Cambridge Chronicles

I am in a weird mood, which when combined with me listening to the Age of Adz could make for something interesting.  And I probably won't even write that much about Cambridge, for all the title I gave this post.

Cambridge has been good to me.  I've branched out in good ways.  I'm doing things that I appreciate to a certain extent now; I'll probably feel much more nostalgic about them later.  I've been introduced to many, many new possibilities, opportunities, and uncovered potential within myself that had been buried.  I won't go into what it was was buried under. ;)  Sorry for that emoticon.  I kind of embarrass myself from time to time doing things like that.  Oh well.

Since I've been here I've been a fairly good student.  I've done grown-up stuff, like real original research.  It's been fun, and it's been liberating.  I've met some really great people.  I miss my family.  I especially miss this little nephew guy and his parents (who have been very good to me) right now:

I haven't written on this blog much since I've been in Cambridge.  Not for lack of time, to be honest.  Especially during the first month.  I actually had a lot of time on my hands.  But 2011 has been, so far, one of the best I've had in a while.  I had a rough start, I'll admit.  January and February weren't great.  March and April were meh.  Starting in May, though, things have been quite good.  

I've been: happier, busier, more hardworking, more diligent, more focused, more upbeat, more optimistic, livelier, kinder, healthier, more active, more wholesome, and more edified.  

I camped for four days in June, during which I learned how to throw knives, spent time with my mom and dad, read, hiked, warmed myself by a fire, used a compass, slept warm and dry in a tent while it was raining outside (I highly recommend that one), and ran around a dark forest in the Cascades in the middle of the night, while also doing bridge maintenance in a river in said dark forest between 1-4 o'clock AM.

Since my life started improving in May I have:

• hiked
• made lots of new friends
• become better friends with old friends
• walked
• biked
• picked fruit off trees and eaten it
• swum
• conversed
• eaten
• studied
• thought critically
• danced in Edinburgh
• heard voices I haven't heard in a long time
• written
• pondered
• chatted
• run/jogged 
• corresponded
• prayed 
• read 
• flown 
• landed
• bused
• trained
• played my tin flute
• eaten scones with clotted cream
• been stung by a bee on my leg
• been stung by a hornet on my finger
• stood on summits
• sung
• stood in the ocean 
• loved
• and hopefully been loved as well.

Life can treat you pretty well sometimes, if you put in the effort.