Either Way, I'll Break Your Heart Someday

Somewhat depressing title aside, this is my new favorite song, and new favorite band. I figured my poor blog needs a serious overhaul, and that before the whole Europe frenzy begins and I start posting real things here I'd add something about my taste in depressing/yet amazing music.

August 25th

Read that date. And then backtrack to the post where I announce that I am departing on September 25th. You know the purpose of this post then? Good.

One month till I depart. It's so long, but not enough time at all.

End of Camp; Summer Rages On

Yesterday was the last day of camp. In a lot of ways I am really glad camp is over. So I might have willingly gone back this summer knowing that I was probably not making a good decision, but still... it was a pretty awful summer. The kids were the same, but some of the staff just could not handle it. At all. I'm not saying that they all sucked or anything, it just seemed like we couldn't keep our shit together this summer. And then they all started leaving and it became the biggest shitshow ever.

I'm not committed to going back next summer, and I'm not saying no yet either. Hopefully (fingers crossed) I will be able to find a good job oriented internship next summer, but if not I know that they will take me back in a heartbeat at After School.

That said my summer still continues to rage on... I have got more than a month still until I board a big AirBus for Paris, so until then you've got to believe that I'm not going to be doing anything because a) It's summer, b) I'm now unemployed, c) there is nothing else to do.

Brother Moves Out, Babies Born

Nick doesn't live with us anymore. It's weird to say, but I'm happy for him. After a long couple of years trying to get him done with high school, my family is pretty pleased that he's, well, gone. He's moved downtown into a nice house with a couple buddies, and will be attending MATC in the fall. My mom was pretty upset about it last night, but she's seemed to pull herself together today. Also, she found a journal my brother kept for me for two days, right after I moved out for my first year of college. Of course I'll never tell him we found it, but still, kinda made me feel good.

Also, my Aunt and Uncle just welcomed twin boys to the world. Congrats to them, very exciting. No names yet, coming soon.

Team USA

As we settle in for two plus weeks of the Olympics I find myself feeling oddly, well, American. Its a somewhat weird sentiment for me, as I really don't agree with a lot of things America has been doing as of late, and thus I feel a bit detached from the whole, Team USA thing.

But, as Team USA rounded the corner of the parade of athletes on the TV on Friday night, I couldn't help myself from shouting a few USAs. I guess the Olympics does what its meant to do, in some ways at least. It might not be the Cold War, and the world might be getting so much closer due to globalization. But for these few weeks every four years (two if you count the winter games, but seriously, I don't) the nationalism in all of us comes out, at least a little.

The only instance where I have not cheered for the USA since the games opened was in the Men's Cycling Road Race. Mostly because I knew USA had no chance whatsoever of a medal, and I think most of the athletes on Team Spain are incredibly awesome. I was a bit shocked when Sammy Sanchez took the gold, if only because he was the the least talked about of the five Spaniards in the race.

As we move into the first full week we'll have a lot of swimming and gymnastics on the prime-time TV, and just about everything under the sun on the live shows. I'm excited to see how my country does over the next few weeks, although I know that we are going to do exceptionally well, as usual. I'm also eager to see which smaller countries, with newly built Olympics programs, will bust into the limelight with a first medal or a world record. Until then, however, its all about Team USA.

Wisconsin Summer

I find comfort in what has become a regular two days here in Wisconsin, Sundays and Mondays. For some reason the goings on of these two days is, to me at least, very Down Home Wisconsin, and I sort of love it.

Sunday nights is Softball at Bowling Green. I don't even play on the team, but I've been going to watch my friends play for the last three years. I love how po dunk it is. Sloppy, mid-thirties, fat men and women with a pitcher of beer and a team to cheer for. I love just going and laughing. Laughing at the scene, laughing at where I'm from, and laughing at how awful my friends play (sometimes).

Mondays its Team Trivia at the Lube, Quaker Steak and Lube that is. We go sit in the smoky bar and eat spicy chicken and huge brownies while playing other teams in Trivia. I love that we are the loud group of kids in the back corner that are actually kind of good, save for the sports questions (who gives a shit about football and baseball anyways). I also love that we pay like $5 because we know everyone that works there and we get a discount, and yeah, free chicken.

Its going to be said to see the po dunk summer go, but of course I've got a big adventure coming next... Paris. Until then, it will be boring summer, as most of my friends are heading back to school in the next couple of weeks, and I'm just, JUST, hitting the halfway point of my summer.

A Little Stuck

I'm trying to formulate vague ideas of what I want to do over my Winter Break. I have about three and a half weeks all to myself, with the whole of Europe at my feet. The only for sure plan is that I'm buying a Eurail pass, although I don't know which one...

So anyways, I need help deciding where I want to go. Catherine gave me good advice about Spain and Portugal, which are musts for me... and Matt gave me some ideas about Europe east of France, Italy in particular. But where the hell am I actually going to go?

The only for certain right now is London and Dublin in November... trips I want to book in the next month and a half so that I have tickets in hand before leaving the good ole' US of A.

Further, I'm thinking of saving Amsterdam, Alsace, and Belgium for long weekend trips during my two programs. Meaning, all formulations should be south of about Lyon. Or considerably further east than Strasbourg.

Here is a tentative list that I came up with at the pool today... in probable order of attack:

-San Sebastien, Spain
-Porto, Portugal
-Lisbon, Portugal
---This is where, IF I decide to do Morocco, it fits
-Madrid, Spain
-Barcelona, Spain
-Nice, France
-Monaco/Monte Carlo
-Rome, Italy
-Venice, Italy
---AND THEN THE STUCK POINT, where to next? I can maybe catch a Ryanair flight just about anywhere, or I can use the Eurail pass to the next city on the invisible list.

The other problem is that I'd prefer to be in Paris for Christmas... which falls smack in the middle of the 3.5 weeks... so I need a logical stopping point... grrr... I don't like being stuck like this.