home for the holidays, mouth surgery style.

sometimes the transition from school to vacation can feel so weird. finals were a constant go go go - a constant what should I be drilling into my head right now? the steps in logistic regression? the repercussions of a dirty well in africa?

when we were finally freed, i remember waking up from my first long nap and feeling a bit uneasy. as i sat in bed with this feeling, trying to pinpoint it's origin, i realized it was because i had nothing specific to work for. i had no pressing deadline (well, except for that policy memo due january 7th, but I have yet to finish so that's neither here nor there), no impending exam, no more reasons to make the treck up to 168th. 

i've already touched on my thoughts on busyness, yet this time, i felt comfortable knowing that I had the next few weeks to do absolutely nothing but enjoy family time and the good weather that my southern home brings.  as well as the surgery i had today on my teeth, which kind of forces me to spend  my time ringing in the new year on the couch with the fam and a blender-spun concoction.

p.s. i only half apologize for so many pictures of my dog. 

"affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives"

- c.s. lewis

first semester of grad school: check.

{white elephants}

{lower manhattan exploring}

{a columbia campus snow day}

it's officially holiday time in the city.  despite the cheer that currently exists on this tiny island, the past few days  have been a final exam blur of 40-page study guides and 10 pm coffee runs.  the only time i made it down to see the lights and decor was on the weekend before my birthday, when J and i had to walk through times square and i almost shot myself in the face because tourists now make me queasy.  we went to butter in midtown, and after asking the waiter if there was actually butter in every dish (and him not getting it... at all), i rushed myself right back uptown and set up fort in my study cave they call my room.

on another note, our last weekend before exams (practically ages ago) was spent white-elephant giving and union square holiday market perusing.  the perfect way to welcome in the season.

excited for my 80 degrees hometown tomorrow and a month of no work :) - but will miss this life we've put together. 

"don't judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times i fell down and got back up again."

- nelson mandela 

sounds good to me.

"all i really want to know is how other people are making it through life - where do they put their body, hour by hour, and how do they cope inside it."

- miranda july