Sunrise Train Rides

Day 7 of the Gratitude Challenge says to take a photo of thing, person, place or moment that makes you feel grateful…

It’s dark when I leave the house now… and dark when I get home. And sometimes riding the train sucks. But in the mornings, I sit on the right side of the train so I can watch the sun rise over the water.

PS – This picture kind of sucks because I took it with my phone, the windows are dirty, and we’re moving kind of fast. But you get the idea…

Gratitude Challenge

I'm way way behind on this, but I don't want to skip it either. I swear, I've been thinking about these, but I can't do 21 consecutive days. Either I'll catch up, or I'll be slow. But here are a few updates:

Day 5:
Day five says to take 5 minutes and be thankful for the things you currently have; take stock of all the blessings you currently enjoy. So here goes:

Right now I’m thankful for vitamin water and Cold-Eeze, Mayday Parade, headphones, heat, my job, trains, sleep, alarm clocks, people who know how to write song lyrics that make you feel something, sunshine, boys who make me laugh, vegetable soup, socks, ponytails, sweatpants, high-heels, sparkling sidewalks, people who are talented artists, sketches, sharing, text messages, cell phones, purple pens, Google groups, tea, rock band, my family, surprises, fall colors, blankets, pumpkin carving, zombie movies, zombie books, ghost stories, Halloween costumes, candy, caramel apples, parties, and all the other things that make this season good and bad… even being sick has its brighter side (who doesn’t love a grilled cheese sandwich with soup, and a TV or movie marathon?). Actually, the fall is my favorite season, and Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I guess it goes along with the Gratitude Challenge, doesn’t it?

Day 6:
Day six says to take a few minutes to call someone you haven't talked to in a while, and tell them how much you appreciate them.

I didn’t really call anyone on Thursday to tell them how much I appreciate them. But, on Friday, I did have lunch with a friend who I haven’t seen in a long time. He’s incredibly talented, and totally awesome. He moved cross-country, takes amazing photos, and we went bungee jumping together in California. I love the way he laughs, and he can jump better than anyone I know. We might never start our own design company, but I’ll try to see him whenever either of us is on the opposite coast, and I will always be willing to share my Almond Joys with him. I didn’t say all this to his face, but I’m pretty sure he knows.

Today's task is to write a short message of thanks for some of the negative things in your life. Well, this gratitude thing must already be working, because I can barely think of anything to write about... at least not that's really current. Oh well, here goes:

Thanks for pulled teeth, headgear, spacers, braces, and retainers. I hated all those years without Blow-Pops, but my smile is way better than it used to be.

Thanks Dr. Bowe, for making me wear that back brace for 16 hours a day during the first few years of high school. Being awkward makes you realize who your real friends are, and keeps you from picking on others. And you stopped the scoliosis from getting worse, so that someday I can have kids without complications.

Thanks E-Mech, Physics and Chem for teaching me that I should've been an art major from the start. (Mom and Dad, I'm still sorry you paid all that money to send me to an out of state school. If I ever win the lotto, you are totally getting the first presents.)

Thanks for deadlines... otherwise shit wouldn't get done on time. Even if I get stressed, at least I'm productive.

And, that's all I've got for now.

Day 3

Today I’m grateful for Skype. I could probably be grateful for a few more important things like my health, or tuition reimbursement policies, or the ability to walk… but I’m going to stick with Skype. I had a 2 hour Skype call with my brother yesterday. For those of you who don’t know, he’s currently living in Holland, pursing his MBA. And if you don’t know that, you probably don’t know that we’re superbestfriends. And being away from your superbestfriend totally sucks. But Skype lets us talk for hours for free, and see each other. You’d think that since my brother and I are such good friends the few conversations we have would be about life, stress, news updates, and other important things. But they’re not. Our conversations always devolve into the little stuff; sending links and pictures, and both intently playing online games and checking in with, “What level are you on?” Yesterday was no different. It was dinner time here, and 11 PM there. We were both in our hoodies, hanging out at home. And we spent two hours debating superhero and villain battles. Tim came up with seeding and brackets and we debated our winners and compared results. We had 32 heroes, and 32 villains (originally in their own brackets). Then the winning hero would battle the winning villain. It was totally pointless, but fun (we’re thinking of making these brackets available for public voting so check back next week after our next chat). But I like Skype for allowing us to have these little pointless chats. It’s almost as good as our taco bell movie nights. Almost...

