A "Novel" Idea!

If you know me well, I'm definitely not one for wasting time.  And yeah, if I'm new to a big city and want to actually survive as a full-time musician, there's not necessarily a ton of time to be wasted.  But I am still human, and humans do need breaks.  And even though I sometimes try to avoid it, I know I still have many unproductive moments throughout the day.

For instance Rachel and I have gone without a TV for our entire married life (8 and a half years).  We did this purposely, as both of us can imagine easily falling into the routine of parking our butts on the couch watching hours of TV each day just because it's there.  But then again, we still have computers with the internet and DVDs, so it's definitely just as easy to "waste time" on these as TV.  And we do.

On another note, if you've been reading some of my blog posts, you probably have noticed that I spend a LOT of time on public transportation, especially the "L" going to and from gigs and jam sessions.  So what do you think?  Would Derek Brown spend all of that just sitting there for hours each week?

No way! (or at least not most of the time)  And crazy as it sounds, I sometimes look forward to my "L" rides.  And not necessarily because I'm excited for the music that lies ahead.

Instead, this is my reading time! And surprisingly for me, it's specifically my "intellectual" reading time, when I read novels and in some instances, poetry.  (Who have I become?!)

The truth of the matter is, I enjoy simple, light reading as much as the next person, whether that's a TIME magazine, a blog, or the latest Dan Brown novel.  And back in the B.C. years ("Before Chicago"), I didn't really read much novels.  If I did, I usually didn't enjoy it too much or even finish many (except for those guilty pleasure Dan Brown books!).

Yet there's something about riding the "L", despite the constant interruptions and sometimes strange moments, that lends itself to reading a novel for me.  I think it goes back to the fact that I hate the idea of wasting time.  When riding the "L", there's really nothing I can do that's that productive.  The Facebook/Twitter thing usually takes too long on my phone, I can't practice, I can't nap (for fear that I'll miss my stop), and I usually can't surf the web (for fear that I'll go over our monthly data limit).  

So I guess I try to make my brain productive by reading books I maybe normally wouldn't have the patience for.  And you know what? It's worked!  While I sometimes lose my place or get distracted, I've made it through a decent amount of books in my 4 months here in Chicago.  Here's what I've read so far:

Of Mice and Men
The Great Gatsby
Billy Collins poetry
O. Henry short stories
The Lilies of the Field
Godric
Brendan (currently reading)

One thing you might notice is that all of these books are on the shorter side.  Yes, I think that helps with my shorter attention span.  But the biggest reason is because they actually can fit in my coat pocket (although Rachel just mentioned the word "eBook" to me.  Oh yeah, we DO live in the 21st century don't we!).

So that being said, anyone out there have any suggestions for short-ish novels I should read on my next round of "L" rides?

In the meantime, I wonder what's going on at CNN.com? I feel like wasting some time...

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