Classic Films Part II

Hey all! Here's a Part 2 to this post HERE (click). I've been looking for some new movies to add to my collection, and here are some more of my favorite classics in no particular order: 

1. Vertigo (1958)
2. Dial "M" For Murder (1954)
3. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
4. Some Like it Hot (1959)
5. Midway (1976)
6. Mister Roberts (1955)
7. The Man From Laramie (1955)
8. Sinbad the Sailor (1947)
9. Treasure Island (1950)
10. River of No Return (1954)
11. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
12. Gilda (1946)
13. Rooster Cogburn (1975)
14. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
15. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
16. Cleopatra (1963)
17. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
18. Cabaret (1972)
19. An American in Paris (1951)
20. The Lady From Shanghai (1948)
21. Laura (1944)
22. Sabrina (1954)
23. Talk of the Town (1942)
24. Curly Top (1935)
25. Little Princess (1939)
26. Littlest Rebel (1935)
27. Heidi (1937)
28. Heidi (1968)
29. Roman Holiday (1953)
30. All About Eve(1950)

Hurricane Florence

Hey all. We are SAFE and have been at a campground since Wednesday. The past week has been quite a doozy. Let me be real here: IT HAS BEEN NUTS. IT HAS BEEN INSANE. IT HAS BEEN STRESSFUL. It has been a great reminder to many people that Mother Nature is a powerful and destructible force at times. 

Let's chronologically go through all this. Bear with me. Here's everything our meteorologists/social media/newspapers/etc. have told us from the start. 

(If you're looking for our evacuation post - one is coming, along with another YouTube video. I don't want to get ahead of myself just yet.)

Friday, September 7:
The news warns us that a Category 4 Hurricane is projected to make landfall on the Carolinas - and the path shows a near-direct hit to us in the center of the cone of uncertainty by extension. We start preparing to leave on a moment's notice. It's still too early to know where it might hit, but NOAA is fairly certain it will be the FIFTH EVER major hurricane to hit between GA and VA since 1950. (Spoiler Alert: it hits at a 2, not considered "major" by the NOAA).

Saturday, September 8:
The SC government declares a state of emergency - not only because it is making landfall in the Carolinas, but because it allows our governments (local, county, and state level) to receive extra federal funding and outside help. By the time this gets sent to our phones, we are in FL for Shawn's work; we have to make it back by morning before the police force shuts down the Eastbound lanes of the thruway and turn them in to Westbound lanes  because ALL COASTAL COUNTIES ARE UNDER A MANDATORY EVACUATION. School notifies us that classes are cancelled and the campus will close. Locals start comparing Florence to Hugo (1989; Charleston took a Cat 4 direct hit) and start taking adequate precautions. Charleston hasn't had a direct hit since then.  

Sunday, September 9:
Many people start to prepare for evacuation, just like us. It's a fairly normal day for us weather-wise, but we are definitely moving our butts.

Monday, September 10:
Many people start comparing Florence to Hurricane Hazel (1954) that hit the border of North and South Carolina, that was and is the strongest hurricane to hit there. Hazel had 130 mph sustaining winds and destroyed over 15,000 homes.

Florence is nearly 500 miles across, & winds have increased to 140 mph sustained winds (Cat 4) and expected to near Cat 5. SC Governor McMaster starts giving the public multiple daily press conferences to update progress of the storm and to share VITAL information to residents. At this point, it was expected to hit as a Cat 4 or 5. They already know that once it hits land, it will be moving so slow, causing immense flooding, storm surges, mudslides, etc. South Carolina Governor McMaster reminds everyone that those immediately affected by the hurricane can and will see more rainfall than Hugo. 

Tuesday, September 11:
Home county is under a Hurricane Watch. Florence goes through an eyeball replacement cycle -- meaning that the old eyeball is breaking down and making a new one and expand the storm's wind field further. Flo is just over 500 miles wide - THAT'S 100 MILES WIDER THAN KATRINA. Brandon Miller from CNN puts it in a "local" perspective: 

The tropical storm-force winds stretch more than 335 miles, which is far enough to reach from New York to nearly Toronto.The hurricane-force winds extend 80 miles from the center of the storm and cover more than 15,000 square miles, an area larger than Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. 

