I spent the last week enjoying a “Hermitage” up on Lake Huron. Although I broke my informal vow of silence by making a couple of calls ... um ... on more than one day ... it was basically a chance to get away, relax a bit, and get some work done. Here’s the week in brief.
SUNDAY
I drove up and my parents dropped by with my brother’s kids for a wee visit. A good time was had by all. Other than that it was just settle in time and a chance to get started on some serious reading. I also started my hermitage viewing of episodes of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse (it’s hard for me to define exactly what made this show so brilliant, but it really was) and The X-Files (Season One).
Book Still In Progress: The Secret History by Donna Tartt.
Books Started: Born to Rock by Gordon Korman and Babysitting is a Dangerous Job by Willo Davis Roberts.
MONDAY
I’d decided that I would try to spend more time at the beach this year, not to be all “beachy” but because it seems ridiculous to be five minutes from the lakeshore and not spend some of my relaxation time there. So I did. I spent a couple of hours in the late morning reading down by the water. In the evening (in addition to my required viewing at day’s end) I started on a simple mask, just to get going and to try something out. I also started some work on the script I’m supposed to be writing.
Books Still In Progress: The Secret History.
Books Finished: Born to Rock and Babysitting is a Dangerous Job (See additional notes below)*.
Book Started: Fair Weather by Richard Peck.
I’m thinking I should have brought more light and quick reading like these to have been able to cross them off the list.
TUESDAY
Back to the beach for a couple of hours of reading and a wee walk in the late morning. I’m trying to avoid the hottest and busiest times down there. Let’s be honest. I’m not really “Beach People”, am I? I have also figured out that if I had a barbecue at home, I’d probably cook more, and better. Those who know me would be impressed with the amount of salad and fruit I eat when I’m up here. I also made a little progress on the script, though I’m not entirely satisfied with the few pages I got down. That’s what drafts are for, though, right? For my good deed of the day, I went across the laneway to offer an extra set of hands to the neighbours who were trying madly (for some time before I went over) to figure out how to put up a tentish thing they’d been given to use for an event later this week.** The problem? Apart from the lack of directions, it appears they’d been given a rather random assortment of poles, not all of which seem to belong to this structure. Don’t worry, though, for they also had a distinct lack of tent pegs. Ha! In any event, we think we rigged up a plausible solution from the various and sundry bits and pieces they had handy. Pleasant folk, I must say. There. I’m not completely antisocial and crazy-man-in-the-woodsy.
Book Still In Progress: The Secret History.
Book Finished: Fair Weather.
Books Started: Prison Diary II: Purgatory by Jeffrey Archer and The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick.
I’m going to have to hunt down Volume III of the Prison Diary at some point.
WEDNESDAY
What do you suppose it means if something is best before 263A? Because that’s exactly the time when my juice is apparently best before. My second carton of juice is best before 339H, so clearly I’d better get drinking before it’s too late.
Today has been rather uneventful, much like the days before. I’m already half-way through my wee hermitage, and that’s sort of sad since I’m enjoying the opportunity to read so much, but also regrettably not getting all that much done on serious work. The work always comes in the evenings, when there is less to do (and it’s getting darker outside for reading). I started on a second very simple mask tonight, but I’m not sure it’s going to turn out well.*** I was using up some old art mache, so I really need a fresher batch to do anything well. (I can make that tomorrow.) There’s no truly comfortable place to read inside, so once things get dark outside, I move on to other things. Of course, my nightly episode of The X-Files is one of them.
Books Still In Progress: The Secret History and Prison Diary II: Purgatory.
Book Finished: The Last Book in the Universe (which was good but could have had a better title).
Book Started: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle. I’ve read it a couple of times before, but it was given to me recently and I thought, “Hey, why not read it again?”
THURSDAY
Today was, perhaps a bit less productive – a term I’m using very loosely at the moment – than usual as I met up with my charming parents for dinner. Yes, they’re squeezing as much visiting as possible into my time up here and that’s fine. I also managed to grab a few nice framed photos for next to nothing from the restaurant where we ate.
Book Still In Progress: A Wrinkle in Time
Books Finished: Prison Diary II: Purgatory and The Secret History.
FRIDAY
I cannot lie. There’s nothing interesting to report, so I’ll just get to the reading update.
Book Finished: A Wrinkle in Time and The Baron in the Trees (see below).
Books Started: The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino (thanks, Linda!) and The Killing Art by Jonathan Santlofer.
SATURDAY
Book Finished: The Killing Art
Book Started: Exodus by Julie Bertagna
Then on Sunday I read a little more, but not much as I enjoyed a visit with my parents, my aunt, uncle, and cousin before heading back home. (I also began reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides in the morning.) As you can see, as the week became more routinely dedicated to little of interest, I gave up on specifics here.
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* When you read several books at once or in close succession, you notice things. Little coincidences. By the time I’d reached Tuesday, I’d noticed that Born to Rock and The Secret History both had scholarships and financial aid as plot points. Babysitting ... and Born to Rock had characters named Murphy and McMurphy respectively. Babysitting ... and The Secret History both made references to root canals. These two books also both had characters named Henry while Born to Rock and The Secret History each had a character whose surname was Hatch. Later in the week I started recognizing other commonalities in books I was reading. Two involved twins. Two mentioned the ancient Greek language (one prominently and one in passing). Two made passing references to P.G. Wodehouse. And almost all of them, truly, featured a red-headed character, usually described as having unruly red hair of some sort. (I’m sure there are other commonalities which I noticed but can no longer bring to mind.) Interesting.
** As I drove by the event, apparently a rousing horseshoe tournament, I noticed that any plans to use the tent which I’d helped assemble had been abandoned sometime during the week.
*** The mask was not a rousing success, though I may try another similar design at a later date. I also discovered, as a sideline, that art mache is not nearly as flammable as one might think.
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