Why I Don't Make My Bed

The only problem with a made bed is that it's so pretty I always just want to lay down on it.

Books Under Lock and Key

I know I am in an area that places a high value on books when

A. I have to have a special ID to be granted access to the library in which I work at Harvard, and have my backpack searched each time I leave the building, and

B. Have to have a Massachusetts driver's license to get a public library card.

Amazon.com it is, I guess.

Filling My Social Goblet

I'm feeling a little lonely for the first time since I got here. I think it's because I've been trying to pack social spots into a bit of every day, and today I've perhaps encountered three or four other people and said maybe fifteen words to them. I finished my submission for school yesterday, which I'm proud of since it's due tomorrow. But as I'm checking on my finances and because I don't yet know what I'll be making tutoring, I avoided spending anything today. Sadly, that means I stayed home.

I hate the fact that sometimes, in order for me to feel I'm part of society, I have to go out and buy something. A coffee, an ice cream, a slice of pizza - anything that gets me out and involved with society. Even if I don't actually meet anyone, those few encounters fulfill my social needs. For example, on Friday I sat at Taste coffee shop and had several short conversations with the cute barista, a mother and her four year old daughter, and an adorable old couple who marveled over the design the barista made in the cream and foam of their cappuccino. On Saturday, after elbowing past book fanatics at a local library book sale, I had a lovely conversation with a man at Lincoln Street coffee shop about Russian literature (he saw my Chekhov book). I don't know why these interactions keep me going, but they do.

It seems sort of a funny thing to budget for: Rent, Groceries, Social Time. But perhaps until I get moving on my internship and job, it will be a worthwhile investment. And, since I don't know anyone yet to meet at bars, movies, and the like, I don't really have much of an entertainment cost at the moment. But as soon as I do start doing those things, I won't have to depend on chance encounters with strangers to fill my social cup. Although, of course, I will still need my coffee shop fill every now and again. Old habits die hard.

Dinner Gourmet

I know some of you are probably wondering how I'm doing out here. I know I am! What am I doing, you ask? What am I EATING?

Usually, I'm eating Chef Boyardee and the like, while I watch the previous day's Daily Show and Colbert Report on the internet. Tonight, however, my landlady Denise had company and insisted I eat some of the hors d'vours she made. So tonight, I watched The Daily Show in style, munching on fresh organic fruit, bruchetta with fresh mozzarella and tomato, various different cheeses and a fig, which I've never had before. (When Denise and her company found this out, I felt as if I had told them I'd never eaten spaghetti!)

It's a different world out here people. But I like it.

First Lesson

My first major lesson learned as I take flight with my new wings: have more faith in people, and first impressions are never to be trusted.

Look at Me Now

Excited and probably a little overzealous, I decided to try and avoid parking fees and walk to the coffee shop today. I also decided to open a checking and savings account at a new bank, one that has branches in more places than my current bank. So I thought, I'll just zip on down to the bank and then sit at the coffee shop for a while. Hey look, Google Maps says it's only a 35 minute walk. That's not bad. Here I go!

Except Google Maps sucks because it had me turn left instead of right, and I went 30 minutes in the wrong direction. So then I had to turn around and go back 30 minutes in the right direction. By the time I reached the bank I was soaked, hot, with the same pounding sinus headache I've had for the last week and a half, and grumpy. Thankfully, the bank process was easy yet long, so I got a good break before having to turn my brain on and start my homework. Of course when I arrived at the coffee shop, finally, I realized I had forgotten the book I am writing about.

I can really only be half-complaining, and at this point I am - my headache is beginning to subside, I'm enjoying a turkey sandwich on a baguette with fresh lettuce and tomato, a cold iced tea, free wireless, and it's a beautiful day. Sure I have to walk back (the walk really did only take 35 minutes if you cut out my detour), but I can stay here as long as I want because I'm not paying for parking and don't really have anywhere to be. And when I do decide to walk back, it will be past huge, gorgeous old homes, down shady sidewalks, across well-marked and safe crosswalks, and near a huge forest preserve and park I have already made it a point to return to next week.

In a couple months, when I am a more seasoned urban traveler and walker, I will look back on today as I trudge through three feet of snow and I will laugh at that little, tired, out-of-shape girl. "Oh, Rural Girl," I will hopefully say to myself, "look at you now."

Travel and Settling In

I have now arrived and settled in to my room in Newton. Kristi drove out with me and after an exciting jaunt at Niagara Falls (where we discovered that Canadians are just as money-thirsty as Americans when it comes to tourist traps), we arrived on Sunday. Tooling around Newton, downtown Boston, and Cambridge the last four days has led me to believe that I will like it here. Kristi is more of a Rural Girl than I (though I am still the original) so she was a bit overwhelmed with the pace, the people and the traffic. I, on the other hand, am invigorated by the pace, intrigued by the people, and determined to become a better driver. My initial impressions were confirmed today when I drove back from Logan without my GPS, listening to a great alternative radio station I wouldn't have dreamed getting in Saginaw, and stopping on my way back at Trader Joe's for some milk and bread.

Life is good.

Meanwhile, professionally, it looks like things are shaping up. I attended my first class at Lesley I will be TAing this semester, and am excited to start the readings as well as get to know the process of teaching at a university level. Who knows, I might like it enough to work my way up the ranks. My internship with the Harvard Review starts Monday, where I'll start immediately reading fiction transcripts. I have also been in contact with the academic tutoring center at Lesley and will probably be picking up some tutoring hours there for income. So things are actually shaping up professionally, too.

Meanwhile, I'm still working on school, even though I've neglected most of it for the past few weeks. I will be attached to this desk and this computer for the next three days, to finish the submission that's due on Monday. But I will probably be taking a few breaks to blog, take a dip in the pool, and eat some of the college staples I have acquired (not to mention the leftover shepherd's pie and Indian food waiting in the fridge). Now is the time to eat what I have and not spend any more money until I have a job. Unless it's on train passes and parking to get where I need to be.

I love it when I picture a situation to be a lot worse than it turns out to be. Sure I'm stressed for a while, but the pleasant surprise at the end *almost* makes it worth it.