One of the nicest things anyone did was to consistently bake for the priest, since he had lost a lot of weight from his recent sickness, and he wasn't getting as much calories as he should.
When one of the people in class found this out, this 30y.o. Latin teacher (the one who transferred to prep school out of the Washington D.C. public schools, and who loves to bake to relax) found out his favorite baked foods and started making things with cherries (crisps, breads, etc.) and oatmeal (e.g. oatmeal cookies), and always made sure to use whole milk and cream and sugar, since he just needed more calories...
(His doctor came in one day to see class, and I think she asked her about this in the hallway when the priest was busy.)
Anyhow, he ate all that stuff everyday, and it wasn't clear if he was putting on weight, but it was something!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Good deed - I toot my own horn.
For the final class gift, people had thought about getting the priest a DVD set of the Ken Burns series "The Civil War", but because he had no DVD player, they'd have to get one too.
I sent out a gentle email, then, suggesting maybe get him some Latin books he doesn't have, and that he had said he was missing a library, to which one guy who's from Wisconsin suggested getting him a "friends of the university library" card so he could check stuff out, or maybe even a higher level of membership so he get inter-library loans, but the class was closing fast and there was a lot of questions that we'd have to ask the priest to make sure that he'd use the membership, so some guy got a $130 bottle of liquor from the Grand Chartreuse and asked everyone to chip in (I didn't).
But, at the last day of class, at one of the priest's friends lake houses where we went to read Horace and then enjoy the beach, I found myself alone with him, so I cornered him and asked him if he would use a membership like the one guy from Wisconsin had mentioned.
He asked me what it was and I gave him a few details, and he said he'd have to research it more, never mind (! - he doesn't have internet access, how would he do that), and at that point the hostess asked me if I needed a computer, and brought out her laptop.
So, right then and there I looked up how much it would cost, and then asked him what books he wished he had so we could see if the university library had them - and, as it turns out, they not only had Aulus Gellius's "Attic Nights", but that was part of a 19th c. reprint of a 118vol. series of Latin texts that he loves, and all 118vol. were available for checkout, in addition to other common series of Latin texts.
"You could spend a whole lifetime just with that," he was like, and said he wouldn't even need interlibrary-loan privileges.
(The priest doesn't really care about critical editions etc. like scholars do, he just loves to read the Latin.)
"And you're doing that all off of that thing?", he was like.
Then, I got the reference desk number, and called up about handicap access to the stacks and photocopiers - he had free transport there or wherever he wants in the county, and he said the trip wouldn't be too long for him - and since that stuff was indeed handicap accessible, I told him that, and then he again brushed off the membership, saying he'd have to look into more.
So, I found the online order form, told him that he couldn't do this easily himself, but I could sign him up and he could get the library card in the mail and then go up there at his leisure, and then asked him for his full name address phone etc., and put that down.
"Yes," he was like, "But I want to pay for it."
And then, he added, "And you can do that all on that thing?"
Anyhow, I told him that I was going to slide him some money from the class (he takes anonymous donations), so not to pay me back, I'd just lessen my donation by the membership amount.
Then, he added that it would be nice to have the membership benefits etc. in a hard copy, so the day after I got back, I printed that and library hours and the reference desk # out, and mailed it to him, as well as a reminder to start up an email account for library purposes (the online form required one and he doesn't have one, so I just put my email address in).
I sent out a gentle email, then, suggesting maybe get him some Latin books he doesn't have, and that he had said he was missing a library, to which one guy who's from Wisconsin suggested getting him a "friends of the university library" card so he could check stuff out, or maybe even a higher level of membership so he get inter-library loans, but the class was closing fast and there was a lot of questions that we'd have to ask the priest to make sure that he'd use the membership, so some guy got a $130 bottle of liquor from the Grand Chartreuse and asked everyone to chip in (I didn't).
But, at the last day of class, at one of the priest's friends lake houses where we went to read Horace and then enjoy the beach, I found myself alone with him, so I cornered him and asked him if he would use a membership like the one guy from Wisconsin had mentioned.
He asked me what it was and I gave him a few details, and he said he'd have to research it more, never mind (! - he doesn't have internet access, how would he do that), and at that point the hostess asked me if I needed a computer, and brought out her laptop.
