location a while back. It was on two stories, and almost all of the books were upstairs. The ground floor was given over to the cafe, cards, games, magazines and gifts - stuff that sold. The only books downstairs were current Juvenile/YA hardcover bestsellers. If that store only sold books, they'd have long since been out of business.)
______
Dennis

I have about 8 boxes of books in storage. Only one bookshelf in my tiny apartment. I can't stay away from library sales. I mean a bag of books for $2 is just too tempting. We are talking 10 to 15 books in a bag. They are paperbacks but still... I haven't been to B&N in a long time even though there is one just down the street. Last time I went to one was Tennessee. They had marked up all books by $1 to $2. I found the books I wanted then went home and ordered them on Amazon.

Hubby only read to book 5 on Harry Potter. He said it got too dark after that. I read them all and listened to them all. We have tried to get him into books after that but there just hasn't been any fiction he found enjoyable. He even bought a few action novels and gave up after one chapter. He is a big TV/Movie watcher though. I'm not. I prefer to read or listen to an audiobook.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

In my family, my mother and aunt are the only ones who sometimes read; only 2-4 books a year, but still. No one else ever touches anything that takes longer than 5 minutes to read.

Often, I have the idea that my family members hate me, because I'm the only one with the necessary patience and concentration arc to have hobbies such as reading, and playing Chess and Go. They wonder how I can 'do nothing' for such a long time.

The one thing I'm always hearing is: "I don't know what to do. There is nothing to do. There's nothing on TV. I'm bored."

And still, they ask how I can 'do nothing.' I read books. I play Chess. I play Go. I (try to) play the organ and piano. Sometimes I even listen to music. (This means: listen to music being the activity; not just having music playing in the background.) I'm studying for an extra master degree. I have a lot to do on the computer, such as organizing my e-books and ripped music (still not done after two years; hell of a lot of work to get everything tagged to perfection).

This, together with doing my normal household, would be enough to fill up the next 20 years of my life. It actually often feels that going to work is like pausing my 'real' life for 10 hours.

I don't have time to be bored...

I have no readers in my family well maybe my oldest brother I'm not sure he left home when I was a toddler. He went to college got a degree and writes code for big corporations. He got away from the mess and made something out of himself so I like to think he likes to read.

I don't get bored either like you said too much to keep my interests. I am indoor person and I like being home doing what others call nothing.

[ProfCrash]

I read a good amount, my son sees me reading on my iPad all the time. We read to him regularly, three books before bed every night, and he will bring us books to read at different times of the day. It is not unusual to find him standing over a magazine or book and making up his own stories.

My husband is not a reader but will drop pretty much everything to read if the Little Man wants to read.

That said, we do come home and watch a TV show so that I have a period of time to unwind and start dinner without having to cater to a 4 year olds whims. He loves Wallykazaam, which teaches sounds and reading, Thomas and Friends and Ready Jet Go, Space knowledge rocks! There is away of balancing the various interests.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Blossom

I have no readers in my family well maybe my oldest brother I'm not sure he left home when I was a toddler. He went to college got a degree and writes code for big corporations. He got away from the mess and made something out of himself so I like to think he likes to read.

I don't get bored either like you said too much to keep my interests. I am indoor person and I like being home doing what others call nothing.

I have been asked more than once "Don't you get bored staying home?"
No. I have my hobbies.
Of course, on some hobbies I have also been told "I wish I had the time to do that."
This is usually in a waiting room where we both have the same time.

Pet peeve though, I now see sometimes I am "board".

Now on occasion, I do get bored with one of my hobbies so I do something else for a while.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Of course, on some hobbies I have also been told "I wish I had the time to do that.

Hehe. Point out that they have the exactly the same number of hours in the day as did da Vinci, Einstein, and Mother Theresa, and suggest they learn to manage their time more effectively.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by ApK

Hehe. Point out that they have the exactly the same number of hours in the day as did da Vinci, Einstein, and Mother Theresa, and suggest they learn to manage their time more effectively.

I generally ask and what are you doing with your time right now.
Of course, then they come up with another reason why they can't do whatever I am doing.

Most original comment on one of my hobbies was "No, I don't want to do it but I would like to have it when you are finished with it."
I was embroidering a pillowcase. Yes, the 5 year old child that said that got the pillowcase.
Another 5 year old got the other one.

Yes, they had been taught basic embroidery, needlepoint and beading.

[Blossom]

For me it's not about the time but skill. I can't do any of that and it's not that I don't want to learn. I'm just not wired that way. My mother in law has gotten me all that stuff so I have something to do because she saw everything else I did as wasting time.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Blossom

For me it's not about the time but skill. I can't do any of that and it's not that I don't want to learn. I'm just not wired that way. My mother in law has gotten me all that stuff so I have something to do because she saw everything else I did as wasting time.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

I love that you are honest.
Oh and I can't draw a straight line with a ruler. Now I am sure if we had 150 years, you might could learn.

Just out of curiousity, have you ever tried working with plastic canvas and yarn? It is basically one simple stitch.
Note that thought wasn't I make it look easy but because I could do it, it must be easy.
Also do not try the fashion doll dream camper. That thing was a nightmare.
I like it because on simple projects it is fast.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Blossom

I have about 8 boxes of books in storage. Only one bookshelf in my tiny apartment. I can't stay away from library sales. I mean a bag of books for $2 is just too tempting. We are talking 10 to 15 books in a bag. They are paperbacks but still...

I long ago decided that buying books and reading them were separate and distinct pleasures, and that I wouldn't feel guilty about buying six books and finding time to read two. It's a sophistry, but it works for me...

