Just the weather.

Her: It was CRAZY. It was like "Raaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrr! raaarrrrr! raAAARRRRrrr! (tiger claw hand motions) Shake, shake, shake, shake! (the "Twist") Skeet-skeet-skeet! Skeet-skeet! (zigzag hand motions)"
Me: (speechless)
Her: The "skeet skeet" was for the trees scraping against the windows.

A Cautionary Tale for Book-Lovers.

So there I am, minding my own business at Borders on a Friday night, drinking my almond latte and perusing displays of new fiction, when suddenly I am the addressee of the single worst pickup line I have ever had the misfortune to hear.

Guy: You look well-read.
(Pause)
Me: Um. Really?
Guy: Yeah. You just look like you’ve read a lot. I was wondering if you could suggest any good nonfiction.
Me: Um. I, er, I don’t really read nonfiction... often. (Looking pointedly at the stack of fiction on the table below.)
Guy: Oh. Really? Oh.
(Awkward pause)
Guy: I listen to it on my ipod. While I run.
Me: Oh. Wow. That’s… impressive. (Very interested in this book I randomly selected.)
Guy: I have an anthology that has summaries for five hundred famous works of fiction. I just read the summaries because they give you the main themes. All I want’s the main themes... so why waste my time reading all that other stuff? It’s great.
(Very deliberate pause. I consider spilling latte on myself so that I can escape.)
Me: I was an English major. I like that other stuff.

The conversation (if you can call it that) did not end there. This charming, nonfiction-reading assailant continued to ask me things like “do you like dancing?” until I was forced to pretend I had somewhere to go. This was extremely annoying as I did not manage to purchase any new books, which was, of course, the object of going to Borders in the first place.

Lesson: Don’t go into Borders by yourself on Friday nights. And for Pete’s sake, TRY to not look well-read.

New digs.

It is considered an honor at the University to live in one of the prestigious Range rooms. Located in Mr. Jefferson's original buildings, these rooms are truly in the center of the University. The setting is the beautiful Lawn, probably the most popular place for students to relax, study, and play.

Because the Academical Village is a national landmark and World Heritage Site, you must be respectful of the space especially immediately outside of your room, which is public space.
Accordingly, be careful about what you leave outdoors. The only items that should be kept outside your door are your firewood, your ash holder, and a grill (no larger than 18").

Fireplace - check.
National landmark/World Heritage Site - check.
Thomas Jefferson, Edgar Allan Poe, Woodrow Wilson - check.
http://www.student.virginia.edu/range/