Cambridge onward

July 5, 2010

Tottered across Cambridge last night finding new places to have a drink, now that the undergrads are gone and some of the crush relieved. Encountered Matt and Marcela at the door of the Pickerel, and we all had too many drinks at the Castle. Matt told me more about his life than I had known, or even guessed, though the telling was difficult for him and the least thing (mostly M’s exuberant and repetitive autobiographical impulse) threw him off.

Collected the students’ journals and am reading them. That most of them did not affix their names doesn’t matter: for the most part they sound exactly like themselves. They certainly do mention food a lot. They think I’m kind. There are cliques and feuds and grudges among them that I had not sensed in the least. Everyone seems to hate the same person, who seems not to know.

Phoned Steve. See him Wednesday night.

My face in the mirror looks like a farmer’s from all the sun one expects not to see in Britain.

Got WCQS on the Internet. Sounded like home. I think part of my journey is finished, in all but fact. The window being pushed back and forth on its sill by the wind sounds like Titus mewing. It is very disturbing. Almost homesick-making.

Evening. Chatted with Joey at the County Arms, then went walking to see Kings’ under the blue linen sky. Cambridge is an experiment to see how people will live when their environment is beautiful– from every perspective, in every direction. Tonight the beauty turned to mirth, and wherever there were people on the twisted streets, there was laughter.