Nick Hornby is In My Head

I love Nick Hornby because he writes about things that I think about.

I may not have an obsessive interest in soccer, ahem, football, but I loved Fever Pitch because I understood that fanaticism was often a joyful panacea to a hidden pain. I felt that way about Angel or BTVS, but for some reason, people would purposely try to call me during an episode. I would call back after the show was finished, and others did not understand that I was not available, and that it did not mean that I liked them less. I have a prior obligation. No need to get defensive. Don't yuck my yum. Also I loved how he characterized the ambiguity of being enthusiastic and simultaneously embarassed about loving your obsession in the presence of other adults.

"[W]hat really matters is what you like, not what you are like...[I]t's no good pretending that any relationship has a future if your record collections disagree violently, or if your favorite films wouldn't even speak to each other if they met at a party." -High Fidelity

I should be ashamed to write this, but I have often imagined how wonderful it would be to be self-sufficient and blissfully alone with all the videos, DVDs, CDs and books that I normally would not have time to enjoy. About A Boy not only embraces this premise, but then blows it out of the water by reminding me that "It is not good for man to be alone." (Gen 2:18)

By the end, Nick's heroes triumph when they actually take a risk and do something for someone they love not out of self interest, but because it would make that person happy.

Nick is like me. He loves things so much, and even if I don't necessarily share his tastes, I recognize his feelings. I too struggle between being a consumer or a creator, being alone or with others, being safe with my tastes or accommodating to others. In other words, I am still trying to find the balance between watching other people live and living myself. In the end, Nick does the right thing. Choose life. (Deut 30:19)