Sgt. Pepper

Amen.

I'm handling it really well. My primary address remains my parents' home, I refuse to change my license (in part because I would have to re-take the written exam, but mostly because I am not emotionally prepared to make such a change), I complain about the food and lack of Italian specialties, and everywhere I go I find people from my old state and area who say, "Oh God I miss it! I want to go back!" Oh, and I keep a countdown of the days til I go back for a conference in October. 35 days til Long Island! So I think all in all I'm handling it rather well.

Princeton is indeed a nice place. But then again...it is Princeton. New Brunswick... Rutgers is also not the prettiest college campus, although given that I grew up near Princeton, my view of how a college campus should look is somewhat stilted. Oh New Jersey, take me back! I'm sorry I cheated on you all those years with the City, and now with Minnesota... I didn't mean it!!

Now, which part of the Armpit are we talking about? Northern New Jersey, Central, Redneck-of-the-North Southern Jersey? Ah New Jersey.... Where the weather during the summer includes an ozone warning. Where the oil refineries light up the night sky like Christmas lights. Where you can live your entire life and still not be able to figure out where other people in your state live unless they tell you their exit on the Turnpike. Where the World Class Shop Rite really is World Class... At least til Wegmans came along. Where God dammit you need a car. Where traffic tends to be a lifestyle, not a rush hour thing. Where the state university is named after a guy who was in fact from NY and had nothing to do with the school or the state. Where you can still catch plenty of Revolutionary War re-enactments and see famous historical sites of the 18th century, so shove it Massachusetts. Where you sometimes find yourself wondering where the "garden" in the "garden state" went. Where at least two presidents made their homes: Woodrow Wilson and Grover Cleveland. Where you occasionally happen on nice little towns that are not totally mass produced subdivisions. New Jersey.... Where you're never far away from somewhere you actually want to be.

Oh god I miss New Jersey. I never thought I'd say that, but dammit I miss New Jersey.

I want to see Channel 11 in this "Big Red Barn" they keep talking about, preferably on what the woman termed "thrifty thursdays." Oh yeah, and I quote, "Big Fat Bacon: One-third pound slice of bacon fried and carmelized with maple syrup, served on-a-stick with dipping sauces." with "Fry Dogs, a French fry covered, deep fried hot dog on-a-stick." mmmmmmm.

I went... from what i could tell, it was mostly international students that showed up, since quite a few of the brochures at the library table were printed in Chinese... My department starts orientation Monday and then class on the 8th 'cause in Minnesota, you have to wait for the State Fair to end to start class.

Yeah, I registered for classes just for the purpose of getting an ID and a U pass, 'cause I'm running out of quarters really quickly. I'm not so concerned about murder or crime, it's the damn tornadoes that kind of freak me out. I heard this siren noise and thought, "OH MY GOD!!! where's the cellar like in the movies??!" I'm right by Lake Calhoun, and while normally I'm not a lake person, it's actually really nice. One of these days I'll get up to Lake Harriet... You can sign up for the email/internet id without being registered yet and get wireless and use the library computers/computer labs. It's funny how no one beeps their horns in Minnesota. I've heard it once on the bus, and it just soft little tap, not the way I'm used to where you lean on that horn so it goes full blast for about 2 minutes.

I'm getting my Upass and public library cards today. I've been to the Target, and for a brief moment I thought I would walk out the door and see Route 1 just like back at home... I like the downtown, but I'm really enjoying Uptown and REALLY glad I didn't move closer to campus.

I did it. I am an east coaster who never imagined herself living in the Midwest. Yet, here I am in the so called "Grain Belt." I've been told I can't be from New Jersey, I don't have the accent and apparently Minneapolis is a crime ridden city. You have to lock your door with one dinky deadbolt. Other than that, I'm digging my adopted city. That Mary Tyler Moore was on to something!

This is exactly why I avoided moving until the last minute and the one week before my department's orientation is already looking like it's going to consist of "sooo, what do I do now?" My mother has suggested, repeatedly, "clean. Aren't you going to have to clean?!!!" Apparently the process of sanitizing my already rather clean apartment takes days. Who knew?

i work in a library as a reference assistant (I actually work at two different libraries with this same position) while taking five courses and it's not so bad. The good part is I end up doing a lot of reading and researching, so I do all my coursework while I'm sitting around. I just got a ton of stuff done the last couple hours, and it works out great when I have 5-7 hour stretches.

livin' car free in Minneapolis Minnesota. Car free but with one sweet bicycle and an awesome unlimited bus pass.

In the 1950s up until 1965, there was a golden period where schools were fighting for history grad students, hiring them before their dissertations were even finished in a desperate attempt to fill tenure track vacancies... It's been downhill from there. I'm not going in expecting anything. Every field I'm in people are killing each other for part time jobs that essentially go nowhere. It's a bitch.

I happen to know for a fact that if it came down to it, Minnesota could kick Rutgers' ass, and I think we could take NYU also.