Dark has been the cloud that hung over the month of July. Between the constant problems at work and at home, I’d hate to imagine what would’ve become of me if not for the occasional bits that managed to bring a smile back to my face. It was good seeing some old faces earlier in the month, when I took a quick trip back home to Brooklyn to attend an old friend’s wedding. It was my first experience at a Russian-Jewish wedding, complete with caviar and other exotic foods, speeches from relatives in broken English, and festive live Latin music and dancing. We also revisited Shakespeare on the Commons the following weekend with my new roommate from Germany to see the highly-anticipated performance of Hamlet. But with the stark, modern production design and some grossly-exaggerated overacting, we found the whole thing rather difficult to swallow. Fortunately, Melody’s week-long vacation last week took me on a most delicious culinary journey at home to carry me through the brutal month. Though we wished we could’ve taken a trip somewhere, we ultimately settled for a short getaway on Saturday at Walden Pond. Our quiet afternoon there helped me recenter my thoughts, amidst the fresh scent of pine trees, sounds of falling leaves, and memories of Trascendentalist legends.