Budapest, Coffee, and Wine

I had my first real European adventure this last weekend. Around the end of December I decided it was time to start touring the European countries around me- I really didn't have a preference as to where I was going to go, I just had to be able to afford it. Fast forward two weeks- Budapest, Hungary. Absolutely beautiful city. There's an energy to it that I really like and I have a feeling that it has something to do with the many coffee shops everywhere. You see, the coffee culture hasn't hit Denmark yet. I'll give them 10 years. 


Honestly- I love being in Denmark but I don't quite understand how a coffee addict like myself ended up in a country with no Starbucks. The only Starbucks that exists in my area is in the Copenhagen airport.  How much do you want to bet that I had a ''real'' coffee before my flight? 


If you ever have a chance to see Budapest, I'd definitely recommend it. Here's a couple pics of me in Budapest that my photographer friend took. 

To get back home I had to take almost every form of transportation available besides a boat. 3 metro trains, 2 buses, one plane, and 2 trains. Sunday was a long day. :D


My home state is Washington and I just want to give a shout out to our wine there. Apparently it MUST be good because they served it at Obama's big State dinner where none other then Jackie Chan attended! And of course, the Chinese President Hu Jintao... And from the Washington Examiner:

"Obama repeatedly stressed that he is seeking "a level playing field" for U.S. companies doing business with China. The White House has been pressuring China on economic issues that include monetary policy and trade imbalance."

That's all very well to want a level playing field but in my opinion, when you owe someone a large sum of money you pretty much lose your chance at a level playing field. Just saying. It is a nice picture to dream about. However, I don't think the Chinese politicians like Americans too much. I seem to recall Sha Zukang saying just that at one point. I think he had too much to drink before he said that though- but I can't quite remember. 


But all of that really won't matter by December 2012 seeing as we will all be dead.. Or at least George Lucas thinks we'll be dead. At least we have until 2012- Dr. Kermit Gosnell made it so quite a few wouldn't ever even have the chance of dying on 2012.  From philidelphia.cbslocal.com we have:

“I am aware that abortion is a hot-button topic,” said District Attorney Seth Williams. “But as district attorney, my job is to carry out the law. A doctor who knowingly and systematically mistreats female patients, to the point that one of them dies in his so-called care, commits murder under the law. A doctor who cuts into the necks severing the spinal cords of living, breathing babies, who would survive with proper medical attention, is committing murder under the law.”

I really don't care what your opinion on abortion is... the whole thing is really awful and I hope he gets the full extent of whatever they can give him when it comes to the law. 

in transit

I thoroughly enjoyed reading all the responses to my last post! They were insightful- so thanks for sharing your opinions! I'll get back to them as soon as I can!!

I'm in the process of moving to Europe, so the next time I post I'll be reporting to you live from Denmark! Packing and preparation have left me quite busy! Let's just say sleep sounds wonderful and people should not be allowed to leave packing to the last minute! Staying up late and leaving early in the morning is a lot of fun.

I also haven't been reading blogs lately but I am sure that will change when life settles a bit.

Stay warm and safe!

To Stay Away or Not to Stay Away?

      Europe is on a terror alert at the moment. They say to be extra cautious if you are in France or Germany. They almost go so far as to say “Stay home” if you are an American traveling to Europe. I wonder how many people decide to not go on a trip because of a terror alert. It’s easy to think ‘oh, that would never happen’ if you aren’t around situations like that.

Suppose you lived with situations like ‘frequent terror alerts’ you might think people traveling to Europe (because they planned their vacation way in advance) are slightly insane to come if they have a choice! Then again, this begs the question, should one allow themselves to be stopped by everything that could go wrong? Or just live their life trusting that when it’s their time to go, it’s their time to go.

However, it’s stupid to do things you know are stupid because of the assumption that “if I don’t make it, I wasn’t meant too.”

On a side note, when 9/11 happened people stopped flying places. You could get tickets at ridiculously low prices because airlines just needed passengers. I suppose something has to happen- something that one might feel is extreme enough, in order to actually take someone’s advice and just stay home.

And that’s about where I am at. I’m not leaving for Europe November. I don’t think I would cancel my ticket unless something detrimental happened that I felt had a 74.3679% chance of affecting me. And if something did happen before I flew out, after it’s happened, is that the end? Nobody wants to jump back in the stock market after it crashes- until they know/can assume it’s going back up. But it’s those that are willing to take risks that might make a killing out of just throwing their money in there, even when the majority of people might be hesitant.

