I went to the hardware store down to street to get myself a copy of the key to Matt's place. Is it just me, or does having a key make everyone feel more like they belong? "I have a key. I answer to no one."

Anyway. I biked to Harvard Square yesterday all by myself to meet up with Matt for lunch. Success. I think the best part of the meal was the chocolate fudge brownie with vanilla soy icecream. If the brownie had been warm, it would have been absolutely perfect, but it was still quite good.

After lunch, I wandered around the Harvard Museum of Natural History and looked at exhibits about evolution and climate change. Also, there's an amazing room full of glass flowers designed to look kind of like herbarium specimens. But not flat. And sometimes magnified a whole bunch. Amazing stuff.

Speaking of herbariums, I brought mine up to Boston with me for Matt to decorate his room with. Right now, he just has the Queen Anne's Lace and the Black-Eyed Susan up, but there are lots more in that folder for him to choose from.

Boston itself seems like a lovely city. Lots of history, lots of bike lanes, small businesses, etc. The air is a bit dry right now, which has been making my hands do all sorts of crazy things. Like peeling and cracking, which I guess isn't that crazy after all. Unfortunately, the compromised skin of my hands is more susceptible to things like, oh... staples. If you've never injured the tip of your thumb on your dominant hand, please allow me to assure you that it's very inconvenient.

Anyway. After the museum, I sat on the lawn (HARVARD!) and read the rest of The Return of the King, thereby finishing my extended date with Mr. Tolkien.

Matt finished up with his academic things, and we biked home together. At which point he started feeling sick, and now he's pretty sure he has strep throat. So I probably have strep throat now, too, or will soon. Especially given that my throat was in pretty bad shape to start with. Oh well. We watched Wedding Crashers and ate a pasta dinner that I made for him. (This is a first.) I like that kid.