Wednesday, September 12:
Florence is being dubbed, "the storm of a lifetime." Predictions regarding its path after landfall become more comprehensive. 

Some also predict that it might strengthen in to a Cat 5:

Also, some more unsettling facts start coming to light:

Jimmy Buffett spotted on a Charleston beach:

Thursday, September 13:
Flooding begins at the Outerbanks. Storm surges are beginning to show. Flo is still a Cat 2 with winds down to 100 mph but with signs of thunderstorms trying to wrap around its center, a potential sign of strengthening. Big flashing reminder with arrows and lit up signs: Hurricane Ike (2008) was a Cat 2, but was the 6th costliest hurricane in U.S. history coming in at $30 billion. 21 direct deaths in three states. Ike had a deadly storm surge, trees falling on to homes, carbon monoxide poisoning and electrocution became a huge concern. 

Florence shrank back to approximately 400 miles across: that's FOUR OHIOS. That's one and two-third Hurricane Harveys. 


Friday, September 14:
Hurricane Florence makes landfall as at Cat 1 just east of Wilmington, NC. New Bern, NC already begins to deal with 10-foot storm surges and major flooding. Less than 12 hours after "impact," over 600,000 customers are without power.  Note I said customers, not people. One home filled with a family of 5 is considered one customer because it's one bill. Keep that in mind when you see the total numbers. Wilmington, NC already had record rainfall for the year; over the next two days, it will get approximately 8 MONTHS OF RAIN. And it's headed toward home as I write this. 

Sorry (but not sorry), Flo. We didn't stick around or head your way. We headed southwest. 

Grad School: You're an English Major!

Congratulations! You've been accepted to an English Masters program. 

Have you done your research? That's a loaded question. Let me break it down for you. 

• What do you know about the program overall? (program requirements, required courses/what will transfer)
• Can you specialize in what you like?
• What do the professors specialize in? For real, this is a big one even though it might not seem like it. Think about the future. Who might you want to do an independent study with, and who might you want to have on your Thesis committee. Who can you learn from, and who can challenge you?
• What courses did they offer (at least) in the last two semesters? This can give you a good idea as to how they rotate courses/professors. 
• Do they offer dorms or housing assistance?
• What about Graduate Assistant programs?
• How involved do you want to be with campus activities/Greek life/clubs, etc.?

General Tips Before You Start:

• Find a planner/agenda you like AND WILL USE. Spare no expense. Seriously. Because if you don't want to use a planner/calendar/agenda, your life will be overwhelming and disorganized. Make sure you look at it AT LEAST once a week so you aren't surprised with due dates. 
• Once you register for courses, set aside time at least every other day to work on school work only, without any distractions. 
• SCHEDULE "ME" TIME. No homework, no distractions, no interruptions. Who cares if it is just an hour-long bubble bath, watching a movie with a glass of wine, going for a walk, whatever. It gives you something non-school related and can act as a reward, and will also keep you sane. 
• Start reading your books as soon as you get them. I normally start based on publication dates, from past to present if I don't know the reading schedule. Even if they don't start with that book, it saves your time later on.
• When you read, take notes. Whether it is in Google Docs, on post-it notes, in the book itself, whatever. It will help you. Use a funky color to help your notes stand out from the text. 
• Figure out where you work best. Home? School? Music? Silence? Make your workspace your own. I generally work best at school, but at home I've made my own little corner at the dinette dedicated to everything I might need for class that week. Every Sunday I make sure my weekly books are there, my computer is charged, the charger is near the outlet, and any pertinent notes are there as well.  If I'm at school, I just try and find a quiet area or empty room. Also, if you like listening to music but get distracted: try listening to film scores - they apparently help improve concentration. 
• Bookmark OWL Purdue on your computer.

Once You Get Your Syllabi:

• Add everything to your planner - both daily and monthly. And wherever/however else it will help you. Set your own deadlines for breaking up long papers. 
• Add your professor's contact information to your planner with their office hours. Email them about meeting face-to-face at least twice during the semester, and follow through with it. 

What Helps Me During the Semester:

• Read your papers out loud as a way to edit. And if you don't feel like you can drop the mic at the end of your conclusion, it isn't strong enough. 

