Hamster? Bunny rabbit? Star-, circle-, heart-shaped eggs.

R1 and I have often conversed about the confusion of crossed romantic signals. So this evening, R2 invited me to dinner and cooked for me again. I'm fairly certain this was a non-romantic encounter, and that R2 is just a friendly guy. (He told a joke that -- even after translation -- made me blush. Awk.)

eggs cooked in molds
and
fried onions and sweet potatoes

Today was colder than I expected, and I had to wear my office sweatshirt home. The cold did nothing to assuage my aching knee, so now I sit at home doing PT exercises with an exercise band and an ice pack, staving off the cold with a sweatshirt.

And despite the cold, I had several positive social encounters today and so I feel warm and fuzzy inside. (Even though I've had the following clip looping in my head all day: "When I walk in the room, there's a table of men. Always men!" ... on a related note, I believe there's an incoming woman graduate student! That will make two of us. Huzzah!)


This post's theme word: catholicon, "a panacea."

Downhill

When I left some 15 days ago, there were newly-bought bananas on the table. When I returned, they were still here. Now rotting. On the table. Who keeps buying bananas to rot in our kitchen?

My knee hurts and is slightly swollen this morning. I guess I might have pushed too hard yesterday at the gym. I'll take today to recover and ice.

I'm in a bad housing situation and don't know how to get out. Just like last year, the people who are moving in on the normal schedule (Sept 1 student leases) are disgusting and are driving me out. But I have to give my landlord two month's notice before I leave, and the housing market here is strongly driven by students. So most places are rented starting in September, not November. It makes me angry that I'll have to do this off-season househunting again. I feel rather defeated, because I have to give my landlord notice and later find somewhither to move (rather than vice-versa, the more secure way). I'm an excellent tenant -- clean, quiet, responsible -- so why is it so hard for me to find a good place to live?

And so September rolls around again, the same as last year. Doubts, insecurities, and my favorite weather. Welcome to autumn.


This post's theme song: "Climbing Uphill" from The Last Five Years.