Day 230: Stories of Strobl (also known as: why is it snowing in late April?!)

Hello dear readers!

This week's post actually has some news in it alongside the usual beautiful photos of me making faces in various European cities. On Thursday April 27, all of the Fulbright grantees--students and scholars alike--traveled to the lovely small town of Strobl (shtroh-bull), which makes Belle's "provincial town" look like a metropolis. It's closer to Salzburg than to Vienna, and was about 3.5 hours by bus, not including the short time we spent at a rest stop stocking up on snacks. The event in question was the Fulbright Seminar in American Studies, a much more intimidating-sounding conference than it ended up being (thank goodness!). Along for the ride with the American Fulbrighters were the new Austrian Fulbrighters--the ones who are going to teach and study in the United States later in 2017. After all, as we learned during our September orientation, the Fulbright Commission is binational, and works both ways: sending people like me to Austria, and Austrian students to the United States. 

Inevitable selfie taken just before the start of the poster session, where my quizzical brow fails to hide my nervousness.

When we arrived at the Strobl conference center, we quickly settled into our rather nice rooms and got to mingling and organized discussions. The little conference center was actually more like El Capitan--isolated, rural, with multiple buildings, although the buildings were not cabins, but rather more like the hostel we previously stayed in for the St. Pölten orientation way back in 2016. Each discussion group, which met several times during the seminar, was made up of both Austrians and Americans, and each discussed various important issues such as racism, social media, cities, the European Union, infrastructure, and more. It was incredibly vital having both Austrian and American perspectives on these issues, because the discussions really highlighted just how different these countries are in terms of how their inhabitants see one another, and how they see the role of government in their lives.

One of the cute little buildings at the conference site. On the day of arrival...

... the spooky lighting and vibe of the first night...

...and here is the campus the following morning, covered in SNOW. WHY. STOP.

Sprinkled amidst the meals and discussion sessions were lectures given by the American Fulbright Scholars on issues related to the discussions the students had taken part in. One of the professors was actually a Swarthmore alumna, and it was extremely statistically unlikely that two Swarthmore grads would end up at the same tiny conference center in the same small town in the same small country at the same time, but I've noticed that Swarthmore seems to pop up in places and in situations where I least expect it to. 

The centerpiece and main event of the seminar was the Fulbright research presentations. While most of my colleagues had lovely posters made detailing their work on this grant, I realized I had too many images and videos related to my artists to make printing something out feasible. So, naturally, I made another blog, which is now the living archive of my research (and is still currently in progress). It was a little awkward standing next to my laptop while everyone else had a giant poster, but I did get to have some really great conversations with both Austrian and American Fulbrighters, and because it was a poster session format, I didn't have to speak to everyone at once--people walked around the room and asked questions as they saw fit.

Courtesy Fulbright Austria: me explaining things about my project!!

People milling about the poster session. All very fancy and professional.

The morning of our departure, a few Austrian students/scholars and I decided to explore the small town of Strobl, beginning with an idyllic lakeside stroll. The scenery on that last day was fresh and green, and the shoreline looked straight out of a Scandinavian crime drama (just add fog and some dark electronic music).

This is what I get for not being careful with which direction the sun was shining.

See what I mean about the crime drama aspect? I wanted to put on some latex gloves and start pulling stones out of the water for the evidence locker, or something.

Too cold for a swim. But the water sure looked clear!

I just liked that the profile of this bust looked kind of like Frances McDormand.

Maybe? A slight resemblance? Hm.
(http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Frances+McDormand+m_Db-3tyI_nm.jpg)

It's just so strange that I have fewer than two months left here. I've been taking walks around Vienna in the evening now that the weather is generally warm-ish and the sun doesn't set so early, and I'm just struck by how much of it I haven't gotten to see yet. I'm pretty sure I haven't been in at least a third of the districts for any substantial amount of time, and yet I'm finding myself reluctant to keep exploring, weirdly enough. It's just that when I leave Vienna, I don't know when or if I'll ever be back, and I don't want to keep finding things that I know I'll miss, because I already have enough that will make me probably cry on the plane ride home. It'll be nice to be back in Los Angeles, and then wherever I end up (depending on the job hunt), but I would have liked to be able to stay a little longer. The more news I get from home, the more I wish I could stay at least a few more months. Sometimes when I go for my walks, I'm just struck by this awful melancholy about going. Part of it is trepidation about the future, but part of it is that I'm never going to have this kind of opportunity to live in Europe with relatively few cares and obligations at any later date in my life.

