Hello my friendly neighborhood blog followers! I know, it has been an almost two month hiatus, but I am back! I know you probably weren't that disappointed, but you had to have felt a twinge in your heart that is now cured, or you had a heart attack. Either way, life has probably improved after the writing of this blog post. There is so much to talk about, but of course, I am not going to relay every story from the last 6-7 weeks because it would take way way way too long, but I can give some highlights and some words of thought and whatever I can think of. I only have about 8 more days in lovely Copenhagen, and my last night made me ill, so if I forget anything, I will come back to it on my final post next week.
To start, the 3 week travel break was amazing! I would do everything again if I could. 8 cities in 3 weeks was exhausting, and the first week on study tour wasn't too terrible, minus some of the academic visits (aka Czech National Bank where we had a meeting at 5:00 pm after a day of walking around in the sun with the main topic being about the Euro and all of its pluses/minuses for the Czech Republic. WTF!). I managed to get everywhere without too much trouble, but I did cut some things close, like when I got to Zurich and had to run to my train to Basel because the platform was so long and the board was not visible from the platform I left. My hostels were so-so, with the bad side highlighted by the hostel in Florence that was a camp ground in the middle of fucking nowhere, and the hostel in Paris that was full of screaming French teenagers whom I wanted to smother, drown, maim, or any physically-harming action in the English dictionary. Meals were excellent, when I chose to go out, such as my last meal that I shared with a girl that I gave an empty bed to, which was right next to the Tuilerie Gardens leading down to the Louvre. It was more of a pastry-breakfast place, but we had a lunch that was fantastic, where we drank such rich hot chocolate which the place was famous for, and I ate like a 13 dollar pastry that had so many layers of goodness it could have been its own meal. The bad side of my ingestion formula came in Paris too, when I was given a free pizza at a restaurant after its kitchen was closed by a guy not standing behind the counter, and I took that back to my hostel and washed it down with a 1€ glass of wine, and I think had food poisoning for the next few days. Finally, we get to the nightlife, which I enjoyed decently, although I am not the foremost expert. I spent a night in Berlin at a small jazz club with great live music, late one night I saw a bunch of people running out of an electronics store all with huge plasma TVs and what not, looking like they robbed it, and finally, the best (and worst) night came my last night in Prague when I spent about $300 dollars on cigars, messages, drinks, and strippers. At the strip club, I got drunk, got whipped by a belt (twice!) and got a hands-on lap dance that I vaguely remember, but it kept me out all night, and I got my digital camera stolen in the process. Unfortunately, I lost most of my German and all my Prague pics, but I still enjoyed myself. I got back into Denmark about 3 weeks ago, but it took me 3 trains and a bus to do it, long story of travel with delayed trains, trains that stopped short, crowded buses and an early morning DSB train that got us in at about the same time anyway, so no big deal. It was nice to get back.
Since I have been back, I have kept a low profile because my money supply took a hit with that romp around Europe. However, three incidents stand out. First, I went with a huge group of people to Legoland, where we saw sculptures and small cities built out of Legos, which spoke to my inner child. I got to share it with my best friends, and we all had a fabulous time riding the rides and buying souvenirs, and we were given a great day to do it. They had a fully-functioning airport and rocket launch all crafted out of Legos, how cool is that! I was so glad that I got to go and enjoy myself there, it was totally worth it. There was no funny story to come out of it, but it meant a lot to me because it was one of those things I had to do before I left. Second, Fisty, Kira, Allison and I went to Bakken, which is apparently the oldest amusement park in the world, going over 200 years in existence. It wasn't that big a place, and the rides were not all top notch, but it was fun. We went on roller coasters, one of those Pitfall-type rides where they shoot you up and down a huge tower, we played shooting games where you sit on a horse and shoot pirates or something, and we saw a 3d movie that I saw years ago in Florida I believe. Afterwards, we went into town, where we had some drinks, like me with my White Russian, which I had to suck down unfortunately because they all wanted to leave early and catch the last trains home. I got on mine, but fell asleep, like I did in Prague, and ended up at the end of the line, 7 zones outside my home. I could not take a train, no more were running, or a night bus, because my pass didn't work and I did not have the money to buy an all-zone pass or 8-zone pass like I would have needed. Also, a cab ride would have cost 500 kroner, which really shows how far out I was. I didn't wanna wait 3 hours at the Koge train station, so I decided to follow the tracks back in the direction I came from, while using the night bus stops as my points to let myself know that I was going the right way. I walked for something like 3 1/2 hours, pretty much on just one road as night buses came and went, pissing me off so much. Eventually, I made it like 18 or 19 km, which was about 10-11 miles, and then I knew the trains were running again, so I walked to the nearest train station, rode 2 stops over, and got home about 6:30 am. I proceeded to sleep until 3 in the afternoon, capping off a nice night. My third and final highlight of the last few weeks came yesterday when I had my European Business Strategy exam. I studied almost all night, but didn't go to the review session because it was early one Thursday and I knew my teacher would not be organized. I was right, and no one knew what the fuck was on it. Then, last week, he sends an email saying we should study business models and Arla, and that was it, not really clarifying much. When I got there, like a minute late. I sat down, with everyone making grumbling noises before I got the test. Once I got it, I understood why. There was stuff on there we didn't go over in class or didn't see before, prompting the peanut gallery to act out and speak up to our proctor, who wasn't our teacher, just a DIS employee. It was so bad that she left the room once, and when the door was shut, everyone just looks at each other and is like, `what the fuck is a Diamant model?` Luckily, we were given the option to say that, if we thought, that a question was bull shit and give a reason; I utilized that option twice, making notes after answering the question because I had no confidence in my answers. I left disgusted, sort of, and most everyone, or probably everyone else did too. I decided to take our proctor's advice and go out to drink. I went with Allison to the mall to help her pick out a confirmation gift for her host brother, and I truly got to a place where I am gonna miss little things about Denmark that I wish I could take with me; I got to walk around, even in stores, drinking a beer. I loved that! So, she bought her gifts, we ate some hot dogs, and went back to DIS so she could meet up with Fisty. I bought another beer and we parted ways. I went back home after finishing this beer, and decided to get drunk. I made a quarter pot of coffee and finished off the cream liquor in the refrigerator, but I still wasn't done, so I went against my conscience and opened a bottle of wine. I drank and drank for hours and hours, after my host sister left, and after everyone came back. I polished it off completely, getting me completely trashed, and I must have been annoying because my host family was making lasagna, but they would not let me help, they shunned me off to my room to take a nap. I did just that, I passed the fuck out. I was doubly angry when I woke up around 1:00 am, still drunk and hungry. Although, I had the spins slightly and didn't wanna leave my bed, so I passed out for another 8 hours or so until this morning. So, I was drunk by like 5-6:00 pm and slept til about 9:00 am. It was an interesting evening sort of, but I forgot about the test, that's for sure.
In closing, I have a little over a week left, and will do another blog post before that to give me an even 10 for the semester, which isn't completely terrible considering all the stuff I have in my journal about my break, which I still have yet to finish because of all the work I had to accomplish since being back. I am done with school work completely by Monday though, and will be going places during my last 5 days of freedom, like Sweden and what not, maybe take a boat tour of Copenhagen. I will now leave you a quote from Old Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, who is one of my favorites. It makes sense in light of yesterday's events. He said, ´Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the Bible says love your enemy.´Truly something we all can attest to. Have a great week everyone, I will be returning to the States shortly.
(P.S. I read today that Manny Ramirez of the LA Dodgers and formally of the Boston Red Sox got banned for 50 games from MLB because of a failed drug test that goes against the league's substance abuse policy. They found abnormally high levels of testosterone in his system, but they nailed him for hCG, which is a fertility drug to bring your testosterone to normal levels. The news put me in such a sullen mood because I love baseball, and I was honestly shocked to hear about this. I don't even really like Manny, but he didn't need the steroids or drugs at all, and now, my feelings on the purity of the game have changed dramatically, and it's just a sad time, for me and baseball fans everywhere.)
Friday, May 8, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Arhus Never Stood A Chance
Two weeks have elapsed since the last blog post, which seemed to be enough time to fill out another adequately. St. Patrick's Day has come and gone and March Madness has descended upon us, making this my favorite time of year. As it happens, I will be travelling throughout the tournament, so I will not get to view it in its entirety, but brackets are still filled out and bragging rights are on the line. Just like Obama's inauguration and the Super Bowl, I will have a vivid memory of where I was when it transpired. The days are growing longer and the country is becoming more beautiful with the changing of the season. Denmark is remarkable.
Going back two weekends, I was able to hitch a ride with my host parents to watch my host sister Mie do a dance/gymnastics performance with her team. Hundreds of people piled into this smallish, dimly-lit gymnasium to watch kids/teens/adults of all ages to perform feats of acrobatics with dance routines thrown in-between. The whole experience was intriguing because even though all these fans came from different places to cheer different gymnasts, when the music played for the dancing, everyone stood up in the stands dancing and clapping. I have never seen such a collective movement of fun and entertainment by fans ever, at least in a venue like that. Once Mie's team came up, I was impressed by their skill and athleticism, being as they are only teenagers. Everything was so on-point, and they managed to land almost every flip or move they attempted. The routine was even comical, with one guy dressed up as Zorro "sword-fighting" with another guy on a mat that was being carried by their teammates. I tried to take pictures, but fast-motion is hard to capture, and my host parents brought the wrong camera, so we did not manage to record any of the performance, but we didn't tell Mie that. It was an early day (6:30 am on a Saturday), so luckily we just left right after Mie finished. That was the big excitement of the weekend for me.
