My Media Diet

Book Cell originally uploaded by Clear As Crystal.
What have you been doing in your spare time?

It's an intriguing question, isn't it? Especially when you apply it specifically to your media consumption - which is what Lolly tagged me with in early February, in My Media Week.

When I first read the tag, I felt mixed emotions. On one hand, I pride myself on absorbing an intense yet wide range of media. On the other hand, I have felt overwhelmed with how much wonderful stuff there is out there, and how preciously limited my time is. At that moment in early February, absorbing any kind of media was so far from possible, that I despaired of ever reestablishing my media equilibrium. Let alone being able to discuss it in a post!

Although media snacking can be deliciously satisfying [definitely read through the comments to Connie Reece's post, too], I notice that it doesn't work for me in the long term: I graze, take a nibble here and a bite there, but never fully internalize the information. Or, perhaps I do with some of it, but I don't make much progress getting through the other stuff. Perhaps I'm too easily distracted?

Is it the same for you?

Maintaining a healthy diet is more critical than ever before, which means I must take control over the flow of possibilities and balance them. Otherwise, I lose objectivity and the ability to make serendipitous associations. Yes, I accept that I will permanently be behind in my feeds [although I now have them better arranged in folders]...

Lolly, did you ever expect your tag to generate such deep thoughts? Its timing [on the heels of two almost back-t0-back week long conventions] was perfect; the delay has afforded me greater perspective. Merci!

Back to the tag. It asks that I detail:
+ What I have read,
+ What I have watched,
+ What I have listened to.

What I have read:
Although I have a multitude of terrific social media, marketing to women, retail experience and marketing books either in process or on standby, I prefer to focus here on fiction.

More specifically, I have rediscovered Georgette Heyer and her regency period novels. These are gems - well written, filled with unexpected details and witty dialogue. I heartily recommend Arabella, Faro's Daughter, Friday's Child, These Old Shades and others. They transport and delight, and totally engage your imagination.

It's funny - and this came up during Blogger Social with David Polinchock - it used to be that I couldn't absorb enough science fiction. Books like Stranger In A Strange Land or The Mote In God's Eye. I desperately needed to have my assumptions challenged and my expectations raised. But now, thanks to the magic of social media, of conversational marketing, many aspects of science fiction have become real.

Making conversation more compelling. Books that celebrate traditional conversation and social interaction are ones that draw my attention. Imagine in the world of Jane Austen or that of Georgette Heyer's stories how individuals communicated... via the written word, in missives filled with as many nuances as a tweet might. Perhaps not as immediate, but as effective.

What I have watched.
Let's see if you can sense a pattern: Ratatouille. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Movie - Best of Both Worlds in 3d. And, airplane movies. We don't do many movies, and I had never seen a 3d movie before! Ratatouille was great fun, including the visualizations of differences in taste perceptions. I almost forgot, we also experienced our local high school's performance on Into The Woods.

What I have listened to.
Although I watched this, I loved Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' performance on CMT Crossroads.

Thanks to David Reich - pictured above the day after his blog - My 2 Cents - one year anniversary, and with me on the same day - I have listened to Edwin McCain's Lost In America and Scream and Whisper, and Gretchen Witt's Six.

In turn, I'd love to hear from:

+ David Reich
+ David Polinchock
+ Gene DeWitt with whom I also shared a similar discussion about books we are reading.
+ Tangerine Toad

Thank you, Lolly!

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