"Searching for a Home, Via Chicago"

Now that I'm settled into the new environs a little: a recap of the last few weeks. Albuquerque: Spent some quality time with the 'rents, including a nice trip up to Santa Fe and a stop at the Guadalupe Cafe. I also got to see David Kunkel a shocking 3 times. The rumors are true. He does still exist, and he's morphed into a ladies man of the first order...which is strange. Elias, though a little more mellow perhaps is still his usual self, and our trips to the Pettersson household were virtually identical to those of 9 or 10 years ago, except for the fact that the TV was broken, which meant Ms. Pettersson and her movies were relegated to the computer room. She did make the obligitaory Chinese Checkers appearance though, and I think that DK was slightly angry that Elias and I opted for chess and left him to a 1-on-1 match-up. Megan (formerly Phillips) Hoffman and a I got to hang out as well, though accompanied by a couple of her friends this go-round, for sushi, and later, drinks at the Monte Vista. On my last afternoon in town Elias and DK and I went to the movie “Little Miss Sunshine” which I highly recommend. Elias and I both thought it was great, and even DK liked it, though less enthusiastically than ourselves. The Road: My mom and I got back into my fully-stuffed car on Monday, Aug. 21st. We spent most of the trip listening to Jeremy Irons read "Lolita," with a few interludes of music from the ipod to mix it up...including the CC's “Omaha” and Sufjan Steven's album “Come On Feel the Illinoise!” at appropriate junctures. Monday evening we arrived in Denver. We spent that night and Tuesday at my cousin Jim and his wife Madeline's house. I got to meet their new (to me) 1 year old, Kayleigh, whose favorite toy was a small fire truck that she could ride. However, she couldn't yet actually push it along with her legs, so a few days before, my aunt had decided to teach her that she had to push a button next to the steering wheel to get pushed along. Pushing the button played a little ditty by the firehouse dalmation, which was predictably short, sing-song and repetitive. Having learned the causal relationship between button and locomotion, she expected others to abide by it. Which meant that I spent about 45 minutes pushing her around and listening to the dalmation's 15-second melody, until her lunch time mercifully arrived. Tuesday evening the rest of the Denver-based family members (my aunts Karen and Gretchen & my cousin Alexia) showed up for a joint Jim/Madeline/Gretchen birthday party and barbecue. We all had a good time, good food and Tiramisu for dessert. (Despite Gretchen's preference for cake with icing in Bronco's colors.) On Wednesday, mom and I made the trek from Denver to Cedar Rapids, IA to see the rest of her side of the family. Spent the day Tuesday with my cousin Portia and my mom, down at the lake. Had a nice dinner in town that evening adding my uncle Terry to the mix. (My aunt, Hanny, was on call all night delivering babies.) And finally got to see all of them in one place the next day at lunch before we departed for Chicago. Chicago: I moved into my new “average dorm room” at the International House on campus over the weekend, and dropped Mom off at the airport Sunday afternoon. Monday morning “Math Camp” began, with our endearingly befuddled Professor. I could go on and on about this guy...but his most glorious moment came in the middle of the algebra test Friday. As I mulled over problem 4, a large crash reverberated throughout the auditorium. Moments before, the professor's desk had been sitting serenely on stage, as it had all week. But somehow, without any provocation, the bottom panel on the front side had given out. The absence of support on the front side allowed the surface to incline steeply towards the class. In slow motion, the professor tried in vain to right the desk and the (very expensive) digital overhead projector sitting on top crept towards the edge. Upon reaching the precipice, it had gained enough momentum to propel itself beyond the edge of the stage, and onto the floor below – where it shattered into many, many pieces. After about 3 seconds of silence, the professor's first words were “oh, well.” It was a bit of a struggle to refocus on algebra while the professor crawled about the stage peering at the underside of the desk in an attempt to ascertain the cause of its collapse. Activities have also been interspersed throughout the week, a few directed by the Harris School, but most organized by students. They've given me a chance to spend some time getting to know other Harris first-years, almost all of whom seem cool. (which is nice) Included among the activities was a tour of the amazingly Harry-Potteresque campus. (They've got multiple cafés here with working fireplaces that run all winter!) Also on the list: a trip to Jazz Fest in downtown, a bike ride up the shore of Lake Michigan, break dancing lessons at the African Arts festival in Washington Park just east of campus, and a couple of trips to the one bar in Hyde Park that anyone seems to know about. Many cool Harris activities are yet to come, including a White Sox game, a tour of the Robie House, and a trip to watch the taping of Wait, Wait-- Don't Tell Me!