In My Element

I'm home. :) I arrived late Tuesday night and literally have not wasted an hour since. I've caught up already with so many dear, old friends and spent quality time with my family, and it's only Friday morning. Tonight brings the promise of a wild New York night, and tomorrow a day of indulgence in everything New York. I love it.

Gerbils!

Lawrence and I have recently acquired 4 3-month old sister gerbils. Sadly, we sold our fish and tank on craigslist since we didn't have the time to properly clean the tank regularly. Though I was a bit heartbroken for the week we went petless, I was excited to get mammalian, interactive pets.

We've had the gerbils for two weeks now and I think I've played with them and talked to them everyday. :) They keep me company as I study at home alone for most of the day. Even though I spend all this time with them, however, I still can't tell them apart. Two are the same darker shade of grey/brown (Burmese I think) and the other two are a lighter shade of the same grey/brown (Siamese I think). As a result, we still haven't named them yet. We just collectively refer to them as "the girls".

Even though Lawrence and I will be gone for only a couple of days for Thanksgiving, we've arranged for our neighbor friends to take the gerbils while we're gone. I wanted to make sure they had human interaction and weren't alone. I know- I'm a little ridiculous. I can't believe how attached I've gotten to the girls. Can you imagine what I'm going to be like with a dog, or patients, or children? I'm either going to have great bedside manners or a smothering effect. Right now, I think I have little of both, but luckily the gerbils can't talk back, so I can smother them all I want. :)

I miss home.

"I know New York. I need New York. I know I need unique New York."
- "Song for Myla Goldberg", The Decemberists

November November

Midterms are over! :) I've had a test every week for the past month, along with the usual problem sets and labs due every week. I don't have another test until December! (I know that's not a long time from now, but it seems like an eternity since I finished my last midterm a whopping 3.5 hours ago.) Now it's back to normal life, of just problem sets and labs. I welcome the so-called free time back this November.

In addition to being excited about the transitory end of midterms, I'm excited about the results of the midterm elections. The races were so close, and in the end the Democrats gained control of the Senate and the House! I've always enjoyed watching Election Day news coverage and witnessing the changes in the political landscape across the country, especially when the change is (finally) favorable.

And I am really looking forward to going home for Thanksgiving. As always, I love coming home to New York, to friends, to family. I'm especially excited to see my family. There's something about Thanksgiving at my house that is so comforting and familiar to me. Our Thanksgiving traditions haven't really changed much since I can remember. My aunt's family comes up from North Carolina. We have dim sum for lunch and lechon and other Filipino dishes for dinner, and Mother Mousse cake for my sister Lisa's birthday (which we will have in her honor as she celebrates her birthday in Dublin this year while studying abroad in Rome this semester). We see a Broadway show over the Thanksgiving weekend and usually make it into Manhattan for the craziness of Black Friday. I can't say that anything we do over the holiday is extraordinary or unique, but I love it.

Ahh November. This month always pleasantly surprises me. Obviously, Thanksgiving and Election Day are predictible, but I feel as though they are surprises because they aren't events that I necessarily look forward to all year, like the US Open :). When they do come around, I remember how much I enjoy them and am pleasantly surprised (again) that I'm enjoying something I wasn't anticipating. This is what happens when one has a poor memory. :)