"I began the day..."
This is how Gladman introduces each essay/ prose poem in the text, as each one follows her thoughts on a particular day. On some days Gladman has been considering an abstract concept, while on others she has done something practical, and is then reflecting on this experience.
"I began the day with the president's novel in my hand. I was surprised that it was a slim novel not unlike those I'd written myself and I was torn between reading it right there... or waiting until I was on the toilet, where all short, delectable novels should be read, or at least begun."
In one section, Gladman begins the day holding a university president's novel in her hand. We are not told who the author is, however, we are told that the book is small in size. Gladman is "surprised" to find that the novel is small, perhaps suggesting she expected a president's novel to be weighty and lengthy. For this reason, Gladman concludes that the place to read it is on the toilet, as this is apparently how all short novels should be read. This passage is an example of Gladman's style in this text, which follows her thought patterns and ideas as if we are following her thoughts exactly as they are happening.
"It turned out that I was already planning to be away, so I just did what I was planning to do, which was travel to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, with my family, and by this, I did not mean my husband and children, but rather my mother and two sisters."
In this passage, Gladman challenges our assumptions about what a "family" typically is. When Gladman told us that she went on holiday with her family, we might have assumed she meant her husband and children. However, Renee challenges this, saying that her idea of "family" is different, and instead comprises of her sisters and mother.
