Just rolled in from a 24-hour field trip to Providence, to visit RISD with G (he's researching their Landscape Architecture grad program). We drove up Monday night in sheets of relentless, torrential rain battering our poor rental car, turing a 3 1/2 hour car ride into a 5-hour nightmare. We managed to keep our cool, despite the few moments of truly thinking our lives were about to end as "tell-'em-Large-Marge-sent-ya" 18-wheelers blew past us, creating mini-hurricanes-within-a-hurricane. Ug. And only two minor losing-of-the-shit scenarios for me, which is amazing, considering I'm car phobic.

Anyway, of course it stops raining the minute we pull into the Courtyard Marriot. We trudge up to our room at 1:30am, only to find the bed not made up. We trudge back down, get a new room and a free breakfast, and finally get some shut-eye.

Tuesday was cool and sunny and breezy, and firmly solidified for me the fact that I'm a die-hard New England girl and can't wait to get back to my homeland. Perhaps it was a moment of Autumn lust, but regardless, I'm pining for New England.

Now, to confess one of my geeky pastimes, I like Googling random colleges and universities for syllibi to see what books are assigned, so imagine my delight to be able to peruse the RISD bookstore and see what kinds of books and classes they offer.

For a class called "The High Middle Ages," I found The Book of Margery Kemp. Mother of 14 children! In the Middle Ages! And we think women having quintuplets from artificial insemination are heroes.

For "Aestetics of the Everyday," two titles caught my eye: The Substance of Style and The Philosophy of Andy Warhol. I can't decide if he's a total fraud or totally brilliant, so maybe this would help me decide.

I couldn't tell what class this was for, but The Puritan Dilemma: The Story of John Winthrop piqued my interest. Walking around that bookstore I just wanted to quit work forever and be a professional student.

While G was in meetings with various personnel, I had ample time to browse through the Dwell magazine 5-year Anniversary Issue, with time left-over to positively covet a Dwell pre-fab home. Please God! Please!

And I've discovered a new magazine that beckons a subscription, Print. I am a total magazine whore - right now I only subscribe to 6, but this number is in constant motion, usually upwards. My magazine addiction merits its own post, so I won't get into it now. But in a word, it's fierce!