Everything comes up Nekayah

I just bought a plane ticket to Hawaii! I'll be out there for 10 days on the Big Island. There, I will ride ponies! I might see some whales. I may even go to the beach. Whateves. Did I mention I will be riding ponies? Yeah!!!
The price was right for a plane ticket, too. Last time I went to Big Island it was like $1,200; and by "like $1,200" I mean $1,230. Sheesh.
This time it was a much more affordable $480. I don't know if it is because I'm going in January, or the economy is still so, so terrible, but $480 is great! Not as stupendous as our $416 round-trip tickets to Europe, but I'll take it!

Pictures will be coming. Now if you'll excuse me: I have to go throw away all the sugar in my cupboards and start working out!

Boston... the blog

This is Landsdown street next to Fenway park... apparently very famous as it was home runs hit onto this street that caused the creation of the "Green Monster" (or 'Mon-stah', if you're from Boston).

This is me eating a Fenway Frank. Look how stupid happy I look! My priorities in life are obvious.

Me, raising a glass of Sam Adams Boston Lager. Once again... my priorities are painfully shallow.

My friend Shannon (the other director in my office) and the other girlie's of Boston '09.

I should explain: Lobster in Boston is like Chicken everywhere else; cheap and ubiquitous! This is a Lobster Roll, a Boston staple like chicken salad is everywhere else. This was bought in a supermarket and was $2. It was chock-full of gigantic lobster chunks and was unbelievably great!

We went to Harvard!!!

The Harvard Library: Nicer than yours.

All Harvard. They aren't joking, they really are better than us. A lovely, old school (see plaque below for dates). But there was a startling lack of Ivy. I had to seek some out...

Seriously, the only Ivy I found at this Ivy Leage school!

The Charles River. Named after King Charles, right next to Havard and a fine representation of Boston's landscape.

We went on a tour of Fenway park. It's REALLY old! These seats are original from the 1910's.

This is me with the "Green Monster". It's the Left field foul wall behind me. I never knew THAT'S what it is, I thought "Green Monster" was the field itself. Nope!

I think my wanderlust is fading because everything is starting to look the same. If you take out the buildings in the background, this could be Amsterdam.

Olde-Tyme Court House, with modern Boston built up around it.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I LEARNED IN BOSTON: THE GOD-DAMNED YANKEES SUCK!! GO SOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beer beer beer!

Why can't we step up our Beer game here in California? We went to a brewery in Boston (btw: breweries in Boston are like Starbucks out here, one on every corner) and they had this amazing beer pictured above. Its a micro brewed Heffewisen with blueberry extract added during the fermentation process! Then, they serve it with Blueberries IN the glass! Genius!!!

The clam chowder in Boston does not disappoint! BUT! It is SUPER clammy, like it's hard for a west-coaster to handle. Tastes of the Atlantic... I'll let you ponder if that's good or bad.

This is at that same brewery. It turns out, they give you free samples of any and ALL beer you ask for! Shannon and I are sporting the "Cherry Bomb". Same principle as the Blueberry beer: Cherries are added during the fermentation process so the beer comes out red (see above) and tasting ever-so-slightly of cherries. Genius.
There are no more pictures after this one because this is when we discovered the free beer samples and I had the (amazingly prudent) foresight to put away my camera before things went nuts for the two ladies pictured above!


So that was Boston! It was never on my list of places to visit but after going, I realize it totally should have been! It's a great, great town with a lot of character, super beer, an idiot-proof public transportation system, tons of history and a Dunkin' Donuts every 6 feet... whats not to love?
GO SOX!

Back from Boston!

Pictures are comming; but the important thing you should know up front is that I am now a HUGE Red Soxs fan!!! I went to a game at Fenway park and this is what happened:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQHPmZOfG_0&feature=related


It's called a "bench clearing brawl"... awesome! Anyways, pictures are coming as is a breakdown of my time in Boston.

GO SOX!

Le Job

Fun things about my job:

BBQ's at State Representative's houses

Working with GREAT people

Actually doing important things with my life (ie saving the environment)

Being fancy (organizing press conferences, doing media work, getting my social justice on)

Things I am still adjusting to:

Working 15 hour days

The "grassroots" part of grassroots organizing

Things I am REALLY excited about:

When I get my first paycheck! Cross your fingers for Monday!!!

So, long story short: I am working and loving it! I can't believe they let college post-grads run around and have this kind of responsibility and clout in the political arena... I should tell my cousin Ben about this job, he seems like the type to do well here.

Ummm, other stuff? Not really. I like Carmichael (where I live with my roommate I never see but love very much), and I really like my office. The actual building is what is left of an old 1890's Victorian mansion! I will put up some pictures when I have time. It really is a trip to go in to work and have a major part of your office be someones old kitchen (complete with drawers that stick) and notice that the bathroom has an ancient claw-footed tub in it. The building is in mid-town Sacramento, conveniently located next to a strip club called "Cheaters" (Klassy!), which comes in handy after a 15 hour day when all you want is to have a few beers with your coworkers, AND be drenched in flattering red-light ambiance.

Wrapping up Europe

Some random, yet memorable, things that happened on the trip that didn't warrent their own blog post, but are worth re-telling.

We saw a Vampire on the Paris metro! I tried to take a picture but it didn't go well... seeing as how he's a Vampire and all.

I got Stigmata. It happens... to me... when I touch church doors. Not joking. It was there all day.

The very nice German family we stayed with had to buy me my own Banana Beer glass to take home with me.

Sarah can't pour a Beer to save her frakking life.

