Welcome Back!

Welcome back to the exhaustion and thrill of being in school! (this is me talking to me.) It has been a crazy semester and it is only half over! My boss had a stroke about a month or so ago and it has been getting busier at work and school ever since. He is doing much better now, but there has been many changes since then and everyone in our group is still getting settled in. Also, I am in Arabic II and I think my professor is trying to guarantee that I do not get enough sleep...maybe I'm paranoid but I blame it on the exhaustion. :) All in all though, I really enjoyed this first 8 weeks as far as the reading goes. I have gotten to read some great books that I might not have come across otherwise. Rag and Bone for instance, superb! And had I heard of it before 8 weeks ago? Nope, but I am glad I read it, along with the many others in this 8 week class. It has been crazy busy and I haven't been the bes about submitting everything timely, but this is definitely going to be one of my favorite classes throughout my career as a Grad Student. Thanks Dr. Hoch for always keeping things interesting and providing plenty of thought provoking material and questions. :) Good luck to you all as you continue! :)

Far from stereotypical...

Michael Nava's Rag and Bone was an amazing story that kept me stuck to the book the whole time. I was so eager for the next page and the next chapter, etc. that I didn't even stop to have lunch when I read this. It was really eye-opening to the social issues of how we see others and how we see ourselves. This really put a spot light on how we try to fit people into categories, when there are no accurate categories. Sexuality, Career, Age, Gender, Culture, History and so many other factors define who we are, but none of these are even remotely close to encompassing all of someone. I love how Nava really drives this point home along with looking back at ourselves to see where we are judging people in the same ways we are being judged. It is an amazing story of family, friends, and acceptance. It also speaks up for the awareness of and sympathy for those with AIDS. I love how he uses such a powerful story as a platform for equality and support.