she's got diamonds on the soles of her shoes

5 YEARS OLD!

2012-01-29T11:03:00.000-08:00

Today is Harlee's birthday! She's 5 and getting so big and smart. I miss her so much when I'm gone and I really wish, every single year, that I could be there for her birthday. I got to skype with her this year and she wanted to know if I'm coming home for the summer. It made so sad to tell her that I probably can't. I got her a pink groovy girl horse that neighs, and a cowgirl that rides on the horse. I hope she likes it. She's so into horses right now, so I bet she will. I wish I could go roller skating with her for her birthday, but instead I'm making this post. I love you Harlee-Boo, Happy Birthday!!! I can't wait to see you in May!

Classy/Trashy

2012-01-28T10:45:00.000-08:00

My good friend Madie and I have decided to make dinners together. We both enjoy cooking and cooking for 2 is easier than cooking for one. We're going to plan out some dinners and buy the ingredients together. Last night we made a really awesome pizza: home-made whole wheat crust, home-made sauce from tomatoes Madie's family grew and jarred, and half classy balsamic vinager and sun-dried tomatoes, half trashy pepperoni and pineapple. It was so delicious! I think tonight we have crepes on the menu!

Vino!

2012-01-27T10:35:00.000-08:00

I'm becoming a bigger fan of red wine. Barbera is really good, but other kinds are growing on me. I can generally get through a whole glass with dinner! But I think I'm still really a white wine girl.

Laundromat

2012-01-26T09:20:00.000-08:00

I bet Mom will recognize this sight! It is how I hang my laundry after I've washed. I don't put most of my dresses/shirts/pants in the dryer because it will shrink them precious inches. Considering that most of what I own is already almost too short, I need every inch of clothing!

I have an informational interview down in Olympia today. It should be interesting at the very least. I don't rightly know if it is the jobs for me, but I hope to learn a thing or two. My other interview went very well and I'm now "under review" for two positions, when everything I've applied to before I pretty much went immediately to "no longer under consideration." A good sign I think.

Today's Purchase

2012-01-25T18:21:00.001-08:00

I spent a lot of time wandering thrift stores today, but I only made one small purchase. I splurged on this 99 cent record. It is the album "Trio." It is an album of Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris singing together. I couldn't resist.

My new friend

2012-01-24T18:17:00.000-08:00

There was the fluffiest of white dogs running around the house on Monday, so watercoloured a puppy to keep me company.

Lovely Lady

2012-01-23T13:03:00.000-08:00

Look at the wonderful jewelry stand my mum got me for Christmas!

Fajitas

2012-01-22T23:18:00.000-08:00

Last night Sarah and I whipped up some fajitas, mostly from stuff we both had around the house. We did pop out to Tacoma Boys, a nearby produce store (sample-as-much-as-you-want homemade chips as salsa), and got a green pepper (and I got 2 for 1$ grapefruits and some spinach) and then to Safeway to get some chicken. We sautéed a clove of garlic, added some onions, added a can of "ready-cut" tomatoes with green chiles in the can, tossed in the green peppers and some pre-cooked chicken, and let it simmer. We just spiced it with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Put it on some teensie tortillas with queso and salsa and you have one delicious meal. Sarah ate hers with avocado (also 2 for 1$ at Tacoma boys) but I passed because avocado is so nasty to me. I really want to like it but I just can't. The fajitas turned out to be really yummy: spicy but not overwhelmingly so. Our wine selection was a red wine from a box. Haha. Red wine is growing on me I think. I didn't used to like it at all, but I can definitely drink a glass now. We watched Dexter and I knitted. I'm getting closer and closer to finishing Madie's braided headband.

More Ice!

2012-01-21T14:36:00.001-08:00

Ice forever. It is actually blue skies with real sunshine and melty today though. I'm laying here with the window open getting some fresh air into my room. It's a nice way to spend my afternoon, although I do feel terribly unproductive.

20 days!

2012-01-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

I've posted 20 days in a row. I'm awesome. That is all.

Ice ice baby...

2012-01-19T23:13:00.000-08:00

Well, my camera is still doing that thing, but at least today I got wise to it and kept the photos on the card. I'm wondering if it is the card, so perhaps I'll switch them out. Any other suggestions pops?

My photos today are of the ridiculous ice we have here. The trees are totally frozen leading to me seeing a neighbor's tree's giant branch fall right down! And I helped someone from California navigate her car up a hill to get out from under an ever-drooping-lower tree. That required Madie and I pushing the car up the hill. Before that, however, I'd had a blueberry-pancake breakfast so I had the strength to accomplish the feat!

I spent the morning hanging out with Madie. I finished my application to Epic in Wisconsin and ended up having to take a really weird personality mapping thing that consisted of analogies and questions about my personality, but also really weird questions like:

John and Mary just returned from vacation. They rode the elevator to their high rise apartment and began unpacking their bags. They were excited to view the gifts they brought back– an illustrated book for themselves, a business suit for their daughter Helen, and the Scotch Whiskey that John's boss asked for. How do John and Mary feel about alcohol? (They encourage drinking. They discourage drinking. They don't care about drinking. Can't Tell) or How much do John and Mary read? (More than average people. The same as average people. Less than average people. Can't tell.) It was weird to say the least, but it is all in so who knows, maybe Wisconsin will come knocking on my door?

After leaving Madie's I went to Sarah's where we at bread and healthy fiberful krispie treats and home backed cinnamon bread and rosemary baguette. It was tres delicious. We watched a cute movie called "The Baxter" and then played a lot of DDR. Although it is a video game, you can't say it isn't healthier to play DDR than to sit around all evening. Now I'm tucked safely in my bed wondering if I will get a reply from the place I'm supposed to interview tomorrow about the road conditions. I'm supposed to interview at 2 but I feel that if the weather doesn't improve I am going to have to reschedule. I'm terrified of driving in downtown Seattle in the ice. It is SO SO SO hilly!

Other than that, enjoy the ice photos. I have more for tomorrow!

Damn camera or snowmageddon or skiing in the streets of seattle

2012-01-18T23:39:00.000-08:00

Soo I took some photos today and for some reason my camera really likes to upload some of my photos as black boxes. I don't know why it has begun doing this, but it is SUPER annoying and it did that to my best photos today. So i'm uploading this photo of a teensie icicle as a small image because then it actually looks in focus instead of out of focus. All of the in focus ones were messed up! Also, today was snowmageddon although I didn't find it to be impressive. I gave my Texan housemate a ride to and from work though, since her car neither has snow tires nor four-wheel-drive. I didn't find the roads to be that bad, but we're supposed to get freezing rain and a dusting of snow overnight, so I think they will probably be worse tomorrow.

What did impress me was the Seattleites who decided to use the #12 busline as a ski lift and the hills of Seattle as the slopes. This photos is from here.

LAZEEEE

2012-01-17T20:23:00.000-08:00

Today has been the LAZIEST. I became afraid of how Washington drivers might approach the coming 10 inches of snow (what they're seeing as the snowpocalypse) so I called to discuss rescheduling options for my interview. As it turned out, Campuspoint was planning on cancelling interview today anyways and the woman I spoke with told me it wasn't worth the drive from Tacoma. However, It is now 8:30 PM and I have yet to see a single snowflake. I am rescheduled for Friday now.

