Monterey

I've been so busy lately, I haven't had time to write. I just got back from Monterey, CA where I saw my brother graduate from the Defense Language Institute. I'm so proud of him, and so happy that he's found something he is good at and he wants to do with his life. The entire family was there and we got to meet his friends, and see where he lives, and Nicole and I got to meet many of his teachers. They were all so friendly and told us we were beautiful, and offered us food. Aaron told us that it's their culture (they're all native Arabs), but I choose to believe it's because we were so charming :-) We went kayaking over a kelp forest through a huge school of jellyfish and surrounded by seals and sea lions. That was definitely a highlight. It was just great to spend time with the family, especially my brother and sister. Every time I spend time with them, it makes me want more than ever to move back to be close to them all. I feel like I have limited time with my grandparents and they are so important to me, I don't want to waste a minute I could be spending with them.

School is going fantastic. Compared to last quarter, this quarter has been a breeze. I have had very little homework besides reading the textbook. I just took my first round of midterms and they went fairly well. I actually got 39/40 in my abnormal psych class, which was the highest grade in the class. I'm not sure that has ever happened in my college career. Without any labs, I have a lot more time. I get to sleep in every single morning which has reduced my stress level a lot.

The roommate situation has deteriorated rapidly. They told us last week that they are moving out on November 1, and it can't come soon enough. I'm just so tired of the constant noise and messiness and smoke smell and cleaning up after them. I feel so much like a parent, it's so irritating! I don't understand how people older than us can be so less mature. Did our parents really teach us that much more? They don't understand things like turning out lights when you leave, and taking out the garbage, and emptying the dishwasher when it's done. I feel a constant irritation under the surface. I'm always debating whether to say something, whether to ask them to be quiet or pick up after themselves, but I never do. And it's building up this resentment that would eventually blow if I didn't know they were moving out soon. And the best part is that Daniel has decided not to get another roommate. If he pays $200 a month, we don't need another roommate. And now he can afford that because he has a few regular jobs. I'm so happy! That means only one other person putting food in the ridge, leaving dirty dishes around, and coming in late making noise. Much less than 3 people plus a dog. If that $200 gets to be too much, then we'll start looking for another roommate. In the meantime, I really hoping Nicole will come stay with us. She graduates just before November, so I want her to come stay here between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We're not in class, so we'll have plenty of time to spend together. She'll have her own bedroom, and if she pays rent it will help us a lot with that extra $200. But if she doesn't, that's fine too. I just want to spend some time together while we can.