Tuesday evening

Eric and I usually have a date on Tuesday. Because of the apartment management's policy about keys, this week we had one on Wednesday as well, since he's leaving today to spend spring break in California. We had agreed that we wouldn't try to eat dinner together on Tuesday and that he'd call me after he'd had some food. He called around nine in extreme doubt that he wanted any company, and we had a rather fraught conversation that resulted in my offering to arrive over there around eleven. This gave me time to watch "Angel" with Raphael, and I thought would usefully minimize my crowding Eric. He was actually very glad to see me when I got there, and wouldn't have minded seeing me sooner.

I'm not sure I'll ever get that phone call sorted out. Attempting to become a graduate student is very hard on a person. (I did this myself, but in a very odd way. I so hated the notion of leaving Carleton that I did nothing at all about applications until the last minute and then cobbled up three. I was accepted by all three. The University of Michigan couldn't give me any financial aid; the University of New Mexico -- no, I don't remember why I wanted to go there -- couldn't give me enough aid. SUNY-Binghamton gave me lots of financial aid and boasted a professor of English who had once taught at Carleton, so I went there. I didn't like it at all, but the graduate English department was actually excellent and I did learn a lot before bailing with just my M.A. Anyway, I did the whole thing reluctantly and haphazardly and was lucky.)

Things were fine once I got there. Eric read his historiography essays and I read Liavek V, and we very happily shared some leftover shrimp lo mein from Saturday, which already seemed a decade ago.
There was something particularly soothing and settled about sharing the one pair of chopsticks and the one plate. We had some good conversation, and I remember getting very giggly, but I can't at the moment recall the jokes.

Pamela

Wednesday

During the day, I did a lot of dishes, laundry, and reading of Liavek V -- I realized to my embarrassment that I have actually never read the first two stories in that book, and that I automatically skipped them again when I began the reread, and had to catch myself. I really don't know why.

I called Eric around seven; unsurprisingly, he was having a combination of trip stress and academic stress. Since he would ordinarily probably not have departed until the weekend, and was leaving now in order to be back again in time to spend the last four days of spring break with me, I offered to take a few small tasks off his hands. I went by the Lotus To Go and got vegetable lo mein and sweet and sour soup with tofu, and some spring rolls, also with tofu. I love how many vegetarian options they have. And I am just not getting enough vegetables now that I am not cooking.

The food was very good indeed and we shared it happily. Toliman found it interesting to sniff but not worth actually trying to steal. I was relieved that he did not try to bury it. He regularly attempts to bury our coffee.

Eric studied German and I read my long-delayed Liavek stories. He eventually asked me if there was anything on my mind, so I asked him a question, and the answer led to a fairly fraught but essentially good conversation. We continued that in the morning. I have had more peaceful partings, but communication is always good.

Now I am a cat-sitter for a week. And it is going to be warm. I don't believe that Spring is here yet, but I believe that it has embarked from wherever it was, and did not miss its train.

Pamela