Wednesdays usually hold no obligations for me, but this time, we had an optional study tour to the Norrebro Brewhouse, which is a microbrewery in downtown Copenhagen. The facility was not very large, but the owner showed us the vats where they brew the beer and gave us the rundown on the entire process. He provided us with samples, like a cranberry beer and a beer that was 10% alcohol, which were all inspired by the owner's trips around the world to various brewing destinations. You can never pass up the opportunity to learn about beer and try free samples, and 5 samples were surely enough to warrant a visit. The other part of the day that stood out was the lingerie store across the street from the brewery. Its name was Lingerie til store piger, which translated means lingerie for big girls. I mean, big and tall shops are not uncommon, but to see one specifically for women's underwear so conveniently placed on the street corner with such an obvious name was comical. Their merchandise made me laugh.
I reiterate that I have been saving up for a month for this travelling extravaganza I am just about to partake in, so the excitement of these last two weeks is minimal. However, I cannot deny the most compelling part of the whole time period, the Brondby-Arhus football match last Sunday. I took the train to Brondby Strand to meet up with my friend Fisty, and we hopped a bus to meet up with Allison, Nicky, their friend Amber and her friend visiting from the U.S. We ordered pizza, went to a local bar to get a beer from an outside stand, and then we migrated over to the stadium with a bunch of riled-up soccer fans. Nikki and Allison bought Brondby scarves, a few of us bought this mega beers for 12 dollars essentially, and we made the trek up flights and flights of stairs to our seats in the nose-bleed section. You could see everything from our vantage point, and after the pre-celebration song by some unknown Seal wannabe, as Fisty so righteously put it, the teams entered the stadium to raucous cheers, or at least Brondby did. Arhus is not very good to begin with, but they were smacked with a smattering of boos, except for the small grouping of fans gathered in the visitors section. The whistle sounded, and the game was under way.
The whole stadium wasn't really filled, but it was loud with emotion and drunken singing, which is what you would expect from Danish soccer fans. When Brondby scored their first goal early, the crowd was electric, and the electricity never ceased. Like any normal soccer match, there was tight defense and no scoring throughout most of the remainder. I am not the biggest soccer fan, so my interest waned from time to time, but we were taking pictures, laughing, and having a great time. It was fun to watch billowy clouds of smoke waft up from the lower levels of the stadium, which I was later discovered was lit flares. (I was just happy it wasn't tear gas) The best part was late in the second half when the Arhus section started a fire in the stands with fans huddled around it, I am guessing to inspire the team, but I'm not sure. It was put out after a few minutes, but it didn't help. Fisty was cheering for Arhus in a Brondby section, and I joined him some, despite Allison's displeasure. I was really just cheering for scoring, which of course, there wasn't much of throughout. Brondby put one in late to go ahead for good and they won 2-0. Everyone was ecstatic, and I felt it. I tried to sing the Brondby fight song, but it just sounded like grunting to me, so I grunted along with the fans. It was special to witness, and it is just one of those experiences you have to enjoy while in Europe, definitely not in the United States.
I am sorry to say that this will be the last blog for quite a while, unless I spend some of my well-earned travel break in an internet café writing about my experiences on the rail. I don't intend on doing that, but I promise, when I return after 3 weeks, I will write a few blogs here and there a few days apart to make up for lost time. I plan on writing down the majority of the experience in my journal, and hopefully it will be easy to translate into blog form. Thus, we come to the quote portion of the blog. I found this one written by famous novelist John Steinbeck regarding travel. It took me some time to sift through different travel quotes and find a decent one to insert, but here we go, "A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you can control it."
Goodbye, Chao, Au revoir and Auf wiedersehen.
Going back two weekends, I was able to hitch a ride with my host parents to watch my host sister Mie do a dance/gymnastics performance with her team. Hundreds of people piled into this smallish, dimly-lit gymnasium to watch kids/teens/adults of all ages to perform feats of acrobatics with dance routines thrown in-between. The whole experience was intriguing because even though all these fans came from different places to cheer different gymnasts, when the music played for the dancing, everyone stood up in the stands dancing and clapping. I have never seen such a collective movement of fun and entertainment by fans ever, at least in a venue like that. Once Mie's team came up, I was impressed by their skill and athleticism, being as they are only teenagers. Everything was so on-point, and they managed to land almost every flip or move they attempted. The routine was even comical, with one guy dressed up as Zorro "sword-fighting" with another guy on a mat that was being carried by their teammates. I tried to take pictures, but fast-motion is hard to capture, and my host parents brought the wrong camera, so we did not manage to record any of the performance, but we didn't tell Mie that. It was an early day (6:30 am on a Saturday), so luckily we just left right after Mie finished. That was the big excitement of the weekend for me.
Wednesdays usually hold no obligations for me, but this time, we had an optional study tour to the Norrebro Brewhouse, which is a microbrewery in downtown Copenhagen. The facility was not very large, but the owner showed us the vats where they brew the beer and gave us the rundown on the entire process. He provided us with samples, like a cranberry beer and a beer that was 10% alcohol, which were all inspired by the owner's trips around the world to various brewing destinations. You can never pass up the opportunity to learn about beer and try free samples, and 5 samples were surely enough to warrant a visit. The other part of the day that stood out was the lingerie store across the street from the brewery. Its name was Lingerie til store piger, which translated means lingerie for big girls. I mean, big and tall shops are not uncommon, but to see one specifically for women's underwear so conveniently placed on the street corner with such an obvious name was comical. Their merchandise made me laugh.
I reiterate that I have been saving up for a month for this travelling extravaganza I am just about to partake in, so the excitement of these last two weeks is minimal. However, I cannot deny the most compelling part of the whole time period, the Brondby-Arhus football match last Sunday. I took the train to Brondby Strand to meet up with my friend Fisty, and we hopped a bus to meet up with Allison, Nicky, their friend Amber and her friend visiting from the U.S. We ordered pizza, went to a local bar to get a beer from an outside stand, and then we migrated over to the stadium with a bunch of riled-up soccer fans. Nikki and Allison bought Brondby scarves, a few of us bought this mega beers for 12 dollars essentially, and we made the trek up flights and flights of stairs to our seats in the nose-bleed section. You could see everything from our vantage point, and after the pre-celebration song by some unknown Seal wannabe, as Fisty so righteously put it, the teams entered the stadium to raucous cheers, or at least Brondby did. Arhus is not very good to begin with, but they were smacked with a smattering of boos, except for the small grouping of fans gathered in the visitors section. The whistle sounded, and the game was under way.
The whole stadium wasn't really filled, but it was loud with emotion and drunken singing, which is what you would expect from Danish soccer fans. When Brondby scored their first goal early, the crowd was electric, and the electricity never ceased. Like any normal soccer match, there was tight defense and no scoring throughout most of the remainder. I am not the biggest soccer fan, so my interest waned from time to time, but we were taking pictures, laughing, and having a great time. It was fun to watch billowy clouds of smoke waft up from the lower levels of the stadium, which I was later discovered was lit flares. (I was just happy it wasn't tear gas) The best part was late in the second half when the Arhus section started a fire in the stands with fans huddled around it, I am guessing to inspire the team, but I'm not sure. It was put out after a few minutes, but it didn't help. Fisty was cheering for Arhus in a Brondby section, and I joined him some, despite Allison's displeasure. I was really just cheering for scoring, which of course, there wasn't much of throughout. Brondby put one in late to go ahead for good and they won 2-0. Everyone was ecstatic, and I felt it. I tried to sing the Brondby fight song, but it just sounded like grunting to me, so I grunted along with the fans. It was special to witness, and it is just one of those experiences you have to enjoy while in Europe, definitely not in the United States.
I am sorry to say that this will be the last blog for quite a while, unless I spend some of my well-earned travel break in an internet café writing about my experiences on the rail. I don't intend on doing that, but I promise, when I return after 3 weeks, I will write a few blogs here and there a few days apart to make up for lost time. I plan on writing down the majority of the experience in my journal, and hopefully it will be easy to translate into blog form. Thus, we come to the quote portion of the blog. I found this one written by famous novelist John Steinbeck regarding travel. It took me some time to sift through different travel quotes and find a decent one to insert, but here we go, "A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you can control it."
Goodbye, Chao, Au revoir and Auf wiedersehen.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
My name is Robert Castner, and I Wanna Recruit You!
Hello fellow readers, I apologize for the delay, but I was hoping to have a few decently exciting things to talk about before I made this post. To start off, I have, from time to time, sulked about my experience here so far in Copenhagen because of a cash flow problem and lousy weather. As February has become March, the weather has improved and so has my mood, making my father believe I had SAD (seasonal affective disorder), which is basically minor depression about winter weather. Typically, winters never really bother me; I see them as a time of family togetherness and mild discomfort. While here, there had been no change in climate for weeks at a time, and I am out of my normal comfort zone. In essence, I think I agree with my father's assessment, because I was walking around the city yesterday, on a decent day, not gorgeous, but decent, and after this crazy drink I had called the "Keith Richards" (4 shots of espresso in a hot chocolate, I know what you are thinking, caffeine addiction), I noticed the beauty of the city really for the first time. I was inspired and cheerful, and I knew everything was gonna progress positively for the next 2 months. I couldn't be more grateful.
Last week was incredibly unsatisfying, due to my desire to lay low in order to save my money for my 3+ week travel break, where I am planning to travel to Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and France (I know, quite the haul). The core of the interesting stuff happened over the weekend, starting with my awakening at 8:30 on Saturday morning. I thought it was two hours later than it was, and I frantically got out of bed to realize I had much more time before my lacrosse practice. However, I felt like an ice pick was being driven in to the left side of my back, which would seem like a bad omen for the day, but it wasn't. Practice went fine, and I ended up being healthy enough to join my very good friends out for a night on the town. Before we made it to our initial destination, I had miscommunication with them about the main entrance to Central Station and walked outside to be asked by two men if I wanted dope. (Side bar: When unshaven and with a hood up, do I really look like a druggie? Think about that, and possibly respond.) When I finally met up with them, we made our way to Ice Bar, which, consequently, is a bar made of ice. After paying an exorbitant entrance fee, the people at the front desk fit you with a thermal parka and gloves, and they let u enter. All the walls and the tables and the bar itself is crafted from ice blocks. We went up to the bartender to get our complimentary Absolut beverage (all except Tom, his was fruit punch), and we drank them out of ice blocks, which is spectacular.
