by Chris Bodenner
A reader writes:
I returned to Indiana University in Bloomington to take an oral exam to fulfill my single remaining course, “Historical Interpretation of Baroque Music”. The exam went swimmingly, and I had a day to kill before driving back up to Indianapolis to catch my flight home. I’d already eaten at my favorite restaurants, visited my local friends, and decided to catch a strip show at a small club on the outskirts of town.
There must have been a school break, because I was the only customer in the place. The strippers fawned over me, trying to coax a night’s worth of dollars out of a single fellow in the room. It was enjoyable, and expensive. The second gal that decided to keep me company asked what I was doing in town. I said I’d just made up the last credits to get my degree. “In what?” “Voice performance”. Well, she had taken some classes at the Early Music Institute, and thought about switching from violin to baroque violin, but couldn’t afford it. Did I know such-n-such professor? Yup, I did.
I went out for a cigarette and talked to the bouncer. He was completing a Phd in classical philosophy. I asked if his job gave him any insights, and he told me that it was a job, and didn’t really influence his feelings about Aristotle. I met an MBA candidate, a dentist-in-training, and many other very attractive young ladies that night. No funny business -- just a very surreal, David Lynchian life experience.