It's a gray afternoon, and the wind is animating the trees, making the remaining leaves flutter and causing branches to gesture wildly. We're right at the edge of a storm system, but the rain is supposed to pass us by. Pity.

I'm inside with some Earl Grey Tea. There's Portuguese music drifting from the stereo, and Tibetan incense wafting from the bathroom. I actually took a nap earlier, enjoying the lull before the upcoming term starts at the beginning of next week. The term isn't paid for yet though. It seems there's a bit a financial aid snafu that needs to be ironed out first. Somewhere, the wheels of bureaucracy slowly turn, and the relevant information is sent from one entity to another. While these wheels turn, my assigned financial aid adviser is out of the office for the week, and I am left with little recourse but to wait.

I'm hoping this year is better than the last one. To that end, I've been working at changing habits that I think are holding me back. I've got a way to go, but the year is young.