After our round robin of picture-taking, we couldn't feel most of our extremities, so we left for a warmer, more intimate setting at Cafe Klimt. It was suggested by Fisty and Allison, and for good reason. With good music and affordable prices on beverages, it was an easy place to like. Once the first cocktails were downed and Tom went to catch his train, Kira, Allison, Fisty and me ordered 5 shots for each of us, and downed them within the next hour. A quick dash, or stumble, if you were the girls, led us to Burger King, where we were supposed to grab a quick bite before dancing, but it was getting late and night buses only run so often. We were supplied with a lovely drunk performance by Ms. Nightingale, who had some trouble understanding the cashier when paying for her food, and thought the emergency exit was the bathroom. (To be fair, she had a Long Island Iced Tea, some cocktails before, and the shots, and she's wafer thin, so she deserves a break) For some stupid reason, we let her stumble to the bus stop on her own and get home. Allison, Fisty, and I then went two doors down to McDonald's, Fisty and I began the road to heart disease with a few Big Macs a piece, and we went to the main bus stop. Now, I did not know where my bus, in this whole wide area, was gonna stop, and I missed the one that came at the same time as Fisty and Allison's. I bid them farewell, then located the right bus stop for me, only to wait half an hour and have to endure a long line in the cold, but I digress for the moment. After the forty or so minute ride, the bus got to my stop at Ishøj Train Station, but I could not get to the door fast enough before the bus driver closed it on me. I was asking why, but getting no response, prompting me to think that he didn't speak English. (Not everyone here does speak English, which makes situations like this difficult) So, I kept pressing the button for a stop, but nothing was happening. We continued on this main road behind the station away from my original stop. Eventually, the bus stopped at the next actual bus stop, but instead of opening the doors at the front of the bus where I was, he opened the doors at the middle of the bus, which I couldn't get back to quick enough before he closed them and continued. At this point, I'm cursing and getting upset, so he stops further down the road at a piss-poor excuse for a bus stop, and I almost literally leap out of the middle part before he speeds off, and I curse him until I finish the 30-40 minute trek back home. I returned at 4:30, which I later learned was the time that Kira, who left over an hour before me, got home. (She had an interesting journey back too, but I won't tell the details, this is my blog dammit!)
That brings me to Sunday, the day of my scrimmage for lacrosse. My back felt better with medication, and I headed off in the afternoon to get picked up at the train station by one of the older players. We arrived, and it was overcast and cold (typical), and I saw the other team, who had a lot more guys than we did. I went into the locker room to get my jersey and official Copenhagen Lacrosse shorts, and I put my pads on to get ready. We did line drills (and looked awful), then we hastily put together positions and explained the rules to the newer players. We only ran 11 deep, which if you know lacrosse, there are 10 people playing at a time. The other team had 17 I believe, so along with being inexperienced on the whole, we had few bodies. I play offense, and the guy covering me is like 6 inches taller than me and at least 70 lbs heavier. In essence, the game starts, and the ball is on the ground pretty much the whole time, so it wasn't very crisp. The good thing, there was a lot of hitting. Usually, I like the contact, but that day, I was out of shape and getting knocked around like a pinball. In the 2nd quarter, I'm getting beat to hell, and I keep losing the ball, prompting one of my teammates to lecture me about ball security, which, at the time, I'm working my ass off and didn't appreciate it. The 2nd half I play a lot better, but make myself less available and let the "stars" run the offense. We don't score throughout the whole game, but with no coaches, few bodies, and no game plan, it was a decent effort. They only scored six goals, which was an accomplishment from what I understand. My first game with grown men was not a great experience: I came out bruised, limping slightly, and dog tired. Afterwards, I took off my glove and noticed that a stick smack, the sticks are made of metal, left a bruise on my thumb that left it look like an over-ripe banana. I went home, and found another flaw with my host house, no bath to soak my wounds. I went to bed hurting.
With that Hallmark story complete, the beginning of the week was like any other, class and movies to watch. Luckily, the pain subsided, and I went back to the routine. This leads to the great day yesterday, where I managed to finally complete my hostel bookings for the travel break. Wednesdays are my day off, so I went into the city to explore and avoid my work. I also learned of no practice on Saturday, and the one we will have next week calls for warm weather and girls in bikinis, the staples of any lacrosse practice. Wednesday culminated with a free movie trip instituted by my film professor. (This was our version of a field study) We went to see Milk, a truly wonderful picture that earned Sean Penn his 2nd Oscar. (I never thought he should've won the 1st, but whatever) The great thing was the movie theatre, which was like a movie theatre in the United States with jacked-up refreshment prices, but the popcorn tubs were massive. Also, some of my classmates got glasses of beer, which reminded me of another Pulp Fiction reference like I left you with in an earlier blog post. (I LOVE that movie) John Travolta describes the subtle differences of America and Europe to Samuel L. Jackson and the first thing he talks about is the glass of beer. I never thought I would ever get to experience these subtle differences. In the theatre itself, there was assigned seating, like going to a ball game. The movie screen was behind a curtain which hung above a stage, like it was an actual play. The movie was great, so inspiring, and it capped an ultimately great day in Copenhagen.
I don't rightly know when my next post will be, because nothing much will be going on due to some recent money splurges. I will make sure I get at least one in before I leave for travel break, maybe do a piece on something I notice or tell more about DIS itself, seeing as how my work load is gonna ramp up for the next few weeks, with midterms and such. Now is time for the quote, which I heard at the end of Milk from Sean Penn, playing the role of Harvey Milk. In the course of recording his story of being the first openly gay public official in office on tape, he leads up to the conclusion with this powerful statement: "We cannot live on hope, but without hope, our lives are not worth living." I cannot tell you how true that really is, and if you think about it, you will realize that too.
Last week was incredibly unsatisfying, due to my desire to lay low in order to save my money for my 3+ week travel break, where I am planning to travel to Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and France (I know, quite the haul). The core of the interesting stuff happened over the weekend, starting with my awakening at 8:30 on Saturday morning. I thought it was two hours later than it was, and I frantically got out of bed to realize I had much more time before my lacrosse practice. However, I felt like an ice pick was being driven in to the left side of my back, which would seem like a bad omen for the day, but it wasn't. Practice went fine, and I ended up being healthy enough to join my very good friends out for a night on the town. Before we made it to our initial destination, I had miscommunication with them about the main entrance to Central Station and walked outside to be asked by two men if I wanted dope. (Side bar: When unshaven and with a hood up, do I really look like a druggie? Think about that, and possibly respond.) When I finally met up with them, we made our way to Ice Bar, which, consequently, is a bar made of ice. After paying an exorbitant entrance fee, the people at the front desk fit you with a thermal parka and gloves, and they let u enter. All the walls and the tables and the bar itself is crafted from ice blocks. We went up to the bartender to get our complimentary Absolut beverage (all except Tom, his was fruit punch), and we drank them out of ice blocks, which is spectacular.
After our round robin of picture-taking, we couldn't feel most of our extremities, so we left for a warmer, more intimate setting at Cafe Klimt. It was suggested by Fisty and Allison, and for good reason. With good music and affordable prices on beverages, it was an easy place to like. Once the first cocktails were downed and Tom went to catch his train, Kira, Allison, Fisty and me ordered 5 shots for each of us, and downed them within the next hour. A quick dash, or stumble, if you were the girls, led us to Burger King, where we were supposed to grab a quick bite before dancing, but it was getting late and night buses only run so often. We were supplied with a lovely drunk performance by Ms. Nightingale, who had some trouble understanding the cashier when paying for her food, and thought the emergency exit was the bathroom. (To be fair, she had a Long Island Iced Tea, some cocktails before, and the shots, and she's wafer thin, so she deserves a break) For some stupid reason, we let her stumble to the bus stop on her own and get home. Allison, Fisty, and I then went two doors down to McDonald's, Fisty and I began the road to heart disease with a few Big Macs a piece, and we went to the main bus stop. Now, I did not know where my bus, in this whole wide area, was gonna stop, and I missed the one that came at the same time as Fisty and Allison's. I bid them farewell, then located the right bus stop for me, only to wait half an hour and have to endure a long line in the cold, but I digress for the moment. After the forty or so minute ride, the bus got to my stop at Ishøj Train Station, but I could not get to the door fast enough before the bus driver closed it on me. I was asking why, but getting no response, prompting me to think that he didn't speak English. (Not everyone here does speak English, which makes situations like this difficult) So, I kept pressing the button for a stop, but nothing was happening. We continued on this main road behind the station away from my original stop. Eventually, the bus stopped at the next actual bus stop, but instead of opening the doors at the front of the bus where I was, he opened the doors at the middle of the bus, which I couldn't get back to quick enough before he closed them and continued. At this point, I'm cursing and getting upset, so he stops further down the road at a piss-poor excuse for a bus stop, and I almost literally leap out of the middle part before he speeds off, and I curse him until I finish the 30-40 minute trek back home. I returned at 4:30, which I later learned was the time that Kira, who left over an hour before me, got home. (She had an interesting journey back too, but I won't tell the details, this is my blog dammit!)
