2005-03-13 - 12:58 p.m.
What I'm listening to: Rock Around the Clock-Bill Haley and the Comets, on a K-Tel record.
This record is old enough that the address for K-Tel has the zone system on it-pre-postal codes. I'd date it at around the late 1960s. Also, St. Jacques in Montreal is listed as St. James West.
I had no idea that nostalgia for the 1950s went back that far. I thought it went back to about when American Graffitti (sp?) came out around 1973, and then through the late 1970s into the 'Grease" era. I think that's when a lot of those 'Crusin 1958' type records came out.
From what I know, a lot of that nostalgia was fueled by Vietnam and the subsequent protests. The nostalgia brought the baby boomers back to a time of innocence, a time of confidences (thanks to Paul Simon for the last 8 words, from the songs 'Bookends', or 'Old Friends' I can't remember which one-the song continues 'long ago it must be I have a photograph, preserve your memories, they're all that's left you' or something like that).
Last night I was out with friends at the GoGo Lounge. Never been there before, and I think I just experienced what a hipster bar is. I was never aware of this term/label until I came to Montreal. Then again, I don't think that there are any hipsters in Ottawa.
From what I gather, the disdain for this species is that they seem to be pretty condescending (sp?). It's not the ecletic taste, or the interest in being well versed in the history of pop culture, but for example a hipster would say: 'I know this obscure three man cello acid rock polka band that played one show in August of 1969 on the only natural beach in all of Omaha, do you know them? If not, you suck'.
So for the first time I heard Bill Haley in a bar. While trying to dance to this (I was hoping for more disco), I remembered that I used to know how to swing dance, and could not bring the moves back. I guess I'll revisit that eventually, when I learn how to waltz.
I've also come to realize that there seem to be three types of grad students: The ones that really don't care, and who just happened to fall into this environment. The ones who have let the institution bring them down and are thus really bitter. And finally the ones who are passionate about what they do and feed off this place, both good and bad.
The more and more I, as one of my mentors from undergrad has commented, 'devle into the bowels of academia', I'm realizing that this is so much like 'working in the real world'. The scare quotes is that this world is very real, almost moreso than when I used to work in the non-academic workforce. I think there's a misconception in the world outside of this sphere that just because you're a student, that you're not really working, but just hanging out at the grad pub and getting drunk or stoned.....well, I guess there is some truth to that misconception.:)
Back to work. I just realized that my version of MS Office doesn't have Powerpoint.....shitting bricks starts......now!