In any case. I am quite ill, so it isn't so bad that I just sort of napped all day. Not to mention that slept feverishly and thus not much last night. I took my friend Serena's friends to the bus station since they were intending on procuring a ride to Seattle with me when I went. That is the only time I've left the house. I just feel so tired and ill and I'm sure that the coming weather is not helping with the sinus situation. It stinks. At least I have a cozy bed and a heater and all sorts of wonderful things to protect me against snowmageddon. Sadly, however, I am eating the last bowl of Turkey noodle soup that die Mama sent with me.

The photos are of my good friend Madie's Christmas present from me. I made her a decorative (and yet still comfy) pillow with the state of Oregon on it. She's from the town where the heart is. She made me a wonderful bracelet that I will have pictures of one of these days. Also, we are having an headband exchange and she made me a great little headband! I haven't finished hers yet because I'm knitting a braided headband which is, if nothing else, time consuming! I'll update tomorrow with pictures of the snow (if it actually happens), or of something else (if the snow isn't worth documenting).

Tasnowma

2012-01-16T23:05:00.000-08:00

Hola from Snowcoma. This is what it has looked like today. Boo. I went out and ran errands, getting a basket to put my spices in and a knife and some salt and pepper and a lamp shade to replace the one I broke. Then I watched a movie, picked Serena and her friends up from the rental car place, and layed around on Sarah's new double-wide bed (her roommate moved out and she didn't get a new one) eating quesadillas. I went bowling with Madie as her date dash date for Alpha Phi, and Sarah ended up coming too because Madie's little didn't have a date. It was fun, but bowling freaks me out a lot. Ew. And about halfway through the second game my ibuprofen wore off (also, Mom, if you could bring some of this with you in March I'd be appreciative), and I began to break out in a cold sweat, my throat, jaw, and something in my lower back aching. I sort of just deflated, so we went home because Madie is sick too. Tomorrow I have a Campuspoint interview in Seattle. Companies hire Campuspoint to find them new grads, basically like headhunters for the recent-grad set, so hopefully they'll help me find gainful employment. Someone from Denali also keeps calling, so I need to respond to him. Other than that, I'm just trying to stay out of the snow. Keep warm out there!

Back on the Coast

2012-01-15T20:43:00.000-08:00

It is snowy and cold here, and this is my last photo, so I'll have to start taking some tomorrow. This is Montana too. I rearranged my furniture today and managed to free up a surprising amount of floor space! I'm happy as a clam with the outcome. I think I'm getting sick. I'm congested, have a sore throat, my head and roots of my teeth hurt, and I'm achy all over! So I'm going to head to bed early, with a movie in hand most likely, and hopefully wake up a new and improved woman!

On The Road

2012-01-13T22:15:00.000-08:00

I'm on the road to Tacoma, so here is one last look at Montana. See you on the other side!

Full Circle

2012-01-13T22:12:00.000-08:00

I'm headed to Tacoma tomorrow. Here is a sight I probably won't see tomorrow: the Sleeping Giant! I spoke about this formation in a class I took my first semester of my freshman year, so this photo makes it feel a little like coming full circle.

Mader Mader Alligator

2012-01-12T08:49:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures of myself and Kirsten's dog Mader. He's such a love. He's not the smartest, but he's the sweetest.

Moonlight

2012-01-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

I went out to take photos of the moon with Der Papa and these are some products of that adventure. The two actually of the moon aren't necessarily the sharpest photos of the moon. But they're good enough considering it was DAMN COLD outside. I also think the mistake photos are interesting enough to warrant posting here. Look forward to a radical picture of Mader and I tomorrow. c:

Stormy

2012-01-10T23:27:00.000-08:00

We definitely got snow today, and you could see it coming when Mum and I came home from Helena yesterday. The sky over Great Falls was very dark compared to the sunshine we drove out of in Helena! Luckily I've been able to just stay inside and hangout. In addition, I got a haircut and that has vastly improved my life.

A trip to Helena...

2012-01-09T22:57:00.001-08:00

Mummy took me to Helena today. We went to Ben Franklin and Costco and Bed Bath and Beyond. She got me some soup and jam and pasta and little jars to put spices in. We ate sandwiches at Wheat Montana for lunch. Mummy is the besssst. I had a great day!

∞

2012-01-08T23:59:00.000-08:00

I apologize for all the webcam photos as of late, but FRANKLY, they're the best way to capture knitting. Today's picture is of me wearing the infinite scarf that mummy knitted me! I can wrap it around my neck 3 times with complete comfort! I love it so much and I'm never taking it off.

Headband

2012-01-08T08:45:00.001-08:00

I'm obsessed with knitting headbands. I cannot help it. They're quick enough that I don't get frustrated and the varieties are endlesssssss. In addition, they make great gifts!

Poor Vatti!

2012-01-06T22:26:00.000-08:00

Vatti attempted to fix up my old macbook so that he could make it his own. He replaced the harddrive like the people at the apple store assured me was all that was needed, but when it still wouldn't work, he took it to his old Apple 2GS friend, who informed him that the logic board was dead. Sorry my computer was too broken to fix pops, I never meant to crush your dreammmzzzz!

Snitch

2012-01-05T23:41:00.000-08:00

Though today's photo isn't by me, it is something that is on my to-do list for crafting. As a big Harry Potter nerd this instructable sent to me by Papa Barrow, really pulled at my heart strings!

Four to go!

2012-01-04T23:58:00.000-08:00

This is the headband that I've finished! It is warm and presh. I am very very content with it.

Three to get ready...

2012-01-03T22:16:00.001-08:00

I've taken up knitting for REALSIES over this break. I've been super crafty, and thusfar, I've finished one headband for myself and I'm now working on some other headbands to give as gifts. Hopefully tomorrow, Mum can teach me how to purl and I'll be able to work on the cowl I've been eyeing. She's making me an infinite scarf too! So wonderous! She let me go through her scraps to find things to take too! She's basically the best. Thanks Mum!

Two In A Row!

2012-01-02T19:44:00.000-08:00

This is a photo from my drive home. It was taken between Missoula and Roger's pass. I can finally upload photos again now that I have a new computer, so I'm going to be putting up photos a bit more often methinks. c:

It's a new year!

2012-01-01T19:54:00.000-08:00

It's a new year. I'm a new grad. I've got a new computer. I've got new ideas.

Here's to 2012 being just as wonderful as 2011.

Dearest Blog...

2011-12-04T14:10:00.000-08:00

Though I am tired and overstressed, I have decided to grace you with my presence once again. I'm living in the library now. It is a nice place, I suppose. Lots of shelving, although the place where I sleep under my desk is a little small. I appreciate the dining that is a short walk away, and the cafe that is even closer. There is even instant hot water in the basement. My friend Michael has moved in to my new library-dwelling with me. We're having a lovely time as roommates...

Here is a link to the blog I wrote on my school page: CLICK ME!!!

And now a photo (this is not my roommate Michael, but my friend Madie who wouldn't be caught dead in the library):

At the advice of Der Papa...

2011-11-08T14:38:00.000-08:00

I have posted on my UPS blog. It has been a little bit... ignored thusfar this semester, but I'm going to try and remedy that. I'm having a bit of a stressed, rough week, and today I'm feeling like quite the failboat. So at least I can blog-post right. c:

Czech it out heeeeeeerrrrrrrre.

Also, look forward to some posts about why I'm so stressed coming up in the next few days.

How a 4-year-old sees things...

