Welcome to the new blog!

As this blog celebrates its fourth birthday tomorrow, I've decided it's time to change things a bit. The old layout needed some jazzing up and my obscure literary reference title was too much of a tongue-twister. Writing museum newsletters is forcing me to learn to be concise! I also wanted to describe what inspires my writing - even if I'm not doing intense research anymore, I always think and observe like an historian. I want to know how things got the way they are today, and I can't get enough of contextual backstories. And if I come across really smart discussions of how America's crazy religious potpourri evolved, I'm basically like:

So A Beaten Copper Lamp of Deplorable Design is now Catholic History Nerd! (New URL coming soon.) Don't worry, I'll still keep referencing Brideshead Revisited as much as humanly possible. I'll also keep posting pictures of cool churches I visit. I'm working in a museum while my husband finishes his history dissertation, and we're doing our best to take lots of field trips around New Jersey and New York.The pew pictured in my header is from the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France aka the Old Cathedral of St. Louis, MO.

Standing at the gateway to the west since 1834

Over my past few years in the blogosphere, I've been blessed to meet some inspiring  people and take part in some exciting discussions about what it means to be a young adult Catholic in this post-post Vatican II era. Spiritual topics that are are on my mind a lot include: Catholic culture, liturgy, love and marriage, feminism, the Pope, what makes for good church architecture, how to be a person of faith engaged with the modern world.  There will also be gluten-free food, Sunday church outfits, and goofy pop culture references. Thanks so much for reading! 

7 Beginnings and Ends

Happy Friday!  Since my graduation is only a week away, this installment is going to be about some of the many "lasts" and "firsts" I'm currently experiencing. Many thanks to Jen for hosting the 7 Quick Takes linkup at Conversion Diary.

1.Tonight I turned in my last graduate school paper. Ever. It felt so surreal. Then my art history professor fed us tacos and pickled cactus, and it was delicious.

2. Last night I worked on said paper by pulling what I hope is my last almost-all-nighter in a long, long time. I've been avoiding graduation emotions, but as I turned off the library lights at 1am there was this sudden bittersweet feeling that it was the end of an era. I might shed a tear when I return all my books next week. 

3. On Monday I'll go on my last grad school field trip.We'll be touring the White House and Capital Building. This will be my first time seeing the inside of each, despite having grown up near them.

4. I got a new camera! Ever since my old Olympus died last summer I've been yearning to have a "real camera" again.My little point-and-shoot has taken good close-up images, but it makes me feel like I'm at the mercy of it's little buttons instead of in control of the situation. So, I took advantage of the magical, wonderful part of grad school known as "professional development funds" to buy a Nikon d3100. 

Check out this inefficient packing. Great job Sears, I am now the proud owner of  gallons of Styrofoam peanuts.

After I got over my initial buyer's remorse, I was delighted to see how well the camera handles both close up and action shots.

 

 

My first time shooting with my new toy was also probably the last time The Beau and I will have a date strolling around the museum grounds. I should send the gardens paths a thank-you card for being such a fun, free activity in the early months of our relationship.


5. My sister started her first museum summer job this week. I'm so excited for her, and can't wait to hear how this colonial farm work turns out. I'm imaging she'll get really buff carrying pails of water and hoeing crops. 


6. This just in: The Beau completed and passed his second and last Ph.D comprehensive exam! I am so glad his tough academic year is done, and I'm so proud of him I could burst.

7. Finally, I am pleased to announce that I have...drumroll please...a NEW BLOG! Chasing Claudia Kincaid is named for the heroine of From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, one of my all-time favorite books. This blog will focus on my thoughts about museums, art, and material culture, freeing up this space to write more about my faith and whatever other random things I feel like. "Claudia" is also my first attempt at using the Wordpress platform, so it will be an interesting learning experience. She'd love it if you paid her a visit!

Accomplishment

After all my award acceptance speech pondering this weekend some very good things happened to me. Things that made me feel about as happy as if I had one of those gold statuettes in my hand.

First, thanks to Blogger's very addictive stats counter charts, I discovered that I set a new record for page views in February - over 700 hits! This is all thanks to you, readers, and I'm about as excited as if I won the lottery. Your comments and visits really brighten this weary grad student's day. Maybe one day we'll even break 1000...

Second, I completed a marathon late night thesis writing session fueled by hummus, pita chips, and some stale Valentine marshmallow peeps. When I came up for air at 3am, I discovered that I had churned out 12 whole pages. I'm really starting to feel like a writer now. Only one more section to go, and then I'll have a decent draft to work with. Just one step closer to my graduation/thesis presentation/awards speech.

The last thing was a complete surprise, and one that testifies to the power of grace more than my own abilities. On Sunday I got a Facebook message from an college friend who had worked with me at history camp one summer. We'd exchanged a few emails since then about what we were doing after graduation, but otherwise weren't really in touch. Anyway, this lovely girl, now a wife and new mother, was writing to say that she had been received into the Catholic Church, making her Confirmation and First Communion this past weekend. She was thanking all the people who had helped her along her journey and shared their faith with her.
I can't remember the last time I was so touched by an email. I'm so happy for my friend, and happy that for at least once in my life I helped bring someone closer to God. So often I wonder if I am witnessing to my faith as well as I could, if my dual existence in Catholicism and academia is even possible. That note was a reminder that it's all in God's hands, even the results of a few conversations in a humid undergrad dorm one Williamsburg summer.

Oh, speaking of Williamsburg, I'm going there tomorrow! My class is going to visit the trade shops and attempt to imitate the accomplishments of pre-industrial craftsmen like these guys. From what I have seen of my carpentry skills, the results will not be so award-winning.

Shoutout to Chicagoland

As you may have noticed, I have a little sidebar tracking the locations of my blog visitors. It's funny to see how people find me. If they are not one of my 5 or so friends who check in regularly, I probably came up in Google searches for copper lamps. Sorry, no sales on home decor here! I haven't given up on museum employment and turned to antiques sales yet.

I've gotta send a shout out to a recent visitor from Waukegan, Illinois. Not only is this person from Chicago, the motherland of my relatives, he or she found me by Googling a quotation from The Blues Brothers, a great Chicago movie. Rock on, random visitor! I should eat an Italian beef sandwich in your honor.