number one thing: if you want a postcard or mail of some sort from here, please email me your address.

fun things: going to trancesky, going to candy bar, going to unplugged on seventh, going to oh! bar, and still being clearheaded enough to exchange Words with the creepy dude trying to pick up my friend with the line "i've never dated a white woman before". please.
the most exercise i get here is endless stairs and all this dancing.

food things: having recovery breakfast at nino's in rosebank, classic eggs and toast and a bit of tomato and mushrooms and some bacon and sausage. we go every week to nino's, we can't change our brunch habit, made cheap and so classy. they serve muffins on a dinner plate with powdered sugar and a parsley garnish, for christ sake. for dinner: chicken piccata, spinach salad, pasta, avocado and cheese and apple and pomegranate salad, vanilla custard, and a papaya. don't worry. there were a lot of us to eat it all.

an ironic thing: i've a friend who works here, and when they say "on the fringes of urban rejuvenation" it means the same as when someone says something like that in brooklyn. gentrification.

mundane things: enjoying the temperate weather. definitely not missing the new york summer and the sweaty mess it engenders. my kitchen lost power, so now i can't use the stove and the freezer bit of the fridge has melted into a puddle on the floor. this building has bootleg wiring/plumbing.

school things: we are almost halfway through the block three electives?! where has the time gone? while i would like to say these classes are hard, there's no point in lying. interesting, yes, and i've been making it to all the 8ams because they're interesting, but they're not hard. i suppose they might be if i was an extremely slow reader, due to sheer volume, but it's not too bad.

the staff of this program kicks ass, though. i know a few readers of this blog advise & teach students at home, and let me tell you, if the staff sticks around then next year's group will be in great hands. they are very resourceful, deal with problems quickly, and are full of good connections. this trip might be worth it for the connections alone.