1. Got up early, before my alarm went off, which, on a weekday, rarely happens anymore. It was about 7am, and the alarm was set for 7:15. I just lay there in bed, not wanting to get up, but unable to sleep and not wanting to hear the roar of loud music when the alarm did finally sound.
2. Shower, shave, something to drink, and out the door, catching a 38 to campus.
3. A long wait before teaching. I tried to write letters of recommendation for a former student. I started editing Corina’s newest article. I planned my lesson, downloaded a few things, read the news, and finally headed to class to teach.
4. I had a new student, Cindy, today. Perhaps she replaces Ben, who hasn’t been there since the first day. Emma, Natallia, Sara, and Ginger are the active ones, one of the two Heidi’s seems alert, as does Mallory. Chris and Zak have been quiet, alas. I left my iPod in the room and had to return during the French lesson that followed — at least it was still there.
5. I played “Gleiches” and “Prometheus” from the Rosebud collection for Lynn, along with parts of “Goethe, der war Dichter” and part of Faust’s opening monolog.
6. Off to lunch and a movie with Di. We took Linden and Observatory or whatever it becomes on the way to toward the hospital … I haven’t been to that part of campus in a while. I should use the Nat, I told her. I also figure that while I should be semi-social in “working out” — going to the Nat or SERF — I suspect that if anything is to happen, I will need to break down, go to Walmart, and just buy a cheap rowing machine for my apartment.
7. Lunch was at Denny’s — we’d been there post-movie a few years back, but neither can remember what we saw then. It will come back to me later, I suspect. “Western Burger” — onion ring, BBQ sauce, some spicy fries on the side … tasty. My food “splurge” for the week. Until the next one. Our “seater” giggled at a reference to the booth as boothalicious or something similar. Boothnormous?
8. Pan’s Labyrinth — Oh. My. — see this movie. It’s gorgeous, engaging, sad, beautiful, magical, like Jean-Pierre Jeunet but with less pretension and more feeling (and this comes from someone who loves Jeunet’s movies).
9. Drive back to town, get dropped off, drop off my bag, head out the door and catch the next bus to town (30 seconds before it arrives), go to the Essen Haus, and enjoy a few pretzels. Avoid the beer as overpriced even on sale, and chat with a few grad students also there for the GSA/GDGSA/TAA “bash” … yet not another GDGSA member was to be seen until toward the end, when I saw Adrienne, whom I haven’t seen in the department so far all semester. All one week of it. I saw one of Regina’s old housemates — Ben — there with his girlfriend or whatever she is. Darrin arrived later and we chatted. Most of the time I talked with English-Grad Aaron (and earlier his wife Liz, too), followed by Rob the English-Grad-from-Urbana-Champage working for the TAA, and then also Sarah (New Jersey, Williams, Wyoming) and Julie (Green Bay, Eau Claire, Ventura, CA), both botanists in it not for the plant genetics but for the ecology stuff. Sarah spent a semester in Madagascar, then time in Jackson, WY; while Sara goes for non-profits, Julie does the Gvt. Forest Service type stuff. I should have spent time talking more with the two dark-haired Brazilians — no idea what department they’re in.
10. The gathering eventually dissolved and I walked home along Willie, most of the snow gone from the sidewalks, and likewise the pedestrians. Ground Zero was buzzing, as was the pricey tequila bar next to it. Both full, lively, but full of a lively crowd not at all like my social circle.
11. Aaron extended an invitation to a party at his place tomorrow evening, and since he’s only a few blocks away, I’ll likely attend.
12. Christoph lent me “The Tin Drum” a while back and I started ripping it last night but it wasn’t finished when I went to the department this morning, so I’ll re-rip it later. 4-Star’s “foreign sale” ($0.99 rentals!) is going on this week. Rent, rent, rent …
13. I’m up to Dead Can Dance (album – “Into the Labyrinth” – appropriate or ironic, take your pick, given the movie I saw today, plus the fact that I finished Bowie this evening, and he was in Labyrinth … I’m so fucking thematic), and just finished “The Wind that Shakes the Barley” — I have another recording by Syren. Next comes Death Cab for Cutie … but I have enough Dead Can Dance (8 albums, mostly from Jen or Christoph, I suspect) that it will be a while before I’m done. I’ve never listened to this album before, but it’s really quite good … my sort of thing. Perhaps I got this stuff from me0w ages ago.
