I am walking in the early evening down one of the wealthier streets in town, and as I pass the various houses, the lights are on, and I see into the front rooms. I continue walking, and after about the 10th house I realize that I have seen the decor before. In the 9th house. As I go along, I see that virtually every house has the same open faced brick wall, the standalone staircase, the oh-so-subdued metal frame around the poster or artwork, the Milanese lamp. It is clear that all these people thought they were doing something unique and self-expressive with their decor, and yet they are all interchangeable. All these yuppies who vowed their rebellion against their conformist suburban parents, are now conformist urban professionals. I notice this with my students: they are all individuals in exactly the same way as everyone else. It makes me wonder how many of my own cherished stances are just borrowed, part of a tired set of anti-cliches.


Sorry to say that I am going away again for a week -- think good thoughts. The space is open (try to stay away from open-faced brick, huh?)