Now Playing: Cherish the Ladies, "Woman of the House", "Sweet Thames Flow Softly."
I'm procrastinating on going to sleep right now, so here's what I did this past weekend. I drove to Nashville and visited Syneva! I could rattle off a list of all the things we did: shopped at a flea market, visited the library, walked around downtown, walked around a lake, went out for Italian food, went to City Church, cooked food, watched a DVD.
Scratch that. Sounds like a to-do list. Try some snapshots instead.
On Friday evening, we drove through a sudden thunderstorm to get frozen yogurt. Oblongs of yellow light through glass doors in the mansions along Belmont Boulevard glowed like the facets of a chandelier. We listened to Brahms's sonata for clarinet and piano, and the sky was green with lightning.
Saturday afternoon we spent hours sifting through trays of tarnished jewelery and crumbling postcards, piles of kitchenware, and old furniture at the flea market. Syneva bought a flour sifter, and I bought a silver ring for three dollars.
That night we had the house to ourselves and made Mexican food. I made tortillas for the first time ever, rolling extremely sticky balls of dough in piles of flour while we talked about North and South and Foyle's War.
Sabbath morning we sat on the front porch, drinking spiced black tea, eating pumpkin bread with dried dates and walnuts, and talking about Shostakovich.
When I drove back to Indiana through Kentucky, the forests were beginning to be veined with warm colors, copper flowing up through the dark green trees. In Indiana all the pumpkin patches and corn mazes were open for business.
Since I came back, it's been work as usual, though the weather has finally cooled off here, and I had to wear a hoodie when I ran this morning.
29 September 2010
18 September 2010
Now Playing: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack, Track 15, "The Great River."
A few photos from today are here.
It's been a long week. The saga of computer problems never seems to end! Last Wednesday, I locked myself out of my computer, launching my dad and me into a labyrinth of computer programming questions. We both spent what seemed like hours poking around on the internet and fiddling with my laptop. Finally, on Saturday night, with the help of Lindsay's old laptop and a blank CD, I managed to burn a program to solve the problem. My dad walked me through the process on the phone. Saturday night I went to bed with a functional computer, a slightly better knowledge of how it works, and a deeper appreciation for my dad's patience!
Then on Wednesday we woke up and the internet was mysteriously not working. I spent some time that afternoon trying to coax the router to work and ended up calling AT&T, but they were unhelpful. It took Laura an hour on Thursday night to get the thing fixed. In the meantime, I was biking around campus with my laptop, notebook, and Norton anthologies or Riverside Chaucer in my bag! Either helped my stamina or ruined my shoulders; I'm not sure which yet.
Computer issues aside, good things have happened this week, too. Lindsay and I both registered for library cards on Thursday, and on Friday I checked out a glorious stack of Bach and Brahms CDs that I've never listened to before. Friday was also the day I ate lunch with Cindy at the Runcible Spoon, and we spent a delightful couple of hours talking about Europe.
Last night Lisa and I were left to our own devices, Lindsay and Laura both having gone on short weekend trips. We worked dutifully (mostly dutifully, anyway) until nine o'clock, when we took a break to eat ice cream and watch Letters to Juliet. Chick flick, anyone? It was amusing. This afternoon we joined some people from the RPC on a short hike--more like a walk through the woods--at a state park an hour away from Bloomington. It was pleasant to be outside, walking under the tall oak trees, and laughing at all the wee kids scampering about.
Lisa is baking chocolate cake and lemon bars for Fireside Chat tomorrow night.
All things considered, I'm very thankful that tomorrow is the Sabbath.
A few photos from today are here.
It's been a long week. The saga of computer problems never seems to end! Last Wednesday, I locked myself out of my computer, launching my dad and me into a labyrinth of computer programming questions. We both spent what seemed like hours poking around on the internet and fiddling with my laptop. Finally, on Saturday night, with the help of Lindsay's old laptop and a blank CD, I managed to burn a program to solve the problem. My dad walked me through the process on the phone. Saturday night I went to bed with a functional computer, a slightly better knowledge of how it works, and a deeper appreciation for my dad's patience!
Then on Wednesday we woke up and the internet was mysteriously not working. I spent some time that afternoon trying to coax the router to work and ended up calling AT&T, but they were unhelpful. It took Laura an hour on Thursday night to get the thing fixed. In the meantime, I was biking around campus with my laptop, notebook, and Norton anthologies or Riverside Chaucer in my bag! Either helped my stamina or ruined my shoulders; I'm not sure which yet.
