NE roundup

I'm returning to DC tomorrow evening after an extremely short 10 days. I'm very sunburned and really got used to doing nothing, but I'm looking forward to returning to reality, plus I have three job interviews this week.

I'll be bringing two new dresses with me (one from J. Crew in black and a brown one from Banana Republic) and a black and white J. Crew scarf that I've been wearing as both a headband and a belt.

One of the highlights of the trip was the exhibit on Gerald and Sara Murphy at the Williams College Museum of Art. Most of Murphy's major paintings were there, such as Razor and Wasp and Pear, which are abstract pictures of everyday objects, such as books or razors, and precursors to Warhol or Lichtenstein. Many of the paintings depict machinery and epitomize some of the themes of modernism.

There was also a vast amount of personal memorabilia, such as letters, books, and photographs. The Murphys' personal interactions with friends Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, etc. are well documented, and provide the sort of glimpse into these hallowed lives that literary nerds desire.

In related news, it seems as though Hemingway is undergoing a minor revival in the press. This month's Smithsonian has an article by his secretary-cum-daughter-in-law, and today's NYT has three mentions of Hemingway — an article on bullfighting in Portugal in the News section, an article on children who travel, and an essay in Book Review about rethinking one of Hemingway's favorite activities: sport fishing.