I got up at 9:30 this morning and I've only now had a chance to settle down.

Class started today: the MAPH colloquium, our ungraded introduction to graduate school. I'd had a meeting with my faculty advisor this morning, then I had to rush back home to get the printer cord from the mailman and print out my materials for class. The lock for my bike arrived today as well, so even after a few paper jams I was only a minute late for the opening lecture.

100-odd students and no air conditioning, but then I was near the window so I shouldn't complain.

Our colloquium topic is New York City in the 1840s, which certainly came out of nowhere. After the lecture (the first tag-teamed lecture I've attended, though I've listened to Prof. Goldgar mock the format often enough) we met for another hour and a half with our small groups.

My small group seems nice enough, like a freshman studies class basically. We played a name game for about ten minutes and I realized about five minutes in that I'd met two of my classmates at the MAPH dinner the night before.

I've used "seems nice enough" so often lately that I'm thinking of verbing the acroynm to save time. My small group snees. The dinner, now that I think of it, was pretty fun. There were even nebulous plans to hang out later hovering about. Also, the food was incredible after all this cooking for myself.

Anyways, the guy who's playing schoolmarm to our little group, known as our "preceptor," had some good advice to offer. This program sounds like a lot of work...

I thought I'd taken to heart his point about how most grad students have to train themselves to shut up and listen, but I was dismayed to realize at the end of the class period that I'd talked more than anybody. I suspect, from some vague talk I overheard on the way out, that I alienated two or three of my classmates insodoing. A wonderful hole to spend the rest of the week digging myself out of.

On the bike ride home I ran into Celine and Half Moon totally out of nowhere. I'd heard that sooner or later you're bound to run into a Lawrentian in Chicago, but frankly I wasn't expecting to. Celine has sort of a knack for improbable encounters, I've heard, but I'm still shocked to find her living a block and half away.

So we'll, I dunno, do something sometime. Perhaps wipe away the remaining awkwardness from the last time we did something by ourselves?

My DSL packet came in the mail today too, as I discovered once I finally got back to the apartment. Another miracle! Basically I have nothing left to look forward to this week, except homework and endless tv programs.