How Time Passes

I can hardly believe that it has been over a month since I last posted. Time seems to have no meaning here, in the city, at school. I look back to see fervent utilization of every hour, so many hours in every day, every week, but at the same time how quickly the days have gone. I remember Fall Retreat like it was yesterday.

One of the reasons I haven't been posting is the unfortunate failure of my computer. It just gave up the ghost one day -- I suspect a fan died and fried some valuable internal component. While I wait for Dell to get their act together warranty-wise, my life has taken on a new simplicity. Reading, homework, spending time with friends -- all of these things are much easier than walking over to school to use a lab computer. So my time on the infernal machines has decreased. Of course, there are tradeoffs. More steps to take for homework, less convience, and so forth. But only for a season. Hopefully.

I have so much to say that the details will have to fall by the wayside. So much has happened since I talked to you last. Midterms last week took a toll on my sleep hours -- I only slept for about 15 hrs in six days, but God blessed me with alertness while I was awake. The same is not true for this week, but I do have more time to sleep.

My grades are improving ... instead of low 'B's in English, I now recieve low to mid 'A's. The same is true for most of my classes. The grade here is so much more rewarding as well, knowing that I put hours of my life into it. The fruits of my toil are sweet indeed. If you ever want to read any of my papers, just email me. I'd be more than willing to shoot them off. I have a few favorites.

I have volunteered to help with the next Inviso, the student visit weekend. I will be one of the Student Ambassadors, a role I'm rather excited to play. That will be taking place the second weekend of November. Also in November -- Thanksgiving. I'll be taking Amtrack to Pittsburgh to meet up with my grandparents, aunt & uncle, and immediate family for an extended weekend. I am very excited to get out of the city ... especially with the ease of transportation. All I have to do is walk over to Penn Station (about 2-3 blocks). No hour-long subway ride to JFK, no NJ Transit rail to Newark, just a 10 min walk.

I love the city, especially now that summer's warmth has irreversably left. It is getting much colder, the sky is grey. It reminds me of November, my favorite month. Even though the weather is right, it doesn't feel like it can be November already. Strange but true: the leaves haven't turned yet. When they do, hopefully on a sunny Saturday, I'll take a book to Central Park, read by the water, and listen to the rustle of the breeze among the falling leaves. Another nice thing about the breeze: it gets rid of the nasty, putrid scent you catch wiffs of when walking down Sixth Ave.

This has gone on for quite long enough. I have so much more to say, but I don't want to put anyone off from reading the post in its entirety. Perhaps it will be easier now to post regularly, after I get back into the schedule of things. I know much better now how to manage my time.

Thinking of you,

J