Hey, everyone!

I'm in Belgium right now, having a great time...hope everyone is well!

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Yes, I certainly am addicted!  I would have posted yesterday but I was so knackered after staying up all night on Friday and then travelling all day I could hardly remember my own name! 

Today we went to Brugge...it was great (would have been better if it hadn't been raining, though. ). Going out to get dinner soon, but so far I'm really enjoying Belgium!

EDIT: Oh, and I bought a box of chocolates today, Mari! *shares with group*

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Yeah, I guess we must have brought our Irish weather with us! Brugge is gorgeous. It really is a great little town, great for shopping too, so bring lots of money! All sorts of lovely little stores.

Travelling - I've been (other than the US, where I was born and raised) three times to Ireland, including the last time, where I've lived there since September, to Canada, to England where I visited Birmingham, Oxford, and Bath (over Christmas, which I spent in Burbage, Hinkley), France (Paris) and now Belgium. Oh, and I spent about three hours in the Netherlands. 

I've only been here a little more than a day, but I'm really impressed by Belgium. I'm actually in Flanders, so they speak Flemish here, which I'm clueless about. I can get by in French...but don't even know where to start with Flemish. It's a bit distressing.  I love travel too, though. It's totally addictive. There are so many other places I want to see!

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I used to hate flying as well, but simple repetition has made it go from frightening to dull and tedious. Now I just dread it because of all the hassle, not really from fear. 

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I like boats...but sitting anywhere except at the window on airplanes makes me want to toss my breakfast...



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I flew Ryanair to Paris last month under very heavy winds, and there was a lot of turbulance. I was at the very back of the queue, so I got stuck in an aisle seat, and I literally thought I was going to be ill. 

I hate it when plains bounce...

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No, unfortunately no time for Antwerp...but we will be spending a day in Brussels...and I desperately want to go to Waterloo...

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Well, truth be told, I'm a bit of a Napoleonic wars/History junkie, and I'll probably be standing here telling my group how Cavalry Regiment so and so was placed in formation here...blah blah blah... I love battlefields. I've been to every single American Civil War one.

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I've been looking into schools for my PhD program, yes. I'm looking at Queen's University in Belfast, The London School of Economics, and Indiana University. I'll go to whichever one offers me the best funding package. 

But for now, I'm off to bed - I'm utterly exhausted from a day of travel!

 Morning, all!

I feel so old in here!!!

For those of you planning to go to college - it's great! I'm a bit of an academic nerd, so I really enjoyed that side of it, but just being in a situation where you're surrounded by people your age and living with people your own age is an incredible experience.

Unfortunately my first year I let the social get in the way just a little... but everyone does, I think, and as long as you don't let your grades fall too far, it's worth it. 


Grad school, on the other hand, is CRAZINESS.  So much work! I love it, though. 

Ah, I'm finally getting my food money today, so I can go to the grocery and get some meat. I've been surviving most of the past two weeks on pasta and tomato sauce. Which is perfectly good, of course, but gets dreadfully old when it's all you eat...

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Yeah, you're right about the other stuff, too. For my first 2 1/2 years of University I was lucky enough to be on a residential campus which was mostly students my age. After I transferred (to a bigger school with more academic opportunities), it wasn't the same, but I still found a group of people with my academic interests and it was quite inspiring indeed. 

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Nothing wrong with being in school for a long time.  It does get expensive after a while, though. 

 Of course, I find life in Europe in general is more laid-back than American life...

 Guess what? 

It's raining!  

How is everyone today?

EDIT: Bah, I just scored as Legolas on a LotR test. 

 He's Sindarin.

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I'm quite enjoying Spring Break. It's nice to have no responsibilites for a few weeks!  

But my sleep is all screwed up now. 

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 I have grocery money!

I can go to the store in 40 minutes and buy food! 

    

I lost six pounds last week. Not on purpose.  

Ah, the simple joys of a grad student.

 ON MY WAY TO THE GROCERY! YES! 

 

quote:

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I don't understand your sleeping patterns. Or how your brain functions at all.

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That makes two of us.  

Thorin - I might look into that! Thanks for the info.

Well, I'm off to Coleraine to get some books for my essay that's due tomorrow (I've already done a bunch of research, just need to do a bit more).

Later!

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I'm in Coleraine...and guess what - it's raining!  

(Yes, I'm trying to be excited about this.  )

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I would love to be bored right now.

Instead of having to study, study, study.

Spring break starts as soon as I turn in this paper, though! 

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Now, that's a fantastic idea!  

Can you write a convincing paper on the effects of the Somme on Ulster Unionism? 

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Hmm. Do you think if I bottled Irish rain, I could make a whole bunch of money?

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Great, 2500 words, due tomorrow.  

Nah, I'll write it myself. Wasted too much time reading all those articles, after all.  And the topic is quite interesting, really.

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Stop raining?  

What does that mean?

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MUST. GO. STUDY. 

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I'm unlikely to take any medicine I don't have to. Me no want!

I was able to get it under control on my own until this week when I've been throwing off my hours writing papers into the early hours of the morning, and using Lucozade to stay awake. 

Spring Break starts as soon as I turn in this blasted paper, so I should be able to get things worked out in the next two weeks.

590 words so far on my essay...going...sooo...slowly...

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1099 - almost halfway there!

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My neighbors are loudly having sex while I'm working on long, boring paper.  

It was annoying before, but this is just pushing it too far...  

1600 words...

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INC: "I thought your paper was interesting?"

That is in relation to other papers.

Not in relation to what is happening next door.  

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2001 words!

At least Spring Break starts tomorrow, so I can relax nicely for two weeks when this stupid paper is done.

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I have another one then, too. It's called "summer."

Oh, and I have one in two weeks too (two weeks from tomorrow, actually), when I get to spend a week in Belgium.  

2222 words!

EDIT: DONE!

Now I just have to do my bibliography and run a spell-check.

 [To Inc]

SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNY DAYS, Everything's A-ok!  

Sorry, I get a bit nuts when the sun comes out.  


.

  

Add another person to the post-Paris gloom.

 

Not to mention the post-Paris exhaustion.

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I like doom and gloom.  

But I'll take French food over British/Irish any day.