Orientation and Mieces

So today was the big orientation day for CUNY law.  I woke up bright and early and began my commute to the law school.  I have to walk about a mile to the F train which is one ride to Forest Hills (in Queens where the school is) and then another mile walk to the law school.  It takes about an hour and a half but I am trying to cut back on expenses until I get my aid money so the commute is a little longer now then need be.  And it is lovely weather, lots of people out and about and the walk over the station is a fantastic one on Prospect Park West which goes by the really nice residences.  So what could I possibly complain about? The pictures are from this area and it was voted "greenest neighborhood" in Brooklyn and you can see why.  Lots of recyclers and very clean streets.  

I got on a very crowded train which means body contact but I found myself listening to my personalized "soundtrack of the day" which is a great way to start a day and didn't really mind.  There were less riders about half way through and I got a little reading done.  When I got to the school I discovered that I am the only visiting student and there is one transfer student, Nicole, who is a second year from Hofstra, which is near my summer apartment in Bay Shore. So we got all of our administrative business taken care of and found out we are enrolled in a class together.  So we are in this CUNY newbie experience together.  Perfect.  

I found myself in a great mood and was chatting it up with everybody.  I met the Dean of Academics and she is on board with my plan to write an article about public interest law school teaching practices, convinced the registrar to let me have my books and square me away even though my tuition check won't be paid until next week, made good friends with the librarian, and met a wonderful woman, Margie, who makes breakfast every morning.  And I mean buffet tables, with all sorts of food.  She has been working there for over 15 years and she went into great detail, twenty minutes, of my food options every morning, including the types of butter available.  Nicole let me co-habitate her locker until I get mine on Monday, which was good news because I wasn't trying to carry 30 pounds of books on the subway.  

It was a really good day, and it is good to have a friend who knows what it's like to be the foreigner.  We walked around the campus and saw the farm and llamas.  Pretty interesting little place.  On my way back on the subway, I really started feeling like a New Yorker.  I can manage the subways, and don't mind them.  I am walking a ton.  And I just seem to be getting along with so many friendly people here.  It just isn't true what they say about east coasters.  

So now I am writing the day's narration and will have some homework to do this weekend as well as some last ditch effort at laziness, including finishing the 700 page novel I started this summer.  But the highlight of the day had to be when I saw a little "Ratatouille" precariously perched on the corner of the oven (which doesn't work but that is another story).  I was uncertain as to whether I should inform my roommate who had a hellish day at law school today as a second year (the first semester of 2nd year is just terrible) and I didn't know if she would freak out.  Surprisingly she was very calm and told me I couldn't kill him.  Of course not. So after a bit of research online, I have a few humane strategies for catching him and will be releasing him far away in the park.  The song goes, "I think I smell a rat..." but I think I smell a YOUTUBE :-)  Stay tuned.