Is it time for turkey yet?

Last night I had a rare feeling of homesickness. When the bright city lights kept me from seeing the meteor shower after I stayed up until 4 a.m., I missed my backyard, my lawn and my ability to see a sky full of stars.

After finishing my homework a little after one o'clock this morning, I decided that trying to sleep for a few hours and wake up would be harder than just staying awake. I don't have a problem staying up late, but 4 a.m. was a tough time to stay up for, especially when I knew I had to wake up four hours later for class. I had ELLE magazine and snacks to keep me company while I waited. Sure, I could have been doing more homework, but who wants to start a new project after midnight? Plus, the picture wouldn't be nearly as entertaining.

So at 3:30, Eileen and I bundled up and headed outside in the freezing cold. She even tore herself away from studying for an exam because this meteor shower had promise. After half an hour of shivering and yearning for some fragment of space rock to soar across the sky, we returned inside a bit defeated. I even stayed up a little longer, staring out my window in the hopes of validating my decision to stay awake until the early morning hours.

Unfortunately, my view was obstructed by the abundance of light. This meteor shower was nothing like the one I watched with my family a few years ago, when my mom woke us up so we could lie on blankets in our backyard. We saw so many shooting stars that night!

Some things just aren't the same in the city as they are in the 'burbs. In this last week until Thanksgiving, now all I can think of is heading back to Rhode Island. Because sometimes we all just need a slice of homemade apple pie.