For some reason over the last 2 weeks or so in my Special Topics in 20th Century Music class we've been talking a lot about the New England Transcendentalist movement in the mid-19th century and now every time my teacher brings up one of these timeless authors I just want to delve right into some of their works.  Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, the Alcott family; even the anti-Transcendentalists who were writing at the time like Hawthorne, Poe and Melville.  By no means do I agree with their beliefs, but I think it's important to be well read and I love the idea of being well-versed in classics.  Moby Dick is already one of my favorite books and of course Little Women and plenty of Emily Dickinson (who is more or less part of the Transcendentalism movement), but there is so much more that I want to have read!  I think I'll start with Walt Whitman.  I have sung many songs set to his text but it will be completely different to just read his thoughts.  I'm excited about this.  Spring break, come here.