Classes started at Hartwick. We had our first two sessions of MUST251: Introduction to North American Material Culture. So far, people seem interested in objects!
We hosted students at the Museum as part of the Sophomore Sleepover. We had some good conversations about the Museum, and lots of students did our (actually kind of difficult) museum scavenger hunt.
I finished reading “The Magician’s Land” by Lev Grossman. I read (and loved) the first book many years ago, followed quickly by the sequel which I liked somewhat less. This book felt like a necessary conclusion, sometimes rough and sometimes graceful. In a lot of ways, I felt like the most compelling character of this arc was Janet, the snarky and self-assured “mean girl” of the first book, who, in an amazing chapter in the middle of the book, tells a story of what she did while everyone else was adventuring. It was funny and sad and horrifying, and up there with some of my favorite parts of the whole series.
With my son, I finished reading the second “Warriors” book by Erin Hunter, about clans of cats, living outside of human domestication. It keeps the story going but yikes, not so well written.
We finished installing the objects from the Mask exhibit, and I finished writing and designing the text from some of the panels.
We got within striking distance of finishing the syllabus for MUST251: North American Material Culture.
I did some additional planning and coordination on an upcoming Indigenous speaker’s series.
I finished Nalo Hopkinson’s “Skin Folk”, a short story collection of fantasy, science fiction, and magical realism, rooted in her Caribbean heritage and Canadian upbringing. I also read some more of Brian K. Vaughan’s “Paper Girls”, which continues to be a funny and strange science fiction comic about growing up, saving the world, and loving your friends.
I finally finished listening to the audible production of Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman”. The graphic novel was one of the most important pieces of art I found as a young person, and listening to it wellperformed by an amazing cast brought back a lot of what originally inspired and astonished me about it. This time I was struck by just how violent and horrific parts of it are–the audio really brought home the horror of Dr. Destiny’s sadistic manipulation in “24 Hours” and the funny but terrifying story of “the Collectors.”
Last week, I took a vacation with the fam. We spent the first half of the week in Southern Vermont, staying near Wilmington, swimming in Harriman reservoir, and visiting Manchester, Brattleboro, the ruined castle at Madame Sherri’s forest, and Shaftsbury state park. After that, we dipped down to western Mass, and visited with old friends, as well as making pit stops at the Whateley Diner, the Black Sheep, Richardson’s Candy Kitchen, and the Berkshire Brewing Company. It was a great trip for everyone but our poor dog, who we discovered REALLY doesn’t like being in cars.
At the Museum, we began installing the Mexican Mask exhibit. It’s taking a VERY long time, but will look great when it’s done.
We said goodbye to Gabriel Valenzuela (‘23) our summer Museum assistant. He’s done amazing work in inventory, installation, and general assistance and we’re sorry that he’s got to leave (even if he’s coming back in two weeks when classes start!).
I watched “Summer of Soul”, an astonishing documentary telling the story of the Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969, and showcasing an amazing array of musicians, comedians, and activists. The footage from the festival sat unwatched for 50 years, and is lovingly curated and restored in the film.
The permanent panels we made, based on our 2018 exhibit “Black Lives at Hartwick Then and Now” finally arrived. This was a great exhibit, and I’m excited that it can live on and provide a space for contemplation on the past, present, and future of Black life at Hartwick College.
I worked on designing the mask exhibit
We flagged some objects in our downstairs collections storage space to swap with our upstairs space, where changes in humidity are more minimal.
I bought albums by Propagandhi and John K. Samson. This song has been in steady rotation ever since:[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AWgpb_xcqQ&w=560&h=315]
With my son, I finished reading “Warriors: into the wild” by the pseudonymous Erin Hunt, the first volume of the epic children’s book series about the secret world of cats. The book was entertaining, though sometimes bewildering with its big cast of similarly named characters. The only other problem is that the series itself is massive–7 arcs of six books each, plus stand-alone novels, manga, and additional tie-in books. My kid liked it, but now I’m not sure what I’ve gotten myself into!
I am back after being off last week, and spending time with the my parents for the first time in over a year. We built part of a playhouse, visited localmuseums, went to a town full of bookstores, drank some great wine, ate some great food, and tried to make up for the lost time of the last year.
I finished reading Gene Wolfe’s “Shadow and Claw” which combines the first two books of his New Sun series. It was a gorgeously written, meditative piece of speculative fiction about suffering and fate.
I finished the re-design of “Black Lives at Hartwick Then and Now” and sent it to the printers.
I watched “A Ghost Story”, a very slow, supernatural movie in which a deceased man, covered in the stereotypical sheet with holes, watches time pass in the last house in which he lived, moving through the future and the past, trying to find peace. It’s a thoughtful movie, and very archaeological with its focus on things and spaces, and the pull they have on us.
I worked on putting together the Masks exhibit.
I watched my son perform in a collectively written play at the West Kortright Centre.
I celebrate 11 years of marriage with my sweetie, with drinks and dinner at the Autumn Cafe.
I watched the astonishingly violent film “High Rise” based on the novel by JG Ballard. A scorching critique of neoliberalism, wrapped in a vicious and horrifying bacchanal of a movie.
We took an impromptu vacation to Gilbert Lake State Park in Laurens, NY. We rented a cabin which was both gorgeous and comfortable, and relaxed in the forest trails, around a campfire, and on the beach. I was delighted to discover the cabins and park buildings were built by the CCC crews that created the park in the 1930s. So we had a great vacation due in part to one of the US’s few halting attempts at eco-socialism.
I finished reading the Verso Book of Dissent, a collection of short radical writings or excerpts, from around 2000 BCE to 2014, and spanning the globe. Each quote was accompanied by a short contextual paragraph and I learned a lot about political struggles in far-away places and far-off times.
I finished reading Ilan Pappe’s “Ten Myths about Israel” which is a short, polemical, and historicizing introduction to a conflict that often seems eternal and unchangeable.
I finished and submitted my annual employee performance review.
I worked on organizing the upcoming mask exhibit, deciding on some display areas and writing some interpretive material on mask-making, and an pre-contact Mexican mask traditions.
I tried out a couple of new recipes:
Sticky Sesame Chicken. The verdict from the fam was that it tasted great but was far too sweet (which isn’t exactly a surprise given the amount of sugar, honey, ketchup, and other things in it). We might try the chicken part again, but maybe with a different sauce.
Meditteranean Lentils–even with onions mixed in, and some lemon juice, these tasted pretty flavorless. I was going to cook them in stock and realized I didn’t have any, but in water they were blah.
Instant Pot Cajun Red Beans and Rice–Delicious, but took much longer than the recipe suggests (over 2 hours including prep). Also, too spicy even for my relatively adventurous kids.
Instant Pot Beef Enchiladas – The real star of this was the beef, which was good, and relatively quick to make. I should’ve bought a more interesting enchillada sauce. We’ll probably cook the beef and eat it along with homemade tortillas as tacos rather than in enchiladas.
Creamy Potato Soup– Also took a very long time, almost 1.5 hours including prep. This recipe makes a psychotic amount of soup, which we froze for a later date. We garnished it with Bacon and chives from our garden.
Last week, I took a vacation with the fam. We spent the first half of the week in Southern Vermont, staying near Wilmington, swimming in H
Our summer Museum assistant and I painted half of our main gallery to get ready for the mask exhibit.
The permanent panels we made, based on our 2018 exhibit “Black Lives at Hartwick Then and Now” finally arrived. This was a great exhibit, and I’m excited that it can live on and provide a space for contemplation on the past, present, and future of Black life at Hartwick College.
I am back after being off last week, and spending time with the my parents for the first time in over a year. We built part of a playhouse, visited 
