Old Post Rhode Island

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Journey to Providence

Frank flew into Providence for a conference on Rebellious Law and we met him at his old friend Matt's apartment. Matt teaches American Literature at the University of Rhode Island. Matt was teaching; I was sorry not to see him. He is one of my favorite people. In college I loved American literature, Melville, and the history of American thought; I especially was interested in the period called the American Renaissance (1820-1865) and the Transcendentalists. American literature and thought is Matt's specialty and I always like to hear him talk about it, and to follow as best I can his current research and perspectives. He works hard in the world of ideas, knows a great deal, and processes that knowledge in sophisticated and intricate ways. His bookshelves are full of texts I should have read and studied. There are many of the pieces of intellectualism out of my past, my intellectual road not traveled.

Frank did share one of Matt's current interests, integrating crictical approaches of F.O. Matthiessen with an ethic of aesthetics Frank told us Matt calls "vitality," as well as Matt's interest in relating those ideas to others of the philospher Foucault and arguing ways in which such thought might transcend some of the currently politically correct critical approach to literature paradigms. I'm not claiming to have fully understood that conversation, but it did get me struggling to think in ways I rarely explore these days; I have always wondered if I would have been bright enough to explore and study at these intellectual levels had inner city teaching not been my first choice.

So Matt's apartment was for me a bit magical: a large map of American in 1864 graces his wall, a fine little gargoyle called "baby goyle" hangs over one shelf in much the way a gargoyle from Notredame in Paris hangs over one of mine. And scattered in with the American Renaissance books were volumes of Pablo Neruda's poetry. It is always a bit eerie when someone else's intellectual interests touches our own.

We went to breakfast at a fine little diner where they served Portuguese chorizo in spicy patties. The woman actually served tea that she had steeped with boiling water in an oversized china cup.
In very few places in America can you get tea that is drinkable. Usually you get some water that starts out luke warm and is further cooled by being dumped in a cold little cup.
An unwrapped tea bag is on the side.
You are careful to rip the bag from the paper so as not to set the tea loose, but you know that the water is cooling all the while you are ripping. Finally, you can force the dry bag down into luke warm water; you watch the tea bleed out is slow streaks like diluted dried blood. And when you sip, it tastes like something from the dishpan.
The waitress comes nine times to fill the coffee drinkers' cups and but never once will she say a word to you, or perhaps on the eighth trip, if you look longingly at her, she will ask if want "more hot water" making you feel a little like Alice in Wonderland because you know you have yet to have any hot water whatsoever. This was very different. It was just Lipton tea, but it was very good. I had two cups, and I never once envied the coffee drinkers. Perhaps I'll drive to Providence for all my diner breakfasts.
















We tried to go outside and see a bit of the water and the town, but it was very cold and we would up visiting inside, hearing about Frank's new job at a law firm that focuses on employee benefits and other parts of his life and dreams. Frank shared many of the details of his personal and law college life, including his push for individuation and his new part time job with a law firm that deals with employee benefits. It was a great afternoon catching up on all the details. He seems to be doing very well in every way, to be more healthy, more balanced, and moving toward becoming a lawyer. He is ready to get out of classes and into work. It was really great to see him and have so much uninterrupted time to talk and banter.









In the evening we went for Chicken wings, burgers, and a sample of the local beer at a famous Providence BrewPub, Trinity House. Dana drove up from Boston to meet us. Here the conversation drifted to the "Dungeons and Dragons" video game which Dana has helped develop. It was to be released today and is destined to become very popular around the country.








Dana also answered some of our questions about blogging and other computer issues. It was so fine to have these two boys together for a while. It was fun to listen to them talk together, to laugh and banter. And the chicken wings washed down with a nice Trinity brew were not bad either.