Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Reading is a luxury I would like to be able to afford

It has been so cold in Jerusalem this past week that it could have snowed. And I could have stayed home from work, but the gods wanted it to be sunny and cold. Not a freakin' cloud in the sky. Someone at my editing course told me I reminded him of one of the characters in one of Solzhenitsyn's books where the workers in the Gulag Archipelago were always watching the thermometer in case it went under -19 degrees so they wouldn't have to go out to work.

And why do I want a day off work so bad? Because I have absolutely no time to read. I have books lying around the house that I've never read. People loan me these "great books" that I just "have to read" but when is there time?? Even the Holy Sabbath has been desecrated by Homework that I have to do for class. It's not easy working full time and going to school part-time. I'd rather just watch a silly movie on DVD after cleaning up the house and making dinner. But the books keep on beckoning. The Jordanian part of the United Religions Initiative just sent out an email that they've starting a book club and sent around A Tale of Two Cities in ebook form. It's over 400 pages!!! Who could tackle this in a month?

And, of course, there's darling Hubby, who hopes to make a lot more cash in Canada than he did in Israel. And if God sees to it that he does, maybe I'll be able to cut my work week in half, and get to read a good book (or two) a month.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amen... However: I've come to read EVERYWHERE and ANYTIME I can - On line at the bank, when put on hold on the phone, waiting for the bus, on the bus, walking to my office from the bus, in between classes at school... I used to think I had no time, but as soon as I started keeping a book in my purse, I've been eating books up by the week... It also makes tolerating Israeli bureaucracy a lot easier!

Anonymous said...

Amen to elie's comment. I'm doing the same. My reading is mostly on the bus (when I don't bump into you), and also when in queue, on hold on the phone, etc.
No time for serious books at home. When it's not doing the dishes, putting kids to sleep or studying, I'm watching something silly on DVD with my wife (Usually "Friends" - yesterday we watched an episode dubbed to French with English subtitles... just for the silly fun of it).
It's not easy with full time job and part time studies - I'm doing that too. But it's hopefully possible.

Unknown said...

Buses are SO out for me, unless you like me to "hurl" whatever lunch and snacks I ate during the day. Disgusting, I know. I cannot read on the bus. Waiting on line? No more than a 5 minute wait most of the time.... dunno. I think I have to wait for a 4-day work week or something. But I did manage to read a newspaper article in Hebrew about a sect of Hareidi women covering up their faces with veils and wearing layers of shawls and robes.

Anonymous said...

book of revelations chapter six

The face of a white horse is seen= men cry for love and life

the face of the horse turns red= men have cried war

thirdly his face is black= men have cried death of God

the pale face of the white rider, behind him Hell= men have cried for Hell

He brings a plague, the sword or famine...He choses the Arabs to bring the sword...even the blood of Abel is becoming warlike

The Aarons are crying for Love, Judah cries War...

If we go near Iran, we have world war...

Love Louise...