My new commute and first week as a PhD student

Not that I am actually walking from the PRC to the BU Art History department, but above represents my "move" if you will and a big life transition from working fulltime to going to graduate school fulltime: 0.3 miles. I am currently parking in Cambridge to save money and walking over the BU bridge with laptop and books. Luckily, I have a little office cubicle, which is proving quickly to be a life (and back) saver and I don't have to find a new grocery store. I always wanted to go back for my PhD, it just took me a while. I am loving it.

Updates will be fewer and farther between as the reading and prep work takes over... But in short, I had my first 1/2 week of classes, including a seminar on representations of Paris. I will also be taking a seminar on Material Culture. I am a teaching fellow and will be leading 3 discussion sections in support of Art History 111 (ancient to medieval) with about 20 students in each. I just finished preparing my section powerpoint, we're looking at the Venus of Willendorf, Palette of King Narmer, Standard of Ur, and the Alexander Mosaic and comparing them with some later works to get them used to looking and describing what they see in words. I had a blast putting it together.

Two years ago, Bruce was preparing for graduate school, see this post for example, and now I am. He starts teaching fulltime at the New England Institute of Art this fall and is also teaching a section of View Camera at RISD. Wish us both luck!

Engaged!

On a happy front, we have some new news for our cyberfriends near and far...

Bruce proposed! We are engaged!

A positive step for everyone—we all are doing remarkably well after the passing of his father, and Bruce also couldn't wait any longer! Bruce wanted to turn a page if you will...the next chapter after the summer and look to the future.

The story:
I had wanted to go apple picking and he did it there at Shelburne Farm in beautiful Stow (after picking my favorite apples, empires). He thought of a several other ways, but this summer going the way it did, nothing seemed to work out and nothing fancy seemed right. He wanted a simple fun thing in nature (as we oft do) and wanted to do it before he went back to school. It was a beautiful hot day, the last day of summer.

We were sitting down in the shade to cool down after picking (he had been hiding the ring in his camera bag). The ring is an antique, he said he wanted simple and sparkly (and not pointy as I do a lot of riffling around at work). We went out to eat afterwards on the garden patio at the wonderful Oleana. It's very odd, same, but different.

The date:
No date yet. I've never been a one to go a regular route and we've been together for so long, so no rush. Likely, 2 years, as I would like to aim for the late summer. We want to get Bruce finished with Uconn first and I simply am too behind and too swamped to start planning right now! I will however, in my true fashion, do a goodly amount of research for fun. It could be sooner, but we are just going to enjoy the moment for now!