Archive for July, 2008
Friday, July 25th, 2008
Cleaning and organizing and donating or selling have been the themes of this summer. I conquered the chaos that was my closet, continued with the garage, and have just finished cleaning out the outdoor play house where Barbie’s dream house and 50 friends have lived since I, the youngest of three girls, stopped playing with them. I put them on the curb with a “free” sign and, within the hour, a 4 year old girl was having one very good day. I am just happy to know where they’re headed instead of forking them over to a Goodwill to sit for years on end. (more…)
Posted in Emily | 1 Comment »
Thursday, July 24th, 2008
I feel the need to clearify a few of the thoughts in a recent post – the one about why you go abroad. I seem to have scared a people with that ‘leave your friends and family’ line. (I meant it.) And what exactly did I mean by saying that traveling wasn’t about “seeing new sights.” (It’s about so much more.)
(more…)
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Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
I don’t know what they did, but Paris is a blessed and holy place. It is the most beautiful city I’ve ever been to. The People, the Churches, the Food, the Cemeteries, the Road signs, the Parks, even the Metro stations are beautiful. In comparison to bustling cities like London, New York and Barcelona, it may not be the most exciting, but so far I would say it’s a great place to live.
I’d like to take a moment to dispel some of the myths about Parisians. Many people would have you believe that they are rude. This cannot be farther from the truth. All of my experiences have been positive ones; from the Metro station worker kindly explaining to me (in English, nonetheless) the best route to avoid the shut down train stops, or the man on the street who approached me saying “You look lost; can I help you find something?” (more…)
Posted in Brittany | 1 Comment »
Monday, July 21st, 2008
50 days. That’s all I have left until I leave for Edinburgh. Some days it seems like I’ve got forever to get everything done before I’m in the plane, and others it seems like there is no way I will even have time to pack. I think I’m approaching being in good shape—I finally signed my lease for my new flat in Scotland, and I have successfully figured out how to use Skype, a web based phone system that will let me call home for free. Now all that’s left is to finish getting my visa, pack, finish my research, finish up my Rhodes Scholar application before I leave, finish my summer school class, and say goodbye to my family and friends. Oh, yeah, 50 days will be plenty of time…I hope. (more…)
Posted in Erika | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, July 15th, 2008
I believe in a thing called chocolate pie. Mm-mm-mm. Just finished a grueling two hours of calculus, a biology test and a construction-filled drive home, only to find my mom smiling like a kid with a secret waiting to tell me one thing: she’d baked a pie for her friend who’d had surgery and there was one for me, too. If it hasn’t come through–and I know it has, because practically every post has something to do with them–I love my family. (more…)
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Monday, July 14th, 2008
530 miles. $115 in registration fees. A total of less than 10 hours sleep over 72+ hours. What could I possibly be talking about? Three fantastic words: Austin Blues Party.
If you read one of my earlier blogs, you know that I am pretty much obsessed with blues dancing. Austin Blues Party was my most recent bluesing experience—a blues dance festival spread out over four days in Austin, Texas that left me sore, sleepy, and delirious happy. When I went to sleep Friday night around 6 in the morning, I thought for sure that there was no way I could wake up at 9:30 in the morning at all, let alone to go back for more dancing. Surprisingly, my body didn’t seem to mind once it realized that fantastic bluesy music would be playing all day. (more…)
Posted in Erika | 1 Comment »
Sunday, July 13th, 2008
Ahh…To be settled in.
Living out of a suitcase is not so bad; if I weren’t in Europe, I’d be doing the same, teaching dance across Texas, hotel to hotel. But there is something very comfortable about a home base, even if it happens to be one of the most famous cities in the world.
I’m living in an apartment near Bastille with Madame Larger, a sweet woman who does not speak a word of English. I speak very little (and very poor) French, but we have a great time playing charades to communicate. She has a plethora of children and grandchildren, and family is always over visiting. Her brother has a vineyard in southern France, where a lot of the family works. We enjoy their wine every evening, along with home cooked French cuisine. Her husband was a Lawyer, and my room has a wall of French law books, along with a modest balcony. The door to outside is never closed; I fall asleep to the sweet sounds of Paris in the evenings, and I wake before my alarm to the bright shining sun. I wish I were exaggerating, but it is really that magical. (more…)
Posted in Brittany | 1 Comment »
Saturday, July 12th, 2008
Well, in just a couple of hours, I’ll know what all of the High School Musical hype is about. I haven’t ever seen the infamous Disney channel version, but today it’s coming through Dallas Summer Musicals. I have a feeling the average age will be much lower today than usual. Should be interesting!
One of my good Aggie friends lives in The Colony–about 40 minutes from me–so we met last night and caught up over an hour long wait at Chuy’s and a line wrapping around the Apple store across the street. Talk about chaos. We just sat upstairs at Crate and Barrel like talking furniture models waiting on our buzzer to go off, telling us we could eat. I’ve decided that I’m going to make a wedding registry (when that fateful day comes) before I ever step foot in a place like that because there are so many varieties of cups and placemats and coffee makers that I wouldn’t be able to narrow down the difference at all. My philosophy: one that’s neat and works. Luckily, that will be a good, long while. (more…)
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Friday, July 11th, 2008
I don’t intend to turn this into a book review but let’s discuss Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. If you haven’t read it you really should. I finished it a week or two ago and, just as you would expect when you finish any good book, it’s still churning through the thoughts in my head. Whether you’re a Christian (it provides some of the clearest articulation of the reasons you believe what you believe) or not (it sheds some light on why they can be so crazy) or somewhere in-between (it was actually written for you), I think you will find the book illuminating. (more…)
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Friday, July 11th, 2008
I’m going to tell you why you need to go abroad. It’s not to see new sights. It’s not to find new opportunities. It’s definitely not to study in a different environment. It is to feel uncomfortable. Humans are naturally comfort seekers, that is to say we look for that which is familiar. We are also paradoxical in nature. (more…)
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