One year from now.

It was recently suggested to me that I have a discussion about where things will be one year down the road.

And it got me thinking. Every year has brought about so much change, I never could have predicted where I'd be the year prior.

August 2007 - Kyle and I were dating, long-distance. I went to visit and meet his parents for the first time.

August 2008 - We moved down here to Arizona and got our first apartment together. Neither of us had even been to the state.

August 2009 - He deployed to Afghanistan during my first week of school. I didn't know how to process any of it, because we had less than one week's notice.

August 2010 - We were having horrible difficulties readjusting to him being home, and fought like cats & dogs. I kicked him out of the house a month later.

August 2011 - I came home from Europe a huge cow - a trip I had planned because we broke up a few months prior. He came over the night after I got home with dinner and a few bottles of wine, and got so drunk he slept in the tub.

August 2012 - We got back together again after one fantastic night of stir-fry and sex, because we both felt like we were coming home.


Right now, I'm working a job I mostly hate, making dirt. In one year, I hope to:

• have completed my 101 list,
• own land,
• be self-employed - or at least minimally employed by my current employer, and 
• just generally be more in control of my life. Actually look like I'm 25 and going somewhere, rather than 24 and working retail. 

I am not a cow!

Well, I should hope that much would be obvious. I don't much resemble a large barnyard mammal.

You probably know the story of my Europe trip last year. And that, because of unwise decisions that I would totally make again if given the opportunity, I gained approximately one pound per day while I was gone.

It hasn't come off easily, but I'm super proud to say that I am officially 25 lbs. lighter now than I started the year!

I've completed two months worth of boot camp. I've practiced yoga. I've ran, and biked, and walked, and cried when I felt I wasn't getting anywhere. Sometimes I've worked hard at it, and sometimes I've hardly worked. But today, I'm proud.

I'm proud that another co-worker asked me yesterday if I'd been losing weight. I'm proud that she commented on how baggy my pants were. I'm proud that, when I pulled on my brand-new, size-two pants this morning, it wasn't a struggle. I'm proud every time I look in the mirror and see my hip bones. I'm proud because I've had to work to get here, and the signs of that hard work are finally visible - and not just to me.

Here's to another ten or fifteen, and to wearing boots with skinny jeans this winter!

xoxo

365 questions: 225 - 235

225. What is your saddest memory?  I tend to block super emotional stuff out. If you want a recent sad memory, though, it would be me at Jerry's funeral, knowing I didn't make it home in time to say goodbye. That breaks my heart. 

226. What would you like to change?  The number on the scale. For something less superficial, the amount of money I owe in student loans. 

227. How many people do you love?  Lots. I can't help but care about people. 

228. What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?  Oh, goodness. The best one I've ever made? I don't know for certain. The decision to learn from my past mistakes rather than regretting anything was probably a wise one, though. 

229. What’s your favorite true story that you enjoy sharing with others?  I love recounting my ridiculous adventures in Italy from last summer - couchsurfing with men who proposed marriage, getting a room with three guys I'd met an hour before, and sharing one bed with two other people who were both feeling a little amorous. 

230. Right now, at this moment, what do you want most?  I want to know what the future holds. I've never been big on surprises. I like to have all my shit in line, and life has sorta thrown me a twist lately. 

231. What are you waiting for?  How are you writing your life’s story?  I'm waiting for love and for success. But I'm writing my story with a little humor. 

232. What makes love last?  Hard work, every day. Love is a decision, not just an emotion. 

233. What good comes from suffering?  Strength and the experience. Every experience is one from which to learn. 

234. What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in the last year?  Don't take anything for granted. Not love, not people, not money. 

235. Based on you current daily actions and routines, where would you expect to be in five years?  Ideally, I would be writing for a wine magazine or consulting for a snooty restaurant. Happily married to the love of my life. Student loans hopefully paid off. Probably without kids. 

Where should you live?

