The paper went well, even better than expected. The only negative comment I received was that I talked too fast. I could have told them that before I started. I came in exactly at time, which was quite a shock. I was sure my presentation would be several minutes over. A couple of interesting comments were made, and they seemed to enjoy the film. As it turned out, one of the paper deliverers backed out at the last minute and the other one happened to be on film music as well, so we had an interesting session. My paper feels kind of lightweight to me and perhaps not really representative of the kind of work I do. But still, I had fun putting it together. And it�s somewhat entertaining, I think. Even if today�s audience didn�t laugh as much as I�d hoped they would. But I think that�s mainly because it�s the end of the day on Friday. Frankly, I was surprised that as many people showed up as did.

After the papers were read and discussed, I spent a half hour or so hanging out in the room with the other students who had shown up, most of whom I didn�t know. It was nice to have a chance to talk a bit. It�s weird feeling so ensconced in my department and yet being so invisible to my colleagues. Hopefully I�ll have the chance to get to know some of them better at the conference next weekend. I then went to my favorite bookstore and bought an Italian textbook, a collection of Theodore Adorno�s writings on music (a much better translation than the one I already own), and a book on gender and modernism and then repaired with my friend H. to the north side. We went up to her old neighborhood and bellied up to the bar at the Hopleaf where we slurped down a steaming pot of mussels and a paper cone of frites with homemade mayonnaise and washed it down with Belgian beer while we talked to an old friend of H.�s who, it turned out, had gone to college with my husband and is now a professor of American Lit. at the other elite university in town. We discussed the teaching of American culture, academic careers, relationships with writers (my husband, his brother who is a well-known liberal columnist). Although H. and I had originally planned a more girlie evening, he was extremely entertaining and the three of us enjoyed a lengthy and lively conversation, insofar as that is possible when everything must be yelled to be heard. It was the first evening I�d passed in a bar in a very long time. I was amused when H. had gone to the bathroom and I asked the guy next to me at the bar to pass me a menu. He corner-of-the-eyed me and swiveled his shoulders as if he was planning on starting a conversation. Then he noticed the wedding ring and swiveled back. Apparently the ring has superpowers. I wish I�d know that when I was single.

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