![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Sep. 18th, 2007
Whatcha reading?
Sep. 18th, 2007 06:14 pmOh how I hate this question. At first I thought it was because it would be asked by co-workers or mildly curious family or even near strangers. People who I'd imagine only wanted to know because they were baffled that rather than chatter on and on with them in trivial babble, I'd choose to read a book. A book! Scary! And so I'd give them a fairly brusque answer, hoping they'd leave me alone.
"A book."
And some would then get slightly sarcastic back.
"I know that. What kind of book?"
A horror one or a thriller or a fantasy or something I'd reply. And THEN most would give up. Some would keep trying.
"Is it any good?"
"Its ok."
And THAT would put an end to their conversational gambit. Rude? Perhaps, but I didn't really want to talk to them anyway. Its not like we'd have anything in common. Except I've found that my responses to friends is only SLIGHTLY better.
"Whatcha reading?"
And I'd hold up the book so they could read the title and the author.
"Any good?"
Not bad, pretty good, not that great. A little more information. But not much. And I can spend HOURS talking up stuff I like or hate to my friends. Why "The Matrix" sucked. Why last night's episode of Buffy was particularly bad ass. Why a certain English writer is God's gift to an uncaring world. But ask me WHILE I'm reading and I close down to my most sullen, misanthropic, introverted state. And this with people who match up with me in the 75th to 85th percentile in regards to Things That Are Obviously Fuckin' Awesome.
And tonight, like a flash, I realized why. It doesn't matter WHY I'm being interupted. Whether its by someone who's bored and wants some conversation or by a customer who wants a problem fixed or to make use of the services they pay for or even just a curious friend who wonders if I've found something cool and new to them. I'M READING. Don't bug me now...
"A book."
And some would then get slightly sarcastic back.
"I know that. What kind of book?"
A horror one or a thriller or a fantasy or something I'd reply. And THEN most would give up. Some would keep trying.
"Is it any good?"
"Its ok."
And THAT would put an end to their conversational gambit. Rude? Perhaps, but I didn't really want to talk to them anyway. Its not like we'd have anything in common. Except I've found that my responses to friends is only SLIGHTLY better.
"Whatcha reading?"
And I'd hold up the book so they could read the title and the author.
"Any good?"
Not bad, pretty good, not that great. A little more information. But not much. And I can spend HOURS talking up stuff I like or hate to my friends. Why "The Matrix" sucked. Why last night's episode of Buffy was particularly bad ass. Why a certain English writer is God's gift to an uncaring world. But ask me WHILE I'm reading and I close down to my most sullen, misanthropic, introverted state. And this with people who match up with me in the 75th to 85th percentile in regards to Things That Are Obviously Fuckin' Awesome.
And tonight, like a flash, I realized why. It doesn't matter WHY I'm being interupted. Whether its by someone who's bored and wants some conversation or by a customer who wants a problem fixed or to make use of the services they pay for or even just a curious friend who wonders if I've found something cool and new to them. I'M READING. Don't bug me now...