• Underline passive voice when you edit, and you can easily identify when it happens and if it is acceptable in that context. 
• MEET WITH YOUR PROFESSORS. Get to know their expectations, let them read drafts, and email them if you have a question or comment. If they see you making an effort to communicate, usually they will be more willing to work with you if something ever were to happen.

• Take it day by day. It isn't CRAZY overwhelming unless you make it that way.
• Do you need a smile? Go on Pinterest or Google and search "English Major Armadillo"
• Know that they wouldn't have accepted you if they didn't think you can do it. YOU CAN DO IT. Make a support system and make time to build a valuable relationship with your advisor. 
• Use Zotero as a reference point and online partially annotated bibliography if I am doing research at multiple locations.

What It's REALLY Like:

Well, each program and school will be different. And it will be a lot. I'll copy-paste some of my reading lists & work for 3 courses for your reading pleasure. Also know that these come from my graduate courses at the College of Charleston. Keep in mind too, that most graduate level programs are not 12 credit hours/semester. 3 classes are considered full-time because of the work load. So pretend that you have to do all three of these courses at once, and you'll get a good idea as to what it is like. 

EN 529: American Fiction After 1945

Books:

• Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five (1969)
• Don DeLillo, White Noise (1985)
• Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried (1990)
• Norman Mailer, The Executioner’s Song (1979)
• Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon (1977)
• Louise Erdrich, Tracks (1988)
• Jane Smiley, A Thousand Acres (1991)
• Art Spiegelman, Maus I and II (1986; 1991)
• Alison Bechdel, Fun Home (2006)
• David Foster Wallace, “The Suffering Channel” from the collection Oblivion (2004)
• Jess Walter, The Zero (2006)
• Selected essays by Tom Wolfe and Joan Didion (1973; 1979)—available on the class website

Work:

Critical Reception Paper (25%):  

Early in the semester, you will choose (or be assigned) one of the fictional works on the syllabus.  Your first paper will analyze the critical reception of this work.  You will be required to present your research findings to the class as well.  The written portion of this assignment counts for 20% of the final course grade.  The presentation counts for 5%.

Proposal Presentation (5%):

In week 11 of the course, you will present to the class a proposal for a final research paper.

Readers' Reports (10%):

An 8-10 page draft of your final research paper will be due in the 13th week of class.  Each draft will be read by two classmates who will prepare detailed readers’ reports that make suggestions for revision. Each student in the class will be responsible for serving as readers  on two other students’ drafts.

Research Paper (50%):

The final version of the research paper should be 15-20 pages long and use MLA citation format.  It will be due at the end of the semester.

Class Blog (10%):

In addition to the two major written assignments (the critical reception paper and the research paper), I will ask you to respond to the class blog 8 times throughout the semester.   For every day that we have assigned readings in the course, I will provide a prompt to get you started thinking.  You may respond to the prompt if you like, but you may also respond to other students’ comments, or to anything else that interests you in the assigned material for the day.  Blog posts must be at least 200 words to receive full credit for the day, and they must be posted before class discussion for the day.  Blog posts will not receive letter grades, but you will receive credit for the number of comments you post, with 8 posts equaling 100%.

EN 525: Eighteenth Century Novel:

Books:

Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (Penguin) Aphra Behn, Oroonoko (Norton)
Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe (Oxford UP) 
Henry Fielding “Shamela” (OAKS)
Henry Fielding, Tom Jones (Oxford UP)
Miscellaneous primary texts and scholarly articles & book chapters (OAKS) 
Samuel Richardson, Pamela (Penguin)
Tobias Smollett, The Expedition of Humphry Clinker (Bedford)
Laurence Sterne, A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy (Hackett) 
Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto (Oxford UP)

Work:

Exams: There will be a midterm and a final exam.
Papers: You are required to do three short papers: a two-page response paper, a three-to-four-page summary of a scholarly article, and a four-to-five-page paper on a topic that pertains to any of our primary texts. You are also required to do a research paper (around 15 pages).