Now I know my ABCs

So, day 2 of the challenge says to use the alphabet to start a list of things you're grateful for. This could be fun.

A: Apples? Aquatic centers? I loved working at TCNJ's aquatic center. I have some hilarious memories from that place. Art. "Art is a guarantee of sanity."

B: Boys... brothers and friends. I love the sense of humor of all the guys I know, and I know I can count on them. I'm also grateful for Bagel Day (Friday) at work. Yum! Oh and I also like babysitting... best job ever.

C: Cellphones, Calendars, and Candy. Three things I couldn't live without.

D: Dad. I can't say enough about my dad. I don't want to write a whole sappy thing out here... but he is an amazing man, and I wouldn't be who I am without all the sacrifices he's made.

E: Earth. Earrings. Elephants? This answer is weak. I should probably be more serious. Eye surgery! (I'm adding this like 15 minutes later... hopefully that counts without the laser before it. Anyway, it was money well spent.)

F: Friends. Fireworks. Fondue.

G: The Goddess Lounge. It's changing us for the better Y

H: Hot tubs (wish I actually had one). Heroes. Houses and homes... I like living in my own place, but I love knowing that there's more than one place I can call home. Holland (my first international adventure).

I: Ice cream. Ice cream cake (we should eat it more often). White Cherry Icees at the movies.

J: Jill. Jessie. Jess. Justin. All people who inspire me in different ways, and who each bring something special to my life.

K: Krist. Karen. These two just kick-ass at life, and I love them for it.

L: Love. I think there are like a billion different kinds of love, and that's a good thing.

M: Mom. I'm grateful for everything she ever gave me when I was living under her roof. Now I'm grateful that she surprises me with little things like throw pillows or Halloween themed dish towels, and is the kind of woman who will tell you to come over for breakfast when your toaster oven breaks and you're so stressed out that you're just standing in the kitchen crying about it.

N: NYU.

O: Oatmeal. Oreos (and the "bring on the fat" joke that will never get old). Oceans... they make for the best times, and the greatest naps.

P: Pasta. Mom's homemade pasta sauce to be specific. I'll eat it without pasta... so maybe it shouldn't count for P. Oh well... Purple. I love the color purple.

Q: Quilts. My Aunt Ma made me the most beautiful quilt ever and sent it to me as a surprise. She died two years later. It will become a family heirloom, and I'd like to learn to quilt someday so that I can make something beautiful for someone that I love.

R: Rock Band. Greatest video game ever. And I love my band mates, and all of our different bands and hilarious adventures.

S: Smallville. Supernatural. No one can say I don't appreciate the little things... I've been watching these shows since the beginning, and I like having those few hours to myself to indulge in my guilty pleasures. Sci-fi. Sugar. Softball. Socks. S is a good letter.

T: Tea. I have it almost every morning, and it's delicious. I also like TV. A lot.

U: Umbrellas. They are wonderful for use in the rain.

V: Volleyball. Go Barracudas!

W: Water. Winter. Wind. Watermelon. Good stuff... and so natural.

X: X-Files. David Duchovny was like one of my first crushes (besides Jerry O'Connell and Dean Cain).

Y: Yearbooks? The end of the alphabet was much harder than the beginning.

Z: Zoos. I haven't been in a while, but they're cool.

Other things that I'm just now thinking of: hot showers, electricity, laptops, the internet, Chinese food, frosty & fry nights with the girls, sparkle punch, and the list goes on.

Gratitude

"You cannot give somebody joy
But you can find it by trying
You cannot save someone from death
But you can love them while they're dying"

Today I'm starting the Gratitude Challenge with two of my greatest friends. It's a 21 day challenge to take note of relationships, experiences and opportunities that make your life great. Day 1 says to sign the pledge and explain why you've accepted the challenge, and what you want to achieve.

