In Pursuit

(Currently Reading: Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst*.)

I'm not sure what's wrong with my knee. It hurts, then it doesn't anymore. I don't really notice it when I run, just when I'm walking around and bending it a lot. Lance is probably going to yell at me for saying this, but I think I'm just going to stop worrying about it too much (even though I've been taking it fairly easy--I haven't really gone running in a few weeks, just playing Ultimate).

Yesterday, we kicked off our summer league. It's mixed teams, so usually two women play with five guys at a time because there are usually only enough girls participating for each team to have four anyway. The number of girls on the field is set to allow for subs and to also make sure that the teams don't just end up being all dudes who want to win. Because guys can be rude like that.

But my teammates are pretty cool. I didn't know anyone on my team when I walked on the field yesterday, and I left feeling like I knew some people. There is a range of experience in the players, anyone from total newbie to seasoned handlers. I even got to play handler for a bit (people who are responsible for the disc, for the most part), which I like. I'll like it even more once I get a bit more experienced with being a handler. Usually I get stuck playing wing, which isn't too bad--just kind of boring**. Last night I got to play all the positions.

I'm really, really glad that I've gotten back to playing Ultimate. It's great exercise, a fun game, and I'm actually not half-bad. And I'm learning some things. This time around, I'm not going to let my inexperience become an intimidation factor***.

*Donna, I'm enjoying it. So far, it's living up to your high praise.

**Wings, while important, don't tend to get in on the action too much. Newbies tend to get stuck in this position, if that tells you anything.

***I let that happen with the first league I played this summer. And let me tell you, it's hard not to be intimated by hard-core women who have been playing for years. Next year, I'll know more and be able to play a lot better instead of feeling like a hindrance^.

^Even though I wasn't entirely. I did help them score a couple of times, provide a substitute, and give them an extra set of legs, as well as being a defender. But it's still hard to remember what I did right when I felt like I was doing so poorly.

How I Learned to Read

Thanks, Donna, for giving me the prompt for today's post. How did I learn to read? What's my reading story? Obviously if I can gulp down an 700+ page book, then I must love to read.

My love of reading began at a early age. One of my first memories is sitting with my mom and reading a book I was given. I don't ever remember not reading, and unfortunately my parents don't really remember when I first started reading. But I do recall being able to read before I finished kindergarten.

I was well on my way to chapter books like Charlotte's Web in first and second grade. We read Charlotte's Web as a class when I was in third grade, and since I already knew the story and also was a pretty quick reader, I was ahead of my classmates. They, of course not believing that I was actually reading, accused me of faking.

I've always loved reading. I would check books out from the library constantly; I loved library time in school. There has always been a pleasure and intensity to reading that I found inescapable. And I was hooked on it.

I volunteered for librarians starting in seventh grade. Working in a library was not just a way to get out of boring study hall; when you walk around a library (smelling the books, touching the spines, reading the titles), you pick up books that look interesting and read them. Once, while working in the elementary school library, I attempted to make it through the entire Newberry Medal winner list. I got pretty far, too.

Books have been a huge part of my life. I wish I could remember more details about my first book, or how I started reading, but all I remember is just loving it and reading more. And perhaps that's just enough.

More Reading

Lance is gone this week, to Montana. Without him around, I suddenly find myself with a lot of free time (which I don't really understand, since we are not always doing things--a lot of times, we just eat dinner at home and hang out), but maybe it's free time to do solitary things, like reading. So I've been planning out my week with regards to reading. Last week I finished Night by Elie Wiesel,which was short but powerful. (I'm still working up to posting on it.)

Then I started One Perfect Day by New Yorker writer Rebecca Mead. It's really interesting. I'll post more when I've finished it, which will be soon since it's a quick read.

Two weeks ago, I read volumes 2-7 of the Sin City series. The last one (Hell and Back) was the best, I think. Or at least it contained the most admirable character of the whole series, and provided a wonderful ending to the series of novels. Miller also began adding color to the graphic novels (starting with That Yellow Bastard, where he made one character yellow). However, in the last one, when the main character is given some drugs that are meant to mess with his mind, the pages suddenly burst with color. When he returns to his normal mental state, the black and white pages seem darker than before. I enjoyed this whole series and look forward to seeing what Rodriguez does with the second film.

At some point, I need to start working on my homework. I have until next Thursday to read a short book and a few articles. I am taking a readings class (an independent study, essentially) on Genre Theory. I thought it would be interesting and a way for me to explore some of the areas of Rhetoric and Composition and see if it is what I want to study in graduate school.

It feels good to have time to read outside of my assignments for school.

Summer Readin'

In the flurry of the regular semester, I rarely get time to make a dent in the steadily increasing pile of Things I Should (and/or Want to) Read. But this summer, I am making an effort to read voraciously and widely. This past week, I polished off Oryx and Crake, The Namesake, and have almost completed Night (which I'll post about when I finish). The library has two more books awaiting me that I requested--one about the wedding consumerism culture (you might find it interesting, Kerry) and one about a woman who decided to go a year without buying anything unnecessary.

I used to read wildly during the summers, before I started working and schooling. Then, somewhere, I lost the ability to just read. Sit down with a book and read for hours. Part of it was the working and the schooling, part of it was also that I became much more social. But finishing two books this week made me feel good about my ability to still sit down and get through a book, even with the working and the schooling and the socializing.

I like it when I have an active reading life. My creativity and energy go up. I think more. I have more to talk about, and I can recommend books to others. It feels like something I should be doing, considering my future goals and all. And I really enjoy the satisfying feeling of finishing up a good book. It's like being thirsty and finishing off a tall glass of refreshing water, when you say "Ahhhh" and smack your lips with contentment.

What are you all currently reading?