Status Report

Sic transit gloria autumnalis. October showers have given way to a balmy November, decidedly rare for these Berkshire climes, though a welcome deferment of the inevitable. I had been worrying that I hadn't brought enough winter clothes to last me through to Thanksgiving break, only to end up walking around campus in shorts and sandals, or occasionally in bare feet- for the novelty, my own enjoyment, and the delight of passerby, for whom I feigned mere absent-mindedness. But there's no escaping the leaves crunching underfoot and the stark branches overhead, nor the hills faded to dull purple in the light of the setting sun. These are trying times for the melancholic temperament.

As a break from the hectic pace of academics, I spent a very enjoyable few days the weekend before last at a retreat with the Legionaries of Christ at their seminary in Cheshire, CT. Ran into a few old friends from the COMPASS fellowship- Fr. Michael, who's been visiting Williams every other week to say Mass, and who led the retreat; Jeremiah from MIT, Ryan Richardson, former COMPASS staff member, now a seminarian, and in a surprise appearance, Fr. David Daly. Prayer and reflection were interspersed with copious helpings of junk food (donated, so somebody had to eat it, right?) and fast-paced games of basketball, football, and ultimate frisbee (at which the seminarians defeated us handily).

The highlight of this past weekend was a trip to the Berkshire Mall to see the latest installment in the Potter franchise, Goblet of Fire. As luck would have it, we arrived shortly after 7:00 only to find that all shows were sold out until 10:35. Unwilling either to admit defeat and drive back to campus or to wait around for three hours, we stood in the ticket line and debated, vacillating, until someone made a decision in favor of the latter course of action. With plenty of time to kill, we wandered over to the toy store and invested in a set of "Mega Bloks", out of which we began assembling an Abrams Tank in the food court. I suppose there are better ways to kill three hours, but few more enjoyable. Oh, and we did remember to catch the movie when the time came, though I'll refrain from comment for the time being except to say that- no, i'll just refrain from comment.

Thanksgiving break begins tomorrow, the deep breath before December and finals. It will be good to spend a few days at home, see how much the little siblings have grown, catch up on sleep and extra helpings, perhaps meander about my childhood haunts if a suitable cloudy November afternoon presents itself. I'm also under orders to read Chesterton's Outline of Sanity, to which, if time permits, I'll add a few other "for fun" readers in between school work and sundry other odds and ends which ought to get done. After my unplanned thirteen-hour nap last Friday night, I'd like to think I've gotten a head start on catching up on sleep, but we'll see. I suppose reading through Swallows and Amazons the other night also constitutes a head start on the reading for fun (thanks, Emily). So I guess I'm really on top of this vacation thing. Or really behind on this work thing. Or both.

dum loquimur, fugerit invida aetas (Odes 1.11)