2011-11-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of the few hundred photos that Harlee took on our trip to Yellowstone this summer. It is funny to look through them all and see what a 4-year-old thinks is interesting and worth taking photos of. I miss that little bean a lot right now, so I'm intending on making her and Mister Nic something this weekend (assuming I get the time). I can't wait to see them at Christmas!

Halloweeeeeen

2011-10-31T12:16:00.000-07:00

This year for Halloween, Rachel and I went as the fantastic Mr. and Mrs. Fox from Wes Anderson's adaptation of Roald Dahl's book.

Here Is My Loot: A Friday Night Fashion Show

2011-10-21T22:57:00.000-07:00

I went to TJ MAXX today to try and find some business attire. That was basically a bust. I left there with a blazer (which I returned only a few hours later) that wasn't really that great and which I didn't like that much, but I was afraid that I wouldn't find one that suited my needs. So then Hannah and I headed to Target to see what would be found there. I found some stuff I liked: 2 amazing blazers. But alas, Tacoma Target didn't have them in my size. So I went to talk to the fitting room woman and she looked in the Lakewood store inventory. No luck. So then she checked the Federal Way inventory. They said they had some in my size of both! So away we went to Federal Way. Mind you, this was around 6 on a Saturday. Major Tom, my GPS routed me to the freeway and after seeing the bumper to bumper traffic not going anywhere, I quickly left the freeway. From there I took us on a back route through Puyallup, some farmlands, and I'm pretty sure we were on the reservation at a few points too. But eventually we made it to Federal Way Target, and when we got inside, I found both of the blazers on the clearance rack, a place they had not been at the Tacoma Target. So I got them for half price. I also purchased some professional looking dresses, a nice sweater, and some black pantyhose (also, all on clearance). The whole shebang was less that $100. I'm feeling pretty good about it. So here is the fashion show. In most of these, you need to imagine that I'm wearing hose (which I'm not because I didn't want to risk a run) and shoes, and that my hair and makeup aren't a hot mess, and that my pants are pressed.

I'm Awesome. It's Awesome. Alright.

2011-10-21T00:05:00.000-07:00

I just thought I'd post these pictures to remind you all that I'm awesome. I'm just trucking away at the BOATLOADS of work I have, all while trying to start a career in 2 short months. But you know what? I've managed to land a job shadow. I got told I should be a motivational speaker because my peptalks rock so much. My career advisor told me that I have a very interesting story to tell and that makes my resume very strong. And the paper proposal that I thought I majorly FUBAR-ed? My professor thought it was a complex and thought-provoking idea. BAM! That is how awesome I am. So, regardless of the wildly inappropriate amount of work I have to complete this weekend, I refuse to get stressed out, and the sun will keep on shining (but only metaphorically, after all, this is the Pacific Northwest) because I am awesome and I always get it done.

Ever-so-slightly-post-apocalyptic-looking-sky

2011-10-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

Oregon rainforest

2011-10-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

I went on a hike yesterday with Madie and her little brother Zach and their big lab, Bruno. It was a really fun hike but I kept getting left behind because I was snapping a bunch of photos. This is probably my favorite picture that I snapped because it really captures what the forest feels like here. So misty and wonderful and green. The one below is another favorite. There is something so special about the pacific northwest rainforests that doesn't exists anywhere else.

The Journey to Eugene

2011-10-16T18:24:00.001-07:00

I'm in Eugene for my weekend of fall break with my freshman year roommate and still very close friend, Madie. So I'm relaxing, working on some homework, and snapping many photos. Here are a couple I took as we whizzed through Portland. <3

Breakfast of Champions: SNAK ATTAK!

2011-10-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

My radio show is back on the air. Serena and I are broadcasting our little hearts out once again on KUPS only on Mondays from 4-5 (pacific time). So heeeere are the links to download our first three shows, for those of you who don't listen live.

Show from 9/19/2011.

Show from 9/26/2011.

Show from 10/3/2011. (You might here a few technical errors in this particular show, but Serena and I were learning how to use the digital record system, Serrato.)

Look at these hep-catz!

2011-10-02T12:50:00.001-07:00

So maybe I haven't posted, quite as often as I should have... But I am trying to get a few photos up now and then. I also got a blog post up for the school (which, sadly, is not a paid position, but it will look good on mah resume!) I'm just truckin' away at school here and attempting to get a job for my post-graduation life. I'm signed up for some mock-interviews with UPS alums working at Boeing and South Sound Magazine. I'm attempting to write some cover letters to apply for jobs at a radio station in Seattle, some Tacoma companies, and even a couple on campus. And this is all between the eight billion papers I've been writing and missing my fam and my Harlee. Soooo, forgive me if the posts are not as frequent as they might be. But I will try to get one or two up every week. I miss you all! Have a great beginning of october!

Tuesday Morning...

2011-09-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

I'm just trucking away. I thought I'd put up a couple photos while I had ten seconds. This is the week from hell as I have a paper due Wednesday, another due Thursday, and my prospectus for my thesis due on Thursday as well (and this is on top of all my normal homework). So, back to work, but enjoy the photos!

Two Updates:

2011-09-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

1.) Do you like my new background? It's just a little something from the Yellowstone trip. I might try something a little more colourful when I have time to adjust everything else, but for now I think this suits it quite nicely.

2.) I've been hired as a Puget Sound Voices blogger. Head on over to http://www.pugetsound.edu/ and look for the green box marked "voices" in the lower lefthand corner. I should be showing up there pretty soon.

Harlee's Ice-Cream Face

2011-09-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

I miss my Harlee-boo something fierce, so imagine how excited I was when I found this photo I took of her during our Yellowstone trip. She sure did enjoy that "buffalo-chip" flavored ice cream.

A few shots...

2011-09-11T14:38:00.001-07:00

I have 3 photos for you today. I have before-and-afters of my haircut (woohoo!) And I have a photo from the trip I took to Yellowstone mit die Mama und der Papa und die Harlee!

Before ^^^

AFTER! ^^^

(yaaaaay, my eyes are part of my face again!)

And a baby animal for your viewing pleasure.

Hope you all had a great weekend. I'm off to write a paper on the rhetorical situation of Truman's address to congress regarding financial aid for Greece and Turkey. (sooo thrilling :c )

Schule

2011-09-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

So I've started school now. I'm all moved into my room and I'm really enjoying the year so far. I've somehow managed to cram four very difficult classes into this one semester though, so I'm spending a fair amount of my time doing schoolwork.

I went to bumbershoot last weekend and that was so fun. I saw the March Fourth Marching Band, Nortec Collective, STRFKR, Ray Lamontagne and the Pariah Dogs, Y∆CHT, Greensky Bluegrass, Fitz and the Tantrums, and Hall and Oates. It was a wonderful weekend overall, although it was fairly exhausting.

Today I'm getting a haircut. My weekend has mostly started, as I only have one hour of class today. I'm probably going to lay on the lawn and try to get some work done before the weekend. My first major paper is due on Monday, so it would be great if I could get that done.

The pictures are of the view from my room, and my room, complete with my tapestry, posters, and farmer's market flowers!

A quick one...

2011-08-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

So after about a 6 month blogging hiatus, I've returned to the coast for my final semester of school and thought maybe I should just check in and say hello! It is a lovely foggy good-smelling morning at UPS, and I'm awake before any of my friends (surprise surprise). I've got a bunch more pictures from Europe that I'm working on making into a coffeetable book, but I'm not going to post them here now. Perhaps I'll try to get them posted if I have time later in the semester. I also have some fabulous pictures from the summer trip to yellowstone that I will get up eventually, but for now, I'm just checking in and offering a quick update. I hope everyone had a lovely summer and will have a wonderful back-to-school.

