Nyssa, I'm glad your electricity is back on, but so sorry you were not able to relax and enjoy your book time. I have the same problem when my mom calls on my days off. I have learned that if I answer to the "What are you doing today?" with "I'm going to read," or "I'm going to watch a movie," that it somehow translates to "I'm not going to be doing anything, as I have all this free time and I need something to do."
I've learned to structure my answers to include chores/errands that consume a lot of time..