Apparently the graphic is a little messed up. My rankings are:
1. Canada
2. Sweden
3. Australia
4. New Zealand
5. Norway


Check it out and create your own! I was definitely surprised that Germany and Austria were both ranked lower than the US, which came in at #11.

How did you know?

I know at the beginning of this month I said I was having a small crisis. I don't know what I'm doing with my life.

Well, no surprise, I haven't figured it out in the last 19 days. In fact, instead of deciding to take a break and head to the east coast for a bit, now I'm thinking of leaving the continent. Yikes.

I've been thinking a lot more about what I want to do in life. What I enjoy doing. My passions. I've tossed around the idea of going to culinary school. I've thought about taking anthropology classes and perhaps getting a degree in culinary anthropology. (All of this without having actually updated my food blog in over a month.) I've thought about being a Bikram instructor. I've thought about cutting my calorie intake to 200 per day, somehow growing 3 more inches, and trying to break into the bigger modeling scene. I've thought about being a high school math teacher, or history teacher. Perhaps staying with my current company and being a wine manager. Doing medical research. Being a sommelier. Becoming more confident in my language skills and being a translator.

I've contemplated nearly-unrealistic things. Being a signed country artist. Opera (now that I'm a mezzo, I don't have to worry about being labeled a high-drama soprano!). Being a vintner. Writing a cookbook.

I've thought about interim jobs. Being a tour guide in whatever European city I choose to live in. Offering my editing services to various organizations - everything from Total Wine (their Guide to Wine could certainly use some help) to the city of Florence and their tourism division (all their English language publications are awful). Taking some time to travel around the US and getting modeling jobs where ever I can. Being a tour guide at Auschwitz, since their guides mostly suck. Or being a tour guide at any number of other places in Europe, where English-speaking guides are a hot commodity.

I'm going to be 24 in a few short months. Most people, if they have gone the college route, are long gone by my age. Instead, I'm finishing up year 7 right now and still have absolutely no clue what I want to pursue.

Am I supposed to be waiting for some ah-ha! moment? Did you all just "know" what you wanted to do? Surely I'm not the only one who feels so lost.

Dad included a note in the box my parents sent last week. It said something along the lines of how I need to email him an update on school, because "inquiring minds need to know." I've avoided it because I don't know what to say. What? - "Oh hi, Dad. I've decided I have wasted my money for the last seven years so I'm just going to drop out of school and try to figure out life on my own. Oh, and I'm thinking of moving to Europe. Don't worry that to get an apartment in Germany, the up-front cost is usually 4000-5000 Euros; I'll be fine?" Somehow I don't see that going over well.

My life is one big facepalm right now.

Two more goals down!!

Sorry it's been a while. I've been super swamped with school, helping my best friends move, and my CouchSurfer! Yep, that's right. I hosted a CouchSurfer for the last week. Jordan was in town for a job fair and professional conference that ended this morning, so we went out last night with G for some Arizona brews.

The boys with the SanTan sampler. We ended up there since I have been to Four Peaks a number of times, and SanTan is a lot closer to G's house. And since I gave him a ride, I didn't feel like driving back up to Tempe. We closed down the bar there, went and had some tacos at Dos Gringos, and headed home. It was a nice, relaxing way to wind down the last week together.

Anyway. Hosted Jordan and I also finished my puzzle early last week, so I'm up to 20 goals crossed off now. Two in a week isn't bad!

Kris and Dave leave Saturday morning, so I've spent most of my free time helping them pack, and spending as much time as I can get with them before they leave. I had planned on going up there for the latter half of Spring Break, but I apparently didn't put my vacation request in on time at work, so the schedule was made up before I let them know I'd be gone. Boo.

I got an hour and a half of modeling work in last Thursday and earned more than my entire last paycheck. Yesterday, I had a shoot out at White Tank Mountain regional park. It's SO beautiful out there! And on our way back into town, I saw two deer running across the road - a first for me in the 3+ years I've lived here. That was pretty cool.

