What I've Been Doing
I'm having trouble adjusting to summer. Today, a friend helped me get my head on straight. I keep expecting it to be
SUMMER!!!!
Like, you know. Lyin' around. Readin' books. Drinkin' G&Ts.
My friend reminded me of one teensy weensy problem with this expectation.
I have children. And I'm 40.
That certainly explains why I've spend most of every day in my car.
When I haven't been in the car, I've been trying to get to the mountain of books taking up space next to my bed.
I've been reading this book, Narrow Dog to Carcassonne by Terry Darlington, for about three months. I like it...quite a bit...I think...but I can't deal with it in large doses. He writes almost poetically, but also very cryptically. Often pages will go by and I'll suddenly realize that I have no idea what I've been reading for ten minutes. He tells the story of his trip through England, across the channel, and through France on his canal boat with his wife and skitchy dog. Travel. Boats. Dog. Funny dude. All the fixings for a book I like. I think.
In between doses of Europe and the waterways, I read Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell. It took about 25 minutes to read and left me feeling like I needed to gargle with Clorox. I'm going to lend it to my friend who is going to Mexico for a girl's vacation. It's perfect for that...and she should leave it in Mexico. Never has a collection of three more unlikeable and vapid souls appeared within the same volume.
I also read Elizabeth George's latest Inspector Lynley mystery, Careless in Red. You should read this. First, of course, you'll need to take a leave of absence from the rest of your life and read all the earlier books in the series. The only bad thing about these novels is that they end after a few hundred pages.
The Elizabeth George has rekindled my hopes for SUMMER. A well-written page turner! Hooray! Now bring on the gin! Somebody fetch me a lime!
SUMMER!!!!
Like, you know. Lyin' around. Readin' books. Drinkin' G&Ts.
My friend reminded me of one teensy weensy problem with this expectation.
I have children. And I'm 40.
That certainly explains why I've spend most of every day in my car.
When I haven't been in the car, I've been trying to get to the mountain of books taking up space next to my bed.
I've been reading this book, Narrow Dog to Carcassonne by Terry Darlington, for about three months. I like it...quite a bit...I think...but I can't deal with it in large doses. He writes almost poetically, but also very cryptically. Often pages will go by and I'll suddenly realize that I have no idea what I've been reading for ten minutes. He tells the story of his trip through England, across the channel, and through France on his canal boat with his wife and skitchy dog. Travel. Boats. Dog. Funny dude. All the fixings for a book I like. I think.
In between doses of Europe and the waterways, I read Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell. It took about 25 minutes to read and left me feeling like I needed to gargle with Clorox. I'm going to lend it to my friend who is going to Mexico for a girl's vacation. It's perfect for that...and she should leave it in Mexico. Never has a collection of three more unlikeable and vapid souls appeared within the same volume.
I also read Elizabeth George's latest Inspector Lynley mystery, Careless in Red. You should read this. First, of course, you'll need to take a leave of absence from the rest of your life and read all the earlier books in the series. The only bad thing about these novels is that they end after a few hundred pages.
The Elizabeth George has rekindled my hopes for SUMMER. A well-written page turner! Hooray! Now bring on the gin! Somebody fetch me a lime!
I second that one. I'm having a summer-adjustment problem, too. I have long vowed to NEVER be one of those parents that over-schedules my children. But as my sons get older (8 & 10), I find theory and reality are harder to align. In addition to too many activities (camp, swim team, play dates), we've just gotten through this awful summer virus (high fever, vomitting, general misery). I found myself looking at the calendar this morning and wistfully looking at August when there is nothing planned...that'll be good for a few weeks, right? Then I'll be crying for structure again, just in time for school. BTW, thank you WRH, for Cindy Guidry's "The Last Single Woman In America"...the book's short, funny chapters are about all my brain can handle at the moment!
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