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Thanksgiving Break

Bates News — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:21:42 +0000

From Stephanie: So as a senior at Bates, Thanksgiving break was different this year in some ways. Yes, it was still the first time seeing friends from home since the school year started and yes, we went to my dad’s cousin’s house to see family that we see once a year. I realize that every time that I’ve seen these people we’ve eaten turkey. And mashed potatoes. And stuffing. And the “fruit of the forest” pies that my father purchases through some sort of mystery pie-drive at the March of Dimes. I feel as though they should be selling folic acid candies or something, not necessarily pie but fruit of the forest has become a family staple for us. The name is the most mysterious part of this pie, forget that it came from the March of Dimes. What exactly are fruits of the forest? My personal hypothesis is that the pie is comprised of apples and raspberries and such and that whoever was in charge of these pie titles just liked the alliteration. I mean, we buy it. I’d buy it for the ingenious alliteration, who cares if it makes sense or not?

But anyway, a lot of things were the same: I had a pre-Thanksgiving day brunch with friends and ate dinner while watching Hardball. But, as I said before, things were different too.

The difference began with actually leaving Maine to go to Connecticut. I didn’t just have to make sure there were not apple rinds in the garbage can before grabbing my dirty laundry, locking my dorm room door and leaving. I had an entire apartment to which I had to do things. And I wasn’t quite sure what I needed to do. I brought a near empty container of plain yogurt, a few carrots and 2 beers across the hall to my roommate who wasn’t leaving until later that week. I then emptied the trash, turned out the lights, made sure dishes were clean and power strips were off. Made sure the arrow on the Thermostat was a tiny bit after 65 (why I chose this I didn’t know, I needed however, to make sense of the situation and 65.78 degrees seemed less likely to let the pipes freeze than say… 65. So once I figured that all out I locked the door and left, praying that everything would be fine when I returned. [More...]

Back to Bates…

Bates News — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:27:22 +0000

From Paul: Hey all. Thanksgiving break is nearing its end. Tomorrow morning I will finish packing the car and head back up to campus. I hope to get back to Bates sometime in the early afternoon. The vacation was really nice. I still find it so great that no matter how long I am away from family and friends, when I come home it is as if nothing has changed.

I was certainly grateful that I had a whole week off to rest, relax, and prepare for final exams and papers. Although I kept telling myself I would get work done over break I accomplished very little. Finding the motivation to work while eating turkey and hanging out with family + friends is not easy. I’d like to blame my lack of progress on work on the tryptophan from the turkey but I don’t suppose that’s fair. In any event, tomorrow I will be back in my dorm room and will hopefully find the inspiration to focus on the busy 2 weeks ahead.

In other random news, my dad and I put the ski rack and snow tires on the car I am bringing up to school. It should now be fully winterized and prepared for a winter full of skiing. That’s all for now. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. Until next time…

Harvest meal & Break

Bates News — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 19:30:00 +0000

From Paul: Hey all. I am checking in from back home in NY. After my last class ended today (around 10:30 AM) I drove home for Thanksgiving Break. Although I’m a bit tired after the trip, I am looking forward to the week ahead which should be spent enjoying good times (and food) with family and friends.

Bates had its annual Harvest Meal this past Wednesday and it was certainly a night to remember. The Harvest Meal is Bates’ own little Thanksgiving feast. It’s the school’s way of sending Batesies off to vacation happy and full of delicious food. The dining staff decorates all of Commons with festive decorations (including Christmas Trees, Ice Sculptures, and many other holiday-themed items) and sets up a Thanksgiving buffet with all the trimmings. Check the unbelievable menu out here. There was also a free raffle.

Some of the highlights in my mind, beyond the delicious food, were the fresh Apple Cider (two local farmers were on hand to make natural + unprocessed Apple Cider), the two live bands (one in Commons and one in the Grey Cage where dessert was served), and the baked alaska dessert that was in the shape of the state of Maine! Check out this article about the night. What a great send off. Until next time…