As the substandard and somewhat blurry image above reveals, my various bookcases aren’t exactly a model of organization. Well, as they stand depicted and as my thoughts are re: where to start on a mountain of entertainment there is remarkable consistency. In other words, my thoughts are a jumbled mess and I don’t know how to tackle some of the amazing content in front of me.

First there is the written word. The photo above is actually an anachronism; most of my library these days is digital. Actual paper works are growing scarce around here, although I retain my very favorites in dead trees. A project I’m slowly working on is replacing my dog-eared old favs with new copies, and getting actual print for digital books that I really like.

I can’t believe it’s been over ten years since I last avidly bought paper books, but it has. Digital is simply too convenient.

Which leads me to the subject I’m avoiding; the books I must read or listen to. I don’t get it- this is not a chore, it’s pure pleasure and yet I can’t seem to sit still long enough to read a few books for some friends. Oh, don’t worry, I will do it. It’s going to happen. The reading is just taking longer than I would like it to, that’s all.

It’s weird, this hesitation to read. A wholly alien feeling; even in the deadly mountain valleys of the past I’d take time to read. Dead tired, dead stressed, and I’d still re-read Final Impact. So what’s the deal now? I don’t know.

And it’s not just books. There are other entertainments as well. For example, an excellent audio book series about Winston Churchill. And let’s not forget JB’s “Fail State,” the next installment on his end-of-the-world novels. It launches on Monday, the 16th of December, 2019. Under normal circumstances I would fall upon it, listen for hours on end. As it is, who knows?

TV? Forget about it. For one thing, I got out of the habit of watching TV years ago. These days I fidget if I watch for too long. As of right now I can’t watch it at all! This is intolerable. I have Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix. Each of these has at least one series I very much want to see- and I can’t sit down and watch.

Horrible. I’m very much spoiled for choice, caught in the headlamps of too much information.

What I need to do is sit the hell down and start, systematically and surely, whittling down the pile.

What kills me is that this is not work, it’s supposed to be fun.

Since when has entertainment become an obstacle? What the hell is this, anyway? What is stopping me from sitting and watching “The Man in the High Castle?” Or swallowing Alicia Wanstall-Burke’s “Legacy of Ghosts” whole?

Weird.

This is surely a phenomena of our times. Never before in human history has so much information and content been available for elites, let alone laymen such as I. It’s a treasure trove of knowledge and entertainment.

At the moment? Mostly inaccessible.