Bad News Bear

That's me alright. I got bad luck. Let me tell you about it, because I plan to forget it all tomorrow.

For starters, I lost 3 plane tickets due to insufficient documentation at the time of flight.
That's right. I didn't bring my passport.
I figured my government issued French ID was good enough.
Missed out on going to Vienna and Stockholm.
So remember...
Always have your passport.
***The good news is, I still made it to Amsterdam and Mainz, Germany.

I caught a bus back to Paris from Mainz late one Thursday night. I arrived around 6am, and caught the metro into town with this guy I'd met on the bus. We grabbed an espresso at a not so expensive cafe, then split, as he went to his sister's place and I went to the Eiffel Tour to catch the sunrise. (I know. I'm fucking weird. I'm so intrigued by the sunrise and sunset.) It was beautiful. I got some postcard like shots, which I then made into postcards, of course. Well, I got it in my head that I needed a smoke and that I'd just ask someone and get it. I asked one guy. No luck. Later, I met up with a classmate from GSU who is teaching in Paris, and we went to the Pigalle to see the Moulin Rouge, and maybe find a smoke. You know where this is going. I got fucked over 20 euros by this Arab. I called the motherfucker out on it, but I doubted myself and buckled. Most expensive piece of bark I've ever bought in my life. Hashish always comes in a bar shape also.

My phone bill was 50 big ones.

It was the first time ever in my life I didn't pay for a ticket on the bus to go to my weed man today. only 1,20euro a ticket. And of course they were checkin tickets 2 stops before mine. 40 euros fine.

I asked for a Jack Daniels on the rocks this evening at the bar (yea, I like it dirty). Pointing to the 2cl/3,00euro beverage. She brings me a glass with whiskey and a glass with ice. It doesn't look like much. I throw the whiskey on ice and sip on it slowly. Sometime later, she comes back with the bill. She'd charged me for the 4cl one. So then I sit there and argue with her for a good... 5 minutes, basically saying, "Why would I ask you for something that costs more than what I have? I never said four." So she takes the glass, goes to the bar, and comes back with it. What'd she fucking do? Pour some of it back into the Jack Daniels bottle?? I took it down, paid and left.

The day after I got home, I spilled soy sauce all over my comforter and all my sheets. I just wanted to make sushi. But I should know not to eat on my bed. I'm a bit of a pig.

Any good news, you ask?

I got paid today.
The day I got home from vacation, I'd received a letter in the mail from Stephanie. It was so lovely ^_^.
The weather was nice the first 3 days I got back. It sucked yesterday and today though...
School was easy Tuesday.
I have to wake up in 4 hours for 8 hours of school tomorrow... shit.
My back is really aching me.
The weed I just bought is KILLER!
I tried to score some tickets to The Cool Kids show in Amsterdam next week. But its on a school night. I was going to skip school to go to Amsterdam, and it would've been awesome. But my teacher called me out and said I couldn't skip. I thought I had them in the palm of my hands...
I'm going to buy a pair of Nike dunks online in the next couple days. I love the exchange rate. Didn't you hear? USA's the new Mexico! The Irish, French, British are all going over there with empty suitcases, just to do some weekend shopping cause it's DIRT CHEAP!
Well, I wont be doing any shopping. Well.... Ok, maybe only like 4 pairs of Nikes. It's like 30% off with free shipping.
I made a movie. Its pretty good. Check it out on my facebook. The quality of it on youtube sucks. I just found out today Kanye West's mother died... like 4 months ago.
I learned how to make sushi.
My vacation was awesome.
I love Amsterdam 15x's more than Paris (7x's more than Berlin, 5x's more than Granada - but Granada has much better weather...)
I guess that's it. I got a handful of books I'm planning on reading. Labyrinths, by Jorge Luis Borges. James Joyce, The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. And maybe Lord of the Rings, in French... hah. Didn't even read it in English.

Oh, and I woke up this morning to see I'd received an email from Chuck of The Cool KIds telling me he was putting me on the guest list for their show in Paris next week... Baller.

Alright, I have to force myself to sleep. I have to perform tomorrow.

bisous
Bear

Turn on, tune in, drop out

It doesn't feel like it's time to go on vacation again. But here I am, yet again, less than 48 hrs from arrival in one of the baddest cities I've ever set foot in. Paris, ok, yes, but.. even RADDER-

Amsterdam.
moment of silence.

word. but not only am I going to Amsterdam. here is my decided route for the next two weeks. call me a bit of a gypsy if you will...

