While browsing a charming old bookstore in Uptown, in south Minneapolis, Sarah suggested Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy. Since it was only a few dollars, I picked it up.

I’m a little less than halfway through it, and I must say I am enjoying it. I don’t know why people say that Tolstoy is a slow read…he gets bogged down in details sometimes, but that helps me envision the characters and story.

I’m trying to read as many books as I can this summer, I just wish I had more time. If you want to suggest something to me, leave a comment. I know Tiffany will give me at least one book. 😉

I can’t add much to that.

I liked Minnesota so much, I decided to stay until Sunday. 🙂

I climbed trees and watched movies today. Happiness abounds.

My parents get magazine subscriptions, so I have the benefit of being able to read BusinessWeek, Fortune, and Newsweek.

There is a short blurb in the May 17, 2004 issue of BusinessWeek that talks about an article from the April 23 issue of Science that “…presents fresh evidence that learning improves when lectures are mostly replaced by hands-on involvement.” They’re talking about changing the way science is taught at universities, but I really think it needs to be applied in all areas of learning. The best business professors I’ve ever had taught through their experiences and real-life examples.

Granted, I attend a public university that has an emphasis on research, but I really wish I saw more of the real world in our classrooms. I hate theory so much.
—————-
Something slightly…disturbing…was a short note in the same magazine about MassMutual “offering estate planning with creature comforts in mind.” “Now you can get help setting up a trust fund to ensure that your pet gets quality care when you pass on.”

You’ve got to be kidding me. Trust funds for PETS? I continue to be baffled by the world.

I have a problem with writer’s block. Recently, no matter how hard I try, I struggle with this problem and cannot seem to overcome it.

Of course, it is probably stress from various facets of my life manifesting themselves in my writing. School is over and I’m going back home, and I hope to get some new inspiration there. I’ve found that whenever I move, I get to see things with new eyes.

But it is quite frustrating when you look at a poem you just wrote and think, “Oy. That is worse than the stuff I wrote in high school.”

I’m discovering that going into things without expectations tends to work out.
I’m finding that surprises can be really, really good.

And hey, maybe life is complicated. But I’m really enjoying it. And sometimes we create those complications ourselves, anyways.

In other news, I’m trying to cut down on my cell phone use on a general basis. As an experiment, I didn’t use mine pretty much all weekend. I really liked it. I’ve found that talking on the phone too much just makes me…tired. Not that I don’t enjoy hearing from people…I do! Sometimes it just gets to be too much, though.

When one moves away to college, they pack up the majority of their belongings in boxes to store in the basement. Knicknacks, old books, stuffed animals, high school awards…

Like any other student, I did the same. Over the last 2 1/2 years I have slowly organized these boxes (which at some points have numbered at 10!). I am such a packrat. Now the numbers are dwindling (mostly because I take more stuff with me every time I move in & out).

Tonight I ventured to the basement to find my old journal/sketchbook. I bought it in high school when I started designing clothes and writing poems. I wanted to look at some of my old poetry and maybe even post it here. I did not find it…however, I found my box of Chinese & Japanese knicknacks and DECA awards & pins. My living room is decorated with an Asian theme, so I packed up those things to take. And after 3 years of DECA events and competitions, I have a lot of stuff.

More than finding mere decorating items, however, I found things that reminded me of high school, of my room, my friends, and my family. I found things that reminded me how much I enjoyed fantasy books, candles, and clutter. I even found all four of my old High School IDs.

Memory lane for me is segmented, disjointed. There are so many things to remember, and something different triggers those memories every time.

If ever I should wonder whether I picked the right majors (Marketing & Management), all I have to do is remember how I ace the exams in these classes without even trying.

It is still snowing.

Something about home never changes. Even though I love Chicago, the suburbs somehow welcome me back every time I come. Tonight is windy, cold, and raining, but the lights in the little downtown were bright and everyone was as superficial and consumed with their lives as usual. It seemed strangely normal. Things don’t change much around here.

But I don’t think I will ever live out here again. I like tall buildings, 24 hour diners, public transportation, and human diversity too much to leave.