People who were taking advantage of cheap tickets were probably pretty psyched. It’s really expensive to fly places.

****
The other day I studied. And for a change of pace, I studied some more. After several hours of this, I decided to head out to one of my favorite coffee shops and walk around for a bit. It was lovely! As I was driving back, I chanced to see something that slightly concerned me.

On the right side of the road, pulled off, there was a man and a woman. They were gazing, all perplexed like, at a super nice and shiny motorcycle. What I found most unusual was that the couple looked like they were in their 80s.

Like…. “Honey, what is this thing?”

I want to be someone who is still going out on motorcycle rides in my 90s. I will start by putting “Take a ride on a motorcycle” on my bucket list. As I have yet to experience that, I think I should start before getting excited at the thought of “Heading out in my 90s!”

Lord of the Flies

Dear Readers,

There is a new development in my life at the moment- it appears I am headed to Europe in November. Details  to follow! Let's just say, I'm super psyched and excited. If you all have any travel tips, please let me know! This will be my first time in Europe.

Because of the *above said trip* I am having to work overtime to finish my school. I have two classes that really just take time. Think- Advanced Accounting and Auditing. Auditing is easy but time consuming! Sadly, this means my time spent on blogger will be limited. However, I will post as often as possible! And, I will have a  *real* post up here as soon as I have a chance! 

I've also decided it's time to write myself a bucket list. There are two blogs I've found that I enjoy and that seems to be their focus. Definitely inspiring! Speaking of finding blogs, I want to give a shout out to this amazing blog that I recently stumbled upon. http://www.danoah.com/ . If you have a chance to check it out, do so! He's an incredibly honest blogger and what he says usually holds a lot of truth. And, my google reader is filling up! I've been finding lots of cool blogs lately. I think it has everything to do with 20sb. haha 

I realize what I'm about to say is *old news*  considering I read it 2 days ago. Apparently there was this 12 year old kid who spent time around a particular neighborhood harassing it. One woman, 68 years old had enough- after the police left, the kids came back. According to cbs2chicago.com, harassing =  "McCoy said the boy had been breaking windows, breaking items on Matthews' shed house, and setting her garbage on fire. "

Well, she pulled out a gun and shot after the kids. One of them did get it in the arm. I think she was perfectly well justified. You're never too young to be a bully. I know 3 year olds who have to be taught that being -sweet- is a good thing. And to not 'hit your brother' because at that age they need someone to teach them manners! How would they know what's acceptable or not? That reminds me of Lord of the Flies. That's a chilling and disturbing book. It does paint an interesting picture about children and what can happen if left unattended. 

According to the article, the woman has her neighbors siding with her and she's not charged with anything. I think it's sad that it ever had to come to that point, however, what would YOU DO? Obviously she called the cops and of course, the kids just ran. Now, the parents to the arm shot kid are saying their boy is a nice boy! And he would never do something like that.... blah blah blah. I'm assuming if he was running wild, they probably didn't spend much time with him, nor did they know what he was up too. 

It's an unfortunate event, however, I'm sure that boy will take that lesson with him. If I was shot at, it would be like the cold slap of reality- even if I wasn't hit. I'm just thankful that nothing worse happened- and that the boy can walk away thinking twice next time he decides to go burn another lady's garbage. Or throw bricks into her house. She was ALONE! And 68 years old! 

And that's Emily reporting to you live from SK- Washington

*Just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who has commented, is following, or is reading- You all are the best!!* 

Volunteerism and Philosophy

Can you say Baseball? I can. The Angels were playing the Mariners last night and I watched half the game. Not too bad. But, the exciting part comes on Saturday. I will join the ranks of people in the stands actually watching the game for themselves. There is a first time for everything. And the Seattle Mariners are from WA, ha.

I’m now working as a volunteer at the local art center and had my first day yesterday afternoon. I’m also volunteering elsewhere in Finance. I told a girl who works at the art center and she was like “so why are you doing all this volunteering?” I thought for minute and I have no idea why. The finance makes sense but the art center is a little out there. I think I’m going to like that girl. I watched an acrylic painting sessions and I’m impressed. My art skills generally extend to stick figures. 

