This Post Is Not Exciting

...but then again, neither am I!

Have been getting some flack from my family lately for having boring updates (they are not wrong) but I also just don't have that much to talk about that is amazingly gripping. So that's why I'm posting right now, even though I have nothing amazingly gripping to tell you. I had a nice day. A fullfilling day. Here's what it was:

--taught my classes in the museum today, while wearing boots with a 3 inch heel. I'm not a heels person. I was bequeathed these boots when a friend moved to Texas and decided not to take them, and they were too cute to be tossed. And, surprisingly comfortable! They allow me to pretend I am tall, and made lovely clacking noises on the wood floors of the museum.

--my students were actually pretty invested in doing visual analysis and I think they had fun. I cracked some Harry Potter jokes and they laughed. They asked tons of questions about adoration of the magi scenes (that's what we were looking at) and actually came up with some theories about a still life and it made me feel like I was actually TEACHING them something. I'm so glad we have the resources to see works in person, it really does make things more exciting. Yes, the works aren't amazing, but I could relate brushwork back to van der Weyden and van Eyck and they GOT the connections. And when we're outside such a strict classroom setting, I feel like I can let some of my generally nerdy-goofy personality out, and bond a little bit, which seemed to happen. Also, two random guys sort of hung out at the back of my class and when we were moving galleries I told them that it wasn't a tour, and that they were welcome to hang out with us but they shouldn't feel obligated, and they said, "oh ok! we just thought you were interesting." Huh.

--met with my advisor, who was supportive about my list of possible PhD schools and basically told me I was on point with everything I needed to be doing, which was very nice. And while I love everyone who has told me over the years about the likelihood of me getting a job (hint: not statistically likely!) or of how hard graduate school is, I am getting just the tiniest bit tired of hearing that. It's true, I know it's true. I can stand not to think about that right now, though. He said none of those things today, and didn't try to talk me out of pursuing a PhD, which was what I needed to hear.

--got an inter-library loan book, all in Italian, and I could read parts of it! It's about 16th century convertite houses in Venice (houses built to hold reformed prostitutes). This probably sounds pretty boring, but I was so stoked.

--came home, discovered that Inspector Lewis (aka the best, most stylish, emotionally wrenching, and funny British detective show around) was available on Netflix, and watched an episode from the comfort of my bed. SUCH a good show. SUCH a good way to spend the late Friday afternoon.

--got dinner at a Mexican restaurant (enchiladas with tomatillo salsa, rice, large-ish margarita) with a few friends and ended up staying for three hours, talking and catching up. We so often revert to art history-related shop-talk that it's nice to not do that for a few hours. Also, Shields and Brooks were on TV in the restaurant and I admitted my never-ending love for both of them and got totally mocked (for good reason--feel free to mock me too). But they're so good! I like watching them talk with Jim Lehrer and be SENSIBLE about things, it makes me feel so much better about politics.

--now I'm back in bed, listening to the Firebird Suite (MMM) getting ready to do a little reading (oh, Friday night! oh, theory! sad) and then go to bed--have pumpkin bread and pumpkin carving related plans for tomorrow, and couldn't be happier about that.

Night!