Kindle, a.k.a. Kinda'leh, Makes Itself Useful (well, nearly.)

Since I got kinda’leh, it never leaves my side. Wherever I go, it goes with me. Not so much because I can’t  imagine living without it, but as a precaution, in case our house is burgled again. Let the burglars take whatever was left behind by the previous gang; but let them not put their filthy hands on kinda’leh!

And so it came to pass that, when Hubby and I were called early Sunday morning to step in instead of the nanny and rush to Tel Aviv to gurgle and gaze fondly at Baby Momo, I shoved kinda’leh into my already-heavy shoulder-bag, and off I went.

See, taking books – electronic or other – to Daria and Noam’s home is like, pardon the cliché, bringing coals to Newcastle, sand to the seaside or a CD to a D.J. Below is just a sample of the shelves upon shelves of mind-magnetizing, thumb-tantalizing books in that apartment; and guess what: most of them are terra incognita to me!

Daria & Noam's books, sample 1

Daria & Noam's books, sample 2

 Besides, as anyone who’s ever taken care of a spritely, inquisitive 15-month-old knows, one doesn’t get much of chance to loll around and sink one’s intellectual teeth into a book. Sometimes, when Baby Momo snoozes, I Do the Right Thing, i.e. hang up laundry and/or wash a few dishes. And sometimes I just bless my lucky stars and put my feet up. 

When Baby Momo snoozes...

I did a bit of this and a bit of that, grabbed some lunch, and before I knew it the Sleeping Beau was sitting up, alert and ready for action. So much for any reading plans.

At long last, on the bus home, kinda’leh came into its own, showing me what it was good for:

kindle touch 3G - stark design

Doesn't ring a bell? Never heard of it? No wonder. It’s an early, obscure (?) sci-fi piece by Kurt Vonnegut called 2 B R 0 2 B. Haven’t formed an opinion yet, because the ride seemed very short. Must’ve dozed off somewhere between the Ayalon highway and the entrance to Rishon LeZion. But I’ve already decided I’ll download several other Vonneguts, since I haven’t read anything by him yet. (Meaning: I’ve always intended to, but somehow didn’t.)

More about my plans for kinda’leh – next time. Got to get some work done before my upcoming cataract surgery. The doctor’s brochure specifically says, “No restriction on reading, watching television, and working on a computer.” But, as my colleague Mark Levinson  pointed out, YMMV -- my mileage may vary; and Momo’s other grandmother experienced considerable difficulty for weeks. Hope my “mileage” turns out to be better.