UW

I'm writing this from the little Seattle's Best Coffee place inside a QFC (grocery store) in UW's university district. I just finished the second day of my two day campus visit and I am wiped the hell out. I have not been able to dig up dirt from the current grad students except that it might be hard to pay rent with a 9 month assistantship if I have to pay 12 months rent. Solution: find summer work or, as I had planned, get a 9 month lease and spend at least the first summer back in SF doing independent study credits. Not so bad. The rain has stayed away since I arrived and for that I'm grateful. In fact, it's been really warm out in the day and there was almost blue sky. So I'm staying in this dump ass motel (brand name but still not so good). But it was cheap ($64 a night) and walking distance to campus. What the map doesn't tell you is that the walk is up a hill called Pend O'Reille that is sure to build me some serious buns of steel. Hiking up it with a backpack full of pamphlets, water, and a camcorder is even harder. The campus here is gorgeous. Comparing it to SFSU is like comparing the Hollywood hills to government project homes. California really needs to work on funding education man. The 10-week quarter system will be a bitch but it'll make shitty classes go by faster.

Anyways, more on this dump ass motel. There are goddamn stains on the inside of the lampshade that look like coffee, I think, I hope. There's no soap dish or shelf in the shower, there's no lotion or conditioner, the heater is deafening as is the street traffic, and the seats of both chairs are badly stained. Ew. I have put towels on both chairs because they are frightening me. Last night I listened as my neighbour on one side watched TV. After they were done, my neighbour on the other side watched TV until late in the night. That same neighbour woke up at 6am and I could hear their water running through the pipes. I think my few years of business travel spoiled me. I can't handle a two star inn and there's no way in hell I can handle a hostel I can tell you that now. Another prospective student stayed at the College Inn where the bathrooms are shared. She said the dent in the middle of the mattress was so deep she had to sleep on the bed sideways. I thought that was pretty funny.

Alright, time to think about finding some food to eat. Can't wait to get back to Vancouver and eating something other than catered sandwiches (not that I'm complaining about free food).