So, I'm back online thanks to some clever wrangling on my part. The linksys wireless router practically cowered in the corner when I leered over it with my enormous laptop half an hour ago. A few slaps later, and I'm back in business. This is a major step. It marks the first moment of feeling that this house is closer to a home than to a place I end up after work.

One of the kids in the house (a senior at Princeton) raised his brows when I mentioned that I have a blog. I guess I must have come across as being really dull so far. Maybe I should stop eating food out of plastic boxes and cans.

In other earth-shattering news, I washed my hair tonight. Quick, someone alert CNN! This is major documentary material!

Dude, what do you expect? I'm 22, uninvolved, and I just moved. I have open suitcases in my room and I iron my clothes on a board that rises about 2 inches off the floor. Excitement levels aren't all that high at the moment. Mostly I amuse myself by practicing my scowl in the mirror. I've discovered about 5 different varieties, and they're all successful at frightening Vanessa's cat Balu (named after the Hindi word for "bear." Of course, I jumped to conclusions and shrieked "Balu, like The Jungle Book! Kipling!" like the good colonialist I am.)

Ben wrote me a letter this week. When I saw his hand-written scrawl on a tiny envelope in my mailbox, I fought down a surge of gluttonous glee. Thanks, Ben! I love getting mail. It's such a great way in which to understand the way people think and process the world. Especially when it contains inexplicable and terrifying passages from Kierkegaard. But I'm sure I asked for it.

I finally unbent last week and named my iPod. Despite the fact that I wanted a female name, I ended up calling it Humbert. Why? Well, at the end of the day, the only thing that seemed to reach out from the nebulous regions of my brain was a lecherous old pedophile made famous by another weirdo. Besides, I like humorous names. Instead of something serious with which to saddle the poor little iPod, I settled on Humbert - casual, short, and ever so mocking. There's something so appealing about having an iPod that's supposed to revel in its own sinfulness. I don't mean that to sound as strange as it might. Sarah had a laughing fit when I told her. I guess at its best 'Humbert' just seems fond and foolish. And that's about where I rate myself on a daily basis.