November, what happened? (a giant update with many musings)

So, apparently December was rapidly approaching all month long while I was busy reading obscure things. WHO KNEW?

I gotta be honest, this last month's been a little tough for me- which is probably why you haven't heard from me very much. I flattered myself that I would NOT fall prey to the really vicious slump that hits when it's dark upon waking, cloudy all through the afternoon, and dark again before class ends. But of course I did. That's not to say there weren't a lot of happy times (among them, celebrating 1 year with my favorite person a couple weeks ago!)...but there was a lot of dark and lonely, too. So I did my coursework, and I tried to talk to my family & friends when I could, and I prayed, and I watched a lot of TV, and I hung out with my ever-so-fabulous coursemates, and I saw Greg as much as we could manage, and I muddled through.

But suddenly and inexplicably, this week's been better! Maybe it's because St. Andrews lit all the trees on my street with sparkly lights just in time for Christmas (I'm notoriously grinch-y when it comes to commercialized Christmas things, so the fact that I'm finding Christmas lights so delightful is actually a big deal). Or maybe it's that, on a particularly rough Saturday morning this weekend, I emailed Greg that I was feelin' down, and he whisked me away to Glasgow. All we really did was play Settlers of Catan and eat Thanksgiving leftovers and drink coffee, but it was just the pick-me-up I needed to sail through these last 3 weeks before I fly home for break.

Fly home for break. What? I can't even believe how quickly the time has gone. Last time, a semester seemed like a thrilling eternity, in which I packed as much experience and travel and general shenanigans as I possibly could manage without going insane. This time around--my gosh, I got down to the nitty-gritty coursework after about the 3rd week, and I've hardly had time to look up and realize time was passing! I guess that's what a Master's is all about though, isn't it?

It's funny how much more settled into my life I feel than last time. I have a sense of "things to come" rather than a sense of "things about to close."

For example, I hosted a Thanksgiving dinner at my house last Thursday for all the girls in my course (+ my wonderful flatmate, of course). We made some incredible food (and an enormous mess), talked about all things girly and nerdy and silly, laughed till we nearly cried....and as cheesy as it was, I looked around at these people I met just a couple months ago and thought, MAN, am I thankful-- for these incredible friends, for this gorgeous flat where we can all hang out, and for the fact that I get one more semester (and a summer!) of all of it. (Oh, and my courses, but you've heard me talk about that bit more than enough).

Could I ask for more? No. No, I couldn't.

Tonight, I'm re-reading Troilus and Criseyde, and tomorrow, we're getting dolled up to go to the St. Andrews Day Ball (what up, grad student perks?). I'm going to spend the next 2.5 weeks working my BUTT off to get meet coursework deadlines, and then it's home I go!

And by home, I mean NYC. Did I mention that? Probably not. VA, I love ya, but I'm thrilled beyond thrilled for another fun adventure awaiting me on the other side (get ready for epic travel stories). And my family. OH I cannot wait to see my family.

And lastly, I leave you with several amusing moments from my life:

1. Dr. PMS. I know you've missed him. I've missed him too (mostly because I've been sleeping through my alarm recently. Oops?) But you'll be glad to know that I took note of one particularly great moment in which he discussed translating Latin into English: "There is a great deal of innate stupidity to it, but that's what English does." What a legend.

2. The Old English module is a source of constant entertainment. Most recently, it has included theatrical Anglo-Saxon voices, and a brief discussion of "the meaning of wang"--For the record, it means field. Kindly retrieve your mind from the gutter. (teehee!)

3. Last week's guest lecturer looked like he stepped straight out of an early 20th century classroom, complete with round gold-rimmed glasses and ascot-looking tie. I made the mistake of running 1 minute late to his lecture, however, and was ever so confused find my fellow classmates not sitting in our usual circle with the professor looking as much like a student as anyone else. Instead, they were in 2 neat rows, while this character sat behind a table, gesticulating gracefully as he began to read from Old English texts. (Which incidentally, was beautiful). Also, I could see the castle out of the window.....An excellent dose of ancient-university-vibe.

And, there it is, ladies and gentlemen, the end of my seemingly-endless update. You made it! Go congratulate yourself. I promise, I'll try not to leave all the updating for one massive post next time. Meanwhile, you can picture me snugglin' my radiator and reading :)

"homebird, you've been a flier too long"

Thanksgiving is absolutely my favorite, most sentimental holiday. I love the togetherness, I love my mom's cinnamon rolls, I love talking about everything we're thankful for over the past year, I love looking around the room while everyone's in a food coma and thinking-- I am so blessed to know these people.

I've often said I like Thanksgiving more than Christmas because (apart from stupid Black Friday--ew) nobody's trying to use Thanksgiving for a 3 month advertising blitz about how everyone you know will be so much happier if you just buy them X. Of all the holidays, it feels most like what it ought to be-- a celebration of the things that really matter. At least, that's what it's always been for me.

And maybe it's that my family's going through a lot of upheaval--what with selling our house, some pretty major out-of-state moves, 2 kids at universities on separate coasts (and of course me on a separate continent)-- but I feel so disconnected. I find everything out through the grapevine. And I've even lost track of who I should ask what, because no one seems to be able to track each other down anymore. I know I'm a busy person, and I have trouble keeping in touch...but I've also spent a lot of hours waiting for skype dates that never happen, and sent a lot of messages that don't get replies. It's fine, usually. I get the busy schedule, and I know the 5 hour time difference isn't easy to negotiate all the time.

But then tack on missing my favorite holiday with my favorite people, and the fact that it got dark before 4 pm today-- and tonight, I am just sunk.

At least I'll be home on December 15th. Or, at least, I'll be in the States, and able to commence an epic journey to wherever my family/home happens to be.

Let the countdown begin.

procrastination is a vital study tactic

A stupid thing I almost made my status, but decided it was too long and too nerdy:

Typical (Medieval Lit) Post-Grad Evening:
hour 1- 10/2,000 words of an introduction, and a growing hatred for palaeography.

hour 2- giving up, surfing Facebook for too long, and eating a baked potato with gusto.

hour 3- renewed vigor! searching library catalogs, WorldCat and JSTOR in a fit of rage.

hour 4- registering for a free 30-day trial subscription to the chicago manual of style. poring over footnotes/bibliography rules.

hour 5- 100/2,000 words, and increasing interest in medieval Scottish court proceedings.

hour 5.5- JSTOR VICTORY IS SWEETER THAN LIFE ITSELF, and a "huh, this is fascinating."

Seriously, I knew there had to be a reason I was in academia.