Scattered thoughts

So I've been a bad blogger (not a huge surprise) and am now reaching the end of my program at Yale. Some brief observations:

• My class was super fantastic. Had our last meeting yesterday which involved watching around 10 powerpoint presentations; lots of good ideas in a short space of time. It's amazing to see how differently people approach a problem.
• I have finally (mostly) mastered the art of not eating too much in the dining hall. The secret: use tiny plates and bowls, and don't use a tray. Your laziness will defeat you and you won't go back for seconds
• Lesson for eating out: always ask for small. Even if you're hungry. Even if the 8 year olds are eating a medium. Even if there aren't actually size options.
• Each time I've visited NYC, I've become more tempted to live there. I could go to Columbia and design green roofs, we could live in Harlem. It would be epic awesome, and every day would be good food day. 
• I really want some parmesan cheese.
• I still struggle with the merits of bottom-up vs top-down environmental reforms. I think both are important, but I do get stressed by the idea of relying on 'beyond compliance' measures to save the world. It's a rough question in America, but how do we get the government back into the game?
• Related: Perhaps I could one day work at an org that has .com at the end of their url, but I still find it hard to imagine how that would work. To what extent is my mistrust of the private sector just a reflex? (Don't worry. I know to keep mistrusting them, just wondering exactly how much)
• If I can keep up my current one-lecture-a-day program, I will be 80% up to date when I get home. Yay!
• My goal to understand the role of the individual was mildly let go due to the need to write about something I have a skerrick of knowledge about. Still wondering what it is that makes people wake up one morning and say "huzzah for being green!". 
• As I get back into reading emails from home, I become tempted to sign up for all sorts of stuff in the next few months - seminars, conferences, scholarships. Do I pursue my current mad busy trend or wait and see how I feel when I get home? Will future me get mad for having too much to do?

Looking forward to coming home, but I know I'm gonna get super nostalgic for this place over the next few days. I shall do my best to enjoy them.

Eb