So, right then and there I looked up how much it would cost, and then asked him what books he wished he had so we could see if the university library had them - and, as it turns out, they not only had Aulus Gellius's "Attic Nights", but that was part of a 19th c. reprint of a 118vol. series of Latin texts that he loves, and all 118vol. were available for checkout, in addition to other common series of Latin texts.
"You could spend a whole lifetime just with that," he was like, and said he wouldn't even need interlibrary-loan privileges.
(The priest doesn't really care about critical editions etc. like scholars do, he just loves to read the Latin.)
"And you're doing that all off of that thing?", he was like.
Then, I got the reference desk number, and called up about handicap access to the stacks and photocopiers - he had free transport there or wherever he wants in the county, and he said the trip wouldn't be too long for him - and since that stuff was indeed handicap accessible, I told him that, and then he again brushed off the membership, saying he'd have to look into more.
So, I found the online order form, told him that he couldn't do this easily himself, but I could sign him up and he could get the library card in the mail and then go up there at his leisure, and then asked him for his full name address phone etc., and put that down.
"Yes," he was like, "But I want to pay for it."
And then, he added, "And you can do that all on that thing?"
Anyhow, I told him that I was going to slide him some money from the class (he takes anonymous donations), so not to pay me back, I'd just lessen my donation by the membership amount.
Then, he added that it would be nice to have the membership benefits etc. in a hard copy, so the day after I got back, I printed that and library hours and the reference desk # out, and mailed it to him, as well as a reminder to start up an email account for library purposes (the online form required one and he doesn't have one, so I just put my email address in).
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Text from the Catalan.
I forgot -
In the run-up to the World Cup final match between Spain and the Netherlands, I sent the one Catalan dude I know a text saying that I wanted to Spain to win, for the sake of my friends from Spain (n.b. - I did not say "Spanish"), but I also wanted even more for the Netherlands to lose, because the Dutch suck.
And, he texted back:
Worse than the Irish?
...
In the run-up to the World Cup final match between Spain and the Netherlands, I sent the one Catalan dude I know a text saying that I wanted to Spain to win, for the sake of my friends from Spain (n.b. - I did not say "Spanish"), but I also wanted even more for the Netherlands to lose, because the Dutch suck.
And, he texted back:
Worse than the Irish?
...
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Addendum...
Forgot -
I had gone to this one dive bar near where I was living in Milwaukee, and it was racially-mixed, and this one older (black) guy and I started talking about baseball or something because of the highlights on tv, and I thought to myself that at last I had found a (black) person who I had the same sort of rapport with as I had had in Chicago.
Then, he and the bartender started talking and it turns out that he's from Chicago, and he's saying that people always ask him if he roots for the Sox or the Cubs, and he's like, "I say, 'Both,' because I'm from Chicago, and they're from Chicago, and if the Sox is up, I root for them, and if they fuck it up and the Cubs is doing good, I root for them, and I always end up rooting for Chicago."
I had gone to this one dive bar near where I was living in Milwaukee, and it was racially-mixed, and this one older (black) guy and I started talking about baseball or something because of the highlights on tv, and I thought to myself that at last I had found a (black) person who I had the same sort of rapport with as I had had in Chicago.
Then, he and the bartender started talking and it turns out that he's from Chicago, and he's saying that people always ask him if he roots for the Sox or the Cubs, and he's like, "I say, 'Both,' because I'm from Chicago, and they're from Chicago, and if the Sox is up, I root for them, and if they fuck it up and the Cubs is doing good, I root for them, and I always end up rooting for Chicago."
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
African-Americans in Milwaukee.
I just read a stat (not sure if it's true) that African-Americans in Milwaukee are 37% of the population.
I never have a good conversational vibe with the (black) counterwomen at stores here - exactly the opposite of in Chicago.
The only really rewarding interaction I can think of is the other day when I was biking, cars were stopped at a light, and so I went up in the bikelane to the front to make myself visible to cars for when the light changed and we all went straight ahead, just as you're supposed to, and one of the cars I passed was this old beaten-up truck with a back full of junk, and later when the light did change, it was the only vehicle to give me a wide berth, and I look over as it passes and it's two late 30s/early 40s black guys, and the one in the passenger seat gives me a nod and a thumbs-up.
