R.I.F.

I don't get to read like I used to. Back in the day, B.F. (before kids), I could read a book for hours straight. It was my favorite pastime. Now I grab a few pages here and there, before falling asleep at night, in the bathroom, whenever I get a free half an hour. It is not the same.

I would visualize the story and the characters in my head. I would choose the actors that would play the characters in the movie. Alec Baldwin is not Dave Robichaeux (James Lee Burke's great ex-cop character). Robert Urich as Spencer, O.K. I guess. Robert Shaw as Quint from Jaws by Peter Benchley...Masterstroke.

I would lose myself in a book. It relaxed me and took me away from reality. Reality can be exhausting, don't you think? I remember reading a whole book on my honeymoon in Jamaica. It was "And the Band Played On." A chilling look at the origin and evolution of HIV and AIDS. I have powdered off a couple on the few long plane trips we have taken. That's about it.

My only real everyday relaxation place is our neighborhood pool. In fact, I read "Unitas" by Tom Callahan at the pool. Great book, great location. I try to get there as much as I can. Now all I need is a long plane ride to a beach in Mexico with no kids. I could read like a wild man.

I have a better chance of winning the lottery twice in one week.