entertaining
I was fortunate today to entertain the very lovely Ms. Helen DeWitt. Helen is in town to promote her newly published novel Lightning Rods, which is wildly diverting. I read it over the course of a weekend while walking around holding a baby, and while breast-feeding, and while pretending to listen to Harvey's monologues. It's really laugh out loud funny, and you should definitely buy it or take it our from your local library. Our Minuteman library network has 6 copies already, but they're all out currently and there are 5 holds on the returning ones. Which is to say you'll have to wait a month if you want to read it for free, so you'd better just buy it now, you stingy Massachusetts puritans.
Oh, unless you're like REALLY puritans. Because there's some sex involved in the story.
We invited Helen over for Passover when she was in town two years ago. The wine was cheap and we didn't have enough food and we had extension cords running through the house down to the basement which was flooding. Also, Harvey screamed for several hours. I remember thinking: I am the least cut out person in the world to offer hospitality to anyone.
And yet, to hear Helen speak of it, it was a very pleasant evening. I don't think there's a moral to the story other than that there is a God, and he is very very gracious.
Speaking of God being gracious, Harvey didn't pitch a fit all day and even regaled Helen with a reading from Kangaroos Have Joeys. Why else do I have children, if not to make them do all the entertaining for me?