Just Because I Love Valentine's Day

This year, true to form, I decorated my door and window for Valentine's Day.  I know that this makes me a bit of a freak around here, but I can't help getting excited about holidays and sharing that excitement with everyone else.  Besides, it's really my only chance to do anything crafty around here.  So far I have decorated for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and now Valentine's Day.  I can't wait for Easter!  Here's a "sample of my work."  Hahaha!  Happy Valentine's Day everyone.  Bring on the holidays.

Post 100!!

Good morning everyone.  Or for those a little closer to my time zone, good afternoon!  Today is an exciting day here is Bruges.  Not only is it Valentine's Day (my favorite made-up holiday), but this marks my 100th post on this blog!  I am so excited!  Really, there is no reason to be excited, but 100 posts makes me feel like I have accomplished something.  I have enjoyed keeping this blog almost more than anything I've done this year (and that is saying a lot).  I love having this outlet to write my musings and to share my adventures in grad school and beyond with all of my family and friends.  So thank you, dear readers, for your comments, your encouragement, and for giving me a reason to be here.
Now, I don't want this post to get too sappy, but I do want to mark it somehow. I have been living in Europe for 158 days, I have posted on this blog 100 times, and I have been introducing you to new music and great bands for over 12 weeks now!  So tell me, readers; what should I do to commemorate this moment?  Remember in grade school - I know we did this at Our Redeemer and I am sure it was done elsewhere - when you celebrated the 100th day of school?  All of the kids had to bring in 100 of something.  There were jars of marshmallows, M&Ms, Skittles, Sprees, Gummy Bears, and Reese's Pieces.  There were paper chains, special calendars, even special songs.  Those were the days.  When the simple fact that you had made it through 100 days of learning to read, write, and do arithmetic merited a large, glutenous, semi-educational celebration.  I feel like I deserve a similar celebration.  Now, I don't have large jars of M&Ms or Skittles waiting in the wings for a day like today and I haven't made a paper chain.  I am kind of at a loss as to how to celebrate.  100 waffles is out of the question for various obvious reasons.  100 Belgian chocolates would be slightly more feasible, but the results would be much the same as the waffles, I fear.  So here is what I am going to do.  I am going to take 100 pictures of this city over the next ten days and then post them here for you to enjoy.  I realize that living here for so long has made me a bit complacent.  I am no longer a tourist but I need to get back to my tourist roots and start enjoying this beautiful city again.  To do that, I need to strap on my camera and get myself lost for a few afternoons.  So keep your eyes out for new picture posts coming soon!
If you would like to help me celebrate this momentous occasion, you can send me a package filled with 100 things - ideas for content are listed above.   Or, if a package is out of your reach, send me a postcard from wherever you are.  In exchange, you will receive a picture of your package/postcard posted on the blog as well as a delightful, charming, and well-worth the postage postcard in return.
So help me celebrate my 100th post and enjoy your Valentine's Day!

Peace, Love and 100 Waffles.

Song of the Week: 12

Sorry for the lack of posts this week everyone.  I feel like I have really been slacking.  Fear not, it is not only the blog I have been neglecting, but work in general.  For reasons I still do not know, I ended up having almost the entire week free of class.  Aside from German on Monday and spending Wednesday in Brussels for an interview, I have not had any compulsory activities planned.  Weeks like this are dangerous for people like me.  I only work when I need to work; when I have a deadline hanging over my head.  I get my work done and I tend to do a fine job, but give me some freedom and it is highly unlikely that I will come up with enough self-motivation to accomplish anything.  (Plus, Survivor Season 20 aired on Thursday night so that pretty much consumed my Friday evening.  It's Heroes vs. Villains and I am stoked!)  Anyway, that pretty much sums up this past week.  But hopefully I will get back on track in these next couple of weeks leading up to our Poland trip.  I have some courses this week which will force me to do some reading and I have a rather large research paper due on Friday that I MUST begin.  I am not too concerned about that at the moment, but now that the deadline has hit the "under a week" mark, it's time to get cracking.
However, before I start on that, let's get to the song of the week.  This was a great week for music.  I bought some more songs and I found some new promising artists.  The fact that I have been listening to a lot of new stuff actually makes choosing a song rather difficult.  This week's selection is not what I was planning to post originally.  I have some other artists lined up that I have been waiting to showcase, but for some reason I kept coming back to this song.  My attachment to it is hard to explain.  For some reason I have not been able to stop listening to it.  The lyrics are strange, it's not necessarily a feel-good song, but it is rhythmically haunting and I think you might enjoy it - or you'll just think I am crazy.  It's from a band called The Graduate; they are from Springfield, IL, so kind of close to home.  The song is  a cover of Analog Rebellion's "Marla Singer Doesn't Take Standardized Tests."  Once again, it is not available on iTunes.  BUT, if you follow the link to the song you can download it for free from the band's PureVolume.com page.  So go check out The Graduate and listen to "Marla Singer Doesn't Take Standardized Tests (Disposable Smiles)."

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend and are gearing up for Valentine's Day!  Bring on the pink, flowers, hearts and chocolates!  I'll post again soon!

Peace, Love, and Waffles.

