it's over. kind of.

Some people from the house left this morning, and some are leaving tomorrow morning. We spent our last night together watching EuroTrip, which, admittedly, we probably should have watched the first night.

Tomorrow, my mom comes and we begin traveling! I really should be packing now, but our dryers are sooo broken that my clothes refuse to dry.

I'll probably check my facebook/e-mail a few times throughout our journey. We get back (with the rest of the fam) to America on Dec. 30. Then rush comes and I cry.

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas.

I've finished everything but the hardest part: finals. Boo.

This weekend Taryn and I did fun things:
Belvedere & Kunst Historisches (hopefully, revisiting both counts as studying for art history)
Museumsquartier Christmas market
shopping
Schoenbrunn (couldn't actually get into the palace due to the 4-hour wait, but we went to the Christmas market there)
Rathaus Christmas market
St. Stephen's
Demel

There was a whole lot of Christmas market action going on which made me think it was actually Christmas break! Alas, my freedom will not come until Tuesday afternoon.

crunch time.

Today I went to the MAK (modern art) to get stuff for my very last paper of the semester. I just don't get modern art. I ended up very badly sketching a few things. No idea how that will be beneficial to my paper.

Anyway, it's fricking freezing in the Flow House. I have my heater way up and I am right nezt to it. My comforter is practically an article of clothing.

I've been listening to Christmas music - yay. I'm 11 pages (typed) into my final study guide for history, but I still have a long way to go and I have to learn it all. That doesn't sound like fun. I'm up to my old crunch time antics: obsessive gum chewing (at least 15 pieces of gum per day), compulsive Facebook stalking, inability to leave room (oh wait, welcome to my highly-introverted life), and confusion as to why no one is bringing me a grande decaf soy no whip peppermint mocha from Starbucks as I type this. The things I would do for Starbucks delivery ...

Also, I'm approaching cold #3 which I think is clear-cut evidence my immune system doesn't actually exist. For goodness sake, I'm taking iron supplements/vitamins like they're candy and my body still gives up.

london: where everything is better.

I am so sad that I had to leave London yesterday. It was so much fun and it was so, so nice to see Gillian.
Luckily, I had been to London a few times before and done a lot of touristy stuff so we focused on shopping. And food.

We went to Harrod's and it was super decorated for Christmas. We spent 3.5 hours absorbing it's beauty. They had a Wizard of Oz theme going on in the store, and all the major shoe designers put their take on Dorothy's ruby red slippers. Overall, I was in a designer paradise. I ate a massive burger on the fourth floor and it was so, so good.
I had this amazing Christmas sandwich at Pret that I am still dreaming about.
Also, we had Thanksgiving dinner (on Saturday, but close enough) and it was delicious.
I was super upset to have to go back to Vienna. bleh.

london.

Ahh, can I please just leave for London now? I'm not about to do any work beforehand even though that would clearly be advisable.

Things that should probably happen while I am in London:
1. marriage to Prince Harry
2. shopping. shopping. shopping.
3. tea time. 5 pm.
4. Ice Bar (it's happening)
5. my work does itself while I'm gone
6. sleeping in.
7. chocolate.
8. Starbucks.
9. invitation to a ball (probably by Prince Harry; I would accept an invitation from lower-ranking royalty ... I guess)
10. I never leave.

the lack of chuck bass is too much to handle.

No new Gossip Girl (so no new Daily Intel recap). No new Desperate Housewives. No new Brothers & Sisters. Tell me, television networks, what am I supposed to do to fully procrastinate if I can't watch your shows illegally online from Austria?

15 more days until this semester is over!
1 photo paper
1 photo presenation (shit.)
2 term papers (one is almost done - due at midnight tonight)
1 museum paper ... and I guess I have to go there first ...
1 art history journal
2 finals (history & art history)
some reading and write-up things in there.
and, on the bright side, 4 days in London.
and, on the not bright side, no TV this week.

nuremberg.

We went to the old Nazi Demonstration Grounds and there was a video of young kids (in particular this beautiful little girl) with marks on their arms and they were marching towards the gas chambers. Most haunting video of my life.
The whole thing was massively depressing.

My diet for the weekend was mainly coffee, lettuce and beer. Oh, Germany, land of pork and cheese.