Judy!

The final lecture of this year's SCT (I attended them all, and asked a total of three questions) was given by none other than...
JUDITH BUTLER
...in all of her fabulous awesomeness.

The lecture was about what it means to define an academic discipline, and how it relates to dissent. She also spent a lot of time chewing out the Ford foundation. I can hardly imagine what it must be like to be so consistently misread and vilified, on the one hand, and so devoutly idolized (guilty as charged!) on the other. One thing she did a lot in both lectures I've seen her give is make very pointed qualifications of just what she means, but especially just what she doesn't mean, by important statements. My hunch is that's a conditioned addition to the lecture.

I'm off

Tomorrow I leave for Germany. I get off the plane, meet my parents at the oldest brewery in the world for lunch, and promptly get on an overnight train to Paris. Fun stuff happens for two weeks (by which I mean Normandy and a cousin's wedding), then I return to finish work here. For the past week I have been living alone in my house and for a week when I come back I will be again. I am hardly thrilled, although it does make me miss TASP and college and my family. Europe will be fun, but when that is over, my excitement about September will be unalloyed.

For my sanity, if for nothing else, when I get back keep me posted about your lives. I know it is self-centered; even though I don't have much of a life at the moment, you all probably still do. Whatever, all the more reason to share, right? For my part, I promise that a long-winded account of my travels will, with its presence, grace this blog in just over two weeks.

Call for books

There are times when I feel like reading anything, since there's something interesting in just about everything in print. Right now, though, I only want to read really good books. Unfortunately for me, I've been disappointed with the past few books I've picked up. I'd appreciate if you'd share with me the books that you really enjoy, so I can enjoy them too. I don't mean your favorite books necessarily, but books that have been the most pleasurable to read. After all, my reading (and yours) will be dictated by the man/university soon enough. For now, help me have fun.

The Scottish play, and other things

Summer is a pretty good time of year in New York, I think (although a few hundred-degree days might change my mind). The mild weather of the past few days has proven optimal lounging-in-Central Park-weather, which has been convenient for me. Some of you will remember a certain debacle last year where we attempted to see Shakespeare in the Park and got drenched with rain. This year, I lined up twice – and failed twice – to see ‘Macbeth’. The first time, I got on line at 930 and the second time, at 830. Reason: towards the end of the run, the line gets a lot longer very quickly as desperate theatergoers line up for tickets (I learned that some people had been able to get tickets lining up at 1pm a week earlier). The point is, the Scottish play really is an unlucky play. On the bright side, it was truly brilliant weather and I looove Central Park.

I went to a NYPhilharmonic concert this past week and was puzzled at one point by the loud salsa music coming from outside the concert hall. It turns out that there’s this cool thing called ‘Midsummer Night Swing’, which turns Lincoln Center Plaza into one big dance floor. As most of you may know or expect, I’m not very nimble on my feet, so I didn’t partake, but I ended up spending most of intermission watching the thousands of people dancing on the plaza from my perch on the concert hall’s balcony. It was sort of mesmerizing, and it just reminds me of what an awesome and festive town it is that I live in.

And happy birthday to everyone. I haven’t been on the blog or facebook for a few days, and I really do hope you’ll all (or y’all will) forgive me.

Much love.

Our Latest Trowsers-Roller

Is DREW! Happy ascent toward geezerhood! Happy reminder that you are finite and your vitality is slipping away! But serioiusly, SUPER HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR DREW!

Lest We Forget

The most Telluridian of us all (SS03,SP04,MB05,Tutor06) is just a little bit older today than he was yesterday. But that's still cause to celebrate! Way to circumnavigate old helios, B-Max! To quote your entry in the TASP memory book:

PEACE EASY FOLKS!

Today we can all declare:

PEACE EASY B-MAX!