Today's lab was in Hopkins Forest, and it was stunningly beautiful. We had steady snowfall, decent accumulation, relatively warm temperatures, and black birch twigs to munch on (which taste strongly of wintergreen -- it's amazing!). I was kicking myself for not bringing my camera, but I had my hands pretty full trying to keep my notebook dry ( Read more... )

So today is my crazy day, and so far it's not too terrible, but it will be that last rehearsal that kills me, I think. Or actually that reading and summary I need to do after that last rehearsal ( Read more... )

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Today was the first day that actually felt like the semester. Two classes, a meeting with a professor, lunch, working in Schow on a writing assignment, a committee meeting, and then dinner! If I can motivate myself to actually do the things I planned to do this evening, I'm all set. Chances are doubtful, but I can hope ( Read more... )

Real classes start tomorrow, which of course comes with mixed feelings. Winter study is a magical time, and dead week can be even more magical in some ways, but it also involves a lot of down-time and alone-time. I'm good with both of those in moderation, but too much particularly of the latter starts to get to me. To be sure, dead week had its ( Read more... )

I read this article over my morning oatmeal, and it was pretty sad. As someone who is just discovering skiing at a smaller mountain that's managed to hold on, this sort of struck a chord. I also know vaguely of similar places in the area, as well as some of the ones featured in the article. Just don't mind the writer's flare for the dramatic ( Read more... )

The last week of winter study brings excitement of various kinds. I'm wrapping up my first quilting project (down to just the hand quilting -- what makes a quilt a quilt!) and starting my final project. Apparently I'm considered "brave" by my teacher's guild for working almost entirely in yellows for this one. Who knew quilters were averse to ( Read more... )

My winter study professor is big into the "crawling before you walk" metaphor. So here's me, crawling:


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Back in Williamstown after a lovely few days up in Maine with Dave and his family, then a terrible bus ride, a nice dinner at Sam's house, and a pretty but very cold early morning car ride through New Hampshire back to town. Winter study is very cute, of course, but sometimes a painful reminder of my ridiculous freshman year. Getting to see Lori ( Read more... )

Hope everyone had a merry Christmas who wanted to have one ( Read more... )