Thoughts and Words Ill-Sorted

We left Iowa early this morning so as to get to Philadelphia in time for a conference. The driving was pretty eery. For the first several hours at least we were basically alone on the wide interstates. That might have been a bit eery by itself, but to add to the effect, there were lots of remains from people having been there. Dozens of cars, vans, and tractor-trailers littered the ditches. Some were right-side up; many were on their sides or upside down. Some were in reasonably good shape; others were well-crumpled. In one place about a third of a truck was lying on its side in the median. I don’t know where the rest of it was. All of the vehicles were deserted, since they were all victims of previous snowstorms. By the time we got there, it was sunny and the roads were perfectly clear. But it sure looked like an abandoned, wintry warzone. Not exactly the sort of image that normally occurs to one when one thinks of Christmas. Then again, maybe it’s good to be reminded that not everyone is happily celebrating Christmas with their families.

Sydney

For new parents and those expecting to be parents soon, read the anecdotes here in case you’re not sufficiently worried yet. What do you think the possibilities are of keeping everything that is flammable, sharp-edged, or very hard out of reach from boys?

Sydney

It’s about -5 degrees here in Iowa, with windchills around -25.  Now I remember why I never get to show Sydney much of my hometown when we visit for Christmas . . .

We’ve been here almost a week, and our days have consisted in reading and grading (Sydney), scrapbooking (me), and eating, talking with my parents, and watching television (both of us).  I have managed to find a couple of good old movies on TV, but since the county was basically shut down this morning (no tow trucks were allowed on the roads) we didn’t get to church.  Guess that means I’ll have to find my Christmas some other way.

Erin

As Sydney and I drove through Chicago yesterday and noticed huge, sprawling suburbs on both sides of the road.  I’d say the average house had 4,000 square feet and was approximately five years old.  We were cracking jokes about the warm-and-fuzzy community sense we were getting from the area when we saw the name of the area: “West Suburbs.”  That was it, on every sign over the next few miles.  We weren’t sure whether to be glad they didn’t try for something grand like “Riverside Oaks” or “Glenforest Springs” or saddened that they didn’t even try for a homey name.

Erin

After a stop with friends in Ohio, we spent Sunday with David and Lisa and their three boys: Andrew, Jonathan, and Benjamin.  Sydney seemed to have fun with Benjamin (yes, folks, that’s a smile!), and Benjamin was veeeery happy to see the view from Sydney’s height.  You can tell how happy he is by whether or not the tongue is peeking out (a kid with a temperament gauge–fantastic!).

Now, off to Iowa and some thirty-below windchills!

Erin

Sydney and I got to St. Bonaventure before 10 this morning and spent the day in the library.  I have to say, it’s nice to be in a library that’s not really crowded, as Cornell’s libraries seem to be (particularly this time of year).

After the library we checked in at a very, very cute B&B nearby and went out for dinner at an elegant restaurant that used to be a public library.  Sydney, who masterminded dinner and lodging, is doing his best to make sure I think of research trips in a positive light!

Both places, and, indeed, the entire downtown, are dressed up for Christmas, which I’ve really enjoyed.  I sat for ten minutes in front of the Christmas tree in the front parlor, just enjoying the loveliness.

Now it’s time for tea and relaxation before we return to the library tomorrow morning!

Erin

Sydney and I head out tomorrow for a whirl of traveling that will keep us away from Ithaca until the new year.

– Thursday and Friday: we’ll be at St. Bonaventure University, where Sydney will do more research among old books and Erin will enjoy working in a new library

– Friday evening and Saturday: we’ll be visiting friends near Columbus, OH, from Sydney’s Rosedale college days

– Saturday evening and Sunday: we’ll be in South Bend, IN, visiting David and Lisa and their three boys

– Monday through Christmas: family time in Hudson, IA, with Erin’s parents and brother

– Christmas through the new year: we’ll drive to Philadelphia for the annual APA (American Philosophical Association) meeting, where Sydney will check out the interview process he’ll be going through next year and Erin will be enjoying some time in a new city (the same city where she’ll be doing her interviews next year).

And then back home!

Erin

Having decided that Francisco Suarez is rather too mainstream and common for my tastes, I’ve started doing some research on even later scholastics, i.e., from a time when scholastics didn’t exist to the mind of most people. Actually, they did. And they left a great many, fat Latin volumes that one might read. But since these people didn’t exist, most libraries, especially in the U.S. don’t have many of their books. So yesterday I got up early and drove down to St. Bonaventure University and spent the day in the Franciscan Institute’s splendid rare book library. I hope to go back next week for more indulging of my historical bent.

Okay, so that was the boring background bit. Tracking down the books I need involves a lot of time combing through various obscure sources and doing lots of various catalogue searches. In the course of that one naturally comes across many wholly irrelevant title. But it can be entertaining, if one loves early modern book titles as much as I do. Below the break are a few I’ve come across recently: Continue reading →