Fantastic Friday

Wow.  Today was awesome.

I got up, said goodbye to Sam and her fam and went down to the airport to pick up Gabe.  He got in on time and, though tired, was finally here. 

We came back to the apartment to put stuff away and clean up, stopping to get waffles from the lady in the metro station.  After relaxing for a bit, we went out for kebaps, went for a walk to the top of the parking garage with 360 degree view, and then headed over to Grand Place and saw Mannekin Pis.  We wandered around a bit, seeing the Galerie Royal and getting some chocolate.  Then we came back and watched Ocean's Eleven.  We were both tired and Gabe slept a bit.  Half-way through, we got hungry, so I made dinner.

It was an interesting dinner...  Ranch potatoes, sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes and what was supposed to be hamburger patties.  I went to the Colruyt this past week and got meat - I asked for meat to make hamburgers.  What I got came in patties, but I figured it was just those pre-made hamburger things.   Well, I opened it up, and it was bright orange.  I figured I'd cook it - it was just seasoning... But it turned into a crunchy shell sort of thing.  It wasn't the right color for beef, either, when you cut it open.  Anyways, I cooked it through and we cut it open.  Gabe decided it was ham, and I would have to agree.  I couldn't eat mine, and had leftover lemon chicken instead, but he put cheese on his and said it wasn't bad. 

Then we finished the movie and went out to Delirium.  I was so proud of myself for being able to find it - I'd only ever followed people to get there.  I had a Kasteel Rouge in an awesome glass and got a Chimay for Gabe.  We both enjoyed it.  We came back after one drink and are going to bed.  We're tired.

Goodnight, world.

Thursday Happenings

Well, today was fun, I guess.

I got up sortof early and went down to Waterstone's with Sam's mom.  I got five books, three by Margaret Atwood - The Edible Woman, Lady Oracle and The Blind Assassin.  I also got The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb (who I've never heard of) and my most exciting find was And Another Thing, which was written by Eoin Colfer as part six of the Hitchhiker's Trilogy.  We shall see how it turns out.

Then we stopped by the grocery store and got fresh berries before getting waffles in the metro station.  Sam's mom made delightful looking waffles piled high with chocolate and fruit.  They said they were very good.

Then it was off to class.  We reviewed and learned about our teacher's grandparents, who were in Brussels during the second World  War.  We looked at some old bonds and stocks, and that's about it.

The rest of the day wasn't particularly interesting.  I read a tiny fraction of our finance book (as we have a quiz on Thursday) and did some other review.  I did get to watch the new episode of In Plain Sight and talked with some people.  Gabe left at 7:30 my time, and he should be here tomorrow morning.  I can't wait.

I got an email about 9 with the link to our speeches.  Mine was about Douglas Adams, and starts at 1:15:38 if you would like to watch it.  We have a reflection paper and our next speech proposals due Tuesday, so I did them tonight, as it would be difficult to do them while in Israel or when Gabe is here. My proposals are... interesting, as they are persuasive subjects.  I tried not to be cliche, but I don't think I succeeded.  I'll let you know what I choose and what the runner ups were in a week or so when I actually start writing and researching my speech.

For now, it's bedtime.  I'm excited for tomorrow.

Goodnight, world.

Wow, Busy Day

So today I woke up, finished my outline for speech, took a shower and went to Planete Chocolat. 

It was really cool and we had lots of fun.  We got chocolate for answering questions like what's in chocolate and who brought it back to Europe, which I knew from previous chocolate museum and factory tours.  They gave us specialty chocolates and their special hot chocolate.  Then we got to play with and make our own chocolate.  We worked it on the granite counters, as well as made our own pralines - dark chocolate with hazelnut filling.  It was delicious.  Oh, and we made some of the chocolate dipped orange things.  All very yummy.

Then we all rushed back to CUBC for our law test, which was hopefully better than the last, but I couldn't tell with that one and really couldn't with this one.  We then did a chapter before getting dismissed for Easter, and the comm class stuck around for our speeches.

They were informative speeches, supposed to be about six minutes.  I think that there shouldn't be a maximum time limit.  Some speeches were actually really interesting - I never thought the history of golf would be so intriguing - and some fell a little flat.  We all had the options of getting feedback on our outlines, and our teacher suggested that I make it less listy - my speech was about Douglas Adams, and I had written all of the titles down with publication dates. 

So I tried to summarize. 

For those of you who have read Adams' work, you realize how difficult this is... I ended up at thirteen minutes, but got a "good delivery" and "you held my attention the whole time" which is more than can be said for some of the others. I felt stupid.  Really stupid.  But my justification is that I tried to make it less listy - there was no way to summarize his books in less than a paragraph each.  There are too many plot lines, or there is total lack of a plot line, so it just didn't work.  We'll see what he says, and I have a reflection paper to write on it.

After speech, we all came back to the apartment and chilled for a while before I made dinner.  Beef stroganoff, out of a box, with green beans and very delicious.  It was a small group and one of the cheapest meals so far - food here is so expensive.  Then we all relaxed, and some watched Entourage.  I had coffee ice cream with nerds (so good!) and then promptly fell asleep on the couch.  I woke to screaming over the show, and hung my laundry up to dry.