Quid Visits Vienna... (Part 1: The Styria Festival)

2011-04-11T06:44:00.000-07:00

Whilst wandering through Vienna, we stumbled upon a festival celebrating the awesomeness of Styria! It was great. They had traditional Styrian food, traditional clothes, and traditional music. We invested in a GREAT bottle of Kabinett. It was a very happy mistake!

Springtime in Vienna

2011-04-01T05:50:00.000-07:00

It seems that spring has sprung here in Vienna. I'm wearing dresses and it is oh-so-lovely outside. I'm on a dinner roll (haha. get it? dinner roll?) : I made a teriyaki glazed chicken and hot and sour eggplant the other night. And then yesterday I made spatzle in a chicken and vegetable gervais sauce. So delicious!

Krakow

2011-03-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

Sooooo basically, I'm going to start off this blog post with the coolest thing I've ever seen. You drive your car onto the train. It is strapped down, and then you go chill on the train. YOUR CAR COMES WITH YOU WHEN YOU TRAVEL. I would totally take advantage of this if it existed in the United States (and if I had a car).

The Polish countryside was absolutely beautiful. There are green parts, lakes, naked deciduous forests, sparse coniferous forests, farms, hills, fields, windmills, oil pumps, very traditional churches, eastern influenced churches, junkyards, ruins, broken-down neighborhoods, rent-a-garden plots, and just about everything else. In a few parts I found myself feeling a little *gasp* Montana-sick. The train was definitely the way to go. I got to see so much beauty, even in the more broken-down parts.

Auschwitz-Birkenau was a very moving experience. As someone who has grown up in America, safe and in equality with my peers, it was hard to wrap my head around what happened there. I thought it was something very important to see while I'm in this part of Europe. What shocked me the most was how absolutely IMMENSE Birkenau was. Standing in the middle, it was barbed wire for as far as the eye could see in every direction. The Polish people who had lived there before were pushed out in order to have a barrier around the camps, making the space seem even larger. 1.5 million people were recorded as having been in the camps, and that number does not include those who were sent immediately to die without being recorded. Only 200k of those interned here survived the Nazi regime. That is 25 times the population of Great Falls that were prisoners at these camps alone. Like I said, it is important to see, while enjoying the beauty and wonder of this region, what they have been through.

This is the dragon of Krakow!!! Krakow was built over a dragon's lair. The dragon liked to eat virgins, so the Polish king sent his knights to defeat the dragon, but the dragon loved it: the king was basically sending him delivery-dinner. So the king issued a declaration that anyone that could slay the dragon would be allowed to marry the princess. So a local farmer made a package of sulfer and other acids and put it outside the lair. The dragon, thinking it was more delicious delivery, ate it right up. Soon, however, his stomach began to burn and he flew to the nearbyWisła River and began drinking. He drank and drank and eventually he just EXPLODED! The farmer got to marry the princess and the town of Krakow has prospered ever since. This fire-breathing statue is a tribute to that dragon.

Despite the rain, I really reaaaaaally did like Krakow. I haven't lived there, so I don't know if I like it even more than I like Vienna, but it was great. Yes, it isn't as scrubbed-clean and developed as Vienna, but that is completely fine with me. If you're in the area I absolutely recommend Krakow.

Sneak Peek (Krakow)

2011-03-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

Regardless of the wet and cold weather, I still loved Krakow. It was an amazing city, one of the coolest places I've ever been, and somewhere I'd love to go back to. Here is a little sneak peek of the Krakow main square, and after I catch up on my sleep (yucko daylight savings time AND 6am trains), I'll make a long post because I took tons of photos. xoxo

In addition to the Bier...

2011-03-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some never before seen photos of my trip to Berlin!

They're on my IES blog, and I'm actually pretty fond of them. I loved Berlin and would recommend it to ANYONE! Included is a list of my favorite attractions as well as some suggestions from friends!

Bier Trinken

2011-03-22T02:19:00.001-07:00

On rare occasion, father knows best: the beer I've had here in Austria (and Deutschland!) have been the best of my life.

Ohhhh Vienna

2011-03-18T05:25:00.000-07:00

In yesterday's terrible weather, I had to go out and do some things for my Art and Architecture class. This included going to the Hoher Markt to go to the Roman Ruins museum, visiting Ruprechtskirche, and heading down to Maria am Gestade. They were all great buildings, but let's face it, it wasn't amazing picture taking weather (with the wind and the pouring rain and the cloudy sky). I did what I could, however, and managed to get a few shots to use when studying for my exam and writing my journal entry on these places. I also got a couple of random Vienna photos from the past couple of week(end)s, including some from the Buddy Bake-off (in which my roommate and I and our buddies took third place with our apfeltiramisu (a traditional Styrian dish)). Today I had my German midterm, and this evening I'm either going to a house party with Erin at her language buddy's house, or to brotundspielen, a drinking and board game night with Meaghan and her buddy. Or perhaps I'll meet up with the buddy I haven't met yet. We shall see. Tomorrow I study, and Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I have midterms. Thursday I'm headed to Krakow, Poland with my roommates, we're staying Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night and then Meaghan and I are headed back at 6am on Sunday (the tickets were cheaper, but there were only two) and everyone else is headed back in the afternoon. I hope the weather is nice while I'm there, I would really like to get some good pictures. Did you know that Krakow was built by the mythic leader Krakus above a cave inhabited by a dragon? We will also be headed to Auschwitz, but I also want to see the old city square and potentially St. Florian's Gate.

The Roman Ruins: Beneath Vienna is a hidden city, originally built by the Romans when the area directly south of the Danube became part of the empire around 15BC. Eventually a Roman garrison was built here and named Vindobona. The Romans were, as can be learned from the ruins, very advanced, and even had heated floors, as shown in the first picture. Not only did Ptolemy mention Vindobona in his writings, but Marcus Aurelius is believed to have died here.

Ruprechtskirche (St. Rupert's): The oldest church in Vienna, this church is named after Saint Rupert of Salzberg and is located in the oldest section of the city, where Vindobona was once located.

Maria am Gestade (Maria on the banks): One of Vienna's original and oldest surviving gothic churches, was once located on the banks of the Danube and was known as the fisherman's church. It was used as a stable and storeroom by Napoleon, but has since been restored to its former glory.

Random Fun Times (Language Buddy Bake-Off and a Night At Some Club)

Prahahahaha.

2011-03-13T05:26:00.000-07:00

After spending a few days fighting off stomach flu, I've finally gotten to the point where I feel like doing stuff. Thusss, I'm finally putting up photos of the lovely city of Prague (and a couple of Vienna.)

This is my friend Hannah. She came to visit me from London, and it was with her that I journeyed to Prague. (This picture, however, was taken in my room before we went to a Heurigan(a traditional Austrian wine tavern).)

This is meeeee in front of the gates of the lovely Belvedere which I posted about earlier.

Here is the view off the balcony of our hostel room.

This is the astronomical clock of Prague (also called the Prague Orloj). It is pretty impressive to see in person. It tells the position of the moon and sun, the zodiac, and the time, and it also sings and puts on a little show.

This is the view from (not of) the Charles Bridge.

