Soulard Farmer's Market

The Soulard Farmer's Market came highly recommended, so I explored it this Saturday morning. It's basically the produce section of a grocery store (which is to say, not all that local) at lower prices (I'm assuming since they don't have to pay the overhead costs--the land was donated for the market in 1841, although the market has been running since 1779).

 I was surprised to see some live birds. (Do people still eat geese?)

Another surprise: Bloody Marys are a big deal at the market--you get one and carry it around with you as you shop (due to Missouri's lax open container laws, which is to say, there aren't any).

Friends

While the St. Louisians that I've met so far have been incredibly welcoming, the fact is, there's no one here who I've known for longer than 1 month--most people here don't really know the first thing about me. Mostly because we likely disagree on many points of religion and politics, so I don't bring them up. I have to tell you, if you take religion and politics out of my conversational repertoire, I don't come out as one of the more interesting people you've ever met.

No one has known me longer than a month, that is, except for my friend, Norleans, and her husband; I've known Norleans since my Texas days, long ago, where she was like an older sister to me and calmed me down (read: laughed at me) when I was worried that a small bump on the back of my head was cancer. They live with her husband's son, and their 3-week-old baby girl (who I've gotten to meet three times already--it's amazing to watch her change and grow each time). And they are such wonderful people. They invited me to join them for ice cream tonight at one of St. Louis' famed frozen custard places. And since the only thing I had scheduled was a hot tv-watching date with Francisco (long distance relationships are incredibly sad animals*), I happily agreed.

On our way there, Norleans and her husband said, "This is the first family outing with all five of us"--I'm family for the year. What in the world more could you want from a friend? This is a time where I certainly need a midwest family, and I'm happy to be adopted.


*I love the internet--here are helpful tips for long distance dating. Gosh--the amount of games that these people play online--crosswords, scrabble, chess--it sounds depressing. 

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Francisco, arguing that he likes the presents I get him, even though the ones he gets me are much fancier: "I like your presents! I really liked that Graham Greene book that was chewed by a dog."

Things I don't mind that other people seem to mind:

--not watching movies in the theater: In fact, oftentimes a tiny portion of my computer screen is just fine.

--non-seasonal food: Sure, I know that tomatoes are better in the summer than in the winter, but sometimes I want some tomato on my sandwich in the winter. And sometimes I want grilled cheese and tomato soup in the middle of the summer when it's 100 degrees outside. And sometimes I want pink wine in January. Also: my food doesn't have to match the time of day in which I eat/drink it.

--cold food: Probably 90 percent of foods I prefer cold. I just finished some cold oatmeal that I couldn't get down this morning and I realized that I probably like oatmeal cold more than hot. Other foods I like cold: All leftovers, canned soup, canned raviolis, canned green beans, pizza.

I realize that from this list it sounds like I'm a terrible eater, and this may be the reason that every time I speak to Mama Leopard she asks me what I'm eating and if it's healthy. But I will have you know that at the moment I'm on a health food kick and aside from McDonald's when I'm traveling and the ungodly amounts of chocolate the I consume, you should all be incredibly proud of me. I even ate a bran muffin with my coffee the other day!

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The teller at the bank today asked me if I am from another country (she is). She said that I have a beautiful accent, like an actress.

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"He had been a Boy Scout and had never gotten over it: he was genuinely kind and good."

--Laurie Colwin, "Intimacy" in The Lone Pilgrim

A Random Assortment

It took me a long time to realize that the metro in DC is an example of brutalist architecture. I just thought that's what it looked like to build things underground. (One of my professors once explained why it is that so many universities ended up with brutalist libraries, but I forget that now. Something about publishing rapidly expanding at just the wrong time.) 

~ An article on a long-lost essay on detective fiction by Agatha Christie (via Hopkins). The essay is published as the preface to Ask a Policeman, which was

the second novel written by members of the Detection Club, a group of British authors set up in 1930. The book's title was dreamed up by Milward Kennedy, John Rhode thought out the murder and suspects, and Gladys Mitchell, Helen Simpson, Sayers and Anthony Berkeley lent their detective creations to solve the mystery. The authors then swapped characters – so Berkeley, for example, took Lord Peter Wimsey and Sayers took Berkeley's Roger Sheringham – allowing them to poke playful fun at each other.
"The Detection Club was a dining club for crime writers – they used to raise money to pay for their dinners by writing these novels," says Brawn.