EN 504: Time, Narrative, and the English Renaissance Lyric:
Here, I'll copy-paste the course work and the reading schedule just because the poetry books were anthologies and much shorter works.
Work:

Participation
Class time will be split between presentations, lecture, and discussion, with discussion taking top priority and the other elements serving primarily to enrich it. Discussion provides you the crucial opportunity to share your ideas, to test and develop them in dialogue, and to actively think through the course texts. Participation simply means seizing that opportunity. It isn’t a matter of speaking more than or even as much as others. It’s a matter of carefully and thoughtfully completing the assigned reading and coming to class with questions to ask and ideas to share. Our course will only be as good as the curiosity and enthusiasm we bring to it, so do your part -- that is, participate.
Presentation
On the first day of class you will select a scholarly monograph to read and review in a 20-30 minute formal presentation. The goal of these presentations is to provide you with two experiences that are essential to English studies, namely, working through a complete monograph and presenting in a conference-like setting. The presentations will have the added benefit, collectively, of providing us all with a grounding in the secondary or critical literature on our topic: time, historiography, and Renaissance literature. We will discuss this assignment in detail in our first class meeting, and a handout will be provided. Dates for individual presentations are listed, by book, on the course calendar below.
Proposal
Before class on 3/14 you will submit a 6-8 pp. formal proposal for your final paper. It will feature a brief introduction to your topic, a statement of the viability and value of your proposed research on that topic, and, most substantially, a narrative review of the relevant secondary or critical literature. The proposal will thus give you a head start on the all- important work of formulating your argument in a critical context in anticipation of the final paper. As with the presentation, we will discuss this assignment in detail in class (on 2/14), and a handout and model will be provided.
Final Paper
Before class on 4/18 you will submit a 10-15 pp. research paper advancing an original and persuasive analytical argument on a topic of your choice pertaining to the Renaissance lyric. Again, detailed discussion, handout, and model are to come -- as well as, I hope, many fruitful discussions over email and in office hours.
Final Exam
A take-home exam will be posted on OAKS on 4/18 and due shortly thereafter.

Course Calendar
A = The New Oxford Book of Sixteenth-Century VerseB = Seventeenth-Century British PoetryOAKS = readings posted to the content section of our OAKS site

JANUARY 10
Introduction

JANUARY 17
Petrarch and the Romans
Horace, Odes 1.4, 1.23, OAKS; Catullus 5, OAKS; Ausonius, “De rosis nascentibus,” OAKS;Ovid, selections from the Metamorphoses and Ars Amatoria, OAKS; Propertius 2.15, OAKS;Petrarch, Rime sparse 1, 7, 16, 34, 100, 125-26, 134, 142, 188, 191-92, 211, 264, 269, 284, 298, 319, 336, 355, 365; “Letter to Posterity”; “The Ascent of Mount Ventoux,” OAKS.
Presentations: Peter Burke, The Renaissance Sense of the Past (1969)
Erwin Panofsky, Renaissance and Renascences in Western Art (1969)

JANUARY 24
Early Tudor Poetry
Sir Thomas Wyatt, “Whoso list to hunt,” A.76; “Farewell, Love,” A.76; “They flee from me,”A.80; “Quondam was I,” A.82-83; “Who list his wealth and ease retain,” A.83-4; “In mourning wise,” A.84-85; “Lucks, my fair falcon,” A.87; “Mine own John Poyntz,” A.89-92;Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, “The soote season,” A.102-3; “Alas, so all things now do hold their peace,” A.103-4; “So cruel prison,” A.109-11; “Th’Assyrians’ king,” A.112; selections from Tottel’s Miscellany, OAKS.
Presentation: Frederick Turner, Shakespeare and the Nature of Time (1971)

JANUARY 31
Elizabethan Poetry I
Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, “The lively lark stretched forth her wing,” A.157; Queen Elizabeth I, “The doubt of future foes,” A.183-84; Isabella Whitney, selection from “The Will and Testament,” A.192-96; Sir Philip Sidney, selections from Astrophil and Stella,A.303-320; Christopher Marlowe, “The Passionate Shepherd to his Love,” A.483; Sir Walter Ralegh, “If all the world and love were young,” A.368-69; “Sir Walter Ralegh to his son,”A.369; “The Lie,” A.371-73; “What is our life?” A.390.

