Houston, The Eagle Has Landed

Sorry guys, I couldn't resist the title, especially after Liz's brilliant one below.

At any rate, I've made it safe and sound to Houston and Rice University. The drive from Phoenix to Houston was long and flat which nearly drove me insane. However it was only a day and a half as opposed to three days for the trip from AZ to South Bend. The graduate apartments are extremely nice--I have my own bedroom, bathroom, and walk-in closet. They also provided me with a three shelf bookcase, a huge desk, a full-sized bed, wardrobe, and nightstand. It's so nice and though I still live under the shadows of rules and RA's, it's much better than the dorms. Also, it's just a short (free) shuttle ride and/or walk to campus.

This week has been one of orientations. You guys know the drill; they talked at us and fed us free food. They forced a little bit of mingling with people I'm sure I'll never see again and showed us the graduate bar--appropriately named Valhalla. It's a nice little campus surrounded by pretty river oaks. It has been raining here which has been a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it's cooler when it rains, but when it rains it pours. When the sun is out it's so humid I feel like I'm swimming when I walk around campus. So far I've been mostly in the English building of course, but I plan to explore other departments at random.

The library is nice, although of course not as grand as the Hesburgh. Still, it'll be a great area to study in. Classes start Monday and I've already met with my advisory committee to try to figure what the heck they're going to do with me. I haven't explored the city much other than food shopping for myself (for the first time in my life) but they tell me there are plenty of restaurants, bookstores, and free museums around.

Of course I still miss home and Notre Dame a lot more than I thought I would. I miss you guys of course, as I do all my friends. Still, I remain excited about what I'm doing here and I think it'll be good. I hope you guys are all doing well as you wrap up the summer and move into the first fall without the golden dome.

Lots of love and take care.

meet me in St. Louis, Louis

They sure do love the fleur de lis here. They loved it in London too, but for a different reason, I think. Traditionally, the british kings claimed that France belonged to them too, so they would decorate things with fleur de lis as if that gave them some authority in France. Always thought that was funny. This place reminds me a bit of London, but I miss you guys as my roommies. These girls are 3rd years, and their a bit odd. Like, I know they're tired all the time (they're gone by 5 every morning. That would put even you to shame, Bridget), but when they get home they pretty much just go in their rooms and shut their doors, but it's weird because they don't even say hi when they come in. One of them I've only met once, even though I've been here a week. Just odd. And I haven't got much to do during the nights b/c I don't know anyone yet and I haven't got any homework b/c it's still orientation week.

My room is cute, if outrageously decorated. The walls are blue, and I bought a dresser from habitat for humanity for $20 and glued the drawers back together and painted it so it would be so offensively ugly, so now it's bright blue with white swirlies. Also I hung up the picture I painted last year of the girl on the wall in the orange dessert, if any of you remember that one. But there is something to be lacking for the sanitation of the building. I swept the staircase off today, and it was nasty. I had big clumps of dust and cobwebs on the broom by the time I got the bottom, and when I brushed off the window in the stairwell, huge clouds of gray dust rose from it. Spiders were scampering away from me every time I went down a step, and I was too creeped out to kill them. Also, when I washed a frying pan today it occurred to me to wonder whether they had ever actually washed it before, despite the tattered state of the sponge (which was in 2 pieces). Emily came to visit me last night (yay), and on the way in we definitely heard the people on the floor above us having very loud sex. Which was also odd, because I'm pretty sure I heard him shouting and cussing earlier in the day. Anyway, we're standing there in the stairwell listening to moaning and of course we can't get the door open cuz it's a thousand years old and my key's a piece of crap. So. Awkward. Also awkward b/c I happen to know that guy's really cute.

I would like to use this opportunity of Emily's visit to shame everyone else into coming. Ok, so she didn't strictly come to st. louis to see me, but don't let that be a deterrent. I hold each of you personally responsible if I don't see you skulking round here in the next four years. Yes, I'm talking to YOU.

Ok, now that that's over. Love you all oodles, hope you're doing well in your respective new cities.
Liz