Bye Mom, See You Lighter

I've discovered an innate ability to fall asleep at anywhere, anytime. It's not even because I'm tired; I can just put my head down and close my eyes, and boom: a few minutes later I wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. It happens everywhere: on taxis, in restaurants, on double-decker tour buses in the blazing sun...heck, if we have a spare moment at the crosswalk, I'll be leaning on a wall or pole nearby, eyes closed, just resting. It's great.

Mmmm...

Speaking of extra sleep, we got to sleep in today! Since we didn't have anything scheduled for the morning, we decided to meet in the hotel lobby at 11, giving us plenty of time to rest and pack at our leisure. The bad side of this that I didn't think through was that while we got more sleep, we got less food; by the time we met up downstairs, my stomach was incredibly vocal in its protests. We ended up getting IHOP for a sort of brunch, because the pancake place that Mom had in mind ended up having a two-hour wait.

Our brunch was followed by a pleasant trip to the Parthenon, a replica of a temple from Ancient Greece. Sadly, our time was limited (we were trying to check in at the dorms earlier, around 3, and got to the Parthenon at 2), so we had to rush through the collection of paintings, exhibits, and sculptures as well as the giant statue of Athena that they had. 

This ancient Greek style looks out of place in Tennessee, but is beautiful nevertheless.

*Intermission*

Sometime during the day, Edward found a broken lighter on the ground and tested it; Mom found out and promptly threw it away, prompting the following conversation:

"Well, there goes that."

"Bye-bye, lighter."

"See you lighter."

Hilarity ensues

*End of Intermission*

The welcome presentation.

After our visit to the Parthenon, we had to make our way to the dorms to check in. We tried calling a taxi, but since not all of the luggage could fit in a single taxi, Edward and I decided to let our luggage take our spots, and instead walk all the way across campus to the dorms. It seemed like a great idea, but after walking around a mile in the blazing sun and humid air...let's just say that I felt unpleasantly moist. But I was still energetic, and very excited to meet my new roommate. Last year when I went to the University of Chicago, I didn't talk to my roommate as much as I wanted to, so I wanted to change that this year. Anyhow, we said goodbye to Mom, and headed to our new rooms.

From the point where Mom left, time seemed to speed up: I met my new roommate (he's from Indiana but was born in China, and seems to be pretty chill), met my proctor group (a lot of funny people, even if at first they seem reserved), listened to a general presentation about the VSA program, and played games with all of the other VSA students.

Tomorrow's the start of class, so I should get some rest...I have a feeling that I'm going to need it.