Do you listen to audio books? I love them.* How else would I be able to read anything and still go to bed with a clean kitchen or have clean underwear for everyone?
Still, there are things that go well with audiobooks and things that don't.
Things that go well with audiobooks:
- knitting
- cleaning (though dish washing is sometimes slowed down by the choice to reduce the strength of water coming from the faucet for noise reasons)
- sewing
- driving
- painting
- some personal grooming tasks
Things that do not go well with audiobooks:
- talking to people
- blogging
- programming
- driving with cranky children
- cooking in the presence of cranky children
- cleaning in the presence of cranky children
- vacuuming
- showering (for the noice and for fear of ruining the electronics; I try to accept this one because everyone knows that good ideas come from the mental space-out time in the shower)
Today I'm wishing I could code and listen to an audiobook at the same time and I'm finding myself distracted by the question of whether it doesn't work because (a) coding uses the same language processes in the brain as listening to language does (b) coding requires too much gross brain concentration, language or not (I don't think I could code while knitting, even though I can listen while knitting, even if I had four arms; but, then again, I *can* puzzle through code *mentally* while knitting, so...) or (c) I'm just not good enough at coding (or listening?)
Whatever. The point is I need to code today and I am unenthusiastic (I'm switching file formats within the app and need to clean up after myself; dull + dangerous = bad combination). I would much rather be listening to another few chapters of The Information, by James Gleick, which is a mighty awesome nerdzy book so far (part way through chapter 6). I can also highly recommend Reality is Broken, by Jane McGonigal, although it started to feel a bit long in the second half.
*We've had a subscription to Audible for years, but are getting much better use out of it now that they have an extremely convenient app.
I can't talk and play the piano at the same time, probably because I am using the language part of the brain for music. But I can sing, or count the beats while playing--interesting.
Posted by: Elizabeth | 15 September 2011 at 05:54 PM
I had to come out of my iPhone newsreader and into my web browser for this one! I am an audiobook NERD. I worship them. My relationship with M has almost unhinged on several occasions because I am happy to do long distance driving listening All. The. Time. He can't stand it. I am unable to type/work listening to anything with words - no lyrics, no radio, no audiobook - only instrumentals. Small Z listens to audiobooks to go to sleep every night and has ever since she weaned from breastfeeding. I have about a gigabyte of kid audiobooks...and I'll stop now, because this comment is getting carried away.
Posted by: Beth | 20 September 2011 at 02:58 AM
Oh - but I can play the bass and sing - which is a separation of hands and head. Or something like that...
Posted by: Beth | 20 September 2011 at 03:00 AM