The Dilemma of a Reader

I’ve been vehemently against eReaders since Amazon.com introduced the Kindle those years ago. I thought the e-ink technology was amazing–I’m on the computer most of the day, and despite what anyone thinks, reading on a backlite screen for as long as I read books would kill my eyes. It wasn’t that that bugged me about the Kindle–it was the fact that it took away the physical book. I don’t know about you guys, but I get very attached to books I love–so much so that I have to have them near me at all times, or I feel odd. For instance, when I was reading Kraken instead of putting it in my door with my purse, I had to keep it out on my desk, so I could see it at all times. That’s just how I am. It’s like everything I love about the book I pour into its physical presence, and I’m afraid if I leave it, it will disappear. Obviously, this attachment doesn’t always happen, but it’s one of the things I love about reading and books in general.
I always figured eReaders were for the people that were more casual readers–the people who picked up a book once in awhile to read and didn’t experience the attachment I felt to the majority of the books I read. Anyway, that was until I started hearing about the Kobo (I still have a part-time job at Borders.. for now).
I started looking at my bookshelf, which is overflowing with books right now.. even though I have 4 – 5 boxes of books still back in Kansas. I started thinking about all the books I want to read, but I can’t quite allow myself to spend $20 on them. I started thinking about all the manga that I have, that takes up so much room, that would be nice just in PDF form on a small device. I started thinking about plane rides (which I take much more often now that I’m living halfway across the country from my friends and family) and not having to lug around a book of a couple pounds. I started to think about the fact that just because I own an eReader doesn’t mean I can’t stop buying books–I could still buy physical books when I knew I’d develop that attachment I mentioned previously. Also, I was really attracted to the 100 free classics that came with the Kobo. Not to mention my wrists would probably thank me.
Some part of me wants to remain stubborn though. Some part of me is telling me I need to wait for the technology to settle down a bit. And I need to wait until the Kobo can read em dashes (yeah, I’m a graphic designer and incorrect dashes annoy the crap out of me, make fun of me all you want. )
This all comes back to the fact that I don’t know how I feel, or what to do, or why I want to do it. There are moments when I say, “fuck it, I’m going to get one.” Then a minute later I go, “no, I can’t. You’re being ridiculous.” But I also know how I am when I get like this, I try to talk myself out of it for a week or two, then I break down and get it. So really, I feel like I’m swimming upstream. I’m so torn!