Reading and its curse

Why must it be that when I read I get new ideas? Memes, Mr. Russell, they do take up a space in my mind. However these memes aren't very tangible, such as an advertisement or product. These memes are feelings, themes, motion sickness, the notion of truth, ideas involving sincerity, and the inevitable product of infidelity. Could it be that I find myself through the characters of others, or the characters I create? Could it be the music I listen to or the stories my parents my tell me in confidence? Maybe I long to be the young girl Neil Young constantly sings of, or maybe the lover of the late great Jim Morrison. Perhaps my characters are projections of my subconscious, or even my conscious. The only thing I do know is that my protagonist, Tom, wears his heart on his sleeve, like I so often do, and his horrible wife, Caroline, has my worst habits, and best.