I never have a good conversational vibe with the (black) counterwomen at stores here - exactly the opposite of in Chicago.
The only really rewarding interaction I can think of is the other day when I was biking, cars were stopped at a light, and so I went up in the bikelane to the front to make myself visible to cars for when the light changed and we all went straight ahead, just as you're supposed to, and one of the cars I passed was this old beaten-up truck with a back full of junk, and later when the light did change, it was the only vehicle to give me a wide berth, and I look over as it passes and it's two late 30s/early 40s black guys, and the one in the passenger seat gives me a nod and a thumbs-up.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Milwaukee hispanics...
...are so much cooler than elsewhere. Some examples:
1) When I was on the bikepath to the beach, there was these 2 hispanic women walking ahead of me, and as I slowly went around them, they scooted over and were like, "Sorry!", in this heavy accent, and I was like, "Oh no, sorry!", and the one woman was like, "Oh no, it's all good!", and laughed.
2) When I was getting tacos at the local Mexican supermarket - it's a local institution, it was the 1st hispanic supermarket in the area, inside is this huge mural of a bald eagle above stars and stripes and some patriotic slogan (forgot what it is), and then down in the corner the eagle from the Mexican flag - I forgot to order in Spanish from the counterperson, but when he asked me if I wanted it for here, I was like, "Si, para aqui," and at that, this stern, macho Mexican construction worker with a goatee and a cutoff t-shirt at the next stool at the counter just turns to me, and with a really stern look on his face, gave me one approving nod and a thumbs-up, and then turned back to go eat his tacos.
3) After that, the (Mexican) counterguy started a very nice conversation asking me where/why I learned Spanish, when there was a lull in business.
4) Add to that the 2 Puerto Rican women I met in the pizza place that one night...
Overall, it seems like hispanics here are much more well-adjusted and outward-looking than down the coast in chicago - though there African-Americans are more well-adjusted and outward looking.
1) When I was on the bikepath to the beach, there was these 2 hispanic women walking ahead of me, and as I slowly went around them, they scooted over and were like, "Sorry!", in this heavy accent, and I was like, "Oh no, sorry!", and the one woman was like, "Oh no, it's all good!", and laughed.
2) When I was getting tacos at the local Mexican supermarket - it's a local institution, it was the 1st hispanic supermarket in the area, inside is this huge mural of a bald eagle above stars and stripes and some patriotic slogan (forgot what it is), and then down in the corner the eagle from the Mexican flag - I forgot to order in Spanish from the counterperson, but when he asked me if I wanted it for here, I was like, "Si, para aqui," and at that, this stern, macho Mexican construction worker with a goatee and a cutoff t-shirt at the next stool at the counter just turns to me, and with a really stern look on his face, gave me one approving nod and a thumbs-up, and then turned back to go eat his tacos.
3) After that, the (Mexican) counterguy started a very nice conversation asking me where/why I learned Spanish, when there was a lull in business.
4) Add to that the 2 Puerto Rican women I met in the pizza place that one night...
Overall, it seems like hispanics here are much more well-adjusted and outward-looking than down the coast in chicago - though there African-Americans are more well-adjusted and outward looking.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
...am back home...
...as of today, but I'll still post about Milwaukee a bit, I still have some anecdotes...
Chili mayhem.
Whenever I was telling people that I was going to Milwaukee for a summer Latin program that used to be in Rome, people would usually make a wry face and say some bullshit like, "I'm sorry," to which I'd always say that Milwaukee was a great, unique city, and that I'd always wanted to live there for a bit, and I was welcoming the chance.
"Like what does Milwaukee have that Rome doesn't?", people would usually be like, and then I'd say something about the late-night chili places that stay open after the bars close.
"Does Rome have that?", I'd be like, and then I'd tell them that Rome was the worse for it, and could learn a thing or two from Milwaukee.
Anyhow, I've learned a few things going to the chili place.
One time when I dropped in after barhopping to get a chili dog, the counterguy was chatty - this 19yo (white) kid who'd been drinking since he was 12 -- and I asked him if he ever had any trouble with people throwing up in the chili place.
