the beach problem

living in such close proximity to the california coast, and being the proud owner of a lovely little cruiser, who, it should be said, receives compliments and praise wherever she rolls, i find that on most weekends, some portion of my time is spent at the beach.

usually this time falls between morning errands and evening activities, and though it is a place of relaxation, i find that i am incapable of being completely idle. the obvious solution to what i refer to as 'the beach problem' is to tote a fabulous book along with my oversized towel, underused sunscreen, camera, and the snacks du jour.

but i've found that reading away my time results in strange tan lines (or burn lines, as the case may be), and stretching out on my stomach, propping myself up on elbows is more exercise than should be allowed on that golden stretch of sand.

so what to do?

about a week ago, i hit upon the answer--and why it took me so long, i can't say.

books on tape! though these days, it is more appropriate to refer to them as 'books on ipod'.

last year before the great california road trip, i signed up on a site that would give me discounts on downloads, and from time to time, a free one. so i waded through my 'to read' list, and selected three books; goose girl, a youth fantasy, austenland, another book by the same author, with an obvious pride & predjudice theme, and eat, pray, love.

and that is how i managed to 'read' three books in the last week. i have mixed feelings about 'reading' books this way. there aren't many things that give me as much pleasure as turning the page of a really great book, taking the highlighter out of my mouth, or from behind my ear to mark a really on-point quote, somehow taken directly from my mind and thoughts.

but, i genuinely enjoy driving with this 'background music', and of course, it was the perfect beach solution.

so i plowed through goose girl (loved it!) and austenland (liked it), and moved on to eat, pray, love. i was immediately drawn in by the author, reading her own words, telling her own story, as if i had sat down with a friend over a cup of tea and was listening to the recounting of the last year of her life.

i wasn't five chapters in, however, before it became painfully obvious that i was not going to be able to just listen. so, i did something strange and i bought the book. i kept it in my car, and when i heard a quote i loved, i would find the passage at my next stopping point, and highlight it, folding the corner of the page as i usually do to indicate that 'right here. there are words of wisdom here.'

so this is how i 'read' eat, pray, love. since i finished the three downloaded books in an amount of time that only allowed for one beach afternoon, it didn't exactly solve my beach problem.

but i have been nourished and entertained, and with a modicum of discipline, and careful selection, this could become my favorite new hobby. or almost favorite. going to the beach will reign supreme.

to see which gems of thought jumped out at me, check out my quotes page.