nous allons a france

We just booked a trip to France . . . something we have been saving our little pennies to do! That's the news from our house. My friend Kelly lives in Versailles with her husband Fred, and we'll be visiting them, with a mini-trip to London maybe. This will be my first time over the ocean. V. thrilling.

We're also in the market for a digital camera . . . with all we spend (and will spend) on film and developing, we've decided it'd be a better deal in the long run. And then we can add photos to the blog! Anyone have suggestions?

Right now I should be working on my presentation on the Armory Show and the Stieglitz Gallery (291) . . . but I am dragging my feet. It is actually very intersting stuff, particularly becuase it was really and truly Banta's scene. His work was exhibited in the Stieglitz Gallery. I've been looking at the work of another caricature artist, de Zayas, whose work really reminds me of Banta's. This is all for a class I'm taking in NY Modernity. During the first half of the class we are studying the "Little Renaissance" that took place in New York before WWI. I do plan to work some of Banta's art into the presentation. If only I had more time.

But since wasting time doesn't seem to bother me, we're heading to hear a Brass Quintet tonight on campus. I called in to the campus radio station just to inquire about the time of the show and the price, and the DJ offered me two free tickets! I love brass quintets! And listening to great live music is NOT a waste of time, is it?

Snow Day

This morning as all the school closings were listed I KNEW UConn would not be one of them . . . and alas, it wasn't. But by 10 in the morning we decided that whether or not the school was closing, we were not going anywhere. 5 inches of snow on the roads, and no plow! Not a one! So after we sent the joyful e-mail to our students, the plow passed the house. No regrets though . . . the two best words ever are SNOW & DAY (when next to one another). It's still misting out there . . . and cozy in here.

Yesterday we had a nice long snowshoe hike around the old ski trails behind Horsebarn Hill, but today we're just hunkered down with books, books, books.

by way of procrastinating

This morning Emily filled the birdfeeder and put in a new suet cake. Then, by way of procrastinating the academic work of the day, started this blog. She *might* have been inspired by the Madden Blog and the Jenckes Blog too! Lula, our wild girl, is snuggled up next to the laptop, and things around here are right jolly. Our extra-curricular activity is to find a Lula a suitable play mate, but kittens in January seem scarce.