Summer Plans: Recovering and Getting Unstuck
I’m back in town after wrapping up the term. Finals went better than expected — my notes vanished at the worst time, but I managed to get both papers done and submitted on schedule. One of those papers, for Philosophy of Physics, looked at two different accounts of the mass-energy equivalence relation and how we revise scientific education around them. That thread deserved more room than I had, but the upside was reading all of Einstein’s work on special relativity. The logic is clean, but the intuitive leaps are genuinely surprising unless you already know where he’s going.
Moving Out, Mostly
My spring-term roommate moved out early during finals week — at least, he did. Most of his belongings stayed behind, and the friends who were supposed to collect them never showed. So at 22:00 the night before my flight, I was hauling cubic meters of clothes, games, books, and food to the Lighten Up donation drop-off. It wasn’t the best way to end the term, and I hope his friend can still retrieve the stuff in time.
I did manage to stash nearly all of the room’s shared items. Sophie let me park the oversized pieces — buki, lamps — in her basement, and Anna took some off my hands for the summer now that she has her new apartment. Shipping went less smoothly: right before getting on the bus to the airport, I found a package slip in my mailbox. My computer had never left campus; the UPS folks dropped it right back off across the street. The post office staff said they’d route it back to UPS, so it should arrive in a week or so.
Health Notes
I picked up mono early in the term, which sidelined me from Aikido and any real physical activity since fifth week. Most symptoms have faded; I only get tired if I push myself hard, and “pushing it” right now means running three blocks. I’ve been sleeping a lot and taking care of myself, aiming to get back to normal soon.
A Different Kind of Risk
I’m usually risk-averse: I plan carefully, deliberate over big choices, and turn work in on time. That approach serves me well, but it also puts me in a routine — familiar friends and activities are great, but I feel most alive when I try new things, take detours, and meet new people and places. This term had some genuine highlights: the Genyokan trip, the midterm break excursion to the cities, and learning to shoot a bow at an 1800s rendezvous. All of it was excellent.
So this summer, I’m resolving not to repeat the same week over and over. I want to get out and have some irresponsible adventures. I don’t know where I’ll end up, but I’m confident it’ll make a good story.
