October 10, 1973 (Letter from Leslie)

Hi sweetie.  It's an exciting afternoon at the old corral.  Actually I have been rummaging through some of the junk in the media lab.  I played a couple of film strips and their respective records:  Decade in America -- 1920's #2 The Jazz Age and the Renaissance in Italy (Dewey Decimal number: 945).

The Jazz Age was interesting -- there was the music of the times along with the filmstrip which showed the "new" women, college men "sheiks", the dances, the frivolity and in the end Prohibition and the gangsters.  Also some of the college vocab at the time -- jalopy, blind date, keiser, goofy, spiffy, lousy, swell, and sex appeal.  "Campus hijinx gave the 20's much of its verve and zing:  college became a pace-setter.  Varsity boys called themselves sheiks, after dashing movie idol Rudolf Valentino.  Raccoon coats, slicked back hair, ukeleles were the sheik's domain.  His harm?  Filled with shebas, vamps, flappers.  Permissive flirts portrayed dancing on table tops, then passing out beneath them from bad liquor."

The Renaissance in Italy was also interesting -- I think it is one of my favorite historical times because of the paintings, architecture and sculpture.  The objectives as stated in the booklet with the filmstrip:  1) to portray attitudes in Italy which led to the Renaissance, 2) to acquaint viewers with the three key cities of the Italian Renaissance, 3) to introduce some of the foremost Renaissance writers and artists and their patrons.  The cities:  Florence, Venice, and Rome.  Most of the pictures were actually slides and were pretty good.  I am all set to go to Italy.

I also looked at pictures of Greece and am willing to go at any time.  I think I would go banans taking pictures of the ruins, would also go broke.

Also watched a 50's social education film -- Beginning to Date.  Will write on nit later.  Am going to do some xeorxing and then assign some Dewey Decimal numbers.


Monday 15 -- Hello -- was glad to hear form you today.  Yes my library charges fines and you will be held accountable until you can pay them off in person.

Reading your letter reminded me of a whole lot of things so Beginning to Date will be put off again.

First of all I've been playing Caravanserai again after a long rest.  Chris and I heard it in the Pub Saturday night and I said -- wow, what a great album that is, you'll have to hear it.  So I will be playing it a little later on -- right now I'm listening to BOC since you mentioned them in your letter.  Will be playing both BOC albums tonight.  Going back to Ziggy Stardust is also a very Nice homey feeling.

Friday Chris and I went to a place near me called Allen's.  It looks really classy inside and is comfortable even though it is a large place.  The dance floor is sunken and a half way decent size.  Plus there is an upstairs area for couples only.  Think you would like it so whenever you come to this area....

This weekend I really felt like driving to Buffalo to see Big John and Pat, but seeing as how I will be going to Atlantic City and Washington, I can't afford it.  Next weekend is even more tempting, but I must stop spending money like it was water.

Two of the grad assistants are leaving.  One of them, Pat is trying to find a job in Rochester as his wife will be starting a job there in November.  The other, Roberta, is going back to Boston to try and find a job.  I just keep thinking that classes can't be an indication of what's ahead.  Also the assistantship and living at home make it quite easy for me so I shall be staying.  My other friends, Robin said that if it wasn't for the assistantship, maybe she wouldn't be here either.

In the middle stall in the bathroom a pretty decent collection of graffiti has been started.  I make sure I visit often enough to keep up on the new development.  It all started with somebody wanting to know where the spirit was in school.  Like with you there is a group of us that are friendly and we keep each other's spirits up.  It seems this dissatisfaction is very common with 1st semester grad students.  Oh, well.  Maybe I'll adds my two cents at the door.

Be back in a minute -- time to put on Tyranny and Mutation.

I have a short paper due this week and a midterm in Info Processing next week.  Ugh.  I'm going to write my paper on Jefferson's classification system, which he took from Francis Bacon.  So tonight I am reading Bacon and making notes.  At the moment I don't feel like doing much of anything except riding around the countryside visiting all of my favorite people.

The new ruling says that grad assistant don't have to work during holidays when classes are suspended.  Yay!  My Thanksgiving is from Wednesday the 21st at noon until Sunday the 25th.  If you want to think about making any plans for then.

Fran, the mechanic down the road, worked on my car Sunday so now I should get about 3 more miles to the gallon putting the Dodge at 16-17 mpg which is better than 14.  He is going to pick up an ignition kit (consists of two springs) which will allow him to set the timing even father ahead and give me a few more miles/gallon.  The other thing he said was that my car had AC plugs and Chrysler products run better with Champions -- so I will get new plugs this weekend.

A little humor -- since I noticed you put the full address on the letter, our mailman gave it to my aunt who lives around the bend on Dubois Lane.  She brought it to my house tonight.

I'm signing off time to do some work.

Tuesday 16:October -- Good morning.  Bright and early.  This morning I overslept by 20 minutes so that coming to school I was in the mainstream of traffic -- ugh.  The cars start lining up about half a mile before the exit I get off.  Aside form that it is beautiful in the morning with the sun coming up and the mist evaporating.  The fall colors are very cheering to the soul.

In reference to Thanksgiving, maybe Christmas is better as it is a longer time.  I don't know, it is good whenever I see you.

Wednesday night 17 -- True to form I have let several things ride so that I have two papers to write.  One of on Thomas Jefferson's classification, which is based on Bacon, so I have been reading Bacon trying to make a chart of his classification of knowledge.  Strange but interesting reading -- trying to keep track of his terms is problem -- am enjoying it on the whole and want to read more of the "originals".  The other paper is a critique on the 500's or 600's of the Dewey Decimal System.  I am comparing edition 11 (1922) with edition 18 (1971), specifically the 680's.  Typical.  It is really not that bad, but I am lazy therefore more of a talker than a writer so motivation to sit down and write rarely arrives.

Just called Roberta on the phone -- will see her probably when the bunch of us go to Washington to see the Library of Congress.  Ah -- it's very tempting to have a large phone bill.

It's been cold and windy the last couple of days -- ugh.  This morning it rained and then stopped and the sun came out.  The contrast between the sun, the wet and bright fall colors and the gray sky was startling.

Next week I have an actual test -- Atlantic City will be a break from midterms.

Not much else to say -- I would just be rambling on -- The Isley Brothers 3+3 is on sale for 2.99 so I think I will gamble on the strength of "That Lady".

Take care of yourself -- I wish you weren't so far way.