Blue penguins, AKA bundles of insane cuteness
Life lately has been pretty crazy. As I mentioned in my last post, I signed a lease, and since then, I registered for classes (which turned into an unfortunate, week-long affair), attended approximately a gajillion rehearsals for various musical things, and took two big exams. It seems like the closer we get to the end of the semester, the more hectic life seems to get. More assignments, more meetings, more exams, more naps, and waaaay more rehearsals.
This weekend served as a delightful, much needed break from the hectic, hogwild craziness that is university life. I had two shows with the Peapod Squad, hung out with my best friend, Hannah, from home, and I got to spend time with my parents. What, what, whaaaat? Best weekend ever, right?
I love kicking off the weekend with a good ol’ fashioned improv show. The rush from performing is incredible, and I’ve found that the shows make for a really excellent mental break; they really help me compartmentalize all the stress and craziness from the week. We played some new games, made some new friends, got a little bit weird, and had an incredible time. My mind was a little bit blown by the amount of people that show up to shows; on Friday, people had to sit on the floor or stand because there just weren’t enough seats to go around. There was a smaller crowd on Saturday, (which is totally fine, and a little less intimidating) but my parents came to watch a show! All the way from Alaska!
It was so awesome to spend time with my parents. It’s hard to go several months without seeing your parents, so even though I only got to spend a little bit of time with them over the course of a few days (I had some other things to take care of while they were here. Ahem…rehearsals…), I was unbelievably grateful to see them. There’s just nothing in the world that’s as comforting as Mommy and Daddy, you know? In addition to the amazing presence of my parents, I recieved some excellent advice on how to be an adult, a lot of hugs, and a trip to the New England Aquarium
Let me just go ahead and throw this out there:
I AM OBSESSED WITH THE NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM.
We were there for about three and a half hours today, and I could probably have spent thirteen more hours there, staring at fish and tripping over toddlers. By far, my favorite part was the Blue Penguins, which look like regular penguins, but smaller and way cuter (although, not blue-er). Luckily, we stuck around long enough that we were able to watch the aquarium employees hand feed the penguins, which was probably THE most adorable thing I have ever seen in my life. I am in no way ashamed to say that the cute-ness almost brought me to tears.
I was also a really big fan of the seals, which are conveniently located outside the aquarium (so next time you’re in that neck of the woods, enjoy a free, mini 
aquarium trip!). My favorite was a hilariously large seal that perched itself on land, staring at aquarium patrons, and seemingly giving not a single care about what anyone or anything in the entire world. I’ve included a picture so you can revel in the cuteness/humor/joy.
Spending time with my parents this weekend (and the Peapod Squad, and Hannah, and adorable fish and marine mammals) was like being wrapped in a burrito of love. All the stress and worries of the last few weeks don’t seem as terrible anymore. I feel refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the semester.
Only one more month to go, let’s do this!