i am trying to persuade von to go to charlottesville with me. he's going home after graduation, but will be back in cambridge in august, and i expect to be back to study for the generals before the end of august, so we might take a short holiday to virginia before term starts. we could drive from here, couldn't we? that is, he can drive. i don't know and never have known how to operate a vehicle and see my part in the affair as reading out mapquest directions, apologising for not telling him to turn off three exits ago and singing in a squeaky voice to keep him awake at the wheel. he estimates it will take about 14 hours, 15 at the most (5 to NY at a leisurely speed (yeenteck's estimate, he should know, having driven down to see me at uva twice), 6 to DC (von's estimate), 2.5 to Cville (me, from experience though noon auctoritee), plus meal and rest stops and traffic jams.) or else we could fly into dulles and then rent a car from there. early august, before the new students arrive, would be a good time to prance about on the lawn and run through sprinklers. and we'd do lots of eating, that's the main idea. go to all my favourite restaurants, of which there are very many. and have spudnuts. spudnuts spudnuts spudnuts i do love saying the word. i shall consider that cristina's legacy to me. visit the fish in martha's cafe, buy books from daedalus and heartwood, monkey about downtown and buy hungarian pastries at the market. and i could buy peonies from that lovely couple who taught me what a lisanthus was. or the thai woman who gives me extra sticky rice, for, as far as i understand, no reason other than that i'm southeast asian too. we could go visit carol jackson and ask the nohrnbergs to come out to dinner. and von can go mess around in vineyards while i make a nuisance of myself in the english department. or perhaps i might even be made much of, prodigal student come home and all that sort of thing.

failing which i'm trying to get yeen teck to come visit so that we can do the same. yeen teck is always easy to entice to charlottesville, ever since he discovered martha's crabcakes and carter's mountain cider.

right. standing offer to anyone who ever wishes to go to charlottesville with me for a 2-3 day eating trip with garden strolling thrown in, if you are willing and able to see to the the driving and the general matter of getting from point a to b, i'll see to the accommodation and the tourguiding and food planning. how's that?