the house is a mess, but …

Now squarely into my first semester at Vandy, I can say that things are going pretty well. I have fallen into a nice routine, which is great, and I can report the following positive developments:

• Expectations here are definitely higher than they were in my last program. That, or I’m just too far removed temporally from the last place that I have blocked out how hard it actually was. Nevertheless, I feel like I’ve got a lot more work here, that the professors expect me to do a lot more of the heavy lifting on my own, and that my classmates are all equally talented. Towards the end in Dallas, I was working two extra jobs while taking classes and TAing; here, I’m barely doing anything TA wise and feel like I have almost no spare time. Surely that indicates *something*?
• We are cooking… LOTS. Daniel and I both had hoped that the new house/new kitchen and fresh start would make more consistent cooking a realistic possibility for us, and it has. Most nights we cook dinner at home. Often we eat lunch out, although when we’re both home, it’s often easier to whip up something to eat than it is to go out seeking sustenance. To be sure, we’re not cooking 100% of the time, but a lot more than we used to (maybe ~ 50-65% of our meals?), and that’s a huge accomplishment for us.
• We’re also carpooling most days! I was apprehensive about this idea before we got here, but the practical reality is that letting Daniel drive means I get here earlier (thank you carpool lane!) and with less stress, don’t have to jockey for a parking spot, and tend to stay on campus later than I would otherwise. It’s really turned out to be fantastic. I’m still averaging one trip to campus solo a week, but that’s completely manageable. And, the best part is the $$ savings! I haven’t put gas in my car in over a week! Fantastic, I say!!
• Speaking of which, Nashville drivers completely don’t respect the HOV restrictions. I’d say about 75% of the cars in the carpool lane during HOV-restriction times only have one person in them. We’re getting a wee bit frustrated about that.
• Time is flying. I cannot believe September is half over.
• My sister-in-law is due Oct. 17 — so soon! Even from a distance, I can feel baby fever taking over the family.
• We’ve done an admirable job of unpacking, but the house is still a mess. I’m doing my very best not to let the clutter distract me from reading/working, and for the most part I’m succeeding. The upstairs is probably where we still have the most work to do; the big-screen TV (the rear-projection one) isn’t even really set up, and there are still a good two dozen boxes that need unpacking. Most of our computers are only quasi-set up (just enough to be used). Still, what I *HAVE* done is made my desk a usable space. Since the TV upstairs isn’t hooked up, the upstairs has become my “it’s time to work!” retreat. Like right now, Daniel’s downstairs watching old episodes of “Battlestar Galactica,” and I’m upstairs with my brand-new IKEA desk lamp (which I love), iTunes on “party shuffle,” and my books and articles spread out before me. It’s fantastic. I cannot even remember a time in my life when I had a desk where I could actually get SCHOOL work done. (And please, disregard for a moment the fact that I’m blogging instead of working. I’ve actually been quite productive here in the last 90 minutes, thank you very much!)

I’m leaving a lot out, I’m sure, but those are the highlights. We’re adjusting well and I’m having a blast at Vandy, despite (or perhaps because of?) the challenge.