That brings me to Sunday, the day of my scrimmage for lacrosse. My back felt better with medication, and I headed off in the afternoon to get picked up at the train station by one of the older players. We arrived, and it was overcast and cold (typical), and I saw the other team, who had a lot more guys than we did. I went into the locker room to get my jersey and official Copenhagen Lacrosse shorts, and I put my pads on to get ready. We did line drills (and looked awful), then we hastily put together positions and explained the rules to the newer players. We only ran 11 deep, which if you know lacrosse, there are 10 people playing at a time. The other team had 17 I believe, so along with being inexperienced on the whole, we had few bodies. I play offense, and the guy covering me is like 6 inches taller than me and at least 70 lbs heavier. In essence, the game starts, and the ball is on the ground pretty much the whole time, so it wasn't very crisp. The good thing, there was a lot of hitting. Usually, I like the contact, but that day, I was out of shape and getting knocked around like a pinball. In the 2nd quarter, I'm getting beat to hell, and I keep losing the ball, prompting one of my teammates to lecture me about ball security, which, at the time, I'm working my ass off and didn't appreciate it. The 2nd half I play a lot better, but make myself less available and let the "stars" run the offense. We don't score throughout the whole game, but with no coaches, few bodies, and no game plan, it was a decent effort. They only scored six goals, which was an accomplishment from what I understand. My first game with grown men was not a great experience: I came out bruised, limping slightly, and dog tired. Afterwards, I took off my glove and noticed that a stick smack, the sticks are made of metal, left a bruise on my thumb that left it look like an over-ripe banana. I went home, and found another flaw with my host house, no bath to soak my wounds. I went to bed hurting.
With that Hallmark story complete, the beginning of the week was like any other, class and movies to watch. Luckily, the pain subsided, and I went back to the routine. This leads to the great day yesterday, where I managed to finally complete my hostel bookings for the travel break. Wednesdays are my day off, so I went into the city to explore and avoid my work. I also learned of no practice on Saturday, and the one we will have next week calls for warm weather and girls in bikinis, the staples of any lacrosse practice. Wednesday culminated with a free movie trip instituted by my film professor. (This was our version of a field study) We went to see Milk, a truly wonderful picture that earned Sean Penn his 2nd Oscar. (I never thought he should've won the 1st, but whatever) The great thing was the movie theatre, which was like a movie theatre in the United States with jacked-up refreshment prices, but the popcorn tubs were massive. Also, some of my classmates got glasses of beer, which reminded me of another Pulp Fiction reference like I left you with in an earlier blog post. (I LOVE that movie) John Travolta describes the subtle differences of America and Europe to Samuel L. Jackson and the first thing he talks about is the glass of beer. I never thought I would ever get to experience these subtle differences. In the theatre itself, there was assigned seating, like going to a ball game. The movie screen was behind a curtain which hung above a stage, like it was an actual play. The movie was great, so inspiring, and it capped an ultimately great day in Copenhagen.
I don't rightly know when my next post will be, because nothing much will be going on due to some recent money splurges. I will make sure I get at least one in before I leave for travel break, maybe do a piece on something I notice or tell more about DIS itself, seeing as how my work load is gonna ramp up for the next few weeks, with midterms and such. Now is time for the quote, which I heard at the end of Milk from Sean Penn, playing the role of Harvey Milk. In the course of recording his story of being the first openly gay public official in office on tape, he leads up to the conclusion with this powerful statement: "We cannot live on hope, but without hope, our lives are not worth living." I cannot tell you how true that really is, and if you think about it, you will realize that too.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Ezekiel 25:17
This last week of mine took an unfortunate turn in the middle, and I cannot blame Karma or the universe for an injustice upon my righteous person. Everything bad that transpired was my fault, and I preempt this explanation with that distinction because I tend to think of myself as a victim of an unjustified design that has plagued me with bad fortune. Sometimes, I try to make my own luck, and it blows up in my face, like Wednesday.
Wednesdays are my favorite days here in Denmark because typically students do not have class and on few occasions, they have field studies for a few hours, but that doesn't happen often, at least for me. So, I am trying to enjoy my Wednesday off in the blustery cold of the Copenhagen streets, when after my quick lunch at McDonald's I see what appears to be an easy Find the Shell game on the street. Due to my boredom since my friends seemed busy, I decided to play, and within an instant, I was down a good chunk of cash, so I went to the ATM to get more because the people around it said if I just show it, I would get double the money because I found the shell after the money was gone. So, I did that, and then the guy took more of my money, and I argued to get it back, but I got ganged up on, and only after that a gentleman in a suit came up to me with a card explaining the futility of playing that game and that I wasn't getting my money back from them. So, naturally upset, I went to find the swindlers, but they picked up and left. In my distraught state, I walked around looking for an answer, and it took me to the police station. Unfortunately, they couldn't do anything for me, and I was left with tight pockets from here on in. Now, most people would ask why I decided to join in that game, knowing what a scam it could be. I had a moment of weakness, and I tried to do something out of the ordinary, and it blew up in my face. I was angry about it, but it was my money, so I got over it, and it gave me a point to write about in this blog.
The next day, I wanted to enjoy some night life with limited means, so I went to this pub beside the train station near DIS and enjoy Quiz Night. I went with a guy that I met during orientation week, and I was supposed to meet my buddy Doc Tom there, but he had a prior engagement that lasted too long (or so he says). Anyway, it was both our first times in there, so we looked around and tried to find a nice spot to chill, and we found some boothes in the back with shelves of books. Now, I was unsure what was stopping my friend from buying stuff, but I was just trying to keep my money in my wallet. Eventually, a guy came around and passed answer sheets and asked for the numbers of teams. We paid a small amount and waited for the 1st round of questions to start. We were sitting next to a group of guys and girls who were kinda young, and we got to know them a little bit. It was two Americans, two Spaniards, and a French woman, with a brief appearance by this Indian guy. They were all seemingly right out of college, and they were really fun to talk to. They seemed like nomadic individuals, people who travel a lot and don't really remain in one place for so long, and the Americans hadn't been back in America for years, so they were just as European as anyone. Between one of the three rounds, they had a raffle for alcohol, and this group of people won two bottles of wine and a pitcher of beer, and they were gracious enough to share their beer with me. That, coupled with the snide remarks from the Quiz Master, (there was a question about a recent skiing contest cancelled because of snow, and he said, "Cancelling a skiing competition for having too much snow is like cancelling a drinking contest for having too much alcohol."), made it a fun evening out at little cost.
The weekend was slow, but I did manage to have a hard lacrosse practice, (hard to me because I'm out of shape), and a home movies section with my host family, centering around vacations and the daughters' gymnastics competitions. Afterwards, we were able to watch one of my favorite movies, Pulp Fiction, and it's always nice to appreciate something and have it appreciated by people who don't have the same experience with it. I guess Tarantino translates all cultures.
Now, I have the outline of my Spring Break trip thought out, and am focusing on getting through to those 3 weeks of enjoyment. Until then, I can look forward to more work and more family time with some lacrosse sprinkled in in certain places. Before that though, I have to leave with a quote. This one comes from Horace Greeley, editor of the Jeffersonian and one of the founders of the Liberal Republican Party in the 19th century, "The darkest hour of any man's life is when he sits down to plan how to get money without earning it." I have seen first hand how that is true.
P.S. I figured I'd give you a bonus with an additional quote, due to the title of this blog, "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee."
Wednesdays are my favorite days here in Denmark because typically students do not have class and on few occasions, they have field studies for a few hours, but that doesn't happen often, at least for me. So, I am trying to enjoy my Wednesday off in the blustery cold of the Copenhagen streets, when after my quick lunch at McDonald's I see what appears to be an easy Find the Shell game on the street. Due to my boredom since my friends seemed busy, I decided to play, and within an instant, I was down a good chunk of cash, so I went to the ATM to get more because the people around it said if I just show it, I would get double the money because I found the shell after the money was gone. So, I did that, and then the guy took more of my money, and I argued to get it back, but I got ganged up on, and only after that a gentleman in a suit came up to me with a card explaining the futility of playing that game and that I wasn't getting my money back from them. So, naturally upset, I went to find the swindlers, but they picked up and left. In my distraught state, I walked around looking for an answer, and it took me to the police station. Unfortunately, they couldn't do anything for me, and I was left with tight pockets from here on in. Now, most people would ask why I decided to join in that game, knowing what a scam it could be. I had a moment of weakness, and I tried to do something out of the ordinary, and it blew up in my face. I was angry about it, but it was my money, so I got over it, and it gave me a point to write about in this blog.
The next day, I wanted to enjoy some night life with limited means, so I went to this pub beside the train station near DIS and enjoy Quiz Night. I went with a guy that I met during orientation week, and I was supposed to meet my buddy Doc Tom there, but he had a prior engagement that lasted too long (or so he says). Anyway, it was both our first times in there, so we looked around and tried to find a nice spot to chill, and we found some boothes in the back with shelves of books. Now, I was unsure what was stopping my friend from buying stuff, but I was just trying to keep my money in my wallet. Eventually, a guy came around and passed answer sheets and asked for the numbers of teams. We paid a small amount and waited for the 1st round of questions to start. We were sitting next to a group of guys and girls who were kinda young, and we got to know them a little bit. It was two Americans, two Spaniards, and a French woman, with a brief appearance by this Indian guy. They were all seemingly right out of college, and they were really fun to talk to. They seemed like nomadic individuals, people who travel a lot and don't really remain in one place for so long, and the Americans hadn't been back in America for years, so they were just as European as anyone. Between one of the three rounds, they had a raffle for alcohol, and this group of people won two bottles of wine and a pitcher of beer, and they were gracious enough to share their beer with me. That, coupled with the snide remarks from the Quiz Master, (there was a question about a recent skiing contest cancelled because of snow, and he said, "Cancelling a skiing competition for having too much snow is like cancelling a drinking contest for having too much alcohol."), made it a fun evening out at little cost.
The weekend was slow, but I did manage to have a hard lacrosse practice, (hard to me because I'm out of shape), and a home movies section with my host family, centering around vacations and the daughters' gymnastics competitions. Afterwards, we were able to watch one of my favorite movies, Pulp Fiction, and it's always nice to appreciate something and have it appreciated by people who don't have the same experience with it. I guess Tarantino translates all cultures.
Now, I have the outline of my Spring Break trip thought out, and am focusing on getting through to those 3 weeks of enjoyment. Until then, I can look forward to more work and more family time with some lacrosse sprinkled in in certain places. Before that though, I have to leave with a quote. This one comes from Horace Greeley, editor of the Jeffersonian and one of the founders of the Liberal Republican Party in the 19th century, "The darkest hour of any man's life is when he sits down to plan how to get money without earning it." I have seen first hand how that is true.
