I almost died today

Actually, it wasn't even close. Nowhere near death. Nowhere near the excitement and near-death experiences that the Ford has provided me. But then again, the Blazer isnt the Truck that the Ford is. The Ford could have taken that parking job I did into the ditch like a champ, been pulled out, and said, 'Let's do it again'. The Blazer jsut said 'Oh, my front end is plastic, I cant take it, and by the way, I got this stupid front oil filter mount that is gonna get ripped off '. So the Blazer is currently minus a front end, has an almost dangling oil filter and remote access oil lines, and is missing a lot of front end plastic.

Then again, the Ford is out of commission with a busted up tensioner arm on the belt. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten rid of the Scorpion....

Spring Break in Spain!

Ok, for all of those curious, spring break for next year is set! This year, Jeff will be journeying to Spain to teach conversational English! While in the country, my only expenses will be the night before and the two nights after the program, everythign while I'm at the actualy program is covered. I'll be enjoying three course lunch and dinners at a beautiful mountainside resort, all for talking to business people and students in nothing but English. The program is designed to be intensive English for those that already speak English, its focus is to get the people comfortable with English.

Anyways, if anyone is interested, here is the general program: http://www.vaughanvillage.com/index.asp, and here is the actual site I will be at: http://www.vaughanvillage.com/venue-cazorla.asp

Well, four major things happened today. Two good, two bad, but I am really in a bittersweet mood.

First for the good:
1) Spring break is booked. I will be going to Spain to teach English, program is booked as is the flight.
2) Dad got engaged to Denise. She is a wonderful lady who will bring us all happiness, and I wish them the best of luck and welcome her into the family.

Then the bad:
3) I've realized me and Sarah will never be. I treated her miserable this summer, and I cannot forgive myself for that. She moved on, and I just have to deal with that. I regret the things that I did that made me lose the love of my life. Dad getting engaged just dramatically compounds my sadness, of course I am very glad for him, but it reminds me of how sad I am.
4) Grandpa is in the hospital with a stroke. I wish him the best of luck, and a speedy recovery.

I'm kind of just in a dull sense right now. I should be estactic over the engagement and spring break, but I am not. I am worrying about grandpa, and regretting my decisions with Sarah. I feel extremely badly about everything, but the past is the past and I need to move on. She was truly the greatest thing that happened to my life, and it is hard to see 3 years vanish just like that. Thankfully, last weekend she made me see that I needed to change the direction my life was heading, so I am very thankful for that. I am working on fixing a lot of stuff about myself, it will take time, but it will make me a better person in the end. I hurt badly right now, but I know with time I am going to come out a better person.

Thats all for now, I guess

For anyone still looking at this.....

OK, you guys want updates. Here they are.

First off, the phone number at my cabin is 906-370-9478. Its a prepay, so if you have lots to say I'll probably hang up and drive up the road to talk on my Alltel phone.

Secondly, I'm moved into my new cabin. 4 miles south of campus, on the lake, $180 a month for a one person place, here are some pics:

Finally, went down to Escanaba for the offroad races last weekend. First real bike trip I've been on, and it was quite fun.

Going Home

Well, I have about an hour before I leave for the airport. All I can say, is that Mark Knopfler was a great end to a great time in Prague. The concert was awesome, never have I seen so any instruments played in a single show (everyone in the show besides Mark and the drummer played at least three instruments at one point). Ukeleles, accordians, things that looked like Mandolins but were really a lot longer, probably a dozen different guitars, a few flutes, two different pianos and Mark playing at least five different guitars made for a great show. Thankfully, he mixed up the show, split about 60/40 with his new individual work, and songs from Dire Straits. Not suprisingly, Sultans of Swing and Romeo and Juliet were played, a bit more suprisingly (and to my great thanks) Telegraph Road was played, which is probably my favorite song ever. Anyways, after 30 years of playing, growing old and chubby and bald, the guy can pick a guitar, and still has a great voice. He's also got me wanting a candy apple red Fender Stratocaster.

