I am reading the God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. It's a pretty decent book.

This year, I'm trying to cram as much information in my head as possible. I have been reading queer theory, picking up books by MRR columnist Mattilda, aka Matt Bernstein Sycamore's. There are several books, works of fiction, Pulling Taffy and two anthologized books, That's Revolting!: Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation, and Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rules of Gender and Conformity. As a result, I have developed an interest in the character and personality of Sylvia Rivera, the sometimes celebrated Stonewall veteran, who, at the time as a young tranny woman, was amongst the first to throw bottles at the cops and was all over the newspaper the next day. She was considered the "Rosa Parks of the GLBT movement", but was dismissed from the mainstream of the same civil rights advocates because of her expression of her gender identity. Sylvia Rivera had been dead a few years now, and I am wondering if a biography will ever be published. In the meantime, there is only the Internet, and candid mention of her in published works such as Mattilda's.

I have come to the point in life where I feel that I am gathering stones. Stones for arsenal, and stones for laying the fortress walls. Knowledge seems to be the key focus for me in my life. I am aware of the power of speaking truths and refusing to be silenced. I wish to expand upon my base of knowledge, for there is truly an engaging realm in the avenues of the mind. Even if the avenues to acadmemia seem to be beyond reach, the library is always waiting for students of all ages. In the meantime, chuckle along with me as we view this scene, one that I am afraid that many of us may have had a similar experience with.