Officially a student again...

That's right, I officially have a schedule for fall semester, and I couldn't be more excited. Let's just put the nerdy right out there. I'm taking:

Education & Public Policy; Political Policy Analysis in Education; Social & Political History of American Education Reform; Probability & Statistical Inference; and (hopefully) the Federal Policy Institute

I say "hopefully" on FPI because it appears to be quite legendary at TC:

Rated by TC students as “a course that changed my career,” the Federal Policy Institute examines historical and current debates over federal educational policy-making through an intensive week-long institute in Washington, DC linked with preparatory and follow-up sessions at Teachers College. While in Washington, participants will meet with leading policy makers from the legislative and executive branches of government, along with prominent representatives from key professional, advocacy, think tank, and member organizations. Upon return from Washington, students will prepare a policy analysis and present mock testimony on an educational policy topic germane to their interests.

Not only that, the course is taught by Sharon Lynn Kagan, who is Big Deal, A when it comes to Early Education Policy. I swoon.

Hey Manhattan, you ready for this?

Because it's 41 degrees and pouring and the first afternoon of Spring Break here at the Law School and it's deserted and I'm so completely hungry and lacking for good things to eat and people are sending me tom cruise videos and ruining my day, I've decided to start a countdown! An official(ish) countdown! It is 99% certain that this fall I will be packing up my closet, my cat and my le creusets and embarking on the classic "West Coast Girl Hits Manhattan" journey.

We'll ignore the fact that Columbia has been slightly shit about telling me anything other than, "Hey! You're accepted! Come visit us in May! Get Vaccinated!" and instead put to use my fabulous deduction skills to guesstimate (yes, that's a technical term, asshole) that I will be arriving on the Isle of Manhattan on or around the 29th of August. Yeah yeah, so it's technically only for a year at this point, but still, let me have fun with it. I'm kind of wishing I had a big steamer trunk, just for the effect, but that's another issue. Blah blah yeah yeah, here's the countdown:

158 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!

a sudden burst of fall

when we left seattle for two weeks to fly to the other side of the earth, where flowers are nearly blooming and days are getting longer in preparation for summer, we missed the gradual introduction to fall taking place in the northern hemisphere. so when we returned, not only were we jetlagged for the first week, but we were waking up in total darkness (or two hours late) to scarf weather and bare trees. vacation was incredible, but i can't help but feel a little bummed that i missed out on my favorite part of fall: yellow leaves, sneaky chilly breezes on an otherwise warmish day. nearly a month later, i am still battling my sleep schedule ... but have acclimated to the chill and my new wool coat. i picked up the copy of "Paris to the Moon" that i've been meaning to read for the past year this morning because a new year's in paris is tentatively scheduled and i need to get in the mood. as if i need to really "get in the mood" when it comes to paris. i'm always in the mood. i've never felt more like home in a foreign place than i did in paris ... or france in general. so, really, reading someone else's love letter to the city is, well, just kind of gluttonous. but it's winter, right? i need to fatten up.