Wow. I'm pretty ridiculous sometimes, aren't I? Mwah!

Here is an edited letter I sent to a friend from home. I'm lazy. State of the Marge, ya know?

Dearest everyone,

I am doing pretty well. Wales, hm. I have occasionally been very bored here, but I don't think Wales itself is getting boring. I love the hiking I get to do. And baby, the whole sheep thing NEVER gets old. Never.

I feel like I don't have many close friends, which is probably my only major complaint. I feel like I have some people who could become close friends, given enough time. I feel like I did around you all [my current friends], for the end of freshman year and probably into sophomore year - liking you all a lot but not quite completely at ease, like I am now with y'all. I miss my friendships. No one here is as nerdy as we are, no one is as excited about their schoolwork as we can be. I miss that. No one watches arthouse flicks either.

The boys, for the most part, are quite nice to me. The first one, the one I had sex with, is a little weird around me nowadays. But otherwise they're all quite nice to me. I don't really think any of them have been assholes. When I've backed out, they've been polite and cool, and vice versa. They've all been quite honest about how we stand, before we do anything together, and that is so fucking sexy. We're straight on our terms. This is cool. One has a great strut. I get all hot and bothered when I see him walkin' down the street. He's not an incredibly attractive man per se, or not the sort I would think I was attracted to, but it's the way he mooooves. And he has a sleazy beautiful grin. I think that some kind of connection is necessary for sex, but promise of a relationship isn't necessarily. I may be wrong, but this is how I feel about it right now. I'm always afraid I'll traumatise people with my sordid tales. I wish I was better at sex stuff.

You know, email isn't the same as being there in person of course, but you are ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS, welcome to email me and "burden" me with anything you have on your mind.

Sometimes I need to be alone, and sometimes I feel like I really need to deal with my problems by myself, but I do get incredibly people hungry.

Classes. Hm. Well, they aren't as much constant work as Bryn Mawr, but at the same time I have some MONSTER essays due at the end of April, beginning of May, so we'll see then. There's the expectation that you're doing work, and reading, on your own. I certainly am, but I also do a lot of drinking (then, so do some people at BMC) - probably around twice a week or so we go out for drinks. Gets wicked expensive though.

Still, I spent a lot of time last year online, and definitely NOT doing work while I was at BMC. I wasn't doing much reading last year either. I find it really difficult to compare. I really like it here, academically. I feel like I'm flourishing here, sometimes. My professors are also EXCELLENT.

I'm reading an excellent book about linguistics that's changed my life. If you get a chance (if you like Gould's style, you'd like his style - it's popular science) it's called The Language Instinct, by Steven Pinker. You may've read it. Strikes me as something you might have.

I have to go take care of my laundry, but keep writing. I love you and miss you.

Love,

Margaret

2003-03-30, letter

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