Bookshelves: a peephole into your mind

When I go to someone's place of residence for the first time - or really any time - I am drawn to their bookshelves.  Whether they hold books or DVDs or - in rare cases - CDs, I love to scan them.  I love seeing what people read, watch, and/or listen to.  I love commenting on shared favourite authors or TV shows.  It's a conversation-starter, a peephole into their mind, and even better - an opportunity to borrow some good books and movies.

You won't be surprised to know that I take a lot of pride in my own bookshelves.  I have been know to organize DVDs alphabetically, group authors together, and sort books according to subject matter.  After reading Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, I read a review on the back that said the book could easily fit between 1984 and A Brave New World on your bookshelf... so that's exactly where I put it.  I love when people inspect my bookshelves; whether they're passing judgment or looking for shared interests, I bare it all for them.


It's because of this that when I think about the printed word or the tangible media source (DVD, CD, etc.) becoming obsolete, it's scary to me.  It's not that I'm a dinosaur and don't get it, or want to slow things down; it's that I think about the joy I get from seeing and touching someone's books and movies and I hate the thought of not having that.  I feel like I know people better when I see their shelves.  I feel like it brings colour and culture into a room, never mind being aethestically pleasing a lot of the time.

Then there's also that feeling of a book in your hand.  Will they one day call a story with so much excitement you can't wait for the next part a... page-swiper?!  I love the smell of books, seeing what I might've underlined the last time I read a favourite, and the drama in closing a book when you've finished it and just clutching it for a few moments.  It's meaningful.

All I'll get a chance to see is the evolution of books and DVDs, etc. in my own lifetime.  I wonder what I'll see.....

Mournings.

I love listening to my iPod on the way to work. It really gets me pumped and ready in the morning, and it also makes me forget about the massive hills that I have to walk up on the way to the office. However, I've recently moved to a small town and listening to an iPod while you're walking is a bit different. When I walk by people now, they're usually interested in smiling and saying "hello" or "good morning" to me. Having grown up in Toronto, this is a strange and new concept. No one was usually interested in smiling at me or saying hello... and truth be told, I've never been interested in smiling at anyone either... at least not in the morning. So, for now, I'll just watch the mouth of the person walking by. If they smile, I'll smile. If they say good morning (or that's what their mouth looks to be mouthing), I'll say good morning... but I'm keeping my earbuds in.