So tonight is my last night in Astoria.

It's always bittersweet, packing away a room that you've gradually filled with your things over a year or so. Odd things turn up in the corners: ticket stubs, to-do lists, plastic figurines, ideas for mixes, doodles, bills, receipts. It's like cleaning out the pockets of an old coat, which I just did a minute ago. I found a couple of notable items: in the same pocket, ticket stubs from two movies that I saw with Noah more than half a year apart (Spider-Man and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind); and an invitation to the Champagne Brunch senior year, which I somehow never used....

The big question after living for a year with Haiwen, of course, is where things stand in the great Signet lunchtime debate. Who was right, Noah or Bessie? I'd have to say that both had their points. On the one hand, I'm glad that I've gained Haiwen as a friend; in most respects, he's a good friend and an extraordinary human being. On the other hand, and I mean this from my heart of hearts...it's time to get the hell out of here before I go completely crazy.

All in all, and despite what Haiwen says, it was a very good year.