A decided chill in the air today. Up and moving quite early, I decided to head to a branch of The (Topless) Mermaid across the street from campus this morning for some uninterrupted work on my laptop with a grande dark roast.
Were there alternatives, I would happily oblige. But for some very odd reason, especially given the size of Michigan State, there is a dearth of cafes in campus town (such as it is). On campus, we have the MSU chain Sparty's, but their coffee always tastes burned, and there is no ambiance to speak of. And although the promised library branch of The Mermaid has yet to open, and one man's ambiance is another man's Sartrean purgatory, the branch of The Mermaid just off campus it was between 6:30-10:30am today.
Delightfully quiet in any case out ahead of the long Thanksgiving weekend since so many students have either left for home already, or have used the approaching holiday as yet another excuse to avoid any sort of commitment, disconnect, and stay in bed. Mentally speaking at least. But that development is nothing new each November. Like so many other professors, I cancelled classes for today based on lengthy experience and anecdotal observation.
A close friend and colleague of mine, who, it must be said, comes from an Asian culture where learning is still respected and valued as an opportunity for self-improvement, has made an interesting observation. US undergraduates, in general, pay lots of money, or take out huge loans, to skip classes and avoid doing much in the way of coursework. There are exceptions, of course, but by and large I think my fiend might be onto something with that.
Anyway, about 90 minutes into my proofreading work on an article, a 60-something (???) women paid today's attire a very kind compliment and added,
"You don't see anyone dressed like that in East Lansing." I smiled, thanked her, agreed, and wished her a good day.
Compliments. Never necessary, but always nice to hear if, or when they come.
-- Heinz-Ulrich
T
Comments
Post a Comment
All opinions are welcome here. Even those that differ from mine. But let's keep it clean and civil, please.
-- Heinz-Ulrich