I have returned from Sainte Leew-ee
I got back got back from my little sojourn in St. Louis early last night. It was a very nice, albeit quick, head-clearing visit to Patrick's new city of residence. Going in, it now occurs to me that I had low / no expectations about what to expect. Prior to his new job, St. Louis is a city a never thought much about or deeply considered. That being said, I guess I was impressed with parts of the town and I think that he'll be happy there (for a year).
Getting out of town on Thursday was a little hairy. My class on Kurosawa was a rousing success. Everyone liked
High and Low and many people were claiming that it was the best detective film they've ever seen and everyone was chatty and pleased. In the afternoon I was busier than expected at my office job, delaying our departure, somewhat. The larger problem was that the car wouldn't start. From the symptoms, it seems like a dead battery is most likely the culprit. Just the same, it didn't leave us many options. We opted for the easier route and just rented a car for the weekend, a very spacious and comfortable white Buick. All in all, it was nice to have a big whale of a car with a nice stereo, cruise control and ample leg-room for the trip. That being said, the ride is a very boring 6hrs. St. Louis is just about due south of Madison and it's a straight shot through soybean and cornfields with very little else to look at or consume along the way. We made the best of it, listened to much of David Sedaris's very pleasant and amusing new book,
Dress Your Family in Denim and Corduory, that I borrowed from Eric on CD.
All in all, we didn't do a whole heck of a lot during our 36hr stay in the "gateway to the West" city. The main purpose of the trip was to secure Patrick an apartment. Let me preface this by saying that I don't have much experience in this department. I find it a very strange practice, looking at apartments. I still think I am the type that is willing to settle for less than I should, but I am learning to overcome that reflex. When I started looking for my own new apartment, I almost jumped at a far less-nice place than I ultimately landed. For Patrick we only had two appointments. The first was kind of crappy - just a little run-down, lousy kitchen and no dishwasher. It had a terrace, but it overlooked a busy road (hardly the likely respose spot conducive to reading the Sunday paper and being lazy out-of-doors). We were wise to wait for the second appointment and snatched up a fine apartment - a converted 1920s hotel that's been modernized for young professional hipsters. It's just beautiful - lots of fine detail work remaining (crown moldings, fine tile floors) but also modern touches like a fabulous gas stove, a charming kitchen & breakfast nook, dishwasher and better layout. The real estate dollar goes far in St. Louis.
Wash U has a nice campus and all of the spoiling details that any self-respecting private school would demand of itself. We spent a good chunk of Friday with one of the professors in the film department. He was kind enough to show us around and answer questions and then took us out for a Thai lunch. They put us up in a nice hotel (on-campus, attached to the business school) and just made the trip very easy. I admit that it almost felt too easy, but I think that's a good sign of Patrick's coming year and after an otherwise rough job application season, it was nice to be treated well for a change.
After we took care of the business aspects of the trip, we played a little in the city. We went to a high-end shopping mall and saw the new Robert Redford thriller,
The Clearing, which was very suspenseful. I could do without the epilogue, but I guess this is how you pitch suspense films to the middle-aged. The drive home was fine, more Sedaris and I used cruise control like it was my job.
Last night we went over to Eric's and had a lazy, fun evening. Eric's on a jigsaw puzzle kick so we helped him with his current project, played some boggle, had a few beers and called it a night... today has slipped away from me, but before turning in, I intend to have my Fellini lecture in tip-top shape and be ready to go tomorrow. Patrick's on a tight deadline to finish the dissertation by Wednesday, so he told me to expect not to see too much of him over the course of the next few days. But if he finishes by then, he'll be in full-blown television / professor mode until the defense in mid-August.
So life is good... I long for those lazier summer days, but sadly, they may be behind me. I am enjoying my teaching, but getting the lectures together is one of those good-for-you pain in the necks. I continue to learn a lot, but I just feel like I am in a constant state of preparation and then switching gears. Half-done with the summer session... but ready for things to loosen up a little and enjoy the finer perks of vacation.
posted by lmjasinski at 2:41 PM