Teaching ends in late May, which frees up a lot of my time! I've already planned and booked a bus trip to Venice for a few days, because I haven't been in literally ten years, and it's such a magical place that I want to see again before it becomes completely submerged in the waters of the harbor. 

Miscellany of the week:

• My new favorite weekend brunch place is called Treu Bleiben (troy-blye-bin) which means "Stay True." One of the employees is American, and they serve great fried eggs and American-style crispy bacon, which I have sorely been missing. It's a good place to sit and do work as well--people do smoke there, but they keep the windows open, so it's not too bad. 

Ugh. I missed this so much. Plus their wi-fi is fast and reliable, so this is where I plan to live on Sundays since not much else is open...

The interior of Treu Bleiben. Very cozy. I could see this place existing in Swarthmore, except for the fact that it's a bar on the weekdays. But the vibe is chill, and the prices are pretty good!

• Walking along some street in Vienna, I spotted a bakery apparently designed for men who are worried that bakeries aren't masculine enough:

MUSCLE BAKERY FOR MANLY MEN!!!

• I also walk by this really cool building several times a week (since it's near my primo sushi spot), so I thought I'd finally include it!

I think it's both an art gallery and an art supply store?

• Lastly, please enjoy some photos of the cat I met at the Strobl conference center after dinner on the first night. I am not sure if it was actually enough of a real black cat to be suspicious of, because some parts of its fur looked brownish. We'll see!

"What're you lookin' at?"

"Fine, fine, you win..."

"BLUE STEEL!"

Day 221: They can't all be peaks

Hello readers!

In contrast to last week's mega-post, not a lot happened this week. Next week will be more exciting to read about because I'll be presenting my research as it stands thus far to my Fulbright compatriots, and I'll get to see what they've been working on as well. I did sit down with Oz Almog for a second meeting--he's always a pleasure to talk to! I'll be following up with the other artists involved in my project before I go, just to get an update on their work--for some of them, it's been six months since we last met in person! (Which seems ridiculous, because how have I been here that long??)

I have a few pieces that are being published or already have been published this week, so keep an eye on that section of my main site. I've got a few books to read for PopMatters, including the newest David Sedaris, an artist profile to write for Whitehot Magazine, and a movie review to finish for Bust. I still get a little thrill every time I see my name in a byline, even though I've been freelancing for years.

Sometimes it's a little difficult to keep consuming media that ends up disappointing me--I start to wonder if watching or reading things I don't like makes me expect to not like the next thing, and so on and so forth. But I can honestly say I haven't read so much for pleasure since high school, even if that pleasure ends with me giving a book a number grade, and it's certainly nice to be able to watch movies and television and justify spending time doing that because it's technically work! And the more television I watch, the better I get at watching television--take that, everyone who says television will kill your brain! It has only made mine stronger.

However, I've also noticed that more and more, I've been delving into these works and trying to disappear into their worlds, like I did when I was a kid. It's becoming increasingly hard to keep up with the new cycle and not feel scared or angry about the country that is my home becoming a place that I don't recognize--a place that doesn't want me to be there and doesn't find me valuable, whether it's because of who I am or the kind of work I want to do. Especially when it comes to reading the David Sedaris--I've been reading his essays for almost ten years, and it's hard not to think about what felt different in 2007-8 when I read him for the first time, and how reading the same writing now makes me feel. I remember laughing, I remember being shocked, I remember where I was when I read a certain story--it's like a time machine, but I don't know if the me that first read David Sedaris could envision the unease and anxiety current me feels.

Photos of the week:

Spotted near my apartment!

"All you should eat"... sounds like both a challenge and a judgment! I'll eat as much as I like!

