the great white north.

well, kind of. it’s not Canada, but it’s practically next door.

currently sitting on Jared and Becky’s couch; all the lights are out and the cat is going crazy in the kitchen/under the table.

I managed to get ready in time — kind of. I always forget something on a major trip. I make incredibly detailed lists, but there’s always something… this time I apparently wasn’t thinking about my hair at all and forgot to pack a comb, shampoo, or conditioner. luckily that’s not really a problem, since these things are readily available. it could turn out to be problematic, however, that I completely forgot to pack nice clothes for my interview at Clark on Monday. I have nice boots and sweaters and such, but no pants besides jeans… I didn’t even think of it while I was list-writing. Becky said she has some black pants that are way too long for her (she’s 5′4, I think, and I’m 5′7) so I guess I’ll try those on tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes. otherwise… hopefully I can just charm their socks off and they won’t notice the denim.

I started a new book — War Trash by Ha Jin. I’m excited. historical fiction is a favorite. :] I saw it on the shelf in Taylor’s over a month ago and have restrained myself from buying it every time I’ve been in there — forcing myself to finish the book I was already reading. I don’t read nearly as fast now that I’m in school… I don’t have as much time to devote to it (obviously, since I’m doing super-important things like blogging) so I’m reading less. but the other day I knew I only had a couple more chapters to go and that I’d need something to read on the plane, so I bought the thing. so far, it’s well worth the wait.

there are a lot of things that I like about Charleston. there are a lot of people I like in Charleston. I just don’t think I can stay there for very much longer. it felt so good to get on a plane Friday morning; to be leaving. think it would affect my GPA to miss the second half of the semester?

I was talking to Jared on the way here from the airport and he said that even though he felt New England was a second home, there are more differences between the north and the south than he realized before moving here. nonetheless, he really likes it.

I know that wherever I go, it will be an adjustment. I don’t think I’ll be completely free of homesickness, or that it will necessarily be the easiest thing to live somewhere too far away for weekend visits. but, essentially… it’s time to leave.

when I grow up…

… I want a husband whose sweaters I can steal on cold days.

I am almost finished with a three-and-a-half-page paper for literature. I just have to take a little break before giving it the once-over a final time. it’s about a short story, “The Third and Final Continent” by Jhumpa Lahiri. I really enjoyed reading it, and I’m pretty pleased with my analysis of how culture plays a role in the development of the main character. it’s times like these when I think college is fun.

Friday in French class Madame Frye announced that she had looked at her syllabus and we are slated for a test Monday; so, just like that, we’re having a test on Monday. these are exciting times. I haven’t studied yet. je suis parresseuse.  at least she always gives us a study guide.

I discovered something: Saranac ginger beer is not nearly as good as Stewart’s ginger beer. Taylor’s mysteriously (or so I thought) stopped carrying Stewart’s last summer, and then the Purple Onion did too, and those are the only two places I knew of that carried it. as Hannah and I surveyed the shelves of Stewart’s at Kroger last night I concluded that Stewart’s must have stopped making it… which is truly sad.

at any rate, off to Taylor’s tonight for coffee and conversation with people I enjoy. yay. :]

a book recommendation.

I don’t often read best-sellers. I don’t follow the New York Times list, and frequently I read classic literature. there’s just a ton that I haven’t read, and I figure I can’t go wrong with the old stuff. most of the time.

but I kept hearing about this book — The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. this person had read it, and that person had read it, and it was really good, and it was on the Times best-seller list, etc. when my brother accidentally left it at our house, I figured I might as well read it.

it’s the best book I’ve read in a long time. it’s an incredibly sad story, grotesque in some parts, heart-wrenching — but completely amazing. very well written. and I didn’t realize it until I was finished, but he managed to throw a few major plot twists in that I didn’t expect; I’m the kind of person who’s always guessing how mystery novels will end. they were unexpected but they still fit realistically within the storyline. and overall the book just made me think. and I like that.

read it; you won’t be sorry.