Katherine has been sleeping very well this past week, starting out each night with a five-hour stretch, followed by shorter naps. This past night, whether it’s the muggy weather, all of the travel preparation, or the tummy trouble that kept her upset much of the evening, she started sleeping at 11pm and is still going at 6:30! I, of course, being new to this whole sleep thing, have woken up regularly since 5, checking on her to make sure she’s breathing. And now I’m up to finish packing.
Erin
We’re leaving for Nova Scotia a bit earlier than we expected, so we’re racing around the house (and Sydney’s racing to the garden) to get everything ready to go: garden, food, cat, clothes, bills, correspondence, work–and trying to keep a baby happy. Let’s hope that Katherine thinks a two-day drive is a GREAT opportunity to sleep! Given that I’ve never packed a baby for a long trip before, and given that I’m in an unusual hurry this time, what are the chances that I’ll forget something important?
Erin
Our charmed travel continued today, when our return trip took only a few minutes longer than our drive to the city. We got home nice and early, got to unpack and have dinner, and then headed to the garden–where Sydney worked hard and Erin entertained Miss Katherine.
Odd things I noticed about the conference:
1) One of the recurring themes was the focus on the role of sounds in Woolf’s novels (street music, the noise of motor cars, etc.), a theme I found amusing since all of the panels took place in a 70’s building that had a roaring air conditioning system and whining fluorescent lighting. I had to raise my voice many notches to be heard while presenting my paper, which was quite an interesting experience. First time I’ve ever been asked to speak up 🙂
2) I would estimate that something like a third of the conference participants were British, so I spent my weekend surrounded by lovely accents and charming paper deliveries. Quite lovely, really. And by now I have clipped British voices narrating my thoughts–even as I work very hard to be sure that no faux-British accent comes out of my mouth.
3) As I feared, a conference of Virginia Woolf scholars was largely female, which made for very long lines for the ladies room. An interesting place to network!
Erin
I’m currently on a little academic high: my paper went over very well yesterday (and my advisor was impressed), and I just learned by email that I had another paper accepted to a conference in November.
Sydney, meanwhile, is still recovering from yesterday afternoon, when Katherine apparently wore him out by crying throughout the afternoon. Thankfully, thankfully, thankfully, she has been much better thus far today, and Sydney still likes his daughter–if he’s a bit leery about being left with her again this evening.
Last night, after Sydney took a small nap to recover, we went out on the town . . . to the Whole Foods down the street from our hotel. Our version of a wild night out 🙂 We got some good fruit and salad to stock up our hotel room and Katherine got some interested looks as she slept in her baby carrier.
Erin
After a surprisingly quick drive in (4 hours and 20 minutes), we’re now in our hotel room on West 57th Street in Manhattan. Lincoln Tunnel was a bit clogged up, but the roads were pretty much wide open everywhere else.
And Katherine was amazing: she only woke up when we got to the hotel. Before we left we finally got a picture of her smiling:
Sydney
It’s the day before I’m due to give a paper in Manhattan, and I’m starting to think we’re going to make it, crazy as it seems to take an infant into the city. We have clothes for for all three of us, some food, a big batch of diapers, and lots of little bottles of milk. I’m even one or two obsessive tinkerings away from calling the paper done. So Katherine and I are headed out for a final walk, Sydney’s headed to the garden . . . and then we’ll figure out what we’ve forgotten when we join up again this evening.
Things that have made all the difference in making this look like fun: 1) Sydney offered to drive me all the way into the city, so that we don’t have to drag Katherine and our stuff through trains, subways, and the like 2) My paper is in good shape and I even came up with some new ideas while drafting it 3) We’ve gotten a bit more sleep than we did last week 4) We’re going to meet up with Lauren, my best friend from college, for a long-overdue reunion on this trip 5) I remembered that the market in Grand Central has FANTASTIC food (cheese, breads, fruit), and I plan to hit it up on my way back to the hotel on one of the conference evenings. These thoughts will get me happily to the conference, where I fully expect to get my usual high from being around hundreds of people who like the same books I like.
Erin
Taco Salad
– Lettuce (from Sydney’s little garden next to the house)
– A mixture of beans, onions, peppers, all from Sydney’s garden last year
– Cilantro, which Sydney found growing yesterday at the same part of the garden where we had cilantro last year
– Salsa, which Sydney canned last year
– Cheese, taco sauce, sour cream, and tortillas from the store
My husband, the provider!
Erin
Sydney (according to report) successfully presented his second paper of the week. Now we’re hoping for a bit of down time and gardening and papering time before we head off to another conference next week. Then we’re taking a break for a bit!
Erin
Alan Schmierer
