Blowing Hot and Cold

It was, of course, the 4th of July two days after I got back to these shores. Being educated sorts, my readers will know all about the 4th July and its significance in the American calendar. It is, after all, a date well worth celebrating; Americans all over the country, from Alaska to Texas, rejoice in what the date signifies. Nothing other than freedom, and the fact that from that day onwards they would no longer be ruled over by a guy named George who only got the job because his Dad had it. Well, theoretically, at least...

Of course, you can't be cynical in these parts, even if it did quite literally rain on our parade. It was a balmy 14℃ when I got back, and it didn't get much hotter for the day itself, which was mostly spent at the still-splendiferous American Museum of Natural History, taking in their exhibition of mythical animals and an IMAX film about hunting for dinosaurs in the Gobi desert. Much like another well-known academic usually domiciled in New York (left), as a kid I had a quite encyclopedic knowledge of paleontology, and it's probably just as well I never visited the US before 2002, because if I had set foot in the dinosaur section of the AMNH, I would probably be there to this day.

In the evening, Kate and I joined Isaac in Brooklyn for fish and chips - the only sensible option on the 4th, really - and didn't see the fireworks. You can see 'em from last year's entry, if you really want - given the rain this year, that's probably a much better bet. Isaac lives in a magnificent brownstone in a very nice part of Brooklyn, which, when I think about it, is actually the first house (as opposed to apartment) I've been in in New York City.

Nothing much else to report, really - I've been slaving away in the library, though not altogether unwillingly, because (a) despite my continuous whining, I do actually love what I do, and (b), it's air-conditioned, which is particularly nice as the temperature's soared to 36℃ in the last day or two.

And I heard back from the Japanese Embassy in London. I didn't get the scholarship, or at least I probably won't get it, as they've decided to place me on the reserve list. I'm disappointed, obviously, but not all that surprised, for reasons I touched on in my post a week or so ago. Still, it is the least lucrative of the available scholarships, and I wasn't sure I was going to take it anyway - but a downer nonetheless, on what was otherwise a productive and enjoyable day.