P.S. I figured I'd give you a bonus with an additional quote, due to the title of this blog, "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee."
Monday, February 16, 2009
Candles: A Castner's Worst Enemy
I find this blog to be a necessity, to log my thoughts in some sort of form other than...my thoughts. They aren't very reliable. I have a journal, but it's never the first thing that comes to mind. Since I seem to be at my computer a great deal lately (which I am trying to rectify, seeing as I am in an exciting city, but these recent snow storms have made it difficult), my experiences for the week have been less exciting than usual, but the memories still need to be saved.
First, I wanna express some differences between the U.S. and Denmark that I had yet to mention a priori, but need to be discussed based on the sheer comedy behind them:
1) McDonald's has the nicest collection of food for the cheapest people on the planet, known as the Dollar Menu. In Denmark, they do not use the dollar, so thus the name does not apply (like how Quarter Pounders are not called that due to the use of the Metric System (thanks Pulp Fiction)). They do however need a name for the menu, so they call it Coinoffer, meaning that you can pay for the items with a single coin. (Cheapest is 10 dkk, which is almost equivalent to $2, so the Coinoffer is a rip-off)
2) Starbucks is the typical franchise that manages to pop up everywhere a person turns. In this town, that role is taken up by 7-11's. In downtown Copenhagen, you can find two 7-11's on almost every street, and kids buy booze and chill in front of the separate stores with their friends. It's the common place to go, because its affordable and the food is decent. I've heard some kids say they will not go in there because they think it is like selling out, but you know what, I'll be a sell out if I can get 2 pastries and a beverage for 25 dkk. (That's cheap ladies and gentlemen)
3) In America, teenagers are anxious to turn 16 and drive, while they have to wait til they are 21 to drink and purchase alcohol. I know this isn't unique to Denmark, but here, the kids can go into bars and drink at 16 and purchase at 18, but they cannot drive until passing a series of expensive driving tests after their 18th b-day. The unique part is the price of these cars, (I saw ones over 400,000 dkk), and how impractical they are for young people. A new bike is the equivalent of a new car.
Various other things could be mentioned (the lack of small talk amongst strangers, the hair and clothing styles, etc.), but those are common.
As for the business of the week, I was concerned with writing my first paper due in DIS, which I didn't start until Sunday anyway, but that's neither here nor there. My fourth class finally started at the Copenhagen Business School, (although it took us a few metro trips to find the right building on the right campus), which is taught by a brilliant Indian man, and full of not-so-bright students. (He kept mentioning how the schedule was formatted around the kids from DIS, and those students not from DIS kept asking us, what's DIS? Am I a part of DIS? It never occurred to them that if they didn't know what it was, they probably weren't a part of it. It's remarkable)
I was pretty boring this week, mainly going to class and eating around the city, nothing spectacular about that. Simba and I have story-swapped a few times on Skype where I mention the relative normality of Denmark and he mentions the crazy customs of Japan (selling of used female underwear, the Autistic donut-shop owner who thinks people who can't speak Japanese are dumb, the anti-gaijin Japanese people who roam around in white vans to express their dislike toward the white man, etc.). You never realize the true friends until they are gone or you are put in a situation that disrupts the routine crafted by certain individuals where constant contact isn't an option.
The most interesting day turned out to be V-day, or Bitter, Lonely Single's Day, depending on your relationship status. Saturday was the beginning of Copenhagen Lacrosse practices for newcomers, beautifully titled "Rookie Day". Basically, it ended up being a bunch of 30-year-olds in a small gym teaching basics to younger guys who have never played before. I was able to secure equipment in this sort-of sketchy basement. My pads and gear looked like it was developed in the 80's, but it is free, so I cannot complain. We played around for a few hours, and they were decent enough gentlemen. (Also, a lot of them were a great deal older than me, so even in my current physical state, I am still more athletically-inclined) Later on that evening, I was treated to a meal by my host grandparents, who speak minimal English, so I felt like a real tourist. However, my immediate host family was able to accommodate me and translate. (Although, the grandmother did attempt to communicate in English, the father had to look to someone else to explain himself; he even gave me an extra fifth glass of wine after the four previous which I did not want, but I could not stop him) The embarrassing part of the evening came at dessert, where I was being passed an ice cream dish, and I took it above a burning candle. After a few moments, I noticed a rotten smell and looked down at my hand, only to see the hair on the backside singed off, so obviously I know how to make an impression.
I have gotten my travel plans almost completed for my Spring Break, which I am saving up for at the moment. In this city, that means I must temper my activities some to achieve maximum satisfaction, so do not expect me to be engaging in disorderly drunken conduct on a nightly basis, I'm too cheap for that.
Last order of business, the quote. Seeing as how fire was my natural enemy this week, I will put in a quote about that. This one comes from the all-knowing Prince Gautama Siddhartha, or Buddha as he is more commonly known: "Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds."
(As a side note, I had a conversation with a good friend of mine last night, and she had gotten grounded because she called her father an asshole because he was calling her dumb for wanting to procrastinate. Obviously, she escalated the situation, so she was seemingly out of control. To further my point, she randomly messages me on Facebook and tells me that she sent me a picture of her boobs to my cell phone, which I do not have on me at the moment, but my folks have access to. My friends sure know how to make an impression too.)
First, I wanna express some differences between the U.S. and Denmark that I had yet to mention a priori, but need to be discussed based on the sheer comedy behind them:
1) McDonald's has the nicest collection of food for the cheapest people on the planet, known as the Dollar Menu. In Denmark, they do not use the dollar, so thus the name does not apply (like how Quarter Pounders are not called that due to the use of the Metric System (thanks Pulp Fiction)). They do however need a name for the menu, so they call it Coinoffer, meaning that you can pay for the items with a single coin. (Cheapest is 10 dkk, which is almost equivalent to $2, so the Coinoffer is a rip-off)
2) Starbucks is the typical franchise that manages to pop up everywhere a person turns. In this town, that role is taken up by 7-11's. In downtown Copenhagen, you can find two 7-11's on almost every street, and kids buy booze and chill in front of the separate stores with their friends. It's the common place to go, because its affordable and the food is decent. I've heard some kids say they will not go in there because they think it is like selling out, but you know what, I'll be a sell out if I can get 2 pastries and a beverage for 25 dkk. (That's cheap ladies and gentlemen)
3) In America, teenagers are anxious to turn 16 and drive, while they have to wait til they are 21 to drink and purchase alcohol. I know this isn't unique to Denmark, but here, the kids can go into bars and drink at 16 and purchase at 18, but they cannot drive until passing a series of expensive driving tests after their 18th b-day. The unique part is the price of these cars, (I saw ones over 400,000 dkk), and how impractical they are for young people. A new bike is the equivalent of a new car.
Various other things could be mentioned (the lack of small talk amongst strangers, the hair and clothing styles, etc.), but those are common.
As for the business of the week, I was concerned with writing my first paper due in DIS, which I didn't start until Sunday anyway, but that's neither here nor there. My fourth class finally started at the Copenhagen Business School, (although it took us a few metro trips to find the right building on the right campus), which is taught by a brilliant Indian man, and full of not-so-bright students. (He kept mentioning how the schedule was formatted around the kids from DIS, and those students not from DIS kept asking us, what's DIS? Am I a part of DIS? It never occurred to them that if they didn't know what it was, they probably weren't a part of it. It's remarkable)
I was pretty boring this week, mainly going to class and eating around the city, nothing spectacular about that. Simba and I have story-swapped a few times on Skype where I mention the relative normality of Denmark and he mentions the crazy customs of Japan (selling of used female underwear, the Autistic donut-shop owner who thinks people who can't speak Japanese are dumb, the anti-gaijin Japanese people who roam around in white vans to express their dislike toward the white man, etc.). You never realize the true friends until they are gone or you are put in a situation that disrupts the routine crafted by certain individuals where constant contact isn't an option.
The most interesting day turned out to be V-day, or Bitter, Lonely Single's Day, depending on your relationship status. Saturday was the beginning of Copenhagen Lacrosse practices for newcomers, beautifully titled "Rookie Day". Basically, it ended up being a bunch of 30-year-olds in a small gym teaching basics to younger guys who have never played before. I was able to secure equipment in this sort-of sketchy basement. My pads and gear looked like it was developed in the 80's, but it is free, so I cannot complain. We played around for a few hours, and they were decent enough gentlemen. (Also, a lot of them were a great deal older than me, so even in my current physical state, I am still more athletically-inclined) Later on that evening, I was treated to a meal by my host grandparents, who speak minimal English, so I felt like a real tourist. However, my immediate host family was able to accommodate me and translate. (Although, the grandmother did attempt to communicate in English, the father had to look to someone else to explain himself; he even gave me an extra fifth glass of wine after the four previous which I did not want, but I could not stop him) The embarrassing part of the evening came at dessert, where I was being passed an ice cream dish, and I took it above a burning candle. After a few moments, I noticed a rotten smell and looked down at my hand, only to see the hair on the backside singed off, so obviously I know how to make an impression.
I have gotten my travel plans almost completed for my Spring Break, which I am saving up for at the moment. In this city, that means I must temper my activities some to achieve maximum satisfaction, so do not expect me to be engaging in disorderly drunken conduct on a nightly basis, I'm too cheap for that.
Last order of business, the quote. Seeing as how fire was my natural enemy this week, I will put in a quote about that. This one comes from the all-knowing Prince Gautama Siddhartha, or Buddha as he is more commonly known: "Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds."
(As a side note, I had a conversation with a good friend of mine last night, and she had gotten grounded because she called her father an asshole because he was calling her dumb for wanting to procrastinate. Obviously, she escalated the situation, so she was seemingly out of control. To further my point, she randomly messages me on Facebook and tells me that she sent me a picture of her boobs to my cell phone, which I do not have on me at the moment, but my folks have access to. My friends sure know how to make an impression too.)
