Hello, September.

Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh!" he whispered.

"Yes, Piglet?"

"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you."

Greetings. :]

I am now nearly finished with two weeks of school. It's been a bit stressful, actually, for reasons entirely unrelated to school work. However, it's mostly unimportant. Just one of those unexpected added stressors.

A few of you wanted to know the novels required for my multicultural lit/film class. I am more than willing to share! Many of them are uncommon, but they all are intriguing, in their own way. I will list them in the order we are reading them.

1) My Antonia by Willa Cather

- This book we've already read and discussed. It had some lovely shining moments, but all in all I found it to be way too unnecessarily descriptive, which made it a long, drawn-out read.

"I was something that lay under the sun that felt it, like the pumpkins,

and I did not want to be anything more. I was entirely happy."

- My Antonia

2) The Latehomecomer Kao Kalia Yang

- This is a Hmong family memoir. I'm currently reading this book for next Tuesday's discussion. It's a big one to fit in a week!

3) Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

4) Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

5) When The Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka

6) Always Running by Luis Rodriquez

7) Flight by Sherman Alexie

8) Night Flying Woman by Ignatia Broker

So, one novel a week, with the exception of a few weeks when we have to watch a film and respond. I am rather excited about this, as well, because one week the movie is Crash. Have any of you read any of these? Thoughts? I may write a bit about each of them as I finish.

Now, have any of you read any of Ralph Waldo Emerson's essays? Oh my! I have recently discovered their brilliance. The first one I read was Friendship, which lead me to reading his others, which lead to me wanting to share so many quotes from them. However, I will just tell you to read a few, so that I will not jip you of context. You can find them all here and here. I love how he takes a topic so many have written on, like friendship, and causes you to explore it in a completely new way. Anyway, have a read.

Today I was hit by a cool breeze that oddly nostalgic. I think I'm excited for fall. Also, I don't think I told you that I purchased tickets for a Mumford and Sons concert. I definitely definitely DID! Also, in the news of exciting events, I also got a Gap $50 giftcard for $25 through Groupon. If you live in a big city, you should definitely check this site out! It's free, and there are amazing daily deals! My best friend goes to college in Chicago, and she introduced it to me.

Alright,

this is a fantastic song,

this is a fantastic video,

and I will talk to you all soon.

:]