Friday, May 18, 2007

The Round-Up.

Just a summary of how I've been feeling/what I've been up to lately:

- Lately, I've been thinking quite a bit about privilege (sexual, economic, but especially racial), how it manifests itself in my own life (i.e. how I come from a place of privilege, how that shapes my perspectives and, consequently, actions), and what I can do about it. (The discussions over at Feministe this week have proven timely.) I'm realizing that while I can never understand (in the truest sense of the word) the marginalization faced by others because I haven't experienced it myself--my experiences with male privilege do not map onto others' experiences with, for example, white privilege or heterosexual privilege--it doesn't mean that I should stop trying to understand. I know, too, that I can't just stop at trying to understand; in my position of privilege, more is demanded of me. But a general update post is probably not the best place for elaborating on this. This is far too important to be buried with the minutiae of my everyday. But since I'm still reflecting and learning (and I hope I don't ever stop!), I don't have a full post even close to being ready. Instead, please read this post on privilege, "Things You Need to Understand #4" (recommended by Sassywho over here), by The Angry Black Woman.

- I know I should be working on my thesis (I have only two months in which to finish it!), but I'm finding that I have increasingly little motivation to do so. I'd rather be buying and cracking the spines of one of these books listed here. I guess that the silver lining in being finished with grad school is that I'll have more time to read what I want. (Yes, I always chose classes that had reading lists which appealed to me, but this is different.)

- I've been feeling really exhausted both mentally and physically. I can understand the mental exhaustion--I chalk that up to grad school--but the physical? There is no obvious reason for my fatigue. I may have to make a trip to the doctor's for blood work. I had a bunch done back in January when I went for my physical, and my iron and B-vitamin levels were fine (as a veggie, I need to pay close attention to these), but a lot can happen in four months. I think I'm eating just as well (if not better!) now, but who knows.

- I've started back at the gym (no, that's why I'm tired. Actually, I have more energy in the couple hours immediately following my workouts.) It's a lot easier to get there when you don't have any classes to go to, or to T.A. Now if I could only find the time to read my Guardian Weekly issues cover-to-cover!

- I've been on a real noir kick the past few months. The most recent three films I've seen? Gilda, Night and the City, and Sweet Smell of Success (the latter which is arguably not quite noir depending on who you ask. Me? I say "noir!")

- I'm getting my hair cut really short again. Maybe I'll post a picture once it's done. The few of you who still read this blog know what I look like with short hair, though, so maybe I won't.

- And finally, I turn 26 in less than a month.

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