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