Sorry I'm all over the place tonight. I have a headache, Mom just got out of the hospital this afternoon after emergency surgery earlier this week, and Prince Charming and I decided to go our separate ways this afternoon. It was an amicable break, but still makes me a little sad. He accepted a position that is going to put him out of town / across the country for the next ten weeks. Things have been off between us since the wedding and now with the prospect of long-distance, we just decided to call it quits.

And I was chatting with Irene yesterday morning... We're tossing around the possibility of being roommates in Hamburg next year. She's thinking of moving out there next fall, and I certainly don't have anything holding me here right now. We'll see as things progress, but I'm definitely considering it.

My head hurts, so I'm outta here. I'll leave you with a picture from last week. G and I went out to lunch at Ra. The food was delish, and this picture makes me laugh every time.

Sayonara, beeches!

365 Questions: 176 - 182

176. What are the primary components of a happy life?  Doing what you love, and loving what you do. That doesn't just apply to employment; it applies to everything. 


177. How would the world be different if you were never born?  I like to believe I'm just a ray of sunshine. I know I've definitely made an impact on some people, and certainly their worlds would be different if I wasn't around, but I certainly haven't made an enormous impact on the world. 

178. What is your favorite song and why?  Oh yikes. All-time favorite song? I've never been able to choose one. Favorite Top 40s song right now is "It Girl," by Jason Derulo. Favorite folk song is "Danny Boy." Favorite Indie/a capella song is Ben Folds' cover of "Sleazy." 


179. With the resources you have right now, what can you do to bring yourself closer to your goal?  Make the calls I need to make. The only thing holding me back is fear. 

180. What are your top three priorities?  School, success, and fitness


181. Why do we idolize sports players?  I certainly don't, and I don't understand the mentality of people who do. 

182. What is the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?  Veru took me in when I was stranded in the Czech Republic this summer. Most all of my important stuff had been snatched, and she took me in for three days so I could get back on my feet. I truly don't know what I would have done without her. 

Highlights of 2011

January: No real highlights. The most memorable moment would be Kyle storming into my office to scream at me, and the subsequent blowout / breakup.

February: California trip! Being skinnier than I have been in 7+ years.

March: Starting my 101 list, and meeting two of my very best friends!

April: My daddy coming to visit. Moving in with said new best friends. Starting my own business!

May: Another California trip, this one with my sister. Meeting Sam! <3 The heart-to-heart with Ryan in some seedy little Carlsbad bar.

June: Buying my ticket to Europe. My birthday! An Alaska trip.

July: July 4th week. Hollywood with Ryan. The beach with Ryan. Leaving for Europe!

August: Austria. Innsbruck. Meeting Andy.

September: Finally having the cajones to stand up for myself. And a new job!

October:  Asking Prince Charming out on a date.

November: Our first date. Candice's wedding. Thanksgiving. <3

December: Turning my ring around. Saying the L-word. And in four more days, I'll be headed back to Alaska again for a white Christmas!

Let's go to Japan!

I came across this article today. Could life get any more perfect?! The Japan Tourism Agency is giving away 10,000 free round-trip tickets, starting in April. The "catch" is that you have to present them with a full itinerary, and blog about your trip. So I guess I should start building followers on my food blog between now and then!

I found an online deal through Target a few days ago and got 3 pairs of jeans and 3 t-shirts for $14.47 or something. Just under $14.50, including shipping. [When my order shipped, the dollar amount changed and I still have yet to hear back from them after I emailed customer service yesterday. Not totally pleased about that.]

Anyway, everything was sent out in three different shipments. My jeans got here today. And since I don't have morning classes anymore, I've been lounging around in my pjs... which consist of nothing but a pair of sweatpants right now. So. UPS man knocks on my door, and since I'm not expecting anything (I just placed the order three days ago), I'm hanging out in my sweatpants. I reach for the nearest top I can find, which just so happens to be a cardigan. Of course, it's not the button-all-the-way-up kind. It's the one where the buttons start at your navel. So I answer the door with one hand holding my stupid sweater together so I don't end up flashing the UPS guy. With my luck, it's a package that I have to sign for. So I'm holding my sweater with one hand, trying to hold the little signature pad thing with the same hand, and signing my name (badly) with the other. Then trying to hand everything back, grab the big bag of jeans, and still avoid flashing the UPS man. It was hard work; let me tell you!

