I could leave today, but ...

I am packed and more or less ready to go to New York. There's still enough daylight that I could probably load up the car and get to Queens tonight. I have the keys, and the apartment is mine for the taking. But I think I would rather arrive in the morning, so I'm going to hang around here tonight and pace.

Besides, the look on this squirrel's face really says it all. The forest creatures of New Haven don't want me to leave! Sorry, little rat with a cute tail.

Nothing says "I love you" like a son who sees his parents for the first time in months and probably the last time until Christmas and neglects to take a picture. But their visit was very whirlwind. Here, lunch and gone, pretty much. I mentioned that SOM was 10 minutes away by foot, and my mom wanted to stroll over to see it -- my dad has, or claims to have, trouble walking, so he declined. Of course, a 10-minute walk for a 31-year-old who is late to class is like a 25-minute walk to a 67-year-old woman with a knee problem. You'd think we were hiking the Appalachian Trail. But now, at least, she's seen where the magic happens.