Atone for Your Sins

I am going to see Atonement this week, and felt I had to read the book before I saw the movie. So I spent a good part of the weekend not doing the millions of things I needed to get done, and reading the book instead. I was so shocked at the ending, I had to re-read the last 40 pages or so to make sure I understood. Shocked! Shocked I tell you! I want to talk about the book with someone, anyone but fear that they will either roll their eyes and imply I'm crazy (psha) or yell at me for ruining the ending. Either way, I have Atonement on the brain and can only rest easy after I have seen the movie. Maybe.

Which made me think of a few things:

• Books are incredibly addictive for me. I just can't put the damned things down. I practically drown in them. I give up cooking so I can continue reading. Which is the real reason I had to stop reading for a while. I could easily lose my job because of my reading habit. As it is, I am sneaking reading sessions in between phone calls and meetings. That can't be good.
• Any Man Booker Prize books that I have read so far, I have loved. So far, I've read about half a dozen books (out of forty). I think I need to address that situation immediately.
  
• I need to go to the library more often. As it is, I walked away with a box of free books that were sitting there begging for a new home. Next thing you know, I'll get paid for reading. Weeeee! (Seriously, is there a job that will pay me to read books?)

That's it for now. Thankfully, I returned Atonement and can't rehash and re-read it. I am moving on. I have now borrowed Enduring Love by the same author. See, I'm expanding my horizons.

I'M BACK, I'M BACK, I'M BACK!!!

Did you ever get in trouble as a child? And did you mother ever take away your favorite toy/book/diversion for what seemed like an eternity? Do you remember the joy of getting your toy/book/diversion back and promising to never let it go? Yeah, that's how I feel right now.

I have had people in my home on and off since early July, constantly since mid-July. Which means I have had barely any access to my home computer (which resides in the office/guestroom/library/giant closet) since all this mayhem started.

During this time, I have been either entertaining, cooking, cleaning or working. On a couple of occasions I was doing all of the above at the a time. Normally, I love entertaining and cooking--I always loathe cleaning. But I have learned that love is neither unconditional nor unlimited. If I have to clean after the cooking and entertaining, before I go to work each day, I eventually become irate. If I have to defend my lifestyle, friends, or family while cooking, cleaning and working, I become a resentful little woman whose hospitality will come to a screeching halt. Un/Fortunately, I have not reached a point where I have had to recommend a hotel to my guests, but that boiling point is very close right now and I may resort to such recommendations, rather than my passive-aggressive charms soon.

But right now, I'm just happy to be able to sit at my computer and write on my blog.

Yay!