~ Paul Elie on the practical reasons his family homeschools.

~I haven't watched, "Breaking Amish," but I have scene an episode of "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding," and it made me somewhat uncomfortable both in the same way that most reality television does, but also because it plays up to stereotypes.

~ I feel, often, like I'm in a really foreign place, even though I'm only 15 hours by car from my hometown. These streetcar shelters, which I pass every day on the way to work/school, and which I never thought twice about--imagining they were just a decorative extension of the gate to certain communities--are an instance of that.

~ Alan Jacobs, on why he loves Bakhtin. I've only read Bakhtin on Dostoevsky, but I loved him for just the same reasons that Jacobs expresses more eloquently than I ever could have.

~ A Pennsylvania House candidate was threatened in a letter that said, "a woman's place is at home and not trying to be in politics." The "barn doors on the property were also opened, releasing her animals into a fenced area."

St. Louis

Here is St. Louis from Anastasis Films on Vimeo.

So excited to explore/photograph this city. 

Union Market

Francisco and I unexpectedly and delightfully ran into Edge and J at the Folger Shakespeare Library's exhibit, London: 1500-1700 as I was distractedly taking a picture (above) and reflecting on how many couples appeared to be attending the exhibit together.

The exhibit was interesting--it traces the changes to the church, markets and theaters of London over two hundred years. Although I was irked that the exhibit proclaimed that in the "Letter Concerning Toleration," "Locke was not ahead of his time: he excluded Catholics and atheists from toleration." Now, I'm not a big fan of the fact that Locke's toleration was limited, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't ahead of his time!

After looking at the exhibit, we headed up to the brand-spanking-new Union Market, north of Capitol Hill. Quite a few stores have yet to open, but so far it looks like a fancy-pants version of Eastern Market--there's an oyster bar and an olive oil stand and some locally grown lamb sausages.

This Saturday was "Trucktober Fest" just across the street. I'm a little confused, since it's still September. I think it should be called, "Trucktember Fest," but they didn't consult me.

To be perfectly honest, that may be only the second time that I've eaten from a food truck (the first time was a super special halal cart in New York City). Anyway, the food was excellent, and so was the lemon peel ginger soda that we drank.

(Since moving to the Midwest, I've become obsessed with clouds.)

DC in Color

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"That dictator and I have the same hair!" --Francisco on Nicolae Ceaușescu

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It perpetually amuses me that every time I grab a ziploc bag to carry liquids and gels on an airplane, it has written in magic marker on the side whatever kind of venison Mama Leopard had previously stored in that bag in the freezer. 

Meet Mona

Just to be clear: Not my dog. But we did move in together.

Meet My New School

My building. Soon after arriving in St. Louis, I went with #1tomatolover to an art show held in my town, which is just outside of St. Louis. What I noticed was that a lot of the art there emphasized the sky. Which is also what has stuck out to me most about the campus and this part of the world--it's fairly flat, the architecture is fairly low to the ground, there's a lot of space, and the sky is big.

At least the library is not brutalist. Although it's tricky to find the door, and once you've found it (because you see where most people are going in and out), it's hard to find the handle.

My favorite building on campus, which is part of a gorgeous quad and was used for the 1904 World's Fair. Below: the inside. 

And here's the chapel, which can be rented for religious services, with the Rabbit Thinker, which I don't love.

Rant

Why do they still sell old-fashioned oats? I always accidentally buy them rather than the quick kind.

Oh my goodness, this does my heart good: Kate and William break it down. (It gets good at 1:40 and even better at 2:15.)

Random Assortment

~ Meta-street style photography: Bill Cunningham is fashion's saint (well, or at least the saint of fashion photography).

~ What to do with writers who don't like [certain parts of] their work anymore.

~ On Shulamith Firestone.

~ New Emily Dickinson daguerreotype? (There's only one authenticated one in existence so far.)

~ Nathaniel Hawthorne on Franklin Pierce.

~ I need a bike! I love these authors on their bikes. 

St. Louis

Here are a side entrance and steeple to a St. Louis church.

