I picked up my stipend cheque today from the financial office (though perhaps I should start spelling it check in deference to my hosts). It felt good. Very good, in fact. This year Columbia University will be giving me money instead of taking it away from me. As I'm sure I conveyed at times, life was tight financially as a MA student - I worked out that I survived on an operating budget of less than $10,000 per year, though that was after rent and tuition had been paid. This year, things are different - my monthly budget will more than double, I can start doing boring stuff like replenishing my savings and starting to pay off my loans, and fun stuff like travelling up to my uncle's pad in the countryside of Massachussetts, snowboarding and the like. With my job at the Law library kicking in, now, finally, thankfully, I don't have to worry about whether I'm going to have enough money to make it to the end of term.
It did help that New York City is actually one of the cheapest places I've ever lived. Most Americans will no doubt goggle in amazement at that statement, but it's true. You do, however, have to remember that my standards of comparison are Japan and the UK, neither renowned for a low cost of living.
I went a bit crazy in anticipation of the cheque, actually - on Sunday I bought myself an electric toothbrush, a duvet cover and a new MP3 player. OK, I admit it's not really very crazy at all - but to be able to go out and have the freedom to spend some money on things I want, rather than need, was a most welcome experience.
K's back from her friend's wedding in Illinois. Hadn't seen her in over a month, so you can probably imagine how the evening proceeded...
And in other news, to my delight I learn that my friend and that of many of my readers, Mr. Dave Fusco, is now back in New York after his sojourn working in Japan. Dave, bless his heart, is one of those types of people so peculiar to and ubiquitous in New York; the sort who, whenever he gets an idea, acts on it, no matter how misguided it may be, and who has the attention span of a goldfish on Ritalin. Needless to say, that makes him great fun to hang around with. I love the guy, really. Can't wait to get a night out on the beers organised.
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3 comments:
Damn- I thought he was going to surprise you by jumping you in a pub or something...
He had a plan and everything.
that would have been awesome!
Speaking of awesome, I finally discovered why the prefix Rikuzen is so prevalent in Miyagi... because it was the old name for Miyagi back in the meiji era (IIRC...) I'm not sure if at the time you knew that, my question was unclear, or what. But it's nice to have closure.
p.s. it's utter insanity that you scored 93% on 1Q.... I am current hovering just over half that score. Congrats again...
What can I say? I rock.
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