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Happy birthday Dad!

Today is my Dad's birthday, so happy birthday!  I'm not sure how he feels about peonies, but I like them.  This flower was blooming right before I left.  Our yard is too shady to get too many peony blooms, and I was happy for the couple we got this year.

I got 6 rolls of film developed today.  I love that excitement right before you rip open the outer envelope, holding the photos.  I always quickly flip through the stack - usually in the car before I drive off - and am always initially disappointed.  Then, when I get home or to wherever I'm going, I slowly go through the roll, remembering the shots.  And then I tend to find ones I like.  Stories and photos to follow.  Right now I'm going to go suffer quietly with my cold.

Decompressing

I am back and decompressing.  My mother said she is very ashamed of the sloth the household has exhibited today, for me, though, it's been exactly what I needed.  For three weeks I have been surrounded by strangers (in airports, buses, trains) or by my American and German counterparts or friends (new and old).  It is really nice to be in a dark, cool place with no worries about making connections or presentations or not knowing the language.

I don't know where to start with my adventures.  I have 8 rolls of film to get developed and I think I'll tell bits and pieces as I post photos.  Off the bat I have a small stack of polaroids to share.  The top photo is of the Frauenkirche in the old city part of Dresden (which was totally destroyed at the end of WWII).  It was rebuilt and reopened in 2005.  The photo directly above is of some graffiti I enjoyed.  Graffiti was plentiful throughout the city.  The photo below is from an art passageway in the Neustadt, the area all the young people in town go out in.  The wall is called "Rain" (or something like that) and opposite to it is "Sun," a yellow wall.  One free afternoon, towards the end of our stay, I wandered it with some of my American friends.

Almost home

Hello lovely blog!  Sorry for my long absence - I am still in Europe but am almost home.  I'll be home Thursday, in sh'allah.  :)  I am currently in Rotterdam, to be precise, for one more night staying with new friends Nan and Luke.  I met them at my friend Mary's wedding on the 14th and promptly asked if I could stay with them.  (Apparently when traveling I have no gall or sense of proper decorum.)  It has worked out beautifully, though, as I needed a place to stay and they have been willing and lovely hosts.  Today Nan and I wandered around Rotterdam, visiting a market and a museum, seeing everything from fillets of fish to some Bosch panels.  We also ate a lot of sweets and even did a PFR.

I haven't blogged since I have been gone, and frankly it has been a lovely break.  My trip has been a whirlwind of activity with not a lot of chances on the internet.  (Plus every time I was on the internet I was in someone's home, taking a break from working on our poster project, and it's not exactly prime blogging time with three people looking over your shoulder.)  I have been having a great time.  I loved Dresden and am scheming how to get back.  I had a great (though expensive) time in Ireland for my friend's wedding.  The wedding was perfect for the bride and groom and I will go into details later.  I just wanted to let everyone know I am alive and well and on my journey home.

A little blurry

This polaroid turned out a little blurry.  I didn't mean it to, and would have taken another if it wasn't my last shot in the pack.  But it's very fitting for my current state of being: blurry.  School's out people.  I just turned in my final paper.  Thank god.  I'm worn out and am so happy this quarter is done. 

My brother has been in town (he actually just left this evening).  While I don't enjoy sharing a bathroom with him, it's always fun to have him around.  He collaborated in an art project with his old roommate from art school and some other friends, and there was a big show for it Saturday.  (It even scored a write-up in the paper - including a mention of the brother!)  It was a really cool video collaboration that was projected onto the windows of a building.  About a hundred or so people were sitting on the sidewalk outside watching.

Anyhow, tomorrow I will be running around getting things together as I leave in the evening.  Thanks for all of the book suggestions.  I have tried to find some used copies and have come up short.  I deeply miss the used book stores of Chicago.  There are no good ones here.  Boo.  I will probably pick up one or two, though.

I don't know if I will be blogging while I'm in Europe.  At this moment I'm leaning to no, as I think I'd like a break, but I'm currently exhausted and that might be factoring in to that.  Ten to one, I'll want to write.  Either way, I hope you all enjoy your June.