Extended Families

Hans Holbein, More Family Portrait

I don't have to teach on Friday! I don't have to teach on Friday! It's something called "Good Friday," for Catholics and Anglicans, I think. But it's also Bach's birthday, so I plan to spend the entire day writing and listening to Bach. I've got two pieces to polish up and send out and I must do it before April comes around. I'm still feeling the remains of post-conference depression. I've managed to e-mail my new friends, finish some conversations, write my thank-you notes, and partially redeem myself virtually, but every day I keep remembering more people I need to write. I'm really glad I had those cheesy business cards made as I'm finally starting to get e-mails from scholars I met at the conference who are interested in my work.

Forgive me for sounding Pollyanaish, but the virtual world being what it is, I think this year it will be easier to stay connected. That is, if I don't disappear completely into my book, which five people in the past week have encouraged me to do (and don't worry five people, I will, I'm dying to!). Still it's nice to know how to reach one's friends & colleagues when stuck or confused or in need of inebriation in London or DC.

The funniest bit of SAA news is that I've discovered that one of my new conference buddies is in my extended family (my artist cousin is his partner- who knew?). I did get a very warm, familial vibe from him at the conference, so maybe I ought to have guessed, but neither of us knew this until after the conference ended.