Miami Book Fair

I took a break this weekend, (and gave the wifey a break as well) and I took the kids and myself to the Miami Book Fair. It was great, thanks Greg for inviting us.

There was a huge section for children which was a plus for us, I was surprised at the sheer amount of children's books available. It was a bit crowded but I think it was worth it. I saw a lot of interesting books. Many things caught my attention.

-I am starting to fall in love with Miami. I used to think this city was shallow. Boy was I wrong. Miami is one of the most cultured places in this country. I am very glad I live minutes away from it.

-You can get great books for little money. There were tons of good books for resale for $1.

-They placed the Muslim Association of America Booth right next to the Israeli Culture Booth. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. If you think about it. Think about it.

-Someone from the Muslim Booth offered me a free Koran. I accepted it. I might even read it again. Can't turn down a free book. I would have taken a Bible for that matter.

-Speaking of religions, I had a nice chat with a guy from the Buddhist Books. Although I will never tag myself with any particular religion. I think that Buddhism has many good teachings. It's more like a philosophy of life than a religion per se. I must say they have sparked my curiosity. After all, Buddhist are so happy.

-I love meeting writers. I think they are the most interesting people to talk to. Too bad that I couldn't get enough time to really chat because the kids would either run away or start beating each other up.

-The place is really kid friendly. There were lots of people dressed up in costumes from children's stories. Gaby wanted to take a picture with the monster from "Where the Wild tings are" but wouldn't get close to it. She's so funny.

-I met Michael Moore! He was walking in my direction in a crowded sidewalk, and nobody seemed to notice him. I was like "Hey, isn't that Bill Moore" and he looked at me and was like "How you doing?" I don't know if I said anything, it wasn't until a little later when Greg asked me if it I meant to say Michael not Bill. Somehow, I didn't feel like I needed to take a picture with him. He's not that important to me I guess.

-I am glad there was a big turn out, after all, it was an event for books.


That's all I have. Back to studying now.

J.V.

Study, Work, Life, Study

I have not posted anything in this blog because I am busy, is not that I don't have time, is just that I'd rather spend the few spare time with the kids and the family. I'd feel guilty otherwise, so in a sense, it's true. I don't have much time to sit and pour my thoughts out, it's a shame because I miss it. However it's too crazy right now, I get up at 4:00 AM to study, Anthony wakes up at 6:30 AM, I get him ready for the bus stop, then it's time to go to work. At work I never stop, the pace has become so frantic that one day feels like it's not enough to get anything done. Then I get home, attempt to help out as much as I can, I put the kids to bed, and then depending on how tired I am, I try to study some more. Somewhere in between I browse reddit and facebook. I try to keep touch with my friends and family. In a nutshell, I don't expect to write much until I graduate. In May, if everything goes according to plan.

J.V.