Was It Something I Said?

This summer session is only five weeks long, so classes are longer and more frequent. My history class is at 8:00 am, four days a week. My intention was to take it on a credit/no credit basis, but after the first class meeting I decided to take it for a grade. The first test (this coming Monday) will test my decision. There is a lot of reading to do, but no written homework. The professor is strict but not mean, and is an entertaining lecturer who loves and knows his subject. The tests (one per week plus the final) will be multiple choice. This is the kind of environment in which I normally perform very well.

Under the Tuscan Sun: If you saw the movie, you have no idea what the book is about. Frances Mayes and her husband bought and restored an old house in the Tuscan countryside, where they also grew their own olives and grapes. They continued to live and work in the U.S., but, being teachers, they had plenty of vacation time to repair, rebuild and ultimately enjoy their second home. Mayes describes in elaborate detail the local culture and cuisine, the beauty of the countryside, and the long, hard journey to completing the house’s restoration. The book is beautifully written, but after a while I began to feel that all they did was work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep, especially work and eat. There are even recipes included! No doubt I am in the minority, but after reading about this couple’s tedious, four-year struggle to finish the project, I did not feel inspired to buy (or even rent) a house in Tuscany. Driving through and stopping for lunch will be just fine.