Revision

It's funny, but sometimes when I set out to write a post it comes out completely different than what I meant to convey. Like last time... I meant to describe my weekend: Don and I wandering through the university Friday night, so that he could see where I work; driving around the countryside Saturday and discussing the possibilities of buying a house way out there in the country; of going down town later for gelatto and getting caught in the rain, huddling in a doorway with our gelatto and watching everybody in the street make a run for it; going grocery shopping on Sunday "just to get something for dinner" and walking out and hour and a half later with meals and meals and meals' worth of food, just to stock up. I meant to convey the coziness of having a rare, complete weekend together, and instead I said something like, Don and me had fun! Blar blar blar!

Ah well. He cooked a great dinner tonight, pork chops. It gave me time to work on my STUPID ESSAY which is DUE TOMORROW and is NOT GETTING FINISHED. WHY am I doing this again? Ok. Panicking over with, back to work. Soon.

I've decided that if the bookstore decides to offer me the position, I'll take it, even with the low sad pay. 25 hours at (low sad pay) is still more than nada zip, and it looks like a fun job.

I've figured out something about this town that makes it feel so different than Burlington, when on the surface they seem pretty similar... it has to do with the location of the respective universities. In Vermont, the school is right up the street from downtown, and the downtown mall/ Church Street area is a mix of the student-friendly and the upscale-touristy, especially when it comes to places to eat. The Red Onion, Halvorson's, Joe's, and Rira's sit shoulder-to-shoulder with the fancier, pricier places like NECI Commons. Here, there's just enough distance between the school and the central downtown mall that while the street looks just like Burlington, it's missing the casual, less expensive, student-y places. Those all exist on a street across the street from the school called The Corner, that's separated from downtown. It leaves Main Street feeling rather over-priced and snooty, as though it caters more to the tourists and well-to-do locals than to the university crowd; too many art galleries and financial planners, too few Irish pubs and pizza joints. Downtown Charlottesville just doesn't have the great eclectic feel that comes from mixing different walks of life together, which is why Don and I have been tending towards the Corner lately. It's still interesting and fun, though, especially if you've already eaten and just want some gelatto and window-shopping.