We still haven�t solved the problem of the �ineffable�
With all of this talk of postmodernism in the air, I can�t help but be transported back in time to two years ago � what I at the time took to calling my Po Mo spring � when I was studying contemporary art, writing my thesis, taking a seminar in architecture, and watching Chinese movies. I�ve spent the day holed up in my apartment reading about the �ineffable,� that which cannot be described / explained through language, and thinking about a time when those ideas were rolling around my eager undergraduate head. It is really strange that a certain set of ideas could be so neatly contained to a single moment in my education. At the same time, it feels nice to be back in familiar territory and reading about things I already know something about, even though this breed of theory sets out to condemn all of my faith in the written word.
I can�t believe my Thanksgiving break is nearly over � what a quick few days! The dinner itself and visit with Jeremy and Jody was really a treat. It was a nice break from the usual � and it was nice to spend a few days away from school / campus. I guess the time passed quickly because I just spent it on time-consuming things -- reading, grading, and playing catch up on some of the reading I neglected on my Middlebury trip. Thinking about it now � I typed-up about 36 pages of student critiques, in addition to crunching some numbers, and grading other homework assignments (this is why they pay me the big bucks). For myself, I read a BIG chunk of the Bordwell assignment � minor victories, but I see where the four days went.
I watched � the movies I rented and plan to watch Zhang Yimou�s Hero tonight (I am going to put the reviews on hold, but these were four worthwhile rentals). It may be a little over-ambitious, but I also want to get a jump on some of the reading for my avant-garde paper on Jonas Mekas�s diary films. I am actually intensely interested in these films and Mekas as a figure, so I feel like this will be �fun,� fun in a dorky grad student kind of way. But it was a productive, restful, and re-charging few days. Honestly, I am just a little stir-crazy, so this leads me to believe that I really needed to spend quality of time at home.
Three weeks until break. This is really throwing me for a loop � not so much that the semester is ending, these things happen � but it is really weird to up and leave my life here for a month. I don�t think I�ve figured out the technicalities of living in different places � about what constitutes home, or even what makes for a routine. As much as I want to go home (and as much fun as a month of hiatus is bound to be) it is just jarring to slice up my time and my life in different houses, bedrooms, people, and to fill my days with such different kinds of activity. Maybe this is an example of the ineffable in action...
posted by lmjasinski at 2:44 PM
