Talk

I had a seminar presentation today and it went really well (even if I did go over the 30 min. time limit by 3 minutes.) I felt like I was rambling, but everyone says it was clear, it was on depicitions of suicide, focusing primarily on paintings of Lucretia from the 17th century by Artemisia Gentileschi, Guido Reni, and Rembrandt. While the topic is fairly depressing (you were raped, better you kill yourself to preserve your virtue, even though your husband and father say it's not your fault) the paintings, specifically the gestures (the class is on Baroque gestures) are really interesting.

So one talk down, I have another in two weeks and a third the week of Thanksgiving, plus three 20-page papers (on the same topics as the talks), ongoing TA work, and of course grad. school applications. *sigh*

Halloween party

Despite three invitations(!) Denis and I only attended the art-history program halloween party thrown by the first-years. We went as Judith and Holofernes (arcane reference, but there were a lot of paintings done of the subject in the 17th century. Basically he's a Roman general who is holding people captive so she goes into his tent to suduce him, but instead chops his head off. The paintings are often very bloody, try googling it.) I wore my green and gold dress (the one with the bodice and flowy skirt that I wore to an Amarna formal a few years ago) and my black cape, and Denis made me a sword using a curtain-hanger, rope, spray paint, and fake blood. Denis had a red t-shirt, and cardboard "leather" skirt and breastplate also spray painted and covered in fake blood. He also did a garish neck-wound with some costume makeup. We had a good time, I got pretty drunk (dangerous, yet yummy, punch) and later we even went and hung out at another second-year's apartment with a bunch of people, it was all very chill, but nice.

Birthday!

Although I sort of spoiled the surpise by coming home early (and talking to Seth on IM) Denis did the best birthday surprises ever Monday!

He took the afternoon off work 1 and the evening off work 2, cleaned 2 rooms of the house (really cleaned, not just picked up and vaccum like I do!), bought me three bouquets of flowers (including a dozen roses) and a single rose, cooked an incredible dinner: chicken-on-a-stick with a peanut-y sauce (don't know what it's called, but it was good, thanks Chris for the recipe), meatballs and peppers, and homemade tiramisu (mmmmm). He also bought two cakes, one of which we brought to the bar to share and the other we haven't opened yet. So he invited people from work 2 over for dinner and we had a nice time with them (one is a Dartmouth alum and her husband has taught at the Rassias foundation!) then we went out to a bar to meet up with the other grad. students, as another second-year also has her birthday on Nov. 3rd (strange, aparantly there are two people in the first-year class who also have the same birthday). It was a late night, but wonderful, plus I have a plethora of gift certificates to spend this weekend.

Thanks baby!

movie

Since I'm on an update role, last week (? I think, it seems so long ago) Denis and I went and saw Lost in Translation (yay, a real date!) and enjoyed it immensely. The best movie I've seen in a long time (although I kept thinking of my cousin and her husband who are taking a 6 or 7 week vacation, three weeks in Tokyo and 3-4 weeks in New Zealand.) I doubt Matrix Revolutions will be able to compete.