So here I am...
...in middle-of-nowhere Pennsylavania. And I'm fine. A little lonely, but that's to be expected for awhile. I miss you guys and can't wait to see you at Thanksgiving or Christmas. That said, here's a few things (in stream of consciousness order):
I just got back from kayaking/canoeing the "crick" with my lab mates. I was a little uneasy about doing something so outdoorsy with people who didn't already know and love me for my other wonderful qualities besides athleticism/coordination. My lack of experience in mind, I let Simon, the lab manager and person who had canoed this particular river before, steer the canoe, and within the first 2 minutes and on the first rapid we tipped over. I took over steering from that point on and we proceeded without major incident despite a very low river. I guess I picked up something via osmosis living in the northwest? Now I'm the kind of exhausted that only comes from actually accomplishing something, drinking a beer, eating grilled cheese and chili.
My apartment: is nice enough. The major problem right now is that the living room/dining room area is pretty big and I only have a couch, a lamp and a side table in there. It would be a great space to have a dance party if I only knew some people in State College. My bedroom has a huge closet, which is really nice. I'm in love with my bed and that's where I'm spending all of my time: it's so nice to have a queen bed and just put my computer on the other side of the bed when I want to sleep, sometimes in the middle of the day, haha. My room so far is just the bed, a lamp, a set of plastic drawers as a bedside table, and a full length mirror (with the prayer flags Maria gave me draped across it). It's definitely minimalist but it will do for now. The kitchen's pretty tiny, but has a gas stove, which I like cooking on way more than electric. I'll post apartment pics soon.
The trip out here: ...was a pain in the ass. We got stuck in San Francisco and Philadelphia. At least in SF we knew that we weren't getting out that night so we got a hotel cheap and had a mini adventure in the city. Mahala was kind enough to give us a restaurant suggestion and google maps was kind enough to give us good public transport directions (I LOVE MY NEW PHONE SO MUCH IT HAS BEEN SO SO HELPFUL ON THIS TRIP). When we got to Philly the next day, the flights to State College just kept getting cancelled, so we spent 8 hours in the airport. Thank god for my computer and hard drive filled with TV -- we made it through an entire season of Top Chef in about 2 days.
Also, I got the bingo text messages this morning when I woke up and teared up a bit because I'm cheesy like that. Masha's didn't make any fucking sense, but was cute nonetheless ;-) I'm assuming you all made it home alive. Cheers!
Okay, food, beer, and rowing all just conspired to make me too tired to write anymore. I'll end on this note: some of you asked me what you could get me as a house-warming gift. A car. Please somebody get me a car. The bus system here is not good and it's not a walkable town either. I need wheels ASAP and can't afford them. That's your mission and I'll accept nothing less ;-)
Peace kids.
I just got back from kayaking/canoeing the "crick" with my lab mates. I was a little uneasy about doing something so outdoorsy with people who didn't already know and love me for my other wonderful qualities besides athleticism/coordination. My lack of experience in mind, I let Simon, the lab manager and person who had canoed this particular river before, steer the canoe, and within the first 2 minutes and on the first rapid we tipped over. I took over steering from that point on and we proceeded without major incident despite a very low river. I guess I picked up something via osmosis living in the northwest? Now I'm the kind of exhausted that only comes from actually accomplishing something, drinking a beer, eating grilled cheese and chili.
My apartment: is nice enough. The major problem right now is that the living room/dining room area is pretty big and I only have a couch, a lamp and a side table in there. It would be a great space to have a dance party if I only knew some people in State College. My bedroom has a huge closet, which is really nice. I'm in love with my bed and that's where I'm spending all of my time: it's so nice to have a queen bed and just put my computer on the other side of the bed when I want to sleep, sometimes in the middle of the day, haha. My room so far is just the bed, a lamp, a set of plastic drawers as a bedside table, and a full length mirror (with the prayer flags Maria gave me draped across it). It's definitely minimalist but it will do for now. The kitchen's pretty tiny, but has a gas stove, which I like cooking on way more than electric. I'll post apartment pics soon.
The trip out here: ...was a pain in the ass. We got stuck in San Francisco and Philadelphia. At least in SF we knew that we weren't getting out that night so we got a hotel cheap and had a mini adventure in the city. Mahala was kind enough to give us a restaurant suggestion and google maps was kind enough to give us good public transport directions (I LOVE MY NEW PHONE SO MUCH IT HAS BEEN SO SO HELPFUL ON THIS TRIP). When we got to Philly the next day, the flights to State College just kept getting cancelled, so we spent 8 hours in the airport. Thank god for my computer and hard drive filled with TV -- we made it through an entire season of Top Chef in about 2 days.
Also, I got the bingo text messages this morning when I woke up and teared up a bit because I'm cheesy like that. Masha's didn't make any fucking sense, but was cute nonetheless ;-) I'm assuming you all made it home alive. Cheers!
Okay, food, beer, and rowing all just conspired to make me too tired to write anymore. I'll end on this note: some of you asked me what you could get me as a house-warming gift. A car. Please somebody get me a car. The bus system here is not good and it's not a walkable town either. I need wheels ASAP and can't afford them. That's your mission and I'll accept nothing less ;-)
Peace kids.