geeky bliss

Today I hit the library. I had to laugh at myself because I was working with these old documents (400+ years) and was just thrilled to touch them and read them and think about the fact that the folks I study would have probably touched and read other versions of these documents. I just kept imagining the lives of these pages and considering where they'd been in centuries past. I'm having a hard time believing that I'm actually here doing this - I imagined that this sort of thing would be possible once I finished the PhD and got a job, but the reality is still hard to grasp. But, I like it! I've only felt so connected to the things and people I study once before when I visited a specific location where one of my major sources took place. It's amazing how these places and artifacts can bring everything to life - and really give me new perspectives on the things I study. I'm excited to be able to bring some of this back to the classroom, if only through anecdote. The funny thing about London is that most of the things connected to what I study burned down during the Great Fire in 1666. So, I'm left to seek out what structures actually do remain, and also to search out streets and other such things that are mentioned in the texts I study. Then the imagination has to come into play.

I'm starting to build a list of places and things I want to find before my time's up here. Right now it seems like I've got a ton of time - over a month! - but I know it'll go by quickly, so I've got to make the most of every moment...

Tomorrow, up early, off to the library by opening time, and then some sort of adventure in the evening... Maybe I'll bring my guide book to consider over lunch.