Presentation: Ricardo Quinones, The Renaissance Discovery of Time (1972)

FEBRUARY 7Elizabethan Poetry II
Edmund Spenser, selections from The Shepheardes Calendar and Amoretti, OAKS; Samuel Daniel, selections from Delia, A.508-11; Michael Drayton, selections from Idea, A.540-41.
Presentation: Gary F. Waller, The Strong Necessity of Time (1976)

FEBRUARY 14: INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH PROJECTShakespeare
William Shakespeare, selections from Sonnets, A.581-600 and OAKS.
Presentation: Wylie Sypher, The Ethic of Time (1976)

FEBRUARY 21Donne I
John Donne, “The Good-Morrow,” B.23; “The Sun Rising,” B.25-26; “The Canonization,”B.26-27; “Air and Angels,” B.28; “A Valediction: Of Weeping,” B.31-32; “A Nocturnal upon St. Lucy’s Day,” B.33-35; “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,” B.36-37; ”The Blossom,B.40-41; “The Relic,” B.41-42; “A Lecture upon the Shadow,” B.44-45; selection from “First Anniversary,” B.63-69.
Presentation: Achsah Guibbory, The Map of Time (1986)

FEBRUARY 28Donne II
John Donne, “Satire III,” B.53-55; Holy Sonnets, B.69-75; “Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward,” B.75-76.
Presentation: Margarita Stocker, Apocalyptic Marvell (1986)

MARCH 7
Jonson, Lanyer, and Wroth
Ben Jonson, “On My First Daughter,” B.85; “On My First Son,” B.85-86; “Inviting a Friend to Supper,” B.89; “To Penshurst,” B.97-100; “To Sir Robert Wroth,” B.100-102; “Song: To Celia,” B.104-5; “Song: To Celia,” B.107; “The Hourglass,” B.132; “My Picture Left in

Scotland,” B.132-33; “An Epistle Answering to One That Asked to Be Sealed to the Tribe of Ben,” B.137-39; “To the Immortal Memory and Friendship of That Noble Pair, Sir Lucius Cary and Sir H. Morison,” B.140-43; Aemelia Lanyer, “The Description of Cookham,”B.14-19; Lady Mary Wroth, Pamphilia to Amphilanthus, 7 (Song), 24, 26, 99, & 103,B.169-76.
Presentation: Richard Helgerson, Self-Crowned Laureates (1983)

MARCH 14: RESEARCH PROPOSALS DUE
Critical Writing Seminar
Alison Chapman, “The Politics of Time in Edmund Spenser’s English Calendar,” OAKS Presentation: Leah Marcus, The Politics of Mirth (1986)

MARCH 21: SPRING BREAK

 MARCH 28Herbert and Vaughan
George Herbert, “Redemption,” B.237; “Easter [I],” B.238; “Easter [II],” B.239; “Easter- wings [I],” B.239; “Easter-wings [II],” B.240; “Affliction [I],” B.241-43; “Jordan [I],” B.247; “Church-monuments,” B.251; “Sunday,” B.253-54; ”Virtue,” B.258-59; “Life,” B.262-63; ”Jordan [II],” B.264; “The Collar,” B.276-77; “The Forerunners,” B.284; “The Church Militant,” OAKS; Henry Vaughan, “Vanity of Spirit,” B.594-95; [“They are all gone into the world of light!”] B.604-5.
Presentation: Angus Fletcher, Time, Space, and Motion in the Age of Shakespeare (2009)

APRIL 4
Herrick
Robert Herrick, “The Argument of His Book,” B.181; “When He Would Have His Verses Read,” B.181-82; “Delight in Disorder,” B.185; “The Definition of Beauty,” B.186; “To Anthea Lying in Bed,” B.186; “The Hourglass,” B.187; “His Farewell to Sack,” B.187-88; “Corinna’s Going A-Maying,” B.189-91; “The Welcome to Sack,” B.192-94; “To Live Merrily, and to Trust to Good Verses,” B.194; “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time,”B.195-96; “The Hock-Cart,” B.197-98; “To Daffodils,” B.205; “Upon Master Ben Jonson,”B.205-6; “To Blossoms,” B.207; “The Night-Piece, To Julia,” B.209; “Upon Julia’s Clothes,”B.214; “The Amber Bead,” B.215; Thomas Carew, “The Spring,” B.295; “Song: Persuasions to Enjoy,” B.297-98; Richard Lovelace, “Love Made in the First Age. To Chloris,” B.503-4.
Presentation: David H. Wood, Time, Narrative, and Emotion in Early Modern England (2016)

