Currently (re)reading: “We have always lived in the Castle” by Shirley Jackson.

My brain is tired.

My eyes burn from the incessant dizzy blue and red glare.

Yet still we wait.

This week was personally pleasant aside from the stressors of life and politics. My mom came to visit for a few days from Florida, my workload was below average, and I’m still alive, which is always a plus.

I live in this strange reversed reality where I never look forward to my weekends. I work each Fri-Sun and have class each Mon-Thu. I enjoy my classes, even when they make me rip out my hair (*cough* biology *cough*) but I dread my weekend hours behind the register. I’ve spent the past two years of my life in this mundane field. Scanning and small talk, produce and price checks. I’m sick of it, but still, I must. “It’s just a job,” as they all say, but I really wish it were Monday already.

I absolutely fell in love with the structure of this week’s piece. Machado’s “Choose your own adventure” style placed readers directly behind the wheel. Each moment of “free will” ultimately led you towards the unavoidable trauma and unattainable escape of an abusive relationship. I was left, in shock, feeling such a lack of control, fear, anger, regret, and discomfort. Machado managed to create a piece that uses each element of language to her exact advantage. I am incredibly interested in reading more of this novel.