A weekend — finally!

I’ve been lamenting of late that our weekends are so NOT restful. Been finding it hard to even squeeze in a little reading time or a run. Typically I have to choose between the two. We’ve been keeping this pace that makes me welcome Monday as a respite from the frenzy.

But this past weekend was different. On Friday Danny and Patrick went to see LeBron play his worst game ever, Ryan was supposed to go to a sleepover (but was grounded) so he joined Mikey and I on our date to see “Robots.”

Anyway, we had a grand time at the movies and hit the sack early. I’ve lost all ability to sleep in and found myself awake early on both mornings, taking advantage of the quiet to catch up on reading. Read a touching piece in The New Yorker by Calvin Trillin about a young soldier killed in Iraq. Trillin writes about how he was driving to his daughter’s home when he heard the guy’s story on NPR. He was moved and found himself in tears, nearly having to pull off the road. The story wouldn’t let go of him and so he traveled to Illinois to interview the boy’s family and friends. Was fantasizing how wonderful it would be to have the freedom to follow when inspiration strikes.

The Atlantic had an interesting profile of Vladimir Putin by Paul Starobin and a riveting story by William Langewiesche about a woman who works for Human Rights Watch and has dedicated her career to documenting Saddam Hussein and Co.’s atrocities. It’s long, but the writing and the story kept me through page after page.

I’m reading a bunch lately. This week’s review book is called “After the Apple.” I’m also reading “The Seven Storey Mountain” by Thomas Merton for a piece I’m writing about him and on my nightstand is Milan Kundera’s “The Unbearable Lightness of Being,” which I’m absolutely flying through. I have this strange compulsion to keep only books for pleasure beside my bed. I read enough work-related stuff during the day. Before I shut the lids, I read a book of my own choosing.

While cruising through Hollister with the boys a couple of weeks ago, I picked up a great new CD that I can’t stop listening to. Check out Jack Johnson’s In Between Dreams. Think it’s gonna be part of my summer soundtrack. Love his acoustic sound and whimsical lyrics. Makes me feel like I’m swaying in a hammock with my bare foot just brushing the tips of the grass. How sweet it is to think about summer and banana pancakes.