last day before classes!

When I think about it, it has been a long break since the middle of December! I officially have my first class of the semester tomorrow, collections management, and I also start working regularly again. I'm excited about my classes this semester, with collections being my primary interest in museums, and then I've also got Anthropology in Museums and Conservation.

Finishing at least one of my knitting projects was also on the agenda for this last day of free time, and I successfully did just that:

 When I find new patterns to try, I get excited and start them immediately, so it seems I've always got at least 5 different projects going. This one was a pot holder, and the only reason I did it was to see if I could do the pattern, since it's not so large. I used scrap yarn, which is unfortunately acrylic, so I can't actually use it as a pot holder. That's alright though-- it's still pretty!

the joys of still being in school

I have to say, I'm glad I'm back in school. These breaks between semesters are great! It's given me a chance to finally visit my sister in Virginia (for New Years! Fun!), as well as somewhat manage the arduous task of preparing internship applications for this coming summer (not so fun!).

My trip to Virginia included Richmond as well as DC, and scoping out museums for future "use". I was lucky enough to have several people to show me some neat places. Ever been to Occoquan? No, it's not "Aqua-quan" as I originally thought the name to be. Hey, they told me it was down by the river, so that spelling just made sense! It's a darling little place outside the city. Not to mention, it's close to Ikea (which we also visited)!

The break has also allowed for much-needed magazine perusing, knitting, and painting. You know, for those winter days when there is just no enjoyment in being outside. One new project I plan for this lifetime is to construct a green wall. You know, plants that grow on a wall. A vertical garden. This one will be filed with the rest of my ideas for when I have my own house, I suppose. I hope to eventually have a sun room for this purpose, but perhaps the dining room will do?

Ok, that is actually a restaurant in New Zealand (Foxglove in Wellington), not a private dining room in a home, but what a great idea! I think it fits perfectly.

For now, I guess something like this will have to do for the single bedroom I call my home:

the art museum toilet

by Matt Nolen

Special Exhibitions: the John Michaeol Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI

early St Lucia's Day

So I'm still going through Ikea withdrawal, especially after getting an email about their "Swedish Holiday Smorgasbord". Because of that, I decided to make Lussekater, or Saint Lucia buns! I always remember St. Lucia's from reading American Girl books when I was little. St. Lucia's Day is a Swedish holiday celebrated on December 13th. It was around before Lucia was even a saint (as in, before Christianity), and was traditionally the day of the winter solstice (I suppose before they realized it actually wasn't?). In the book I read when I was little, the Swedish-American was Kirsten, and she wore a wreath with candles on her head and gave her parents breakfast on the morning of St Lucia's Day, which happened to include St. Lucia buns, all because she was the oldest daughter. Plus she had two looped braids hanging from the side of her head, which were awesome. See?

And here they are:

They are AMAZING! And you should try them, so here is the recipe, from the cookbook "The Swedish Table".

Lussekater
16 rolls

1 T sugar
1/4 c warm water
1 pkg. dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1/2 c butter
3/4 c milk
1 t saffron
3 c all purpose flour
1/4 c sugar
2 egg yolks, beaten with 1 T water
raisins

In a bowl, combine 1 T sugar, warm water, and yeast. Let sit 10 minutes or until yeast begins to bubble.

In a saucepan, combine butter, milk, and saffron. Heat until warm and the butter is melted, but do not boil. Let sit until temperature falls below 110 degrees F.  Add milk mixture to yeast in the bowl. Add flour and 1/2 c sugar and stir until combined and the dough is smooth and workable. If necessary, add more flour, up to 3 T.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1 minute. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled (or buttered) bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Divide into 16 pieces. Roll into 1" X 6" lengths. Coil ends in opposite directions, forming tightly curved S-shapes. Let rise for 1 more hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush buns with egg yolk and place raisins in center of curls (two for each bun). Bake 10-15 minutes, but don't let the raisins burn!

Evidently they freeze well too. I kind of feel like making a whole bunch and sharing them with everyone, because they are that good!

Flanders Fields

Some of the museum studies grad students took a "field trip" to the National World War I Museum in Kansas City today, and I can't believe I had never been there before! It was surprising how nice of a museum it is-- one of the best history museums I have been to.

We were lucky enough to have the curator give us a run-down of some behind-the-scenes information regarding their 25,000 square foot expansion, such as how important it is to know architectural terms (every once in a while I do find reasons why my year studying architecture was not a waste...) and how they went about designing the interior and having cases built for the expansion.

He also explained the different types of  visitors in museums: streakers-- apparently me since I run around quickly to everything (and still manage to learn a thing or two), and scholars-- my three other friends who moved slow enough so that they could read every label. Maybe it was the fact that they did their undergraduates in history, and I in anthropology, but I just did not feel the need to spend as much time there as we ended up doing. Still, being able to make it through the museum twice gave me enough time to take mental notes on things that work well in museums.

To divide the entrance from the exhibits, there is a glass bridge and a poppy "field" underneath. They are not live, but there are 9,000 of them-- one to represent 10,000 deaths as a direct result from the war (there were many deaths later on from disease, etc.). I had forgotten about their symbolism until my mom saw the picture and mentioned the poem by John McCrae:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,
   That mark our place; and in the sky
   The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
   Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
         In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
   The torch; be yours to hold it high.
   If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
         In Flanders fields.

(The curator explained to us that the real reason these flowers grow so well on the former battlefields is because of an increase in nitrates as a result of the soldier's bodies.)

a challenge

This looks like so much fun! If only I had the time!

The Next Great Science Exhibition

fly girls

In elementary school, I once did a report on Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, as they are often known. These were the 1,074 women who became the first to fly aircraft for the U.S. military during World War II. They were non-combat, so only flew in the continental US and Canada, and mostly ferried planes to different locations. I always found their story fascinating, and today I was lucky enough to have the chance to meet a few of them! The occasion was the Dole Leadership Prize ($25,000) from the Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas being awarded to Texas Woman's University to enhance the WASP National Archives, which are located on the campus and partially available online to the public.

"Bee" Falk Haydu

I drove out to New Century Air Center, in New Century, Kansas, which is just southwest of Kansas City, and met up with a few other museum studies graduate students. Near one hangar, we watched while many old and brightly-colored planes flew in and landed, or chose not to land and instead show off for the crowd, and that was exciting to see too. It was only after the final planes landed that I realized some of those flashy pilots were actually the WASP ladies! There were ten in all, and three of them held a stage interview and question and answer session. There were lots of great stories, my favorite being how when one of the women had her physical before entering flight school, the doctor promised her when she got out of the service, she would never be able to have children. She went on to have TEN (two of which were in the audience). We heard stories about how one girl "accidentally fell out" of the bomb bay, but was able to pull her parachute in time, and the reason why one of the women decided to become a pilot was after taking a $5 ride in a daredevil plane with her grandmother when she was a young girl in the 1930's. It was great to hear all these stories, and the museum advocate in me is equally glad there is funding going toward preserving these stories and making them available for everyone else!

      WASP Archives at Texas Woman's University

One of the other ladies (up front)