APRIL 11
Milton
John Milton, “On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity,” B.379-86; “On Time,” B.387; “L’Allegro” and “Il Penseroso,” B.388-96; “Sonnet 7,” B.396; “Lycidas,” B.398-403; “Sonnet 19,”B.406; “Sonnet 23,” B.407-08.
Presentation: J. K. Barret, Untold Futures (2016)

APRIL 18: FINAL PAPER DUERestoration, Conclusion
Sir John Denham, “Cooper’s Hill,” B.479-87; Edmund Waller, “To the King, on His Navy,”B.361; Andrew Marvell, “Bermudas,” B.538-39; “To His Coy Mistress,” B.543-44; “An Horatian Ode upon Cromwell’s Return from Ireland,” B.556-59; “Upon Appleton House,”B.559-81; John Dryden, Astrea Redux, B.643-50; Katherine Philips, “Upon the Double Murder of K. Charles I,” B.655; “Arion on a Dolphin,” B.656-57; “On the Third of September, 1651,” B.657-58.
Presentation: Tina Skouen, The Value of Time in Early Modern English Literature (2017)

Are we never allowed to have free time? You can do it!!! Believe in yourself. 

When South Carolina Gets Snow...

We seemed to have brought down some Buffalo weather when we came down here for school! January 3rd, the Charleston area received the largest snowfall on record in quite a while - and it didn't melt by the next day.  We had snow for at least a week! We did NOT expect that!! Although we did have some fun. Here's some of our photos and some fun commentary. 

Our beloved space heater that Shawn brought in to the bedroom - a godsend at night, and a great nightlight as well! [And still used when it goes below 50 at night]

When the snow finally started to come down, Shawn was already at home - EVERYTHING closes when the forecast just mentions the word snow. Literally, everything. Walmart, Chick Fil A, gas stations, Food Lion, schools.

It was pretty entertaining though for us, only because we know how to deal with this kind of weather.  When it first started, like I said, Shawn was home, but I was at work. OOPS. They didn't close in time. The bridge we HAVE to get over to get home was shut down due to safety concerns. Shawn couldn't come and get me from work.  I ended up getting a ride from work to the corner, and walked to the bridge where there were police officers blocking vehicles.  I figured if traffic wasn't able to go across, maybe I could walk over it and have Shawn meet me on the other side. NOPE. I ended up having a police officer drive me all the way home because the roads were "too bad and it's bad out." Um. Okay. Perspective is everything down here. I'll go with it. Below is what it looked like when I got home from work. Thank you sheriff for the ride!

We put the slides in, just because we didn't want the weight of the snow on them, and its also easier to heat up the motorhome when the space is smaller!

Buffalo gal showing SC how it's done

The day after, before we got another round of MAYBE 2 inches? Sunny, pretty, and pristine. 

Shawn "shoveled" part of our front porch with a tote lid... we thought we could leave the snow shovels at home! 

Three days later, the state of emergency was still in effect, but the travel bans and restrictions were lifted. We decided to go out and see what everything was like, and Walmart was able to find a whopping 10 or so people to come in and staff the registers and restock shelves. Off we went.

Clearly, they need some help from states that regularly get snow.  DROPPING SALT DOES NOT MEAN YOU CANNOT PLOW, AND PLOWING DOES NOT MEAN ICE MELTS. And naturally, the parking lot to Walmart wasn't plowed. We didn't mind, we weren't expecting much based off what was being shown on the news. Below is the lovely, un-plowed parking lot. I think we were more irritated that people were putting down wood chips instead of kitty litter or salt down to "melt" the ice. 

We made it home, but realized someone took out our mailbox! We don't know if it happened the night before, or that day. Oh well, we had to put it back up! We don't know if there were any injuries, damages, etc. We can only imagine it was rough though - the mailbox was far on the other side of the ditch!

Fresh snow... it was so pretty! Nostalgic for home. 

But don't be fooled, we are definitely adjusted down here. It was roughly 75 degrees today, and sure, it was nice in the sun, but it was pretty darn cool with the breeze in the shade! But at least we are in flip flops, and headed to 80 degrees! Hooray! 

It's funny - we find ourselves cool and cold if it is under 75 outside, and we leave the big space heater on until we get warm, which we notice is around 79-82 degrees.

But we still dislike the humidity, unless we are on the beach. 

Here's to a relaxed weekend! ONE final exam left.