The only student in the library

Well, it's 9:05 am on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and I'm the only student in the Widener library - at least I was the only one standing outside in the brisk cold with the bell chiming across Harvard yard waiting for the stately library doors to open. Widener is the main Harvard library. It's a beautiful, museum like structure, and I'm now in the huge reading room with gorgeous arched ceilings with stained glass - probably over 10,000 square feet of space, and I'm the only student in here. Hmm...

I really wish I could be out with Chris, Liam and Kalian at the Malden parade - ok, maybe not standing out in the cold, but Liam was so sad I wasn't coming with them. It breaks my heart.

After my mellow study day on Wednesday, we got up on Thanksgiving day and drove out to Plymouth - yes, we went to Plymouth for Turkey day - though not to celebrate with the pilgrims but to mourn with the Native Americans. Every year since 1970, there is a Day of Mourning out on Plymouth rock. Unfortunately, this year was freezing cold with torrential horizontal rain. We found a cafe to hang out in before the event started, and then I actually dragged my kids out in this weather - and to call it inclement is an understatement. It's so hard for me to shift gears when I have my heart set on something. After a few minutes of Liam crying to go home, fortunately, one of the speakers said we were going to move over to a church. Yahoo. I've never been so excited to go to a church.

So we shlepped over to a large stone church that, yep, was the original Pilgrim's church - kind of ironic and I think the first time they've had to move the Day of Mourning inside. The kids were troopers during the speeches - unfortunately, they were not incredibly inspiring in and of themselves, and we couldn't stay until the speakers I wanted to hear - updates about Leonard Peltier, etc., but it was a good vibe to be around on this day. The kids were understandably melting down - Kalian fell asleep, but woke up violently with some clapping, so we headed back onto the sloshy roads to our friend Joel's parents' house for Thanksgiving dinner.

Fortunately, both kids napped in the car. We pulled up to their mansion in West Newton. We had a great time and it was really good to see Joel and Lani post weddding - and Joel's dad was really fun to talk to - he's a great lefty who watches Democracy Now religiously and even donates lots of money to them (and sits on the board of the local NPR station and is advocating more podcasting). However, they had such a lovely glass collection that it was definitely stressful to keep on top of the K train's destructo tendancies, but Joel helped out a lot, especially watching her love climbing up and down the stairs. And Joel got out these great old metal toys for the kids. They even had our pre-dinner cocktails/hors d'ouevres in the library - where there are fewer things for the kids to destroy.

Yesterday, I went to the library and had a great day, actually, researching my two main papers I need to write. I even went to 1369 in Central Square and met up with Sam, from MIT, which was really helpful. I can't believe he's 23 and is so savvy on all of this media stuff. I think it helps that he's grounded from his hometown in KY.

Well, in the midst of all of this I have a horrible chest cold and cough. I want so desperately to just chill out - I did need T'g day and the day before to do very little work. I need that decompression time, and I'm really worried about how we'll get through the next 6 weeks. Inhale. Exhale. Yeah, some yoga would be nice....

Well, someone just walked into the reading room. My spell has been broken. Back to work.