Autumn Days

It's fall break at Mississippi State, and, if you've ever been here after most everyone leaves for a holiday of some sort, you know how unbelievably, almost eerily quiet Starkville can get. Personally, I don't mind it too much; it gives me a rare opportunity to hole myself up with my books, my movies and my own introspective thoughts.
I just minutes ago finished the fourth movie I've watched since Friday; I've read an entire book since Friday afternoon; I've taken care of some school work; and I've cleaned my apartment from top to bottom. I've also taken full advantage of the fact that I could sleep a little later than usual, and I've enjoyed practicing my violin for longer than twenty minutes (because that's usually about as long as I can practice without thinking my neighbors are going to blast their own stereo's speakers trying to drown me out...).
Even though my classes don't meet Monday or Tuesday, I still have assignments due via the internet, and I also have to work both days. Therefore, even if I had wanted to, fall break really wasn't much of an option for me this year. (I won't pretend I wasn't initially disappointed; I had visions of myself frolicking through autumn in New York City--very You've Got Mail, you know?-- with Ben before graduate school brought those thoughts to a squealing halt.) I really have made the most of it, though, and I've made myself put my books down and take a little break to do some things for myself that usually I push aside because "'school comes first."
Now, for those of you extroverts who can't imagine how I could possibly be satisfied entertaining myself all weeked, I promise I haven't spent every waking moment alone. I did, in fact, venture out of my apartment and interact with the world around me a little bit, so rest easy.
Friday night I hung out with Alex and helped him pack for his own (much envied) trip to New York City. He and number of his good friends are going for the break, and I cannot wait to hear all of their stories when they return. I was able to hang out with a few of them while they were packing, and they were telling me all about their strategies for "clubbing," showing me their "impressive" dance moves and cracking me up nonstop with their hilarious plans to take the city by storm. Oh, to be a fly on the wall...
After that, I hung out with Nick for awhile, laughing and reminiscing about junior year, of all things. Lucky for Nick and I that I have photo evidence of just about every event that took place in our college careers, because (and I'm unbelievably ashamed to say this) our memories are starting to get a little mixed up; without pictures to back things up, there's no telling how we would remember things.
Saturday I spent most of the day in Columbus with my mom, and it was nice to have a little change of scene, even if only for the afternoon. Last night I read and watched movies, two of my favorite pasttimes.
I'm looking forward to this week because, even though I do have a number of assignments to take care of for school, it's always a plus when class is cancelled. I think that fact will remain true no matter how old I get and no matter how many classes I take. As hard as it is for me to believe, this weeks marks the midterm point, and the semester is now on a downhill slope! In a way, that's just the refreshment I need; on the other hand, it makes me wonder if I shouldn't be studying instead of having a movie festival...