€20

Yesterday I waiting in line at the ATM, talking to Julia, not paying attention. The person ahead of me leaves. I walk upto the machine and try to put my card in, but it's still humming and whirring. Out comes €20. I look around, but realize that I have no idea what the person ahead of me looked like. Julia and I ask around. No one knows where the women went. Someone says, "It's your lucky day." I guess it was. I think I will use it to buy a present for my condo, since yesterday was its birthday. Maybe that's not the right word. Anniversary? Yesterday was exactly three years since I became a homeowner. Hmm, I guess I should spent the money on me...

Molly's Wedding

Last weekend I was in Philadelphia. Yes, once again I went to the US for 72 hours. I do not consider myself jetset, for a direct flight across the pond actually takes less time than a one stop layover from the west coast. Though the weekend was brief and I never really adjusted to the time change, it was fun. Molly picked me up from the airport with Sean (now her husband), who I had not previously met. I feel that it is important to meet the groom before standing up in a friend's wedding, even if it's only a day or two before. Exhausted from the travel, I spent that night working on my thesis proposal and dined on my first Philly cheese steak. I truly believe that sandwich was invented with me in mind. Consisting of only meat, sauteed onions, cheese, and bread, I do not think it could ever be improved upon.

On Friday morning McHale and Genny, the remaining two Women arrived. Genny was supposed to arrive the night before, but she her flight was canceled due to weather. We were not quite sure what weather was being referred to, since it was lovely both in Philly and New York (where she had a layover from San Diego). The rest of the weekend was spent laughing. Sure there was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner on Friday night, but it was so nice to be with my Duke friends again. McHale also brought her boyfriend Samidh with as a date, and they shared the hotel room with Genny and me. He was really cool, and brave for sharing a room for the weekend with us. We just spent the whole time being silly, though the specific of which cannot be disclosed.

The rehearsal dinner was an exercise in technology. Specifically digital cameras for those who came of age prior to their invention. Maybe the problem is not with the fact that the camera is digital as much as it is with the red eye reduction. This is what happened. Someone took a photo of the bridal party. The button is pressed, a flash goes off, the camera is moved by the photographer, a second flash goes, thus the photo is taken. It was actually aimed at the floor by the time the photo was taken, but the photographer is not yet aware of that fact. He just sees the bridal party laughing and thinks, "this would make for an even better photo." So he aims the camera the crowd again, the button is pressed, a flash goes off, the camera is moved, a second flash goes, thus the photo is taken. Of the ceiling this time. More laughter. More photographers. This occurs for a few more cycles until it's not funny any more. I have yet to see these photos.

Saturday was the big day. Up at 7AM to shower. 8AM brunch. 9:30AM hair and makeup. Back to the hotel at noon for lunch. Leave hotel at 1PM for the wedding site or 1:30PM photos. More photos. 4:30PM ceremony starts. 11PM back to the hotel. It was a long day, but absolutely perfect. Molly looked beautiful. Her dad gave the best wedding toast I had ever heard. There was drinking and dancing all night. Then it was Sunday.

Sunday. I woke up in Philly and went to sleep on Monday in Delft. It was 36 hours of planes, trains, and automobiles. I had to take a bus to New York, then a stopover in Dublin, to finally make it back home. And I am just getting over the jet lag three days later and still working on my thesis proposal.

Back in Delft

I am finally staying in one place for more than three days! So, coming soon...stories and pictures about the last six weeks.

Corfu

The vacation that I wanted or the vacation that I needed? A bit of both. I am enjoying the good weather, for I the first time in months I have gone 48 hours without rain. I am not sunburned yet, even though I have been outside for most daylight hours. Julia is making me do a bit of work on my thesis, only because her mentor is making her email him some edits. I have been reviewing lots of literature, but none of it seems relevant to my topic. But that hasn't been the whole holiday, don't despair. Yesterday we went to the beach at Glyfides and swam in the Adriatic, today we climbed forts in Corfu Town and drank many iced cappuccinos. Tomorrow we explore the north.

