My newspaper.....my beloved "hardcopy" newspaper. I've been trying the idea on for size, of stopping my newspaper's daily home delivery. Thus far, this has not been difficult because we often halt the daily delivery in the summer and have regular, seven-day-a-week delivery resumed in late September. To achieve this idea, I signed up to receive a daily electronic copy of the newspaper. In the end, this may be the form I select, but for now, after nine weeks, I am still undecided.
After my nine-week experiment with electronic reading through some various online sites, my frustration has only grown - not subsided. I do find that receiving downloads of my favorite comic strips is the crown-jewel reason of "reading" online. Where I can feel my objection and reticence growing is held in two concerns: Number one - I seldom have access to the same internet "speed" that I do at home, so loading information, scrolling, and page turning can be dicey at best. Number two - reading everything online keeps me tied to my laptop's cement foundation. Granted, part of my dilemma is that my laptop's battery died long ago, hence I am forever committed to needing close proximity to an electrical power source - i.e. an outlet. My laptop has not been portable for almost two years. (Yes, my laptop is a dinosaur.) With a paper copy of whatever, I have portability. I can take what I want to read - newspaper, book, magazine - and my beverage of choice and go find a comfortable chair, sofa, bed, or bench - with no concern for finding an electrical outlet. I also realize that someday, when I get a much smaller, new laptop/tablet, my ability to become mobile with my electronic communication will make it much easier to read my newspaper online.
Until then, I keep striving to adjust to the idea of living a paper-free life......but the old habit of holding newsprint in my hands seems to be permanently imprinted in my brain.
I think I'll channel Marcel Marceau.
Ancora imparo
