The semi-annual lovebug season is upon us here in Orlando. These non-biting small black flies fly around in a state of perpetual mating. Each season of lovebug activity lasts several weeks. The bugs are inoffensive enough on their own, but their numbers make breathing outdoors even more risky than usual. They also mean that either you clean your car every day or you bid farewell to your paint finish.
So it’s taking a while, but slowly but surely, I’m getting settled into my new room. Just to give people a short preview of my “pad”, I thought I would post a few pictures on the family blog.
This is a picture of my “corner”. My bed and my Harry Potter posters and my stuffed animals in attempt to give myself a little taste of home.
Behold… a college kid’s kitchen! Not much food, but it feels like we just went grocery shopping…
Here I am, posing for a picture in front of my bed.
Anne-Marie and I spent the better part of the day at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. It is a beautiful museum and well worth taking at least a half day. Admission is free (parking is $8), but they make it back with overpriced food at the cafes. The architecture is stunning, and there are beautiful gardens as well as a nice collection of artwork. We loved the impressionists.
One of the many beautiful sights from the Getty Center.
Taking a walk toward the central garden.
Standing underneath one of the bougainvilliers near the central garden.
The maze-like shrubs in the fountain of the central garden.
Guess who took this picture.
If Anne-Marie sees water, her feet must go in it.
I’m just back from seeing Aylia get set up at Occidental College where she has a great roommate, a high school friend just around the corner, and the requisite fridge and microwave in the dorm room. I’m already suspecting we should have gone for Meal Plan C (less food) instead of B. She’s got an exciting schedule of courses, including field trips to Yosemite and the Mojave desert. Here are some pictures from the move-in weekend. Unfortunately, I was too jet-lagged to think about bringing the camera on the actual move-in day, so you’ll just have to imagine lots of boxes and suitcases stacked up outside the dormitory and lots of anxious parents putting on brave faces. Judge for yourselves if we were among them.
All students at Occidental are given an emergency whistle. Blow it and everyone will come dashing to the rescue. If it’s a false alarm, expect to pay a $50 fine. I wonder how often someone has been hit with the fine.
Aylia puts on a braver face than Anne-Marie.
Contemplating the dorm room.