I Did It All for the Nook(ie)

I haven't written in a long while. Maybe because I don't essentially writing to myself and posting it for (mainly) myself to read. I know there are a few of you readers out there (I thank and love you), but mostly, it's just me. So, I took a little break to heal up the knee and I'm almost as good as new.

On June 23, just two days after school is out (yes--two whole days of summer fun for me!), I'm having an MPFL reconstruction. That stands for Medial Patellar Femoral Ligament recontstruction. Basically, I have no groove for my kneecap to sit in. It's flat, which allows for my patella to freely travel to the outside of my knee (ouch) as it did in December. It is beyond physical therapy, as there really isn't any therapy for bone deformations. So, I'm having the ligament that I tore reconstructed so it will (hopefully) keep my kneecap better anchored. The reconstruction comes with an interesting option--I can choose to use my own tissue for the reconstruction, which would be taken from my hamstring, or, I can opt for donor tissue from a cadaver. My stepson thinks that "dead guy" tissue would be cool, because then I would be like a zombie. It is less painful to use the donor tissue, but there is the minimal risk of tissue rejection, too. Choices, choices...

Now, on to the subject line for this blog...the Nook. My husband is so cool that he bought me a Barnes and Noble Nook eReader so I'll have many reading options when I'm stuck in bed this summer. I will admit that when eReaders debuted, I resisted. I sneered. I guffawed. "No way will I give up my paper books! I love paper and I need to feel it and smell it and carry it with me." Well, I got over that--quickly. One thing I love more than paper is the ability to read several things at one time. I like to be reading about 2 or 3 books, a couple of magazines, and a newspaper. And, this is the true beauty of the Nook. I can flip from one to another in seconds. When I want to buy a book, I can have it in 30 seconds. I can even download a 15-30 page sample of the book before I buy it. I can read for one hour a day from any eBook at a Barnes and Noble location. There is a built-in dictionary, a function for highlighting and taking notes, and a web browser. On top of all that, there are super-cute covers and accessories. I love to accessorize, especially when it's a Jonathan Adler designed Nook cover. Ahhhh....

So, if you'd grappled with the decision of whether or not to sell your book and paper-loving soul to an eReader, I say go for it. My bet is it will only take a few minutes to convert you. And although I still love my traditional books, I have actually read more in the past month than I have in a long time, in thanks to the Nook. When someone recently gave me a hardcover copy of Kathryn Stockett's The Help, I even replied, "Oh, thanks, but I'm going to get it on my Nook." And I did--in approximately 15 seconds.

****By the way, if you've got any suggestions for books or movies about people laid up in bed or with injured legs, I'd love to hear them. My goal is to read and watch as many as I can to make the most out of this surgery. Current suggestions:
Rear Window
Misery
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
My Left Foot