Lots to think about

Dear friends and family,

We rushed into NYC on the 10:02 train,Merwin having left his class early because of a pulled muscle, and we were expecting a lot of action at the apartment. For one thing, RCN, our Internet provider, was coming to connect the computer Merwin got from Harvey (via Rachael: kind of fun when a granddaughter becomes the source of a "new" computer). Sure enough, when we arrived at Bryant Park, the tech had already arrived, while Merwin was at Zeytinz, our lovely next-door shop, getting a danish. I had gone directly to the library to find a book I need for the paper I am completing for publication and presentation on March 19th, but didn't find it there and so came to the apartment.

After this most pleasant tech left us, now completely wireless throughout the apartment, we read (I am working through Kathryn's paper copies of TLS) and napped to get ready for the long evening. The big news is that my hem, Dr. Kurzyna, had made a conenction with Mt. Sinai's team working on a drug that might suppress my bad JAK2 gene, and one of the doctors wanted me to phone. We called Dr. Mascarenhas, who was most pleasant. After a bit of chat with both of us he told us to call right then the secretary for an appointment at 3 p.m. tomorrow! Wow, we are excited. We spoke to Betsy, the secretary, who already had me in their computer, we are not sure how. We are hopeful, but of course we can't get too hopeful.

At 6 p.m. we left the apartment for the Amsterdam Café, which I enjoyed very much last year, that is, I enjoyed having the Columbia Shakespeare seminar dinners there, while Faculty House was being refurbished, but I didn't enjoy all the work of organizing the dinners. I couldn't do that this year. We had salads and french-fried sweet potatoes. Then off to the talk by Jean Howard around the corner at a nearby Columbia U building. She is being honored with the opportunity to give three lectures, which will become a book. The lecture series is sponsored by a person who had been a member of one of the Columbia seminars. Jean is a member of the Shakespeare Seminar but usually is too busy to come. Anyway, to a packed room she gave the most wonderful lecture followed by brilliant responses to the several questions posed by the audience. The overall topic is Staging History: Imagining the Nation. Last night her topic was Bosworth Field and Agincourt: The Making of Shakespeare's England. Brilliant. Afterwards there was a nice litttle snack. We chatted with the few people we knew there, Harry and Marje, Heather and her partner. Then home on the subway, arriving after 10 p.m.

Nice day, and now we are off to Fairway to do a little shopping. We go by subway, have a delicious breakfast in their cafe, then take a subway or taxi home, depending on the number of packages we collect.

We are still dealing with the stopped sink in the bathroom, an issue that must be resolved before too long. I brushed my teeth in the shower this morning.

Onward with many exiting thoughts swimming in my head. For one, Harry asked if I would read a grant proposal he is writing, so when I am lying in bed sleepless as is my wont I am thinking of creating his seminar proposal. Silly me. But ideas will keep coming.

Love to all,
in haste,
Bernice