17 June 2007

Bloomsday


Yesterday, June 16 was Bloomsday. We love Bloomsday at our house, not just because we are James Joyce groupies, but because our original cat, named Molly Bloom, had her birthday on Bloomsday. The Rosenbach Museum and Library (who were kind enough to permit me to use this year's Bloomsday image, above), always hosts several events in honor of the day, probably the most popular of which is the reading of "Ulysses" on the front steps of the museum. Various individuals - some well-known, others not household names - read excerpts from the novel, or perform the appropriate music. It usually starts around noon, and goes until about 7 p.m. or so, with people coming and going all day. (Though there are some devotees who are there for the entire time, following with their copies of the book!)

I hadn't had the chance to go the reading for a few years, but this year, my sister Mary Ellen and my brother-in-law Pat, came to visit for the weekend, specifically to go to the Bloomsday reading. It was a perfect day weather-wise, warm but not hot, with a nice cool breeze. The Rosenbach is just a couple of blocks away from our house, so we walked over after starting the afternoon with a bit of Guinness, stayed for a couple of hours, and then walked over to a nearby pub for, well, more Guinness! (We had to keep our strength up, you know. Plus, we didn't want to be poor hosts.) No pictures today, I'm afraid, but I will probably have a few to post once The Tim downloads them from his camera.

Oh, and also ...
Happy Father's Day to all who celebrate!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a nice occasion; glad you could make it!

teabird said...

Never knew you were a James Joyce groupie - I love Dubliners, of course, but I never did read Ulysses. I'm impressed!

Anonymous said...

No amount of Guinness, I'm sorry, could get me through that. You are a brave, brave lass.

Lorette said...

I've attempted to read Ulysses, but never made it through. Maybe more Guinness would help. Or maybe not.

Looks like a fun day!