Tomorrow I'm going to the bookstore with Sam's mom, then going to finance.  She leaves Friday morning, and Gabe comes soon after.  I'm so excited for the next week and a half. =] Israel Saturday night through Thursday morning, and then Amsterdam Friday.  It will be so much fun.

Time for bed, now.

Goodnight, world.

Want... Sleep,,,

Well, tomorrow I have a chocolate tour, a law test and a speech about Douglas Adams. So I'm up studying and preparing because I slept til noon today.  Wasn't my smartest move, but I forgot to set my alarm. 

I had delicious muffins for breakfast before going to class, suffered through finance, went to the grocery store, and then studied a bit.  Sam, Hudson (her cousin), Sam's mom, Kristin and I went out for kabaps, and when we got back, I went back to work. 

It hasn't been a particularly productive day, but tomorrow will be busy.

Goodnight, world.

Back to Brussels

Well, I got back this morning at 8, unpacked and relaxed a bit. 

Everyone loved the food I brought back and it was cool to see Sam's mom and cousin.  Then was law class, which I had a really hard time focusing in.  Then I had ramen for lunch when we got back before going to bed and taking a much needed five-hour nap. 

When I got up, Kristen had left for Italy - I won't see her until next Thursday - and Sam and her fam was gone.  I made some matzah ball soup and then we all talked for a bit.  Now it's time for bed.

Tomorrow is homework and finance class.

Goodnight, world.

Wonderful Weekend

Well, I guess I should explain my absence....

Friday morning I got up early and went to the airport and caught a plane back to Charleston.  Of course, it wasn't really that easy, as they had canceled all flights from Newark to Charleston, so I got rerouted through Charlotte and ended up arriving nearly four hours later than planned.  But still, I got home, took a shower and went to prom.  It was a blast and I had so much fun seeing all my friends.  Afterwards, we went camping out in McClellanville, where we had a bonfire and lots of fun.

Saturday I got up, went home and went grocery shopping with Dad.  I ended up with 50 pounds of food.  Not all for myself, of course, as everyone asked for things to be brought back, mostly mac and cheese.  Then we had delicious BLTs for lunch and I unpacked before going downtown.  I spent some time chatting, and then Gabe and I walked around.  I had forgotten how enjoyable walking around downtown was.  We went back to my house and Dad made us dinner, which was very tasty and then we relaxed for a while.

Sunday flew by, as we got up, had breakfast, and then I went to the airport.  No troubles checking in and then I had a four hour layover in Newark.  The plane left a little early, which was nice, and the flight wasn't so bad.  I slept a bit on both and feel reasonably rested, but it will be time for a nap soon. I got back and immediately checked my email and facebook, as I had gone for several days without, and then typed this up.  I have class this afternoon, and Kristen is leaving for Italy, so it will be Sam and me until Thursday when she leaves, and then Gabe comes on Friday.  =]

I'm so happy I had the opportunity to go home, and I really enjoyed seeing everyone.  Thank you so much for everything.  I love and miss yall already, but I'll be home in a month.  (I can't believe it's only four weeks away!) 

And now it's naptime.

Long Day

Well, today I got up at 6ish because I didn't sleep at all.  I did a whole bunch of things, nothing I can really think of, but the sunrise was pretty. 

I watched The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and wrote an outline for my speech on Douglas Adams and then watched the first part of Sweeny Todd.  Then I had finance class.  They kept us late, but we did eventually get our tests back - I barely made an A, but that was a whole lot better than a lot of people.

Then I finished Sweeny Todd and talked with Sam and relaxed a bit. Her mom and cousin are coming tomorrow and staying for nearly two weeks.  She's excited, as am I.  Everyone's ready for a mom.

I'm excited about this weekend, and I have to leave the apartment at 6, so I'm going to bed.

Goodnight, world.

Productive?

I would say so.  I heavy-duty cleaned, repacked several times, and had law class.

Kristin brought over her scale for me to weigh my bag - I was 9 kilos over - which is about 20 lbs.  So I repacked and hopefully it'll work now.  My carry-on is another 12 kilos (in addition to the 23 of my suitcase) and then my purse is the only thing that has anything that won't be staying at home, and that hasn't been packed yet.  I'm excited for the weekend.

After class, I went to a new GB grocery store - one with an American section.  They had peanut butter (Peter Pan, 3.58 Euro for one of the LITTLE jars - they didn't have the big ones) and the epitome of America - Marshmallow Fluff.  Not to mention popcorn and hot chocolate and stuff.  I was excited to see it, just to know it was there if I needed it.  I got food for dinner, which was very tasty tacos.  It was just a few of us, but we had fun. 

I can't believe we only have a month left - it's been a whirlwind three months so far.  Gabe gets here in just over a week and we're going to Israel and Amsterdam, and then I won't be traveling anymore until I'm coming home.  It's astounding.  I've already been to Cologne, Dusseldorf, Zurich, Venice, Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona, Bruge, Dublin, Howthe, Birmingham, London, and Paris.  That's THIRTEEN cities.  And we have Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, the Dead Sea, Eilat and the Golan, not to mention Amsterdam.  I'm not really sure where all we're going to end up going when we're in Israel, but I'm sure it will be amazing.

And now it is time for bed.

Goodnight, world.