I signed the pledge with Jill and Jess, and we spent the afternoon talking about why we're doing it. (We also had lunch together and went shopping for new bracelets.) I'm doing it simply to be grateful, and to bring a little bit of happiness to myself and the other people in my life. There's one person I know who always finds the silver-lining in life, and he's awesome. I haven't had to face as many hardships as he has, and yet whenever I need it, he's always the one cheering me up. It'd be great to be more like him. And it will be good to just put more positive energy and love into the world... and hopefully this will help me find more of my own joy. Y

Lyrics from Gratitude's "The Greatest Wonder"

Song of the Day

I love music mostly for the lyrics. Songs can hit you hard, and they can grow on you. Sometimes music gets overplayed, but when you find a song you connect with, it doesn't get old. I like when you hear something new, and when a song makes you feel something. I heard this song on the radio tonight and I connected with it right away. I don't know the artist, and I'm not in love with the video, but these few words just made me feel something:

When a heart breaks, no it don't break even...

What am I supposed to do, when the best part of me was always you?

What am I supposed to say, when I'm all choked up and you're ok?

Turns out the song is called "Break Even" and it's sung by The Script. I love it right now. You can listen here and tell me what you think. <3

Blisters Don't Need Chemo

I am giving up on managing more than one blog. I can barely keep up with one. So I'm going to migrate some of the 3Day blog posts over to my regular blog. This is originally from January 20, 2009, right after I signed up for the event. Read on.

So, a lot of people ask why we walk, and I don't always have a prepared answer. I walk for a lot of reasons: it's fun, it feels good to give back, and to protect the people I love. The walk is really inspirational, which is why I chose to talk about it for my inspirational thought at a recent Toastmasters meeting. Since I got some good feedback (several of the women said I almost made them cry, and one guy said my passion really came through) I figured I would share. Here it is:

"The battle against breast cancer seems like a personal battle; something you have to fight alone. There’s the physical fight, against the bad cells. Then there’s the fight against your self-image after hair-loss or a mastectomy. And finally, there’s the fight for hope. The hope that you’ll get through it, that it will all be gone after one round of treatment; the hope that it wont come back…

Watching someone you love go through this fight can make you feel helpless. And since I hate that feeling, I decided to do something. I started walking in the Breast Cancer 3Day. For three years now, I’ve participated in the Breast Cancer 3Day in Philadelphia. The event is a three day, 60 mile walk throughout the city. It’s held in 13 cities across the United States, and it raises money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the National Philanthropic Trust. Every participant has to raise a minimum of $2,200. Aside from the donations we got from our friends and family, my team had a Cheeburger Cheeburger dinner fundraiser, and a car wash. We spend almost a year fundraising, and about six months in training. During the event we camp out at night in pink tents, sing karaoke after dinner, and during the day we walk… and walk… and walk.

The walk itself is organized very well, and every two or three miles there are pit stops with food, bathrooms, and medical stations to make sure that everyone is being taken care of. Still, three days of walking and camping and fighting can offer a rollercoaster of emotions. At one point, I was standing in line to use the port-a-potty, and the woman in front of me had a dozen ribbons streaming down from her hat – each with a heart at the end, and the name of someone she loved who had been touched by breast cancer. I was tired, sore, freezing cold… and moved to tears. Even with the cheering stations and the support of the crew, sometime around the 40th mile, your spirits start to dip. The walk is exhausting, and there are times when you want to give up. You think you may not be able to finish. Your knees are sore, and you’ve probably got a blister or two. But then you see a sign that says “Blisters don’t need chemo.” It’s just printed on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of pink paper and taped to a street sign. But it renews your spirit. It reminds you how much harder the fight could be. It reminds you why you’re walking, and now you KNOW that you can finish the walk.

You’ll finish it for your mom, or sister, your father, your aunts. You’ll finish it for the daughter you may have one day. You’ll finish it for friends and strangers. You’ll finish it for the woman walking next to you. You won’t feel helpless anymore. You’ll know that you’re fighting for the future, and you’ll feel strong. And you’ll look around at all the other people fighting with you, and you’ll feel the hope…. because no one is fighting breast cancer alone. We are all fighting together, and that’s a good thing... because none of us is as powerful as all of us."

