Cozy Monterey

After a very uneventful flight, punctuated by copious complementary snacks courtesy of Southwest and the quickest delivery of bags at baggage claim that I have ever experienced and could ever hope to experience in the future, I found myself mysteriously transported to the West coast. I woke this morning at the same time I always do (oddly, despite the time difference), pulled on a sweater, and curled up on the couch with a steaming cup of chamomile tea. While September 1 in Maryland shows all the signs of a lingering summer, Monterey is, if not truly fall, still unmistakably a different season altogether. The clouds hang low, the light has a soft wintry quality, and, filtered through the blinds, it only manages to dimly light the room.

I am back in my old apartment, but it is not mine anymore. Just as the old houses around campus got passed down the generations of students with the same worn furniture and an increasing supply of kitchen objects, this student abode has shared the same fate. It is cozier now with more people and more furniture. The clock on the mantle still loudly ticks.