Saint Bonaventura, patron saint of bowel disorders.

It hasn't been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon. Actually, it's been a hectic few months. We've moved again, in no small part because our house was trying to kill us, and our landlord decided that he should raise the rent to unaffordable levels because he put in the required-by-law work into the house that he originally did not. In fact, we're still not done with him, nearly 3 weeks after we moved, but that's a completely different story. 

We are settling into the new place slowly; the adjustment from big 4-bedroom house back to 2-bedroom apartment has been a little rough. See, when you have a house, you need to fill it with STUFF! Every room must have STUFF! George Carlin explains it best, methinks:

Before the move, we had culled, by my own estimation, a LOT of stuff. Much of it got donated to Goodwill and Salvation Army--hell, Salvo even got a couch from us because it wouldn't fit in the new place! Although, now, in hindsight, that was for the best. Had we managed to squeeze BOTH the futon and the couch in here...well, let's just say the apartment would like a Tetris board gone berserk, where the lines are getting higher and higher and you're panicking and just putting blocks wherever there's an open spot. After moving, we realized that, well, fuck, we need to get rid of a lot more. I think April and I could've stocked a Goodwill store just simply by the amount we've donated pre- and post-move. I was a bit concerned, though...while I've gotten rid of some things, April parted with 5-6 boxes of her books. While I regularly jest that the only time I object to her massive library is when we have to move it, I know that books are her life. It'd almost be like someone asking me to go through every single film negative I've shot and asking me to part with several dozen rolls of film. But she looked as if she took it well. Much of the books she donated were things in the public domain and readily available, but still. There's also a pile of stuff that will be hitting eBay soon, so be on the lookout for that. 

On a personal level, I'm very glad, and very proud--I made it through my first full-time college semester for the first time since 2004. Not just that, but I made it through without any rebellion from my body--for those keeping score, I had to withdraw the previous 3 semesters due to Crohn's-related bullshit. I did have cause to worry early on this semester--I did pick up a case of food poisoning, which hung around for a week or two. ANY upset to the digestive system is cause for concern--something as relatively mild as that could snowball into a full-scale flare-up. Also, I'm on the clock. While April has been nothing but supportive in this long ordeal, she's made it known quite plainly that if I have to withdraw again, that's it--my college career will come to an end, and I must move on with my life. So, let's keep the good vibes going. On December 14, I could finally relax. The semester ended, and with it, I became a college junior. The grades rundown:

Italian Renaissance: A
Art History 1: A
2D Design: A-
3D Design: A-
Digital Photographic Images: B+

Semester GPA: 3.74

So, yeah, I'm happy. :) Next semester sees a slightly reduced courseload, 4 classes instead of 5. Didn't want to kill myself with 4 very intensive studio courses. I will also keep my darkroom work-study job for next semester.

On a related note, I'm considering studying abroad for a semester. That's as far as it's gotten. I met with some representatives from the University of the Arts at London, and I am interested at the thought of expanding my photography skills outside of the US. I have to see if they could accomodate me in finding a doctor to give me my required Crohn's medicines. If they can, and if I can afford to do so, I'll apply. 

(sigh)...so now, with the semester over, I've become the house houseband. It's a nice change, and the fact that I can spend time with April for the next 5 weeks makes me happy. We haven't seen much of each other these past 4 months. I've begun shifting into the Christmas mindset, although it doesn't feel quite right. The past 2 years, Christmas has come right after a move, so it's been a transitional time. Haven't really been settled. Hell, I could say that about being married; it certainly seems that right after April and I got married, someone increased the difficulty setting on LIFE. Haven't had time to be stable, between me being sick (although it would seem that we're approaching stability on the Crohn's front), moving, and having people live with us, also in transition themselves. That's not necessarily a bad thing--I have no qualms about opening my home to friends who need it. However, I think it's taking a toll on April. While she is an incredibly hospitable person, I think her desire to make sure everyone in the house is happy and content (myself included, and whether we want to be happy or not) is wearing her out. In her desire to keep a happy household, she's forgetting to enjoy life herself. I need to help her restore some balance. It's a noble and wonderful thing to put other people's feelings ahead of yours, but a balance needs to be reached. There are people in this world that, no matter your best efforts, won't or don't want to be content. 

This year, Christmas will be spent with my family on Cape Cod. Little bit of a longer drive this time (Danielle is going to spend Christmas in New Bedford with her family), but it'll be during the day. I don't want to brave holiday traffic in Providence at night. Looking forward to it. What I'm also looking forward to? The year-end Monopoly game between Ryan and I. Ryan's won the last two games. Need to nip this streak in the bud. 

Not looking forward to? Not having Dick Clark take us into 2013.