Day Is Done

YES!!

I'm finished with this quarter exams. It's only noon, but feels like its at least 3pm. I've been up since 5:00 am studying for a test at 9:00 am, I opted for waking up early rather than staying up late (which I usually do). But for some reason was exhausted last night at 11pm.
I just finished eating- school lunch today- a baguette sandwich with cheese, boiled eggs, shredded carrots and cucumber, and of course the dutch favorite, mayo.
The on the go type lunch.
As promised, below I've added those pictures I was talking about a little while ago, that the art department completely taped the windows of a corridor leading from the cafeteria to the library and then cut the tape to replicate 3d images.
You can click on the images to see them bigger.


I've also, as promised, fixed my picasa account and added my pictures from madurodam, den haag, and scheveningen--my latest trip in the Netherlands. Click here to see those pictures, or any others.
All this week there have been workers in my flat, drilling away at 7:30 am, it shakes the whole building. I have no idea what they were up to, but I'm really sick of it.
Yesterday in the front page of De Volkskrant, Nijmegen's newspaper, was a huge picture of Obama's new dog...I'm not sure if I should be relieved that nothing else is going on in nijmegen to make the front page, or just a little sad how ridiculous the whole thing is.
The Easter Fair is still going on in the center until the 20th, I think I'm going to drop by on saturday and take a look, I hear there's a little farm set up...there was also one for Christmas, I bet it's the same one.
I'm exhausted...I think I'm just going to do some reading today, and maybe a little cleaning.

The Lourdesgrot in Nijmegen (a copy of the Lourdes grotto in France)

Tot Zo!

p.s. title song by Nick Drake

Take Me Anywhere

Happy Easter Monday!!

here are some pictures of last week...

Marie & me making/eating pannenkoken (pancakes...dutch style)
finished product
out to dinner...my two slices of pizza got a full size box for take home
when virginie ordered a liter of wine, the waitress asked marie and i what we wanted to drink...we shared. : )
Marie showed me I do have self-timing on my camera!
Maria Gebrootekerk (church) we passed with a fire outside...

I like the "last but possibly least" amongst all the dutch...i wonder what they think that phrase means?

Doei!

p.s. title song by Tegan & Sara

Chalkline

So, I just tried to use the phrase, "chalk it up to"...on my exam, and realized that probably no one here would understand what I was trying to say, let alone submit the paper to a professor.
But, then I got to thinking, where does the phrase come from? And why are we chalking it up? Did I just make it up, or is it one of those strange phrases we use and don't know why? Does it have anything to do with children playing with chalk, and therefore making something simple that otherwise would be complicated?...Did that make sense?
Any insight...anyone?

Sucess!
p.s. title song by Strike Anywhere

Do, Re, Mi

Oh my gosh, funniest thing...almost ever. In the Antwerpen Centraal Trein Station (in Belgium, the first place I took a trip)...I do NOT own the rights, just for entertainment.



p.s. title song by...well, you get it.

It's A Great Day To Be Alive

This might be a little long...Yesterday was a really fun day. I went with our excursion to Madurodam, Den Haag (2nd trip), and Schevinengen (a beach). At first it was very disappointing that it was cloudy and cold considering the last few days have been so sunny and nice. But, we had a lot of fun. At first we went to Madurodam, that was a miniature scale version of key places in the Netherlands. It was a lot of fun to get to see places that I recognized, that I've been to, visited, and been inside. On some models there was a pad set up with buttons you could press to activate certain areas of the model...for example. On set up was a race track with a tiny cars driving around and four buttons in front. Each time a button was pressed, water shot out from the track and the car swerved and slid around the track.

Trains and planes, cars were all in motion, even a circus with bumper cars, a roller coaster, etc. were all moving. The people outside all the buildings were very cute. Outside a Cathedral all the little people were in line for a wedding, there were military set ups, markets...that would be a fun job.
Afterwards we got on the buses and went to Den Haag where we had a tour of the city. I found out at the Binnenhof, where the Parliamentary and Government sits. At the top of the building is a gold hallow ball. Apparently myth has it that back when, the plans for the building were held in the ball. So, if the building burned down or something happened, the ball would fall and roll off the building, could be kicked away from the fire and the building could be rebuilt as it was. No one knows if it's true for sure, but it's a fun story anyway.

In the Binnenhof is the Prime Minister's office (in a tower), since the Building on one side is 'protected' by a body of water, every winter the ice by the Minister's tower has to be broken so people can't ice skate on it and peek in the windows.
Those are a few of the stories told on our guided tour. Afterwards, the group of 5 people I was with, we decided to go see the Peace Palace, a little outside the center. The Peace Palace is the United Nations International Court of Justice, that also has the World Peace Flame, the first monument in 2002,, that actually contains a flame lit by tons of countries, each represented by a rock placed around the flame to make the monument. The Palace wasn't open to do a tour, I'd like to go back next month to see inside, and get a good look at the gardens that I'm sure will be a lot more lush in a few months.>The beach is definitely a place I'd like to go back to when the weather is a little better.
There were cafes all along the sand with sofas, beanie bags, fires, a really cozy set up. All in all it was a fun trip...the next one is in May to the city of Leiden and the Keukenhof (the largest garden --lot of tulips--in the world).
Here's some pictures of the day...of Madurodam. The rest are coming, only my picasa is full...and so i'm finding a way to get more pictures on it. I'll keep you posted.
Tot Straks!

p.s. title song by Travis Tritt

Lost In The Supermarket

Wow...today is a beautiful day, and actually almost every day so far this week has been. If only the wind weren't blowing it would be perfect! The sun is shining, birds are chirping, flowers are creeping out, and trees are beginning to blossom. This is my favorite in between seasons time.

After a while of biking in the wind, rain, snow, and hail, going as fast as you can to get from one place to the next so you suffer as little as possible...I took time to look around today, to bike slow (despite having two very large bags filled with groceries to the point where i couldn't close my saddle bags) and really took time to appreciate this beautiful city I'm in. And it is very beautiful.
It always seems to happen that I get lost when grocery shopping. And, well, this time it wasn't so much as get lost as it was trying to find a shortcut...and ended up starring at a brick wall. That's one thing the U.S. is so great about is putting up signs telling you it's a dead end. There may be 5 in a row, but at least it's a heads up. But of course my getting lost, or in this case biking down dead end streets always gets me somewhere beautiful and out of the way that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. I think ditching a map and just wandering around is the best way to see any place. While I didn't take time to stop and take any pictures to show you all this lovely place...another international has a blog and has this picture, that I really enjoyed, so I'll share it with the rest of you too!
Now that I'm refreshed and happy again, I have work to do.
And for a laugh...(I do NOT own the rights, just for fun)

Doei!
p.s. title song by The Clash