Anyways, the last song he played was Going Home, and it fit perfectly to put a cap on my stay. It is a great way to end the concert, and for me, a great way to wrap up my stay in Prague. Although I just heard it live a few hours ago, I'll probably listen to it again as I'm coming home.

Boat trip

Well, we had a fun boat trip. Had some really good (and all I could eat) smoked salmon, and some decent smelt. I had a nice walk around before, and we had a nice fire at the Program Director Jan Stodola's house afterwards. It was a good wrap up to the program, I think.

Anyways, pics are here (warning: teenage girls drinking and acting like fools on the trams, and also pics that may make you want to up and travel to Prague tomorrow): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2047235&l=300b8&id=6603926

Schools out for the summer.......

Had my last class today, I'm free until I go home now! All I have planned for the last few days is the group boat cruise tomorrow night, and what I've been waiting for all semester, the Mark Knopfler concert Sunday night.

I was gonna put up all my work, but I can't figure out how to post PDF's. If I figure it out, you all can see whate I've been up to.

Fun with Senate security.....

Hmmm...

Life lesson #325 I've learned. If you're taking a field trip to the Czech Senate, leave your knives at home. Seems they don't like those thigns there. Apparently, though, they're a lot calmer than American security, and just confiscated it until the trip was over.

Anyways, the old links aren't working, try these, I hope they work:
Vienna: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046900&l=f9243&id=6603926
Budapest: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046902&l=1391f&id=6603926
Cesky Krumlov: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046904&l=261d6&id=6603926
Slovakia: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046903&l=8936c&id=6603926
Military & Aviation Museums: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046950&l=a5a6d&id=6603926

Rally!

Went to Ceske budejovice today to watch a rally race. It was good, enjoyable fun, and the town is beautiful. I was sad to have to stay on the spectator side of the pit wall, though, for the first time in a few years :(

Rally pics: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2047005&l=752bd&id=6603926
Ceske Budejovice pics: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2047003&l=ca485&id=6603926

No news is good news.....

To whomever asked, no, I really don't have any new news. I've really done nothing the past few weeks. Had my first final yesterday, in Politics, should pass that with flying colors. Went to the Military History Museum, and the Aviation History Museum today. Aviation history museum has a LOT of planes, there are planes stacked on top of each other. Pics will come soon.

Tomorrow is a field trip for Politics to a small village for a discussion and dinner. Saturday I'm heading to Ceske Budejovice, home of the real Budweiser beer, to watch the Rallye Krumlov race. The rest of this weekend will be finishing up papers. I'll be done with everything on Tuesday, so I'll have 5 days off to enjoy Prague before I leave. Thursday night is a boat cruise and bonfire, and next Sunday night is the Mark Knopfler (singer for Dire Straits) concert, and of course, the following Monday morning I come home.

Anyways, one suprise I do have is Vienna-Budapest trip pics:
Vienna: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046900&l=36437&id=6603926
Budapest: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046902&l=d1977&id=6603926 (sorry, apparently I didn't take many pics in Budapest, I'm blaming it on wasting most of the day in the spas....)
Cesky Krumlov: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046904&l=2b7eb&id=6603926
Slovakia/Bratislavia: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046903&l=25471&id=6603926

EDIT:
Military History and Czech Aviation Muesums: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046950&l=361d4&id=6603926

Try finding a newspaper headline like this in America...

POLL: Czechs dislike Roma. Czechs also don't like Vietnamese, Albanians, Romanians and Ukranians

That was an actual headline on a newspaper today. Made me laugh. Roma is the correct term for Gypsies, just so you aren't confused.

Anyways, in new news, I come home May 12, and have to be back in Houghton May 19 to start work, so I'll probably go back up the 18th. So anyone that may be planning a suprise welcome home get together, know you have a limited window. And if no one was planning one, this is a hint to plan something :) (just kidding, I know there is already an elaborate party waiting for me)

Three weeks to go.....