All that, and the jeans don't even fit. I'm having the same problem with them as I have had with the majority of my jeans since I came home from Europe. I did so much walking that my ass nearly doubled in size. I can't even start to get them over my huge butt now. And they're a 5! So frustrating - especially considering I have size 1 shorts in my room right now. These are the biggest size I own now, and even they don't fit.

I give up. Maybe I'll start shopping in the "jeans for girls with a huge ass" section. I don't think I even have any of my jeans from when I did have a big ass, four years ago, at my parents' house. Note: Banana Republic pants are not for big butts. Also of note, I no longer like big butts. And I don't lie.

At least now I can take some comfort in knowing that of the 25 lbs. I've gained since June, a good portion of it has gone to my substantial badonkadonk. Now Mom can't say I don't have a butt anymore, or I look like a rail. Because that certainly isn't the case. Baby got back.

And with that, I'm off to shower before class. Ciao!

Can't sleep.

I'm sure I probably could if I actually headed to bed, but for some reason I can't actually motivate myself to do that right now. So here I am instead.

I feel like I'm going through some sort of ridiculous crisis. And by that, I mean I have found myself craving a new tattoo out of nowhere. Or a piercing. Or a trip. And the hilarious alternative - a cigarette. Yes, apparently that is in the same league as inking myself. At least in my head right now, anyway.

My house is such a mess right now. I feel like my life is a mess right now, too. And to keep me feeling overwhelmed, I have a test pop up every once in a while. Like this super awesome P-Chem test tomorrow afternoon. Spectacular, right? I would love just one week where I am not running around like a chicken with my head cut off. This upcoming weekend was supposed to be spent in Tulsa, but Andy is working so it wouldn't make sense to fly me out there. That probably would have been the perfect little getaway. Oh well.

I had 30 things on my to-do list this week. It's Thursday, and I've completed 8 1/2 of them. That's ridiculous. I don't even know what I'm doing with my time that I have so little left to work on my to-do list.

I'm just so discouraged, I guess. I want it to be this summer again. I want to be in Europe, completely carefree. I feel like I'm never going to be an "adult." And I feel like, even if I was out in the real world, I would hardly know what to do with myself. I'm so tired of having my entire life revolve around school, but I don't know anything else.

I'm not even accomplishing much on my 101 list. I have donated a ton of rice this month, yes, but so many of the goals require either time or money - neither of which I have a whole lot of right now. And yes, writing that down did just motivate me to do something about that, since that's exactly the line I've used. But that doesn't make things any less frustrating right now. And even that venture is frustrating sometimes. I know it's my own fault, numbers and all that, but it's hard not to get discouraged sometimes. One of my goals was to make five phone calls this week, and I still plan on it. I think I'll carve out some time tomorrow evening after I get home from my test.

I was daydreaming earlier today, and I dreamt that I went "camping" with Josh & Miranda at the same spot a group of us went in January, and that I had an awesome, huge silver truck. Guess what won't be happening any time soon. And that's almost frustrating, too. Not that I won't have a gas-guzzler, but that I have three friends here that I would call up to go camping. And two of them probably wouldn't do it to avoid the drama that would probably ensue.

I need a shower, and then some sleep. Pouting never does me any good. Ciao!

Ahhhhh. Massage!

My first attempt at posting from the mobile app, so hopefully this works!

I'm over at Kris and Dave's still. Decided to stay the night since apparently the case lot sale is this weekend, so Kris and I are going in the morning. We had a tasty steak for dinner. Yum! I love steak. I love it even more when I don't have to cook/grill it. And Kris made devils food cake for dessert. Delish!

