Mmmm

I have ALWAYS wanted to eat Ayn Rand alive. Since she is dead, this is the next best thing:



Food options aside, and the prevalence of overly hip hipsters, the place is lovely to work. The music is well chosen, and soft enough to not block all thoughts from my mind. The voices are quiet, other than a guy asking all his companions if they were Christian. I think that because it a used-book store, it has that library air that keeps the hip hushed. And such comfy chairs and warm light. I had no troubles with the Internet, but Kristiaan did. Try to spot him swearing at his computer below.


To complete the hipster ambiance it has an old typewriter:


I typed my Dutch lesson over and over on it:

Dishes

I borrowed Shrestha's camera (mine has undergone a nervous breakdown) while she was doing the dishes. This picture came out OK:

Resolution

Yet again, I resolve to write SOMETHING in my blog. Unfortunately, the self-seriousness needed to write a blog, about ME, is likely to keep my dear friends laughing for a decade. Why do I even try?

Because I have an unfortunate birthdate. At 25, I am young enough to yearn after the exhibitionistic lifestyle of the Facebook generation. Simultaneously, I am old enough to remember the concept of privacy, and hence hate Facebook. So I seek a non-Facebook route to flaunting my select inner thoughts.

If you are reading this, and you actually know me, you know I am very long-winded, and tell long stories about important topics such as my toenail. To spare my colleagues and friends, I will write (instead of speak) these hard-hitting stories.

Coordinating the outfit to match the dinnerware

Fare-ing well to Benji ... via dance!

Dancing at Benji's farewell

Thinking ... thinking ... thinking ...

The laser had algae growing inside!

Pacifica

Dish Hike

I went to the dish recently, and had my breath taken away. Sunbeams and dramatic shadows follow:

Dish Hike

P.S. I lost my camera card reader, so only iPhone pictures.

Other photo albums of note

Jim creaming the competition (no pun intended) in a pie eating contest:

Jim Eats A Lot of Pie and Wins

A visitation before Dany and Clara's wedding:

Before Dany and Clara's Wedding

My OTHER trip to Europe

This is six months late, so I don't really remember what the names of all the buildings are anymore. What I chose to take pictures of is random, since I am a non-believer in the value of photographs. (Hence they go up six months later. :) ) There are almost no pictures in France, sadly. I am fairly sure that this is not the correct order that I visited the cities.

The first part is not in Europe, but in New York, where we spent a day:

New York

Next, we went to London. Due to bad planning, I was INSANELY jet lagged:

London

Then we went to Belgium. We stayed in Schilde, which I failed to photograph. Schilde is a suburb of Antwerp, of which I do have pictures:

Antwerp

We went to f***ing Bruges:

In Bruges

We visited Ghent also:

Ghent

We crossed the border to Amsterdam, and Delft:

Amsterdam

Delft

I met both large and small people in Lier:

Lier

And of course Brussels:

Brussels

We visited Kristiaan's alma mater in Leuven:

Leuven, including the trip there

Somewhere in between, when I got tired of traveling, we went to the Antwerp zoo:

Antwerp Zoo!

Finally we went to France where I didn't take pictures, partly because I had the flu, and partly because Paris gets its share of tourist camera assault, without me adding to it:

Some of my feverish stay in Paris

The rest of my Italy pictures

It feels far too monumental to describe these pictures in detail:

Venice in the afternoon

San Marco at night

European Drag Queen Beauty Pageant

Venice in the morning

Mestre

My Dorm

For those interested in stalking me, these picture include beautiful roses, and also a bidet:

My Dorm

Awesomest car EVER!

I found this car near the edge of the Miramare grounds. I am in looooove with it, and take pictures at every opportunity. Sometimes the car has a friend.

Pictures follow:

Awesomest car EVER!

Snow!!!!!

On Wednesday morning, it started to snow. They closed the castle, thanks to the snow, dashing our plans.

The snow is part of a huge cold wave that affects both the Europe and North America. There was also a huge cold wave the day I was born, so, at least in one way, the snow is conveniently timed.

Pictures!

Snow!

First (evening) visit to Trieste

I finally made it to Trieste on Tuesday, night, with Reese and Apurva (he is male - don't ask further). It was too dark to see much, this is the best I could do, as far as pictures:

First (evening) visit to Trieste

Miramare castle, or walking to class

The first day of class, my roommate Reese and I walked through the Miramare castle grounds to class. The castle was sadly not open at 8 am. Also, since the path literally spirals, we subsequently took the much less scenic route through the tunnel under the gardens.

This was before the weather turned ugly - it was only slightly chilly. Walking on a dirt path under the pine trees, I experienced a flashback of the first day of high school. Looking at the castle helped me keep it real.

Pictures follow:

Miramare castle, or walking to class

Trieste, or actually ICTP in Grignano

I arrived Saturday night at my destination, which is about 5 km from Trieste. I was tired at night, but I took pictures when I woke up early in the morning from jetlag.

Pictures from my apartment, including those that I took over the next two weeks follow:

Assorted views from Trieste apartment in various weather

Munich

I flew through Munich airport last Sunday. It looked spiffy inside, and dismal outside. I was there for four hours, mostly spent in the airplane mall. I noticed that most things cost the same number of euros in Europe as dollars in the US. They had a nice paging system to make sure people make it to flights. I tested my pathetic language skills on the said system.

Pictures follow:

Munich flughafen is gloooooomy

The Revised No List

Yogurt

Sour cream

Cottage cheese

Stinky and/or soft cheese, excepting Livarrot

Yolk of poached and boiled eggs

Shellfish with only 2 shells, except scallops

Honey by itself

Perceptible onion

Multiple (thanks to Benjamin) slices of melon

Green peas

Brussels sprouts

Cauliflower

On the beach

A shrimpy thing I found on New Year's Day while wading in the beach.