rejoining the real world

I did it. I finished my first semester of graduate school.

Kind of momentous, since it's been, oh, many years since I last took a class (I think I have reached a place in my life where I'm actually embarrassed to admit how long I have been out of school. sigh. ok fine 5 years! i'm old!).

It's been insane -- rushes of adrenaline two minutes before a midnight OSDI deadline, furiously fixing typos; reading 24 papers in one weekend before a networking test (oh wait, i meant, "re-reading". right). I had a lot of things due around the same time which was really stressful, but since 3:30 PM yesterday I've been free. Blissfully free. I haven't felt this light in a long, long time.

I think I'm going to miss being here this summer, which I didn't really expect. Last night I strolled through Cambridge on my way back to Porter Square and saw evidence of spring everywhere, it was beautiful and heady. I missed the seasons.

I feel like the world is open before me right now. I could study anything, do anything. It's pretty awesome. I'm looking forward to my sister visiting this weekend; we're going to a Red Sox game (my first time at Fenway -- I had to lay down the law and tell her she couldn't wear a cubs shirt, I don't want to incite the rabid fans); we'll do lots of shopping and girly stuff, I think it'll be nice. I can say good bye to Boston and then furiously pack up all my stuff, fly to SF, furiously unpack/repack, and then leave for New Zealand the next day. I'm ready for lots of touring and hiking and wine drinking.

And a nice, relaxing summer at work. Cause after MIT, the working world will be a piece of cake.