This is NOT Over

Wed Feb 7, 1990 Me and My Ignorance

Took a test, worked and then got crushed by Tom at pool. He beat me 17 games out of 20. I have to remember to lose count the next time I'm being beaten that badly at anything.

Hung out in the smoking section with Jen-O. We talked about Xenophon and she also made fun of me (but not really) for my behavior the other night with Victor and Laura with the Big Boobs. She said I didn't need to say what I said. She said I sounded pathetic. She said my reaction bordered on the "white victim response". That was a low blow and I could tell Jen sort of enjoyed taking it.

Maybe we all enjoy it when someone shows their ass. She may be right and I unnecessarily showed mine the other night. When confronted by her about it tonight, it got a lot worse. I talked about my experience and where my grandparents were from, how my grandfather left Slovenia at 16 and how painting anyone with a broad brush, including white people is ignorance incarnate.

Maybe Jen wasn't picking a fight with me. Maybe she didn't enjoy seeing me show my ass. Who would?

Maybe I don't know what I am talking about.

Now we're getting somewhere.

Came up to my room and Buttweasle said there was a message from Eileen, or the other one.

No way to know and poor Chris was too sleepy and too indifferent to know the difference.

I don’t blame him. It’s not his job to know or care about those I care about or care to hear from…at this point I’m happy anyone calls or writes.

Didn’t really worry about who is calling me or why. Pretty sure it was the one with the “I” because she knows I have the Simpsons tape from Sunday. Well technically it is Chris who owns the tape. She should’ve just asked him for it. I love my roomie and his wonderful machines.

Spent the rest of the evening thinking about the initial action of Xenophon’s Hiero and I think it is a thing worth thinking about, especially in a dialogue that is so short. Before a word is spoken we know the artist and the tyrant are in the same room together. Most translations that I have found (because I refuse to be a slave to the text Strauss uses, although it is our text)…most translations lead us to believe that the artist visits the tyrant.

Whether he is summoned or comes of his own volition, we don’t know. I have thoughts but they might not be worth all that much, or they are for later.

The one commonality between the texts, we find the artist in the presence of the bad guy and then they both find leisure. Maybe what is exciting to me is that all the opening passages I found are exciting, pregnant and strange all at once. We wonder why these two came together in the first place, how they can relax around each other, and what the hell are they going to talk about…?