still feeling rather touched that one of the first years in the english department invited me to her apartment last night. she had known i was in and out of UHS this week because i had missed one of the classes we are in together, and on top of making me photocopies of next week's assignments, very sweetly asked me over for dinner just to "get away from campus." her boyfriend was out of town, so it was just the two of us, and although the evening began a little strangely - for i didn't know her very well and was half uncertain of going - i am hardly fit company for conversation and entertainment these days - but how can i not respond with gratitude to the kindness in the invitation - worded so well as to be warm, tactful and casual - and at the same time to see it for what it was and to feel one would be a fool to refuse overt kindness? and as the evening went on everything turned out to be easy and comfortable. for dinner she made a salad with cranberries and walnuts, and then we had some lamb and potatoes, a dessert of apple crumble (lovely, especially because i am in a fruit phase right now - do people also go through alternating fruit / chocolate cravings?) and finally she put on the kettle and we sipped green tea and i found it easy to unburden myself - simply to talk about dance, or moving, or just sharing things troubling us about classes.