Oh you know what has been cool though is that two different groups of my favorite dorks have come through here on tour already! This was something that happened all the time when we lived in Santa Cruz, but I had assumed no one would ever drive through this random little wide spot in the road and that to see loved ones I would have to fly on several airplanes much as our ancestors the Ingalls family had to just wait to die and fly up to heaven in order to see their near and dear again. But thus far at least, such has not been the case!
First, Phil came through on tour with his young friend Carson, both of them just as handsome and flannel-clad and full of exciting John McPhee style fishing stories as could be. We stayed up late watching Jaws, which is actually called “Josh,” because that is the shark’s name. Carson had never seen the movie before, which was why we watched it. “Josh is coming,” we would say to him, “you can tell because Josh’s theme is playing.” I ruined the movie for Phil by drawing his attention for the first time to how badly the score sucks beginning at the point when the Orca leaves for the open sea and ending never. It’s like John Williams was paying attention for Acts I and II and then for Act III he sort of just keeled over and whatever music his face made on the piano he was like that’ll do ‘er. I mean, it’s not even that good, because at least that would be abstract and avant-garde. It’s more like he must’ve had a vision of his future score for Goonies and then accidentally put that rompin’ fun-lovin’ kiddie movie music onto what is supposed to literally be a contemporary evocation of the Moby Dick archetype, complete with blood shooting out of people’s mouths, and other people facing their biggest fear, and still other people confronting the gulf between scientific knowledge and good old fashioned American fish-gumption. It is truly stomach-churning.
Next came Steve, Jona, Robbie, and Claire (Jeffy staying home to go to synagogue with his parents and flying to meet the rest of the fellas later, much like the Ingalls flying to heaven, again). They were only here for lunch but lord did it do my soul good to see them. Plus they bought me lunch. It is just a profound delight to laugh with old friends with whom you are on the same page and don’t have to explain things. Plus they are all looking very handsome as they near middle age and I do love to surround myself with good looking gentlemen and top-shelf dames.
I graded all morning and am maybe about halfway through. I very wisely planned to have every single one of my three classes hand in a paper or a quiz on the same day, so that is working out very well.* My kids did better on their quiz than I was expecting, which is a good thing. I asked them to make up a band name for a song I played and two different people wrote “Joe and the Boys.” What does it mean? It was not a cheating situation, but a god’s honest coincidence.
Currently in VERY deep with 20 open browser tabs, coterminously researching vintage enamelware, how to make your own bread form, and bidding on various dutch ovens. I am going to successfully bake sourdough bread or I am literally going to die while still trying; I will not give up. Phil, revealing yet another effortless skill he possesses that I wish I possessed (building your own sauna; running a vintage printing press; playing the guitar; being able to swim; and drawing being just a few others), told me he’s been baking sourdough on a weekly basis and that it’s easy and great. Since unlike him I am not made of money I have forgone ordering the brand new Le Creuset and am stuck reading extremely long articles about the history of the less-prominent but–according to many lengthy cast iron afficionado message board posts–in many ways superior Belgium Descoware in an effort to find out if the 1960s dutch ovens they made give you cadmium poisoning or not, e.g. He also gave me some tips on my starter, told me which bread book to swear by, gave me some kneading tips, and has now stopped responding to my thrice-daily texts asking for more pieces of advice. It’s all coming together!
I have not slept a full night through since last Tuesday. Maybe I will go insane and die!
Now I am going to buy a bag of flour, and go to the gym.
*By “wisely” I mean “stupidly”
