over the rainbow

I'm back in Chambana!

Classes will start on Tuesday, after MLK day. I am content to let that day come when it does. I am neither frightened by it nor do I await it impatiently. I am perfectly happy where I am right now.

Life seems to be more a collection of stories now, like a collage, rather than an overarching idea.

First, there's my driver's licence. My precious driver's licence. My symbol of freedom. It has been with me through good times and bad, since that beautiful moment five years ago when they first printed it up and gave me free roam of the streets. Now it is expired, according to the date printed in tiny red letters at the top of the card. I would probably never have noticed if the airport ticket attendant in San Francisco had not drawn my attention to it. This is good, because now I know I need to go renew it. This is also bad, due largely to the fact that it was the airport attendant who discovered it. I suddenly was labeled as "not holding a valid ID," and was sent to the special line of security. This is such a high level of security that I had to go through a whole machine that puffed air at me. THEN they looked through my stuff and swabbed it all with little pieces of cloth. Now that's safety.

Then there are roommates, who both were there to pick me up at the airport! And what is the first thing I do upon returning? Go midnight-grocery-shopping at Meijer with my dear Colleen and Anne. We're all together, AND we have food for at least a week. What more could you ask for? I think it actually scared Colleen that I had my semester meal plans all written down in a list. I don't think she realized the extent of the planning I have done until she saw it. I actually know what dinners I'm going to make, every week, for the rest of the semester. My first one was a great success: Moroccan stuffed peppers and Baba Yaga Ganouj. (I'm not joking, even though I realize it sounds ridiculous. Everything I write is the truth.)

Next there's the hottub... ahhhhh.

Practicing too. Practicing in the music building. Taking the bus to get there. Leisurely waking up before taking the bus. Practicing feels really good right now. I had some technical break-throughs last semester, and now that they have had time to sink in over break I feel like I can conquer the world. Bring it on.

Friends. Reunited with Colleen, Anne, Joe, Dan, Keturah, Kyra, Vince, Jing-I... more to come. Elimidate is a terribly stupid show, but admittedly fun to laugh at. Arrested Development is just plain good. Lying around like slugs on the couches doing nothing but goofing off until 4am is something I missed. Talking about music, classes, musician gossip, summer festivals, sudoku, and who can make the longest list of "special friends," all hours of the day. Joe and his camera and his photo-editing software and pictures he took over break are all here in the same place! Anne viciously bakes sweets as if we had to go through some sort of quota of flour, butter, and sugar usage each day. As a result, we all get to eat homemade chocolate croissants and walnut brownies.

Nothing's very serious right now. I feel like I'm riding on a wave, easing back into my last semester of college. My last semester. Here we go....