Computer issues aside, good things have happened this week, too. Lindsay and I both registered for library cards on Thursday, and on Friday I checked out a glorious stack of Bach and Brahms CDs that I've never listened to before. Friday was also the day I ate lunch with Cindy at the Runcible Spoon, and we spent a delightful couple of hours talking about Europe.
Last night Lisa and I were left to our own devices, Lindsay and Laura both having gone on short weekend trips. We worked dutifully (mostly dutifully, anyway) until nine o'clock, when we took a break to eat ice cream and watch Letters to Juliet. Chick flick, anyone? It was amusing. This afternoon we joined some people from the RPC on a short hike--more like a walk through the woods--at a state park an hour away from Bloomington. It was pleasant to be outside, walking under the tall oak trees, and laughing at all the wee kids scampering about.
Lisa is baking chocolate cake and lemon bars for Fireside Chat tomorrow night.
All things considered, I'm very thankful that tomorrow is the Sabbath.
13 September 2010
Now Playing: Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Flat.
In the post just below this there's a link to some photos from the past two weekends as well as of our wee house. On Saturday Lindsay and Lisa, who are beasts, hauled in Laura's tiny pickup truck an almost new blue plush sofa from a family about twenty minutes away. They got it out of the truck and into our living room, rearranged the furniture, hung pictures on the walls, and generally made the living space downstairs look like home. My heart gives a little patter of happy surprise every time I go down there now.
Today while poking around on the internet for Digital Humanities, I found some gorgeous photos from the Staffordshire Hoard, a collection of Anglo-Saxon objects from the 5th-7th centuries (roughly). The hoard was only just discovered in 2009, so many of the objects haven't been catalogued or fully cleaned yet, but their website has some stunning images. Here are a couple:
One of these is broken gold with fish and eagle details. The other is a gold strip with a verse from Numbers etched onto it in Latin, calling God to arise and scatter His enemies. Today I spent two hours in Dr. M's office with three other students as we discussed our projects for this class. I think that some how Dr. M talked me into putting together a sort of annotated bibliography of digital resources to use for teaching and researching, though I initially wanted to try for a syllabus. We'll see. The idea of trying to put together a syllabus daunts me, which is partly why I want to try it. But either way the work will be useful later on.
In the post just below this there's a link to some photos from the past two weekends as well as of our wee house. On Saturday Lindsay and Lisa, who are beasts, hauled in Laura's tiny pickup truck an almost new blue plush sofa from a family about twenty minutes away. They got it out of the truck and into our living room, rearranged the furniture, hung pictures on the walls, and generally made the living space downstairs look like home. My heart gives a little patter of happy surprise every time I go down there now.
Today while poking around on the internet for Digital Humanities, I found some gorgeous photos from the Staffordshire Hoard, a collection of Anglo-Saxon objects from the 5th-7th centuries (roughly). The hoard was only just discovered in 2009, so many of the objects haven't been catalogued or fully cleaned yet, but their website has some stunning images. Here are a couple:
One of these is broken gold with fish and eagle details. The other is a gold strip with a verse from Numbers etched onto it in Latin, calling God to arise and scatter His enemies. Today I spent two hours in Dr. M's office with three other students as we discussed our projects for this class. I think that some how Dr. M talked me into putting together a sort of annotated bibliography of digital resources to use for teaching and researching, though I initially wanted to try for a syllabus. We'll see. The idea of trying to put together a syllabus daunts me, which is partly why I want to try it. But either way the work will be useful later on.
11 September 2010
07 September 2010
Now Playing: Bach, Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 543.
Tonight I've been revising poetry. At some point the words start to swim on the screen, and then it's time to stop and just print it off, whether it sounds good or not.
This week in Bloomington got off to a good start, or at least last week ended well. Rachel drove over from Illinois for a visit on Saturday morning. We went downtown to the arts festival on Saturday afternoon and spent a happy couple of hours wandering up and down the street among the pavilions.
Now, that image perhaps isn't precise enough. When we reached Fourth Street, we found ourselves looking up a long, gentle hill running up to the university gates. On either side of the street are international restaurants and Asian grocers, set back from the road. Trees, gold and green, overhang the road, and under them were the white roofs of the booths. But the street itself was completely invisible, hidden by a mass of people. Rachel and I had to push our way up toward the university through the crowd like salmon up a river.
On Sunday I made a happy discovery after evening worship: Cindy, the library sciences student who sat in the pew behind us, knows Syneva!
Sunday evening the "fireside chats" started at the Hs' house. About fifteen students, mostly grad students, met at their house, and Amy H fed us enchiladas, and we sat on their screened-in back deck and talked until it was dark outside. Then we gathered inside, and Pastor H led us in an introductory study designed to resume their progress through the Westminster Confession.
