day sixty-eight: happy thanksgiving!

ah folks, you're all sitting about your warm homes, many of you no doubt either surrounded by family members or set to do so soon. how lovely. while I recognize that today is thanksgiving (I mean, it says so in my diary), the day is more ordinary than I would have expected. the last time that I was out of the states on the holiday I was a mess...in the middle of kribi, halfway through my research project, and desperately missing my family. that only happens every so often for me, but I remember just crumbling when my grandmother told me that she had set a place for me at our dinner table. ah...

this week has gone really well and honestly, I can hardly believe that I've been here for two months already. it's quite outstanding. I've been busy with class readings (or not doing this week's readings, rather), preparing for course essays, trying to develop dissertation ideas (no holly, the dissertation will not be a performance piece on how to churn butter), going to the national gallery, seeing the bridget film (ah, l'amour), and hanging out with some gsmiths people. tonight, after a lecture by wjt mitchell (from the university of chicago), there are plans for a small tday celebration with the girls and then lots of packing. kate and I are visiting sarah and kris in antwerp over the weekend and, I have to say, I am so pumped. the fact that this is my first trip to continental europe has yet to even hit me. really, knowing that I get to spend a bit of time with one of my very favorite persons (I mean, the girl did help me get through my first year in chicago in a major way) is really exciting. yay! oh, and the thought of belgium chocolate doesn't hurt a bit either.

so, I hope that this finds my dear ones well. I'll be posting information on the pin that I spoke to some of you about, so that you might be able to ring me at an affordable cost.

loves to you all. and, again, happy thanksgiving!

ps jess, I may just eat turkey again for this one...remember our feast last year in iowa city???