Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Boston

NEWS FLASH -- though it's a few hours old. This is Killer Hobbies 1000th post. Thanks to all of our readers over the past few years. We love writing for you and hope to continue to hear from you and to meet you around the mystery community. Comment today and win something fun!


Too much sun finally got to me and I had to head to Boston, home territory for me.

In the last four days I took two red-eye flights across the country. In between I visited family and friends and did RESEARCH. Busy busy.

I'll skip the happy reunions and the two lobster roll dinners followed by Boston cream pie and jump to the research.

I visited my Alma Mater, where I did my undergraduate work and also taught for many years, Emmanuel College on the Fenway in Boston. I was there for inspiration as I write a new character who's a college math teacher.

And inspired I was as I sat in on an advanced calculus class. I forgot how exciting it was to calculate the area between two curves, and to generate a solid of revolution.




I'm very grateful to the students and faculty (especially the extraordinary math professor, Dr. Jeanne Trubeck) and staff (especially Dr. Sally Dias, Vice President of Programs and Partnerships in Education, among other duties) who were so welcoming and helpful to me. Here are Elizabeth (manager) and Mo outside the college bookstore.

I came away feeling that "my" college is in excellent hands.

It's one thing to read or write about a place in time and in history, far enough back to be out of your range of experience; it's another to land in the middle of your own history. Or am I the only one slightly disoriented at walking again on the old marble hallways that now belong to a new generation ...

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

As a witness to your comings and goings this past weekend, you certainly didn't look disoriented, but sure-footed and happy to be in the old environs once again with your presence received in the warmest of ways. Such fun to spend the short, but happy, get-together. xoxoxox

Linda O. Johnston said...

I grew up in Pennsylvania, Camille, and even so never visited anywhere in New England. I'd love to get to Boston! I did manage to return to my own undergrad alma mater a couple of years ago--Penn State. What used to be a small ice cream shop, the Creamery, is now bigger, more bustling, and part of the Food Science Building now. Some changes are exciting!

Camille Minichino said...

I love Pennsylvania, Linda. The Phil. Museum of Art is tops, and the green landscape magnificent.

Joanna Campbell Slan said...

Camille, I just wanted to tell you that you have the honor of creating our 1,000 post! Yes, that's a milestone for us.

Thank you, thank you, all of you wonderful readers.

And Camille, say "Hi" to Beantown for me. Glad you had a good time!

Terri Thayer said...

Okay, Camille, what's a Fenway anyhow?

Did you enjoy the snow?

Camille Minichino said...

Prizes all around to anyone who comments!
Thanks for the shout out Joanna!

A fens is a marsh! Emmanuel is on marshland...no end to the jokes!

Betty Hechtman said...

I love Boston and the whole New England area. The Crochet and Knit Guilds are having their annual convention in Manchester New Hampshire this summer. I want to go and then travel around the area afterwards.

It's interesting to go back to places you spent your youth. I have that experience every time I go to Chicago. My neighborhood still looks pretty much the same. I've had this feeling when I was walking down the street that the past years were all a dream, and I'm still really seventeen.

Monica Ferris said...

Betty, that sounds like the opening scene in a terrific paratime novel. What if you could go back and appear seventeen again, but knowing what you know now? Would you want to retrace your steps? What would happen if you wandered off your personal timeline?

I'm in an odd mood today, I guess.

Monica Ferris said...

Betty, that sounds like the opening scene in a terrific paratime novel. What if you could go back and appear seventeen again, but knowing what you know now? Would you want to retrace your steps? What would happen if you wandered off your personal timeline?

I'm in an odd mood today, I guess.

signlady217 said...

Wow! 1000 posts! That's really great considering how busy everyone is. I'm so glad I found this blog site this past fall; I've really enjoyed getting to know some of my favorite authors better! Keep up the good work, ladies!

signlady217 said...

I know my old neighborhood is not the same. There used to be some woods behind our house that had awesome ditches with wild grape and muscadine vines to swing across them with. So much fun! Just had to be careful not to become "George of the Jungle"! (You know, "watch out for that tree!") Now the woods are totally gone and a lot of the dirt was sold, too. Doesn't even look like the same place. Kind of sad.

Camille Minichino said...

Sign Lady -- if you want to send your ground address to me at camille@minichino.com, I'll send a prize!