Just To Get Some Rest...
How nice it is to relax. It is hard for me to believe that I used to take pleasure in sleeping until 2, but things have sure changed. It has been a busy Fall and Winter, the time when ambitious graduate students seek fellowships, attend conferences, and pretend to write the dissertation....
I had the opportunity to travel to the South for a conference last weekend. I was so immediately taken by the Southern Gentlemanliness that still seems to exist. I have never been called 'mam,' 'miss,' 'lady,' and 'miss lady mam' so often in such a short span of time! I loved it, and I have to say, though I was born and raised on the West coast, we do not have the same culture of exchange. It was rare (in the state I visited) for someone to pass by or share an elevator without speaking, making a friendly joke, or wishing me well.
As for the room full of academics....
I had to snatch a picture of the snow for my daughter who is now obsessed with being able to see snow in person. You will notice from the picture that I had a terrible seat on the plane (but my baby sure was happy to have mama home... I think).
That brings me to my second complaint about academic life: when do the first class (heck, business class) seats become a part of this deal?
The good thing is that sisterlocks do travel well. I remember sitting up a couple of times to fluff my hair out, I was so nervous that a gorgeous, young, male, historian of color would also be travelling to the conference and see me wake up with a box-shaped head after sleeping and sweating on the plane. Well, the SLs held up without worry, and there were no cute academics on the flight (except me ;-)
Finally, here are some updated photos from about 7 months.