a meep in manhattan

I suppose it's partially a function of my age, but I have had a hard time getting myself comfortable

with downloaded media.

Music? I've ripped my entire CD collection so I can listen on computer, but I want to have the physical CD. If there's something that's only available as a download, I feel compelled to burn it onto a disc just so I can pretend I have it on disc. Similarly, I like to have physical books rather than read things on a kindle or nook or whatever those reader thingys are called. Actually, in some ways it's stronger for books than music, since having the physical copy makes a bigger difference in the reading experience than the listening experience.

But I broke down and read a book on Kindle. Or, at least, on the kindle app of my phone. Spoiler alert: I found it to be an unpleasant experience. Why? For a book that was only available as a download.

So I downloaded and read A Meep in Manhattan, by Mary Pat Campbell (AKA Meep). The price was right. Free. I like free stuff. Also, Meep is a friend of mine. We used to work together. We  were irregular members of the same lunch group at work. And she's still one of my few go-tos when I have a question about Excel.

aMiM is essentially Meep's journal from the fall of 1996, when she was a first-year grad student in Mathematics at NYU. It was a breezy read that I went though on a lazy weekend morning.

There are a few factors that contributed to my enjoyment of the book. The fact that I'm friends with Meep helps. I read most of the book in her voice, which kind of adds a feel of authenticity to it. Also, in a couple respects, I have experiences that mirror hers -- I also was a grad student in math going to a school in a city very different than what I was used to.

But all that hints at the fact that aMiM is inherently of limited appeal. These are Meep's journals, which she wrote for herself and her friends and family -- not for a general audience. It's hard to see how someone who doesn't know her will really care. And I will note that she has acknowledged that this is of limited appeal, but she put it together primarily to see what she could do with the format.

By the way, I preferred the original cover (second picture), which had a picture of a young Meep looking pained. The new cover (pictured at top) looks more professional, but there's something about that first one.

Now, I know what everyone's thinking: You're thinking "Golly, I want to download this book and read it! But I want to read it in Meep's voice, and I have never heard her talk! What can I do?" For those of you thinking that, here's a Youtube video of Meep explaining how math is done. Enjoy!

EDIT: Added a graphic of the original cover.