Wind from the water in Boston

This is my first night ever staying in Boston where I'm not crashing with a friend or acquaintance or stranger. I never knew I could be valued enough to be put up in private digs when teaching (I opted for B&B; hotel seemed so official). Lots more to be said about this but in the meantime: I made it to town yesterday and was boggled by the moving and renovation and big, exciting changes at NBSS but so jazzed that my lecture was in a machine room ... for violin makers in training! One violin student in the bench room came over and asked if I could speak Korean, and marveled over my display. She said even as a Korean, she saw hanji and lived near a big mill, but had never seen this range of things you could DO with it: "This is so amazing to me as a Korean, so can you imagine what Americans will think when they see it??" I toured the furniture, jewelry, piano, book, and violin studios and the energy was excellent with all these people hunkered down, working, bright. Bench schools, LOVE that they exist.

My talk was packed with a wonderfully attentive and appreciative audience. Despite the fact that I talk incessantly, I forget to tell people important things like, buy my book, or I'm coming back to town to teach this summer so please sign up for class, or even, would you like to be on my mailing list? I get too caught up in storytelling. The good news: I sold out of books in a snap! The bad news: I don't have any more books for those left who still wanted them, OR for my students this weekend. Thank goodness this is a joint workshop, because I was able to call Minah in time to ask her to bring her copy to at least have a point of reference. Even though I am so tired, I feel like having her around tomorrow will make it much easier to teach. She said it herself at dinner tonight: knowing someone is in your corner makes all the difference.