I was a bit early to a dinner and so was just wandering around Maplewood.

This is from the St. Louis balloon race. I was attending a conference in town, so I, unfortunately, missed the festivities. But I saw some of the balloons racing on my way to Trader Joe's (hence the horrible picture).

It isn't entirely clear to me how the balloon race works. I guess it's hard to maneuver hot air balloons or get them to do what you want them to do. I think they're like cats. So it seems like mostly luck. And supposedly it involves a rabbit balloon that gets released first. Afterward, the rest of the balloons chase the rabbit and the one that gets closest wins. If you, my dear readers, have better knowledge of hot air balloon races, do share.

The thing that I really regret not being able to see is the "glow" the night before the race. After dark, the hot air balloons light their fires and people can walk around and see them.

(Above, you can see the Energizer Bunny balloon that the other balloons chase. Sadly, the last two pictures are not mine.)

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"You're making that argument and it's pretty persuasive; I heard Delba Winthrop make that argument and I wasn't really impressed."

--senior scholar in my field on my explanation of Aristotle on women (I'm summarizing, because I couldn't run and jot down what he said just then. Although believe me, I wanted to.)

Best. Compliment. Ever.

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There's no alcohol allowed on campus, which is surprising considering that the building next to mine is "Anheuser-Busch Hall." I half expected them to be giving away Budweisers here. #orientation

Also, the architectural style of campus is Gothic. From the website:

"In 1902, Cope explained his use of the Gothic style to the University trustees. 'Broadly speaking, the architecture of today may be divided into two styles: the Gothic and the Classic. . . .To the beholder the Classic says this is the sum—here is perfection—do not aspire further. The Gothic says to him: reach higher—spread outward and upward—there are no limitations.'"

The thing is, the overwhelming feeling I have when I'm on campus is how short the buildings are. Like four stories at the most. The Gothic on campus says to me: "Reach slightly high." Actually, it really says, "Stay close to the ground."

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T.S. Eliot's grandfather, William Greenleaf Eliot, helped found my new university and was its third chancellor. #schoolpride

Also: if the background music to the horrible inspirational video that they showed us about the university's organizational structure was not the Star Wars theme song, then it was something uncannily similar. #orientation

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In my mechanic's waiting room (don't worry: it was just for an inspection), a random woman, on seeing Hilary Clinton on tv sporting a slicked-back pony-tail: "What happened to her hair? Does she have cancer?!"

St. Louis Zoo

I forgot to tell you about going to the St. Louis zoo with #1tomatolover. We went on a 90 degree afternoon, which was just stupid for seeing animals--many of the large cats were passed out on the ground as if they were dead. Also: I forgot my camera, which was a huge disappointment.

Hands down, the best part of the zoo was the hippos. The St. Louis zoo has an underwater hippo viewing area. It is incredible to watch those guys swim. They look like they're hippo angels in heaven--they are graceful and happy, like pig-looking horses galloping in circles, only they also float and turn and glide. They were playful and full of energy. #1tomatolover had to tear me away: I could have watched them all day.

I stuck a youtube video up so that you could have an idea of what I'm talking about, although there were 4 or so of them doing underwater ballet for us. And this video was taken by someone else at a different zoo.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis

That's the name; no kidding. Isn't that like calling something an onion shallot or a prince king?

But it's lovely: basically every available surface has been covered with mosaics and there's lots of gold. It's not unlike the National Shrine (they must've been built around the same time) in its Byzantine-Romanesque architecture.

The acoustics, though? Not so good.

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So the dissertation's done (of course, unfortunately, done is never done--now I have to try to turn it into a book, just when I wanted to never see it again).

But I'm committed to being healthier this year in every way: going to church more, spending more time with friends (this might have to be virtually since I next to no friends in STL--if you, dear reader, know of any, send them my way), buying more clothes, and working out more. Which is to say, at all. I'm planning to run more and eat better. The problem that I always run into, though, is that I am utterly convinced that chocolate and bread are really good for you. I firmly believe that.

The Mystery of the Hereafter and The Peace of God that Passeth Understanding

You guys know I'm a sucker for a good graveyard. Last week, Stearns and #1tomatolover and Francisco and I headed up to Rock Creek Cemetery to visit the Adams Memorial. Henry Adams commissioned this statue in honor of his wife, Marian "Clover" Hooper Adams, after her suicide.