This giant cup was in an Illy coffee products store (not a cafe), which was far too fancy for me. It was actually a sculpture and not a proper cup.

This was also in the coffee store and was almost a little disturbing. If I want to buy mugs, I don't want them to look like specimens in a lab...

Day 190: Hopefully y'all will still like me when I'm 23...

Hello dear readers! I'm so sorry for the delay in this post--my family was in town, as promised in my last post, and so when I wasn't at work, I was showing them around Vienna, eating lots of delicious food (not on my dime), and celebrating my birthday! (Hence the Blink-182 lyrical reference in the title of this post--not a whole lot of songs about being 23 out there, are there?) 

My brother was here! I missed him for sixth months and then he got annoying after five minutes. So... basically normal!

Mom snuck a paparazzi photo of me and my brother walking along the street. I'm pretty sure we were doing Batman voices when she took this.

Parents got me a great gift from Prague: a golem! My parents were sure I wouldn't know what it was when I fished it out of the bag, but since I'd previously been to a show on the golem mythos in Berlin, I did know what they vaguely looked like. It's such a cute little golem! He lives in my coin purse and protects me.

Once I knew my family was going to be here for my birthday, I immediately took a look at my schedule and made to plan a spectacular, action-filled day--basically, how many museums could I drag my brother to using my birthday as an excuse, and how much food could I shove in my face because birthday calories obviously don't count? Turns out the answer in plenty, though I was a bit disappointed when I began to make the plans because my birthday fell on a Monday this year, when a lot of arts venues in Vienna seem to be closed. So I had to get a little creative in my planning, but I think everyone enjoyed themselves! 

First, we met for brunch at Pure Living Bakery in the seventh district, which I previously been to with my roommates. After everyone's eyes almost fell out with shock at the pure amount of sugar on the menu, we enjoyed our breakfasts of pancakes and yogurt parfaits and bagels and coffees. I'm pretty sure we were the only ones in the restaurant, so we got the VIP treatment. Next we went to the Belvedere Winterpalais in the first district, where we saw "The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined," a pretty wacky and out-there display of fashion inspired by older royal models. My favorite piece was by far the ornate coat from the Viktor and Rolf Autumn/Winter 2016 collection.

My cappuccino (American-style, which means large, naturally) had a cute little face!!!!!

They didn't let us take photos, so I had to write down the info and then do some googling to find the best coat ever.
http://www.vogue.co.uk/shows/autumn-winter-2016-couture/viktor-rolf/

Next we went across the Danube for some Italian food courtesy of Al Pacino Pizzeria, which I really only picked for its location and because it was called Al Pacino. My family loves The Godfather, so I figured they would get a kick out of eating at Al Pacino's. I had some delicious gnocchi with meat sauce, and the rest got pizzas, if I remember correctly. Next it was just back across the river to the Kunst Haus Wien (koonst-howss Veen), which is a museum designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser (free-denz-ryekh hoon-durt-vah-sur) an artist and architecture with a very unique and idiosyncratic style--the floors were deliberately uneven, and the walls were covered with his paintings and drawings, which made use of a colorful folk-art style. I would include photos, but we weren't allowed to take any (even without flash!), but there are some good photos in the link above.

Waiting for that yummy food... Dad rocking the Northwestern gear for my bro!

Ben was really inspired by the documentary we watched in the museum about how much Friedensreich Hundertwasser really loved water and liked to lie on ice and watch water flow. It was a pretty bizarre documentary and felt like it was hours long, even though it was under thirty minutes. There was also more nudity than I anticipated.

Selfie with the momay with part of the façade of the Kunst Haus.

Then after a good bit of walking, we went back to the seventh district for dinner at 7Stern Bräu (pronounced zee-ben shtairn broy), a nice, typically Austrian-style place. We almost missed our reservation because I accidentally took us inside the wrong restaurant (which had a similar name, I swear!!) and we waited there for a good twenty minutes before I realized my mistake. After dinner we meandered along Mariahilferstraße, where my brother promptly found some gelato, until it was time to go home--I had teaching at nine in the morning the following day.

