At the Lake House
I moved into my new place yesterday. I'm not quite settled in since there are still boxes in the garage that I've not brought into the house--but bed, dishes, and food have been installed in their proper places.
I felt off today. I laid around a bit, before and after a faculty Zoom meeting at 12:30pm. Napped, woke up, ate, watched movies on Kanopy and vids on Youtube. Then went back to nap. Repeat. And here I am two minutes shy of midnight, having scarfed down some pizza and a dessert. Listening to the soundtrack from Godard's _Contempt_ (1963). Here is a film trailer: you can hear the piece titled "Camille" playing throughout.
Click to viewI don't know where the day went.
But it feels good to be able to freely roam this two-bedroom house. Peace abides here. In my old place, it seemed to me that malevolence was emanating from the walls...glad to have escaped.
I'm grateful for this new place. And it's ten-minutes walking distance from my school. There's a lake nearby. Here are two pics of the lake near my new place. There were some humongous swans floating by earlier - I don't know too much about swans: they very well could've been appropriately sized. But, still, they looked like they were on steroids. I think they swam to the other side of the lake. I like these ungraceful, jolly swans. Good omen, I think.
I showed a friend the pics. She behaved as if I live on the lakefront. I clarified my exact location. She said, "To me, you'll always live in a beautiful lake house." Haha, it's not quite that, but my place has charm. The lake is ten minutes away.
In a day or two, I want to start getting up early to get coffee at one of the lakefront cafes, then walk to my office to plan next semester's courses for three hours, daily. If I work steadily every day, it might even be enjoyable, since I won't be striving to cram it all in, a week before classes start. A daily routine involving a walk to the lakefront to see my gigantic swans while drinking coffee seems necessary, or just appropriate in terms of the sudden whimsy that is pervading my life.
I am working on a Hitchcock article that I need to devote regular time to, as well. And reading. I need to read daily. It calms my mind down and, somehow, the gradual deepening of concentration makes me feel that all will be alright. My mind feels sharper, more perceptive, and my emotions become mellow and...appropriate, not chaotic or tidal.
My new TV gets here tomorrow! I received the Blu Ray player today. I look forward to watching the 7 films in my burgeoning Criterion Collection. I'll start with Resnais's _Hiroshima Mon Amour_ (1959) since a friend insists that it's a powerful love story. A highly stylized, aesthetically rich love story? Yeah, count me in.
I might order _Jules et Jim_ from Amazon 'cause it looks very good.
I am blessed to be in my new place. The life that is starting to take shape seems ideal, or at least proportional to my present needs and desires.
Pretty happy.