This loverly fountain is located outside the Kafka museum.

This is the black Madonna of Prague. She used to be in a church associated with the Templars, but it burned down. Now she just looks at Templova street.

This is the old town square of Praha. Included is the statue of Jan Hus, a religious reformer who was burned at the stake.

This is the door at the House of Two Golden Bears. The bears light up gold if the photo is taken with a flash. Alchemists lived here and created the door.

This was the best breakfast I've eaten in Europe. It was so delicious. American pancakes, eggs, American bacon, European sausage, and a miniature bagel which I saved for later. This was the happiest part of my trip.

Oh! And syrup too. Sooooooooooo delicious. I swear I will eat pancakes every day for a week when I get home. (Also, I heard a rumour about an American food store that sells pancake mix here in Vienna, so I'll probably go check that out soon.)

This is Bohemia Bagel, a popular ex-pat cafe where the delicious American breakfast was eaten.

Here is me outside of the museum of Communism. I loved this poster so much I bought one for myself. I also got some other hilarious Communism-related souvenirs which no one but me think are amusing (but you'll probably like them Dad!).

I was in Prague during Carnivale, so I got to witness some awesome Bohemian Carnivale stuff. Like these bird-stilt-people. Next best thing to Venice, I suppose. :)

The two pictures above this are of the 27 crosses commemorating the 27 nobles turned rebels that were decapitated here. Well, only 23 were decapitated. Three were hung, as the king decided that they deserved to die but not to have their blood spilt, and the last was spared from death and just had his tounge nailed to the scaffold for flapping it too much.

Here is me in all my fuzzy winter-wear as it was FREEZING COLD the whole time we were there.

Aaaaaah Praha. What a lovely town. All of the really interesting stuff is within walking distance of each other and it is pretty quick to be able to find your way around. I would definitely recommend it to anyone traveling through this part of Europe.

The product of my snowboarding adventures:

2011-03-07T14:27:00.000-08:00

... and let's all keep in mind that it generally takes a few days for bruises to show up on me, so I don't even know what is going to appear in the next week or two.

THE ALPS!

2011-03-07T04:24:00.000-08:00

Here is a tasty little tidbit from the alps! Please click the video and watch it full size on youtube! Also here is a link to my newest IES BLOG!!!

Sneak Peek

2011-02-28T02:20:00.000-08:00

Prague is awesome. Post coming soon.

The Belvedere

2011-02-24T22:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I would say, was pretty much the coldest day in Vienna yet: the sunniest, but the coldest. Such is the way things work though, huh?

My friend Hannah from UPS, who is studying in London this semester is here to visit. She checked out Stephansdom (my favorite part of Vienna right now) and the Kartenerstrasse (the big shopping boulevard) while I was in class and then we headed off to try and get her a tour of the main Synagogue of Vienna. Sadly, they were closed for renovations, so that didn't work out. Then we headed to the Judisches Historisches Museum, which was ALSO closed for renovations! So apparently Judaism is closed in Vienna right now. But we walked all over (in the freezing cold (I'm wearing long-johns today I was so cold yesterday)) and she got to see quite a bit of Vienna.

So I took her to the Albertina (Blau Reiter, Roy Lichtenstein, etc) and she toodled about while I went to my meeting about the ski trip. I've decided that instead of skiing, since I'm not a big fan of skiing, I'm going to learn to snowboard. I have been reassured multiple times that I will spend most of the weekend on my ass: Thanks for the encouragement everyone! I'm just excited to try something new! Kent was pretty excited for me though, he's a surfer/snowboarder I guess, so he told me where I can go get some legitimate gloves and shell pants to wear on this adventure so I don't freeze my bum off.

I met my language buddy this week. He is unbelievably cool. He had me meet him in the most hipster-y little cafe, and it was very Seattle. The most at-home I've felt in a kaffeehaus in Vienna. We talked about my German and our families and music. We're going to go see a Belle and Sebastian concert together in March. You know who is excited? This girl.

The pictures above are of my expedition yesterday to the Belvedere. It is a castle-turned-art-museum. We didn't go into the lower museum which is at the far of the Garden pictured at the top, but only to see the permanent collection in the upper castle. They have Klimt's "The Kiss" and many other Klimt pieces. I never realized how much I really do like his work. They also have works by Egon Schiele, a new favorite. His works are dark, but beautiful.

We're headed to a Heurigan tonight. This is a Viennese wine tavern. My language buddy explained it to me. They only serve small courses, and the wine is Hausgemachte (housemade) so it is really cheap and really delicious. They're all over my neighborhood since we're practically IN the vineyards. The tomorrow we're headed to Prague. We'll get there around 2:30 and we're going to do a bunch of museums and stuff, stay the night, and head back in the evening. Well, I'm heading back and Hannah is flying home from there. We're taking a private bus-line, so it should be a pretty good journey and it only cost me like 30 Euros instead of the 120 they wanted for the train. I'll get back to Vienna around midnight on Sunday, and luckily for me, I don't have class until after 1 o'clock in the afternoon on Mondays. I need to look into the homework situation to see what I need to bring, but the bus has on-board WiFi, so that should at least help a bit.

I will take lots of pictures in Prague and get them up. I'm also going to try and finish an IES post today. I have a lot almost ready but none totally ready, so I'm goign to get my shit together today. I love you all! Have a splendid weekend!

An Addendum:

2011-02-21T06:29:00.000-08:00

"The Viennese feel an inexplicable tenderness for this ancient landmark, an attachment which became very evident during the last days of the Second World War. The Russians already held the Inner City, while the Germans had withdrawn to the Danube Canal where they were desperately trying to hold their positions. In the ensuing battle, St. Stephen's came directly into their firing line and the roof of the Cathedral caught fire. Word went from mount to mouth that St. Stephen's was burning and the Viennese came from all over the city to help extinguish the flames. When this was accomplished, they helped extricate ever piece of broken vaulting or statuary from the ashes and rubble in order to ensure the possibility of its future reconstruction." - an anecdote about Stephansdom from Henriette Mandl's "In Search of Vienna: Walking Tours of the City."

Stephansdom

2011-02-19T06:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I visited Stephansdom for the first time! (And I can also say this in german: Gestern, habe ich Stephansdom zum ersten Mal besuchen .) For my Austrian art and architecture class, I have to keep a journal, and one of the required entries was to visit the Cathedral and write about our gut reaction to it. I went in with certain expectations, and this church definitely exceeded them. It is late Romanesque and early Gothic, this I know, so I sort of expected it to be similar to French gothic cathedrals: immense, dark, stuffy, cavernous, depressing. Although Stephansdom was VERY cavernous, with huge columns that are carved in a way that they actually remind me of stalactites and stalagmites, the whole of each the east and west side are covered in pale stained glass. I don't know if it is because I went in the morning, but it was actually very bright inside and I liked the atmosphere a lot. The other thing I liked is that people from Vienna still do go there to pray, and I saw several Viennese on their knees in front of the Virgin Mary alter doing just that. Although it was still rather cold and austere, it felt like it was inspired by a love of God as opposed to a fear of God like the cathedrals in France.

