Bonus Learning

It’s been a while since my last post, and I’ve been making the most of my monthlong break in between semesters. Many of my friends and colleagues on campus chose to take a different approach. Like most universities, Harvard offers its graduate students the opportunity to take classes during January, a mini-semester known as “J-Term.” Since we’re already paying an arm and a leg to be here, it does make sense to get your money’s worth, I guess. 

Personally, this option just wasn’t for me. When I started to lose feeling in my right pinky toe sometime in mid-December, I knew that I needed a change of scenery and a few weeks to thaw out. In fact, I was on a plane to New Orleans before my last two final papers were even due.

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not knocking the idea of a little bonus learning during the break. In fact, I picked up a few nuggets of wisdom here and there myself. So, without any further ado, I present the latest in a long lineage of Live From Tomorrow Lists!

1. You're never too young to lose your first tooth.

2. You're never too old to get an awesome Christmas present from the Notorious D.A.D.

3. Mexico City is as big and crowded as everyone says it is.

4. My Salsa is smooth, but my Tango needs a lot of work.

5. Mezcal tastes better when you're drinking it with family in Mexico.

6. San Miguel de Allende is a great place to spend New Year's Eve.

7. The Sinaloa taco truck at 22nd and International in Oakland is still better than anything I could find south of the border.

8. You don't need a cool accent to be a great soccer coach (but it doesn't hurt). 

9. Natick F.C., my East Coast squad, has what it takes to win the championship at Teamworks in Acton.

10. New Orleans Jazz is just not as enjoyable when its 7 degrees outside.

So, as you can tell by that last video, I've landed back in the Arctic Circle, and I'm settling back in. I've narrowed my schedule down to six courses, but I'll be cutting that down to five this week after I see what some of these professors are working with. One thing is for sure—this semester is about to be no joke. I'm just glad I made the most of my break because it's about to get ugly. Wish me luck.

Pura Vida,

Drew

No Captions

There’s been a lot to write about since I last checked in, but for various reasons I haven’t posted in a few weeks. For one, I was knee-deep in final papers, working on my Master Plan. I also wanted to write about the passing of Nelson Mandela. I really tried, but on three separate occasions I couldn’t get more than a few sentences out. I guess that's just one of those things we'll have to talk about in person.

I just spent a week in New Orleans—my first trip to a city that’s been calling my name for a long, long time. On my second to last day there, I visited the New Orleans Museum of Art to check out the Gordon Parks exhibit. The installation, titled “Gordon Parks: The Making of an Argument” provided an interesting new perspective on the landmark “Harlem Gang Leader” photographic essay that appeared in Life magazine in 1948. The exhibit presented the photographs taken by Parks, including those that Life did not publish, alongside contact sheets and proof prints that give insight in the editorial decisions that the magazine made when constructing their argument. For example, they were clearly not interested in photos of Leonard “Red” Jackson that captured him doing anything other than being a gang-leader. Also, seeing the original photos without their editorial captions makes you appreciate how much the “message” of a photograph can be restated just by adding a few words of framing.

So that got me thinking about his post, and I decided that I would do something that I never do in this blog. I made a decision early on that this blog would be about the writing—not just a collage of pictures. But this week I’m making an exception. Below, I offer you a series of pictures that tell the story of my life over the last month. No captions, no explanations. Just the images. I hope you enjoy them…

Pura Vida,

Drew