- I saw Ozomatli play in Millenium Park with my family. It was so cold, but the music was awesome, and we warmed up by dancing and drinking some red red wine.
- I had a barbecue, complete with some vegetarian hotdogs that didn't go down so well. One of my guests that I didn't know very well shot me a dirty look and told me she wasn't a vegetarian, which really bothers me for some reason... Does not being a vegetarian mean not having an imagination or an open mind? Does it mean that you can't eat vegetables?
- I visited my father's grave in memory of his birthday. He would have turned 60 this month. It was an odyssey getting there and by the time I did get there, it was closing in half an hour! We spent some time walking around looking at other gravestones with some being pretty substantial. My little niece pointed to a crucified Christ and asked me why he was hanging that way. Being an avowed atheist, I don't believe in propagating Christian beliefs, but she is not my child so I didn't know what to say. it was kind of funny. I ended up telling her that she needed to ask her mom (my sister) or her grandmother (my mother).
- I completed and submitted my application to my dream job. Cross your fingers. Countless hours of wishing and studying and working and stressing- hopefully will come to something.
- I read the following six books
- Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin- A novel about a 14 year old boy that has to not only survive, but protect himself and his younger siblings from his abusive mother. It was hard to read because the violence and the anxiety it produced were so real. The main point was that there were plenty of adults that knew what was going on and did nothing to help. It really reminded me that very one of us has the responsibility to help one another when we see abuse occur. Its so easy to turn the other way, or make excuses (i.e., that's not my business, it's just discipline, etc), but it really is a serious problem. And it doesn't have a clear answer. I mean, DCFS isn't always a better alternative.
- Un Lun Dun by China Mieville- an urban fantasy set in London (get it- Un-London). The idea is that every major city in the world has an alternative/parallel world attached to it where everything that is discarded in this world goes to. It was very much like Alice in Wonderland and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, with a young heroine who finds herself in a very strange world with crazy characters and has to save it's people from the evil ones. I didn't really enjoy it because I felt that most of the descriptions were too long and not intriguing in any real way. But I'll end on a positive note, the author also added some drawings within the text that were truly creative in their grotesque way.
- An Abundance of Katherines by John Green- I loved this book. First of all, it is set on the North side of Chicago, which meant that I recognized a lot of the places and street names in the story. Its about Colin, who has just graduated high school and gotten dumped by his girlfriend Katherine. The problem is- that he has had 19 girlfriends, all named Katherine, and each one has dumped him. So he feels depressed and puzzled about this and decides to go on a roadtrip with his friend Hassan. It was really funny and easy to read.
- Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox
- Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox- These are two fantasy novels that are part of a 'duet.' Knox very skillfully creates a whole world where dreams are caught by professional dreamhunters and sold to the public. But, there is a sinister government force that is using these dreams to exploit and control people for its own financial and political gain. I can say no more- just go out and read them if you like the fantasy genre mixed with some negative utopia, plus some great female roles.
- The Atheist's Bible: An Illustrious Collection of Irreverent Thoughts This is the only book in this list that is not YA (young adult). It consists of atheist quotes which I love. I think quote books are a corny thing, but I just love how quotes can condense whole philosophies on life into 1 or 2 sentences.
I will be posting again soon...
*Muah* to all my readers (that means you sis ^_^)
1 comment:
Have you started reading On the Road? I'm interested to hear you thoughts. I just started reading Savage Inequalities. It's heartbreaking just as I suspected. Kozol begins as an outsider and new to impoverished neighborhoods schools. This fresh perspective enables him to look at the inequalities with awe and disbelief. Hard-hitting.
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