Live from Seattle

So here I am, sitting on the 27th floor of the Microsoft offices, overlooking Lake Washington. I can see the Space Needle in the distance. It’s fuzzy because it’s a grey day here (which I guess is usual for Seattle). But it’s taunting me all the same. I thought I was going to get to skip being interview-support today, and run around the city. I have 3 maps in my bag, and a list of all the places I wanted to see:

• Space Needle: http://www.spaceneedle.com/
• EMP: http://www.empsfm.org/
• Sci-fi Museum: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/14809227 (I'm currently reading Ubik, by one of the Hall of Fame members, Philip K. Dick)
• Fran’s Chocolates: http://www.franschocolates.com/ What would a trip anywhere be if I didn't stop for candy... This shop has a 7 foot tall portrait of the owner's daughter made entirely of sweets!
• The first Starbucks
• Pike Place Market
• The Gum Wall: http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g60878-d1179066Seattle_Bites_Food_Tours-Seattle_Washington.html It might be gross, but it would make for some good photos.

All of these places are located within a 20 minute walking radius of my hotel. I could have spent the day wandering and taking interesting photos of homeless musician kids (which apparently Seattle is known for and sort of reminds me of Brooklyn). But I am here instead, standing by to help our team update their presentation if we need to change slides for the afternoon portion of our interview. And I’m not so mad. I met a great bunch of people, had some delicious dinners, and got to wander a bit of the city. Now I have a great view, a few hours to spare, and I know I want to come back here sometime for a vacation. And even though I can’t make it to the museum today, at least I have a sci-fi book to read.

Rotterdam!

So, the next day, we decided to explore Rotterdam. We brought along Amy, the girlfriend of another Erasmus guy. We met up around 10, and had a few places on our list to explore; specifically, the World Museum and Schoonord Park (the secret park). First, we had to go back to Paddy Muprhy's because Maggie lost her camera. Unfortunately, we didn't find it. Then, the World Museum was closed (and will be till 2010) for renovations. Luckily, we found the Natural History Museum. That was interesting because everything was in Dutch... and sometimes you just don't know what things are. For example:



We had a lot of fun pretending that was a liopleurodon, showing us the way to candy mountain (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5im0Ssyyus) but it's just a dolphin. We were disappointed, lol.

Schoonord was pretty, but since it was March, nothing was really in bloom. I took a few good pictures of ducks and birds, but nothing really worth posting. Then we went to the Euromast!



It's nice that you don't really have to climb it. You just take the lift up to the observation deck. Then, you go outside and climb up a flight or two so you can catch another lift. This one has 360 degree views, and holes in the floor. It takes you all the way to the top, and then rotates as it comes back down so you can see all of Rotterdam. In the souvenir shop, I bought a button that says "Euro Must."

After that we spent an hour or two chatting at a cafe, and walking around the nearby parks. Amy headed back to campus while Maggie, Bets and I waited for Tim. Tonight was the big night: De Pannenkoekenboot!! Tim was cutting it close. While we waited, a family asked me to take wedding pictures, and the bride gave me her bouquet as a thank you. She said the other girls wouldn't let her toss it to them. Pancakes in Holland are very different from pancakes at home. But they are yummy. Apparently "all you can eat" = 2.




That's my dessert pancake. Yum!


Sunset over Rotterdam

St. Patrick's Day!

Ok, so technically, this is the same day as the Delft day. But meeting up with Maggie and Bets deserves its own post. They were right on time at the train station. I took them back to Tim's so we could grab him before dinner. But he was like 2 hours late because he had a team meeting after class. So his neighbor Rohit invited us over to watch some Dutch TV. We were totally satisfied with the news, and then Lingo, and then whatever music video channel was on, but clearly he wasn't because he kept changing the station. Finally Tim got back! We were heading to Paddy Murphy's for the night, but needed cheap dinner first. David decided to come with us to Donner Kebab. But first, we all had to try the bear powder candy we bought in Amsterdam. The consensus? Disgusting. We proceeded to get very drunk and have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day. Here are a few of the best photos:


Maggs and I


Brother


Maggs and Betsy


MBA Boys: Kristian, Hugh, Geoff and Traavis

Holland Flashback

Mom and Dad came home on Monday. I finally saw their pictures tonight, and realized I just sort of trailed off around here. And some of the best parts are missing!



