… night.
And now it is night.
And the semester is nearly over. Courses have ended, I’ve taught my last for a while, and I’ve collected enough essays and exams to keep me busy grading all weekend long.
This morning I found out that Jen won’t be taking the Purdue job because … well, because of economic considerations. This of course means that my recent housing plans will have to be rethought. But since I didn’t know whether I’d have a job around here in the fall anyway …
… well, and still don’t.
In any case, I wrote the “final” exam, printed and copied it, and went to class. We took a class photo, and then the 15 of them got to work writing.
This afternoon I ended up at Fair Trade after stopping by the Union for lunch. I’d thought of getting a fish sandwich, but the grill had none on the rack, and I didn’t want to wait, so I just got a Chef Salad and some milk, and went to the Lakefront to eat. Then a fritter and coffee. At Fair Trade the son of the owner (Lori or is it Laurie?) has started working there. Just a note.
Charles James donated a spring form pan to me today … more cheesecake, then.
This evening I watched and finished Jericho … and I’m hoping for a 2nd season, if only so I can find out more of what is “supposed” to happen (in the minds of the creators). It became a bit too melodramatic for me at times, but there was enough post-apocalyptic content to keep me happy, though to be honest, this is the type of story that could and would be better told in a book, or even in comics. Now, I did see some really good, classical theater mise-en-scene in a few episodes, with well-composed shots and deliberate blocking, but it’s soap-opera acting for the most part. There are character and characterization moments, plot-advancing moments accompanied by dramatic music, and expository scenes. There is little action and what little there is isn’t generally that special. The medium is not being stretched, and the limits of the medium also limit the potential of the story. But were Jericho just a book or comic, it would have to stand alongside so many similar post-apocalyptic stories in those media; as it is, what’s new about it is that it’s such a story, on TV.
The best part of the show, however, has been Stanley. His development, that is — hell, he’s about the only character to have become both likable and more than the stereotype they began as. Sure, there’s Jake and there’s Robert Hawkins, but the first episode lets us know, “Hey, here are your protagonists.” We know they have stories to tell, but Stanley has to do it without backstory or subplots. He just has his deaf sister and a developing romance with Mimi, the IRS agent who came from D.C. to take his farm.
So now I’ll return to TV and get caught up on Lost and/or Heroes.
In other news, my dad and I finally got to talk — he’s been calling and leaving messages, but due to the play and such I’ve missed all his attempts until now — now that he and Judy are back from Ireland and Scotland. It appears that they had a great time, even given issues going through customs/immigration at Gatwick that caused them to miss their flight.
