Yes. I have a blog. I remember.

Sorry... haven't been writing as much as I had hoped I would have over the past few days...

Anyway.

The adventure continues! I went home for Autumn break over the weekend, which was really wonderful. Firstly, I got to see my Mum, Dad, and siblings-- and I got to see Nick's football game! I'm amused by the fact that this was the second Greeley football game I've ever been to. The last time I went, I was a freshman in high school, and my parents had to drag me. It's a lot more fun now that I've graduated.

And of course, I brought more things back to clutter my dorm room with.

Clutter. Huzzah.

I don't dare take a picture of my desk.

I also (FINALLY) got to meet Rebz's boyfriend, who I have been hearing about and not meeting for about three months now. And... well. I heartily approve of the kid. (I can call him a kid because he's two years younger than me. Is that a valid excuse? No. Ah well. Just go along with it.) In all seriousness, though, I really liked him. It's difficult not to like a fellow Sharpe watcher who can talk French politics...

Anyway.

I had tea with Amanda before I left, which was really nice... I'm glad I got to see her.

I got back to Goucher on Tuesday evening (after waiting for the College Town Shuttle for about an hour and fifteen minutes), and I was amazed at how happy I was to be back (despite having a six-page essay to write in the space of three hours)... it wasn't that visiting New York was awful, of course, but... well. As soon as I stepped on campus, I was reminded of why I chose to go to Goucher. It's so beautiful, and the people here are wonderful... and, to be honest, it was nice to be back in my own room. It's really become mine... I've got all my books here, my guitar, my giant teddy bear, my less-giant teddy bear, my tea...

There's a strange duality about living away from my family... on the one hand, New York is always going to be the place I grew up. It's where my family and some of my best friends are, and let's face it, I'm never going to enjoy autumn as much anywhere else. But on the other hand, Goucher has very quickly become home as well: how could it not be? I live here, and most of my really important possessions are here with me. Never mind my roommate and the other people who have been like family to me here. So, there's this odd split... in some ways, coming back to Goucher felt just as much like coming home as coming back to New York did.

And the weather is finally starting to get really chilly! I feel like I say that every week, but all the same. I was actually cold when I got out of the shower this morning. It's sweater weather.

The week since has not been too interesting... class, homework, work... I'd say something about Anthropology, but I've already talked too much about that for it to be interesting to any of you at this point...

Well. That's about it. It's Friday night, and I'm sitting in my room, writing a blog post. And as soon as I'm done, I'll probably go back to my tea and sketchbook.

Hope you're all well! My love to all,

Tasha

ps. I'm editing this post at 12.10am, just to say this: I realized this evening that there are people other than me and Dad who like Warren Zevon. And I just spent most of my evening listening to good music with them. I... cannot express how happy I am right now.

Autumn.

When I walked out the door this morning, it was rainy, chilly, and overcast. I actually had to wear a sweater for the first time this year. And I am so, incredibly, happy about all this.

It's been about 90 F all week, until today. It's been... urgh. I don't hate warm weather. I really don't... it's just that it shouldn't be 90 F in late September. Really. Maybe I'm just a spoiled New Yorker, but I don't believe in this whole not-getting-cold-until-mid-October thing. Nina, of course, is the complete opposite: she has lived in the South her whole life (she's immediately from Texas, but originally from Louisiana), so she's been quite happy these past few days, and now that it's getting chilly... well. It should be interesting.

So, anyway, I'm in the best mood I've been in since the week began: I have a sweater and corduroy pants on, there was hot cereal at breakfast, there are leaves on the ground, I have tea, and I can finally listen to Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me! on NPR. Things are as they should be.

Well. What's been going on this week... ? Not a whole bunch, outside of homework, etc. And I haven't even really had that much homework this week... most of it has been reading (which I can do reasonably quickly, of course), which has given me time for other things... like "helping" Nina with her Chemistry/Biology/strange English class work. And doing a bunch of outside reading... I have started way too many books: I just finished two books on Gothic Cathedrals (which are really interesting... I don't know why, but I seem to be going through a phase of odd fascination with them), I'm still working on Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett, and I've just started That Sweet Enemy, by Robert and Isabelle Tombs... it's essentially a book on the history of the relations between France and Britain. It's a really interesting perspective on the history. I'm very much used to seeing British or French history through the lens of American history, and how they relate to the U.S., etc, etc...

But anyway. I've finally been able to understand what on earth is going on in my Philosophy class! We've moved on to our next book, which (in my opinion), is far better written, and seems more relevant to what I thought the class was going to be about in the first place. The first book (the one I was having trouble with) was Fact Fiction and Forecast, by Nelson Goodman, and we are now reading The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, by Thomas S. Kuhn. I suspect that I like Kuhn better because he's a) actually talking about the history of science, and b) because we just started the book, and I haven't had a chance to dislike him yet.

I've also discovered that I can get the New York Times every week day on my way to class (for free!), so as a result, I've been spending more time than I'm sure is healthy doing crossword puzzles and underlining important-looking-things (yes, that's how I read newspapers: I read, underline and annotate. I blame every English teacher I have ever had). I also have earphones now, so I can listen to NPR while I'm doing my homework... it makes me feel very much at home.

Well, Jeremy has just brought some mango. I'll take a break here, and write more later if I can think of anything.

I hope you're all doing well,

Tasha

ps. A completely unrelated note: there are these great chairs by the library computers. They're really completely unexceptional except for the fact that they have wheels, and they're really fun... I know I sound childish. You'll have to forgive me for that today.

pps. On a more adult note, I've been thinking about taking German next year (after I finish my requirements for Spanish next semester), and I was just wondering what you all think about that... advice is always good.