Things I Love - December 15-22, 2008

My 3 favorite loves this week:

1) Persuasion, by Jane Austen

Anyone who knows me know I adore Jane Austen. Her novels are so proper and old-fashioned, they make me want to step back 200 years and join her heroines in their many (mis)adventures. At the same time, the books are poignant and relevant to me (a 19 year old American male), and manage to charm the socks off me every time I open one. And perhaps make me want to cry, too.

I read Persuasion in 4 days; it's the shortest of Austen's novels and I breezed through it like there was no tomorrow, eating up every word and delighting in every page. Anne Elliot is perhaps the most patient of Austen's heriones... she is both endearing and relentlessly hopeful, two traits I can only dream of obtaining. Anne sustains her hope for years before seeing any kind of payoff, and when she does, it's not what you would think. Persuasion is chock full of chatty ladies and cunning men, including Anne's laughingly pompous father Sir Walter, and the lovely and bedridden Mrs. Smith. The book is perfect for this time of year - it offers up a tale of patience and love, of promise and hope, of sorrow and rejoicing. It's a story worth reading - perhaps even again and again.

2) The New Layout of My Dorm Room

Haha, I know... this isn't something you can check out for youself, but I wish you could see it. While the room is certainly not any larger, it feels bigger. Our beds are bunked and our desks are against one wall, leaving plenty of viewing room for the TV (which results in sprawling movie parties), a dresser top for preparing food (ie coffee in my case), and room for a bookshelf where I can finally, and proudly, display my beloved TV series of Gilmore Girls and The OC. There's even room to dance.

Which, you know, sometimes needs to happen.

3) Next Semester's Classes

Next semester is almost here - it starts a month from today. And while I still have Christmas break to enjoy before taking up residence in, and enjoying the gum under, my new desks, I can't help but feel excited for a new season. Next semester's classes include:

General Psychology
Family Relations
Food Principles (and lab)
Intro to the Hospitality Industry
Physical Geography 2 (and lab)

Which together result in 17 credits, a perfect amount for me. I'm excited to begin the specialized classes designed for my major (Family Relations, Intro to Hospitality Industry, and Food Principles) and better prepare myself for the career path I have ahead of me. January may bring more chills and homework, but I will choose to look at the bright side of things... AKA the sweaters and dreaming of Hermione that I can get out of it. And because at the end of next semester's courses, lies an even greater reward than Christmas - the unyeilding, loving, cheerful, sunshiny wonderfulness also known as summer.