I'm such a slow reader. Actually, I prefer to think of myself as a thorough reader. That theory is thrown out the window though, when I have conversations about books that I've read. For example, Stephanie got me to read "A Son of the Circus" by John Irving a while back. She didn't believe me that I'd finished the book. She asked me some questions in order to determine if I was lying. I wasn't, but my answers to the questions made me seem like a huge liar, or at least, a fibber.

"What happened at the end?"

"Umm, the two guys fall in love with each other."

"That's not what happened." She explained to me what really happened. The explanation sparked my memory into action.

"Oh yeah, and then..." but the damage was done. She thought I was a lying book reader. I'm not. I am a slow, unremembering book reader. I could probably read something two times in a row and be surprised by it the second time.

I'm the same way when it comes to movies, music, and unfortunately everything. I am very inattentive to details, but the big picture alludes my interest radar as well. It isn't that I'm uncaring or unfeeling, just inattentive. I think ritalin might do the trick. I remember trying it one time. I couldn't stop talking. I felt so smart and focused and witty. Yes, ritalin is the drug for me.

I don't remember when I started it, but I finally finished "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris. It is such a quick read. I could have finished it really quickly, but my thorough reading style prevented me from blowing through it. That, and the fact that I've been on a couple of drinking binges lately. Maybe those binges are the sources of my extreme inattentiveness.

I try to think back on my youth. It is a bit foggy, but I seem to remember being a lot more bright, interested, and determined in the days before I started drinking and smoking. Maybe that's the key, maybe I should give those things up. OK, that's probably a very inplausable idea. Maybe I should give up smoking and only drink a little bit. Yeah, that's the ticket.

I'm beginning to read "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera. I've only read a little bit so far, but I think this will be a quite influential book for me. That is, until I forget it.