Hogar, dulce, hogar

Back in Boston! Yay! It feels good to be home. :) I got hugged and dropped off at the Bolt bus by wombmate #3 ... and picked up and hugged at South Station by wombmate #2. Lucky me!

Boston is beautiful, as always. Nothing -- nothing -- beats a night run in winter across the Mass. Ave. bridge, the skyline fading behind the snow falling around me. Exhilarating!

Tomorrow we head to the art museum with the 'rents. So excited! It's such a lovely museum, compared to a certain, shall we say, diorama-esque art museum back in Denver.

the city

Been in the city a couple days, visiting Dr. Baby Brother. I feel like I should have been taking advantage of the city, but I haven't felt like doing much. I have fond memories of winter and Christmas time in the city. It seems a world away, now.

I feel a little sickie after all semester and the kiddos down in Philly. I've gone for runs around Central Park. I read a book last night. I took a nap. I cooked a lot for the skinny brother (three kinds of cookies, lasagna, veggies, salads, breakfasts, etc.). It's kind of nice to have anonymity and nothingness. Wish I could have seen more of the brother, the city, and other friends. I am seeing a friend tomorrow morning, so that will be lovely, before heading up (finally) to Boston.

Happy Winter Solstice!

Au milieu de l'hiver, j'ai découvert en moi un invincible été.

Philly

Back in Philly. It really feels like I just posted that I was in town for my friend's wedding, but that was way back in May! I've had a summer and a fall since then. I just love this city. It has charm, grit, a feeling of excitement, motion, and adventure. Sadly, I noticed the light balls in Rittenhouse Sq. are not up! I'll have to investigate.

When I got off the bus, I knew right where I was and just started walking through the city West to get to campus. Despite the 23 degree weather and carrying my bag, I wanted to walk. I wanted to save money, but mainly I wanted to walk because I would be passing through the city. It feels great to land in almost any city along the east coast and know my way around. Something about the independence of travel, just me and my small bag (I'm notorious for packing light) - it enlivens me. I feel empowered and connected to the world - connecting both to places and to people.

Off to the more adventures in this next stop I'm making on the long way home...

Visit to Grandma

We visited Grandma today! She's such a cutie. We made lunch. She tells outrageous stories that I can't repeat in this forum. We read through the cards my grandparents received when my mom was born. We hung up her clothes, discussed the details of the humidifier and cleaning the curtains. We had tea and snack. We prepared her dinner to be waiting for her when she woke up from her nap. I organized, alphabetized and filed her old prescriptions (see above photo). She told me I looked like a gypsy, which I considered a compliment. I was thoroughly exhausted after our day!

Be more

I've returned east, to grey skies, humidity, and fast walkers. Had a lovely weekend in Baltimore with a friend - dinner, drinks, movie, runs, paper-writing. I'm closing in on the paper ("edits" and blueblook citations left). Right now I'm in Penn Sta. waiting for the train, which is of course late. Looking forward to time with Grandma and my sister and her husband. I'm inches away from true vacation...

Last day in Denver for awhile

My eyeballs still hurt.

There was a wee hiccup in finishing my paper. I'm here, plugging away, but immensely excited for the east coast!

You can take the girl out of the east coast, but you can't take the east coast out of this girl...

Back to variable geometry. Wait, I thought I one of there was no math in law school?

Update

I'm so darn close. I've got about 10 pages left (plus massive editing, citations, and feeling badly for probably not making a good argument...I want to write a fabulous paper, but I'm just losing steam. Quickly. I hate to say it, but I kind of just want to have enough pages of something to turn in and go to sleep for a few days straight. Sleep's for losers?).

Sigh.

My eyeballs hurt and I've resorted to Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas.

preferential trade agreements

I think things are finally coming together on this last paper, after much agonizing and sleepless nights. Really, this has by far been the hardest intellectual challenge.

The breakthrough thought? I realized what I am arguing is not that preferential trade agreements are asymmetrical. Everyone knows that and it's actually a good thing they are (sort of an affirmative action for developing nations). What I really am arguing is that there is also asymmetry in the promulgation of preferential trade agreements. This Asymmetric Promulgation is what's dangerous and bad. It means countries enter into trade agreements that aren't good for them economically (the agreements don't address issues important to developing countries and the agreements are likely to be signed under political pressure or for non-trade reasons).

Dorkiest post ever. I'll stop now before I tell you about how pretty my tabs are.

New Songs

I have this terrible vice of buying new music to entertain and bribe myself through finals. Every year around finals time, I get bored with my music and start buying new music I've heard on Pandora. Bad Carrie, bad. Ah, well, what's done is done. Some newbies in my ears:

Seaside, The Kooks


Son of Sam, Elliott Smith


Somebody that I Used to Know, Elliot Smith


Sultanas de Merkaillo, Ojos de Brujo

Running

I've been pretty good lately about restraining myself from telling you all the mundane, boring detail of my slow return to running. Until now. :)

I've been good about forced days off, stretching, and strengthening exercises. I'm trying hard not to get injured or have aches. I do get some aches in the arch still, so I have a feeling this will just have to something I'm very vigilant about, not just hop out the door and run.

I've been treating myself to trail runs. It's too cold to bike outside, and I need something to look forward to amidst the paper-writing.

I had a great long run this morning, albeit accidental. I hadn't run this trail for almost a year and I could have sworn the "shortcut" made it an hour... somehow I forgot about 5 whole extra miles. Gah! Whatever. What can you do but keep running? I tried to chill out. The last mile and a half or so were ugly, but The Hurricane came on my iShuffle, so that was pretty motivating. I'm already sore and stiff, but psyched! The best way to get back to normal mileage is just to do it (painfully, at first).

One last thing, I was chatting with a dude at law school who I always see at the gym. So, of course we started talking about what sports we do (he = soccer). He asked what sport I do and without thinking I said "I'm a runner." Super cheesy, but it felt really good to say that! I feel like I haven't been able to say that for so long. I also love that you can be a runner no matter how recreational, amateur, slow, or gawky you are. Really, I have just as much right to say I am a runner as Shalene or Kara. You don't have to be good, you just have to do it. So do it. And love it.

Keep calm and carry on...