As great as the inside was, the outside is even better! The church is wedged into a tiny square called Stephansplatz. Here is a photo that is not mine that really illustrates how close to the other buildings this church is:

(copyrighted to the Austrian National Tourist Office)

The roof is shingled/tiled in a way that one side has a zigzag pattern and the other side has the Hapsberg crest. The Hapsbergs believed that the empire was blessed by God himself, so they built and upkept and changed a lot of churches within the empire. It is also built with the same sandstone as one would find in Dresden, Leipzig, and Berlin, so that some of it has oxidized and turned black. My favorite part, however, was all the gargoyles. There are traditional winged-monsters, grotesque humanoid figures, lions, and my personal favorite, vicious guard dogs. I drew on in my journal (as they are supposed to be illustrated).

There were also probably at least 20 horse and buggy sets lined up waiting for tourists to come pay for a ride. I really wanted to go pet the horses, but I didn't want to try and ask in German. I did however have someone ask me if I was from Vienna, to which I replied "Ja!" and then he asked me if I knew where something was. Alas, I had never heard of the place and couldn't actually help him, but I had a whole conversation with a German speaking person in a public place and it was super-dee-duper! I also found a bookstore with big racks of English-language paperbacks outside, so I got the thickest one I could find (they were all around 10 Euros) because I needed something to do on the train. I don't mind the commute too much, but when I'm spending 160 minutes on the train a day, I need something to do besides sit there.

I went out last night, we went to several really fun bars all over the Bermuda triangle, and today has been somewhat lazy as we didn't get home until 4 o'clock in the morning. Tomorrow I'm going to walk up to the church on the hill and potentially go walk around and take pictures of the Rathaus, the Parliament, the Schonbrun, etc. I might even get really motivated and go to Naschmarkt again to see if I can find some asparagus!

I'll try to put up some Germany pictures tomorrow. I've been working on them to make an IES blog, but I have a lot to show, so it is slow goings. I love you all! Tchuss!

Myself in Deutschland

2011-02-15T22:32:00.000-08:00

The top one is in front of Alexander, the Berlin TV tower built by the Russians, although you cannot see it. The second is of my friend Blair and I eating the most delicious streetstand food called quarkkeulchen. They are delicious little fried doughballs dipped in sugar. YUM! (I must also add that my co-conspirator shares my last name plus "s.")

What a day...

2011-02-14T07:36:00.000-08:00

Besides starting really poorly scheduled classes that are A.) too far apart for my taste, and B.) too late at night, I also managed to lock myself out of my apartment. I left the door open to go get my laundry and someone passing by must have closed it. I ended up asking the lovely old people upstairs for money to take the s-bahn to the school. After my first class I came home because it is snowing like a beez and I was freezing to death (I ended up wearing a jacket straight out of the washer because it was all I had) and found myself locked out of the building and no one answering the buzz. Finally the old man from upstairs came up from the garage and let me in and upon ringing the doorbell Alex awoke from her nap and let me in. So because my day has been no good, I am only posting one picture. It is of the adorable Orangutans at the Berlin Zoo and they cheer me. I'll be headed back for my 6:20-7:50 class in a little less than an hour. Lucky Me.

Berlin Berlin

2011-02-10T15:42:00.001-08:00

Such a lovely town. I like the history here. The whole wall thing is fascinating. Checkpoint Charlie was great. I also had a most nomz snack called quarkkeulchen. I'm quite busy, but here are a few photos of the wall to tied y'all over. Later Alligators!

Dresden Highlights

2011-02-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

This is one of the buildings at Pillnitz Palace. This was a summer palace gardens. This particular building was influenced by Chinese architecture.

This was another building at the Pillnitz Palace. There were a lot of building situated in a square U-shape around a fountain and gardens.

This is a building where they keep the potted plants for the winter.

This Kamelia shrub is MASSIVE. It is also over 200 years old. An expedition from England went to Japan and they came back with potted Kamelia plants. They were spread about Europe, and this is the only one still alive. The glass can be retracted during the summer when it is blooming.

This is Dresden's Frauenkirche. It was totally destroyed during the bombing of Dresden and has been rebuilt exactly like the old one using many of the old pieces. The old pieces are black due to fire and oxidization/weathering of the rocks.

This is near where the horses and carriages of the court were kept. The building where they were kept is right to the right of this photo. The carriages were kept on the first floor and the horses on the second flor. There is a big old ramp they had to climb up. This particular building I just liked all the sculpted animal heads and Italian influence.

This looking down the street where the Fürstenzug, "the Procession of Princes" in English, that painting on the right, is located.

This is the Fürstenzug. I don't know if you can tell but it is all done on porcelain tile. It was originally painted by Wilhelm Walter on stucco and when it began to deteriorate, porcelain tiles were made at the Meissen factory (where very expensive and famous Dresden china is made). The artists there painted each tile freehand based on Walter's original.

This was just a nice little view I liked on the bus.

This was the merry-go-round table at the restaurant we ate at for lunch. The atmosphere was awesome. The food was not my favorite. But this table had swings as seats and the whole thing rotates.

This is the cross from the original Frauenkirche. It was found in the rubble after the original cathedral was bombed.

This is the ceiling dome of the Frauenkirche.

This is the alter of the Frauenkirche. I actually much preferred this to any of the French cathedrals, just because the ambiance was so bright. The walls were white, there was a lot of gold, and TONS of windows.

This is a lovely little shot of me at the base of the Frauenkirche.

This is looking out into the courtyard of where the museum is. I am unclear as to what this building actually used to be.

This is the clock in that same unclear building circling the courtyard.

This is a cool statue (potentially fountain) right outside where we ate lunch. It was covered in tiny draaagons.

This was the best part of the meal. It was the most delicious cream of asparagus soup I've ever tasted in my whole life.

Lastly, an oillamp made out of a bomb sat upon the table from which we dined.

Dresden has made quite an impression on me. I really really really like this city. Tomorrow I'm moving on to Leipzig and by this time tomorrow night I should be in Berlin! Guten Abend!

(A Small Part of) The Journey To Dresden

2011-02-05T09:14:00.001-08:00

The journey to Dresden was most wonderful! We met at 8am and drove about 2 hours to around where the Czech border is, and there we stopped at the most AMAZING reststop of my life. Not only did it have dragons and a wizard, but it also had a giant snowglobe, an airplane that housed the "Jet Restaurant", and gokarts. It also had an epic duty free store that's whole purpose was to sell overly large things (mentos, chocolate bars, bottles of alcohol (and, no, I didn't buy that giant bottle of schnapps, regardless of my instinct to do so)). We then drove two more hours, had lunch in Prague, and continued driving to Dresden. I have a list of recommended bars to check out here for good techno, so that is on my to-do list for the evening. I took lots of videos and pictures of Prague and such with my other camera but those will have to wait until I return to Vienna. Bis Morgen my lovelies!

Purchases

2011-02-04T08:51:00.000-08:00

On my way home from my German final today (which went Swimmingly and Frau Meyer said she was impressed with the rapidness with which I caught up), I stopped at H&M to buy some shirts. I chroooonnnically underpacked in the shirts department (regardless of what mein Vatti thinks!) I picked up 4 shirts and a shirtdress, all of which were less that 15 Euros. I learned that H&M in Europe has big girl sizes (shockingly), and that I can fit into both the smallest size of that (mostly) and the largest regular size (mostly). So now I actually have enough clothes to last me through my 9 day excursion through Prague, Leipzig, Dresden, and Berlin. I leave tomorrow at 8am, so this may be my last post for a while, but keep watching the IES blog (here's the link) because I just submitted a post that should get approved sometime next week.

