Free at Last

The Glorious Stairway of Knowledge

(or The Apple Store in Manhattan)

I've made it. Survived my first semester. Made it through the time of trials and exams.

Have I reached a new level of counsciousness and understanding as a result? Not so much.
Have I learned much and met some pretty remarkable people? Undoubtedly.
Am I exhausted? And then some . . .

It is time for a long winter's nap.

Minnehaha Creek, shrouded in winter

Above the Mucky Muck

'Tis the season . . . to rise above the mucky-muck.

Classes have ended and the reading/finals weeks are in full swing. With my vorpal blade and mighty pen, I slew the beast of a patristics paper that had been stalking me. You can call me wonderboy. I have a brief respite before taking on the mighty swahili final and one more bout with the early church fathers later next week.

This past week was pretty awesome. Tuesday was especially so as Aaron (of Waypost fame) was in town checking out the Div School, AND it was the last day of classes, AND there was a beautiful advent service, AND an impressive semi-formal advent party, AND there was much cheese, wine, and celebrating. It was perhaps the . . . best . . . day . . . ever. The only thing that would've made it all perfect was a nice dusting of snow.

It is hard to believe that the semester is nearly over. Already, friends are packing up and getting set to head home for the holidays. Bizarre.

Soon, I too will be heading back to the midwest, splitting time between my actual home in the'sha and my elective home in the cities. I'm looking forward to seeing both family and friends, and doing a bit of chilling along the way.

Where is the Snow?

New Haven in December: Harkness Tower

New Haven in December: Marquand Chapel

aSlice of History

Pepe's, aPizza Place

New Haven is a city of many wonders. not only is it our nation's oldest planned community it is also home of the american pizza (apizza as the locals call it). always on the mission to show guests a good time, i took lauren (of sotv fame) to check out Frank Pepe's pizza over in the wooster square neighborhood. i'll be honest, i was nervous after a sadly underwhelming pizza pie at modern when 'the gang' from the cities came up. fortunately, pepe's lived up to the reputation. it was delicious . . . almost, dare i say it, close to the glory that is punch pizza back in st. paul. the service had just the right amount of attitude to give the whole experience a touch of the itallian-american northeast.

rumor has it, pepe's has a rival in sally's pizzeria a couple blocks to the east. while they don't snap their fingers and do choreographed fight-dances like west-side story, one gets the feeling that they are that passionate about their apizza here. not wanting to make an uninformed affiliation to pepe's posse i should check out sally's. it is an investigation i look forward to pursuing.