Communism

I taught Leslie´s class about communism today. I feel bad because I think I was too harsh on Marxism in general. But it is just too damn easy to find faults. During my lecture I announced the section ¨What is Marxism good for?¨ And then I went into how the line of inquiry that Marxism began, that is the critique of Capitalism and the status quo in general that would not have otherwise existed. This is what makes Marxism vital. Karl Popper said, something to the effect of, Marx asked all the right questions, just had all the wrong answers. And in the middle of my spiel, one of the students, who actually was interested in the validity of Marxism and communism, interrupted me to say ask, "I´m sorry, I think I must have missed it, but you were going to speak about What is Marxism is good for?" So my commie grandparents will haunt me for not giving the party-line.

When Leslie was gone for vacation one of her students lived in her apartment with me. She had gotten pneuomonia and had been in the hospital, and was to convalesce in our place. She was 18. I think she hated me. All I did was write on Leslie´s laptop in the kitchen while listening to my weird music. I made her dinner a couple of times; she thanked me only once, and never offered to help pay for the cost of food. When she made peanut butter sandwiches she inadvertently squirted the jelly everywhere, like on the cutting board, and didn´t clean it up. She was very messy. I felt like I was taking care of a 12 year old. I hope I wasn´t like that when I was 18. When she left a note for Leslie she thanked her for the use of the apartment, but there was not a word to me. It was a good experience for me. The only people I was angry at were her parents, for raising such a spoiled brat. It felt good because I felt my age, and my age felt good.

The best and worst things in Spain:
Spanish TV
Spanish couples ostensibly in love.
Extremely drunk singing and yelling Spaniards

The best things in Spain:
Spanish Women
The Museums in Madrid
Barcelona
Tapas, especially in Granada (free)

The worst things in Spain:
Accordian music
Tourists
Waiters or Bartenders who wouldn´t serve me for some reason
Hostel Scrod/Grottiness
Losing one of my sandals
Foot/let pain from walking
Farting people on long-distance buses

More favorites:
The time Cher called David Letterman an asshole
Spanish Women
Muttering old men or women
40 year-old women with 25-year old butts
Hash

More least favorites:
Euro versus American Dollar
Germans who don´t know Can or Werner Herzog (All of them.)
The canadian girl I tried to hook-up with but ditched me for the dude from California.

Favorites:
Missing the NY winter
My Roommate
Whiskey-flavored Ice-cream
The Bunuel exhibition at the Reina-Sofia
Doner Kabab for 3 euros (when it doesn´t make you sick)

Least favorites:
Young Americans who make me cringe with their spine-twinging, unabashed ignorance and eager, dumbly ostentatious manner. Evil.
Jerks in Hostels who tried to steal my money.
The jerk with the stick up his ass who went ballistic on the Spanish Kid; the kid was raging drunk and couldn´t stop moaning loudly "Maria es Muerte!"
The strange middle-aged brit in the San Sebastian hostel.