The sculpture's name is "The Mystery of the Hereafter and The Peace of God that Passeth Understanding" (although it's commonly called "Grief"). The sculptor's name is Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

It's supposed to be neither male nor female and is influenced by Buddhist artwork.

The whole graveyard was full of lovely and interesting gravestones:

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Warren: "You are officially the coolest PhD I know!"

Oh Warren, it's good to have you back!

Roadtrip

#1tomatolover and I (well, mostly just #1tomatolover) drove out to Missouri this past weekend. (He forgot his sunglasses and had to borrow mine.)

I took these two pictures in Cumberland, MD, where we stopped for lunch. It was a big mistake to travel on a Monday, and especially on Labor Day, because there was only one open place with food in the entire downtown.

(I love the statue in the window.)

We stopped to see a lot of aunts and uncles and cousins on the way out. I soundly schooled A (below) and #1tomatolover in pinball. This was not due to luck: it was due to my intense concentration.

Thankfully, one of my aunts and one of my cousins were there when my car battery died to jump start it and help us find an Advance Auto. Unfortunately, jump starting my little car made something go out on their much bigger car. 

I'll tell you what: the St. Louis arch (not my picture) was a sight for sore eyes. When I saw it, it looked oddly familiar. And then I remembered:

The Lycoming Mall arch! Or, as some called it, "the Big Poop."

But best of all is arriving to a new town and a new job to this:

Buff Jesus

From the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which Stearns and Francisco and I visited with #1tomatolover last week.

There is a lot that I don't think is very pretty there (such as the artwork on the sides, whose thick black lines always remind me of comic book drawings), but there are a couple of things I love:

a) The Pentecost rotunda near the front, with a lovely pattern of little tongues of fire (way better than that sentimental rose pattern of the Baltimore Basilica [and of the Capitol, for that matter]). 

b) The side chapel collection of different Mary's.

c) The three little apses (I think?) that have five pictures in each, following the Joyful Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Glorious Mysteries. The best part is: each picture has below it a picture of something in the Old Testament that foreshadowed it. Some things just hit you more in art than they do with words.

Baltimore

Since the hurricane kept us away from New Orleans this Labor Day, Francisco and I took a little trip up to Baltimore. We started the day at the Baltimore Art Museum, where we looked around the Cone Exhibit (collected by Baltimore's two eccentric Cone Sisters and stuffed to the gills with some great Matisses), before meeting a friend for brunch at The Gertrude. The Gertrude is named after Gertrude Stein, a student of one of the Cone Sisters, who introduced them to the art scene in Europe.

Photo credit: Francisco

After brunch, we headed to the Walters Art Museum a couple of miles away. The Walters is great--here is their Baroque Chamber of Arts and Wonders, which imitates many collections of natural beauty and art from the 1600s. 

The artwork below shows something I'd never seen before: the serpent is a woman. Perhaps the serpent is just Eve! Clearly poor Adam had no chance against the both of them.

The sculpture below if from the side of a sarcophagus. I love the sculptures that don't show the face--very creepy.

There's an old house connected to the Walters that holds it's Asia collection. The house itself is lovely, especially this staircase:

(By the way, both the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Walters are free, so you should go visit!)

We went to mass at the Baltimore Basilica, which was the first cathedral in America (built from 1806 to 1821). It's not really my style, and the crypt, which as far as I remember is great, was closed. But the fact of the matter is, it looks quite similar to early Protestant churches in America--the chandeliers, the giant, stained-glass-less windows, the predominantly white interior, the minimal decoration, etc.

This is the rotunda--the basilica was designed by Benjamin Latrobe, the architect of the Capitol, and the similarities are especially evident in the rotunda and the rotunda flowers.

(The basilica sustained damage in last year's earthquake and is still being renovated as a result.)

We finished our day in Baltimore with a trip to Little Italy. Little Italy was all dolled up for the race car fans--did I mention that there was a big race going on that day in actual downtown Baltimore?--like, along the city streets?! There was, and Parker's husband was driving in it, and it seems that the racers and fans tend to frequent Little Italy. So, with Nascar on in the background, we enjoyed a lovely dinner and canoli.