Tuesday, April 10, 2007

My Easter holiday

Hours spent in a car between Friday midmorning and Monday evening: about 17, or way too many.

Easter eggs painted: countless.

Hours of sleep: quite possibly more than usual, but so restless as to entirely discount any benefits.

Hockey games closely monitored this weekend: 3.
Unhappy Habs fan in the household: the man I sleep with.
Unhappy Leafs fan in the household: my brother.
Tension: yes.

Mother who insists on over-exerting herself even though she's still recovering from a hernia operation: present and accounted for, apparently not to be stopped.

Books received: The Slaves of Solitude, Patrick Hamilton. A copy of my very own! My sister had found 2 different editions for me to choose between, so I read the introductions to both. David Lodge gives an excellent character analysis in the recent NYRB Classics edition, but I chose the Constable edition, which has 2 introductions (one by Doris Lessing, one by Michael Holroyd), providing a little bit more biographical detail and generally more enthusiasm. Also, I like the cover better.

Pages read while away: about one a day (not counting the aforementioned introductions), leaving me to finish my so-close-to-finished-that-I-brought-a-backup novel only on returning to the peace and quiet — the normalcy — of home.

Number of bookstores visited amid a flurry of other activity and in a hurry to do so before closing time, which involved selfishly abandoning a tired and cranky girl to relatives: 4, 2 of them being used bookstores, where my inquiries after Patrick Hamilton were met with, "Never heard of him."

Books purchased: The Purity of Blood, Arturo Perez-Reverte. There will be swordplay. Oh, yes.

Books retrieved from my mother's basement: a nicely illustrated volume from Dandelion Library containing abridged versions of both Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. While I recall the book's existence during my childhood, I do not remember reading or being read to from this book, nor do I associate these stories with my childhood. I came to appreciate Alice much later in life; I don't believe I've ever read Peter Pan.

Movies watched in their entirety: none, but I would really like to know how The Machinist ends.
Movie received as gift: Rope (Alfred Hitchcock; based on the play by Patrick Hamilton, hence my recent interest in it).

Amount of chocolate consumed: not nearly as much as I'd anticipated.
Number of wine bottles emptied: 5? 6, 7? Who's counting?

The big takeaway, my mother's implied criticism of me in a general discussion: I am a horrible mother for not teaching my daughter to speak Polish.

Number of words to be copyedited by the end of the month: 100 000, give or take.
Amount of progress made thus far: very little.
Jobs regarding which I have meetings this week: 3.

Rocks I'd like to crawl under: yes, please.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

As always entertaining.
But that's why I read it.
If it wasn't for the tales of other my life would be just my life.