I haven't been to B&N in a long time even though there is one just down the street. Last time I went to one was Tennessee. They had marked up all books by $1 to $2. I found the books I wanted then went home and ordered them on Amazon.

There's a B&N superstore in walking distance of me. Four floors covering half a city block. I haven't been there is a while.

Arguably worse, not much farther away is the Strand, which advertises 18 miles of new, used, and rare books, and isn't exaggerating. I haven't been there in a while either.

But the practice of looking at books in a brick and mortar store, then ordering them from Amazon is one of the things that has dramatically shrunk the number of bookstores. The independent bookstore is an endangered species because it can't match the prices of big chains like B&N, B&N is struggling because it can't match the prices of places like CostCo and Sam's Club (which sell truckloads of books as well as everything else), and everyone is under pressure from Amazon. Books are fungible commodities. It's the same book, regardless of where you get it. So the purchase decision generally devolves to price.

The indie bookstores I know in NYC are specialty stores serving niche markets - photography, travel, and Juvenile/YA - with stuff in their areas you just won't find elsewhere.

Hubby only read to book 5 on Harry Potter. He said it got too dark after that. I read them all and listened to them all. We have tried to get him into books after that but there just hasn't been any fiction he found enjoyable. He even bought a few action novels and gave up after one chapter. He is a big TV/Movie watcher though. I'm not. I prefer to read or listen to an audiobook.

I prefer reading too. There was a post from a VP at Facebook talking about the direction in which they are going, which is increasingly mobile and video, and predicting that text would go away. Maybe for the folks the VP encounters, but not for the rest. I can read much faster than I can watch, and I'm already annoyed by the increasing tendency of tech sites to use instructional videos instead of simple written instructions. Both, please. There are times when video is extremely effective, but if you just need to Look Stuff Up, it's a fail. I don't have the time, and generally don't have the need to sit through a video to find out what I need to know.
______
Dennis

[Freeshadow]

Just that. Me too. I can read faster than listen or watch to whatever fancy media offers.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Blossom

For me it's not about the time but skill. I can't do any of that and it's not that I don't want to learn. I'm just not wired that way. My mother in law has gotten me all that stuff so I have something to do because she saw everything else I did as wasting time.

LOL Doing things like making your own <whatever> is mostly a waste of time, because ready made stuff is often cheaper if you factor in the time you use to create it.

There are reasons why you can make your own <whatever>:

- You want something that doesn't actually exist, such as a custom size/measurements or appearance.
- You wish to learn a certain skill, to later earn money with it somehow
- You just do it out of hobby, not to save money or time

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

LOL Doing things like making your own <whatever> is mostly a waste of time, because ready made stuff is often cheaper if you factor in the time you use to create it.

There are reasons why you can make your own <whatever>:

- You want something that doesn't actually exist, such as a custom size/measurements or appearance.
- You wish to learn a certain skill, to later earn money with it somehow
- You just do it out of hobby, not to save money or time

The baby blocks I am making are a perfect example.
I could get a set for as low as $8.85.
Not counting my time, if I had to buy everything to make them, the cost would be $9 for the yarn, $10 for the canvas and $3.29 for the needles.

And I would have yarn and some canvas left over.
Now the time is where it really adds up. A block has six sides. Each side is taking roughly an hour to stitch.
That isn't counting the two hours of design time.
So why I am making them and not just buying a set of blocks for the baby.
The reason is I want him to have a customized set. When done, he will be able to spell his name with the blocks if he wants too.

As to your make money: yes I have in the past but it was hobby money and never really paid for my time.
I was commissioned to do that dream camper. I figured about 40 hours so I gave the woman a price.
26 weeks later at 80 hours a week I finished it. Cutting the expletive out took 40 hours. Cost of supplies was about $50 if that much.
Needless to say I think I made about 2 cents an hour. Oh and wrecked my hands so bad I couldn't do any hobbies for 5 years.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

LOL Doing things like making your own <whatever> is mostly a waste of time, because ready made stuff is often cheaper if you factor in the time you use to create it.

There are reasons why you can make your own <whatever>:

- You want something that doesn't actually exist, such as a custom size/measurements or appearance.
- You wish to learn a certain skill, to later earn money with it somehow
- You just do it out of hobby, not to save money or time

I love handmade stuff. I'm just not skilled or coordinated to do it myself. I do create though but its on the computer. I make things for Sims 2. I've done some mesh edits for the game, a few recolors but I really am addicted to doing hair retexturing. I use to make tags back in email days. That was when Jasc was still around with Paint Shop Pro. Remember the old banners everyone use to have to advertise? I made banners and buttons. Made a little cash from web design in those days. I also created skins for Sims 1

I do my creativity in pixels. I'm left handed but on the computer I use my right hand to work the mouse which is a huge difference as my left hand creativity sucks. I can't even draw a straight line with out my computer. lol

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[cromag]

Reflecting back to the notes about family members and reading.

My daughter and I spent a couple of hours this afternoon on the back deck, reading in the sunshine. I was reading on my JetBook Lite, she prefers dead tree books and she had one from the local library. It was a good day.

My only "rant?" I really think she'd do better with an ereader, and I've mentioned it, but she likes "real" books. So, what are you going to do? Kids today!

[covingtoncat73]

Lol, Cromag. I look at eBooks as a replacement for mass market paperbacks. If I really love a book or am just in a "support my local bookstore" mood, I will buy a hardcover.

In other news, I wish my sweet but crazy uncle would stay off of Facebook.

My poor brother is not well (bad kidney stone, bad medical care) they have some of my sister in law's family staying, and it is their youngest's 2nd birthday.