Lori and I spent some good quality time together this weekend. We went to see the Southwest Symphony Orchestra. We made up half of the students who walked from the dorms to the chapel to pay five dollars to see this local orchestra perform. We also skipped some sleep to talk late into the night.

Other things I did this weekend: benefit coffeehouse shindig for the homeless; singing with gospel choir for the Multicultural Alumni Network; eating with them because not very many multicultural alumni came; finding out that Kim nee. Ritzema and I both had the same room our freshman years; making stew in my crockpot; going downtown with Sunday Snacks to hand out lunches, coats, socks, and blankets; doing homework.

Yes, indeed, 18 credits last semester, 32 test based credits from AP, CLEP, and the Spanish entrance exam, 10 dual-credit credits, one FYF credit and two interim credits means that I am a junior. And no, just in case you are wondering, I am not planning on graduating early.

It is very cold and I want to snuggle under the covers and sleep until noon, like I did on Saturday.

Like jasmine rice, black beans, alfalfa sprouts, fresh orange and ginger. The sprouts grown in a jar in my dorm. Good things like a conversation in Esther’s room, or in the van on the way home from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (another good thing, and my first chance to wear that seven dollar pea coat from Goodwill (another good thing)), or around the tables in the cafeteria. Good things like the gnome sitting in my spider plant, next to the aloe shoots shared by a friend. Like the complete works of Shakespeare, which will have all passed beneath my eyes by the end of the semester. Like a good beginning to this semester.