Writing to you today from the little postgrad room in the main library at St Andrews. Autumn has certainly arrived since the equinox yesterday. The air is cold and sky entirely overcast, just a blanket of bright white. The trees have begun to change, bright yellow dappled among the green, a few shades of orange and red creeping in. Already there are leaves on the ground, crunching to tiny bits beneath students’ feet.
Our two weeks of summer weather are over. Just like last September, the beginning of the semester was warm and drenched in sunlight, blue sky and no need for coats during lunch picnics by the beach. Those two glorious weeks have faded, and now it’s time for turtleneck sweaters and scarfs and gloves.
The main drama of the past week was my (not so) trusty laptop, that got me through my four years of college and the first year of grad school, finally deciding to quit working. I was calm initially, took it to the Apple Store and there was a glimmer of hope that the problems would be solved with a free replacement of a specific chip that controls the battery and screen life. Alas, that was not the case and I had to say goodbye to my beloved touch bar on the keyboard (I miss it already).
With trade-in money and the student discount, my new computer was nearly the same price as fixing the old one would’ve been. And I did manage to get most of the stickers off, somewhat intact. So, I’m finally back online and typing, in time for end-of-the-month deadlines.
A few happier — non computer related — things since my last newsletter:
I met a friend for lunch at Mara’s Picklery & Cafe in Edinburgh and my life has been changed. I’ve already been ruminating on the joys of toasted sourdough bread this summer, but now I know just how incredible sourdough toast with pickle butter is. That’s right, pickle butter. Everything we shared at the picklery was fantastic, especially the pickled pearl onions and the cheddar and chorizo toastie with chili jam. If you’re in Edinburgh or planning a visit, I highly recommend.
I went to my first rugby game this weekend. My flatmates and I took the tram out the see the University of Edinburgh vs University of St Andrews game and my school won 24-13 (sorry, flatmates). I haven’t been to a sports event since the last basketball game of college, and even though I know nearly nothing about rugby, I had a lot of fun.
I finished my fourth read of Bluets by Maggie Nelson while sitting in Toppings the other day. It’s one of my favourite books and while I was talking with my advisor about books to read this semester, she suggested Bluets and I’m not one to pass up an excuse to reread it. Every time I read this little book (it’s just over 100 pages), something different stands out.
I’ve been reworking a poem I wrote in March and it’s become the longest poem I think I’ve ever written. I shared the new version in our workshop last week, and it was nice to get feedback on the changes I made since the last draft. Still fiddling with it.
What I’m Reading: Atonement by Ian McEwan, and technically I’m still reading A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr (I’m really going to try to finish it this week)
What I’m Watching: I rewatched Atonement (2007) last Wednesday, which inspired me to finally read the book.
What I’m Listening To: I’ve had Lizzy McAlpine’s new song, “Pushing It Down and Praying,” on repeat since it came out. Also lots of The National, Sabrina Carpenter, and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake (the 1976 recording with André Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra)
What I’m Loving: Glossier Ultralip in Cranberry, boiling hot water taps in the library, toast with Nutella, the Libby app, baby’s breath flowers, the view of the moon from my window
