Books

You know that moment of social interaction while waiting for the kettle to boil, because you know it is going to boil by the time you get back to your chair and actually re-enter your password to unlock the pc. Yesterday morning I felt particularly opinionated after being squashed into an overfull tube and to top it of having been hit over the head by a kindle. Off topic - if Boris thinks his tubes are fine I really would like to invite him on the Victoria Line between 8 and 9 in the morning. So you can guess my mood when I unleashed my prepared speech onto the first unsuspecting colleague who came in looking for a cuppa.

As a predator ready for the kill, I saw him look at the kettle filled to the maximum not making any sounds of reaching boiling point yet and then the most wonderful invitation to a chat sounded 'So how are you?'. Muhaha how am I, how am I, I will tell you how I am - is what sounded in my head as I started to tell him my opinion on kindles.

Yes, kindles, e book readers and other electronic devices posing as a replacement for a book. How can you possibly say one of them toys can replace a book? I gave him all my arguments. How was I to know that I encountered my nemesis a true e book lover...

So I started saying that it just isn't the same, you don't know how far along you are in a book. He proved me wrong, you have little icons showing you how far along you are in a book in some readers.

Startled but not beaten I stated that you miss a big part of joy when you line up a trilogy on a book shelf. He countered that in his tiny Londen flat books were mostly kept under the bed, in boxes at his parents and no where near a book shelf.

After a few more waved away points I thought I had him, and revealed my secret weapon the smell of a new book! Now admit it, there is nothing like that lovely smell of opening a fresh book. Breaking the binding and sniffing the pages is like smelling a waft a perfume that takes you back to a lovely holiday or a steamy hot date with a handsome man. It recounts all those wonderful adventures you shared with Drizzt, Scarlet, Fitz, Frodo and so many more. He looked defeated, there was no winning this one. That was until a few hours later I get this link sent to me in my mailbox, http://smellofbooks.com/ ...

Yes, some person had this kettle argument before and ended up thinking, I will get that e book reader hater! And bottled the scent of that sacred pleasure that every book lover cherishes, the plucking of a books cherry. To add to the audacity of bottle new book smell they also have old book smell and bacon smell! You read it right bacon smell described in the following poetic words:
'Crunchy Bacon is a low calorie, low cholesterol alternative for your breakfast reading enjoyment. '
I don't know about you but I dont really end up eating the pages I read on my morning commute.

But there went my last bit of defence I had to hold on to the old fashioned medium called books. However the day went on and I decided to be the old fashioned book user while the world would convert to e readers. I imagined myself printing an e book and having it bound at the printers. This morning I passed mr e reader on the stairs and just as the warm sun hit my back he spoke these words: 'You forgot to mention that you can never run out of battery with a normal book' while shaking his kindle at me. The smile that appeared on my face that blissful moment has not left my lips all day. How could I not see the flaw, me whose phone is always dead and never knows her own number when someone asks for it, me whose laptop dies in the middle of the most exciting episode of V ever, me who has turned back from running multiple times when her iPod didn't have the energy I was so willing to waste away on a run.

Books always work, they don't need charging or plugging in or expensive batteries! They love you without needing anything in return, nothing but a shred of imagination and a hint of curiousity.

The smelly truth...

Living in the UK I must say I have watched more TV adverts than ever before in my life, and somehow I pay more attention to them. Is it because they are in a foreign language or just because a lot of the products are new and different? I don't know, however what did really popped out at me was this...

All these adverts show you products that we all seem to need, desperately need! Just think about it and their explanation makes sense. Yes, you will think that is the whole point of an advert! There is however a funny cycle of needs going on of late. Let me explain with an example.

Air fresheners

Advert 1: Oh look we have this fabulous air freshener you can place anywhere and it will make your house smell like summer time!

Initial reaction is 'oh yeah great idea!', I can put this nice looking think anywhere and press it when I want to freshen up this space.

A couple of weeks later this thing is standing on your dresser, collecting dust... And low and behold in the commercial break during the 3400th Friends episode, there is a new smelly stuff advert.

Advert 2: Look at this, no longer any need to press this beautiful air freshener it goes 'PFouwT' every 12,5 minutes giving you the exact freshness you will need to impress all your friends!

Initial idea, 'nice! Lets face it mine is standing there but I always forget too press it and the initial freshness is like sitting next to uncle Lou who likes to shower in his eau de toilette'

And yes your next trip to Tescos you can't resist this new and improved freshness bringer. The following weeks your trips to Tescos contain more than usual air freshener refills and batteries... to the point where you give up and it just stands there as another ornament on your dresser (Good thing it looks like a pretty rock!).

As if the air freshener people felt the drop in refill sales, there it is the new advert in another awesome lipping episode of Glee (I don't know why I watch it I don't even like it but it always ends up on the telly in our flat...).

Advert 3: Now plug your favourite air freshener in a plug socket, forget about batteries! Every now and then if will fill the air with a flower smell that will make a bee dizzy!

Oh my, now there is a solution to my battery problem! So yes again I was completely convinced this was what I needed... And this thing ends up in the hallway plug.

After running into it a few times, cursing myself a few times after finding our I didn't turn the power on on the plug socket I only noticed only a flower smell when tying my shoe laces. It was still spraying like a macho male cat and going through refills way too fast. So again I go back to my trusty smelly candles to give the house a nice atmosphere and smell. While dozing off to an episode of Chuck, there they were again my air fresheners desire demons.

Advert 4: The new and improved plug in air freshener from XXXX, no longer going through refills by spraying when you are not in. Control it yourself and make your house smell nice whenever you want it to smell nice!

And that's when I noticed it... wait a minute! That is the exact air freshener I had before I started this whole fragrant dance! So every few months, this whole cycle starts over again -> old becomes new -> bad becomes better...

After my epiphany I started to look at adverts differently and this same cycle happens for shampoo (all in one, separate shampoo and conditioner, for all hair types, for just one hair type), face crème (day-night, combined, one skin type, all skin types, ...),...

Are we becoming this saturated with ideas that there is no room for new ones? Have we come where innovation becomes reinvention of old ideas? It is a scary idea but is this what the future will bring... I wonder while relaxing in my sofa with my lavender candle casting a comforting glow over the living room and the scent of the Provence filling my nose.