Tuesday, September 9, 2008

I should probably avoid writing when very tired. I'm yawning every minute or so, my eyes are watery and barely open, and I could fall asleep in, oh, about a second. But here I am. Because apparently I have something to say.

It's only the 5th day of the semester, and already I'm bone tired, ready for it all to be over. Don't get me wrong, I love every second (mostly) of my job. But I am tired.

I'm also a bit frustrated that I'm not reading anything of interest right now. Nothing has really struck my fancy in months, it seems. I'm re-reading The Reader, which I loved when I read it years ago, but it's boring me this time around. I don't know if it's because I'm so tired, or what. But it's getting really annoying.

A friend and I are thinking about starting a face-to-face book club, which is exciting. I have to admit, I miss taking literature classes. I miss sitting around with a bunch of folks, dissecting literature. I mean, I still do it to some extent in my classes, but it's not the same. I try not to offer my own thoughts/opinions so that the students are encouraged to think for themselves. Hopefully, the book club will be a good outlet for me. I've already started making a list of potential books (at the top, A Prayer for Owen Meany, which I love).

One thing I'm very excited about is the upcoming Dodge Poetry Festival. Any poetry lovers who are in the NJ/NY/PA area must go. I'm super excited about Lucille Clifton, Charles Simic, Sharon Olds, Billy Collins, and my colleague BJ Ward. Check out the website -- there are many more fantastic poets that I haven't listed here.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

The post where the blog totally jumps the shark...

Classes start tomorrow. I'm already overwhelmed. More on that later.

OK. I'm not pregnant, and probably won't be any time soon, but I know what I want to name my first son. Forget the family name I had picked out forever (Charlie Bennett). I'm going with the best, most super cool baby name (for a boy. Or a girl, if that's how you roll).

Leroy.

Yes, Leroy.

Yes, I'm serious.


In other news, I've had "Kiss Me Deadly" by Lita Ford stuck in my head FOR DAYS.