Reading in the Dark

I’m one of those people who like reading in the dark — there’s just something so much fun about curling up in bed and sending yourself off to la-la land with your bedtime reading. And then there are the real flashlight-worthy books: the books you read that scare you silly or excite you almost to the point of apoplexy but you’re but unable to put down because they’re so fantastically good that you end up taking the book under the safety of your blanket and reading with your flashlight on.

When I was younger, I was forbidden to stay up late reading (because given a choice I wouldn’t sleep) so I smuggled  a penlight under the blankets. Now that I’m older, my mom can’t do anything about it (although she grumbles from time to time), so I’ve got all sorts of book lights on hand — a Lumos Lightwedge (waaah, currently out of commission, unless I can find a way to dislodge the battery that’s stuck to the terminal of the narrow battery chute — suggestions, anyone?), an LED mini-lamp, a clip-on lamp, and a squeeze-powered LED flashlight — so I can read all I want, even when the lights are out.

I mention this because in a few hours, I’ll be off to Baguio City (stopping  by Pangasinan for a bit, too). It’s a research trip for a writing project, and I’ll be covering the Earth Hour event in Baguio City as well — lights off on March 27th, 830-930 pm.

I hope all you readers out there can join me in pledging support for Earth Hour 2010. Switch off your lights for one hour and read your selection of flashlight-worthy books (Shadow of the Wind, anyone?). Or better yet, sacrifice one hour of reading and join the Earth Hour celebration in your community.

It’s a small act for each individual, but as we join the efforts of millions of people switching off their lights for one hour all over the world, we can create the biggest show of action on climate change that the world has ever seen.

Switch off those lights!!!