Last night I went out for ramen. The difference between instant ramen and a proper restaurant is pretty vast. Though both have a place in my heart and are equally satisfying, just in very different ways. I will always prefer “real” ramen though making a cup of noodles late night will never stop being incredible.
A not so similar example of things being “the same” but not really is paper books and audio books. (to some extent kindle but to me that’s still traditional reading — yes, yes, I know, purists disagree).
I happen to love both forms.
One thing audio books have an interesting bonus over real books, or even kindles is that they are spatially tied to the landscape more. At least the way I listen. Let me explain.
I listen to audiobooks on the go. When I have distance to travel and I don’t need to pay too much attention to the world around me — long walks and driving on the freeway. (Yes, you need more attention when driving, this is why I only really enjoy it on the freeway where I just sit in a lane and drive. The other day I turned it off when I needed to focus on directions because I was listening in Spanish and it was simply too much to deal with at once.)
I have some unique locations affiliated with books now from last summers’ travels.
I listened to Principles by Ray Dalio on the long scooter ride to the Lindt chocolate factory in Zurich, Switzerland.
I took photos and thought of the things they mentioned around Lisbon, Portugal while listening to “The 99% Invisible City”.
I do have some geographic memory with where I read books, but since I wasn’t moving, the way I interacted with the content was different.
One possible reason is that long walks and drives consistently pull me into their world for 2-3 hours straight, which I do way less often when reading.
But I think the main difference is how you engage with the material. You don’t fully escape the world you are in, like reading a book. You’re still functioning and have more senses active.
A drawback is sometimes the audio can be phased out of awareness. Or, more often for me, my mind goes off on a tangent but the audio keeps playing. Then once you realize it, you have to rewind and find where you stopped listening.
Reading uses your inner voice so it’s “busy” whereas you could have an internal monologue going in reaction to the audiobook while it’s still progressing.
Because of this I have preferences, though I don’t always abide by them, for what I read in what format. I still mix it up sometimes.
Anything known as “good literature” I will read. Actually, pretty much all fiction I prefer to read. (Though I have listened to a few “page turners” like All Systems Red and Harry Potter in Spanish, both were really good).
I don’t mind reading non-fiction but I prefer to listen to it. Maybe because it’s easier for me to focus or not get tired. Alternatively, I am more prone to day dreaming and going off on tangents, which is how I like to engage with non-fiction and have ideas, also better in audio form.
I don’t need to imagine anything. It’s more like having a conversation. Perhaps it’s also tied to my heavy podcast-listening era (2012-2014) when I often drove to obscure California hotels and motels for hours at a time.
Some food for thought, I guess. Which do you prefer?
Some ideas I’ve been playing with
I recently read a short novel called “The Strange Library” and a few books of short stories by Jorge Luis Borges and Haruki Murakami. It seems kind of like the fiction I’d want to strive for. At least at first. It’s easier to get “reps” in with shorter formats. That of course the best way to improve.
I’ve mentioned my mini Landfill series here before. They’re little pocket books of folded paper with drawings, collages, and writings that capture the creativity of a moment and whatever is on hand. I’ve started making some larger ones in a sketch book I had laying around. I’ve bene toying around with collecting the best pages into a journal or zine on some cheap recycled paper and just distributing them around, dropping them in places where I think people who would like them might appreciate them Idea in progress though.
There is a video of Neil Gaiman talking somewhere about him preferring to write novel drafts by hand. This is an interesting idea I may have to try out since I also fall victim to distraction when writing on the computer. Not that it will suddenly spur me to write more, but at least I can disconnect from tech, enjoy some coffee or something out and about and write. I’ve only ever done this for more personal reflection but other forms of writing probably work just as well.
I watched some more random DIY videos
Following up watching a man live in the wilderness and exploring European castles for sale, I stumbled across some guys in southern Portugal (Algarve) restoring an old house. I’m no construction guy, but it sounds like a fun project and you’d get a super unique result, especially if you don’t screw it up too bad.
They basically rebuilt the house so it’s so far beyond anything I could even dream of doing anytime soon. The best idea I saw online was by a cheap “practice” house fixer upper and then saddle the buyers with your shoddy work, after all it already was in bad condition so you’re not making it worse, just not necessarily much better. Kind of funny, no?
Current games: Cyberpunk 2077 & Elden Ring
Been playing these two games recently. Good to switch back and forth from two enormously mapped games - one that’s pretty easy and story heavy and one that’s very hard and not so straightforward. Both allow for a lot of free play but they require different levels of attention. I’d recommend either game, very well made and fun.
Enjoy your week, holiday season creeping up!