Tomorrow I begin the first step towards discovering Europe!

We're leaving at 7am to catch a train down to München, where we're going to stay for three nights, since it's Oktoberfest, and as American tourists we're practically required to visit the area! (I heard there's good shopping too...that's why I'm going.) After München, we're going to spend a couple nights in Salzburg, which is just over the border in Austria. Then we're going down to Vienna for three or four nights and then after that to Prague (which I'm probably the most excited about), and then back to good ol' Göttingen, just in time for our mandatory advising sessions to pick classes for first semester.

It's so weird that I've been here for over a month, and school hasn't even started yet! Hopefully once all of the Germans come back for school, it will be even easier to make friends!

So I'm going to be gone for at least a week, probably more like two. Hopefully everything will go as planned! Wish us luck!

On the set of My Doorbell. Siiigh. I love them.

According to this article from BBC, there are certain names that children have where teachers can already tell by the kid's name if he'll be a problem child or not.

"According to the website, names which get a negative response from teacher include those with hyphens, like Bobbi-Jo, ordinary names with unusual spellings such as Kloe or K'tee, Kristopher, Jayne, Gyaike and Chevaughn, plus the various spellings of Jordon.

Names which teachers associate with delightful children include Kate, Gregory, Sean, Charlotte, Jamie, Daniel, Lucy, Isobel, Ben, Sam, Harpreet, Imran, Asam, Alice and Joseph."

I guess it was in the cards for me. :)

I was called Satan's mistress yesterday. I have to say, that was a new one.

A very Happy Birthday to Cammy on her 21st!

I just downloaded "Danger! High Voltage" by Electric Six featuring Jack White, thanks to Hannah's heads-up. I love it! It's hilarious to picture Jack White recording this song--it seems so random for him, like he's kind of trying to be something he's not, but at the same time, it works really well. I am very entertained.

Pictures from the barbecue we had at my friend Mary's house last night (Friday). It was really fun, because they had only officially invited about six or seven people, and it ended up that literally EVERYONE in all the German classes we're taking came! Needless to say, the alcohol and food was gone in a matter of minutes (it seemed like)! But it was definitely nice to chill with people outside of class.


Sean "Jack Daniels" manning the grill (or dancing with it?)


Me and Meredith (who has GREAT taste in music, btw), enjoying kebabs


Me and Janelle


Definition of a party

So...why is John Mayer starting to look like Jack White? And now apparently with the new "John Mayer Trio," he's playing blues-rock music? Has someone finally realized that Jack White is the only musician right now worth emulating? Ok, maybe not the only musician, but still.


Maybe he'll change his name to Jack Mayer.

So I recently fell in love with this "band" but it's more like one guy apparently, called The Mountain Goats. Anyone heard of 'em? I guess they're from Portland, and very indie, because I can't find any of their CDs over here!! I could buy it on iTunes, but I just really like having the CD itself, ya know? Ok, just wanted to vent. And make it known, that if some kind soul wants to buy and ship it over here...I might just pay you back....
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Oh yeah, and today we read this really funny (yet slightly disturbing) article for my German class in Der Spiegel, which is the most respected magazine in Germany, and probably a lot of Europe too. The article was printed right after "Arnie" got elected governor, and it was basically saying that his election was proof that California was going downhill. There was literally nothing good said about our state! The article started out with this long analogy of the Golden Gate Bridge, and how it used to represent so much and be so admired, but how today the paint is cracking off, and people are committing suicide by jumping off it, and people are forced to ask tourists for money to support its upkeep....

Then they had these pictures of a collapsed freeway in Oakland right after the earthquake in '89, as if that's the way all of our freeways look now! They also had a picture of a "latino gang" drinking beer out of a truck and looking really dangerous, saying that most of the immigrants today in California are illegal. And that part might be true, but still!

It was all pretty amusing, because the article just made it look like everyone should be getting out of California as fast as their legs can carry them!

I got this from Cammy. The dangers of bread can never be overly stressed. Inform Yourself Now!

Today I bought running shoes for €110! Whoa...still recovering.
[ps- That's like, $136.59. Just thought you should know.]

Me and funny Sean from Berkeley at our "Fiesta" we threw on Friday. I actually wasn't drunk at all, despite what the picture may lead you to believe.

Can I just post something? The trend of taking pictures of yourself with a digital camera in the mirror has to stop. I mean, at least don't make it obvious that you took the picture yourself, with the camera reflected in the picture!! It's so freakin' lame!
Ok, that is all.

Pictures!


Vivian and Janelle made Cindy a beer bong for her 21st birthday on Friday


Vivian took a "hit" (is that what you call it?)--no one was sure if she was gonna make it, as you can see in this pic, lol


Me and Cindy at a bar later that night


Saturday night--bar hopping! I got a chocolate shake and Janelle got a strawberry pina colada at this place. Yummy!


Random pic from Weimar--I just felt the need to pose in front of the Bratwurst stand. GO VEGETARIANS!

Ok, I'm done posting for a while, hopefully. Now I have to work on my oral presentation for tomorrow. Yikes!

Oh my gosh! So I was biking back from ice cream this evening, and this little creature comes running across my path--it was a hedgehog!! So cute! I got off my bike and followed it to the bush as it tried to run away from me as fast as it could--my first experience with the "wild animals" of Germany!

Ps-I wish we had Labor Day here.

It's so annoying, because I bought this cute notebook a couple of weeks ago, with the intention of keeping a journal of my trip to Germany. But I'm so used to typing everything, and especially with this blog for over two years, I feel like I'd rather just put it online. But what if my blog "crashes," or something like that--I know I probably won't be able to read my blog in something like 20 years, right? And of course there are personal things that I want to write, and I can't put those in a blog.

Aargh! I wish I had more motivation to put things down in writing!

So I finally watched the White Stripes video, My Doorbell. So cool! Did you know it was filmed at the Magic Castle? And that I've BEEN there, even though you have to be a magician to get in, or have an invitation? That's right, I had an invitation. My grandma won it at an auction, I think. Good times.
Anyway, back to the video--it's funny, because basically the whole video is Jack and Meg doing a show for a bunch of little kids, and everyone's dressed like it's the 20's or 30's. And I have to admit, the juxtaposition of adorable little children next to the creepy (yet totally awesome!!) Jack White is a little weird.
But I still like it a lot. And that is the end of my commentary for now.