Of moonshine and fog

I returned to work today and the expected enquiries about "How was your weekend?" This otherwise routine question actually demanded a justifiably substantive reply this time, but I must admit, I had to disappoint my eager audience. I mumbled an incoherent "Good" or "Fabulous" thinking how hypocritical I was being, because my weekend was rather tame. All I did apart from go out couple of times, and chat with my long lost friends, was eat and sleep and read and watch High Fidelity. Again.
And cry over "House of Sand and Fog". I saw the movie sometime last year, and it was one of those movies that made me want to read the book. And a sadist I must be, because I knew the incredibly painful story, remember the feeling I had at the end of the movie though I'd forgotten the details, and yet I sought out this book, placed a hold in the library and traveled over an hour to go get it.
And it was worth the wait, and the trouble.
It's not the greatest literary work, but it's gripping and morbid and depressive to the extent that it made me feel happy to not be in that mess! The book is written from the alternating perspectives of the two protagonists, a woman who's losing her house, and a proud ex-colonel of the Shah of Iran, who bought the house in a county auction. Neither of them wants to let go of it, and the way the story is told, you don't know whose side to take. There is no good and evil in this book. Throw into the mix a cop who falls in love with this woman and that acts as a catalyst for the break up of his marriage, and you've got a real mix of emotional forces. It's a remarkable portrayal of motives, passions, principles and pride.
And speaking about passions and pride, I did myself proud by doing some painting and redecoration of my room yesterday. I had bought these cute sun and moon wooden motifs from Michaels (the best store in the world!!) and finally I painted them yesterday. They turned out great and are now hanging on my wall next to my favorite pictures. And on the opposite wall hangs a beautiful set of four mirrors with candle holders, conceived and executed by my awesome cousin who really ought to be an interior decorator not a software developer.
So, on hindsight, my weekend wasn't all that tame. It had its share of sand, fog, candlelight, sun, moon, and of course, rain. Next time someone asks me how my weekend was, I'll have a better answer!