second week of classes is soggy

The second week of classes is over. Lucky for me we have a washer/dryer in our apartment so I was able to clean and dry the multiple outfits I had drenched by the rain. Once again, I think the week can be best summed up with bullet points.

• Ingrid and I found a place that sells chiwda that is right across the street from our apartment. Chiwda is a delicious Indian snack that’s usually salty, sweet and spicy. When I was in Rajasthan they called in Namkeen and it was equally delicious. Sometimes we ate it for breakfast. 
• It rained.
• I finished my first assignment for the history of higher education class.  The readings were interesting so the assignment wasn’t so painful.  We’ll see how I feel after we get grades and class feedback.
• It rained.
• There was a thorough, and slightly scary, talk on the state of the economy by a few of the professors here.  Ingrid and I weren’t able to go to the lecture, but the talk was posted online and we watched it here.
• Oh yeah, it also rained, and I made a video with a surprise, M. Night Shyamalan ending.
  

  so much rain that her head hurts

   

afternoon coffee

afternoon coffee

Originally uploaded by p25eddie

We had a wonderful discussion today in our Higher Education Pro-Seminar on the myriad of issues loaded into a typical college president’s inbox.

Needless to say, the class discussions made me feel like I needed a coffee break.

As I was drinking my espresso, Drew Faust, the president of Harvard, sent the university community this email. It was a great real world example to help supplement our in-class discussions. The coffee was good too.

first week of classes are over

The first week of classes has come to a quick end and here’s the recap.

 

• The classes look really interesting, the professors all thoughtful and bright, the readings are heavy, and the classmates are an impressive mix of talented, fun and caring folk.  
• We’ve found the major super (and not so super) markets in the area. Market Basket is an early favorite. 
• We’ve (almost) furnished our apartment.  All we need is a mattress.  Until we find one, we’ve taken a cue from birds and created a comfy nest using twigs, straws and other items we’ve collected from the yard. It’s very green. 
• We have internet!
• We have cable tv for the first time in seven years.  Although it seems like a poor idea to invest in cable television and start a grad school program, it made good sense at the time.  Besides, as the nice comcast agent said, “How else are you gonna watch all the SOX GAMES!”
• I have an internship with the Office of Minority Education at MIT.  So far I haven’t done much there, but I did do a great tour and intro session on campus Friday.  It has a decidedly different feel than Harvard and I really like that. The MIT students are a playful lot, here’s one of their latest hacks.  
• Finally, we found the Boylston Street Apple Store.  As fate would have it, it’s next door to an Anthropologie.  With the economy tanking and huge grad school debt, we’re not likely to become their favorite customers, but both places will be good for gratuitous window shopping. 

take a byte!

we made it!

we’ve finally made it to boston.  we’re a bit tired from the long trip but we were lucky to have great navigators in texas sending us updates on the storms and road conditions.  we’ve got loads of pictures that we’ll post soon.

Virginia!

We’ve made it to Bristol, VA with clear blue skies and broad sweeping views of the Smokey Mountains.

and now, tennessee

 

eyes on the road

We’ve safely made it through most of Tennessee but not without more weather, some accidents, and a trip through a presidential museum.  Sadly, we didn’t see Elvis, but Gustav was with us for a good part of the afternoon.  Tomorrow, we’re off for Virginia.

 

the remnants of gustav

here we go

 

here we go

Eric took this photo before we left his Austin apartment this morning.  I think it tells the story of the morning quite well.  He’s taken quite a few good shots and posted them on his Mac Mobile Me Gallery.  After 500 miles, 8 hours, two states, a few tornado warnings, and a Mexican Food dinner in Hope, we’re sitting safely (if soggy) on the outskirts of Little Rock, AK.  Tomorrow, we continue our Magical Mystery Tour through Tennessee.  Hopefully, we won’t have anymore weather maps that look like this.

 

Gustav hits Little Rock

p.s. we’ll miss you

p.s. we’ll miss you

Originally uploaded by p25eddie

Here’s a snapshot from one of our last nights in Austin. Like so many other nights here, this one was made special by good friends, good food, love and laughter. I’m not sure who took this photo, but I like it very much.

Thanks folks! Ingrid and I will miss you all. You’re all welcome to stay with us should you ever find yourselves in Boston.