I’m so happy I came. I can now have the happy recent memories of the place get superimposed over the unhappy ones from the past. 

Plus, a brusque change in scenery and routine for a short period of time is intellectually invigorating. My work rhythm had gotten a bit sluggish back home. 

God, I love the New England climate. For the first time in weeks, my head is clear and I can think with no effort. 

BFF and I went to the Yale bookstore and I bought tons of paraphernalia because I’m no longer Yale- traumatized. The Gestalt has been closed. 

Richard Russo worked at my university for a few years and he left because of the nasty weather, too. And he was on the campus that’s 5 hours to the North. So he didn’t even experience the worst of it. 

These days it’s fashionable for authors of reviews to substitute analysis and argument with detailed descriptions of their physiological responses to whatever they are reviewing. I’ve noticed this in students’ essays where instead of analyzing a work of literature, the author lists one’s physical reactions to the complexity of the text. 

If I have changed, then New Haven has, too. It’s become a lot more chic. Tons of expensive places have sprung up while more budget-friendly ones have closed. I’m not sure who’s supposed to be able to afford all this. It’s not like the student body could have changed all that much in 10 years. 

I would have been happier here if it had looked this nice back in 2003-7. It’s kind of annoying that the place had to go and stop being a pit when I no longer have any use for it.