May 2003 Archives

And to them I say, You’re right, but shut up already. Some people (you know who you are) say I am too focused on the crap that happens to me. To a large degree I think that is true. But I have also come to the conclusion (partly) that bitching helps me to stay sane(ish) because I get irritation and anger out of my system more quickly and can return to enjoying myself. Often if I am having a good time or generally happy I don’t go about telling those around me about it; so when I do speak up it is regularly to complain about something. This makes it seem as though I never have anything good to say and that is just not true I just don’t think to express my happy thoughts. Because I just assume everything is fine unless I hear or get the feeling that something is wrong I am not in the habit of making my positive thoughts explicit.

Sorry to all who think I am cynical, negative, ass. It is true sometimes, but I think most who haven taken the time to get to know me can see it is just a cover (please don’t tell anyone else).

After a few days of being on the train or boat almost non-stop I got to Oslo yesterday night. I was all excited to explore the city and have a good time when I arrived, but by the end of the night I was raging mad and wanted to just sit down and cry. The directions I received from my hostel were basically, “Take the train here.” Suffice it to say that it took me 2 hours to get to the hostel, and come to find out, the hostel is about 10 minutes from the train station I arrived at. Oy, such is life I suppose.

It has been a fun trip overall but I am ready to come home! Three more days and I’ll be on my way.

Since 20. May I’ve been in Bergen, Norway. It is wonderful here, and I have been staying with come really great distant relative of mine, Arne and Kisten Jorgenson. They are so sweet, they are worried I don’t eat enough and they don’t even seem to mind that I don’t like fish. So far I’ve visited the Hanseatic Museam, the Rosenkrantz Tower, and taken the funicular railway up the Fl�yen mountain. It was gorgeous up there and the view of the harbor is amazing. Now I think I will head back to the Jorgensons’ and eat something and then go see the Matrix Reloaded.

Next stop is the Sognefjord and then the Fl�m railway and on to Oslo. Wish me luck!

This morning I left the lovely city of Copenhagen bound for Bergen with a stopover (now) in Oslo for about 7 hours. Copenhagen was very beautiful, but I have to say that what I have seen of Oslo is much more beautiful. The streets in Copenhagen—mainly the St?get—were a bit claustrophobic for my taste, but the main pedestrian mall in Oslo—Karl Johans Gate—is wide and not so imposing. I’ll able to give a better impression when I get back hear later in the week.

It has come to my attention that all the beautiful people of the world are either currently living in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, or at the very least they are from families having in recent generations moved from one of those places (i.e. my family). The people here are just beautiful, even the mediocre-looking ones are attractive! I love it and I think I might have to move here, but only after I become rich because I couldn’t afford it any other way. *To use the internet here in Oslo for an hour costs over $7.)

They tell you it’s expensive here… and you should believe them. I feel like I’ve gone back to New York, or maybe even (gasp!) London. Here’s a sample:

Ride on public transit: $2 One .5 liter of Fanta: $2 A falafal (sp?) sandwich: $7 30 mins. on the Net: $3.50

I miss Prague!!!

Because there is a 200% excise tax on the purchase of any automobile. That’s like buying three cars!

Welcome to Scandinavian Socialism everyone, next stop: the bike shop.

Yesterday I took the train from Prague to Copenhagen and on the way the neatest thing happened. Now, most of us Americans don’t often take trains and even less often do the trains have to cross bodies of water, but yesterday my train had to cross from the mainland onto one of the islands in the Danish archipelago. We took a train ferry!! It was so weird and I didn’t know beforehand about the ferry. But all os the sudden we were heading in to a big metal tunnel and we stopped and everyone got up and went outside and into a side door. Like a good lemming I followed and ended up in the duty free shopping and eating area on deck.

We were on the boat for about and hour and then we got back on the train and zipped out the other side. The whole time the only way you could tell it was a boat at all was to look out and see the Baltic Sea all around.

Last night was my last night in Prague (for now). We were all pretty sad to be leaving, but happy to be returning to the real world too. It’s an interesting dichotomy to love the place and still be ready to leave because you feel like it is time out of time and you life is on hold. Because it is, I think. When you go study abroad you are not going to study really, it’s more about “bigger” things that effect you on a much deeper level. All very much worthwhile and you get to have a blast while doing it, too!!

Not only did I learn a lot about myself, but I met a lot of great people and I am thrilled that I get to “take them home with me” so to speak.

Gotta run, I’ll write again soon!

An update on my Scandinavian Adventure. I am in Berlin waiting for my train to Copenhagen, I should arrive there at about 22:00 tonight. I am so excited! But at the same time, I am ready to come home too. I am tired already, But it’s going to be a blast!!

This just in… Lars Levie offered position with Communications Department Media Lab… The position offers a better salary, better location, and better working conditions… According to sources close to Mr Levie he is “thrilled with the new opportunity” and “looks forward to making more money.”

More information may be available at a later time… stay tuned.

Just minutes ago in a fit of excited typing and printing I officially completed all work for the Spring 2003 semester, and I am now 16 points closer to graduating from this overpriced indoctrination-machine called NYU. For those of you who don’t attend this glorious money-sucking institution you will probably not understand how great it feels to be closer to the end. But that is OK, suffice it to say “it’s a good thing”.

Pigs can now fly, Hell hath frozen over, and you can now surf the Internet while using the restroom. And not just any restroom mind you, oh no: a public, portable one.

And just in case you were curious, this is NOT a hoax. Visit MSNBC (a division of Microsoft) and read the article (including diagram).

You can now order sperm over the Internet from ManNotIncluded.com and receive, via post, a kit to inseminate yourself. Isn’t that a wonderful technological advancement? Forget going to a sterile medical clinic staffed with trained professionals, now you can get pregnant, hassle free, in the privacy of your own bathroom, you don’t need a man and it only costs $1000!

I love the Internet!

This is exam week, and can I just say that I hate the end of the semester. It may mark that the end of work is in sight, but it does not mean that the end of work has arrived. Just so you can all feel duely sorry for me I will tell you what exactly I have to do this week and next.

Monday: due 5 page paper on a plan to reconstruct Iraq Tuesday: due 9 page paper on the choice of a social market economy over a socialist economy in post-WW2 Germany, a Farewell dinner party all evening Wednesday: due 10 page paper on the changes in Berlin architecture after unification in 1990, and an exam in German Thursday: national holiday Friday: exam for Germany and East Central Europe part 1 (written) Monday: nothing Tuesday: exam for Germany and East Central Europe part 2 (oral)

Wow, it doesn’t sound like that much when you put it all down like that. But believe me, with the weather here it is!!!

As of the Sunday past I have two weeks left in Prague, and I have to say I get a bit down when I think about having to leave. Countless times I’ve said how great it is here and how much fun I have had, and that is all still true. But I think the most distressing thing about leaving is that it means returning to the semi-real world of college. Not only that but it means that I won’t be able to act superior and glot because I live in Europe. I’m such an butt, I know.

Interesting incident involving a jaywalking 12 year old girl and a sheriff’s deputy. What do you think?

Click here for the story.

If you are called Dustin Fancher or Julie Hukill, you should email me because I have not heard from you lately, especially you, Dustin!

I am fat.