My Love-Hate Relationship With Being High

I love being high. But I also hate it. I know what you’re thinking, but I’m pretty sure you’re wrong. I’m talking about tall buildings and mountains, of course!

I like being at the top of this:

Yokohama Landmark Tower, 297 metres tall.

And seeing this:

The view from Landmark Tower.

I love seeing the view from tall buildings and mountains. In Japan, we have Yokohama Landmark Tower in Yokohama, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (which is free and has a great view in Shinjuku), Sunshine 60 (a rooftop view from Ikebukuro), Tokyo Tower (looks like the Eiffel Tower), and Tokyo Skytree (tallest freestanding tower in the world at 634 metres). They all command amazing views of the cities they’re in.

In Edmonton, the city’s newest tallest building is under construction, Stantec’s headquarters, and will be 250 metres tall, the tallest building in Canada west of Toronto. I’m excited to see that.

But I also said mountains. I’ve been to the top of Mt. Fuji, Mt. Oyama (and will likely go there again in October), and Mt. Takao, all here in Japan. In Canada, the top of the Whistlers in Jasper afforded a wonderful view of the town.

But where’s the hate? Well, if I’m on a balcony, the edge of a cliff, or at the top of a building without a barrier, I don’t like leaning over the edge. I get an immediate feeling of pending doom. If there’s glass in the way, no problem. A balcony railing isn’t good enough to stop the feeling. But I’m fine with being at the top of a 3,776 metre mountain, which also happens to be a volcano.

How are you with heights?

Adults Reading Young Adult Novels? Oh yes!

You know, when reading novels, I don’t think age matters. So, I’ll make a confession here. I’m a thirty-eight year old man who reads and enjoys young adult novels from time to time. How about you?

I’m sure everyone’s read Harry Potter. I read it all the way through and enjoyed it thoroughly. It was fun to read, and I have no problem letting people know that.

Do you think there’s a stigma against adults reading young adult novels? You sometimes hear some people saying, “You read that? But it’s for kids!” The same goes for watching cartoons or Disney movies. I still love watching Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, and Transformers. They’re lots of fun. And I like escaping from my life as an adult occasionally just to indulge in my inner child. And since I have a young child, I’ll continue watching kids shows for a long time. And I’ll enjoy it.

When it’s time for my daughter to read Harry Potter, I’ll gladly talk with her about the story, as well as watch the movies with her. No problem!

Are you an adult who enjoys young adult novels?