the world is blossoming

At the risk of incurring another foot of snow, it appears I survived my first New England winter. The snow is melted, it's been raining daily, and within the last week the trees have started to bud and blossom. Early spring is always my favorite time of year-I think because those first signs of life are something you need so badly at the end of winter. I'll put up pictures a little later-I couldn't take any today becacuse of the rain.

And so four months into my life here, I am alive and well. Work is great, after the first few weeks on a very steep learning curve I'm patching like a champ and almost done with my first data set. I love the project, the lab, my boss-of course there are frustrations and late nights and days when I write "SORROW AND RAGE" in my lab notebook, but on the whole it is good and satisfying. I'm still adjusting to being a lab where the attitude is to work hard, do good science, and have a happy and healthy life outside of that. In my old life, it was more do good science and just because it is Sunday doesn't mean you can leave before six. So that is awesome.

I am remembering how achingly slow it is to build a life in a new place, particularly if you are a cold-natured person like me. There are certainly days of crushing loneliness. But I'm doing the things you are supposed to, and I have faith it will come in time. I am going to take some continuing ed drawing classes at the art school in the fall. I transferred my church membership, although I have only attended services a few times, because 10 AM is early, y'all. I joined the department intramural softball team. Twenty-four hours after the first practice, my body feels like there must have been a part of practice where I was run over by a truck and then everybody hit me with bats and I blocked out the memory of it. There are little things that are settling into routines of friendship-the grad student in the lab and I cook dinner together once a week, and others have started joining us on occasion. We're all having easter dinner on Sunday.

I still love my apartment, but am completely overwhelmed by making it mine and have sort of stalled on unpacking the last five or so boxes. It is still very empty, although I am hoping to paint and buy furniture for the living room in the next month or two. I have no idea what I am going to do design wise-I love doing this stuff but am paralyzed by the blank slate. Guest room, I hope to get set up maybe later this summer-so I'll be ready for visitors soon!