Opinions of a Wolf

Hello my lovely readers!  I hope you’re all enjoying the new genres that have found their way to my blog since the start of the Real Help Reading Project a couple of months ago.  I’ve been alternating between books for the project from the library and books from my tbr shelf at home, and I’ve certainly been enjoying the variety.  African-American and African lit (outside of scifi) always felt a bit inaccessible to me.  Perhaps it’s that it tends to be in its own special interest section in libraries and bookstores?  Or maybe that it was never really included in regular English classes but instead in special interest classes?  I’m not totally sure, but I do know that I needed the kick in the butt to realize just how accessible it actually is.  In retrospect it seems silly that I never picked one of these books up.  Reading is so universally accessible, and I’ve read stories set in pretty much every racial, cultural, and class surroundings. Who knows really why I’d never ventured into black lit before, but I’m really glad I have now. 🙂

In light of this, I’ve planned out a new reading project for myself to embark on with the start of 2012.  No, it does not have to do with black lit. I’m not telling you what it is!  But I have already started assembling a list of possible titles to pull from and am stoked for it.  You’re just going to have to wait until the end of December wrap-up/announcements bonanza that happen on book blogs to find out what it is.

My life has now adjusted to having a second job and has reached a nice rhythm.  I am busy almost every minute of the day between job 1, job 2, commute, gym, friends, reading, writing, drawing, etc….  I only barely make time to watch my two favorite tv shows every week (Parks and Rec and Big Bang Theory).  Periodically I play catch-up on The Biggest Loser and America’s Next Top Model when I’m cooking dinner.  Other than that, though, I feel a sense of enrichment in my life that I haven’t felt since being completely immersed in learning culture in undergrad.  It’s a good thing. 🙂  I love it that I can get home totally exhausted and still prefer to read a civil rights era memoir over watching the latest crap on tv.  I’ve reconnected to what’s important–people, self-improvement, learning–and let go of the other things.  When I compare now to a year ago, I can see marked improvement.  So, yeah, being 25 is hard. Being in your 20s in an economic depression is hard.  But I’ve got good people, good food, good books, and my health. That’s what’s important.

Happy weekends!