As Summer Was Just Beginning

I know I have been delinquent with my blog updates the past few weeks, but in my defense, I have been rather uninspired and there is not much going on at the moment. By this time, of course, summer has officially begun. Eric just began teaching his course on ancient Egyptian religion at UCLA and I will be wrapping up school group lessons tomorrow. (I have declared it an official day of celebration.) The summer months will still be busy, just with different kinds of distractions. Beginning next week I will have no teaching assignments on Wednesdays, which will give me the luxury of one day a week to research and prepare for upcoming projects. For example, I am preparing a course comparing nudity in the ancient Near East, Egypt, and Greece. Also, two special exhibitions are opening at the Villa this summer: The Golden Graves of Ancient Vani (July 16–October 5, 2009) and The Chimaera of Arezzo (July 16, 2009–February 8, 2010). I have about a month or so to study up on both of those exhibitions so I can be ready to present them to the public by the time they open. I am very much looking forward to both of these shows. They will both have an archaeological bent to them compared to other special exhibitions I have taught here, which will make them particularly fun for me.

In other news, we are now a two car family again. You will recall some months ago I reported that the engine of Eric's old beater overheated and seized, leaving him stranded on the 405 freeway. Since then he and I have been negotiating the use of our one remaining car as best as we could--and not doing half bad, all things considered. Anyhow, last week a friend of his bought a new car and very kindly sold his old one to Eric for a price he could afford. So we now have two cars again, and what a luxury it is! I will enjoy very much not making grocery trips on my day off with my little push cart and waiting on the bus in order to get around and get errands done.

With all that in mind, you could say things are going pretty well right now. We have no extraordinary plans for summer since we usually take our vacation in September, after Eric is done with his summer teaching. What we will be doing is taking advantage of the awesome SoCal summer weather, enjoying time with friends and family, and going to lots of summer movies. I have learned to make the most of my unusual work schedule and have got myself into the habit of seeing movies on Mondays, when everyone else is at work. It is a lot of fun to kick back with your soda and popcorn and see a movie in an almost deserted theater. Once you know how great it is without the crowds, it is almost disappointing to see a movie any other way. Also, at the end of the summer I plan on escaping the city for a visit home.

But, for now, there are miles to go so I had better get to it. Time to get busy learning the stories revealed by the golden graves of Vani.

Summertime in the Villa's Herb Garden

Kellie's Wedding

A little over a week ago, on May 30th, Eric and I were in his sister Kellie's wedding. Kellie and Jeff were married at the Wayfarer's Chapel in Palos Verdes. Unfortunately the trademark "June gloom" of southern California moved in a day or two early, and it turned out to be an overcast, chilly, misty day. Even so, the beautiful locations made for great photos. The venue from the ceremony was the Wayfarer's Chapel. It sits right on the coast and is a beautiful place no matter what the weather.

Unfortunately, I think my day of gallivanting along the coast in the chill and mist helped to run me down and opened me up to attack from a vicious rhinovirus that's been going around. The past week I have suffered from a nasty head cold. This bug made its way around the office this past week, taking out several of us. It definitely slowed me down, but I'm fighting back and believe I am on the mend. There is just something totally unfair about summer colds...

The month of June promises to be pretty uneventful. I will continue to miseducate the public as usual, and Eric will begin teaching his summer class at UCLA next week. The one anticipated event for me this month is the day school groups end. The end date is currently set for June 27th, I believe. That will indeed be a day of celebration and the beginning of a much needed break from teaching school audiences. They are in many ways the audience that takes the most energy, and the summer break is the time to recharge and recuperate before returning to the fray in early October.

Speaking of recuperation, I'm going to set aside my computer so I can make myself a comforting cup of hot tea. It's the beverage that cheers but does not inebriate, as one of my favorite literary heroes would say.

When Mom Came to Town

Sandy, Kara, and I

Last week Mom came out to L.A. for a visit. We had no particular plans, but somehow every day was filled with plenty to do. Her first night in town we went out for a girl's night with my friends Sandy and Kara. A great time was had by all, although we narrowly avoided an encounter with angry fans when Kara decided to (loudly) heckle the Lakers and cheer Denver.

One day during her visit was "bring Mom to work day." We hung out at the Villa and I showed Mom around and she got to follow me on my gallery talks. She saw my talk on religion in Greco-Roman Egypt and attended my hour of the gem handling session for that day. The gem handling sessions, as we call them, are associated with our "Carvers & Collectors" exhibition on ancient engraved gems and modern copies. We have a "touchable" collection of various gemstones and engraved gemstones in different stages of completion that we discuss and pass around amongst visitors who stop by. It is very different from the other kinds of teaching I do in that these are times when I just sit down and converse with visitors for an hour. As with most teaching, I find it exhausting but fun. Mom also got to meet some of my coworkers, who later told me my mother could pass for my sister.



All things considered it was a great visit. Now Eric and I are getting ready for his sister's wedding this weekend. All sorts of friends and family are converging on the Wells household at the moment, since the big day is tomorrow. This morning Eric and I packed and loaded the car so we can leave straight from the museum and head for the South Bay. It will be a crazy busy couple of days, I'm sure, but hopefully a lot of fun as well!

In the Gardens

Is it the end of the school year yet? I am very much looking forward to the summer break from school groups. They are, in many ways, one of the most exhausting aspects of my job. Any kind of public speaking can be draining, but if you add the element of disciplining your audience (because the chaperones hardly ever do) and yelling at the top of your lungs (because the marble galleries here are an acoustic nightmare) it wears you down. The summer is a much needed recovery period and I am eagerly awaiting the end of June.

Earlier this week we had a guest speaker from the Huntington Library in San Marino visit the museum to talk about ancient varieties roses and some of the other plants in our gardens here. The Huntington has some lovely gardens itself, and so has the accompanying horticultural experts on staff. It was a very interesting stroll through the gardens, and inspired me to take the pictures I have added to this post. May is really one of the best times to wander the gardens here. Most everything is in bloom by this time of year, and everything looks new, colorful, and fresh.

For the most part these past weeks have been very uneventful and ordinary. Eric and I spend most of our time working these days. The steady pace is a reminder of how much a vacation is needed every once in awhile in order to recharge ourselves. Hopefully this summer will offer a couple of opportunities to relax and have some fun. In the meantime, I'll have to settle for quiet afternoon walks in the gardens here.

Thank You Card

Today I received a very cute thank you card from one of the school groups I gave a lesson to recently. My favorite comment is scribbled to the right of the amphora: "Thank you so much. I am smarter having listened to you."

These cute and sometimes creative thank-yous from school groups always make my day. There are so many times that you can feel frustrated and discouraged and frazzled as a museum educator, it is nice when someone takes the time to say "thanks." It really does mean a lot when someone takes the time to let you know they appreciated your time and effort. Saying "thank you" is one of the first lessons we learn as kids, but it is amazing how many of us forget about it when we're grown up. Thankfully, in my line of work I am reminded every day just how far a simple "thank you" can go.