I talked to Andy tonight, and he is now offering to pay my entire way out there for Oktoberfest. I feel bad doing that, but I'm just not able to go see him this month otherwise. We'll see. I think I'm going to go. I would really love to. I would feel bad but he's offering, it's worth it, and I can always pay him back later. The flight isn't super long, I don't think, so I could probably leave here Friday after class and go for the weekend. I think we are going to chat some more about it on Monday.

Dave gave me an amazing massage tonight. One of the perks of your best friend's fiancé being a massage therapist is that you occasionally get a rockin' massage for free. (Occasionally because I feel bad asking often. He brought his table over before I left for Europe and then I asked for one tonight.)

I start work in the afternoon! Orientation is at 1. I'm pretty excited! I guess we will see what my hours will look like then, too. I think they are pretty flexible. Gina makes up the schedule every Sunday, I'm pretty sure.

The sleepy time, she comes. I'm about to crash. Ciao!

So much for leaving today.

Oh, Praha. I should have left three and a half hours ago. Instead, I am sitting in the lounge at the courtyard marriot attached to the airport.

My flight to Amsterdam was a-ok, but my flight from Amsterdam to Atlanta had been cancelled, so I was rescheduled for a flight to Amsterdam and then Minneapolis tomorrow. I land at about 4pm, so I will miss my first two classes and probably be late for the third, but I suppose it could be worse. My own fault for scheduling my flight so close to the start of school, I suppose.

I've been hanging out with a guy named Matt (different Matt than the one I met last night, who was also awesome) who was supposed yo be on the same two flights. He is flying instead to Paris in the morning and bring re-routed from there. What a nightmare. But he is here on a business trip with the company card, so we grabbed lunch together earlier at no cost to me. Bonus. We have been swapping school and road trip / eurotrip stories and having a blast. He seems slightly hippy-ish. We had lunch on the ground barefoot, sitting in the grass.

Had breakfast with Leah this morning before we left. She and Ryan disagreed on mist things which made for an interesting conversation. She gave us directions to the airport using public transportation which was super helpful.

I suppose Ryan is on his way to Minneapolis right now. So jealous. I should have been on that flight. I can't do anything about it and I guess if I'm going to be stuck somewhere, at least it is at the start if my journey and I'm not stranded somewhere. And being put up in the marriot is a bonus for sure. I just would really have liked to be home today.

And I discovered something earlier today that made me feel like the biggest fool ever. Oh well. Nothing I can do about it now.

The sky is blue and it is a beautiful day. I suppose I should enjoy the cool weather while I have it. Sayonara! Hopefully my next update will be on my way home.

Quick update

from the Embassy!!

Just had my interview with the Consulate. I should have a new passport after 1:30PM this afternoon. I think everything will go according to plan.

Out for the day! I'm going to grab something to eat and then meet Leah at 1.

Back in Prague.

Well maybe I should start from the beginning of my stay in Brno.

Arrived in Brno in the evening from Katowice. Went to McDonalds to use their wireless because it was just around the corner. The recommended hostel on wikitravel was some place called hostel fleda. Figured it must be okay, and it seemed cheap, so off I went. Had a hard time finding the reception desk because the place is attached to a bar and club. Reception is through the bar. Weird. And they require a deposit of 200Kc for the key. Wasn't expecting that since I haven't encountered that policy elsewhere, so that was a little off-putting.

Walked upstairs to my room. Shared bathroom for two big dorm rooms... Not the end of the world, right? WRONG. It was the most disgusting bathroom ever, with the possible exception of one of my hosts' in Rome. And one of the things I didn't bring was shower shoes. Cool.

Other than that, the place was okay. I skipped breakfast and made oatmeal in the room. Met one of the other guys in my room - Shawn. We ended up spending most of the day together. Just wandered around. He is a pretty cool guy. He is actually in Prague now and we might meet up and do a day trip to Kutna Hora before I leave.

Sent out a few couchrequests and got three responses. The most convenient was a guy named Aaron who was going to be home all day, and lived right in the center of town. Like, directly on the square in the center of town. It doesn't get more convenient than that. So I headed to his place.

