better?; Saturday; Newfoundland

2005-05-20 - 11:10 a.m.

So --

I think things may be better. N. came home at 4:30, took a shower, went to her room and started her homework. I love being home in the afternoon when the girls get home -- it's a very peaceful time of day. Anyway. Kevin also came home about 6, which is early for him. We watched some Father Ted, ate some dinner. M. had practiced and done her homework. I pestered N. to start her Catcher in the Rye paper about 8:30, and she actually did start it, and finished about 11, I think. (I heard her come out and get the printer about then.)

Things may be improving, although I am going to check out a private school on Monday.

Anne, a friend with a boy a bit older, had some helpful things to say. Also -- it's useful to talk to others in the same situation, as it prevents you from thinking you've lost your mind when you weren't paying attention.

I started, and then went ahead and finished Saturday. What a good book! First there's the tone -- it's like Atonement in that it's very lowkey -- almost boring -- in its recitation of the events of the day. First this, then that. And what's with the odd switches in tense? Sometimes past, sometimes present. I haven't quite figured out what's going on with that. Then -- what a great choice to have the main character be a neurosurgeon, who has a completely factual approach to the world, and also to people. He looks at them and sees what's going on almost exclusively in physiological terms -- but then not quite exclusively. Then of course there's pretty clearly a Ulysses reference going on, I think. "Yes" comes up. It starts with a man in his house, and ends with a man in his house. There's breakfast, and sleeping, and I think the trip to his mother's might be the Tiresius chapter. (I haven't read Ulysses for 20 years, so the comparison is a bit rough.) I like the bit about how his life is on "Saturday," that last bit before Sunday, when he'll retire, etc. There's the whole public/private responsibility thing (Iraq; Baxter). A nice book, and easy to get through in a night.

Anyway.

In further news, I think we need a vacation. A real one -- where we four go somewhere we haven't been before and do something fun. Newfoundland.

out of print - new releases

find me! - 2008-02-12
where I've gone - 2008-02-07
Where I've gone - 2008-02-05
where I've gone - 2008-02-01
New - 2008-02-01

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