"No," he was like, "If someone looks like they're going to throw up, I tell them that they look like they need some air, and they usually go outside."
He did then tell me, though, about this like 6'5" freshman volleyball player who the 1st week of school last year had been drinking with her teammates for the 1st time ever, and she was sitting on one of the stools by the counter and passed out, and she fell backwards and almost hit her head on the radiator on the back wall, she was so tall... Her head visibly bounced up like 6 inches, I guess, and she was out cold for like 20 seconds, but then she got up and thought she had just fallen, she never realized she passed out.
"Did you call the ambulance or something?", I was like.
"No," he said, "I made her and her teammates leave. I guess she's all right, I still see her walking around campus sometimes."
He also then told me about this late night drunken cracker fight among college kids that ended with someone finishing their meal and saying bye to everyone and walking out the door, and someone picking up a bowl of oyster crackers and whipping it through the big plate glass window in front.
"It cost $2000," he was like. "We traced him through his Marquette cash account, and his parents ended up writing us a big fat check to replace it."
He also says that all the drunk sorority girls lean over the counter and squeeze their tits together and talk to him real nice to try to get free chili off of him, and then "They hit on some poor saps to buy them some chili and they promise them the world, and then when it comes time to leave they just say bye."
Anyhow, the other night I was there again with my one Canadian roommate, and there was a different (white) counterkid working, and we came in mid-story...
"...so they were throwing oyster crackers everywhere, and I said, give me fifty bucks, or I'll call the police and you'll have to pay four-hundred, so the guy gave me that, and I made him leave, and when I threw some crackers at him on the way out, he got all pissed and was like, 'What, you can throw crackers at me, and I can't throw crackers at you?', and I was like, 'Uh, yeah, that's right, now get the *fuck* out of my chili store.'... I was really drunk that night..."
"Like what does Milwaukee have that Rome doesn't?", people would usually be like, and then I'd say something about the late-night chili places that stay open after the bars close.
"Does Rome have that?", I'd be like, and then I'd tell them that Rome was the worse for it, and could learn a thing or two from Milwaukee.
Anyhow, I've learned a few things going to the chili place.
One time when I dropped in after barhopping to get a chili dog, the counterguy was chatty - this 19yo (white) kid who'd been drinking since he was 12 -- and I asked him if he ever had any trouble with people throwing up in the chili place.
"No," he was like, "If someone looks like they're going to throw up, I tell them that they look like they need some air, and they usually go outside."
He did then tell me, though, about this like 6'5" freshman volleyball player who the 1st week of school last year had been drinking with her teammates for the 1st time ever, and she was sitting on one of the stools by the counter and passed out, and she fell backwards and almost hit her head on the radiator on the back wall, she was so tall... Her head visibly bounced up like 6 inches, I guess, and she was out cold for like 20 seconds, but then she got up and thought she had just fallen, she never realized she passed out.
"Did you call the ambulance or something?", I was like.
"No," he said, "I made her and her teammates leave. I guess she's all right, I still see her walking around campus sometimes."
He also then told me about this late night drunken cracker fight among college kids that ended with someone finishing their meal and saying bye to everyone and walking out the door, and someone picking up a bowl of oyster crackers and whipping it through the big plate glass window in front.
"It cost $2000," he was like. "We traced him through his Marquette cash account, and his parents ended up writing us a big fat check to replace it."
He also says that all the drunk sorority girls lean over the counter and squeeze their tits together and talk to him real nice to try to get free chili off of him, and then "They hit on some poor saps to buy them some chili and they promise them the world, and then when it comes time to leave they just say bye."
Anyhow, the other night I was there again with my one Canadian roommate, and there was a different (white) counterkid working, and we came in mid-story...
"...so they were throwing oyster crackers everywhere, and I said, give me fifty bucks, or I'll call the police and you'll have to pay four-hundred, so the guy gave me that, and I made him leave, and when I threw some crackers at him on the way out, he got all pissed and was like, 'What, you can throw crackers at me, and I can't throw crackers at you?', and I was like, 'Uh, yeah, that's right, now get the *fuck* out of my chili store.'... I was really drunk that night..."
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