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Not All Study Tours are Equivalent in Fun
Greetings my friendly neighborhood readers! It has been an extremely long week with much to discuss. First off the bat, what a Superbowl! I wish it woulda been played a little better from my side, but hey, I will always take a victory. Big Ben has now established himself as a great in this game, and I couldn't be prouder of the Pittsburgh fans and the support they gave not only at the game itself, but at the parade downtown. I wish I coulda been there, but at least I was able to party all night and enjoy it without too much trouble (The only trouble was in the prices of drinks/food. One thing I miss: cheap refreshments)
Before that good news, I was gifted with another present: Our fraternity, Sigma Chi, had a grand showing for Spring Rush and initially came out with 12 yes's to the bids we gave out. Now, I was able to listen in on the meeting to determine who we would give those illustrious bids to, but I was not able to vote. However, I agree with the stance, mostly, that was taken on the candidates and I am happy it worked out. Now, in the last week, that number has been whittled down to 10, but it still gives us enough to get our house back and to be reinstalled as an active chapter, so there is no complaint from me. Sunday was one of the best days I've ever had, and it really got me energized and focused for the rest of the week.
We move from the high end to the lowest portions of the week. After that glorious game that went into the wee hours of the Danish morning, I got some bad news (for me) from that special person I reference constantly in this blog told me that she found another guy, which is ok since that was part of our arrangement, but still kind of shocking, especially since I was only out of the country for about 2 weeks. I was angry then because of no sleep and booze, but I eventually realized the truth behind it, and I apologized. I am still somewhat disappointed, but you can not dwell on things like this, so I am not.
The other terrible thing came on Tuesday, when I went out with my other fraternity brother to celebrate the evolution of our Theta Chapter despite our absence. However, the night of revelry was interrupted when my brother's wallet was swiped under our noses and lost because the guy who stole it knew what he was doing. That put a damper on things, no doubt, and I felt kinda bad because it was my idea to go out, but sometimes, things are out of your hands and you have to accept it when you had little control, like I had. You can't help feeling bad for my brother though, it was not what we intended for a fun evening. Not a great start for the rest of the week, mind you.
Everything else was centered on the business tours that we took from Wednesday to Saturday. Wednesday, we went to a power cable company, NKT, and received a presentation that actually made cables seem more interesting than you would think. Luckily, they fed us, so it wasn't really a wash, and showed us a historical exhibit of all their products manufactured over the last century (cleaning supplies, switches, cables, etc.). I mean, not the most exhilarating company, but still worthwhile.
From Thursday to Saturday, we were on a road trip to gain valuable business knowledge and to immerse ourselves in parts of the Danish culture we wouldn't normally be treated to since it’s really outside of Copenhagen. Thursday, we went to a nice luncheon/presentation from the people at ECCO Shoes, which is small and seemingly unprepared to compete on a grand scale around the world, but they make comfortable shoes (seemingly for an older generation, at least in the U.S.). They are big in the golf world, acting as sponsors for guys like Aaron Baddeley and Fred Couples (the most impressive thing in the whole presentation). Afterwards, we were given the tour of the developmental offices and saw the many models of shoes in the works for ECCO (I know, I'm trying to hype this up as best as I can, and it's probably not working). Before we went to an ECCO store in town, we were given a pass to get 25% off for the day on any merchandise, which got us excited, but didn't really mean much cause the prices were still outrageous. Also, the town is littered with huge statues of ECCO shoes, especially this big one on a hilltop outside ECCO headquarters (Imagine if the statues at Stonehenge had feet and needed shoes). Thus concluded the first section of the Short Study Tour.
After that, we went to our first group hostel, where we split up into groups of 3 (for the girls) and 4 (for the guys). I was left with 3 chill guys, and we divvied up the space, which wasn't as bad as the picture of a hostel I painted for myself (4 pull-out beds, two small bathrooms). Anyway, after that, we went to a group dinner, where we ate hamburgers that they gussied up to make look fancy, when in reality, it was just a hamburger with some vegetables. I paid for my own drink, which was called a Firetruck, a mixture of red soda and Jager, which was excellent, but kind of expensive (almost 10 dollars!). Following that, we went to a bar called Why Not Bob (I had to go), and most of us stayed to have some drinks and hang out. I left to wander back to the hostel on my own, which was supposed to be a 20 minute walk that was extended to 35 because I got a little lost (Also, I found out that the way I worded my goodbye made the people at my table think I was going outside to smoke weed. So, I really know how to build a reputation accidentally). Eventually, I got back and went to sleep.
Friday started way too early (but despite the gripes of some of my roommates, I thought it was a decent experience in the hostel). We had breakfast (I watched a guy in the kitchen chew one of the people out in our group for stealing water, which was hilarious because its bottled water), and then we set off for Arla foods, a huge dairy producer in Denmark and a good deal around the world. Again, we listened to an interesting presentation on dairy products (once again, exaggerating), and then we took a minimal tour of the facilities. We saw cheese production (and smelled it), while a lot of us almost gagged from the emissions of the pungent cheese. A half-mile later, we were able to sample some of their more popular cheeses, which I have to admit, I wasn't too keen on sampling the product after being somewhat repulsed by the smell. The cultural immersion part kicked in when we departed Arla and went to Kolding, to explore the city and Koldinghus, the local castle built by old Danish kings. Our tour director there was so funny because he was 80-years old and basically hitting on the girls in our group (I wish he could just follow me around and give me tours of everything). Then, we went off on our own, and we saw sites from the top of the castle to the bottom dungeon (It was kinda sketchy, but disappointing because it had no torture devices and was situated right next to a children’s playroom, which I find odd). After that, we went bowling near where are second hostel was, but it was lame cause we only paid for an hour and got timed out during the second game. We left and headed to our hostel, which ended up being a lot nicer than the first one. We met some other study tour groups who were out at their own study tours. The common theme? The other business groups was way better because they got more food comped, they would get to wake up later, they were going to a handball match as part of their cultural experience, and the kicker, they got to go to Lego, where they received packages of Legos to play with during their meeting. We were so jealous since, in almost every way, theirs was better. The hostel, with all its positives, was out in the middle of nowhere, so after dinner and another ludicrous presentation from the guy who heads the tourist department of the region we were in, Velje, we were given booze to compensate for the lack of nightlife. (I found out later that some of our people did catch a bus to civilization and went to a bar where a kind Danish bartender gave them 2 bottles of alcohol on the house because he took pity on them for being poor exchange students. That shit never happens to me).
We woke up Saturday to a hostel breakfast and a useless day of touring since our main purpose for being on the study tour was to gather business knowledge from two companies, count em two, and we did that in the first two days. The third day was just extra to see some more of Denmark we would not typically get to explore, so we graciously went to Odense, the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, to go on a walking tour of the town and visit museums (As a side benefit, we saw one duck rape another one, but it was kind of early in the day to fully appreciate). As part of the walking tour, we saw the sites, we saw HC Andersen park and the church he used to frequent (there were bones in the basement, which was awesome). After the tour, we had the option to go into the HC Andersen museum, go off on our own, or go ice-skating. Four/fifths of us decided on the museum, which was nice and quaint, and full of interesting things, like HC's hat, his ink pot and pen, and even a lock of his hair (I think we should clone him and Kierkegaard and make a buddy comedy fit for the 21st century, but that’s just me spinning my wheels). We eventually found our way over to lunch, which was quaint, but I was stuck across from one of the most annoying girls I have ever met. She was really talkative, and she used like a lot (I don't like to badmouth my generation, but the inability to express ideas verbally without inserting at least 7 likes into a sentence pisses me off). There was a moment where we were talking about the last museum we were going to, and she said the guys from the other business group didn't like it, but they were frat guys from Gettysburg (reference!), and I said of course, they have no culture. She responded by saying they do have culture, not knowing I was joking, so I decided to continue and say they were uncultured. Then, she very snidely replies that she knows them better than I do, she went to high school with them, and she knows they have culture. I swear it took almost every ounce of me to keep from smacking the girl or retorting back, but I'm a gentleman. We went to the last modern art museum, full of exhibits like lamp-making rooms and completely dark rooms with nothing in them (I know, really boring). We went back to the bus after being subjected to that, and headed back to Copenhagen, where, like every travelling day we had over the previous 4, was riffed with in climate weather.
Thus ends the fantastic journey of the Short Study Tour. I gave it a 6.5 out of 10 on the funness scale, but I learned that some of the people in my class are not bad people, and that a trip like that can restore some faith in people (although not a lot). The excitement of that trip will have to last a while, because nothing is really going to go on until the Spring Break, besides maybe lacrosse and various nights out and what not. I plan on keeping my loyal readers posted however. Time for the quote: This comes from an American novelist Alexander Jablokov (I know, doesn't sound very American). He once said, "The road to truth is long, and lined the entire way with annoying bastards." That really takes form with me everyday, seeing as how everyone is annoying to me at some point in time.
Anyway, I look forward to the next three months, and I look forward to coming back wiser (sorta) and happier (to an extent). I miss everyone a lot, and by the way, 6 Super Bowls for the Pittsburgh Steelers!!!!!!!! Best team in the land!
Before that good news, I was gifted with another present: Our fraternity, Sigma Chi, had a grand showing for Spring Rush and initially came out with 12 yes's to the bids we gave out. Now, I was able to listen in on the meeting to determine who we would give those illustrious bids to, but I was not able to vote. However, I agree with the stance, mostly, that was taken on the candidates and I am happy it worked out. Now, in the last week, that number has been whittled down to 10, but it still gives us enough to get our house back and to be reinstalled as an active chapter, so there is no complaint from me. Sunday was one of the best days I've ever had, and it really got me energized and focused for the rest of the week.