I had to return some videotapes. Actually, they were DVDs. But still. This is a view from the outside steps of the library near my place!

This random building in the third district had these amazing mosaics. I wish I'd written down the address...

Next to the gelato place was a very fancy water party. That's what this place sells--fancy water. And there was a party. With a bouncer. To stop people from getting into the water party. I just lack the words.

On Wednesday, I dragged my family to the MAK (which I visited in the fall). I wasn't sure how into it my brother and dad would be, but there was enough weird arts and crafts to prevent them from being bored. The design lab hadn't really changed at all since my last visit, but because it has so much material, it definitely didn't feel like I was revisiting the same pieces I'd seen previously. My dad particularly liked one video (by artists called Honey and Bunny) that used all sorts of combinations of location and perspective to play with the idea of how we eat in a very surrealistic way.

This was a pretty cool piece of furniture. It opened like an accordion and was designed to be manipulated into differently-shaped couches!

I think Dad was watching slo-mo video art when I took this.

Here is Mom, helping Ben use a typewriter for the first (and likely only) time in his life...

While saying goodbye was of course not easy, I will be coming back to the States in a few weeks to attend a conference in San Diego, where I'm presenting a paper on (I kid you not) Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series, where I examine how its medium as a YouTube series allows the creator to engage with fans and remediate these interactions into the ongoing text of the show itself. I'm such a nerd.

Slightly blurry selfie taken last night after dinner!

We are so sad about being separated for another two whole weeks. Look at all those tears. (I will miss him though--I always miss my bro.)

In other news, the last notice came in--looks like I will not be going to graduate school for my PhD this fall. I'm pretty disappointed, but not exactly surprised at this point--it seems as if PhD programs are shifting their gears to admit more students who already have Masters' degrees. I am currently exploring my other options for next year, and trying to keep my head up. I can't help but feel as if I've been dealt a pretty big setback in terms of my career. I don't want the PhD to teach--I want it because it really seems like you need one to be hired as a curator these days. But I just have to keep doing what I always do--keep writing, keep working, keep hustling until something shakes out.

Miscellany of the week(s):

• Got to see both Moonlight, which was amazing and gorgeous, and Beauty and the Beast, which was good in some ways and bad in others. The latter movie had to deal with living up to the cartoon, which was my favorite as a kid. Belle is also my favorite princess, so of course I was going to be picky.

Photo of my Marx Brothers boys at the Burgkino!

... you okay there, chair? You drunk?

• I also squeezed in two interviews for my project: one with the director of a Roma cultural center in Vienna, and another (via Skype) with a Roma director and performance artist based in Vienna (but currently in Berlin). I can't wait for this all to come together!
• My brother just looked like Dopey from Snow White in this picture:

Gee, I wonder where he goes to school?!

• I spotted this dress at Zara today, prompting me to laugh out loud in public.

Austria: "no, we've never watched The Sound of Music--it's such a silly American movie! Why do you ask?"

Me, looking at the above dresses: "... no reason!"

• Jack Wolfskin. He solves tundra crimes. (A new pilot by Deborah Krieger, because the store name "Jack Wolfskin" is definitely also the name of a rugged dude living in Alaska who is also a detective or something. Like a Robert B. Parker novel (RIP). (Coming soon to NBC. Produced by Dick Wolf.)

Day 177: Last week 'rent free (because my parents are coming on Monday)

Hi readers!

Once again, kind of a low-key week. More sad news from another graduate program, so I'm currently at 0-4. Not a great record for admissions or for any sports team. I've got one shot left this time around, but at this point I've starting getting into the thick of looking for other options for next year.

Still, though, I'm excited for next week, because my family is finally coming to Austria! Aside from visiting me, of course, they will be going to the Special Olympics games in Graz and traveling around a bit--I just need to remember to pawn off all the coins I didn't spend in Prague on my family so they can finally be put to use purchasing gum or chips or something. I've been in Austria for almost six months now, which is the longest I've gone without seeing my family in person. FaceTime is such a great tool, though, so it doesn't really feel like six months.

