retirement routine

Between reading about and listening to talk about health care, the Birthers movement, Gates and beers at the Whte House, you would think my life was full to overflowing. But as others have said, there's not much news today. Except that Sonia Sotomayor garnered one Republican vote on the committee from a fearless Lindsay Graham. Full Senate vote next week. Welcome to The Court, Madam Justice. (I don't actually know what female justices are called. I know males are called Mr. Justice. Females are called Miss Justice? Mrs. Justice? Ms. Justice? I like Madam.) So she must have "proven" herself worthy. Feliz, Sonia.

But back to retirement. I have never for one nanosecond regretted my decision to retire and leave the big U in the lurch. But retirement ~ that is, unstructured time during which you do not have to be anywhere or do anything or prove to anyone that you are worthy of what they like to call a paycheck ~ sometimes leaves me feeling that my options are too open, that I can't decide how to best use my time. So I sit in my favorite reading chair, prop up my feet, and surrender my attention to the printed page. Of course, that only happens after my morning walk, my several cups of coffee, and the NYT crossword.

This is my current project. And a project it is. A 600-page novel, "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese. Mr. Verghese is a writer of prodigious talent. He has written a very large story in the sense that it covers continents, families, social and ethical issues, joy, tragedies both experienced and averted. It was recommended to me by a friend who is a careful and discriminating reader. "It will take a while to get through it but it is worth every effort." I have read about 75 pages and I am totally hooked. Our library is closing down for three weeks for the first stages of its expansion (very necessary) and I think I have timed my check-out of this book so that I will have plenty of time to finish it before the next person on the list starts agitating for its return.