Short version - he is a total stoner. Like grows weed in his house, stoner. The second night he was tripping on acid and came to bed with me. No thanks. Conveniently, that was the night all my shit was stolen on the train so I woke up and said I needed to jet off to Prague. I drove up with Cornelia, who was surfing with another guy - Aron - who also had responded to my couchrequest.

Cornelia dropped me off at the tram station in Prague, where Viktoria picked me up. I have been staying with her and will stay through Tuesday morning. Her parents are on vacation and come home Tuesday evening, so I have another place to stay Tuesday before I can hopefully fly out Wednesday morning. Today, we went for a walk - probably about 7km - to the zoo, up near a cemetery, and had a really cool view of Prague and the Vltava river.

I will be heading to the embassy tomorrow morning to hopefully get everything sorted out. I do have my license so hopefully that is all the identification they need. We shall see!

More tomorrow after the embassy. :)

Okay. I'm ready to go home now.

Went out for a bike tour through wine country earlier. Thought I was going to have a blast. Biked about 30 km on the worst seat ever. So outrageously uncomfortable. Then I can only find one vinohradska that is open, and the lady charges me 60kc for a glass of wine rather that the 20-25 I was told to expect. So right there I'm a little irritated. Had dinner at a hotel with cheaper wine.

Biked from lebnice then to breclav. Was given wrong directions so I was even more tired and displeased. Got on the train finally at 8:38 pm. Fell asleep around 9 and took a 20 minute nap. Woke up to find the contents of my bag strewn across the car, with my camera bag (with camera, money, my drivers license, and both credit cards inside), my phone, and my passport missing.

Fucking awesome day. I spent a few hours at the Brno police station tonight and will be heading to Prague tomorrow to the embassy to see what they can do for me. I hope I am still able to head home on Wednesday without being held up.

Definitely won't be sleeping on anymore trains from now on.

Went to Auschwitz today.

And I determined that your experience is really determined by the guide you have. We went with a group. If you're with a group, you are required to have a guide. And ours sucked.

First, he mumbled a lot. He was really difficult to understand in general.

Then he decided it was acceptable to use dramatic pauses and whispers often and at really inappropriate times. Coupled with his mumble and the fact that we were wearing headphones / he was talking through a mic, he was nearly impossible to understand half the time.

However, we joined another guide's group for Auschwitz II-Birkinau, and she happened to speak English much more clearly. That was a much better tour and I wish we would have tagged along with her to begin with.

I actually thought the Dachau experience was a much more embodying one. This seemed rushed, was confusing at times, and was just... not what I was expecting. I do hope to go back at a later date (and after 3PM, as they require a guide before that time) and spend more time there on my own.

And now it's 1 AM and I should probably head to bed. I heard about several book titles and a movie relating to Auschwitz that I will talk about later (and they're on my Amazon wish list if anyone feels like checking them out). Until next time!

As promised,

an update from Krakow!

I took the night train here last night and got in around 7:30 this morning. Staying at the GlobArt hostel. It's super tiny and has one bathroom/toilet for the entire floor... a little weird/awkward, but I'll get by. The bathroom lock is an awkward one and the door still opens slightly even when locked, so I quasi walked in on someone earlier. Not fun.

I was really hoping this place would have a stove. No dice. They have a microwave but I'm not really interested in microwaving my Italian rice, which is the only thing other than fruit that I have with me. So it looks like I will be going to the ATM again layer for polish money. I had hoped to avoid that since I'm here fir such a shirt time. Oh well.

I am feeling less miserable than I did earlier this morning, but I am far from on top of my game right now. I have downed more than a liter of water which I think probably helped. I might head down to the pharmacy later (when I muster up the strength to leave for lunch) and get something for my nose/head. So instead of being out exploring, I have been relaxing at the hostel. I planned out my school schedule for spring semester and think I was fairly productive. Completed my exit loan counseling and realized that I don't have as much money as I thought I did to cover tuition. I hope my insurance claim for this ticket goes through quickly or I might be disappointed.