February 9-13 Amsterdam
February 14-18 Mainz
February 18-22 Vienna
February 22-25 Stockholm

I opted against Dublin last minute. I thought it was going to be too expensive, and at the time of purchase it was. BUT, instead! I now get to go visit the ORIGINAL H&M in Stockholm. I get to eat authentic Swedish meatballs. I got hooked up to stay with a family, so maybe I'll even get to try an authentic smörgåsbord!!! lol. far out. I never thought I'd be able to say all that.

I'm visiting friends in both Mainz and Vienna, and possibly Amsterdam. I'm still waiting to hear back from another friend who's studying in England. It's funny, I've met quite a few people in Europe who I originally met v.i.a. Starbucks... hmm.

And Amsterdam... I'm going to try as many different types of herb as I can. I have a couple names that were recommended to me, of both weed and hashish. I'm going to be there 5 days. Last time, I believe it was just 3, so baby here we go! And believe it or not, I might be returning back to Amsterdam to meet an Atlien from March 1-4, then going to Paris to meet yet another, March 4-5, then going from Tours BACK to Amsterdam the following weekend, March 7 for some kind of techno, electro, whatever... it's a free trip back to Amsterdam for the weekend, I'm going to say I don't have anything planned. word. 3 trips to the Dam in 1 month. That's unheard of.

I was going to buy another backpack, more like a traveling one, but they were all suitcase style, or school books style, so not the style I needed for my type of trip. I have to go out tomorrow to try and find a Tours flag for the German guy Alex who was here in Tours last semester. It turns out he too lives in Mainz, so I'm going to visit him while I'm visiting Michael O. Michael is expecting me to arrive from Amsterdam completely blitzed still (at 5am!). It also just so happens to be Valentines day the day I arrive, so at least I wont be alone on this day of love! I will have my buddy to keep me company! Maybe we will go to lunch or something. He's got class in the morning and another in the evening. Maybe I will go to hear him teach poetry to German college kids! haha. That'd be interesting. I am a lit major!! and poetry is for Valentines day!

Vienna... I'm thinking a few of the older castles... I'm going to leave it up to Tomek to show me around town. He might know a neat path into the mountains. I'd be down for a hike!

I've been jamming out to two songs by Animal Collective- Leaf House, and Winter's Love. I love the melody in Leaf House. It makes me feel, when I close my eyes, like I'm running through the forest.. my hands are out at my side, like I'm a bird.. and as I run I dodge the trees. their limbs.. I duck, I turn, I jump. The leaves and twigs graze and slightly scrape against my arms and sides.. I reach an opening and break forth into a sprint, across a field nestled deep in the valley of snow peaked mountains.. I can feel the cold wind as I cut sharply through it. I love the way it feels on the sides of my face, on my cheeks, it hurts when I smile, but I'm so filled with joy. and then, I dive into the river rapids!! It's so cold! But it feels so wonderful!! I want to visit the Arctic Ocean. Or maybe Alaska. Somewhere up in Yukon.. and bathe in a hot spring!

I feel lately like I've begun to take a lot more initiative to make things happen for myself in my life. Take for instance this trip. Or getting to school on time. Keeping my room clean. Cooking for myself. Preparing lessons for my students.. all the things I should have been doing in the past, but was always too lazy to do. Everyone loves a stoner, but no one loves a lazy, dirty hippy. Gypsies are not the same as hippies!! Therefore I don't have to feel guilty when I watch Southpark, because they have not yet done an episode mocking Gypsies.... ...

I got a carepackage last week in the mail!! IN FACT, on that very same day, the package which I'd sent to this person ALSO arrived arrived in their hands!! I was so excited. I told another friend of the irony, since I mailed my package off nearly a month and a half before he mailed his! To which my friend replied, "It was like serendipity..." God, he is so my serendipity. I hate that stupid film. This has nothing to do with that movie!!

One of these days I wont have to be so discreet with my blogs.. If you keep up with me, they will become more and more detailed. The names, such as the one missing from above, will be revealed... along with a photo. EVERYTHING will be revealed!! and I will be liberated! and life will be free! and beautiful! but for now, I rest in the hands of tomorrow. What will I still hold in my hands tomorrow? What will I pick up? and what will I let go? This is how it will remain. It'll be affirmed soon...

I have to go. This lsd is making me a bit chatty..
here's to 2 weeks of crazy adventures!

bear