whinypants day two: electric boogaloo

[verbicide]

It's so gray and cold and blah outside. I'm back at work, still congested. Still too stupid to remember to try some Claritin. Jeff was struck sort of mute when I told him I keep forgetting to take it. I'm a little pathologically pill-resistant, even when I want to take something, apparently.

I feel all dried up and withered. My skin feels dry. My nose is too dry. My lips are chapped. I wish I could completely immerse myself into a lotion bath for five hours or something. No amount of moisturizing is helping more than temporarily. GO AWAY WINTER!!

And apparently no amount of sleep is enough these days, because I keep waking up in the middle of the night for no reason. Can't stop yawning. My energy level is for shit today. Jeff thinks that might be allergy-related, too.

I feel like I need a big mental tidy.

However, in less whiny news. Tonight is bookclub! I can't freaking wait! Not only is it always superfantastic to see Colleen and Kirsten, but Amy T is joining us. And maybe even Lisa (my former boss). They're all so awesome, and I'm dying to talk about the book. We read The Double Bind and I loved it. I know Amy T had massive issues with it, which I sort of love because I think it'll make for a really lively discussion tonight.

I think the book affected me on a number of levels. When I was in high school, I really wanted to be a social worker. I worked for years at a crisis hotline and it had an enormous impact on me. While I obviously ultimately didn't go into social work, I loved reading about Laurel and how she ended up working at one.


And there were a few shades of the Yellow Wallpaper in this book, for me. Watching her become more and more unreliable as she gets obsessed with Bobby's photographs. Amy T was angry with her for being selfish, but I could totally identify with her quest. Until the book's startling conclusion.

I remember how she'd corrected someone --saying she hadn't been raped, and that didn't ring true, even though the book's opening was ambiguous on that detail. It was chilling reading her reaction to the inmate's letter. And then! Realizing that the Patient Records were about her. I had to go and reread them all. Maybe I should have seen it coming, but it totally caught me off guard.

The ending seemed a little blunt. And I was a little dissatisfied to not have the story go further, but in a way, I think it had more impact having it just end there. Poor Laurel.

One thing I couldn't understand is portraying David and his two daughters in a way that seemed to be exclusive of Laurel, but ... having it be a fabrication of her mind, too. Especially since we never really meet Laurel's sister, that parallel fell flat for me. Just so odd. Can't wait to hear what everyone thought about that.


And since the book uses The Great Gatsby, I've bought a copy and am finally going to read that classic. Very curious to see if or how it changes my perspective on the book!

Comments

[serenity-valley.livejournal.com]

I should comment on the rest, but I am too boggled that you escaped an American high school without reading The Great Gatsby. How is that even possible?

Which is neither a positive nor negative commentary on the book itself.

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

I know, right??

[trtle.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a great book...of course, I loved The Yellow Wallpaper (and my many many papers about it). I'll have to see if I can find it.

I agree with Jeff, allergies can make you all fuzzy and tired in the brain. Of course, so can colds and other fun viruses. Hope you feel better.

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

Oh no --you read the spoilers though! I do think you might like it, still.

[trtle.livejournal.com]

I just skimmed them..and with my retention abilities, I'll likely forget them all anyway. Maybe I'll bring Gatsby and this book with me to HI