From here to Pavia

This is not where I planned to begin.  I had expected that my blog would  begin with brilliant musings of my days working with Professor Chomsky at MIT.  But as it turns out, my partner Laura and I just returned from Italy, where we visited Rome and Siena on our own, joining Professor Chomsky in beautiful Pavia.  So I think I'll start here.

I wish I could entertain my blog followers with the details of Noam Chomsky's talks on language, mind, thought, and neurolinguistics while in Pavia, but I couldn't do his words justice.  Not now anyway, when I'm just trying to figure out how this whole blog thing works. But having said that, I have written close to twenty pages about my trip to Italy, including some information on the subject matter of Noam's talks, which I will add to my blog at some point in the future.  Let me just say that Noam's Q&A with the students - Noam answered pre-submitted questions - was fascinating.  Laura and I could have sat through a few more hours of it.  Bravo to Andrea Moro for organizing this event - and for all of the excellent planning he did with the help of an amazing staff.

I can tell you that I have been managing Noam's office and planning his local talks and travel for about eighteen years, but this was the first time I had traveled with him outside the country. It was as if I had prepared his schedule for talks and meetings in Norway and Italy, and then folded myself into the Italy section so that I would be there when he arrived.  And it was almost that magical.

I've been writing about my experiences, mostly at the MIT office, for a couple of years, so stay tuned, and I will tell you about the Sufi I stole from Noam (sort of), about the film crews who move in and take over our entire suite for hours, about the activists, artists, and other regular folk who come to visit with Noam, and about the heaviness, humor, and humanity that fills our days.  I hope I can do it justice.

And for now, I'll add this photo of Laura, Noam, and me in Pavia, standing in the Piazza Victoria, where our friend Andrea Moro, works and lives.  Arrivederci, Andrea, Franco, Cristiano, Giovanni, and the rest!

Laura, Noam, and Bev

Ciao