University midterm periods bring early mornings charged with energy drinks and espresso shots. Evenings are spent trading quizlets in Bass Library or in late night cram sessions in the common room. After several days of stressful testing, midterms suddenly end.

But we’re like those Indianapolis race cars that’ve just run 500 laps, we come off our midterm tracks with our proverbial metal popping and creaking from intense heat and stress. For the first day or so after midterms I can’t sit still. I pace around like I’ve forgotten something—then it sinks in—I can have fun, in fact, it may be mandatory.

My bf Peter is spending spring break with me—for the most part in my dorm room. It’s night two of our 18 romantic days and nights. We spent our first day wending around campus. Peter went here for years—earning his master’s and PhD here. He knows Yale even better than I do—it’s a nostalgia tour for him—he works for CERN in Geneva now (Europe’s most boring city—I think that’s their tourism tagline).

As we lay snuggled in my twin-sized dorm room bed, beneath one of my very freshly laundered sheets, it’s about 41°F and windy. I keep my lattice windows wide open, because I like to sleep cold, with just a sheet. Peter complained once, when he’d first earned sleepover privileges—until I explained the alternatives.

We’ve been dating for over two years now, and I think he’s learned to enjoy it. An arm or a leg left outside the sheet will start to tingle after a minute but the touch of a human hand is like a soothing flame. Snuggles are welcomed and spoonings are almost required for survival.

Looking up and out, we can see the cloudless and deeply azure, New Haven sky. My mind is drifting and lazily unfocused when I realize Peter’s been talking about something.. the search for extraterrestrial life?

I begin to focus on his words, mid sentence. His voice is a low, rumbly, western drawl - think Henry Fonda in some old black & white western.
“.. when SETI’s searching the heavens (for electronic signals), they listen across a sliver of two microwave regions that are unpolluted by radio waves from natural sources.”

My head’s on his chest and I’m listening more to his warm tones than the words. I say, “Mmm-hmm” and snuggle more deeply into his warmth.

“They call these frequencies the ‘water hole,’ because they correspond to hydrogen and hydroxyl wave lengths (key components of water), in hopes that intelligent life will pick these quiet zones for communication.”

I yawn, drawing in air like a gasp and sink deliciously into his slow breathing rhythms. Peter’s a physicist (that’s spelled ‘nerd’) and I can’t say I understand more than a third of his ellipticals, but the next thing I know it’s morning.

His astronomy lesson was a lullaby.
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The Flower Called Nowhere by Stereolab
Stick Figures In Love by Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
Moby Octopad by Yo La Tengo
If I Didn't Have You (Live) by Tim Minchin

Yeti
SETI

Yeti
SETI

अनजालु अनजालि फरायसाफोर
दिनै आं नोँसोरनो सोमो गोनां दोँसे बानायलु सल' खिन्थागोन।
सल'आ ओरै-
मोनसे गामियाव सानै सिखोलाफोर दंमोन।
बिसोरनि मुङा बैसागि आरो सासेनिया सनास्रि।
सानैबो ओरैबादि आखाफाखामोनदि रावबो फेजेननो हाया बुंजाबायनायमोन बयजोँबो।
दानाय-लुनाय, गायनाय-फुनाय,
रायज्लायनाय-फरायनाय बिसोर सानैबादि
सिख्ला जेरावबो नागिरना मोन्नो थाङामोन।
बै सानै सिख्लाया ओरैबादि समायनामोनबोदि
रावबो सेँग्राफ्रा हास्थाया लासे नुब्लानो थानो हायामोन।
सानसेखालिनि बाथ्रा-
बै सानै सिख्लानि गेजेरावबो दानिया सासे नङा सासेथ' सेथियाव थाथारनांगोन।
नाथाय सानैबो नैथियाव थानो गोसो गैया।
बेबादिनो जेरावबो जेरैबो मोनफ्रोम बिथिँआवनो बादायलायनाय जानायसै।
थेवबो सानैबो समान समान।
फेजेन लायनो हायै सानैहाबो जेन्नाय गैया।
सासे ओरैबादि मिनिनो रोँगौदि
बेबादि दासिमबो मिनिनो गोरोँ मोदाय
उजियाखै होन्नानैनो बयबो सानोमोन।
बिनि मुङा बैसागि।
जै बे मिनिबाय बयबो सेंग्रा मा बोराय
दंनायमानि हौवाफ्रानो फाग्ला जाजोबनो नागिरोमोन।
थफिँहां थफिहां बिबारफोरानो समायना गेवलांजोबथारोमोन।
सानसेखालि सानैनि गेजेराव मिनिनायनि बादायलायनाय जाबाय।
बेयाव गोरलैयैनो बैसागिया देरहाबाय।
बेयो ओरैबादि देरगाबायदि सनास्रिया थानो हायाखिसै।
सान हर गाबबाय थाबाय।
नाथाय बेहा अब्लाबो जेन्नाय गैया।
मोजां सान नायना सानसेखालि
लाजिनायनि बादायलायनाय जानायसै।
बेयाव ओरैबादि लाजिनायनि फाव खालामबायदि
सनास्रिया थारैनो देरहामारबाय।
बिनि रोँगौ आखुखौ बयबो बाखोनायबाय।
बियो देरहाबाय थेवबो बैसागियाबो जेनाखै।
मानोना बियो मिनिनायाव देरहाखांबायमोन।
दा सानैबो समान समान।
नाथाय सनास्रिया सिगांआव जेनग्रोखाबायमोन
बे बाथ्राखौ लानानै बैसागिया सनास्रिनि सायाव सोँखारिबाय।
नाथाय बेबादि नङा सनास्रिया बुंबाय-
लाजिनायनि बादायलायनाया जाग्रोबा आंनो देरहाग्रोगौमोन सिगां।
नांज्लाय नांज्लाय उनथाराव सानैनि गेजेराव गिदिर दावहायानो जामारबाय।
ओरैबादि बार बारनायसै,
सार-अन्थाइ दैबाना बायदि बुंफबनाय।
नाथाय बेल' नङा जोबोद खोमसि,
जोबोद खोमसिथार जानायसै।
रावबो सहायनो हायै बे दावहाखौ
नायना थानो हायैनि बयबो रायजोफ्रा
गाव गावनि न'आव एब्रेजोबनायसै।
बैसागि आरो सनास्रि सानैबो जेना जेना।
जोबथारनायाव सासेनि उनाव सासेया
सोर्गोआव थांजोबनायसै।
सोर सिगां थांखो,
सोर उनावसो थांखो,
रावबो रायजोफ्रानो मिथिनो मोनाखिसै।
नङाब्ला जोँ मिथिगौमोन-
जायनो सिगां थांदोँ बियो सेथि
एबा जायनो उनावसो थांदोँ बेनो सेथि।
अदेबानि सासे नङा सासेथ'
सेथि जाखाथारगोन नङा होनबा??

I squash ant that sinks teeth,
Biting my enormous otherworldly knee
Amidst fray of fleshy fingerprint
Most heroic exoskeleton betrays
A life ended,
Should i wail upon battlefield?
Come aliens forth on scale of mighty gods
What fire
What twist of fate they might bring
Upon silly little
Pink and squishy me
I shall name him,
Heroic Anton.