I'm super excited because we're leaving for Amsterdam in a few hours. Anna is currently on vacation there and I can't wait to see her! I spoke to her on Thursday and we can't believe that the last time we saw each other in person was after high school graduation. I've missed her so much!
In one of the latest editions of Newsweek I noticed that there was a large ad for our international school in the back, with a picture of "our bench" on it. It's a spot where the two of us sat down for lunch one afternoon in 7th grade, and basically where our friendship started. (Anna & I even remember the joke that started it all.) I'm taking it with me to show her.
I don't even want to think about the phone bills that my poor parents had to pay during high school, seeing as she & I used to phone each other so much. Anna said that after all these years, she still remembers my parent's phone number, which actually came it quite handy because she forgot to write my cell phone number down. She ended up having to call my parents to get it.
In case you didn't know, the hayrack is to be used for decorative purposes only. All hay actually put in the hayrack will be promptly removed, eventually flattened, and used as a toilet.
This week, I was in a rush to get to the right train. There are several trains that stop at that particular platform, but they're not always at the same location (either at the front or the back of the platform). Upon stepping aboard the train, I looked for the nearest passenger.
Me: Excuse me ma'am, is the train heading to Antwerp? Passenger: *clears throat and starts speaking in a deep baritone voice* Yep! This train stops at Antwerp. Me: ...uuuh, thank you...um...sorry. *runs off to hide in another carriage*
...I laughed so hard when this came up. I loved The Simpsons' approach to the creation/evolution debate. (As opposed to Richard Dawkins doing Mr. Garrison in Southpark.)
We've started calling her our "zen pig" because she's got a very calming effect on anyone who holds her. Penny herself is very laid back and accepts any attention we wish to lavish upon her.
All she needs is a frozen margarita, a carrot, and maybe some underwear. :p
I was sitting in the office, just browsing the internet, when I heard the most pitiful series of howls & barks. I ran to the window, thinking something horrible had happened to our neighbour's dogs. Looking outside, I saw their tibetan terrier, tied to a leash in the middle of the yard.
They were giving him a bath.
Even from two floors up I could see that he had the most miserable expression on his face while they hosed him down. It reminded me so much of Ben.
-Finding a new supermarket & getting excited after seeing the size of their fresh food department.
-Discovering the American Museum of Natural History has podcasts of selected lectures. (Got excited about that as well.) http://www.amnh.org/podcast/snc/?src=p_h
Christmas Eve ended at an insanely late hour because my aunt thought we should wait...and wait...and wait until we opened the presents. I got home at 3am, which effectively destroyed any hopes I had of studying the next day (not that studying is going that well). We didn't start opening gifts until twelve, when we could have already opened some between courses, instead of just sitting. The whole idea of "gift giving" isn't fun, when everyone is hurrying up with their presents, so that they can go home. I know Christmas isn't just about the gifts, but seriously, this year it just felt like a chore!
We gave my cousin Y & his girlfriend some stuff for the cat. One of which was a glove with cat toys on it. My cousin is 25 years old...and with no cat in sight, he still spent about 20 minutes with that glove on, playing with the toy mice dangling from it.
The new dog, Duvel is an sweetheart. I'm in love! My dad has a fear of German Shepherds, having been bitten by two as a child. But when she came and sat by him, the same way Ben used to, with the same look on her face (ie."hellllooooooo, my belly needs a'rubbin") he just lavished attention onto her. She actually reminded my a lot of Ben, just in her general behaviour, and the way she interacted with people. The only difference is that she really likes to lick people, and Ben rarely did that.
Their senior cat also picked KD to be his snuggly spot of the evening. Unfortunately, KD is also allergic to cats. No matter how many times someone moved the cat, or picked her up, she always returned to KD's lap (and no, she didn't care about the cat toys,). I don't think he minded THAT much though, otherwise he wouldn't have continued petting her.
We returned with a lot of booty though. I <3 my creative zen vision:m. It's the bee's knees. I still haven't taken the time to explore all options, but so far, so good.
Christmas Day was spent with KD's family & also included a long session of gift giving. We've got a lot of new decoration for the apartment, & finally...a proper frying pan. We rarely fry food, but it's definitely something has been missed when trying out certain recipes.
KD's niece, Marie got loads, and loads, and loads of presents. But I think she really got a kick out of our gift to her (a dress up box of Disney Princess outfits). She spent entire time changing outfits, & putting on plastic jewelry.
(...I wish I could spent all day playing dress up, instead of studying physics. *le sigh*)
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rittsi's journal
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