"I am pleased to inform you that your proposal has been accepted."

Kursaal Congress Palace, San Sebastian, Spain

Greatest news ever! Now I will spend the entire summer in the library preparing my paper for peer review and possible publication in the affiliated journal. I am so incredibly excited to be a part of this.

Spain has everything I need. The conference is located directly, exactly in between two of the most important places (Ripoll and Santiago de Compostela) relative to my paper. Fate?

San Sebastián: in the Basque region of Spain, known for being one of the best food cities on earth. It has more Michelin stars per capita than any other city, even Paris. YES!

Abbey Church of Ripoll.

Santiago de Compostela

The prospect of visiting these places: magical. The prospect of having to present at my first conference, in another country: petrifying.

Oh, AND the conference is being held in conjunction with this film festival which will work magically with my topic. Hooray hooray!!

Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World)

Rajastani Room, 2004-2005

Le Corbusier Sink, 2006

 This is exactly what I need. Bonus: In March visit The Pop Up Store Called Milton where Kalman will be selling egg slicers, postcards, cans of mushy peas, bouncing balls from Argentina, and other ephemera of daily life.
Organized by the ICA at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (curator Ingrid Schaffner), this show will be at the Jewish Museum through the end of July.  Must make plans for another visit to New York.

Mid Semester Scenarios

It's time to descend into the piles of books (only 29 this semester!). I have a rough draft due in...nevermind. The object of inquiry is an Armenian folio that has no previous scholarship. No state of the literature. It's all up to me. Next to Cambridge, in Watertown, we are lucky to have an Armenian Library and Museum (ALMA). This is where several pages (including mine) from what may have been a Gospel Book were donated. Watertown, or as I like to call it, Armenia, is also the second largest Armenian community in America. One of my favorite things about going for a visit is checking out the food shops. The best feta cheese and other Middle Eastern treats.

I am excited to get into this, my last project here at Tufts. In addition to my research this semester, I am working with our Africanist as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. For their first paper, many of the students have chosen to write on masks. I especially like this one: a 19th or 20th century Mukudj Mask from Gabon.

Ripoll

Today I graded fifteen papers and submitted a proposal for a conference that takes place in Spain, close to where my beloved Ripoll stands! Productive, exhilarating day. It would be just fantastic if I were to receive an offer to present. It's a long shot, I know, and the first of many.

Thrilling, nonetheless.