last night in clemson .

The parents have arrived, first time I've seen them in a few months. Packing up was exhausting, and the apartment looks pretty empty (pictures will be on the one-a-day photo blog), and I'm not sure I like the fact that everything is going to be echoing and such. It's the weirdest thing to only live in a place for a year and then move everything out. To be honest, it's pretty tiring packing it all up and unpacking and repacking all the time. I literally live out of suitcases and boxes when I'm in Jersey.


Luckily, the weather behaved and there was no rain, and somehow, no humidity really either. I was pleasantly surprised, but then again, we accidentally got smart and began to load everything up shortly after dusk, finishing around 10pm. Nighttime = cooler temperatures. Who woulda thought? (And this no less as I sit in my living room where it feels like it's 90 degrees, even with a shirt off)

I couldn't believe how much STUFF i had to pack up. I feel like I accumulate more and more each year. Why do I have 6,000 t-shirts? Half the stuff I have I don't even use during the year, like golf clubs. I just don't have time for a lot. I'm going to try to consolidate a fair amount for the spring. I'll have to super-condense everything in order to get myself in a livable state for Barcelona.

Today was a nightmare for many as they attempted to somehow fit their vehicles in the small circle that ends in the middle of Lightsey Bridge I, and I am so glad that we had waited until later that night (not that we really had a choice... since my parents didn't arrive until about 6pm). Last year I had really no problem moving out -- Calhoun Courts was virtually empty. I guess with the small amount of space, Lightsey is just more difficult, not to mention there are the multiple flights of stairs that you have to go through. Talk about yuck.

Luckily I was pretty far along in the packing process when my parents joined in. It's always a puzzle to try to get it all to fit in the my dad's truck, but we somehow managed (kinda wish I had a picture, because it's almost impressive). And everything made it home in one piece! (with the exception of my front brake caliper on my bike being bent.... grrr... just had that perfectly tuned up)

The last night there was eery... echoes rebound around the rooms, the majority of people are gone, there are no posters, no decorations, and no seating. The walls become stark again and the outdoor lights easily penetrate the thin blinds on the windows. Everything is clean, which is nice, but not at the expense of the lack of signs of living there. It even felt a lot more cold in the rooms, perhaps from the lack of just plain things being in the room to help offset a draft of sorts. I guess the fact that you're leaving and will be gone just takes a while to set in. Ends of the semester always seem quite abrupt. But, at some point, the year has got to end, for if it didn't you would never be able to move on. Ahead on the road is Spain, and after that off-campus living. It's gonna be a good year coming up. And on that note, with the truck packed and only a few things left for Josh and I to clean up, the night hath ended.