I need to read more.
Don’t get me wrong, I read every day. I have to read a lot for my day job, but that’s technical stuff, technology news. I read a lot when I get home, but these days, it’s mostly more tech news, other news, and general non-fiction type books. Cultural and social and political criticism, though I do try to limit my intake of the latter these days.
I need to read some essays, good essays. I’m kidding myself I don’t think I should read some good fiction. It’s good for the brain, but I like getting my brain-improvement fix from reading nonfiction, so some good essays it is. Personal essays.
I’m feeling kind of stuck in my own essay practice, so there’s that dual reason for wanting to get into some good essays. I want ideas and to get something from how whichever writer(s) I end up reading constructed their work.
The good thing about being home more is I’ll have less time with the TV, so I’ll have more time to read and hopefully get the creative juices stirred more.
I’ve been looking at places to take myself on artist dates. For one thing, there are more museums at home, so as I find the cash and time to take myself, I’m going to do that. I like that the Reginald Lewis Museum has a reading room on the top floor. I plan to take my Chromebook the next time I go there so I can write about what I see there, what I feel inspired by.
Last time I was there, it was the general exhibit of Black Marylanders, both those of us born in Maryland those who became Marylanders by virtue of things like playing sports in the state. Like Lenny Moore of the Baltimore Colts. I also liked the Black Dandy exhibit and had the thought to dress sometimes like the folks in the exhibit. It hasn’t worked out that way yet, but there’s still time.
I’m also looking forward to spending time in the library.
I am going to miss the libraries in NJ. Mercer County has some fine libraries, especially the ones in Lawrenceville and Ewing and on the campus of Mercer County Community College. Even the central library in Trenton is a good library. Their meeting space is really good. It’s an older, historic building and I like those.
My plan is to get myself into the main Enoch Pratt library on Cathedral Street in Baltimore at some point and a couple of the Howard County library branches. I’ll probably breeze through the Baltimore County Library in Towson one of these days too.
For nostalgia’s sake, I’ll probably check out the Enoch Pratt library Roland Park branch until they kick me out of there or something. I remember it long before the renovation, when I was in elementary school; these days, I see the teachers with the little kids tethered together walking the streets of Trenton and I remember that being us walking down Roland Avenue and crossing Deepdene Road to go to the library.
I’ll probably have to wait until and crash the next City College Alumni Association meeting to get into the library at the school. I am looking forward to that.
I am going to miss being closer to the Schomburg Center in New York. I wish I’d visited there more. I wish I’d taken another walking tour of Harlem. When I get my money up more, I want to go with my auntie and the lady friend and go on a Harlem tour. My aunt probably wouldn’t be up for all the walking, so we’ll have to do the tour on a bus or something, but I do want to do that. I’ll definitely need to get my money way up so we can take the train up to New York and get a cab at Penn Station up to Harlem. Or an Uber. Whatever it is they’re doing up there these days. I’m used to getting the Subway out of Penn Station to wherever I need to go in New York these days.
I wish I’d spent more time in New York. I still haven’t been to Grimaldi’s, either in Brooklyn or Hoboken. Haven’t been to Katz’s or 2nd Avenue Deli. Haven’t been to Yardbird or Red Rooster. Haven’t been to any of the other many soul food and other Black-owned restaurants around the City. The Harlem tour and then a nice dinner at Sylvia’s would be a great day for my auntie. I also want to take my little cousins to a basketball game at Barclay’s Center one of these days. Some deal — take the train, go to the game, come back home.
And for myself, something related to working in a theatre there.