Reading 'The Custom of the Country'

My bestfriend Fe and I have this habit of exchanging books.  She would usually throw a book my way when someone is coming over and one of the books I’ve gotten from her since I got here is “The Custom of the Country” by Edith Wharton.  The Ilocana in Fe always sees her wrapping the book in some plastic for protection — in this case, a transparent but labeled “Bench” plastic bag.  The price tag is there not for my benefit but hers, and the receipt is taped to the last page — purchased 11/22/01 in National Bookstore for P110.25.  I think she sent this to me in the last two years.

It had “slept” on my bookshelf all this time, and I was trying to get something to read on the commute to work three days ago but I didn’t want to carry anything heavy, and it caught my eye so I started reading it.  Edith Wharton was born in 1862 and had lived in New York, dying in 1934 in Paris where she had lived her last years.  It requires a little more attention than the usual because of the language and style — it’s a period piece after all.  I didn’t expect I would enjoy it as I am enjoying it now.

The first 25 pages are talking of a young woman’s quest to fit into the cliquish high society of New York and her parent’s struggle to help her do just that.  Reading on…

 

Fridays are a blessing

Even during those weeks when the work load isn’t particularly heavy and I breeze through Monday to Friday with ease, I still breathe quite a big sigh of relief when Friday comes. 

It means having more time to spend at home, maybe do some fingerpainting with Angel, try and plan how to re-arrange the bedroom.  That’s one of Alan’s and my projects currently in the planning stage.  I have to think about how we’re pulling that off because it means having to take everything out of the room and putting it back there in a new way.  Alan suggested we do that to freshen up the look.  I think I need two weekends to pull it off, though. =)

It doesn’t help that a third of the weekend is already spoken for with Alan’s purchase of advance tickets to watch Spiderman 3 on Saturday morning. We’re watching it tomorrow morning so we can leave Angel with the grandmas.  That’s not a movie I want to miss more so since everyone is already talking about it, and we definitely want to be able to join in on the conversations on Monday.  The fact that it premiered first in Manila which means they beat us to getting first dibs on the movie makes it all the more imperative we watch soonest.  Alan actually wanted to watch tonight but I don’t want straining Mom’s “duty” too long unless necessary.  So tomorrow morning, we watch it.

I have Donna’s scrapbook to finish and mail off to Australia, then it’s time to work on the Disney scrapbook for Mom to bring home in June.  As you can see, I’ve got my weekend cut out for me.