Read Less

I found out that the National Library extended the average user’s borrowing privileges, allowing them to borrow probably 60% more books than they usually could. Because I was sitting at 12 borrowed books at one time and desperately wanted to take home a well-worn issue of LUCKY PEACH (on ugly foods, if I remember correctly), I did my part as an active citizen and actually paid for a premium library membership – which has led to todays situation where I stand at a balance of 33/50 books borrowed.

Not pictured: an unruly pile of books that's creeping across the floor.

This, of course, makes up less than a tenth of the books that are actually in my room.

It also makes the title of this post sound pretty rich. But let me explain myself.

I’ve spent the last two years buried in books because I’ve always felt that I haven’t read enough. You know the endless abyss that’s the infinte Wiki trawl (clicking Wiki link after link)? That happens to me with books. What people usually spend on food and alcohol I spend on books (and expensive books at that). The unnerving part is this: that as much as I know I am making progress with the hardest and most obscure ideas in the world through the thousands of pages that sit on my shelves and desk(s), I know it will not matter to anyone until I make something.

That hasn’t happened in 2 years. So maybe it’ll happen this year if I read less. Maybe.