i’m taking this american literature class right now with the theme of women and the houses they live in. we started with some pretty typical stuff: anne bradstreet’s “upon the burning of our house”, emily dickinson’s “there’s been a death in the opposite house”, but now we’re moving on to more contemporary stuff. last week, we were supposed to read toni morrison’s beloved and i absolutely hated it. i know that toni morrison is supposed to be this amazing writer, and i don’t doubt for a millisecond that she is. it’s just that i’d never read anything by her, and all of a sudden, i’m expected to read beloved and it’s crazy. definitely too heavy for me. there’s all this talk about dead babies and their angry ghosts and cow-fuckers and i hated it. i couldn’t get past the first few chapters. i know i’ll have to, because i’ll be tested on my knowledge of the course content, but i’m not looking forward to it. i’m simply not. (more…)

here in town is a bar/restaurant-type place that can be a nice hang-out. tuesday evenings at this establishment are really nice. the mood is quiet and relaxed, the bartenders are at ease and friendly, and people are usually nowhere to be found. my friend and i discovered this well-kept secret a few months ago, and we enjoy going there. however, one day one of us suggested that we perhaps go on friday, because …. well, i don’t know the reason now, but we went. instead of quiet, the mood was loud and obnoxious. instead of the bartenders being at ease, they were rude and agitated. and instead of there being no people around, there were people everywhere. and of every kind. there were the type of people with whom you hoped you would never have to share a roof, people you hoped you’d never have to see after high school, and people who should never leave their homes. cages. whatever. (more…)