A sample conversation with my mom about how much she's looking forward to coming to see me:

MOM: Guess what happens next week?

ME: You get to see me!

MOM: Yes, but I also get to do something that I can only do in person!

ME: ... you get to do that thing where you put saliva on your finger and wipe dirt off my face!

MOM: ... yes. I'll able do that, but that's not what I meant--

ME: Or you can do that thing where I'm sitting in the car next to you and you throw your bag at me to hold on my lap!

MOM: ... really?

(The answer was that she gets to hug me, in case that wasn't entirely clear.)

As for last week's adventures: on Tuesday some Fulbrighters and other teaching assistants and I took advantage of Restaurant Week and had ourselves a nice little prix fixe dinner at a restaurant called La Véranda, which is in the Hotel Sans-Souci in the seventh district. It was certainly the kind of place I would only go to for a fixed-price meal because it was a little too fancy otherwise. And the food was pretty good, even though we did have to wait thirty minutes to be given the menu and the portions were fairly small. After bringing us many baskets of bread and a canape-type sharing vegetable dish, we got our three-course meals: the pepper-and-some of the grain appetizer, followed by risotto, followed by rice pudding! I honestly wish I had taken a photo of each dish, as well as of the menu details, but I was too busy eating to focus on documenting everything once the food began to arrive in earnest.

"Would you like something to drink?" Yes. I would like the free, cost-less tap water because I am very obviously here for the fixed-price menu and not ordering things a la carte.

We looked so fancy and such as we smiled through our growling stomach, wondering why it took thirty minutes to be presented with the menu.

This is the appetizer. It had that kind of grain that isn't quinoa or couscous or rice, but I honestly cannot remember what it is. The pepper was actually fine too, even though I'm not a fan of them.

The bathroom had a dragon sink spigot, because of course it did.

Obligatory outfit-in-the-bathroom selfie: the dress my grandma Rita tailored for me, a jacket I got for three dollars in West Philly, and leggings from H&M, which are my cold-weather mainstay item (and I have seven or so pairs of them!). 

On Wednesday, I successfully pretended to be an adult as I ran errands: I dropped off my purse for repairs, I filed my Austrian taxes, and I got the first part of my tick vaccination, which is apparently something you really need in the Viennese spring season. I then followed this dash of productivity with a well-earned nap, because once I finished with my grown-up duties, I reverted to being an infant.

On Friday, on a tip from the Fulbright Program associate, I went to a talk in the sixteenth district with one of the artists I'm researching, Robert Gabris, where he discussed his experiences growing up Roma and how the depictions of Roma in popular culture have either reflected or failed to reflect the realities of Roma life, history, and tradition, leading to widespread misconceptions about Roma that still persist to this day. The talk was in German, so I had to listen very carefully, but it was very interesting nonetheless and, of course, relevant to my project!

On the projector is one of Robert's drawings. I love his linework and shading!

Not a super big audience at the venue, which took me forever to find since Google Maps tried to lie to me!

Free drinks included wine, juice, water, and some really great strong black tea, which I probably shouldn't have had this late in the day...

It honestly didn't look this pink inside the venue in person.

Miscellany of the week:

The two kinds of trash: "Blech" and "Plastik"!

The light-up letters in the MuseumsQuartier change at night! 

This is my clothing area in the neatest state it's ever been. Hooray!

I just really liked this model's facial expression. So vulnerable! So pouty! Even though that jacket looks pretty great! (Don't pout, Mister Model!)

I have no idea who this man is, but I wish I could be this cool and have this level of epic hair. It's almost Fabio-quality.

Taken in one of my classrooms. I saw that there were logarithms on the chalkboard and, in the absence of an eraser, did the next best thing to protect my precious eyes from such disgusting math...

... I closed the wings of the blackboard to remove the evil, evil math from my sight. My students applauded my bravery and ingenuity.

Well, that's all for this missive. Next time, expect plenty of photos of my family and me as we celebrate my birthday and do other touristy things in Vienna! If my magnanimous readers want to turn their vibe-granting powers towards helping me find a job for next year, I'd greatly appreciate it!