Where is... Lauren?

Today I realized that it has been more than a month since my last post! I'm not sure who's reading this or if anyone really cares about my absence from the world of blogging, but I care. I love being able to get my thoughts out somewhere instead of keeping them jumbled in my brain. Thus my reasoning for almost daily reciting out loud my to-do list to my husband (sorry, honey!).

My lack of presence in the blogosphere can be attributed to the fact that I'm now working two jobs as well as volunteering pretty regularly at my local Ten Thousand Villages. All good stuff just not the best as far as allowing me time to read and blog!

So, to give a quick update, I am currently almost halfway through "Germinal" by Emile Zola. That might not sound like a lot but this is thick literature in both the intellectual and physical senses (my paperback version is 497 pages). I won't give a synopsis yet but I will say that this book has begun to open my eyes to the horrible working conditions of the lower class in mines during the Industrial Revolution. You always hear about how horrendous the factories and mines were during that age, but I do not think you can completely grasp that concept until you read a detailed account of it.

"Germinal" is fictional but based on Zola's keen observations of the conditions of mining workers. Over and over I find myself cringing as I read, blown away by what these people put up with. All you unhappy employees, read this book and you'll be feeling much happier about your job. I guarantee it.