Grinzing

2011-02-03T12:59:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos of my stroll around the my neighborhood-ish. (You may wonder about the door. I'm predicting one like this in my future; a door that is overly large and has a smaller Caitlin-sized door within it.)

Der Goldener Krauthappl

2011-02-01T05:49:00.001-08:00

I passed this building on the way to the Naschmarkt (which is a whole other story and to which I will have to go back and take photos) and had to take a photo. I loved the dome of golden Laurel leaves. It is apparently called the Secession, as it was built by and it held the Secessionists, a group of artists that in 1897, withdrew from the Association of Austrian Artists. It is built in the Art Nouveau style, and is now a museum that houses a famous Klimt, as well as rotating contemporary exhibits. The locals hated it and wanted it torn down, but now it is a very popular Viennese attraction and even found its way onto the 50 cent Austrian Euro. The locals call it Der Goldener Krauthappl, aka, the Golden Cabbage. The saying above the door says "Der Zeit ihre Kunst, der Kunst ihre Freiheit," which in my limited German means something like "The time, their art. The art, their freedom," but what do I know? (I know I'm going back. That's what I know.)

This is how much the Viennese love dogs...

2011-01-31T06:34:00.000-08:00

...and I cannot get enough of it.

(I have a bunch more pictures to put up later, but right now, I want a nap.)

Ahhhh Tuesday...

2011-01-25T09:23:00.000-08:00

I had a pretty good day today. I slept until noon, completely missing breakfast and my first antibiotic/pain killer of the day, but happily, I felt no pain anyways. I lazed about, did a little German, had elderbeer jogurt for breakfast (that's blueberry, I think) and then took a stroll down to the Billa (by myself, and I found my way there and back!) to get some milk and other goodies. I got everything I needed including a Magnum bar, pictured above; this delicious piece of ice cream perfection, which I was introduced to in France, was the single most wonderful (and expensive) thing I bought today. I also got a notebook for a Euro and a half. I think you might recognize the brand. And then, upon getting home, I didn't have my milk! So I guess I'll have to go get some more tomorrow. I'm not a huge milk drinker, but I like it in my tea and I've been consuming incredibly amounts of tea. I also heat it up and put musli in it for a delicious oatmeal-esque breakfast. I also got some carrots and bananas as well as some chocolate covered brezeln (which are NOT the same as american ones, they are big and soft and fluffy), some cookies with chocolate in them (sort of digestive cookie-ish), some frankfurters, some heinz cream of tomato soup, a few other things, and a pre-made club sandwich because it looked good. Well let me tell you, club sandwiches in Austria are a little different than in America. It has egg salad, tiny thick bits of chicken, bacon, and a tomato slice on it. Oh yeah, and LOTS of mayo (which I don't mind). Boy is it delicious, but it wasn't what I expected. I would call it a mother and child reunion sandwich with bacon. I'm enjoying it with a delicious raw carrot for dinner.

In other news, the Viennese love dogs! It's amazing and I love it! And not just little yappy dogs. I saw a lab and a retriever on my way to my apartment the other day, and today I saw a shaggy deer-hound type dog and a big rottweiler. Not only do they love dogs, they talk to their dogs like they'd talk to another person. I can't get enough of it. I just need to figure out how to say "I love your dog, can I pet it?" in German.

Well, until tomorrow. xoxo

PS. The first photo is of a poster for "The Bad Powells: the freaky soul and disco show" which I wish I could have seen. :) Alas, the mono gets me again.

PPS. Full-size absolutely delicious chocolate bars for 35 cents? I'm sold on this whole "Austria" thing!

A Few Photos

2011-01-24T11:13:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to feel a bit better. I go to the IES Center and the Doctor on Wednesday. Today I got dressed and did my hair and put in my contacts and went for a walk. I took some photos I'll try to put up tomorrow. These photos are the few I got during orientation, before I began dying of mono that is.

Awake Daze.

2011-01-20T06:48:00.000-08:00

So by some small miracle, not only am I probably going to be released tomorrow, but I also have managed to stay awake all day! So in my hospital boredom (and procrastination from doing German homework) I put up those photos (first from a rest stop we parked at for half an hour, and the second at the hotel Mads and I stayed at) and I made this video. It is very simplistic and about as much as my video editing software will allow of me, but I'm still veeeeery pleased. :) Enjoy! (also, feel free to click on the video, which will take you to the youtube site and you can watch it in a bigger format.)

Getting Oriented

2011-01-19T07:04:00.000-08:00

I was hoping this first post would be able to document the orientation weekend that starts the semester in Vienna. And the day and a half of said Orientation I attended was great: there is so much information, such a lovely hostel, and so many friendly people. However, if you're me, you get sick the second day and go to see the doctor and get antibiotics and painkillers. Then you stop being able to get out of bed for 2 days, a different doctor comes to see you, and you end up in the hospital in Graz with Mono and a secondary infection. So this post is going to be more about Austrian hospitals than the splendid town of Deutschlandeberg (with castles and vineyards and a quintessentially European feel).

All I can say, is this hospital is great!

The nurses are very friendly (and why not since they're sporting very comfy looking Birkenstocks). Even though I only speak minimal German, they're able to communicate in English and they understand my Deutschlish. I've bee prescribed a special kind of tea to gargle with to help my throat and none of the nurses can figure out the English word for gargle (understandably so, it is sort of specialized), so I've gotten to hear all the nurses do their impressions of gargling. Also, the language barrier isn't such a terrible thing; I asked for ice cubes the other day and got ice cream instead, and I'm sure not complaining!

The room I'm sharing with three other women is bright yellow with nearly floor to ceiling windows, and bright orange and yellow curtains over them. It is very bright and cheery in here. It isn't cold or sterile like an American hospital would be. IES has been really wonderful about my illness. There is always someone here to keep me company, and they took care of insurance stuff and school stuff.

Now that I'm actually on the mend, I'm getting more excited about being in Austria. When I was dying in the hostel basement, I didn't want to be here at all, but now that everything is clearing up, my attitude is also more optimistic. I know this is wreaking havoc on my poor mother too, but alas, I'd much rather she visit when we can enjoy Vienna together and not have to lay about in my house. It would be one thing if I wasn't improving, but I am, so I think it is best that she stay in the States.

So don't y'all worry. I'm swallowing beverages and eating food again and slowly gaining back my strength. I'll be ready to face Vienna in no time at all.

I've Arrived

2011-01-12T07:36:00.000-08:00

Here I am in Vienna, waiting creepily by the baggage claim for mi amigo Maddie to arrive in about an hour. So I thought, what the heck, I'll make a blog post. I'm sure I'll take photos during Orientation, so those will be up in a day or two. But for nowwwww.....

Top 5 Eurofaves so far:

5.) Being Legal to Drink. If I want a beer, I can damnwell get one, and no one will look at me funny or ANYTHING!

4.) German. The Viennese don't give a crap that I don't understand German. All the signs are in German, and I, being lucky, get to follow the pictures. I did figured out that the WC is the bathroom (water-closet anyone?) And found my way to the baggage claim, so I'm feeling pretty accomplished already.

3.) The Amsterdam Airport. It was just so classy! They had a Mac makeup counter and stores of perfume and hugo boss and electronics and AWESOMENESS! Also, all the information was given in dutch, then in the language of the country the flight was going to, then in English. It was awesome.

