Checking In (Patreon)

So obviously there hasn't been much action here. If you check in occasionally with my Films Seen lists (on Letterboxd or the Academic Hack), you've probably noticed what we might generously refer to as a lull. So I figured I'd give you an update on all that has been happening, and all that has not.

First of all, Jen and I sold our house yesterday. It worked out quite well, all things considered. It was on the market for less than twelve hours when the deal came in, we got a bit above our asking price, and we made a healthy profit. But in the run-up to the sale, we have been running ourselves ragged with Home Shit. Touch-up painting, door and window replacement, power washing, gardening, and on and on. And since the house was staged, we had to move into my parents' upstairs bedroom -- me, Jen, five cats and a dog.

Second, teaching. The semester grinds on, and last week I had, shall we say, a very non-positive evaluation from my boss. So I had to revise my syllabus and return to full-class meetings from the split sessions I'd been conducting to enforce social distancing. The thing is, I've been teaching for a long time, and have my own way of doing things, and getting results. My boss, on the other hand, is what the Brits call a "jobsworth." But hey, everybody has a boss.

So now, Jen and I are focusing on buying our new home. We have an offer in, and are waiting for the seller to respond. And if that goes through (which I hope it does), yay! Packing and moving in the middle of the semester.

My parents' internet has some kind of insane firewall, or crazy tight security. While I am here, I cannot update my website. So if I actually do get time to watch anything, it'll be posted to Letterboxd, for now. 

I've tried watching some things. Prism is a nice film that presents an undergraduate-level analysis of race and film technology. I didn't exactly need to finish it. (If you're curious about the topic, read Genevieve Yue's book Girl Head.) I am about 30 minutes into One Second, which is at least lovely to look at. And, well, I'm having a lot of trouble with The Velvet Underground and its avant-garde-in-a-blender aesthetic.

So that's that. I will hopefully get back on track soon, and try to give you, the subscriber, your freaking money's worth.

UPDATE: We got the house! Found out this morning.