Museum

Alhamdulillah, it's the weekend! I slept until 10 today and it was glorious. Apparently, I missed all the excitement completely though. Cathelijn called around 3:30am very worried about Steffie who was very ill. Apparently everyone went to the hospital at some point to get Steffie some help! And I just slept right through it all! She's fine now, so it's not a problem, but still.

Today, after the drama was over and I woke up, Kaz and Sandra and I went to the Cairo Egyptian Museum. Trust me, there is no real way to describe this place. It's something of a jumble, with stuff just sort of piled around. Tourists beyond imagining. People coming up to you asking if you'd like a tour. People asking the guides idiotic questions and the guides giving stupid answers. "No ma'am, that's not Nefertiti." "That symbol?" (the ankh) "It's the key of life." (Note for non-Egyptologists: the ankh symbol is a sandal strap. The Egyptians didn't use keys.) Don't even get me started on the crowds surrounding King Tut's junk.

But despite the rush of people (I think they need a Scholar's Night where no one but Egyptologists are allowed in) I had an amazing time. Rather surprised me. The past few times I've been in an Egyptian museum I've mostly just wanted to run away. It's been feeling like work. But today, I had a nice reminder of why I started studying this stuff to begin with. I'll definitely have to get back there a few more times. I get in free, so it's no trouble at all.

Maybe next time I go I'll write down my actual feelings about each piece that strikes me so I can share them. Sometimes I felt a distinct professional appreciation for a piece. The scholar in me was amazed by the form, the proportion, the text. Sometimes a writer popped her head up and said "You could use this." Very cool stuff, very inspiring.

After a long afternoon at the museum the three of us walked home, lazed around for a while, and then had dinner. Now Kaz is asleep, and Sandra and I are sort of half-watching a movie, and blogging. There's another wedding party outside, and the ululations of the women are coming through loud and clear.

I'll say it again: I love this. I wish I could always be surrounded by music and jubilations.

Strange coincidence of today: This morning I woke up thinking about a certain episode of Criminal Intent. Not a show I've seen more than 3 episodes of, and even those I haven't seen in almost two years. And what do you know, but that episode came on tv tonight! Weird!