Excuses, excuses

The family just left. It was nice to spend time with Mom, Dad, and the Kid. Tomorrow I go on holiday, one week in Corfu. Thus, no time to write. I know I need to write about Belgium, Helsinki, Tallinn, and Berlin, about Asian night, about groupwork, about my family's visit, but I'm tired. No, exhausted. I've been working, my thesis proposal is due in four weeks. I've been fighting, I am desperate for a consistent funding policy. I will catch up eventually. Just not tonight.

MIA

The past three weeks have been a bit bust. First there was the weekend in Belgium. Then Asian night. Then group work. Therefore, I skipped town and spent last week in Helsinki, Tallinn, and Berlin. So in the next few days I will be posting. It needs to be done soon because Mom, Dad, and Kid arrive in 10 days. No, nine. Wow. Lots to do.

What You Will

Call it greed. Call it impatience. Call it stupidity. Call it what you will, but on Wednesday I finally bought myself a copy of the latest Harry Potter. And finished it this morning. I enjoyed every second of it. I already have a copy in the states, but I decided that I didn't want to wait anymore. So that's one less thing to ask my parents to bring with on their visit.

Foreign Guests

Chicago is a so far away. I wonder if I can get this written before they are off the train in Amsterdam? I just returned from drinks and dinner with Julia, Drew (my ex) and Amanda (his girlfriend). We had a wonderful time. I was a bit nervous, and asked Julia to join me as my wing man. But it turned out quite well. I really enjoyed meeting Amanda and was very excited that Drew finally got a stamp on his passport. And the fact that they brought me some presents from home really helped (a bridesmaid dress, a portable hard drive and a book in exchange fro some candy and stroopwaffels - I think I got the better end of the deal). Anyway, it was very nice to chat and catch up and I can only hope that they enjoyed it as much. Well, I can also hope that my heat rash goes away soon too, but at this point it seems to be a pipe dream...

Waiting by the Phone

I am waiting for the doctor to call me back. I am waiting to find out if I will need to take, yet another course of antibiotics. Penicillin this time, I think. I am waiting to talk to the doctor because sometime overnight my heat rash has spread from my body to my face (I don't really know how it could do that, but it did). I now have the neck of a lacrosse player, the lips of Angelina Jolie, eyelids that seem under sedation, and skin like sandpaper. Oh, and now that group work has begun, I now have the responsibilities of a $60k/year consultant (without the money, of course). Today I would rather be a have not.

"Where is My Grappa?"

On Saturday we had a Brazilian BBQ. It was organized primarily by Julia and Marquinhos, with help from Carol and a decidedly un-Brazilian Bin and me. In the morning Julia, Marquinhos, and I went shopping to Makro, which is a bulk goods store, like Costco. But the selection there was amazing, cuts of meat from every country imaginable. We were actually able to get some nice cuts of Brazilian beef to grill, and it cost almost nothing. We spent hours chopping, cutting, marinating, carrying tables and chairs, running to the store for that last bottle of sherry. We grilled for hours, adding cuts of meat, chicken, and prawns here and there, just nibbling through the afternoon and evening.

Then night fell. The party moved inside. The beer was fading and the samba was starting. And then the grappa disappeared. Bin's grappa, his pride and joy, was gone. It was consumed without his permission by some of the guests. There was some commotion, some words, some trouble. At almost 2AM, Julia, Alejandro, Marquinhos, and I were with Bin in his room as he was ranting, "Where is my grappa? Where is my grappa?"

At 10AM on Sunday we began the cleanup. It took almost two hours and I must have lugged half a dozen bags of garbage to the bins. It was a good party. A great party, except for the last hour. After our clean up we went to the beach, to Scheveningen. This weekend was the nicest of the year, around 90F on both Saturday and Sunday. Though it took a while to get to the beach, once we were there it was perfect. We lounged in the sun, drank some prosecco from the bottle, swam in the sea, had some ice cream, laughed, and gossiped and for a brief moment, believed it was actually summer.

But not for long. Today was much cooler and it rained for hours. I woke up this morning with a slight rash on my arm, that soon spread to the rest of my body. I freaked out a bit and called Julia, I needed a second opinion. She thought it was allergies, I was trying to figure out what plant I had brushed up against yesterday. Heat rash, the doctor said. My arms and stomach have the color of cotton candy and the texture of braille. It should subside within 48 hours.