school has started!

we're back, and the past few days have certainly brought some change. for starters, chris is currently at his second day of school, and he's beginning to realize that the level of effort required for this year is going to be substantial. last night, when he arrived home, i (being the good wife that i am) offered to cook dinner while chris got a head start on this book he's supposed to read. for the first 20 minutes or so, i occasionally hear him cough or turn pages of his book, but soon after, i don't hear any noises coming from the bedroom (chris, in a moment of brilliance, decided to do his studying in bed, cozily tucked in). when i went to check on him, you can only guess what i found!

as for me, the realization that i will be spending a lot of time apart from chris has also begun to sink in. so i decided to get a jumpstart on looking for a job. well, i guess i really am a seattleite through and through, because not only do i wear patagonia and REI clothes for fashion, i can't seem to switch over from my raincoat to an umbrella, and i've just applied to a job at STARBUCKS! i know what you all are thinking... "she moved all the way to cambridge, england, to work at starbucks??" you'd think i could've found something more authentically british, but the reality (if i get the job!) is that it looks as if they'll be really flexible with my hours and not require me to work on the weekends -- we've got to leave some time for travel, don't we??! anyway, i'll keep you all posted on the outcome of this venture. otherwise, i've had a delightful time exploring the countryside while chris has been at school. because we are located on the outskirts of town, we have absolutely stunningly green, lush countryside within a few minutes from us (complete with cows and sheep!). this is a trail runners paradise, especially if you'd prefer a run with no hills :)

i'll end by including a little map of the cambridge area. there surprisingly aren't very good maps online, but this one will do. the area encircled by the hot pink road is essentially the city center, with the small black dots representing many of the old, traditional colleges. we (wolfson college) are located in the bottom left corner (almost precisely where the dotted black line intersects the bottom border of the map).

love and miss you all,
mel