Flumen Segne

It took me a whole year to get around to it, but today I had my first trip to the famous Texas Tech Leisure Pool. It was constructed last year in an effort to attract students to the university. What kind of students? Students who make choices about which university to attend based on the availability of party pools. This makes me sigh, but since I have no chance of beating them, I was persuaded by my friend Michele to join them. She invited me to join her in the Lazy River, a circuitous canal with a rather powerful current, on which one floats in an inner tube. This, along with the always-busy hot tub, are the principle attractions of the Leisure Pool. Michele came by to pick me up, and quickly informed me that her husband, who is teaching himself Latin for fun (that's the kind of student I want to have, less so the party pool kind, but I digress), had informed her that in Latin, lazy river is flumen segne. We agreed that we were glad to know this, and that this is what we will be calling it from now on.

I had a pleasant time floating around, and acquired my first sunburn in years.

More Lubbock Surprises

One of my plans for the future is to teach a course on film and dance. I even have an article coming out in the fall on dance in silent German cinema. Thing is, I know very well that my knowledge of dance studies lacks both depth and breadth, so I have long dreamed of collaborating with a dance professor who will steer me in the right direction. So, when I learned that the Dance program at Texas Tech was hosting the first annual Flatlands Dance Festival, I figured it would be a good chance to see what the dance faculty were up to. The performances were all by students in the dance program, so I have to admit that I braced myself, as contemporary dance is one of those things that if not done extremely well, can be truly agonizing to watch. Some arts are more forgiving - if a mediocre pianist is playing in the background, it doesn't make you want to run for the door, whereas bad dance can be excruciating. I steeled myself and set out to investigate.

Upon arrival, I was amused to see that since much of the audience consisted of the friends and family of the performers, almost everyone had brought a bouquet to give to their favorite dancer, allowing me the near-magical experience of sitting in an audience full of flowers. The girl who took my ticket asked if I was there to see anyone in particular, and was delighted when I said no, since this indicated a level of community interest in dance. I'm always happy to represent the world of dance fans.

The performances themselves were impressive, with a level of inventiveness and wit that I had not expected. Another pleasant surprise from the Lubbock avant-garde.

Shootin' and Dancin'

I've written before about how Lubbock is party central - never has my social calendar been so full. I just got home from my third party of the weekend, which was a Jane Austen themed garden party, officially called "Drinking with Mr. Darcy." The host was the same colleague who held the birthday bash with the "adult" piñata, so you get the idea. The invitation called for period/formal dress, and there were plenty of Empire waists to go around. Apart from a gin-centered bar and buffet of cold lamb, the attractions included archery and 18th century dancing. My friend Michele won the archery tournament, and I was a close second. We were pleased that we trounced the men, and there is talk of honing our skills this summer at future garden parties. Our dance instructor was an elementary school music teacher, so the level of discourse was just right.