This morning, I was hunting for my shoes, and found a sugar packet with the Skidmore logo, the kind that they used to have out at the SPA and Cyber Café. I have no idea how it got there.

I’ve FINALLY got my Rutgers application out (delayed solely because of procrastination). Dallas is the only one that’s left. The SOP is done, but they also ask for you to write an “educational history” ie, the changes you went through in your academic career that led to now. I am trying to fit the Hampshire experience, the “Rachel when are you going to admit you’re a Giant Right-Winger?” and the “Screw D.C., I want to read Hobbes and make lattes.”

(Of course, beyond the academic evolution that sounds pretty on paper, there is the shallow version, which I may write up, just for fun.)

Moving is a hassle. I’m sure I should consider “do I really need all these books?” but I don’t bother to ask myself that question because the answer is “Yes.” At this point, I’m over having to move and just want to be done with the move. Furniture needs to be taken apart, kitchen things need to be bought for the new place, and utility things need to be arranged. My perpetual desire to just be settled is acting up – and ‘settled’ will have to wait until February 4th.

I am in the midst of unpacking and there are boxes everywhere in my insanely small but perfect room (because it reminds me of Fain C and Fain C was home), and omg, I have a balcony and yes new buildings are going up and will eventually block the view but for now I can stand on my balcony and look at what I think is chelsea piers, although my NYC georgraphy is still very shotty, and I am most likely completely wrong and I could look it up but I am far too hyper for that so if someone could just tell me that would be great and I have to unpack and oh my god this is so perfect and amazing and wonderul and the girl who moved out of this room left a few things here including a pretty lamp, a TV?, and a VASE OF DEAD FLOWERS.

I was clearly meant to live right here. I am so happy.

Did any of you ever read “Dear Mr. Henshaw” in elementary school? The premise of the book is this kid starts writing letters to this favorite author when he’s quite young, and as he gets older he writes more frequently. The kid is kind of a loner, so he’s writing this author about all his issues and finally Mr. Henshaw is like “Dude, stop stalking me.”

So Leigh (who is aware that he has a girls’ name. Leigh can be a boy’s name but then it should be “Lee,” like WTF was the point of that Beverly Clearly?) continues to write letters to Mr. Henshaw, but he doesn’t send them. About 2/3 through the book he starts a page “Dear Mr. Henshaw,” crosses it out and says “I have learned to put down my thoughts on a piece of paper.” The rest of the book the entries are just dated.

But the point is, Leigh couldn’t just write for himself. He had to have an intended audience, even though the audience wasn’t going to read what he wrote. That’s what I meant about writing for an audience, I think. There’s nothing worse than writing about writing, but I will write more on this when I am feeling more articulate.

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Instead of writing ANYTHING, I should be attempting to get things I order. I move in a week. My room here is a mess. I am making the painful decisions of what books to bring. I am anxiety-ridden because the girl who is moving out is being a pain, and I don’t know if I’m going to be able to move in on that Sunday anymore, and it will probably become a hassle of moving after work and my parents will be away that week, so I’ll have to con Brent into helping me.

But employment has certainly made me feel like I belong in New York. I like the walk from Port Authority and wandering around at lunch and such. I am amused that I can stand on Broadway between 52nd and 53rd and see three Starbucks. There are lots of cute boys. THERE IS A CREPE VENDOR THAT SELLS $3 CREPES!!! I was at my apartment on Thursday night to drop off my deposit, and the Newport area is so pretty at night (it was a particularly pretty sunset) and to get there you have to take the Pulaski Skyway which makes it cooler.