Things have been somewhat hectic, folks. This first semester has been very intense, but incredibly gratifying, and the end is officially in sight. One more week of classes and then, thankfully, a break. I will, of course, still have some papers to write over the next few weeks (one on the Bolshevik thinker Aleksandr Bogdanov, one on Nabokov's translations of Blok, and one on Akhmatova's Poem Without a Hero, which brings me to tears nearly every time I read it - so that'll be a fun one to write, yeah?), but at least I won't have any pesky classes to distract from the matter/s at hand.
Thanksgiving provided a break, for sure. There was quite a feast here - ham and sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie from scratch, among other things; very American fare, to bask in our location. I took the chance to actually enjoy a couple days off, pushing down the feeling of guilt that I get when my attention turns to anything but schoolwork, and it was wonderful. Thanksgiving visitor invited sightseeing.
Downtown PVD. Rhode Island seems to be a state that's been plagued with more than its fair share of corruption (like most states, I guess), but it seems that things are slowly starting to shape up (despite the Crippling Unemployment and General Economic Malaise...). We've found a couple of excellent little movie theaters and some very delicious restaurants, and the central public library is fantastic. I need to get to know the area - I can't let the fact that I'll be here for a few years lull me into ignoring the surrounding cities and states.
In the meantime, though, our tree is up, I'm still hard at work, and we've acquired these little companions:
That's Lucy and Charlie. They're about 5 months old or so, and they're amazing. They're siblings - they were found abandoned by a friend of a friend, and we got them a couple of months ago. One of the major perks of moving back to the States was the ability to get animals.
Expect a little more out of me over the next month - despite all the work I have to do, there are some fun little travels planned for December and January, and I can't wait. Hope everyone's holiday season is well and warm...
2 comments:
What a wonderful treat to start the day ~ a new blog entry from Katie! Once again..we can hardly wait to see what you and Brad are experiencing in your new region. I appreciate your thoughts about wanting to explore widely and really getting to know the area, not just resting on the fact that you'll have plenty of time to look later. Explore whenever you get a chance. The time goes by SO quickly. Just ask Grandma, who will be 93 years of learning in a week and a half!
Oh dear lord, those paws... scrumptious.
Glad you are having a rockin' good time in your new place. And i agree: explore while you can, and while you still care. As happy as i will be when we leave San Diego, i'll always have that nagging feeling that i missed something (by not having a car and driving/exploring the outer regions). Happy solstice, and all/any else that apply :)
..and squish those paws for me!
(word verification word: "unneumng", which i imagine is the sound one makes directly preceding the sit-down session to begin work on a paper regarding translations of Russian literature.)
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