What I'm Reading These Days

I'm reading Suite Francaise these days for the book club and I found out through Facebook that a friend of mine is reading it as well. And he can't seem to put the book down. It intrigued me that he is enjoying it so much and then I found out he is a Balzac fan.


While in college I had a professor who was obssessed with Balzac. Her life's goal was to read all of Balzac's work before she leaves this world. Now that I look back she looked to be about in her 50's and to my 20 year old mind she seemed so ancient and I remember internally wishing her well and wishing that she indeed gets to have her dream fulfilled... Anyhow, I digress...

I found from him that he likes Balzac cuz Balzac mixes fiction with Journalism. So I'm now asking him what he thinks of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. And this reminds me of when I had to read the "Autumn of the Patriarch" in college for my Masters Degree. OH MY GOD. I thought I'd go insane. The book barely has any punctuations or any paragraphs. You feel controlled by the author and imprisoned. You can't get away. There are no punctuations to allow you to get away. So slowly you start feeling insane... Quite an experience.

As a class we all felt so angry by the book. It has so much power over us. Quite an experience.
If you ever get a chance and you haven't read the book, at the very least I suggest that you take a look inside it and see what I mean. Just read a page or two... You won't forget the experience.

End of Innocence

My little baby - maybe not so little - lost his Pokemon cards at camp. This, after all the warnings his dad and I gave him. A few weeks ago I had argued with him until I was blue in the face on how he should not take his cards to camp. But he wouldn't (or maybe couldn't) believe that people would take his cards. And it happened. He lost about 200 of his best cards in camp. Vanished, gone, poof!

When he came home he was inconsolable. He cried and cried. He'd calm down and cry again. Lamenting that he had lost his best cards. He cried at dinner, he cried in the shower, he cried at bed time. He'd ask "why"? Why would they take it? Why didn't I listen to you? Why did you let me take them to camp?

And it broke my heart over and over. Every tear broke my heart. My baby now knows there are those who are jaleous, there are those who'll steal, in this young life of his he now already has regrets.

As a mother I wish I could protect him. I wish I could delay dissapointment and mistrust. I'm so very sad for him and I'm reminded that he is on his way towards adulthood. However, I wish that he preserves as much innocence as possible before those adult years really come to greet him.

It is Such a Beautiful Day

It's July, It's Washington DC area and the weather is SO beautiful. I want to stay out all day!