This is just fantastic; everything you should expect from a European adventure alone.
Things started off pretty smoothly; I’m comfortable enough with the train system now that I don’t really need to ask many questions and can get where I am going with relative ease. Sometimes it takes a little on the spot creativity, but I trust my ability to handle the situation. (more…)
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On all of the strengths/leadership style/personality inventories I’ve taken, a clause always pops up about not neglecting reflection time because it’s where my edge comes from. Consider me Mulan because all of the scribblings in the margins of my economics notes lately have been Reflections.
One of the lines in that song, “When will my reflection show who I am inside?”, always strikes me and, until today, I couldn’t really articulate a reason. For the better part of my life–sometimes still, even– I have been obsessed with whether my thoughts were pure or sinful, my choices right or wrong, my relationships good or bad…ultimately, whether I was living in the black or the red, and if my current state measured up to the standard of excellence I could handle. I wanted an eternal balance statement for my life even though all of the transactions had not and have not yet been made. (more…)
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Question: How many of us have not, at one time or another, karaoke-ed to Love Shack, Rock Lobster, or Private Idaho? Well, this Saturday, I got to karaoke to all three…but with the actual B-52’s! That’s right, I got to see the B-52’s LIVE, and let me tell you, they may be older than my parents, but they are a phenomenal show. The concert I attended was the True Colors tour, and not only the B-52’s were there, but also Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (weooo!!), Cyndi Lauper, Wanda Sykes, Andy Bell from Erasure, and Carson Kressley, the fashion expert from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Yeah, this concert was ridiculously awesome.
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There are some things no one told me about Europe before I left. Little things, of course, but the little nuisances are in my opinion what make the experience. If we don’t dress, talk, or think the same, it only makes sense that we would do a whole spectrum of things differently. I don’t know if by publicizing this I am letting the cat out of the bag, but I don’t think my telling anyone will make the experience any less odd for anybody else. (more…)
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So I have a confession to make: my summer really isn’t all that exciting. My sporadic blogs over the past few weeks haven’t been due to a lapse in available time to sit down at a computer and describe fantastic events, but rather to a doldrum pattern of sleeping, working, and watching Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit. My research is developing, but slowly, and the flat search in Scotland is at a standstill, so most of my time recently has been spent at Fitzwilly’s on Northgate learning the tricks of the bartending trade. By the way, I can now make some pretty interesting drinks for those over 21, if you’d like to come by Fitz’s and check it out. I’ve had so much fun working at the bar; I’ve met so many great people, from a man who hitchhiked across the States in the 60’s to a regular who is taking me and some other bartenders skydiving. I love to people watch anyway—working in the bar lets me people watch and hear their stories—win win! (more…)
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I think time goes by faster in Europe. And so does money.
Returning from Paris last weekend, we had very little downtime before having to prepare for Dr. Gaspar’s and Dr. Kreitz’s midterms. It was very intimidating when we sat down to begin to review the massive amounts of information we have been neglecting to discuss/study outside of class. International Finance and European Integration are not easy subjects. Amidst studying, class and visits to the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, out main driving motivation was Wednesday at 6:43 pm (18:43 European Time) when we boarded our overnight train to Italy! (more…)
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Symbols of America—to me, these include the Statue of Liberty, apple pie, fireworks and a waving flag, and a crowded, confusing convention center this past weekend in Austin, Texas. I had the great honor of being elected an alternate to the Texas State Democratic Convention for Brazos County, Precinct 26, and this past weekend, I got to do just that.
Like all electoral processes, this event was far from being clear cut and easy to navigate. From the beginning, I wasn’t sure exactly what I was supposed to be doing, and to be perfectly honest, still don’t. Be that as it may, it was an incredibly exciting experience. There were thousands and thousands of eager Texans, thrilled to be playing a part in the democratic process that makes our nation so great. I was not an actual delegate, but an alternate, ready to step in if someone couldn’t make it. Much to my surprise, and surely a historic moment for Brazos County, every single delegate, Clinton and Obama alike, showed up to the convention—no alternates were needed. This has been such an amazing election so far; the sheer numbers of voters lining up to cast their ballot has been staggering.
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Well, I got back around midnight last night from a wonderful adventure of indoor rock climbing, swimming, roadtripping, garage saling and beginner’s mountain biking. At 7:30 this morning, I was sitting in a class on macroeconomics taking notes on scarcity, and by 2:30 I was feeling completely dumbfounded in community college calculus. Yiiikes! (more…)
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Are you ready for how disgusting my life is?
Two nights ago, I spent the evening eating crepes and gazing upon the sparkling Eiffel Tower with two of the most beautiful girls in France. The next morning, I wandered the rooms and corridors of the Palace of Versailles, former home of the ostentatious and luxurious King Louis XIV. Soon after that, I had lunch, which consisted of my favorite food in the entire world, Crème Brulee, at a quaint but classy café in Paris, followed by a short tour of the Louvre, where I introduced myself to Mona and Venus, informing them that I would be back before summer’s end to spend more time with them. (more…)
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I know, I know. You’d think I was studying abroad in Germany; I’ve spent more time in Deutschland than in France, but Strasbourg is literally minutes from the border. Strasbourg, home of the Robert Schuman Ecole de Management (where I am currently studying) is an inviting city located along the Ill river in the state of Alsace. (more…)
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