Lots of stuff suddenly happening on employment and academic fronts; prayers being answered left and right! If all goes well, I should be employed in two weeks, at which point I will splurge on a cellphone, and perhaps a laptop. God willing.

Yesterday, I scoped out Union Station and acquainted myself with the process of getting tickets for Amtrak and MARC. From there, I walked down to gawk at the Capitol, and dropped by the Sackler Gallery. Wow, the Asian art in there is interesting: I saw an ancient Persian silver bowl with an inscription to Ataxerxes, son of Xerxes, son of King Darius of Persia, during whose reign the bowl was made. It gave me shivers, knowing that the biblical Daniel was around while this bowl was forged. There were also beautiful Japanese screens depicting scenes from the Tale of Genji, and some illuminated Koranic texts on display.

I also got a haircut, at a small African barber shop nearby, on U Street. Now I am poorer by fourteen dollars and a head of hair. (But at least I don’t look so much like Barry Manilow anymore.)