What I'm Into: November/December 2015
As I said in one of my last posts, the past few months have been really busy due to my somewhat sudden change of job. I've moved about three hours away from where I'm from, so lately most of my energy has gone toward adjusting to a new apartment, new co-workers, new town, and a new schedule. I haven't really ventured out to see what there is to do in this town, but that's on my to-do list after the holidays. I've got the basics down so far: I can get to work and I can get to Wal-Mart (which is actually walking distance). Since I'm very close to the coast, it doesn't get very cold here, so I've only had to scrape my windows once, and that's a major plus since there's moisture everywhere here. I'm going home for about two weeks in three days. I. can't. wait! Anyway, here's what I've been into during the past month and a half:
What I'm Reading:
God Help the Child by Toni Morrison:
I'm almost done with this one. It's a pretty quick read for it to be a Morrison novel. I'm trying not to read spoiler reviews on Amazon, but some people seem to be annoyed with the ending since it leaves readers wondering what happened to the book's protagonist, Bride, as she treks out to find Booker, a man who doesn't want her but who she is still in love/obsession with. The story focuses on how a poisonous mother/daughter relationship can damage a girl well into her adulthood. I like it so far. It takes me back to my college days since I had to read Morrison's whole body of work for my undergraduate thesis.
Make It Happen: Surrender Your Fear. Take The Leap. Live On Purpose. by Lara Casey:
I picked this one up after hearing about it on one of Mattie James's ( creator of the style blog Mattieologie) Periscopes. Lara Casey is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Southern Weddings magazine, and after I looked her up and found out more about her brand, I wanted to read this book for the possible intel on how to get things started with my upcoming magazine, OnyxBelle. This will be another quick read for Christmas break and should help me with my goal planning and vision board for 2016.
The Librarian Stereotype: Deconstructing Perceptions and Presentations of Information Work:
Even though I will have been a librarian for only a year in January, I've already met some of the stereotypes about the profession. It's been a pretty interesting experience. Sometimes I'm told that I don't look like a librarian, and I'm guessing that's because I'm young-ish and black in a profession that's thought to be white, older women, but I've also been told that I do look like a librarian because of my glasses and since I do wear my hair in a bun...a lot. And maintaining the "librarian look" is evidently all many people think librarians do since they seem pretty amazed when I tell them all of the things I actually do in my job. Then there's the weird sexual fetishes guys seem to have about librarians. I've actually had a guy tell me that the fact that I'm a librarian was a big turn-on for him. Yeah, it's been an interesting year. Hopefully this book can illuminate some things for me.
What I'm Listening To:
But You Caint Use My Phone (Mixtape)- Erykah Badu:
I stan for no one, but the closest I come is for Erykah Badu, so I had to have this. My favorite tracks are Phone Down and the What's Yo Phone Number. Through this mixtape, Badu challenges us about how overly attached we are to phones and other digital devices these days. A device meant to connect us actually works to put more distance between us.
What I'm Eating:
I'm flexitarian now. Basically, that means that I still eat whatever I want, but now I'm more disciplined about when I eat certain things. I'm trying to stick to primarily vegetarian and fish meals during the week and a little beef, chicken, or pork on the weekends. For the past week and a half, I've been eating this vegetarian chilli that I made from this recipe. It's pretty good, but after eating it for a few days I had to add cheese, sour cream, avocado and rice to make it a little more filling. This diet is working though...I've lost 5 pounds since I moved! Still, pray my strength that I am able to keep this up, 'cause Lord knows my spirit really wants a Five Guys burger and fries.
What have you been into this month?