Yesterday was a big day – my Kindle was delivered. In less than a day of playing, I haven’t uncovered all there is to know about it just yet, but my first impression is that this thing is really, really (really) great. I read myself to sleep last night for the first time in longer than I can remember. It really is like looking at a printed book, with the exception that you don’t need to hold it in two hands (in fact, you can set the font size as large as you need to, so you can just set it in your lap and read), and you just press a button to turn pages.

I’ve already got the thing loaded up with more than its purchase price of free books (not even counting the Oxford English Dictionary and the New Oxford American Dictionary both come with it, which is pretty nifty, ‘cuz you can move the cursor to a word and it’ll display the definition at the bottom of the “page” with an option to view more, see synonyms, search, etc. Not that I need to look up words, of course, but some people might).

It has a web browser as well, which is actually not too shabby, though it’s limited (both by the fact that this is grayscale only and also by the nature of e-Ink, which doesn’t allow for video), but is perfectly acceptable for checking web-based e-mail (which is nice if you’re not near a WiFi hotspot and want to check your e-mail via the free 3G).

Mostly, though, it’s for reading books (and magazines and newspapers, which you can subscribe to – for a price), and unlike a back-lit LCD screen, it’s much easier on the eyes (and, since the only time energy is required is to change the page, not to display it, it uses a lot less electricity; with the WiFi/3G off, the battery is supposed to last for a month between charges).

Oh well, enough of that.

It’s finally Friday – and another 90+ degree day at that. The good news is that I get to leave work a little early today. The bad news is that it’s so I can go to the dentist. Strangely, I’m looking forward to it. As part of my impending midlife crisis (though, truthfully, I’m way past the midpoint and have been on the down slope for quite a while now), I’m pledging to get myself in reasonably decent shape. But I guess I mentioned that before, huh?

Well, that’s what happens when you get old; you repeat all your stories ad nauseum, to the point where people who aren’t related to you just sort of politely smile and nod and think to themselves, “oh Christ, not this story again), and your relatives (especially the youngsters) squirm, fidget, and finally scream out loud in exasperated frustration (at least until you’re finally old enough for them to stick you in a nursing home somewhere and pay somebody else to listen to all your old goddamn stories).

Oh, by the way, did I mention my Kindle came yesterday?

If you’re in the vicinity of the Eastern Seaboard, I hope you avoid the wrath of Earl as he passes by. Up here, we’re just gonna get some blessed relief from the heat (which isn’t even Earl-related, I don’t think), so I may actually get some much needed work done.

Batten down the hatches, and have a good one.