I met a Dr. of Philosophy last night. He was a charming guy and an excellent cook. He talked about an interesting concept “levels of happiness” and how each individual is born with a specific level. And in that level they can be up at the top, in the middle, at the bottom, etc…. and sometimes you can bounce way beyond in either direction, but you will usually end up settling in your range. So two people could experience the exact same circumstances and depending on their level of happiness, they could feel two completely different ways. I still have to mull that over but it is interesting.

I was going to talk about Euthanasia but I’ll save that for another post. I started to write about it and felt it was too depressing for this gorgeous day. Waking up to sunshine and blue skies is so wonderful. I love rain and clouds but sunny and blue comes to a close second.

Argentina has legalized gay marriages, complete with all the rights. It sounds like it was a close call though. I wonder what is next? Russia has been experiencing a heat wave currently and many people are dying. Why? Usually they are falling in swimming areas after drinking alcohol. Not  a good combination, I guess. Weather is an interesting thing. In the DC area, MD and NY included, there was a 3.6 magnitude earthquake felt. I know a couple people who live in that area but I believe myself to be excommunicated from there lives. So I can’t really make any phone calls.

Starbucks here I come. 

And that’s Emily reporting to you live from HB, California.

The French Parliament and Copy Machines

The French Parliament is approving a ban on face covers; burqa veils included. On the surface, you can come  up with a couple good reasons to do so. According to Yahoo News, “the niqab and burqa are also seen here as a gateway to extremism and an attack on secularism, a central value of France for more than a century.” So because France is proud of their secularism they are going to impart their views on the few that actually wear burqas. I don’t really care what one’s view on Muslimism is, I think it is irrelevant in this situation.

Let’s look at it from another angle. Say that in the US you are banned from wearing hats because the US Supreme Court rules in favor of the “wearing of hats as a disrespectful act towards Mother Nature.” I would consider that an infringement on my rights. How is that so different than the French Parliament approving the burqa ban? Of course it is titled something else… but that is essentially what it is doing.

I  like the freedom of opening my closet and choosing what to wear without thinking, “Oh, I can’t wear that scarf…. It’s orange. That’s illegal.” It seems that the direction we are headed for globally is repressive.

I have a volunteer job and I put in my first day yesterday. I spent 4 hours using a copy machine to copy proposals and store files on the computer. It was interesting. It’s in the Finance department so I have great hope that once the 3 filing cabinets are done, I’ll be doing something more finance like. However, it will look smashing on my resume. Can “shred paper” “make photocopy’s” etc… I did learn all about Ledger paper though. You never think about the different types of paper until you are spending time changing the copy setting every 5 minutes before you can slide the paper through.

Be careful what you twitter if you are in Venezuela. Apparently their laws are pretty tough….

And that’s Emily reporting to you live from HB, California.  

Sports

I told you I was going to be adventurous someday and that day turned out to be Saturday morning. I was offered a chance to learn some Karate and I said “Yes, why not?” It was low key and I knew two of the people having met them last week. They would do a move using the right hand for the block/punch. THEN opposite.  I knew I was lacking in something, but the whole reversal thing just threw me off. And then it got worse or maybe better. There was a young gorgeous gentleman participating and helping me bumble along.

I think I would someday like to do something like Karate. As much as I would love to start taking lessons I fear my perfectionist complex will comes into play. If I can’t do something 100% I don’t really feel the desire to even put a little bit out.

Somebody else said that the other day too. Isn’t it nice to know our quirky behavior is sometimes universal?

I was rooting for the Netherlands. So boo hoo to Spain. I watched my first World Cup Soccer game on TV. As you can tell, I’m not a huge sports fanatic.  I am a fan of walking, however. I walked 4 miles today in flip flops. I’m thinking I should not do that again, but I’m also thinking my flip flops deserve a name for having been put through that. Jane and Jill perhaps?

Car accidents are traumatic.  The other day there was a car accident around Portland, Oregon. Now, that’s not so unusual. However, confusion was caused due to the car occupants having been dressed up as zombies for a party they were going to. I want to go to a zombie party.

I have Germany and Venice on my mind. If I had an opportunity to live in a foreign country and tour Europe for a couple years, I would do it in a heartbeat. That is what happens when you spend time around people who travel consistently.

And that’s Emily reporting to you live from HB, California

(I haven‘t had an opportunity to take many pictures, hence, many of my own pics are not showing up lately. Also, I will add a disclaimer later, but you all should know that the pictures on this blog are either mine or images of the public domain)