!!!!!*****WORKING DRAFT*****!!!!!
26 December 1972
Dear Mike,
I was sitting here at the typewriter, typing applications to graduate school, and decided to try to write you a letter. How are you? How is school and Southern Calif.?
Yes, I really am applying to school in clinical psych. I’m applying to a lot of places just because the odds are so slim everywhere — my first two choices are Berkeley and BU, but the two schools only took 15 people combined last year, and so my hopes aren’t too high. Also interested in NYU, Teachers, Yale, Tufts, Wright Institute (in Berkeley), U. of Wash in Seattle, Harvard, and Adelphi, but who knows what will happen.
We had a great trip this summer. After we left LA we spent five weeks in Berkley, San Francisco and Yosemite. I really liked Yosemite — luckily we were there before too big of crowds in the Summer. I suppose the access to the Park is one factor in my liking Berkeley so much. Berkeley seems like a god place to live; I like the program there and we had a great time staying up in the hills in a friend’s house (Marc M—’s brother’s). Then we went up to Lassen — I really liked the mud-pots and springs; then up through the Redwoods — what a gorgeous part of the world. Spent about a month with Linda in Seattle after driving up the Oregon coast, which is the first thing to surpass the Atlantic coast in my love of oceans and beaches. Linda is heavily into Scientology and I really don’t like it too much, but we got along very well and I really like Seattle — very easy-going with many friendly people and beautiful surroundings. Also spent some time on the Olympic Peninsula, though not enough, and a fantastic week in British Columbia on a farm miles away from anywhere on a beautiful glacier lake. Then we had to hurry home since I was already late; a day in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, certainly not enough. It was really exciting to drive across the northern part of the country — Wyoming, Montana, a touch of Idaho, Nebraska, then back into the Midwest. How was your trip? Did you ever get to Seattle?
I have a good new job now. I’m working for Barry Brazelton, the pediatrician I used to work with at the Center for Cognitive Studies a long time ago. I really like him, and we’re doing interesting studies; one is of drug effects on newborn babies from drugs given their moms during delivery and labor and I’m learning all about examining newborns for that. The other study is on maternal child inter-action, but it hasn’t really started yet. I’m living with eight other people this year and thus far it’s working out well; we’re half students and half working and we share meals and are fairly close together although not totally communal. Howard and I are living together and that is nice although he is having a hard time getting used to being in school again.
I was glad to see you this summer, though it is certainly very strange to see someone again after so much emotion has gone on. I feel like you’re very different now, and into different things, but I think of you often and wonder about your life. I didn’t go see Elizabeth because we were late getting to Seattle and didn’t have time for Eugene; I often think about her too, and somehow the more distant I get from my parents the two of you are my main memory-forces in Cincinnati; even though I don’t know where I’ll be next year, Cincinnati seems very far away from my plans.
How is your family — esp. your Mom. My family is well— Eddie and Arlene have two kids now, a one-year old brother for Denise, they both are so adorable; George is getting his Ph.d. in history at BU, and Linda is into Scientology. Marcia is well although none too overjoyed about med school; she lives in Cambridge this year and we get to see each other alot more. Bev and Jeanne were both here a bit this fall; both are very into being doctors and we are not so close anymore. Leslie and her boyfriend are in Santa Cruz— he’s a grad student there and I haven’t heard from her.
Anyway, I am basically well, though frazzled by graduate school applications and still working on a lot of things in therapy. I really would like it if you wrote sometimes— my address is: 27 P—— St. #6 Somerville, Mass. 02143.
Love,
Sarah
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