....and my hard drive dies for good. Couldn't have stuck through it for another two and a half weeks, nope, dies as papers are needing to be written so I have no choice but to either buy a new one, or fight 40 other people for the 5 computers on campus only available from whenever admins get there in the morning until whenever they leave at night.

In good news, I should no longer have problems getting pics off my camera, so hopefully Vienna and Budapest will be up in the next few days.

Kutna Hora and the Jewels.....

So yesterday was a fun class trip to Kutna Hora, a medieval mining town about an hour from Prague. When it was founded, it sat upon the largest silver reserve in Europe, making it a very powerful town, the second most powerful town in Bohemia after Prague.

We started the trip off at the bone chapel, a church built on an old cemetary. To accomidate the building of the church, they dug up the bones, and used them as decoration for the church. It is a slightly creepy place.

Next we went to St. Barbara church, which was meant to challenge St. Vitus in Prague castle as the most majestic church in Bohemia (Kutna Hora was in constant competition with Prague as to who could be more elaborate and upper class). It is a very nice late-gothic cathedral, with many elements of archtecture that fall outside gothic style.

Finally, we got to crawl around hte silver mines. It is amusing to me, that girls on the program have yet to figure out that cute shoes should be left at home for the class trips, and were gonna wind up in dirty, cool places, so I got to hear some whining. But I loved the place. Copper mines in Houghton would be a lot more comfortable to work in, some shafts in the silver mines were accessible only to someone crawling on their stomach.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046301&l=09805&id=6603926 for pics

This morning, I stood in line for 4.5 hours to view the Crown Jewels of Bohemia. There are some big rocks on that crown. Why the long line? The crown is only displayed publically for a week every fifth anniversery of the founding of the Czech Republic. Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia, who comissioned the crown, requested it only be shown publically occassionally, and once every five years is actually frequent compared to what it was shown before WWI. Also on display of note, was a reliquary cross used for the coronation of Czech kings, that held a piece of Jesus's loincloth.

Unfortunately, no pics were allowed, so you'll just have to come in the next week and stand in line and see it for yourself.

Italy

Ok, got at least Italy off my camera. The pics should be here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046161&l=42174&id=6603926

If that doesn't work, leave me a comment, and I'll put them up like I normally do.

Anyways, Italy was fun. Roamed around Rome for a few hours when I got off the plane, seen the Vatican. Took a train to Anzio, got my hotel, had a nice dinner. Spahetti with mussels, and a whole fish. Went to bed full, got up the next day, and nearly walked the entire way to the cemetery (had I known how close I was when I turned around and walked back to the train, I actually would have walked the whole way, as it was, probably walked close to 5 miles). Cemetery was real nice, very peaceful and well kept.

Went back to my hotel, took a dip in the Mediterranean, much to the amusement of lots of Polish tourists, and I must say it was much warmer than the last time I decided to take a dip in a ody of water I wouldn't be around again for a while (the Arctic).

Went back to Rome early Sunday morning, happened upon Santa Maria Maggiore just in time for mass (I get lucky a lot), so I stuck around for that (its actually Vatican property, so I've been to church in the Vatican), seen the colosseum and ancient Rome, then went home.

My final verdict? Italy is crappy. Aside from the churches, the Vatican, the beach (And only the beach, no surrounding area at all) and the cemetery, it was rundown, graffiti and garbage everywhere, and not a nice place. Also the hardest place to get around without English (Kosovo included), although the people were friendly and willing to help. Gelatto ice cream was REAL good, though.

Perhaps the wierdest.....

Well, I think I hav ejust found the biggest oddity (coolest thing?) about living in Prague yet: there's a movie being filmed right outside my apartment. The past few days in which I thought someone was putting in a hotel and bar in the old building by me, they've really been setting up to shoot a scene.

