Today Yuka and I went up to visit Elizabeth Miller (the coolest vampire scholar on the planet, if you didn't already know), to plan for the trip we three are planning next month to the Third World Congress on Dracula to be held in Dracula's home town of Sighisoara.
Elizabeth's giving the keynote speach, and I'm giving the second draft of my work on Walter Map and William of Newburgh called "Unearthing Medieval Vampire Stories in England: Fragments from De Nugis Curialium and Historia Rerum Anglicarum". I've found a number of new facts, found a couple of more books that reference Map and Newburgh, and have had a couple of errors politely corrected.
Yuka's checking out Romania on Japanese web pages, so she'll be able to fill us in on all the details. But I can't wait to just get over to Europe again, and run around like a tourist. In between presentations, of course. Elizabeth and I are also presenting in Budapest towards the end of the month at another conference, more info to follow.
This year has seen a paucity of parties at our house. But last night we had the chance to change all that. Julia D, Salmon, Simsim, EvaB, Billibus and Aideen graced our table for some Pizza. Kat! and Muddy sent their regrets. And I must have gotten Valdo's email addy wrong. Usually we go for strange stuff, like wild boar pizza. This time it was meat and fish free, focusing on goat cheese, pesto, sundried tomato/olive paste, peppers and asparagus Za. Sumputous desserts and wines were brought. And someone left a nice mustard coloured cartigan with roses on it. I think it was billibus' but he isn't telling.