Purdue

Purdue is so-so. Classes are going really well and I love my research but my good friends are minimal. It works out because I'm learning to be independent and enjoy alone time. The best part about being a 5th year senior is that I've gotten over school and I don't let it stress me out. It's fun to realize that - especially when I'm living with a sophomore. It's also nice to know what's going on in my lab. We have grad students that are rotating through different labs and I like having more of a clue about what's going on than they do...some of them are seriously idiots and the post doc and I spend time contemplating how they even managed to get into grad school in the first place. I'm working on looking into graduate schools. Right now my list includes Cornell, Duke, University of Washington, Minnesota, and Case Western. We'll see how it looks in a couple of weeks when I start to fill out applications.

I have also minimized my meat consumption. All summer I ate vegetarian dinners and I have let it carry over to how I eat during the school year. I looked at the cookbooks at Borders last week, but couldn't decide on one. I'm sure that pretty soon I'll be tired of falafel - my new staple. If you find any really great recipes, Laura, you should send them my way.

I'm glad to hear that both of you are doing well. It sounds like all of your newest adventures are both exciting and thought provoking. I'm sure that you treat the alpacas just fine.

With much love,
Margaret