Delft was easily my favorite city in Holland. This is Nieuwe Kerk. I climbed to the top of the tower and got a good view. Then I shopped around and bought some beautiful handmade pottery. I even found a girl who was working in her shop. She let me take photos of her workspace.



This is one of my favorite photos from that day... it's a tombstone in the floor of Oude Kerk. I don't think pictures can really do the city/country justice. The churches are incredible. And the city was so peaceful. I wandered around the walking tour, and went to see Vermeer's work in a small museum. I had a beer at one of the oldest cafes around, and then it was about time to head back to Rotterdam to meet up with the Scott sisters!

Franeker and Leeuwarden

After the Anne Frank Huis, we went to the Museumplein to see the I amsterdam sign. We went to the Van Gogh museum, but of course, no pictures in there. So another day done in Amsterdam. Saturday we went to Leeuwarden. We got there at a decent hour, but the museum we wanted to see wasn't open yet, so we decided to go to Franeker. It's the home of the oldest planetarium in the world. Unfortunately, you can't take any pictures in there either. But when I get back to the States, I will scan the postcard.


Back in Leeuwarden, we couldn't get into the Tresoar (by that time, it was closed) so we didn't get to see too much about our family name. But we did go to the Historisch Centrum Leeuwarden where we saw an exhibit of the history of the city (all in Dutch of course) and found out some more information on the area. We got copies of whatever they had available in English, and a woman there gave me some better ideas about how to do genealogy research. As it turns out, most of our family was born in the surrounding countryside, so our records wouldn't be in this place anyway.


We capped off the day with a trip to the Fries Museum. We saw a Mata Hari exhibit (Dutch born, Parisian exotic dancer turned German spy). And a WWII exhibit which was just interesting to see from another country's perspective. There was also this special quilt exhibit. I took this picture for my Aunt. She makes quilts, and they are incredible. She gave me one, and this made me think of her. We had a delicious kaasfondue dinner at Het Leven (The Life) and took the train all the way back to Rotterdam (minus a quick detour back to the Botel Zebra to grab our stuff).

My New Friend

I wish I had asked what this woman's name was... Tim and I came back to Amsterdam early (because Volendam was so tiny, and we couldn't get to Marken) so we decided to see the Anne Frank Huis (house) and maybe a museum. This woman saw us looking at a map on the way to Anne Frank's. She did an excellent job of speaking to us in English, but she was embarrassed and kept covering her mouth saying "I can't say!" It was adorable. To thank us for helping her get there, she gave us both these tiny origami kimono bookmarks. She said she always keeps them with her, for times exactly like these. She went through the house with us (which totally made me cry by the way - and I wish I could have taken pictures in there) and she asked to take a photo with me after. She was headed to a different museum afterwards, so we said goodbye. I am happy I at least have this photo to remember her.

Volendam

Volendam is a tiny little seaside town in North Holland. It was so beautiful here. We wanted to go to Marken Island, but the ferry didn't seem to be running. That left us time for more exploring!


This is the marina at Volendam.


Behind the marina, there are still all these canals. We were walking along the canal, and came to a dam that was built in 1615!


My first windmill photo!! I took a bunch, but there was an awkward streetlamp in the frame. I like this one because you can see how mossy the roof got. I'll do some photo processing when I get home. But I can't do anything right now on Tim's computer.


Last picture from Volendam. I just love how pretty this place is!

Hotel, Botel, Holiday Inn...

One of the things I was really looking forward to was the Botel Zebra - our boat hostel. It did not disappoint. Sure, it was cramped and I think the owner opened the porthole in the shower one day so when we woke in the morning, the entire room was covered in condensation which made both of our Chucks rip and give us blisters, but it was so worth it! It makes my lifelong goal of living on a houseboat much more intense.


So, the houseboat means we are in Amsterdam for a few days! We just walked for the first night, took a few photos and shopped for souvenirs. These houses are leaning... The whole city is beautiful.


Tim wanted to take me to the Leidseplein (which is not pronounced Led Zeppelin - as much as we wish it was). We got lost on the way, and didn't have our map, so we broke down and took a cab. We ate at the Pancake House, and I had my first Dutch meal - chicken sate. It was delicious!


