Fiat lux

My sabbatical has begun in earnest! Past sabbaticals have taken me to other countries but this one will be based in New York City... and yet, away. I might sneak down to my university of a Friday (when nobody's around) but I have a new home base: a space in the main study room of the Vartan Gregorian Center for Research in the Humanities at the New York Public Library. My orientation was yesterday afternoon, when there were three other scholars spread across the four long tables. (Each of us gets a dedicated shelf for books from the library.) I was the first to arrive this morning, and found this atmospheric scene. I switched on another table lamp lights and settled into the warm semi-darkness until another researcher came in and told me the main lights in the room are motion activated. As he walked up and down, lights of all kinds went on! Let's hope I have that experience too!