Jules

We should consider a new, more permanent, name for the cafe now.

To what?

I will. Right now, it's a toss up between several races and one of them is very prestigious. That could change plans, potentially cancelling a trip to NYC, but I'll let everyone know what's up as soon as I know more.

I hope so. We still have to make real plans and it depends on her invitations or decisions for rowing. There are no guarantees in that sport and we hope she gets to row in Princeton twice in August. I think at least once and yes, I will surely be in the City than to team up with you guys.

So excited about that. We will be spending nearly two months together this summer, 2 weeks in Italy and 6 weeks in America and Canada.

No problem asking, I'm glad to answer. :) My dad had escaped death multiple times (2 heart attacks and a stroke) over the six years before his death and we had talked about death and a potential funeral before. Even I have a list of things already, just in case, and we followed some of what my dad wanted and some of our own ideas. He was cremated and in The Netherlands, not sure if that's the same in America, you can take the ashes home with you. We are keeping about a third of it at our house in a black vase (ashes are in a bag, don't worry ;) ) we bought in his home region of Venice in Italy (my dad was 2nd generation Italian-Dutch). About half of the ashes was used to spread in a river in the German Black Forest, a place he loved very much, and on the farmground of friends of ours there, where we planted a tree with some of his ashes near the roots. So, that's our place to remember him, besides our house. This summer in Italy, we are going to spread a little bit of the ashes - not too much, as it's symbolic for us and strictly forbidden in Italy - on a mountain that overlooks the birthplace of his grandparents and his father and which is also the location of the picture we used on the remembrance card that we gave to our friends and family and the funeral service. It's been 18 months now since he died and it feels good to finally do these things. It's just a bit more closure and it creates more options for us to go to and remember him and such. It feels right and we knew he wanted this too, so that was easier. For me, I remember him by doing things we used to do together and in music, as that was a passion we shared. I miss him often, when I go to soccer games of the team we cheered for, but it helps me too.

Today would've been my fathers 59th birthday. Thankfully, this tough day was cheered up by the news my girlfriend is able to join me and my mother and sister for our roadtrip to Italy in 6 weeks from now. :)

Just got E01 til E03, want to see what it's all about, will watch 1 and 2 on the train tomorrow.

That's fantastic man! Congratulations! :cheers:

Yeah, after my time in America, this is now his big chance to boost his career. I am happy for him that he got this chance and I hope his experience abroad will be as great as mine was. I will surely miss him though, he's one of my best buddies.

Just had a fun goodbye with one of my best buddies, who's leaving for 4 months in Singapore for an internship. Had some beers, wished him well.

My lady will be there, Mike will have to bring his own or pick one up there. ;)

I think I just booked tickets to come to America this summer. :)

http://www.iceagenow.com/Noahs_Arc_and_Dinosaurs.jpg

I have 7 more weeks, than 2 months off. We have way shorter breaks in our educational system, but can't take summer schools. Around 8 weeks in the summer, 2 weeks around Christmas, 1 week around Easter and that's about it. I'm glad when this break finally arrives, took classes for 80ECTS (European credits, equals about 42 American credits) this year and I'm exhausted by now.

I have to set my alarm at 5.30AM tomorrow... ugh.

I am really proud right now. My girlfriend is graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison today. It's unfortunate I can not be there to celebrate it with her and her parents, but we will certainly make up for that this summer.

Yeah, they fly down narrow mountain roads in the Alps and such at speeds of up to 55-60 MPH and sometimes with cliffs on the right, rocks on the left. They are absolutely nuts and it's a miracle things like this don't happen more often. Weirdest part is that he died on a relatively harmless downhill, but still at speed of around 50MPH and his head hit the road first as he fell, possible after clipping a wall and launching him off the bike, cracking the helmet... and his skull. He was dead on impact. My country and especially Belgium are mad about this sport, there was true collective shock... newspapers didn't know what to write. Are you an avid cyclist? I'm trying to pick it up after doing it a lot when I was a teenager.

I am really lost for words at the death of Boogaard. He's the second athlete I really liked who dies this week, after the horrific death of Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt due to a 50MPH downhill crash in the Giro d'Italia last Monday. WTF man. :(

Which is why I am not aiming for a directly history related job. My history degree was very diverse, I can prove that in course lists and through other qualification and experience on my resume. And which is why I want to do a master's degree in political sciences or cultural business.

I am looking at a different career path here. I have 18 months left to "kill" before I can apply for legal residency in the United States, which I really want to do because living so far apart from my girlfriend is just terrible and she has way more ties (family and both professional and sports career) to her country (America) than I have to my country (The Netherlands). So, basically, I want to get my BA in History and American Studies by January 2012 (and I'm right on track to do so) and than spend my money wisely on a one year MA programme here, because it's damn cheap to go to college here (we pay 90% less than in the US!) and I want to be around the time we can start looking for options for me to permanently move to America. I can't really find a job or direction to go here, because I won't stay here. I have to add to my resume here and than go to America and hope for the best. There's more on it than a BA in history, including very relevant job experience, but I want a MA programma that will stand out and that's hard to find. Darn it.

It's a slow day, I don't feel very well (stomach pains) and I have a lot of thinking to do concerning my academic future. I want to do a masters programme starting in 2012, but I can't decided where, what programme and when to start exactly.

Ooooh, that sounds good too! I gotta try that soon. :)