Happy Birthday, Olga!

Olga and I have known each other since 1986, when she was a Smith student and I was newly-hired faculty. I was her advisor, her teacher, and her stand-in mom with many memories of New Orleans (where she and Seth were both born, just five years and a day apart). I met her parents, her sisters, her aunts and cousins. Now we're adult friends and I'm watching her beautiful daughter grow; swapping research stories with her partner, currently finishing her PhD with field work in Tanzania; and sharing hopes with Olga for the people we love.

Tonight I joined Olga's family and two of their very good friends in celebrating her birthday at a Mexican restaurant down near the Capitol Building. We laughed ourselves hoarse discussing world affairs, like whether Idris Elba should be the new James Bond, and how unfair it is that Regina King has not had more roles in major films. 

The restaurant was very dark. It really put my new camera to the test. This is 6400 ISO.