We move from the high end to the lowest portions of the week. After that glorious game that went into the wee hours of the Danish morning, I got some bad news (for me) from that special person I reference constantly in this blog told me that she found another guy, which is ok since that was part of our arrangement, but still kind of shocking, especially since I was only out of the country for about 2 weeks. I was angry then because of no sleep and booze, but I eventually realized the truth behind it, and I apologized. I am still somewhat disappointed, but you can not dwell on things like this, so I am not.
The other terrible thing came on Tuesday, when I went out with my other fraternity brother to celebrate the evolution of our Theta Chapter despite our absence. However, the night of revelry was interrupted when my brother's wallet was swiped under our noses and lost because the guy who stole it knew what he was doing. That put a damper on things, no doubt, and I felt kinda bad because it was my idea to go out, but sometimes, things are out of your hands and you have to accept it when you had little control, like I had. You can't help feeling bad for my brother though, it was not what we intended for a fun evening. Not a great start for the rest of the week, mind you.
Everything else was centered on the business tours that we took from Wednesday to Saturday. Wednesday, we went to a power cable company, NKT, and received a presentation that actually made cables seem more interesting than you would think. Luckily, they fed us, so it wasn't really a wash, and showed us a historical exhibit of all their products manufactured over the last century (cleaning supplies, switches, cables, etc.). I mean, not the most exhilarating company, but still worthwhile.
From Thursday to Saturday, we were on a road trip to gain valuable business knowledge and to immerse ourselves in parts of the Danish culture we wouldn't normally be treated to since it’s really outside of Copenhagen. Thursday, we went to a nice luncheon/presentation from the people at ECCO Shoes, which is small and seemingly unprepared to compete on a grand scale around the world, but they make comfortable shoes (seemingly for an older generation, at least in the U.S.). They are big in the golf world, acting as sponsors for guys like Aaron Baddeley and Fred Couples (the most impressive thing in the whole presentation). Afterwards, we were given the tour of the developmental offices and saw the many models of shoes in the works for ECCO (I know, I'm trying to hype this up as best as I can, and it's probably not working). Before we went to an ECCO store in town, we were given a pass to get 25% off for the day on any merchandise, which got us excited, but didn't really mean much cause the prices were still outrageous. Also, the town is littered with huge statues of ECCO shoes, especially this big one on a hilltop outside ECCO headquarters (Imagine if the statues at Stonehenge had feet and needed shoes). Thus concluded the first section of the Short Study Tour.
After that, we went to our first group hostel, where we split up into groups of 3 (for the girls) and 4 (for the guys). I was left with 3 chill guys, and we divvied up the space, which wasn't as bad as the picture of a hostel I painted for myself (4 pull-out beds, two small bathrooms). Anyway, after that, we went to a group dinner, where we ate hamburgers that they gussied up to make look fancy, when in reality, it was just a hamburger with some vegetables. I paid for my own drink, which was called a Firetruck, a mixture of red soda and Jager, which was excellent, but kind of expensive (almost 10 dollars!). Following that, we went to a bar called Why Not Bob (I had to go), and most of us stayed to have some drinks and hang out. I left to wander back to the hostel on my own, which was supposed to be a 20 minute walk that was extended to 35 because I got a little lost (Also, I found out that the way I worded my goodbye made the people at my table think I was going outside to smoke weed. So, I really know how to build a reputation accidentally). Eventually, I got back and went to sleep.
Friday started way too early (but despite the gripes of some of my roommates, I thought it was a decent experience in the hostel). We had breakfast (I watched a guy in the kitchen chew one of the people out in our group for stealing water, which was hilarious because its bottled water), and then we set off for Arla foods, a huge dairy producer in Denmark and a good deal around the world. Again, we listened to an interesting presentation on dairy products (once again, exaggerating), and then we took a minimal tour of the facilities. We saw cheese production (and smelled it), while a lot of us almost gagged from the emissions of the pungent cheese. A half-mile later, we were able to sample some of their more popular cheeses, which I have to admit, I wasn't too keen on sampling the product after being somewhat repulsed by the smell. The cultural immersion part kicked in when we departed Arla and went to Kolding, to explore the city and Koldinghus, the local castle built by old Danish kings. Our tour director there was so funny because he was 80-years old and basically hitting on the girls in our group (I wish he could just follow me around and give me tours of everything). Then, we went off on our own, and we saw sites from the top of the castle to the bottom dungeon (It was kinda sketchy, but disappointing because it had no torture devices and was situated right next to a children’s playroom, which I find odd). After that, we went bowling near where are second hostel was, but it was lame cause we only paid for an hour and got timed out during the second game. We left and headed to our hostel, which ended up being a lot nicer than the first one. We met some other study tour groups who were out at their own study tours. The common theme? The other business groups was way better because they got more food comped, they would get to wake up later, they were going to a handball match as part of their cultural experience, and the kicker, they got to go to Lego, where they received packages of Legos to play with during their meeting. We were so jealous since, in almost every way, theirs was better. The hostel, with all its positives, was out in the middle of nowhere, so after dinner and another ludicrous presentation from the guy who heads the tourist department of the region we were in, Velje, we were given booze to compensate for the lack of nightlife. (I found out later that some of our people did catch a bus to civilization and went to a bar where a kind Danish bartender gave them 2 bottles of alcohol on the house because he took pity on them for being poor exchange students. That shit never happens to me).
We woke up Saturday to a hostel breakfast and a useless day of touring since our main purpose for being on the study tour was to gather business knowledge from two companies, count em two, and we did that in the first two days. The third day was just extra to see some more of Denmark we would not typically get to explore, so we graciously went to Odense, the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, to go on a walking tour of the town and visit museums (As a side benefit, we saw one duck rape another one, but it was kind of early in the day to fully appreciate). As part of the walking tour, we saw the sites, we saw HC Andersen park and the church he used to frequent (there were bones in the basement, which was awesome). After the tour, we had the option to go into the HC Andersen museum, go off on our own, or go ice-skating. Four/fifths of us decided on the museum, which was nice and quaint, and full of interesting things, like HC's hat, his ink pot and pen, and even a lock of his hair (I think we should clone him and Kierkegaard and make a buddy comedy fit for the 21st century, but that’s just me spinning my wheels). We eventually found our way over to lunch, which was quaint, but I was stuck across from one of the most annoying girls I have ever met. She was really talkative, and she used like a lot (I don't like to badmouth my generation, but the inability to express ideas verbally without inserting at least 7 likes into a sentence pisses me off). There was a moment where we were talking about the last museum we were going to, and she said the guys from the other business group didn't like it, but they were frat guys from Gettysburg (reference!), and I said of course, they have no culture. She responded by saying they do have culture, not knowing I was joking, so I decided to continue and say they were uncultured. Then, she very snidely replies that she knows them better than I do, she went to high school with them, and she knows they have culture. I swear it took almost every ounce of me to keep from smacking the girl or retorting back, but I'm a gentleman. We went to the last modern art museum, full of exhibits like lamp-making rooms and completely dark rooms with nothing in them (I know, really boring). We went back to the bus after being subjected to that, and headed back to Copenhagen, where, like every travelling day we had over the previous 4, was riffed with in climate weather.
Thus ends the fantastic journey of the Short Study Tour. I gave it a 6.5 out of 10 on the funness scale, but I learned that some of the people in my class are not bad people, and that a trip like that can restore some faith in people (although not a lot). The excitement of that trip will have to last a while, because nothing is really going to go on until the Spring Break, besides maybe lacrosse and various nights out and what not. I plan on keeping my loyal readers posted however. Time for the quote: This comes from an American novelist Alexander Jablokov (I know, doesn't sound very American). He once said, "The road to truth is long, and lined the entire way with annoying bastards." That really takes form with me everyday, seeing as how everyone is annoying to me at some point in time.
Anyway, I look forward to the next three months, and I look forward to coming back wiser (sorta) and happier (to an extent). I miss everyone a lot, and by the way, 6 Super Bowls for the Pittsburgh Steelers!!!!!!!! Best team in the land!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Doesn't Matter Whether You're Black or White, Only If Your Black and Gold
Greetings my esteemed followers (for right now, that means Peter and Kira). Two weeks down in Denmark with many significant events to detail and discuss, but life is about more than what happens in my universe, it's about the entire universe. The real question is, what is the center of the entire universe? From my relative viewpoint, I think it is in Tampa, Florida this weekend for the biggest game of this and any year, the Super Bowl. Traditionally, I usually just kick back with a few friends, eat a lot of food, and enjoy the game based solely on my unquestionable love for football because I have no real stock in the game. This year is different, much like 3 magical years ago. What happened back then? You ask, and I will answer. My beloved Pittsburgh Steelers (with some help from the referees and Jerramy Stevens) won Super Bowl Xtra Large and completed the quest for The One for the Thumb, meaning 5 Super Bowl Championship Rings. In essence, they became one of the best football franchises ever, and quite possibly the best overall sports franchise based on number of championships, fan love, revenue, and many other factors. I try not to live in the past, so lets venture back to 2009, a great year so far. My extremely successful Pittsburgh Steelers are the favorite (by 7 points, which is huge) to win Super Bowl XLIII against the usually much-maligned 9-7 Arizona Cardinals. I say much-maligned because they've never been to a Super Bowl, before this year, had not won a playoff game since 1998, and haven't won a whole championship in 60, count em, 60 years. I could break down the entire game and give u a multitude of reasons why my Steelers will be the only football franchise with 6 SB trophies, cementing the legacy of guys like Big Ben Roethlisberger (that’s spelled right) and Hines Ward (best overall receiver in the game, I will debate people on that topic). I am not gonna do that though, cause I know Peter and guys into manly things like football would enjoy that, but Kira and other female fans might get discouraged if I continue on that path, so that’s a no go. I will say that I think they will cover that point spread and win because the NFL and the world does not want to see the Cardinals win; it's bad for business with the continuingly-struggling economy and despite people's love of parody, dynasties could be seen as better in sports. Pittsburgh, my home town, I love you and everyone in it. I know that Black and Gold pride can never be wiped away, so I am gonna do whatever I can to show off my pride here in Denmark. Please bring a 6th trophy home, and I will always remember where I was when history was made.