Still haven't heard from wing. Hope he is still planning on meeting up here! I have a one way train ticket and made no plans so that would be mighty unfortunate if we aren't able yo find each other. Next time I'm bringing a phone.

I also did a major overhaul on my 101 list earlier today. Check it out! I'm happier with most of my changes. I took off a lot of the "fun" goals and tried to make them a little more substantial.

Going to go grab my bed before other people check in, I suppose. more later!

Waiting on my laundry, volume 2.

Still in Prague. Ryan and I went down to the laundromat to do some laundry and then ran down to a little restaurant to grab some coffee (hot cocoa for me) while we are waiting.

I think I'm going to head out to krakow tonight on a sleeper train. I still have to look up ticket prices but we'll see. I really want to.

Was asked out on a date last night by a Czech guy named Lucas. I was supposed to meet him at 1 but decided not to go. It was going to be an all day thing and spending all day with a guy I met twice and spent limited time with is probably not a good idea.

Managed to lose another hair tie today. I had it when I woke up and it had disappeared by the time we went to do laundry. I am boss at losing things.

Went on a bar crawl last night for ryans birthday. It was not the blast I had hoped it would be, for a few different reasons. The night definitely ended poorly. But he had fun and said it may have been his best birthday ever, so I suppose that's all that matters.

I'm sitting on a little kiddy chair that is quite possibly the most uncomfortable thing ever.

chatting with some guys who are also waiting on laundry about the clubs here and the pub crawl from last night. Perhaps I should be more sociable.

More later! Hopefully the next update will be from krakow.

I feel super lame.

It is four pm and I am still sitting in my room after an awesome nap today. It was actually really refreshing. Today has been the first day I haven't been running around, and have been able to just relax, but I feel like I'm cheating myself. I think I'm going yo head out here soon and go buy new shoes, but I felt like updating first.

I switched rooms yesterday. It was cheaper to stay in a female dorm, buy they only had beds available for nights two and three. So last night and tonight I am in a 10-bed female dorm. I'm on the top bunk which is a bit weird. I can't remember the last time I slept on the top bunk anywhere, but it's okay.

Did laundry yesterday at the laundromat. It was pretty spendy - like almost $10. And I left it there in the dryer most of the day. When I went back to get it, the woman said I was a "bad person" for leaving my laundry there so long... Even though there were plenty of empty dryers when I walked in.

Ryan and I went out last night with Rebecca and James from Australia. We had so much fun! They wanted to go to a little bar called the iron curtain which sounded cool to me. Communist bar. Nice. So we went there... And it sucked. First, the kitchen was closing so we couldn't get food unless we wanted sausage. But the guy was super rude about it. So Bec and I went off to a little gyro stand and got something while the boys hovered their sausages. They had some weird flavors Of their house vodka which was cool (we had a round of snickers shots) buy since the bartender was so rude, it was really off-putting, so we left. Went to a little brewery and had some beer, and then followed two guys to harleys which is a bar/club sortounding the biker culture. Surprisingly even with all the Harley photos in the wall, it was both hilarious and awesome.

Ugh. I need another nap. I didn't get nearly enough sleep last night. The girl who slept below me snored louder than I have ever heard from a woman. It was difficult to fall asleep, my sleep wasn't very restful, and then with a room of 10 people you're bound yo have someone up early making noise. I took a two hour nap after breakfast. It was awesome.

Anyway. Almost five o'clock and I have wasted most of my day. I am finally going to put my contacts in and run out to replace my broken sandals. more tomorrow!

Sitting here waiting for Ryan

So I figured I would do a quick update.

Got into Prague yesterday evening. I had such a wonderful time in Vienna. I met a super cute guy who is nice and fun and sent mr a message this morning saying he misses me already. Mechanical engineer. Just finished up his masters. Lives in Tulsa. Apparently makes wonderful enchiladas. I'll be the judge of that.

Met Wing here at the hostel last night.

Os just invited me over to their table so I should probably head out. More this evening, perhaps!