researchin'

As you know, I'm working on my doctorate. Slowly. But right now, for the first time in my whole PhD-ing time (over six years, mind you), I'm getting to actually work on it full time! Briefly.

Last spring I applied for various research-funding opportunities, and was pretty excited to get three different awards. The first was for repositories in North Carolina, so I spent the first week of 2017 in the triangle area doing dissertation research. It was a day at Duke in Durham, a day at the state archives in Raleigh, and two days at UNC in Chapel Hill. On my last day I thought I'd gone through everything I wanted to, but then I realized there's still some more to do. So I may go back at some point.

special collections library at Duke

special collections library at the University of North Carolina

The second award was for spending four weeks as a research fellow at the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston. That's where I've just spent the past week, with three more to go. It's pretty great up here. I'm renting an apartment less than a mile from the library where I spend all day looking through old papers. (Or scrolling through old papers on microfilm.) And sometimes I go for walks to explore the city. (Today I worked a half day in the library and then walked to Cambridge and Harvard! Now I'm resting and warming up in a coffee shop before I trek back.)

Massachusetts Historical Society

Walking across the river to Cambridge!

The third research award was from my school, and will help me spend a week or so in New York City later this spring. I'll probably try to combine it with a Philadelphia trip, since there are lots of collections there I should dig through too.

Fun times.

Christmas in Santa Fe

I finally got to go back home to Santa Fe after more than a year away!

I arrived really late on Friday the 23rd. The next day was mostly spent getting the house ready to have people over for Christmas, but my parents and I took a break for a Mexican lunch at Blue Corn.

That evening we picked Granddad up and went to church for a Christmas Eve service. Then Dad and I walked Canyon Road. It was fun, but it was really windy and a lot of the farolitos had blown out.

Christmas morning my parents woke me up and told me to look outside. A white Christmas! There was about an inch of snow. We opened presents with Ryan and Lauren on Skype, then went to church. A couple hours later people came over for Christmas dinner and hanging out.

Monday my parents and I ate lunch at Jambo Cafe. That afternoon we went to my aunt and uncle's house to visit. And that night Dad and I went to see the Eagle Huntress, which I liked a lot.

Tuesday we drove to Albuquerque and I did a little shopping, then we picked Patrick up at the airport and took him for his first New Mexican meal. That night back in Santa Fe I took him downtown to see the plaza all lit up and get a margarita at Del Charro.

Wednesday morning I met up with a friend from college for coffee (he was an administrator but also from Santa Fe and he helped lead the Club de Nuevo Mexico, of which I was obviously a member). That afternoon we had family over for posole and tamales. That's what we usually eat on Christmas Eve but we mixed things up this year. Later that night when everyone had left we played Rummikub.

Thursday we went to Meow Wolf. Apparently it's the hottest thing in Santa Fe right now. We spent over two hours wandering the "immersive, multimedia experience." It was pretty neat.

After all that fun we had a late lunch at the Cowgirl. Then Dad and Patrick and I took a drive up toward the ski basin. And that evening the three of us went to see Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened. 
 

Friday Mom made a great breakfast for us, then Dad and Patrick and I headed out of town to visit Tent Rocks National Monument. How have I never been there before?! It was amazing. Unfortunately it was also icy toward the end, so we didn't climb all the way up to see all the views. Next time. The slot canyon was still pretty neat though.

After our hike we headed downtown to do a little shopping, and then grabbed a drink overlooking the plaza before meeting up with Mom at the George O'Keeffe Museum. They had a little special exhibit on paintings she did while at the University of Virginia, so that was fun to see. We topped the day off with dinner at Tomasita's.

Another great trip to Santa Fe!