aChandelier, originally uploaded by arahsae.

This is the chandelier at Harvard's Sanders Theatre.

I'm going out of my head trying to find a copy of Craft magazine. The local big box bookstores don't carry it. Today I'm scouring the craft stores to see if they do. If I come back empty handed, I'm going to beg someone in a more magazine-friendly part of the country to get me a copy, i.e. my sister in Seattle, a coffee-laden, DIY, crafty sort of place.

Tonight I'm going to see Margaret Atwood do a reading/Q&A -- very excited! I haven't been to an author reading since I left Boston; not many authors on the Omaha-Montgomery reading circuit... Also, I have not read her newest book (a collection of short stories) but may end up coming home with a copy.

And my dad arrives Thursday. !

Anna Karenina: 177/817

UPDATE: I found Craft at Hobby Lobby; hooray!

Maid Good, originally uploaded by arahsae.

You all know I have a quirky interest in regional products (remember my BAMA post?) and this jar caught my eye last week. It's a nostalgic label, with a design that probably has not changed in decades. I checked out the Best Maid website (go look and run your cursor over the little girl with the sound ON) and found their pickle slogan is "The taste that makes you smile." I gotta get some of those pickles!

I had an "Ah-ha!" moment the other day, one of those slightly embarrassing ones. Whilst reading a book set in the days of typewriters, I noted that one of the characters spoke of hitting "carriage-return." Hmm. Now I've used a typewriter -- not for writing essays or anything official, but my brother and sister and I used to mess around on an old one as kids; one time a friend and I painstakingly typed up three copies of a menu for a restaurant we "opened" in my parents' kitchen. I know the moving cylindrical bit you roll the paper in is called the carriage; carriage return means pulling the lever or striking the button to move to the next line (after the bell dinged, the best part of typing). Right?

Carriage return. Carriage return.

Ohhhh. That's where "return" on the computer keyboard comes from!

This explains why so many of my students did not understand my telling them, "Hit return..." when helping them with word processing. All they know is ENTER. Though when typing a paper, "return" does make sense; you go back to the beginning of the line; "enter" does not.

Making the connection between typewriters and modern keyboards satisfies that part of my brain that delights in trivia. And I do like me a discussion on semantics.

Anna Karenina: 14/817

Vase, originally uploaded by arahsae.

I viewed this lovely little piece is on my recent trip to the San Antonio Museum of Art. I wrote a lengthy account of my trip but it t'was lost to the ether and now I start again.

Ahem.

The museum building itself used to be multiple buildings of the Lone Star brewery, so there are interesting levels and always corners and mezzanines to investigate. That being said, I found the permanent collections disappointing. Most of the Egyptian pieces were just that: pieces. Broken bits and fragments. They had a huge selection of Greek and Roman vases -- you know, those orange and black ones -- but my eyes grew tired of them after the first 15... I really liked the ancient glass collection; that what the above photo is from. I have an unhealthy passion for old old glass; ooh! shiny things!

The American and European wings (rooms, really) were not impressive, though they had a Sargent (Mrs. Elliout Fitch Shepard, nee Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt)! She glowed.

The Mexican and Mexican-American wings were excellent -- coming from the Pacific Northwest, I have seen enough Native American artwork to last me many years, but I know next to nothing about Mexican art. SAMA had stuff from pre-Columbian times to Colonial and Contemporary. There was a room full of Folk Art and quite a lot of church and religious items.

Incredibly, I missed the Hiroshi Sugimoto special exhibition, so I'll have to go back. My main reason for visiting was to see the Eudora Welty photographs. Welty is known mainly for her short stories and novels, but she had a KEEN EYE for her beloved South. Most of the exhibited photos were of people. Many capture overwhelming poverty (1930s Southern life, here) but they are all beautiful.

One photo has Welty's shadow centered along the bottom, head down, looking into her Rolleiflex (like me looking into Dana's YashicaMat) with a run-down building in the background. Apparently, she left her camera on a bus in NY and was so upset with herself, she never got another.

In other news, I just finished my third-to-last 2006 Required Reading book, Things Fall Apart. The story didn't pick up until the second half, (it takes a little while to set things up so they can fall apart) and then BOOM, everything was a mess. The end is abrupt -- the last paragraph, so sad. Basically, it's about the life of a Ibo man's life in his village at the time when missionaries were first coming to Africa. Most of the book covers daily life; the political part doesn't start until midway through.

The treatment of women (beating, etc.) grated on me, but I am able to step back and see it in the larger cultural context. The story is told from the POV of a very manly man and, though he obviously cares for his wives and children - esp. daughter - he calls the shots.

Overall, a definite classic with accessible language (please note the Ibo dictionary in the back; I didn't find it until I'd almost finished the book) and I recommend it! It would be interesting to read Things Fall Apart and Conrad's Eurocentric (and falling more and more out of favor) Heart of Darkness in tandem.

