Sound the trumpets, it's Eliza!

Hi dudes,
Sorry it's been forever since I've posted, but I gotta say I've enjoyed
reading yours, as always. It is now about 3:30 pm on Sunday the 19,
and on wednesday I get to leave this place for a long Thanksgiving
weekend. I was going to take the train up to MA to stay with some
relatives, but I've ditched being independent for now for saving money,
because a friend of mine is driving to the same area. Anyway, here's a
summary of what I've been up to (the exciting parts, anyway):
Last weekend, my dad was in town on business, so one day we went out
for brunch, and another he brought my grandparents down for lunch in
Cro, because they've never seen the campus. For the first brunch, we
went to The Seasons buffet at Mohegan Sun. Let me tell you, it was a
pretty fantastic, and way over-filling, meal. If we're ever really
hungry, we gotta go. I probably had one of the largest meals of my
life there, so good thing it was way before Thanksgiving.
This past Thursday night we had the much-hyped "Fall Concert" that
you've probably received emails about, where Blackalicious performed in
Palmer. The Scuds opened the show, and were pretty awful, which was
disappointing. I went with George, and we left after Blackalicious'
fifth song or so, because we weren't really into it. Partly it was
because it was miserably hot in the room, and we couldn't really hear
the vocals. Some people who are more into rap and hip-hop loved the
show, but it wasn't really my thing. I was glad to see what it was
like, though. The show was kind of a test, because when the Roots came
and played in Palmer some years ago, drunk kids really trashed the
place. We were given lots of restrictions this time (no bags, bottles
or jackets inside the building, and no standing on chairs or in
aisles), and if we followed them there would be hope of another big act
coming to campus. As far as I know, things went pretty smoothly.
The last big interesting thing these days is that on Monday I submitted
an application to The Seeing Eye (in NJ) for a guide dog. I'm going to
try to get one for next year, assuming I'm accepted, but it will be a
long application process, so I won't know for some months. I figure it
would be a good idea to start working with a dog here, where I really
know the campus. Plus, that would give me a year to become really a
good team with the dog before moving to a big city. Anyway, you guys
will hear more about that when I do next semester.
Sorry for the rambling. I hope this finds you all well, and I can't
wait to see you all again (which is surprisingly soon, btw).
Talk to you soon,
E
P.S. Sarah, I love your mom for sending me a care package when you're not
even here. I have almost finished a loaf of amazing banana bread!