Note to Self

It's probably not a good idea to go running when it is under 25 degrees outside.  BRRRR!  I think I actually came back with a bit of frostbite on my ankles where my leggings don't quite meet my socks.  Next time, I'll wait for spring.  And waiting for spring I am!  I cannot wait for warmer weather, clearer skies (I am actually not sure whether or not that is on the weather agenda for a Belgian spring, but here's hoping), and a light jacket.  No more coats, leggings under jeans or double-layered mittens please.  I want the sun to shine, the trees to bloom and for that happy time of year to return.  I realize it is only just now the beginning of September.  I also realize that I still have two weeks on the Polish tundra to face before I have any chance of glimpsing spring.  I just can't help willing it and wishing it along.
Speaking of willing and wishing, I have been doing a lot of that in regards to home lately.  It's just about that time when I am ready to be back.  I've been here for several months, have gotten along remarkably well for having such an appreciation for American culture, but recently, I have been feeling the urge to fly back home.  It's funny, actually.  I miss my family and friends, of course, but the small differences in every day life are really what has started to get to me.  I want the grocery store to be open on Sunday.  I want to watch a movie without subtitles.  I would like to eat a very large brunch at St. Louis Bread Co.  I would like to stand in front of the fountain soda machine at Quick Trip for a solid hour and continually refill my 32 oz. drink with crushed ice, Diet Coke, and fizzy cherry syrup.  I want to pet my dog.  I then want to get out all of my craft supplies and MAKE SOMETHING.  Then perhaps I will whip up a batch of scones or cupcakes in my kitchen.  Finally, I would like to sit on a couch, turn off my brain, and watch as much television as is humanly possible in a 24 hour period.  Bring on the boxed set of Smallville seasons 1-8 while we are at it.
Yep.  That's about it.  Nothing major, just a touch of wistfulness that all the thesis research in the world can't drown.  St. Louis, I'll see you in June.

Peace, Love, and Waffles.

Song of the Week: 11 . . . and a bit more

This week is a tough one.  I have been so busy that I have not had a lot of time to check out new music much less scour my iTunes for someone I have not listened to in a while.  Literally, this week was nuts!  After spending the entire first semester within the confines of the "ring" of Bruges, I have been to Brussels three times in one week, and not just to the train station.  On Tuesday we were required to wake up obscenely early to get to the Council building by 9:30 for a briefing on ESDP planning tactics (it sounds way cooler than it actually is).  Then, on Thursday I had to go to the Commission's DG Dev offices to conduct an interview for my masters thesis.  And as I type this I am getting ready to walk out the door to meet some friends who are cooking me dinner ( TEX MEX!!!!!!) as a belated birthday celebration.  I am beyond excited about tonight, but toss in a group presentation, a paper due in two weeks, and ever more thesis responsibilities and you have one exhausted grad student.  I should have done a bit of studying today but I went shopping instead.  Woops.  Oh well, there is always tomorrow.  And believe me, the European Union will still be here tomorrow.  
Ok, so back to music.  With all of the running around - in heels, I might add - that I have been doing this week, this song is rather appropriate.  The song is called "Running." This is the acoustic version and so you can't download it from iTunes (you can get the original), but it is just SOOOO deliciously good that I had to share.  I LOVE this band.  They are called "This Century" and they have some amazing stuff out right now, so please check them out.  I cannot wait to see them in concert when I get back to the States!  They are at the top of my "must see" list.  I hope you enjoy the song.  Have a great rest of the weekend everyone and look for more updates soon!


Peace, Love, and Waffles.

Belles of the Ball

So, Alexandra, one of my really good friends here at the College (and the one in the middle that slightly resembles Angelina Jolie) has been dying to get her picture on the blog.  So here it is!  I did her hair as well as Mariana's.   

The Ball

So, last Saturday the Danube region countries held their national party.  It was a Viennese Ball!  I went shopping with Rita a few weeks ago and bought a lovely sapphire-blue cocktail dress, taking advantage of the January sales in Belgium.  Several days before the ball, word got out that I am a "hairstylist." I warned people that I could only handle three appointments (this I learned the hard way from several years of rushing to school dances with half-finished hair myself).  Somehow I ended up with 5 appointments - I am just nice, I suppose - and ended up styling hair from 4:00 in the afternoon until minutes before hopping in the cab to the hall at 8:30.  It was crazy, but so much fun!  I really miss doing things like that.  High school dances, Proms, weddings . . . the list goes on.  I just love doing hair.  And I'm not going to lie, I love overhearing the compliments my clients receive.  I have been told before and now people are saying it again "You don't need to be here, why are you in school?  Especially in grad school!"
It takes me back to my high school years when I was seriously contemplating going to beauty school instead of real school for college.  My parents, while always supportive of my dreams, nudged (okay, shoved) me toward "regular school," explaining that there would always be time to become a professional stylist.   It has always been one of those decisions in life that I have thought about quite a bit, not necessarily regretting my decision, but always keeping that "other option" in the back of my mind.  I'll admit, most days I would rather dash around curling, twisting, and pinning hair for 4 hours rather than spending that same amount of time reading a scholarly article, but I am pleased with the path I have chosen.  Going to Furman introduced me to some of the best people and opportunities in my life.  I left there knowing some of my favorite people in this world, and some of my favorite memories are based in Greenville, South Carolina.  The College of Europe is proving to be a similarly positive experience.  It is a year that, despite all of the stress and complaining, will be one of the most memorable years of my life I am sure.
So I could have gone to beauty school.  Who knows, maybe I still will.  But before you see my handiwork on the red carpet, I have some business to take care of in Washington.

PS, If anyone knows how to combine a degree in international relations with professional styling, please be sure to let me know.

Peace, Love, and Waffles.