TGIF indeed.
So. I have been conspicuously absent from the internet, and for good reason. Here's the breakdown:
Saturday: 12 hours of travel. O'Hare may have missed me, but I certainly did not miss it. Due to a lovely bit of serendipity, I encountered Grace in the taxi back to Vassar, which allowed me to get into our house (sidenote: Yeee! OUR HOUSE!). Spent the night on a bare mattress, using a sweater stuffed with other sweaters for a pillow.
Sunday: Ooh, sweater idea not one of my best. Wake up to discover people in our house! We spend the morning getting everything out of the moving truck and inside...with the exception of the couches, which are carried up my Vicki's uncle and dad's friend (major props to them, as those couches would have CRUSHED me). The afternoon finds us in the supermarket, shopping for groceries. Let me just say, stocking your fridge and pantries that first time? Not cheap. Nonetheless, I now no longer have to eat at ACDC, which is a blessing from whichever to-be-unnamed deity you may or may not believe in. Stuff our fridge and freezer and cupboards and everywhere-else-we-have-room with said food, and am happy. Our house is still a mess and hotter than hell, but it is OURS. Unpack for a while longer, only to have the power go out around 2 in the morning. NOT COOL, VASSAR.
Monday: The power is still out. Spend most of the day unpacking and tidying, sparing only an hour or two to attend SWPR and run up to the bookstore to purchase my Spanish books. Joy of joys, Spanish is one of those classes that packages all your books together and won't accept returns if you remove the plastic, which means I have to purchase a second copy of the Spanish dictionary that I already own! STILL NOT COOL, VASSAR. The power finally comes back on at about 4 PM, and we each celebrate in a manor of our choosing. I did a little happy dance, but that's just me.
Tuesday: Thanks to us starting school a week late, we begin classes on Tuesday rather than the customary Wednesday, and of course Tuesday are my busiest days. Unperturbed, I attend my first Spanish class. As it turns out, my class is full of freshmen, and I find them adorable. I can still remember my first Japanese class, and how unsettling it is to be talked at in a language you don't understand at all. As it turns out, I'm starting out a little ahead of the game; Spanish grammar and vocabulary aren't as complicated as French, but are similar enough to help me with the basics, and living my life out in Los Angeles has certainly helped my pronunciation. Run to Japanese afterwards, which is full of people I know and a language I can actually understand. Matsubara-sensei is wonderful, as always. Finally, sprint over to Kenyan for Social Psych; Sisi Tran is an ADORABLE little woman, and the class seems like it'll be terribly interesting.
Wednesday: Spanish only. I've discovered by this point that it is oddly soothing to be talked at incomprehensively by my professor; for some reason, it reminds me of sitting at the table in my Grandmother's house, eating whatever she's said will make me stop being skinny (excuse me while I snicker) while she nags at my father in 80mph Spanish. Anyways, next comes 4 hours at work, where my presence is very well appreciated; after hearing the stories about their student employees during the summer, I understand why. At 2, I run around Main, trying to find the extremely well hidden room where they're hiding the caps and gowns for Convocation, which I then proceed to run to. Pass Convocation in relatively good spirits, (with much help from Irina making strange noises and clapping inappropriately loud, and NO help from Jimmy Kelly, the VSA president and his rather insipid speech).
Thursday: More Spanish, more social psych. Got my 27lb box of books in the mail, and only got it back to the house with the help of Anca, who is fabulous. Stay up far too late working on my Japanese translation for...
Friday: Japanese only. Lauren pays a visit to class, and I learn that both Sarah and CJ are in Japan, which is good for them but means that I'll be facing this class pretty much by myself...again. Oh well. Afterwards, Vicki, Kathryn and I go to the 3 Arts Bookstore, and then to Julie's, which is this little restaurant on Raymond Ave. It is run by the most adorable Greek couple I have ever encountered, and the food's pretty darn good. Return home and collapse into bed with a copy of Fun Home, which is strange and awesome. Fall asleep, only to be woken by the fireworks marking the end of Week 1. Kathryn and I watch Fight Club (which I had never seen before, and darn, was it good), then realize that going to bed after that's probably not such a good idea, so we then watch Pochahontis.
Which leads us to now! I am currently ignoring a lake of Japanese homework to bum around the internet, and I haven't talked to anyone since last weekend, so call me if you're bored.
I am now off to listen to the first episode of Season 4 of Red Panda. I am also more excited for this than I was for Iron Man and The Dark Knight. Combined. WHOO!