From the fertile savannahs of Nigeria (I think it was set in Nigeria) I now move north to the cold steppes of Russia in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Actually, I don't know if it is set in the steppes or not, but how often does one get to use "steppe" in everyday language? This 817 page brick will be my best friend for the next...hmmm. Don't know how long. If I do 50 pages a day, that means about 16 days...and I won't do 50 pages every day. How about I try to finish it by Thanksgiving? That gives me 30 days. I can do that.

Right?

I'll just alternate reading A.K. with Neil Gaiman's newest, Fragile Things. My copy came while I was in Boston and he doodled the dot of the letter "i" in!!! Doodle are uncommon! This made me very happy! Whee!

Curlpool, originally uploaded by arahsae.

ART, originally uploaded by arahsae.

I wrote, I hit the wrong button, my writing is gone.

It will appear soon, again.

unzipped, originally uploaded by arahsae.

One last foto from the museum -- no more things in jars, I promise.

Keaton knows the word TREAT.

No other random facts at this time; I'll keep you updated.

Foammmmm, originally uploaded by arahsae.

Best
Latte
Evor.

Courtesy of Simon's Coffee Shop in Cambridge, MA. Do visit should you be in the area.

Hmm. I kinda sorta like my job. Haven't had that feeling in yonks.

Goodness!, originally uploaded by arahsae.

Now that I am refreshed and free of the clutches of the airline industry, I can tell you that my trip to Boston revitalized me! Susan and Mike's North Shore wedding was perfect, but it was also incredible to see so many grad school friends again (being around them always seems to help me better know myself, oddly; a renewal of sorts) and see new places. One such place was the Harvard Museum of Natural History, where we went to see historical natural things, such as a stuffed dodo (!)*** and glass flowers(!!) and arthropods(!!!). It is now one of my favorite museums evor and I wish we didn't have to rush through it so quickly. SO MUCH TO SEE. I've processed all my arthropod photos (including the above action photo of Kristin) and arranged them in a delightful set on Flickr. Click on the blog entry title to be whisked away to view such creatures as you've never seen!

Between Meera and Kristin and myself and our multiple cameras, I think we documented every event of the Boston trip. (Jo -- where was yours???) You don't want to miss Meera and me in our natural habitat, Jo among the foliage (with button!) or Kristin's reaction to the swanky reception digs. Myself, I've got more to upload, so please stay tuned. It's been very entertaining to go back and forth on the comments; it will only get better.

A new place never feels like home to me until I've gone away and come back. So, besides making me feel better in general, my trip made SA feel local and personal.

There's a cold front movin' on into town. Moseyin' I should say. Long day tomorrow with volunteering and a full work schedule, but it will all start with some JP Licks coffee, so all's good. Except my car, which needs work, but I'm on top of that. Okay, to the side.

***I insist you read Howard Waldrop's short story, "The Ugly Chickens." I hate reading things online, but this is so worth it. Print it out. You won't regret it.

reverse diesel, originally uploaded by arahsae.

This photo captures one of my many Coffee Moments from my time in Boston/North Shore/Cambridge/Somerville.

I am wiped.

And unfortunately I adjusted to Boston weather too well and now have to renew my tolerance for the intolerable humid jungle that is South Texas. (Only high 80s, today; grand!)

Having had SUCH a great time en route to Boston (sarcasm!), my bad flight karma stayed with and dogged my ass all the way back to San Antonio. If you haven't heard, my trip to the mess of construction that calls itself Logan International Airport was foiled by a bad wheel on the plane intended to ferry me to Cleveland for Leg One of the journey. Nevermind that I was at the S.A. airport at 5.30am sans caffeine. A long line for rerouting/booking, another wait for a new flight, delay delay delay, and voila, I was at Logan three hours later than originally planned. That's not too bad; it is annoying, except I was in time to receive Kristin coming from California, so really, it worked out for the best.

Please note that getting TO the airport on time and getting through security were cakewalks. But one cannot have it all....hence my return trip yesterday.

I actually made it on the plane at Logan -- everyone did. Full plane! Then the captain comes on the intercom and says we don't have the GO from Cleveland...and may not have it anytime soon.

I believe the aircraft itself sagged with the collective disappointment of the passengers.

But there were two passengers called off the plane to be rerouted. One was me! I got to climb out and over my seatmates, drag my bag from the overhead bin, and was quickly whisked away for booking on a Houston-to-S.A. flight that was "leaving shortly."

Rush rush rush to the other gate, only to wait...wait...wait. Wait. Board. Go! That plane got into Houston late and I got to ride in an Late (or Slow) People! cart to get to my next gate.

That plane left late too; I didn't meet Bruce at the curb until 1am.

I've got scads of photos to post and a few key events to recap. All in all, I had a marvellous time. I apologize to my friends for those first 48 hours where I gushed incessantly; it is so nice to be around people whole know and (usually) appreciate me.

Here's Kristin at the above pictured cafe, enjoyin' her hott chocolate. More to come --