Since I can't survive for more than a few hours without candy, we stopped at a shop and explored the specialty candy they had there. There were all sorts of strange things including dirty sounding ice cream bars and a weird bag of a powdery candy that had a picture of a bear on it. We tried a few things, but I had to get some of my favorite "sappige peer" Jelly Belly jelly beans to make sure I was good for the weekend.

First Night Out

I know I should've been doing this as I went along, but I just didn't have the time, or computer access. Our first night out in Rotterdam, Tim took me to O'Sheas. Manchester United was playing, and his friend David met up with us. Then we went to Concordia (a bar that is directly across the street from one of the Erasmus apartment buildings, and therefore very popular with the MBAs). We tried to go to another dance club later, Vie, but it was closed. So we took a long walk home.

Welcome to Rotterdam!

Here we are in Tim's apartment. It was a long flight, but it was easy to find him in Schipol. He had to go to class, so I took a nap in the apartment. Apparently, he was late, and he had to sing to make up for it. He sang "Loser" by Beck.


This is his apartment building. He lives on the 2nd floor of the part that hangs over the water. The inside is a mess (which is why I won't post any pictures of it). But, hey, it's a free place to sleep!


I can't pronounce or spell the tram stop that Tim lives near, but its something about waterway... It doesn't look like any water tower in the States, and it has all these little pools that can fill up if it rains too much (which is pretty common here). This bike must've fallen in there somehow.


I wandered a while, and found a great cafe where I got "koffie" and a "stroopwafel" - both of which were amazing. I took a picture in there and got yelled at in Dutch, so I deleted it. The place was called the Hoofdstuk, and they had a sign that said "Wij Zijn Winnaar van de Ketelbinkie Koffietroffee 2008." Which I took to mean they had some coffee trophy or something. They apparently also won this trophy in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Anyway, this is the view across the street from the cafe.

Xanadu + The Muse

I have a funny friend. She makes me laugh. The following is an excerpt of a chat I had with her the other day...

Wittygirl [9:08 AM]:
I'm probably doing popcorn for dinner
Sweetfiend [9:09 AM]:
or a quick tacobell run?
Wittygirl [9:10 AM]:
haha... you know, I haven't had Taco Bell since college
I think it messes up *Nick's* internal organs
but I might do it
Sweetfiend [9:10 AM]:
wow, we just recently reunited *Dave* and taco bell
he was pleased
Wittygirl [9:13 AM]:
Dave... I feel like this is some kind of romantic comedy where you're like a goddess from another dimension with the mission to bring some joy into Dave's life, and then you wind up falling in love, but you have you renounce your magic powers, and Dave's all mad that you didn't tell him from the beginning that you were a goddess, even though DUH he never would've believed you and probably would've been creeped out and avoided you
Sweetfiend [9:13 AM]:
bahahahaha
that is hilarious
Wittygirl [9:13 AM]:
sort of like a City of Angels/Xanadu/The Muse smashup
probably thinking this cause I just saw Xanadu
Sweetfiend [9:14 AM]:
so do you think it will have a happy ending?
Wittygirl [9:15 AM]:
wellllllllll maybe, but the ones with happy endings are kind of more predictable and boring
it'd be cooler if at the last second one of you got hit by a bus or something
no offense
Sweetfiend [9:16 AM]:
haha. thanks
Wittygirl [9:16 AM]:
hahaha, but you know what I mean?
a last second twist
maybe it turns out he's a demon from hell, so you can't be together because of some hidden stipulation like that
or just his father's a hell demon
he's innocent
yeah!
and that's partially why his life is so devoid of fun in the beginning
he doesn't know it, but he's cursed
mmm, that's gonna be good

*Names have been changed for fun, but I bet you can guess who we're talking about!

I'm Freaking Out, Man!

So, I have been saying that continuously for the past 3 days. I put an offer in on a condo on Sunday night. I leave for Holland on Tuesday. It's been a mad rush to meet the realtor, find a lawyer, sign contracts, and get things moving so that I can guarantee this place is mine. I am overwhelmed (to say the least). I have been wanting to write a personal blog for a while now, and it seems appropriate that I will be able to talk about my upcoming adventures here! So get ready, because my life is about to get a lot more interesting!