Hope-y Change-y (Academic Version)

unrelated photo

So, the academics in Exotic Research Country are famous for being territorial. I "grew up" (archivally speaking) on stories of archivists who hid documents, professors who sabotaged the students of other professors, ones who refused to let you work in "their" territory. So when I discovered that two people were already working in areas close to the project I had finally settled on, you can imagine my trepidation.

But you know what's nice? Change. Seems that as a new generation of scholars has come up, they have discovered the joys of collaboration – even transatlantic collaboration. This generation seems much happier to share information, discuss ideas, and critique approaches in a helpful way.

Case in point: I wrote to the two main people working near "my" topic (to be fair, it was "theirs" long before it was "mine"). One is in the U.S.; the other is here. And dig this: both of them were excited to have another person working on it, and eager to meet up and talk. Imagine that!

So, I'm going into my weekend, eyeballs sore from staring at documents, but otherwise very happy.

Two Days

illustration: a place where I did my best impersonation
of a person who isn't a complete stress case.

Two (2): apparently the maximum number of work-days I can take off from the archives without feeling guilty. On this, my friend's last visit day, I sent her off to explore a local attraction with instructions to meet up after lunch, so I could get some archive time.

Nevertheless, I did have a good time. But true relaxation seems to be beyond me.

Another Photo

Today, I spent 2 hours at Famous Landmark with my friend and my camera.

And yet, my favorite photo for today turned out to be this one:

What I did with my Sunday

1) Hung out and played tourist with a friend who I haven't seen for years
2) Ate excellent food
3) Took pictures**


I liked it so well that I think I'll get up and do it again tomorrow.

**Aided in large part by the loan of friend D.'s 50mm lens, which does some excellent stuff, like above. And now I have another something to spend several hundred dollars on.

Rain, and a Few Days of Rest

So, It's Friday night in Exotic Research City. Where am I?

In the archives, of course.

Then again, sitting at a table in a modern room in a renovated gothic bishop's palace next to a window looking out on the cathedral with a medieval manuscript open on the table and the rain coming down outside -- well, that's not such a bad thing, really.

This situation is typical: as mentioned in an earlier post, I tend to do short trips, so I tend not to get to see Exotic Research City much at all. And trust me, it's one of those places that people ooh! and ah! over.

But here's the deal: This time, I'm here for 3 months, and three different individuals have already made plans to visit. The first -- not an academic, but a photographer friend -- is showing up tomorrow night, for four days. I've spent the last couple of days practicing telling myself that it's really, really okay to take a few days off. Really, it is.

So: We'll see how that turns out, shall we?

Problem solved.

Okay, so last night, after several e-mails, a phone call, and four illicit stress-provoked cigarettes, I figured out the solution to my project problem, a way to work this project in a way that I'm sure no one here will do.

This is one of my many character defects, one of the many ways that I am a work in progress: I tend to panic first, and think and solve later. And it's one of the many reasons that I'm grateful for people who put up with me, make soothing noises, and know that it'll blow over in very short order.

Thanks.

Here's a picture of a pigeon:

No. No, no, no.

AARRGGHHHH!!!

I just found out today that at least three people (two here and one in the U.S.) have been working on projects related to mine -- the one I finally committed to.

My last "second project" got severely stepped on, and I backed off. But not this time. I'm gonna write to the people in question, politely, and figure out what's going on. But I'm going to stay on this one.

Hrmph.