A Program at the Library of Congress: Embodying the Beloved - Matthew Thomas Miller

One of the things I really like about working at the Library of Congress is that occasionally there are programs that my husband likes to attend. They are scheduled at the lunch hour, so he comes to the office and we walk over together to the Jefferson Building to hear the subject matter. These programs are very different than the topics offered in the health care setting where I spent thirty years in my first career. I received a flyer last week and an email this week to remind us about the Persian book lecture series. We have already attended several sessions related to this topic. Some are hits while others are misses. I particularly enjoyed Hamid Rahmanian's animation presentation about the Shahnameh. He was vibrant and used a lot of visual slides to make it all so entertaining. On the other hand, when someone reads to the audience, has few interesting slides, attendees are fidgeting in their seats and looking at their watches, it's a very different story. So, to be polite, I focus on the place rather than the speaker and the topic and completely zone out. I could see the Supreme Court across the street, and observed the beauty of the Middle Eastern Reading Room. The people in the audience can also be entertaining, particularly the ones who fall asleep. The topic this day could have been much more interesting, but I left not learning one single thing. We stayed until the end because we felt we needed to. I love the people who ask questions but really give another lecture with no question intended. The best part is I get to spend time with my husband, and it breaks up the day. He then explains to me what the presentation was really about anyway. And I definitely like that idea.