2.) Men In Suits. Pretty much every man over the age of 25 is wearing a suit. In the airport. Not sweatpants or something else foolish. But they travel in style, at the very least they're wearing tailored, pressed jeans. I could get used to this.

1.) The descent into Vienna. Desending into Vienna was absolutely incredible. I attempted to get some footage, but the woman next to me kept giving me weird looks and I didn't have the window seat. :c It was cloudy, but SUPER sunny above the clouds, so as we descended through the clouds, beams of gold and pink light were shining through. The ground was a patchwork of green scattered with so many windmills it would put Judith gap to shame. The mountains were glowing in the distance and it was so so so sooooo beautiful. Despite my discomfort, I may already have fallen in love with Austria.

Sled Times!

2011-01-05T23:46:00.000-08:00

My IES BLOG

2011-01-04T19:42:00.001-08:00

The company through which I'm studying abroad hired me to be a photo-blogger. Here is a link to my photo blog. The first post is up! I'm going to continue to blog here, more thoroughly, but keep an eye out there too. :)

More snow!

2011-01-03T17:51:00.000-08:00

Too brrrr for me.

2010-12-31T16:03:00.000-08:00

Off topic...

2010-12-26T21:52:00.000-08:00

This photo is from my trip to Glacier this summer. A bit off topic, but I wanted to post it.

Family Portrait

2010-12-18T21:30:00.000-08:00

Here is a family portrait from our Secret Santa party. Only Jacob is missing, and he's there; he's just hiding between all the girls on the couch. These are the kids I've spent the past several months with, and the past two years before that with. It is going to be soooooooo strange to leave them for a semester, and not be able to just toodle down the street and get an opinion on an outfit or run a paper idea by them. Mostly, I miss them already.

Outfits

2010-12-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

My getting-dressed-skills are really improving this year. Here are a couple examples of that, and also a picture of myself with my friend Sarah!

Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T19:25:00.000-08:00

I may have spent the day solo, however, not only did I greatly enjoy myself, but I also did not go without the feast! I bought a pre-cooked turkey breast at Safeway yesterday, and after cranking up some Billie Holiday, made up some Stovetop, cooked some carrots, heated some green beans, cracked open a can of cranberry sauce, and mixed up some fizzy applejuicegingerale goodness. It has been a lovely day and I'm so thankful for everyone in my life and everything I have been blessed with. :D (Also the above photo features one of the woolly sweaters I bought yesterday. I bought it to make legwarmers, but I have fallen in love with this particular one and do not know if I can bear to cut it up.)

Oh Harry....

2010-11-19T03:18:00.000-08:00

HARRY POTTERRRRR was excellent. I highly recommend. <3

Fall Ball (preview)

2010-11-16T08:17:00.000-08:00

These were taken at the photo booth at fall ball. I'll be posting some more photos later. <3

Playing Dress Up!

2010-11-06T10:16:00.001-07:00

My friends Emily and Nina came and visited a few weekends back and we basically played dress up and went to a dance party. :) It was very fun. The wig, however, did convince me that I do NOT miss long hair, as it drove me nuts all night, and by the top photo (the end of the night (please excuse the crazy face, it was 3 in the morning)) it had definitely come off.

In other news, I have made a flickr photo gallery to submit when I apply to be an IES blogger while abroad. You can check it out here.

Last, some this week's Dance Party themed Breakfast of Champions and last week's Halloween themed Breakfast of Champions.

Happy Halloween with Cait-tastrophe

2010-11-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

This year, I was a roller derby girl! It was QUITE fun. I was also an artist for about 45 minutes because I had a lot of homework to do last night.

Halloween at Nom Nom

2010-10-29T21:57:00.000-07:00

What I've Been Up To Lately...

2010-10-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

Breakfast of Champions!!! Hot and Fresh Right Here!!!

2010-10-10T01:06:00.000-07:00

Week 2
Week 3
Week 4 (All covers all the time!)

Hey everyone! I'm having some awesome and wild weeks. Lots of concerts, many super great friends, a ton of missing my family, and tests and papers out the wazoo. I'm going to try and be more prompt with the blog postings, but let's get real, I'm busy and blogging is like priority number 4 on my to-do list. I hope everyone is having a great October, and please enjoy the show!

Breakfast of Champions! Lunchtime Edition!

2010-09-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

Here is the first radio show of the semester!!!! I missed the first half because I was dying, but I made it for the second half. Besides a couple of minor technical issues regarding backing music, it went really well. We managed to get one of the 60 slots available to the over 200 applicants, so that was lucky. And because I didn't get my Paul Simon show (regardless of the "strong application" they said I had) there will be much of him and covers of him and references to him, etc. Do enjoy!

a lack of posting here.

2010-09-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry about my lack of posting. I've been very very veeeeerrrry busy between communications classes, European dictatorships, learning German, and feeding the masses of Puget Sound. Here are a few photos from the 2 days I spent at Bumbershoot over labor day weekend. On Saturday, I bought a ticket and got to see the Decemberists (so great), Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (blew my mind!), and Bob Dylan (somewhat disappointing.) I also spent QUITE a bit of time at Flatstock, the music poster show. I only bought one poster, but it is one I considered buying last year, decided not to, and then regretted for the whole year. So now it is sticky-tacked to my wall and looking WONDERFUL. On Sunday I volunteered in order to get free admission. We walked around handing out sheets about taking the Bumbershoot survey and giving away free Bumbershoot patches and pins. It was super fun. We got to hear tons of bands as we walked around and we got to meet lots of people. We then took Margaret to see Motion City Soundtrack, which isn't one of my favorites, but who she loves. It was pretty darn fun. After that, we headed home early, and basically crashed upon our return. I hit the ground running and worked at 8:30 on Monday morning, and haven't stopped since. I'm now ill, and the cold is really not sparing me a lot of kindness. I'll try to be more fervent about my posting, but no guarantees. I hope everyone is having a good September. Tschüss!

For Dad

2010-08-29T13:02:00.001-07:00

http://www.qwantz.com/comics/comic2-1254.png

Glacier

2010-08-24T23:37:00.000-07:00

I finished my final shift at sonic this past evening. I head out to the coast tomorrow. I am not as ready to go back as I was last summer. I didn't cry when I said goodbye to Harlee though, so that is a step in the right direction. Here are a couple photos from the trip I took to Glacier with my friend Serena, visiting from Wisconsin. :)

One more photo of me. :)

2010-08-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

Late July Phototime with Papa Bearrrr!

2010-07-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

camping

2010-07-28T08:03:00.001-07:00

These are a couple photos from visiting my friend Ashley up at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp. It is a beautiful place and made me quite campsick for Scoutana and Westana.

flooooooow'rrrrrs

2010-07-06T13:11:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the flower photos I took while hiking with Mariska!

horses

2010-07-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

There are a bunch of horses that run around up in the meadows where Mariska and I hiked. They were very friendly and right near the path, so I snapped a few photos.

portraits!

2010-06-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

Here are some impromptu portraits I took of my good friend Mariska while we were hiking.

geburtstag!

2010-06-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

Not my geburtstag which also passed, but my froommate Madie's geburstag. First is a photo of the two books I bought her (The Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englander and The Buenos Aires Quintet by Manuel Vazquez Montalban both of which are fictions that take place in Argentina, where she is studying abroad) wrapped in vintage wrapping paper and ribbon. The second photo is the card that I made her.

I went on a hike on Sunday, so I have tons of photos to post. I will start doing that soon. :D