three day weekend here i come !

I just love holiday weekends, and memorial day is no exception. But, through all the joyous festivities of bar-b-ques (including a much needed day off from work), we shouldn't forget the true meaning behind the day. In essence, Memorial Day a day of remembrance for all the fallen US soldiers which have given their lives for our freedom and protection. Therefore, in true American fashion, I will pay homage to all the fallen US soldiers (from the Civil War times to the present) in the form of drinking massive quantities of alcohol, indulging in the eating red meat at family and friends bar-b-ques, and perhaps even watching a little of America's pastime,baseball, as I pass out on the couch. Not that I will be doing it all weekend. I also plan on doing a lot of leisure reading and quality time with my honey :)

Talking about reading, I am so happy because while I was digging through all my books and various other crap at my house (to figure what I wanted to sell at my yard sale); lo and behold, I found an ancient and decrepit $20 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble that I thought I had lost over 4 years ago (and...it was still valid-whoo hoo). It was a thoughtful Christmas gift from my old boss. And, if you do not know already, I have and will always be a book worm. Therefore, after I commenced in doing my little happy dance, me & M made a trip out to Barnes and Nobles to cash in on my little treasure.

Being the intellectual I am, I simply love bookstores. I can just aimlessly wander down each aisle of the store to find something in value in everything: from the bargain bin, to self help, to poetry/literature, computers, to cookbooks section. Anyhow, I was considering getting The Namesake : A Novel but, I wanted something more deep and thought provoking (something to make me read a paragraph over and over while saying "WOAH"). Needless to say, I was truly craving something more than light summer reading. I found two great books that I can't wait to get started reading. Because I am in Latino centric mode lately, I brought a mammoth of a book dubbed Herencia: The Anthology of Hispanic Literature of the United States (Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage). I thumbed through it and it features wonderful writers and poets such as Cherrie Moraga, Piri Thomas, Pedro Pietri, and Isabel Allende. Its a whopping 644 pages long and should keep me busy for a while. Also, I scored a great philosophy book in the Discount bin called Ideas of the Great Philosophers. Its' a pretty all encompassing book that touches on all the major points of the great philosophers from Socrates, and Aristotle (my personal favorite), to Machiavelli, Marx, Hegel, etc. I plan on reading them on & off all weekend. Ahhh...nothing like books to put a smile on my face.