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Things have been busy and in general good with one notable exception.
My parents visited last weekend. They came up Thurs. night and we met up with them after swing dance lessons. Friday we went to IKEA and they bought Denis a new comfy desk chair for his birthday (so he can play computer games in greater comfort), and curtains for our livingroom (because from 3-6 the sun shines in and its hot and bright and unbearable.) Then we went to campus and looked around and they read books in the library for an hour while I put together a paper topic for Rembrandt class.
Saturday we all got up and went to see the WWII and FDR memorials (with the George Mason memorial thrown in as a bonus memorial), and then to the new National Museum for the American Indian. The NMAI was cool, but insanely crowded (even with timed ticket entry) so I hope to go back myself on a weekday. Saturday night we went out to a super-yummy but expensive dinner with my parents, my uncle who lives in DC, my two cousins who live in DC, and their parents (aunt and uncle from Ohio) and then to the Kennedy Center to see On Golden Pond with James Earl Jones. The play was awesome, a lot funnier than I expected (my dad had described it as "a play about old people.")
Sunday Denis stayed home to play computer while my parents, aunt, uncles, and DC-uncle's two dogs went to Roosevelt Island to walk around and see the Teddy Roosevelt statue (the dogs loved the fountains.) It was a lovely fall day, great for a walk. My parents were flying out in the evening, but they left at 1pm to go to the new air and space museum out in VA so I could work Sunday afternoon.
The sad news is that the art history graduate secretary just died suddenly. She had a brain anyruism(sp?) two Fridays ago, was in a coma for a week, and passed away last Friday. She's worked in the dept. for years (at least 10) and was always friendly and helpful. She was fairly young, healthy, and has two teenage sons. It's really sad, she was the heart of the department both emotionally and logistically (she was the only one who actually knew how to get a grad. degree here, the profs were always saying "just go ask Kathy".) Everyone is upset. I'd only had contact with her for a few months, but was struck by how prompt and helpful she was even over email. When I met her in person we had a couple of nice conversations and ended the last one with "looking forward to getting to know you better." The funeral is Wednesday and currently I'm not planning on going because I have a bus ticket to NYC. I don't feel like I need to go to the funeral to mourn her personally, but part of me would like to go as part of the department. But I also don't want to go because I know it will be hard emotionally and I will probably end up not wanting to work for a few days, something that I don't want to have to do at this point in the term. So I'm not going, but feeling bad about not going.
In happier news, tomorrow I'm off to NYC!!! Not only do I get to research my journal in the NYPL and hopefully have time to look at Rembrandt paintings at the Met and the Frick, I get to see![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nonemorecomic and toran who (along with roomate Tom) have generously agreed to let me stay with them! The only bad part is that I will be missing Denis's birthday on Thursday : ( (and will be abandoning him at swingdance lessons Thursday night). He said it was okay (because I have a presentation in three weeks and its hard to find 4 days I can take off to travel), but it's still sad. I got him a cool birthday gift, so hopefully that will help.
My parents visited last weekend. They came up Thurs. night and we met up with them after swing dance lessons. Friday we went to IKEA and they bought Denis a new comfy desk chair for his birthday (so he can play computer games in greater comfort), and curtains for our livingroom (because from 3-6 the sun shines in and its hot and bright and unbearable.) Then we went to campus and looked around and they read books in the library for an hour while I put together a paper topic for Rembrandt class.
Saturday we all got up and went to see the WWII and FDR memorials (with the George Mason memorial thrown in as a bonus memorial), and then to the new National Museum for the American Indian. The NMAI was cool, but insanely crowded (even with timed ticket entry) so I hope to go back myself on a weekday. Saturday night we went out to a super-yummy but expensive dinner with my parents, my uncle who lives in DC, my two cousins who live in DC, and their parents (aunt and uncle from Ohio) and then to the Kennedy Center to see On Golden Pond with James Earl Jones. The play was awesome, a lot funnier than I expected (my dad had described it as "a play about old people.")
Sunday Denis stayed home to play computer while my parents, aunt, uncles, and DC-uncle's two dogs went to Roosevelt Island to walk around and see the Teddy Roosevelt statue (the dogs loved the fountains.) It was a lovely fall day, great for a walk. My parents were flying out in the evening, but they left at 1pm to go to the new air and space museum out in VA so I could work Sunday afternoon.
The sad news is that the art history graduate secretary just died suddenly. She had a brain anyruism(sp?) two Fridays ago, was in a coma for a week, and passed away last Friday. She's worked in the dept. for years (at least 10) and was always friendly and helpful. She was fairly young, healthy, and has two teenage sons. It's really sad, she was the heart of the department both emotionally and logistically (she was the only one who actually knew how to get a grad. degree here, the profs were always saying "just go ask Kathy".) Everyone is upset. I'd only had contact with her for a few months, but was struck by how prompt and helpful she was even over email. When I met her in person we had a couple of nice conversations and ended the last one with "looking forward to getting to know you better." The funeral is Wednesday and currently I'm not planning on going because I have a bus ticket to NYC. I don't feel like I need to go to the funeral to mourn her personally, but part of me would like to go as part of the department. But I also don't want to go because I know it will be hard emotionally and I will probably end up not wanting to work for a few days, something that I don't want to have to do at this point in the term. So I'm not going, but feeling bad about not going.
In happier news, tomorrow I'm off to NYC!!! Not only do I get to research my journal in the NYPL and hopefully have time to look at Rembrandt paintings at the Met and the Frick, I get to see
nonemorecomic and toran who (along with roomate Tom) have generously agreed to let me stay with them! The only bad part is that I will be missing Denis's birthday on Thursday : ( (and will be abandoning him at swingdance lessons Thursday night). He said it was okay (because I have a presentation in three weeks and its hard to find 4 days I can take off to travel), but it's still sad. I got him a cool birthday gift, so hopefully that will help.
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From:
no subject
Sad about your secretary friend. :(
But not to worry, on Thursday we're totally going to happy hour with Batman!
You guys are learning to swing dance now? Neato!
From:
no subject
From:
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Glad you get to go to NYC though. Have a great time!
From:
no subject
That's really cool that you guys are taking swing dancing, and getting out to see the sights in DC. I feel kind of lame because so far I'm not yet settled enough to have really seen the sights in either London or Cambridge - we haven't been to any plays or musicals yet, an I haven't been to the museums etc. since I got here (I have back when I was a tourist earlier this year and before). But right now I pretty much commute, work, and work on setting up accounts and settling into our flat. You and Denis are an inspiration - I need to start getting out mroe!
From:
no subject
Things sound like they're going great for you! When you get back we WILL do dinner. :)