More pictures! First we have last night's sunset looking out on Cambridge. And the second picture is my room. Certainly haven't finished with it...it still needs to be decorated. Right now everything is wood-colored or white. Nice and simple, but it doesn't feel too cozy yet.

I just came back from a night out with the people in my hall at Sidney Pacific (about 15 of us). Amazingly enough, they were all really nice! Not a single pompous asshole in the bunch. And in fact, I have yet to meet anybody who thinks they're smarter than everyone else. I was really bracing myself for dealing with that kind of person, but everyone I've met so far is easy to get along with and normal. It's a pleasant surprise!

We went to two bars (neither had cover charges, which was good). I don't much care for just sitting in a bar, since I don't drink beer, but I got the chance to make new friends, so it was fine. I'm working up the courage to go to Manray soon. I hope it's good! I only have the Haunt to compare it with, so I have no idea of what to expect from a big city goth club.

Exactly three weeks until I get to see Patrick again! This time, I'm flying to Palo Alto to visit him and help him move into his new dorm. Now it's time to rearrange my furniture to make room for my new table!

Long day. I listened to lots of speeches and met a lot of people whose names I have forgotten. I also went to the Museum of Science, which wasn't very exciting because it was targetted to little kids. But it was a fine way to spend a few hours. I also got three free meals today. Orientations are good like that.

I'm still trying to figure out exactly why I'm here and what I want to get out of all this. One of the speakers today said that the only reason we should be at MIT is if we want to make the world better with our work. Yes, it would be nice if I could save the world, but I think I still need to get *my* life figured out before I can do something great for humankind. I hope that doesn't make me a bad person. I assume when he said that, he was trying to inspire us, but it just made me feel more unsure about what I'm doing here. Hopefully I'll feel more certain about my future and goals soon.

Even though I'm feeling all wishy-washy, today was successful overall. I'm glad I get to relax a little tomorrow though!

That's a blurry picture of the inside of my apartment (it's a studio, so it's just that one big room plus the kitchen nook to the left and the bathroom to the right). I still need to decorate and organize more. I look forward to the day when I can paint my living space. Some of the dorms at MIT let you paint your room, but not this one. It's brand new; I understand why they're protective of it.

Patrick and I walked around today. We found the Esplanade (that's a picture of Cambridge taken from the Esplanade) and watched geese for a little while, and then walked along Newbury Street and got milkshakes (oh, I'm sorry--frappes). These last few days have been nice and relaxing. It's looking like I'll get to visit him in late September when he's moving into Stanford housing, so that'll be something to look forward to. There are multiple Ikeas in the Bay Area!