Yesterday, like good little grad students, Rachel and I studied in the morning and then went downtown to poke around the bookshops. We made tea together, the first meal I've made here that actually tasted good, and then she went back to Illinois.
Today I had another pleasant experience, that of beginning to form friendships with my fellow grad students. I met a couple of other first-years, Beth and Mary, at a coffee shop by campus to discuss the week's readings before class. Sitting at the table, I was very distracted by the windows: Broad, floor-to-ceiling arched panes, framing crowded sidewalk, full bike rack, busy one-way street, leaves yellow with sunshine, green lawn, and grey stone building. All very close, immediate, like a postcard illustration.
Tonight Lisa's parents were in town and took us out to eat pizza. As we were making our way through the crowded restaurant, I glanced to one side, and there was Katie! It was a bit surreal; I felt as though my frame of reference had tipped. She's in town to visit the art history department, and we had a nice chat.
Tomorrow will be busy: Song School (Middle English reading group), a professor's office hours, a lecture, poetry class.
Tonight I've been revising poetry. At some point the words start to swim on the screen, and then it's time to stop and just print it off, whether it sounds good or not.
This week in Bloomington got off to a good start, or at least last week ended well. Rachel drove over from Illinois for a visit on Saturday morning. We went downtown to the arts festival on Saturday afternoon and spent a happy couple of hours wandering up and down the street among the pavilions.
Now, that image perhaps isn't precise enough. When we reached Fourth Street, we found ourselves looking up a long, gentle hill running up to the university gates. On either side of the street are international restaurants and Asian grocers, set back from the road. Trees, gold and green, overhang the road, and under them were the white roofs of the booths. But the street itself was completely invisible, hidden by a mass of people. Rachel and I had to push our way up toward the university through the crowd like salmon up a river.
On Sunday I made a happy discovery after evening worship: Cindy, the library sciences student who sat in the pew behind us, knows Syneva!
Sunday evening the "fireside chats" started at the Hs' house. About fifteen students, mostly grad students, met at their house, and Amy H fed us enchiladas, and we sat on their screened-in back deck and talked until it was dark outside. Then we gathered inside, and Pastor H led us in an introductory study designed to resume their progress through the Westminster Confession.
Yesterday, like good little grad students, Rachel and I studied in the morning and then went downtown to poke around the bookshops. We made tea together, the first meal I've made here that actually tasted good, and then she went back to Illinois.
Today I had another pleasant experience, that of beginning to form friendships with my fellow grad students. I met a couple of other first-years, Beth and Mary, at a coffee shop by campus to discuss the week's readings before class. Sitting at the table, I was very distracted by the windows: Broad, floor-to-ceiling arched panes, framing crowded sidewalk, full bike rack, busy one-way street, leaves yellow with sunshine, green lawn, and grey stone building. All very close, immediate, like a postcard illustration.
Tonight Lisa's parents were in town and took us out to eat pizza. As we were making our way through the crowded restaurant, I glanced to one side, and there was Katie! It was a bit surreal; I felt as though my frame of reference had tipped. She's in town to visit the art history department, and we had a nice chat.
Tomorrow will be busy: Song School (Middle English reading group), a professor's office hours, a lecture, poetry class.
02 September 2010
Now Playing: Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5 in E minor.
As of today I have finally had all my classes. “All” seems like an overstatement since I’m only taking three. It’s a weird schedule: class Wednesday night, Thursday night, and then for an hour on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
Medieval literature so far has proved to be the most inscrutable of the three. The professors (it’s team-taught) are both lovely, but the critical literary theory we’ve been reading is like deep, dark mud. The vocabulary is nearly impenetrable, and as far as I can tell the ideas are rather divorced from reality. Nonetheless, we had a good discussion in class today about the reading. There’s a definite satisfaction to be had from struggling through a text and beginning to understand what it says. I will be quite thankful when we move on to Chaucer, though!
Creative writing is probably going to be similar to most of the other poetry classes I’ve taken. We’re starting out by reading W.H. Auden, who seems tame compared to some of the contemporary stuff Dr. J assigned in that senior-level poetry class! But I’m happy to be writing poetry again.
Digital Humanities promises to be quite the experience. It’s also team-taught, but by four people. Apparently there’s a whole world of resources out on the internet waiting to be used. This evening I discovered Early English Books Online as well as a database that lets you search the whole Old English corpus! Pretty amazing. The class will be quite practical and so involve a lot of work. We’re supposed to be helping out with encoding texts into digital archives. And now cue all those snide jokes about the awful grunt work grad students are given….
Think it will be a decent term, once I figure out where everything will fall. Having so many open hours during the day feels very strange.
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