Nov 29th

I should really update this thing more. Time's really been flying lately. I feel its still last weekend, and its already almost Thursday...weird!!!

Since this is the 2nd to last week of classes, things have been incredibly busy. I just got done writing a paper on Russian melodramas of the 1970's, which was actually very entertaining to research for. My next big project is a research paper on Colombian guerrilla movements. I find it interesting, but a little too interesting, since I have all these sources and ideas and contradictions and its been hard to organize my argument.

Can't wait for this weekend. On Friday night we're having a party, since some of Tyler's friends from home are driving down to Grinnell. Then Saturday night is Winter Waltz, which is one of two events a year in which you actually see Grinnellians looking beautiful and elegant : ) There are always really wonderful classy parties with champagne and cheesecake and then the dance itself is really fun, beautifully decorated, and has a live band. This year I actually bought a dress expressly for Waltz, instead of just wearing something random or borrowing from a friend.

In just 3 weeks (December 16th) we leave for Moscow.

Thanksgiving!

Lee Anne, Kat, (Jere)miah, Jaime. We moved the table into the entry hall so we'd have nice wood floors and antique woodwork instead of the hideous old kitchen for our Thanksgiving backdrop.

Mike, Trek, David, Don, Lee Anne. Lots of people can't make it home for Thanksgiving.

Kat, Me, Lee Anne at the counter dishing up.
Lee Anne with her pies, which were amazing. She made them, the cranberry sauce, hot apple cider, and the gravy. Kat made the squash. Jaime made the mashed potatoes and the turkey. I made the stuffing (Akili's dad's cornbread stuffing with apples and walnuts) and the relish tray.

Mi pieza

Though my room was certainly the least livable when we moved in, it keeps improving, and lately I've become convinced that I actually chose the best one. Its on the second floor, which means its warmer, and faces the back of the house so it doesn't get street noise. Its little, so my stuff actually nicely fills it in, and it has a slanted ceiling...which I love. The only thing that pains me is the brown, orange, green, tan, and blue linoleum floor that peaks out on the edges of the carpet. I tried to downplay that in these pictures though.

The dresser had been left here when we moved in. It used to be in the corner, but I had to move it out from the right wall when we turned on the heating and I realized that's where the vent was. The window is plastic-ed over to keep it warmer.

Thanks to Jaime's friendship with the quansa-hut used furntiture salesman and our extraordinary bargaining skills, I got this chair and desk set for $25. They're in perfect condition.

My bed, which is more like a nest because the mattresses are so old you just sort of sink in. Its actually really comfy.

This is the carpet I got to hide the linoleum.

Floor to ceiling built in bookcase. Most of my books are at home though. These are pretty much just Russian literature and Latin American history for the semester.

Beginning of November

Its truly fall now, which is beautiful. I was afraid for awhile we were going to go straight from summer to winter.

We've all submitted our Russian visa applications, so it looks like this internship trip is actually happening. I've been checking the weather in Moscow every day. Its no colder than it is here, so far.

I applied for a bunch of jobs through an online program called the Consortium, which is for employers that want to hire graduates of the best liberal arts colleges, right out of college. Its a pretty great opportunity, since I have this amazing education but little practical experience, and these employers recognize that and don't mind. Anyways, I have three interviews so far. The first one is in New York City, the second in Washington, DC, and the third in Philadelphia. I'm excited. So Lee Anne and I will be making a quick trip to the East coast in January.

Now matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get rid of this cold. I've had it for a week, and every day I wake up thinking, today will be the day that I have that breakthrough moment of energy and return to healthiness. Still feel awful though, and haven't left the house for any reason other than class or work for what feels like a long time. Being sick really does a number to your social life. Oh well, at least I live with most of my good friends.

Castle

One of Pacifica's weirdest landmarks is its "Castle" which was built in 1908 and is somehow both alluringly romantic and supremely tacky. Most people don't get to see inside it, but my mom won a Pacifica Resource Center raffle and got 3 tickets for a evening inside with jazz and food. The owner, Sam Mazza, had this thing for old movie props, so you can just imagine what its like inside...




My mom and Debbie with the musicians in the backgroud.


My dad and I escape from awkward small talk to take some pictures. I think we looks suprisingly at home in a fake castle.




The entrance, with a glowing green ball next to a fake knight in armor, pretty much sums up the whole place : )