Good-bye Virginia: Part 2 - .. in which Tran gripes about California

My last few days in VA/DC were fun. Here's the short version:

• Thesis is finished. Defense scheduled for Oct. 12 at 10am at NASA LaRC
• National Cathedral was AWESOME! I've been inspired to learn to take better photographs so I can go back and get some good pictures of the stained glass windows.
• Charity Date Auction went really well. Karen was bought by Lucas for $575 (highest bid! w00t!)
• Spent some time at the National Gallery East Building. Jasper Johns lithium prints are on display, and I finally got to see the Matisse cut-outs in the tower.
• Crittercam exhibit at the National Geographic Building Exhibiton Hall is really cool. Everyone should go check it out.
• Dinner with everyone on Thursday was great, and we had delicious desserts from Harris Teeter.
• Friday, Karen and I were supposed to go have sushi at Kanpai!, but they were really busy. So we went down to the sushi place by the Metro instead.
• Now.. I'm back in California.

I've never been so sad to be back home before. And then, never so aggravated at what a mess this place is. I'm trying to clean old stuff out of my room, so that I can paint it and make it seem like a 23-year-old adult lives there, rather than a 10-year-old kid, but I find myself torn at what to toss and what to keep. I mean, there's stuff in there that's been sitting in boxes for years without seeing the light of day. Should I keep this stuff because of the memories they have (which are weak, at best)? Or should I just toss this stuff to get rid of the clutter, since they're obviously not THAT important? Shoud I keep the "Congratulations!" cards that I got when I graduated from college? From high school? Or should I toss all that stuff out since I will never look at them again anyway? Will it matter ten or twenty years from now, when I have kids and I'm telling them stories about my life, that I don't have old letters and pins and souvenirs to show them? At what point does an old collection or hobby become useless and just a waste of space? I've only been home a day, and I already can't stand my room. I've pulled all sorts of things off bookshelves, out of closets, out of drawers. And it just seems like there's this never-ending abyss of junk that I keep pulling stuff from. It's rather aggravating.

California, itself, is alright. I haven't seen anyone yet. Right now, mom and dad are off doing scout stuff (attending ceremonies and celebrations). Anni is at work. Khiem and Peter are supposed to be coming over to hang out around lunch time. So, I'm just sitting at home. Dreading going back into my room to face the mess. And at the same time.. wishing it would all just disappear. I have so much to do while I'm home in terms of getting this place in order, and all I want to do is leave. YIKES! It such a mess here. I don't know how they can stand it.

Oh.. my computer can't hook up to the internet, until I figure out where the router is. So.. will post up pictures of my final week in VA/DC soon.

Love,
Tran