The day is great.
Today was a day unlike any other, and probably will not be topped for a long time because it is not yet through. I am in Boston, by the way; technically it is Cambridge, because I'm visiting Sean at MIT and he works at Harvard, but my exact location isn't too important.
So, like I said, my lovely boyfriend is living in Boston, and has a job (not an internship) at the Houghton Library at Harvard, which is the home to Rare Books and Manuscripts. If you know both of us you've probably made fun of our shared obsession with old books and antique maps and the like. I got to take a tour of his office today, which was incredible and made even more so by his surprise: we got to go into the manuscript stacks and look at the ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS of my favorite John Keats poem, which was written in beautiful cursive in a letter to his friend. I still haven't processed this. "Ode to Psyche" has been printed in nearly every anthology of British literature that I've heard of. I've read the poem so many times in those books, and to see it, actually see it, in handwriting--in John Keats's handwriting--and HOLD it my hand while Sean read it to me.... Hoooboy. And there's more: afterward we got to look at books printed by William Morris, who is my soulmate, and the proofs for the famous woodblock prints from those books. My head is reeling.
Lunch at a creperie, and then I explored Hahvahd Yahd and Hahvahd Square and saw a lot of people who look like Katie Felkins. And a lot of young children taking tours, which scared me. Harvard is quite lovely and old, and the best part about it is that it smells good--every corner smells savory and delicious and very inviting. Lovely!
Tonight there is a Vassar reunion of some of my best friends at Lisa's house in Pembroke. We have to take the T to Braintree, and then we will go swimming and drink lots of wine and cocktails while her mom feeds the 5 of us who will be there. Do you see how perfect this day is and will continue to be?
Lots of love from Boston, Wish you were here...
So, like I said, my lovely boyfriend is living in Boston, and has a job (not an internship) at the Houghton Library at Harvard, which is the home to Rare Books and Manuscripts. If you know both of us you've probably made fun of our shared obsession with old books and antique maps and the like. I got to take a tour of his office today, which was incredible and made even more so by his surprise: we got to go into the manuscript stacks and look at the ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS of my favorite John Keats poem, which was written in beautiful cursive in a letter to his friend. I still haven't processed this. "Ode to Psyche" has been printed in nearly every anthology of British literature that I've heard of. I've read the poem so many times in those books, and to see it, actually see it, in handwriting--in John Keats's handwriting--and HOLD it my hand while Sean read it to me.... Hoooboy. And there's more: afterward we got to look at books printed by William Morris, who is my soulmate, and the proofs for the famous woodblock prints from those books. My head is reeling.
Lunch at a creperie, and then I explored Hahvahd Yahd and Hahvahd Square and saw a lot of people who look like Katie Felkins. And a lot of young children taking tours, which scared me. Harvard is quite lovely and old, and the best part about it is that it smells good--every corner smells savory and delicious and very inviting. Lovely!
Tonight there is a Vassar reunion of some of my best friends at Lisa's house in Pembroke. We have to take the T to Braintree, and then we will go swimming and drink lots of wine and cocktails while her mom feeds the 5 of us who will be there. Do you see how perfect this day is and will continue to be?
Lots of love from Boston, Wish you were here...