Bad week for new classes

Well, it finally happened: school days are here again.

Time for a new schedule, new professors, and four new courses: Property, Criminal Law, Public International Law, and Leadership in the Public Sector. Unfortunately, it's been a pretty bad week for starting new things.

The other night, I got a call from Mom saying that my dog back home, Tucker, is sick again and won't be getting better. I won't dwell on this too long, because it's too sad- I'll just say that it's cancer in her lungs this time, and they aren't pursuing treatment, but it seems to be growing slowly and in locations that are only causing a dry cough, no pain or discomfort so far. So we think a few months should pass before the worst happens. If you could shoot a prayer or two our way in the meantime, I'd sure appreciate it.

To make matters worse, we got hit with an ugly storm this week that made me hate New England weather for the first time since moving here. It snowed copiously all Wednesday morning, which was fine until it switched to rain in the afternoon, so everything was covered in mud, slush, and ice as slick as glass. So, you guessed it- I slipped and took a big, nasty fall on my way home from school, coming up drenched and crying. Russell had to come rescue me with an umbrella- it was awful, and the sidewalks have only gotten a little less treacherous since.

Finally, I had kind of a mishap with the start of my Public International Law class. The website where Harvard posts our schedules had it listed as starting next week, with our other electives, but I found out (after class Thursday morning had started without me) that this was a mistake, and it actually started this week. So I was absent the first day of class- way to make a lousy impression!

Fortunately, that seems to have been the end of my bad luck. The sun came out today, and I started hearing stories of other students who took bad spills or missed their first international elective just like me. I caught up on the really copious reading for mine just in time, and the professor was very gracious when I spoke to him today about my mistake. Great guy, I can already tell.

I'm just as excited about my Criminal Law professor, who according to my WLA Big Sis is one of the foremost experts in the field. He's also a charming and dynamic lecturer, so his course should be a perfect replacement for my beloved Torts. I even stayed after class today, listening for nearly 40 minutes while he fielded questions and shared his ideas about race and crime. It made an excellent end to a tough week, reminding me why I'm glad to be at Harvard.

I guess that's a good place to leave off for now, especially since Battlestar Galactica is about to come on! I'll write again soon to fill you in on my other classes. So far Property just seems like a dry, but not miserable cross between Torts and Contracts (whoops, I may have just told you everything there is to say about it!) but Leadership in the Public Sector should be more exciting. I hope you're all having a better week than me, and that you enjoy your weekend as much as I plan to!