Random thoughts on snippets from my old university e-mail account:

The prof who wrote about poetry in rock n' roll and wrote to me:
You shouldn’t worry, we'll sort it out.
Is dead.
He was 36.
It was lung cancer.
His daughter is the same age as Li’l A.

The prof who wrote: I was delighted to catch a glimpse of you by the elevator. You look more beautiful than ever. How is your work coming along. I must tell you that I read "The God of Small Things" over the summer and it took my breath away. What a powerful novel! I look forward to talking with you.
Became a good friend and mentor, she wrote one of the rec letters that got me into Oxford. I think I liked the fact that she loved "The God of Small Things" more than anything else.


The prof who wrote: I'm glad lil’ A now has a doll. I hope it's not "Barbie!"
I’ve lost touch with.


The prof who had this at the end of a story he wrote about me:
She had said little, but had then made her statement, a devastating, powerful, unanswerable response. Refusing the gift, she skillfully took herself outside the realm of any possibility of a bond between them, emotional or physical, blocking any narrative of exchange for the future. She owed him nothing. The circuits of reciprocity, of continuity, of intimacy, were blocked, cut off. She had left him standing, alone, and detached herself from him, slipping back to her world where she would remain entirely free.
Had it right.
But he is brilliant and I miss talking to him.
And my mother still remembers him fondly--after all who could resist loving her daughter :).


The colleague who watched Li’l A and then wrote:
You are most welcome. A and I had a great time and, except for about 2
tears at the very end (he was ready to see you!), it was quite peaceful
and comfortable. I had fun!! And I'm glad that your presentation went well
too!
I hope she has babies now.
She always wanted some.


The prof who wrote:
I loved having you and A in my home.
Is one of the nicest people I still know.
Also wrote a rec letter for me.
So far, none of my rec letters have been written by male profs somehow.


The prof who wrote:
What else is there to do on your article? You should send it and let the
editors tell you if they want revisions.
I’ve lost touch with.
(And I never believed in that article and never sent it off.)

The Prof who wrote:
I am writing to do two things:
1. To let you know that I am quite confident that you would do a
splendid job and to assure you that I will give you all the help you
need.
2. To encourage you to do it if you are asked.
I’ve lost touch with, but thinks of me warmly--he said so to a mutual colleague recently.
He had a voice that would put James Earl Jones to shame.
Plus he was a poet.
I'll probably write to him next week.


The student who wrote:
Dear Professor ***,
I just received my final grade and I am not very satisfied with it. I think my hard work reflected a better grade than a C+. The grade was much lower than the A+ I expected. Will you please double check just to make sure because that C+ looks so ugly.
Thanks,
Al
Totally deserved that 'C'.
(I think--the e-mail is rather free of errors.)
Also, he talked to me exactly once all semester--to ask me to call him “Big Al.”


The Prof who wrote:
…As they say here, "I got your back"
which is quite different from "I got you back".
Was smart and funny, but I’ve, sadly, lost touch with him.


The student who wrote:
I don't think I can wait until May 15th to find out my grade, will you
Please please tell me my grade.
Thank You,
Jessica S**
Was a pre-med student.
She got an A.
And i did e-mail her grade to her.
Not being a monster, i couldn’t resist the second, ungrammatical, "please" :).
I wrote her rec letters later that year. I hope she made it.




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