Day 299 - Talk about reading

We had a whole staff welfare day today - without the students! That's the welfare part, I think. After our epic information session about Grieving, where we were showered with powerpoint bullets (one teacher actually ended up lying on the floor, sleeping, while others just braved it in a sitting position), I joined a lively discussion about Christos Tsiolkas' The slap, a provocative story about someone slapping somebody else's child at a barbecue. As you probably know, it's not actually about the slap, but a brutally revealing depiction of egotistical, greedy, selfish and petty characters. The book elicits passionate reactions, mainly negative ones. A similarly heated discussion arose after Mr 19's status on Facebook announced he was reading Twilight (ironically, he insists). Have a look at first tuesday book club for information about The slap. Or check out my post.

Today's photo captures a snapshot of some of my old uni reading material. It seems so long ago now. One day I'll re-read all my old stuff. (I have a vague feeling I've taken this photo before. Oh well...)

Day 293 - The slap

I've been trying to read The slap today, this day being my day off. If it weren't for all the distractions, I would have finished it. Apart from the addictive allure of Twitter and other online delicacies, and the little domestic duties which crop up all the more because I'm actually sitting in the house and am therefore very aware of what needs to be done, I actually think my brain is unsuited to reading quickly. For example, reading about something somebody did in the book, and being distracted by thoughts like 'I know how she feels' or 'I've thought that but I would never admit it' or 'is it true that men think about sex all the time?' - and then, a short icecream interval. Resuming the read, 'Hmmm.... no wonder I don't like barbecues' or even 'No wonder I don't like people all that much', followed by 'I can't believe I didn't realise what a misanthrope I am', 'Was Scrooge born that way or did he have an unhappy childhood?' and also, 'Are we really responsible for who we are?', and so on. So that's why I've only read 82 of 483 pages. The vacant stare is also understandable.

Oh, and in the morning, I took the predictable outdoor shots of whatever's flowering, knowing that I wouldn't see anything else. I'm not sure if I'll last until the end of the year with the daily photo challenge!

Hmmm.... this photo makes me think of icecream...