May 26
Vacations, conferences, chicken pox, Candy Crush
Just the Sound of Silence from 1965
Comment. 2023
Will 16-year-old me ever write again?
1977
And so I do (have an idea of what is expected in the summer class), and what’s more, I can do it. The next week should be a corker. I have to read three books in a week and probably do two written reports, as well. He has clarified the oral reports; it seems we must schedule them according to the lecture material. So since Riis’s book is for the Progressive Era, I can’t use that for another 2 weeks. Too bad; I think I was finally reaching a point of understanding his bigotry. Odd. He raked the Italians and the Chinese over the coals and I expected the same (or worse) for Blacks. But no! He comes out in defense of Blacks in the NYC tenements! That took me by surprise, and forces me to re-evaluate everything he’s said so far.
We spun this morning in class. The students always like that; it went over even at 8 AM. Video tapes tomorrow. I hate turning out the lights that early. Very dangerous.
The department chair has finally taken notice of me. She hinted (rather awkwardly - how could it be otherwise) that she’d like to keep me around when I am finished with my degree. How nice to know I am desirable. Had I written that five years ago, I would have meant something quite different. How glad I am that I have changed. How very much more I like myself.
Comment 2023
Indeed. From perhaps the age of thirteen until I was in my mid-20s, most of my energy was focused on becoming “attractive”. (First I had to figure out what exactly that meant, and then I spent too many years trying to fit those standards.) Graduate school opened the door to my intellectual life, and it felt marvelous.
1978
Today we go on to Rhode Island and New York. The vacation is almost over. I have certainly had time to think about my interests and priorities.
Late PM:
Plymouth: foggy, dirt roads, then more houses and more houses, then suddenly Providence.
R.I: Could not find Cheryl T, who is apparently now living at Watson House, the campus museum. Did see some former professors and employers.
NY…Feh! Cross Bronx Expressway was bumper to bumper (in fact, we got bumped twice!) and HOT. But now we are safe in NY, visiting with dear Connie.
1988
Six weeks between entries! It’s been like that. Both Kiddos had chicken pox last month, then it was time to change sitters (Saeeda went back to Pakistan) and get ready for the Costume Society meeting. This evening we go to Williamsburg for the weekend.
Sigh.
Writing is very tense. I eat all the time and then nap. I’ll weigh 200 pounds by the time I finish this thing. But the folks at the Costume Society meeting were so supportive and thrilled, I know it is anxiously awaited. Time to write!
Comment 2023
I finished the first draft of that book, but the publishers went out of business and and it never saw the light of day. Bits and pieces ended up in Pink and Blue thirty years later.
2003
Whew! The semester is over. My grades are in. Graduation is over. I cancelled my summer class. (Excellent idea!) I have some stuff to do right away. #1 is finish my plan/faculty review thing.
RIGHT NOW!
And so I did. Now I am free for tomorrow.
2010
Somewhere east of Gary, Indiana. (Best show tune ever!) I am heading to Costume Society meeting in Kansas City, behind as always. I’ll be tossing my presentation together today on the train. So sue me!
Kiddo 2 graduated on Monday, though he may need another class over the summer. So he’s on to the next exciting stage, which will supposedly include the Final Weaning.
I should be working on something right now, which means the 1/2 bottle of Pinot Grigio with dinner last night was probably an error. More anon.
- Sometime after 3, waiting for the Southwest Chief to roll away. The layover in Chicago is always fun. I did a bit of shopping (all looking, no buying) and had a couple of tea breaks and lunch at Berghoff. There is something about the energy in Chicago that I really enjoy, even in extreme weather.
I walked 2.4 miles. I still need to get in another 20 minutes of cardio (or burn another 150-175 calories) and eat a modest dinner.
2016
No swimming (again). Debating the afternoon. The hotel room is dangerous, too easy to be drawn into Candy Crush or app cycling. But the interactions are wearying, to the point of wearing me out. I still have things to so - things that keep my mind buzzing as I tried to sleep last night. So it might help to record them now; perhaps that will remind me to visit the front desk and get answers so I can sleep tonight.
Where nearby can a group of 5 meet for cocktails and be able to talk? How do I get a taxi to the train station around midnight on Saturday? How do I check out on the 29th? Seeing as I will be on the train or at the train station by then.
This presentation on pochoir is reinforcing my love for early 20th century fashion. I wonder if my attraction is influenced by the hours I spent looking at the illustrations in My Bookhouse Books. Is this the style of my gray years? The Iribe rose was a metaphor for the female genitalia, according to this speaker. Consider that and Poiret’s work will never look the same.
My nose is dripping. Still, again, always.
These works of artist/illustrators are really wooing me.
Is it cheating for morning pages to be taking notes during a presentation? Is it cheating the presenters to be doing my morning pages during their talks? Should I have had so much coffee? I may regret that choice in 20-30 minutes.
I wanted to go to the other session for the last talk, but am stuck in the row. So here I am, listening to a paper about a wealthy white heiress (skinny of course) and her love of designer clothes. Do I care? Not now. Will I ever care? Perhaps. I loved SJ’s paper on historical accuracy. Great work. Wonderful example of blending theory and practice.
Breakfast this morning was devoted to shared stories of academic reorganization and departmental death with colleagues from three different schools. Same old story of blindness and betrayal, played out across the country. Being on the cutting edge of a paradigm change can be painful. The downside of that thing called “progress” is decidedly unglamorous. Was that my experience 25 years ago? Mostly I remember experiencing both clarity and confusion. The inevitability of my department’s death was absolutely clear to me. It was going to happen and nothing anyone did would change that. What was confusing was what would happen next. What would happen to me? What would happen to my students? What could I do to steer toward more desirable outcomes? What were the desirable outcomes? Even now, many years later, I feel the same confusion.
So now I need to pee and I am too warm.
Comment 2023
I am pleased to report that I no longer play Candy Crush. I have moved on to Wordle and four other games.
2021 (To-do list)
Create/Plan
And I did. It was swell.
2023
Looking forward to a family visit this weekend, and to vacation travel later this month. Also looking forward to writing, which is a great feeling after several dry years. As of May 24, I have been posting to this Substack every day for six months. I am grateful for those who read, and for comments that keep me motivated. Thank you!
2024
A year and a half! Can you believe it? I can’t. And the end is almost in sight. Soon, no more transcriptions, and then … I’m not sure. I have now finished transcribing seven or eight notebooks just in the last month. Yesterday I spent the morning shredding them into the recycling bin. Some pages I save, like this “entry” by Kiddo 1.
