30 April 2011

not a real post

...Hmm. There's supposed to be something about a trip to Europe in this space, isn't there?

How embarrassing.

I could blame the Wedding (and the four-day weekend).

I could blame the end-of-semester Care Crash.

But honestly, I'm pretty sure it's just another case of procrastination kicking my butt.

Sorry, friends. I will be back tomorrow, though, with coffee and pictures and wit and EVERYTHING.

Until then...thanks for your patience. *sheepish face*

28 April 2011

some minor housekeeping and a hurrah

1. I'm trying out a new background and a few tweaks around the blog...let me know what you think!

2. I didn't notice at the time, but that last post was my 50th! On the one hand...kind of embarrassing that it took me three years to get to 50 posts. On the other hand...hey, it's a milestone, all right?

3. I would come up with a few other minorly exciting things, but it's my turn to cook and Josh is going to die if I don't feed him soon. So I have to go now.

27 April 2011

It’s Not About the Money, Part One, Episode 2: They Speak Spanish in Paris?

Hello, friends, and welcome to Day Two of our Easter break adventure! (Day One is back here. Today's post is really ridiculously long, but it's half pictures, I promise!)

Yesterday, Josh treated you all to our adventures actually getting out of England and across the Channel to Paris, and also to a wee glimpse of our hostel and the neighborhood immediately surrounding it. For those of you who have had the honor of experiencing St. Louis anywhere south and west of Tower Grove after dark…yeah, it was a bit like that. Just like home, really.

To get back to the story, though – we survived our first night in the ever so aptly-named “Friends Hostel,” and didn’t even have much of a problem with the language barrier…the French language, anyway.

I'm having a stereotypical American moment, and I'm not sorry.

I'm at the pub with my laptop, taking advantage of the free wifi and eavesdropping on other peoples' conversations, and right now, the highlight of my day is the two elderly men chatting across the room from me.

They're at a rickety corner table, big gnarly hands wrapped around their beer glasses, trying to outdo each other with their war stories and nagging-wife woes. And all I can think of is the fact that their accents make them sound exactly like Michael Caine. In a lot of ways, I'm more than ready to go home next month, but I'm going to miss people-watching at the pub.


(I used to know exactly what region Michael Caine is from, but I've since forgotten. So I'll just leave you with a few fangirly pictures and move on with life...)





...ahem. Yes. With the moving on.

25 April 2011

It's Not About the Money: Introducing the European Misadventures of Lauren and Josh

This series is named in honor of this song,which was stuck in Josh's head for our whole trip. Beware that British pop music, boys and girls - it will grab your mind and never let go.




Anyway...hello again, everybody! I hope you all had a lovely Easter yesterday, and for those of you who are now getting into the finals crunch: Godspeed. Over here, we're lucky enough to have another week of Easter vacation left still (I believe it has something to do with a certain high-profile wedding happening in London this Friday...), but next week, I'll be finishing up classes myself.

10 April 2011

snapshots


Also known as, "various things I've been up to, in an order best characterized as 'more than slightly muddled semi-chronological.'" This post may or may not be my sorry excuse for not posting more often, but if anything piques your interest, feel free to say so in the comments!

05 April 2011

blast from the past

12-18-10

There's a fascinating image in Genesis 18 today: Abraham's sitting in the door of his tent, three men appear, and immediately he runs to bow and greet them as 'My Lord'. Not Lords. They don't announce themselves, and he shows no doubt or hesitation about their importance or his duty to serve them. So I wonder: what must they have looked like? Did they approach like angels, bathed in light, eyes fiery, with the lustre of brass on their skin? I don't think they would've had fire-breathing horses or burning swords, given the occasion, but maybe their clothes and sandals were silver and gold?

02 April 2011

ten things I must do in the next ten days

...before I leave for Paris!



1. Finish my portfolio for Technical Elements (not due until I get back, but who wants to worry about homework right after vacation?)

2. Write and hand in a research essay for British Life (joy)

3. Get my money changed to Euros

4. Make Eurail reservations (interesting fact - having a pass does not, in fact, guarantee you a seat)

5. Clean my room

6. Pack up my backpack

7. Learn some important phrases (how do you say, "which way to the train station, please" in French?)

8. Pay my rent retainer

9.  Confirm with my hostels (in Paris, Florence and Rome; probably shouldn't forget...)

10. Buy a pair of sunglasses, because they've got this thing called SUN in Italy, amico.