Now, back to the Danish portion of the program. After the Friday night club experience, which was fun but their goddamn drinks were too weak, I had a Saturday HC Andersen and Kierkegaard tour. I learned about olden-day Copenhagen and gained a greater appreciation of the time period and these two men. They were quite the people, and they deserve what they received as great authors, great Danes (not the dogs, no facetious behavior on this one), and great men. That appreciation was further stretched when we went to La Glace, I believe is the name, and had hot chocolate and cake, which was so packed with sugar it woulda made Candyland look like Sour City. Anyway, after that, me, Doc Tom, and a few other new guys ventured out to a stop I thought was going to be on the tour, the Little Mermaid Statue (Andersen created the legend). It was a long journey, but we managed to navigate the tough Danish streets to make it to our destination (came out with great pics, which can be viewed online on Facebook). That was the end of that day, which leads to my Fredericksborg Castle expedition on Sunday. I partook in this adventure with Mr. FistyBitches Joseph, Ms. Byrk, and Ms. Nightingale on a chilly, downcast Sunday afternoon (everyday is kinda like that here). When we arrived, the castle and the interior were magnificent (pics also on Facebook), but there was no sunlight and we could not take pictures of the oil paintings with our flash on (I know damaging a 400-year-old painting would be bad, but wouldn't it be a funny story to tell someone?), so in essence, my pictures look dark and undistinguishable in some cases, but it was lined with art, shields, and so much elegance and history. Unfortunately, I was unable to capture most of it due to battery failure (I was responsible and brought extras, but to no avail). Anyways, it was a great experience and the four of us made a pact to go back when it is nicer out (I have no idea if that will happen in the next 3 1/2 months, but heres hoping).
After that magical weekend, a full week of class began, well not full for me because one class doesn’t start for a whole nother week and one class got the week off so my professor could go skiing in the Alps (I'm getting repaid for that with a group presentation that is hard to figure out). Anyways, everything went smoothly, I had no class on Wednesday, which was amazing. I enjoyed the Chinese New Year with Chinese food and a Chinese movie (One guy asked if I celebrate the Chinese New Year often at home, because I apparently look Asian. Is that true?). Thursday was the kicker day, cause two things happened that stood out. In Business Strategy Class, we were allowed to run for a class representative position, and there were 2 of them. I ran against two other people, so the odds were good that I would get picked. I am asked how I would best serve that position, and I "wung it" like I am apt to do and said I like to talk and I can complain about almost anything, I am a big bag of hot air. I thought that would get me noticed by the class and help me stand out, but that plan backfired. The other two people said the same thing, "Uh, I'm very approachable and I can voice an opinion and I can relate to the students." (Quick side note: we all can relate to the students because, buh buh da buh (theme music), WE'RE ALL STUDENTS!!!) Anyway, I know that the Danish people and I share a common sense of humor, but apparently people from America outside Gettysburg, not so much. (I don't think they got that I was kidding, wink wink nudge nudge). Second occurrence, I was eating with Kira at the DIS building (pastries, which is a common thing and will hopefully gain me some weight) and all of a sudden, it gets graveyard silent, which Kira and I notice immediately. The silence made me angry, so I coughed in a loud and obnoxious tone to break this palpable hue of nothing, and people looked at me like I coughed up an exploding nuclear bomb. (I don't know if you've had like 42 sets of daggers trained on you at one time, but it makes you nervous and gives u a sense of accomplishment). It was so fun, and another example about how other Americans need to get the hint that its sarcasm I spew from my mouth everyday. Jesus people!
So, I now have to look forward to another week of work, which includes a field study and then a short study tour to Western Denmark right after. (I was excited to go on these tours, and then I realized I have to pack sheets for the trip and I can't pack a sleeping back because they are not allowed everywhere. Am I crazy, or is that the lamest thing of all time?) It will not be an exciting blog next week, I don't think, but I'll either have a celebratory tone or a devastatingly-depressed tone in my writing (tied to the football game, which I intend to watch all-nite here and go to class in the morning ecstatic in victory or wallowing in defeat). We've come to the quote portion of the blog, which is going to be the title actually, because it was the best thing I heard this week. It comes from a man named Dave Dameshek, who has a podcast for ESPN and is a diehard Steelers fan. He was on a podcast known as The B.S. Report with Bill Simmons, an accomplished sportswriter also on ESPN. Throughout the course of their session, Dameshek is building up his case for a Steelers victory on Sunday, and he gets sick and tired (as do I) of people denigrating Ben Roethlisberger (spelled right) for not having gaudy passing statistics like douchebags Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. He compares him interracially to Daunte Culpepper, another big mobile quarterback who isn't statistically-inclined in the passing game either, who happens to be black. Simmons says hes glad he made that comparison cause it isn't done very often, and Dameshek says, "You know Bill, I don't care if you're black or white, only if your black and gold." That made the week.
Goodbye, and God Bless......................................................................................the Steelers (Those select few who support the Black and Gold at G-burg, you better be working your asses off). PEACE!
Now, back to the Danish portion of the program. After the Friday night club experience, which was fun but their goddamn drinks were too weak, I had a Saturday HC Andersen and Kierkegaard tour. I learned about olden-day Copenhagen and gained a greater appreciation of the time period and these two men. They were quite the people, and they deserve what they received as great authors, great Danes (not the dogs, no facetious behavior on this one), and great men. That appreciation was further stretched when we went to La Glace, I believe is the name, and had hot chocolate and cake, which was so packed with sugar it woulda made Candyland look like Sour City. Anyway, after that, me, Doc Tom, and a few other new guys ventured out to a stop I thought was going to be on the tour, the Little Mermaid Statue (Andersen created the legend). It was a long journey, but we managed to navigate the tough Danish streets to make it to our destination (came out with great pics, which can be viewed online on Facebook). That was the end of that day, which leads to my Fredericksborg Castle expedition on Sunday. I partook in this adventure with Mr. FistyBitches Joseph, Ms. Byrk, and Ms. Nightingale on a chilly, downcast Sunday afternoon (everyday is kinda like that here). When we arrived, the castle and the interior were magnificent (pics also on Facebook), but there was no sunlight and we could not take pictures of the oil paintings with our flash on (I know damaging a 400-year-old painting would be bad, but wouldn't it be a funny story to tell someone?), so in essence, my pictures look dark and undistinguishable in some cases, but it was lined with art, shields, and so much elegance and history. Unfortunately, I was unable to capture most of it due to battery failure (I was responsible and brought extras, but to no avail). Anyways, it was a great experience and the four of us made a pact to go back when it is nicer out (I have no idea if that will happen in the next 3 1/2 months, but heres hoping).
After that magical weekend, a full week of class began, well not full for me because one class doesn’t start for a whole nother week and one class got the week off so my professor could go skiing in the Alps (I'm getting repaid for that with a group presentation that is hard to figure out). Anyways, everything went smoothly, I had no class on Wednesday, which was amazing. I enjoyed the Chinese New Year with Chinese food and a Chinese movie (One guy asked if I celebrate the Chinese New Year often at home, because I apparently look Asian. Is that true?). Thursday was the kicker day, cause two things happened that stood out. In Business Strategy Class, we were allowed to run for a class representative position, and there were 2 of them. I ran against two other people, so the odds were good that I would get picked. I am asked how I would best serve that position, and I "wung it" like I am apt to do and said I like to talk and I can complain about almost anything, I am a big bag of hot air. I thought that would get me noticed by the class and help me stand out, but that plan backfired. The other two people said the same thing, "Uh, I'm very approachable and I can voice an opinion and I can relate to the students." (Quick side note: we all can relate to the students because, buh buh da buh (theme music), WE'RE ALL STUDENTS!!!) Anyway, I know that the Danish people and I share a common sense of humor, but apparently people from America outside Gettysburg, not so much. (I don't think they got that I was kidding, wink wink nudge nudge). Second occurrence, I was eating with Kira at the DIS building (pastries, which is a common thing and will hopefully gain me some weight) and all of a sudden, it gets graveyard silent, which Kira and I notice immediately. The silence made me angry, so I coughed in a loud and obnoxious tone to break this palpable hue of nothing, and people looked at me like I coughed up an exploding nuclear bomb. (I don't know if you've had like 42 sets of daggers trained on you at one time, but it makes you nervous and gives u a sense of accomplishment). It was so fun, and another example about how other Americans need to get the hint that its sarcasm I spew from my mouth everyday. Jesus people!
So, I now have to look forward to another week of work, which includes a field study and then a short study tour to Western Denmark right after. (I was excited to go on these tours, and then I realized I have to pack sheets for the trip and I can't pack a sleeping back because they are not allowed everywhere. Am I crazy, or is that the lamest thing of all time?) It will not be an exciting blog next week, I don't think, but I'll either have a celebratory tone or a devastatingly-depressed tone in my writing (tied to the football game, which I intend to watch all-nite here and go to class in the morning ecstatic in victory or wallowing in defeat). We've come to the quote portion of the blog, which is going to be the title actually, because it was the best thing I heard this week. It comes from a man named Dave Dameshek, who has a podcast for ESPN and is a diehard Steelers fan. He was on a podcast known as The B.S. Report with Bill Simmons, an accomplished sportswriter also on ESPN. Throughout the course of their session, Dameshek is building up his case for a Steelers victory on Sunday, and he gets sick and tired (as do I) of people denigrating Ben Roethlisberger (spelled right) for not having gaudy passing statistics like douchebags Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. He compares him interracially to Daunte Culpepper, another big mobile quarterback who isn't statistically-inclined in the passing game either, who happens to be black. Simmons says hes glad he made that comparison cause it isn't done very often, and Dameshek says, "You know Bill, I don't care if you're black or white, only if your black and gold." That made the week.
Goodbye, and God Bless......................................................................................the Steelers (Those select few who support the Black and Gold at G-burg, you better be working your asses off). PEACE!
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