Denise and I recently got back from Boston, visiting the the sis and bro-in-law along with my old Wheaton roommies. We went to two fantastic museums - the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum contains a first edition of Dante's inferno, a personal letter of Napoloeans' and some truly fantastic pieces of art. Well worth the trip.

Also we went to the Museum of Fine Arts, to those in the know: simply the MFA. Much like the Museum of Modern Art in NYC is simply "Moma." Pronounced "Moema," not "Momma." If one has been to the MFA but not enjoyed it thoroughly, perhaps a quick glance at an art history textbook would enhance its appeal. It is incredible how many landmark works of art are on display at the MFA - for example the piece by Van der Weyden that has attained coveted status to your left under "current favorite painting."

A tip on museum visiting: If you're not making the security guard at least a little nervous, you haven't really visited the museum. In our age of reproductions, most great works of art can only be appreciated with your face right up close so you can see the brushstrokes. If a character in the painting exclaims, "Why you all up in my grill yo!" then you've gotten too close.