Some (brief) thoughts on Carlisle
09.12.2006I've been blogging mostly about Bolivian politics for the past several weeks. In part, because it's a pressing concern right now, w/ very real possibility (and increasingly more probably) chance of something resembling a political civil war. But also because I've not had much time to collect my thoughts on other matters.
But this morning I'm up early, having taken Sophie to the vet to get her teeth cleaned. So I'll take a moment to catch up, before crawling back into bed for an hour or so.
Last weekend was our (K8 & I) second wedding shower, and we drove down to the DC area. We had a good time. Her family's always gracious, pleasant, and fun. I was beaten pretty solidly in racquetball by her brother. I learned to wear silly napkin hats from her grandfather. And I developed a new appreciation for Chartreuse from her uncle. All in all, a decent weekend. The only downside was that one of K8's grandmothers was in hospital, but we even got to briefly visit her.
Life in Carlisle probably deserves its own post. I kept meaning to spend an hour taking pictures, but the weather turned sour. And I spend much of my time in my office (prepping for classes & wrapping up my dissertation). But school's going well, though I have the usual worries that half my students don't seem to understand or care about (or both?!) the material we've covered so far.
I should also mention that Annie's been ill. Pretty much ever since we moved out to Carlisle (though she was starting to decline in Chicago), she stopped eating, lost about 5 lbs, and became a bag of bones. After several visits to the vet (including an over-the-weekend stay), she's now on several medications to help her serious liver problems. She's now in isolation, spending all day (alone) in the main bedroom, w/o any other cats to bother her. Her once beautiful nose is now a clump of scars, and she's even managed several deep gashes along her sides. Essentially, there's a bully in the household, and we're keeping her away from him. It's sad to say, but for her sake, I may have to find an alternate home.
Otherwise, though, I'm adjusting well to life here. It's a small place, but I like it. And the college has incredible resources. There's no "real" coffee house, which is the one big drawback, but there are lots of local pubs (my favorite so far is Market Cross).
Posted by Miguel at 08:12 AM
Comments
I used to drive every year from Harrisburg, PA to Elmira, NY to go back to Cornell and I loved the drive through Williamsport and along the Susquehanna River valley. That was a beautiful drive.
I see on the map that Carlisle is close to Harrisburg - that is a beautiful area of the country.
Also Pennsylvania will be a very important state for the U.S. Senate race in 2006 and for the presidential race in 2008. Enjoy the U.S. political process!
Posted by: gingsnap at September 12, 2006 05:21 PM
oh no! I hope Annie gets better! She's such a sweet cat!
Posted by: alison at September 12, 2006 08:09 PM
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