Oh, and my camera and computer have decided not to be friends, so while I'm hoping this isn't the case, Vienna/Budapest and Italy (and maybe Kutna Hora, depending on how long the fued lasts) pics may be a while, if they get up before I get back......

Geneva

Geneva is a nice city, but thats about as far as it goes. Nice to live, but lacking in the tourism areas. Of course, it has the traditional Old Town, but since most of the city didn't get going until the 1600's, its not quite as spectactular as other cities. Of note is the famous Protestant wall, a wall 150m long dedicated to Protestant history (Geneva was a safe haven for Protestant reformers while they were being persecuted), the famous waterfountain in the lake, and the mountainous surroundings. It is, however, a town that I would probably be most interested in living in should I ever live in Europe. Modern and efficient, cost of living for non-tourists isn't bad, and VERy international. Seriously, try finding a Swiss restaurant in Geneva. Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Mexican, Lebanese, Syrian, American, lots of French, German (all operated by someone of that nationality), but not many Swiss restaurants to be found.

Oh, and Swiss chocolate is delicious, but a bit pricey starting at $95/kg (about 2.2lbs). And of course, I got the obligatory genuine Swiss Army knife (even the original Swiss Army model).

1) Public Transportation boat across Lake Geneva

2) Swiss are smart - when they name a road after someone, they put what that person did to get a road named after them on the sign

3) Victoria Concert Hall

4) Protestant Wall

5) Russian Orthodox church, circa late 19th century (Geneva is a very diverse city for religion)

6) St. Pierre Cathedral, served as a Protestant church during the reformation until it was handed back over to the Catholic diocese

7) View of Lake geneva and the new part of the city from St. Pierre's tower

8) Yummy Swiss Chocolate

9) UN Headquarters Europe

10) Swiss vineyard

11) View of Lake Geneva from the Jura Mountains

12) Mountains

13) St Cergue

14) Mountain hiking

Mont St Michel

Quite possibly my new favorite vacation location. Beautiful scenery, awesome castle town, sweet tides, great seafood, lamb, cheese and cider. Also a fierce rivalry between Brittany and Normandy about who the castle belongs to (currently Normandy, as the river that divides the two regions currently runs to the ocean on the west side of the Mont, although it has changed sides many times over the past few hundred years), whats not to love?

1) Storm over Mont St Michel

2) Approaching Mont St Michel, still a few miles out

3) Casting a shadow over the salt flats

4) Downtown

5) Sun setting on the abbey

6) Night view from the draw bridge

7) Castle at night

8) High tide

9) Another night shot

10) Sunset shot of a guard tower

11) Another part of town

12) View from my hotel room

13) Inside the abbey

14) Crypt supporting the church

15) Statue of St Michel on top of the abbey

Oh

If anyone has a desire to see the high resolution pics, just let me know, I realize the quality is getting crappy from how I have to shrink them down to make them fit.

Paris

Paris is a lot less exciting to me, but here are a few pics of my favorite parts of the city. I was basically in town for one day, Easter Sunday, before heading off to Mont St Michel. Pics of Mont St Michel and Geneva are still coming, as are Vienna, Budapest, Cesky Krumlov and the two things worth taking pics of in Bratislava (a cable stay bridge and a pre-Roman fortress)

1) Yummy market

2) View off the top of the Eiffel Tower

3) Looking straight up the Tower: The Tower is built at its base to exert no more pressure per square inch than a 150lb lady in heels.

4) Looking straight down the Tower

5) Notre Dame

6) Easter Mass in Notre Dame (I stopped taking pics as mass started, unlike the idiots that were bugging me all night to move so they could get better pics and using me as a tripod)

7) Arc de Triumph

8) Obelisk, in Concorde Place

9) Goofy thumb statue, no real importance, its just an awesome pic with the reflection off rain covered marble

10) Eiffel Tower at night, once an hour it sparkels wth flashy lights

11) Non-sparking Eiffel Tower for comparison

12) Grande Arche, a modern Arc de Triumph, it houses gov't offices