The view from my workspace
So Thanksgiving came
and went, and in a few hours I'll be back in Berkeley bracing myself for the
last week of classes. Getting Thursday and Friday and the weekend off really
did wonders for my sleep debt - I got about ten hours of sleep each night I was
at home - but I hardly got anything done. It seems that my professors all took
Thanksgiving break as an opportunity to give heavier assignments, which sort of
makes me sour.
I guess I took
Thanksgiving differently this year than I did in previous years. For the first
time, Thanksgiving break came in the wake of a few very important, very
pervasive social issues that mean a great deal to me. The Ferguson saga
continues with the non-indictment of Darren Wilson, the UC Regents recently
approved a $3000 increase in tuition, 43 students remain missing in Mexico,
and, on a personal level, the return to the Peninsula for break.
My family recently
moved south along the Peninsula, and now I am a good half-hour away from my
hometown. Now, even returned home, I am removed from my old friends and old
haunts, from the boutiquey, bougie downtown of my teen years - so, I guess,
peace and quiet. I did a lot of relaxing at home with my sister and parents and
cat, a lot of dodging of homework and projects and obligations, and some meager
attempts at writing.
For quite some time
now, Black Friday was a social event for me and my friends. It wasn't so much
about actually buying massive amounts of stuff, since I don’t really enjoy
shopping with other people, but every year in college, I find that I do some of
my only clothes shopping over Thanksgiving break. I didn't go shopping with
them this year - late night/early morning is not for me - but I did manage to
spend a lot of money on Saturday.
So, with all of the
recent public/personal criticism of the consumption circus that is Black
Friday, why was it that I willingly participated? I commend the protestors and
the die-ins and the calls to action, but I did just what they were trying to
advocate against.
Short answer - I've
had specific items that I wanted to acquire, and prices are low this weekend. I
also seldom have the time to dedicate to truly fastidious shopping for myself
during the school year.
Long answer - ...not
really sure.
I listened to this
album over and over this break. It's rare that I show my sister music that she
actually ends up tolerating.
