Interview with a Vampire

I have just finished reading Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice. An old novel (published 1976!) it is well known in popular culture, along with the movie in 1994, and apparently a recent reboot in the form of a tv series. Now, I must preface this post by saying that I have somehow, at the ripe old age of 34, avoided all forms of contact with anything Interview with a Vampire-Anne Rice until now. I had a vague idea of the movie starring Brad Pitt, but that was about it. I remember changing the channels when the movie used to appear as reruns on Channel 5. I simply do not care for vampire fantasy anything. I get it intellectually, but don't really see the appeal. So even though I know the novel by Anne Rice is of some significant acclaim, I didn't really feel the push to read it, that is until it came up in a conversation I had with a friend, Fin. Fin is a huge horror movie buff, and somehow that book came up when we met at a coffee shop sometime in late Aug (or maybe early Sept, it was before E started Kindergarten). Anyway Fin urged me to read it, and I said I'd give it some serious consideration. 

I was looking for another book in the library when I happened to come across a copy of Interview with a Vampire. I was quite surprised because it was a small library - just like all the libraries in Bergen County are small - and I knew they frequently weeded their collection thanks to the forever ongoing book sale right by their front entrance. Yet there it remained, so I pulled it out of the shelf... and immediately burst out laughing. I did borrow the book, but texted pictures of the front and back cover to my friends to also laugh at:

Anyway thanks to that ridiculous cover, I didn't really have much expectations about the book. But boy was I fooled. This novel was no pulp-y, easily digestible thing. Instead it was deeply introspective, wrought out, and required focus to fully appreciate it's many intricacies. And given that I seldom have time to read or the mind to focus, it has taken me at least 3 weeks to finish this novel, because I am so tired from what I am reading. It feels draining to inhabit the passive, agonized world of Louis, and all his feelings and thoughts. 

I took notes of some sections I enjoyed reading: "Not try to separate that loss from some other oppressive realization: that in Europe I'd found no truths to lessen loneliness, transform despair. Rather, I'd found only the inner workings of my own small soul, the pain of Claudia's, and a passion for a vampire who was perhaps even more evil than Lestat, for whom I became as evil as Lestat, but in whom I saw the only promise of good in evil of which I could conceive." and 

"Before, all art had held for me the promise of a deeper understanding of the human heart. Now the human heart meant nothing. I did not denigrate it. I simply forgot it. The magnificent paintings of the Louvre were not for me intimately connected with the hands that had painted them. They were cut loose and dead like children turned to stone... and of course... they could all be reduced to ashes."

Anyway, you can get an idea of the sort of lyricism that this novel abounds with. Every word and every sentence required focus and attention, and that left me tired. I had to take a nap after I finished the climax of the novel, before starting Part 4, the last section of the book. But anyway I am done, and I am glad to have read this book.

Weekly Schedule 2024 - 2025

This year E started attending Kindergarten 5 times a week, and M started 3 times a week at a nearby day care too. I also make an effort to attend yoga at least once a week, and call my parents in the morning. A typical week thus goes as follows:

Mondays

Drop E off at school by 8:50am, bring M to gym from 9:30am to 10:15am. Sometimes do chores like grocery shopping afterwards.

Pick up E at 3:20pm, bring E to girl scouts if there is a meeting that week (lasts usually an hour), finding a way to entertain M in the interim. Attempt homework with E. The evening routine (and for all days of the weekday) is usually cook dinner/reheat dinner, bathe girls if there is energy and time, feed girls if Jon is coming home late.

Tuesdays

Drop E off at school, drop M off at school right after. Chores/go home.

Pick up E, bring her to Kumon. Wait at Kumon for E to finish. Go to pick up M together. Attempt homework with E. 

Wednesdays

Drop E off at school, drop M off at school right after. Chores/go home/yoga. 

Pick up E, bring her to gym. Wait at gym, go to the nearby library, or go grocery shopping. After class is finished, go to pick up M together. Attempt homework with E. 

Thursdays

Remind E to return her school library book. Drop E off at school, drop M off at school right after. Chores/go home/yoga.

Pick E up, bring her home to finish any undone homework (!!!) Pick M up and bring her home. 

Fridays

Drop E off at school. Play with M at home (or library nearby if I have energy... I usually don't)

Pick E up, bring her to Kumon. Wait at Kumon with M (which SUCKS), or bring her out to the grocery store nearby to get nonsense. Pick E up and head home. 

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While on one hand it seems like I have a lot of spare time (and I do! I am very lucky compared to others), so much of my spare time is just spent napping because rare is the night that I get a full night of undisturbed rest. M wakes me up every night, either because she is suddenly itchy, or wants my arm, and I am right there next to her in bed for her to disturb. Furthermore, on days that M goes to day care, she naps there too and I can only get her to sleep around 10pm. And if I don't get enough rest, I am so drained by 6pm and start to get headaches and/or crazy stomach symptoms, so I need to nap. I am so tired in general, and of course house chores are never-ending. And so, thus is my life nowadays.