sumo

I don't really know what to say, other than: that's me in the front, and that's my roommate Jenna in the back. Yes, this was after a match and yes, she is face down. I chuckle every time I see this.

pumpkins

October was really a pumpkin-filled month. Pumpkin muffins. Pumpkin cake/bar thingies. Pumpkin everything. And I love it. On Saturday we went to a pumpkin patch and picked out some gems to carve later that day. I know most people go earlier in the month, but going on October 30th was a great idea because 1) we got 4 pumpkins for $15 and 2) all the little kids came dressed in costumes!

And somehow, throughout the course of October, we accumulated all of these squash and gourds. I can't believe it. One day I brought home that little front pumpkin from the famers' market, and all of a sudden we now have all of these. Luckily, we downsized a little by carving a few.

Along with the many highlights of the month, perhaps one of my favorites was visiting a house of art-student-made jack-o-lanterns. Every year, one studio art professor has his students carve creative pumpkins and then displays them at his house for the Palo Alto public to come visit and see. They were amazing. I only got a few photos because I didn't have a tripod... but you get the idea. And, the kind professor opened up his house to the visitors and served snacks and warm cider. It was perfect.

tibetan monks and their sand mandala

When I walked into work on Friday, three Tibetan monks were working on a sand mandala in the main lobby. I know this seems really random, but the Dalai Lama came to speak on campus so I'd seen monks in red all over for the past couple of days. None of that prepared me for how amazing sand mandalas are.

Basically, the monks put colored sand into one end of these metal stick things, and then quickly rub the stick's metal ridges with another stick so that the sand comes out slowly. Then, slowly but surely, a beautiful sand mandala is made with vibrant colors and stunningly intricate designs. The best/worst part about these mandalas is that they can blow away at any moment. All of the sand is loose and if a gust of wind came into the building, the piece would be destroyed. As sad as this sounds, the pieces were made to be ephemeral because they symbolize "Buddhist doctrinal belief in the transitory nature of material life."

The piece has expanded even further since I took these pictures and it's so amazing. So much patience, dedication and creativity for something so beautiful.

P.S. -This week, I was featured at Janelle's for Magic Monday and wrote about cliff jumping!

neues palais an der orangerie

this is where david went to school. well, i'm not sure if he had any classes in this building specifically, but this- neues palais (new palace)- is where the university of potsdam is. the palace is connected to the royal park sansoucci, where there are tons of gardens and other architectural treasures. these photos are from another walk that david and i took around the park. we started at neues palais and didn't get too far since... well, the park is gigantic.

the corpus christi tortoise fair

today was the annual corpus christi tortoise fair!

for any of you who are unfamiliar with the oxford college system,

there are about 40 colleges within oxford which are independent and

have their own classes, buildings, students, etc

but altogether they form the university body.

anyway...

the college i'm affiliated with is corpus christi

(which i love especially when (but not limited to...))

the fun tortoise race they had today.

there were tortoises from some other colleges and they all came together to race

but also to raise money for different charities

there were also little booths and games for people

giant chess, face painting, choir concert...

the start!

there were a ton of people there to watch the little guys race

it was also pouring rain

luckily and rightfully,

the corpus christi tortoise won (:

looking up

dear campus sunset,

why do i always miss you? ever since daylight savings it's almost dark every time i get off work. i miss your colors and your last bit of warmth before you go to sleep for the night. i seem to only catch the blue at the end of your show, but today i loved walking along the silhouette-lined skies. maybe we can have tea when the quarter is over? you're my favorite along the beach and i can't wait to be home to see you again.

love,

celeste

my favorite season

is autumn.

there are about a million trees on campus and

they're all so beautiful with changing colors right now.

and i love stepping on crunchy leaves.

(i haven't been able to carry my camera around much,

but here are some of the trees right outside of my building)

happy weekend!

daniel

yesterday morning my nephew, daniel, came to campus and we biked all over.

i thought i'd surprised him by taking him up to hoover tower...

turns out he's terrified of heights.

went to the rodin sculpture garden in memorial court.

snuck him into the sunken diamond and maples pavilion (baseball and basketball facilities).

overall great day with the nephy-poo despite overcast skies and some drizzling.

love him.