Saturday: 12 hours of travel. O'Hare may have missed me, but I certainly did not miss it. Due to a lovely bit of serendipity, I encountered Grace in the taxi back to Vassar, which allowed me to get into our house (sidenote: Yeee! OUR HOUSE!). Spent the night on a bare mattress, using a sweater stuffed with other sweaters for a pillow.
Sunday: Ooh, sweater idea not one of my best. Wake up to discover people in our house! We spend the morning getting everything out of the moving truck and inside...with the exception of the couches, which are carried up my Vicki's uncle and dad's friend (major props to them, as those couches would have CRUSHED me). The afternoon finds us in the supermarket, shopping for groceries. Let me just say, stocking your fridge and pantries that first time? Not cheap. Nonetheless, I now no longer have to eat at ACDC, which is a blessing from whichever to-be-unnamed deity you may or may not believe in. Stuff our fridge and freezer and cupboards and everywhere-else-we-have-room with said food, and am happy. Our house is still a mess and hotter than hell, but it is OURS. Unpack for a while longer, only to have the power go out around 2 in the morning. NOT COOL, VASSAR.
Monday: The power is still out. Spend most of the day unpacking and tidying, sparing only an hour or two to attend SWPR and run up to the bookstore to purchase my Spanish books. Joy of joys, Spanish is one of those classes that packages all your books together and won't accept returns if you remove the plastic, which means I have to purchase a second copy of the Spanish dictionary that I already own! STILL NOT COOL, VASSAR. The power finally comes back on at about 4 PM, and we each celebrate in a manor of our choosing. I did a little happy dance, but that's just me.
Tuesday: Thanks to us starting school a week late, we begin classes on Tuesday rather than the customary Wednesday, and of course Tuesday are my busiest days. Unperturbed, I attend my first Spanish class. As it turns out, my class is full of freshmen, and I find them adorable. I can still remember my first Japanese class, and how unsettling it is to be talked at in a language you don't understand at all. As it turns out, I'm starting out a little ahead of the game; Spanish grammar and vocabulary aren't as complicated as French, but are similar enough to help me with the basics, and living my life out in Los Angeles has certainly helped my pronunciation. Run to Japanese afterwards, which is full of people I know and a language I can actually understand. Matsubara-sensei is wonderful, as always. Finally, sprint over to Kenyan for Social Psych; Sisi Tran is an ADORABLE little woman, and the class seems like it'll be terribly interesting.
Wednesday: Spanish only. I've discovered by this point that it is oddly soothing to be talked at incomprehensively by my professor; for some reason, it reminds me of sitting at the table in my Grandmother's house, eating whatever she's said will make me stop being skinny (excuse me while I snicker) while she nags at my father in 80mph Spanish. Anyways, next comes 4 hours at work, where my presence is very well appreciated; after hearing the stories about their student employees during the summer, I understand why. At 2, I run around Main, trying to find the extremely well hidden room where they're hiding the caps and gowns for Convocation, which I then proceed to run to. Pass Convocation in relatively good spirits, (with much help from Irina making strange noises and clapping inappropriately loud, and NO help from Jimmy Kelly, the VSA president and his rather insipid speech).
Thursday: More Spanish, more social psych. Got my 27lb box of books in the mail, and only got it back to the house with the help of Anca, who is fabulous. Stay up far too late working on my Japanese translation for...
Friday: Japanese only. Lauren pays a visit to class, and I learn that both Sarah and CJ are in Japan, which is good for them but means that I'll be facing this class pretty much by myself...again. Oh well. Afterwards, Vicki, Kathryn and I go to the 3 Arts Bookstore, and then to Julie's, which is this little restaurant on Raymond Ave. It is run by the most adorable Greek couple I have ever encountered, and the food's pretty darn good. Return home and collapse into bed with a copy of Fun Home, which is strange and awesome. Fall asleep, only to be woken by the fireworks marking the end of Week 1. Kathryn and I watch Fight Club (which I had never seen before, and darn, was it good), then realize that going to bed after that's probably not such a good idea, so we then watch Pochahontis.
Which leads us to now! I am currently ignoring a lake of Japanese homework to bum around the internet, and I haven't talked to anyone since last weekend, so call me if you're bored.
I am now off to listen to the first episode of Season 4 of Red Panda. I am also more excited for this than I was for Iron Man and The Dark Knight. Combined. WHOO!