Even the spammers are deserting me, yo. Is this a sign to step up the quantity of my posts? Or is it the lack of quality that is causing the spammy-types to pass me by?
Okay, whatever. Here is a post.
So I know I’ve mentioned that I am kind of in love with my Kobo. I think I would have to say the only thing that is annoying about it is the fact that other people are fascinated by it, and want to talk to me about it. I had a feeling this would happen, actually. People at bus stops just can’t keep their goddamn opinions to themselves, you know? I don’t know whether it’s because of the proximity of people – you’re all kind of right there in a line or a group, right? And it’s weird to be so close to someone else without making small talk? Or maybe it’s because at bus stops you often see the same people day in day out. So perhaps there is a sense of familiarity, like you might say to the woman you see daily for 6 months “I like your coat” because hey, you noticed she got a new coat, because you saw the old coat every damn day, right?
So there’s some of that, and okay whatever, I was somewhat prepared for people to go all “oooh shiny”. What I guess I wasn’t prepared for was their, shall we say enthusiasm for or against my e-reader. Case in point:
Me: reading away at the bus stop.
Random woman, out of the blue, rather loudly: SOOOOO DO YOU LIKE IT?
Me: um…sorry?
RW: YOUR E-READER! I HAVE BEEN WANTING TO GET ONE! I THINK I MIGHT! DO YOU LIKE YOURS?
Me: yes, I do…
Etc.
Really. Shouting at me. Strange.
Another time:
Me, reading at the bus stop
Woman I work with passing by on her way to parking garage: *GRABS MY ARM* HEY! I just saw someone else with one of those! OMG! CRAZY!
Me: uh….yeah crazy
The very next day, same spot, same woman, but this time I am reading a hardcover book.
Her: OMG! Where’s your little computer, huh? Where IS IT?
Me: um…new book, not available from my library in ebook format yet
Her: Oh HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Seriously.
Other people have commented as well, but those two were the best examples of the crazy that surrounds me as I try to read on my Kobo. Sometimes I hear the passive-aggressive types as they go by with their “there is no way in hell you would EVER catch me with one of those, I mean REALLY” comments, and wow. That much hate and snark for a little Kobo? At least so far no one has accused me of being the reason the publishing industry and the traditional book is dying. Aside from the annoyingly overly enthusiastic passersby, interaction has been without incident. I say “so far” because you just never know with damn people, do you?
And speaking of my lovely Kobo, check out what I just ordered for it! So pretty, right? I carry it in the bag I use to commute to work, and as the bag is actually a laptop case, it’s nicely padded and it protects the Kobo really well. The padded divider has two pockets, one in which it fits perfectly, and the other I use to hold the chargers for it and my iPod and my phone. My iPod and headphones are in another section, and my phone has its own little pocket as well. I am a walking techno-shop, people. So really, I don’t need the cover for safe transportation of the Kobo, I am getting it more for aesthetic purposes. And also – and here is so far what I’ve found to be the only real drawback to the Kobo – I find it weird to hold just one “thing” while I read. As in, I find myself really wanting to open a cover and hold the thing with two hands, as I would a book. Stupid, right? But there it is. Aesthetically too, I do like the look of an eReader tucked in to a pretty case. Also the case has a little pocket on the inside of the cover, which will let me hold little things. And as you may have noticed from my ridiculously excited description of where all my shiz lives in my commuting bag? I like pockets. And I like things having their proper space and place. It’s a bit of a thing with me.
Also – and I just thought of this now – maybe if it looks like a book people will think it’s a book and leave me the hell alone. Hey, you never know.
The Urban Info Girl 
It’s an interesting phenomenon. I have witnessed similar interchanges several times on the GO Train. People are weird.
Similarly, when I was working in Toronto and walking from my subway stop to my office, I found that the only time people stopped me on the street to ask for directions, was when I very obviously had my earbuds in and was listening to my iPod.