I can't work a shower to save my frakking life, wound up panicking and jumping in with my underwear still on.

I tried to get a hold of one of the hostels in Italy. I instead, accidently called the phone company. The dude was speaking some fast and fancy Italian so I handed the phone off to Sarah... who thought she was talking to the hostel. Then I took a step back and enjoyed the mayham.

Belgium is the worst place on the planet.... who knew, right?

I bought so many scarves, I had to buy a scarf rack. It's acually a derralict wine rack but, whateve's.

Sarah can get sunburned, even when there is no sun.

Sarah got mistaken for German everywhere we went. A French chef even yelled at her in German! Way to go Sarah!

SPEAK FRENCH WHEN YOU GO TO FRANCE!!! You will have a better time.

Germany is the best country in the world. The people are friendly and educated, the trains are clean and on time, and the beer and the bread and the schnitzel simply cannot be beat.

Paris (tied with New York) is the best, most user-friendly and beautiful city in the world.

While Germany is the best country, if I had to pick a country to expatriate to, it would most assuradly be France. There's something about the French that just really, really appeales to me. Their haughtyness? Their supiriority complex? The fact that they can compliment you AND deliver a cutting insult all at the same time? Because that is a gift my friend, I can get behind that!


So in summation: Sarah asked me for my final thought on our trip. I said now that I had been, I never needed to go back. This is not quite what I meant. I just meant that next time I go, I will be able to pick and choose what I want to do and not have to aim for all the touristy stuff. That means that Venice and Florence are OUT. Paris is still in but only if I have time. I think my new list will involve some off-the-wall places like Innsbrook, Austria, the Brittany region of France (did you know they're Celtic?), Provonce, France, Switzerland and the Northern parts of Italy.

In the meantime though... I have to dive headfirst into the real world and start my job. Boo. Everybody think European thoughts and perhaps I'll get there faster.

First, you get the money...

Sarah broke down the cost of the trip. Here is her breakdown:

Description	Category	Amount
WWW.HIHOSTELS.COM WELWYN GARDEN	Lodging	$7.60
WWW.HIHOSTELS.COM WELWYN GARDEN	Lodging	$7.86
WWW.HIHOSTELS.COM WELWYN GARDEN	Lodging	$11.48
EURAIL.COM BV EURAIL.COM	Travel	$925.00
WP-HOSTELWORLD.COM ONLINE	Lodging	$5.22
DB BAHN REISEZENTRUM GIESSEN	Travel	$82.10
OSTELLO A.I.G. VENEZIA VENEZIA	Lodging	$116.77
A LA BRICOLA 690 VENEZIA	Dining	$65.51
TRENITALIA - VENEZIA VENEZIA	Travel	$42.25
TRENITALIA - FIRENZE S.M FIRENZE	Travel	$70.42
RISTORANTE ORCAGNA FIRENZE	Dining	$50.39
OSTELLO S MONACA FIRENZE	Lodging	$107.92
JUGENDHERBERGE SCHLUCHSEE SCHLUCHSEE	Lodging	$118.92
CIARUS 2049085 STRASBOURG	Lodging	$48.19
AJ JULES FERRY 75PARIS 11	Lodging	$180.70
LE CRUCHON 67STRASBOURG	Dining	$103.98
SNCF 0131790 75PARIS 10	Travel	$72.77
LE GABRIELLE 8273582 75PARIS	Dining	$47.58
LE TRUMILOU 2233285 PARIS 04	Dining	$54.58
STAYOKAY A'DAM STADSD AMSTERDAM	Lodging	$112.15
DB BAHN REISEZENTRUM GIESSEN	Travel	$36.47
	total	$2,267.86
	1/2 total	$1,133.93

So I owe Sarah about $1,000 for our trip. We were there for three weeks. I really don't thing that this is unreasonable. And if you look closely, you will note that the majority of money spent was (by far) on train tickets. Next was hostel stays. Then, food. I was shocked. I thought food would be our biggest expense as I need to eat every 1/2 hour. And really, I don't feel like we scrimped on food either.

I'm ready to go home before I spend any more money.

Amsterdam pics!

As per my agreement with the travel Gods, here are some pictures of Amsterdam... and nothing but nice things to go along with them.

The "street" outside of our hostel room. CHAAAAARM!

The view outside of our hostel window. I made a special effort to sleep with my head away from the window so I could wake up to this.

The Dutch L-O-V-E their bikes!

Seriously.

The train station.

Fatty gets some fries from the fry emporium. Fatty don't share.

From the "Nekayah with black jacket and scarf, standing in front of a body of water series": Nekayah in Amsterdam.

And you thought German was ridiculous.

Old-timey building... with drawbridge!

Do you take your city with, or without charm? The Dutch take theirs with charm.

Ye Olde Sex Shoppe.

The floating flower market!

Fatty, surrounded by flowers.

Things that are legal in Amsterdam if you are 18 or over: The above. Ready-to-smoke weed. Prostitution. Hard alcohol at any time of night or day.
Things that are NOT legal in Amsterdam, no matter how old you are: Friggin' Cold Medicine!
From the events of "that day", I was going on no sleep and had a terrible head cold. Nyquil and Dayquil are illegal in all of Europe without a prescription from a doctor.

That day...

So the "hiccup" in Paris I alluded to set off a chain of events simply known to Sarah and I as "that day". Below is a time line of the events of "that day":

3:30am- A drunk man climbs into the room of our hostel... on the second floor. He putters around the room saying "I'm leaving, I'm leaving". Which he does. Back out the window. Did I mention we were on the second story?

3:30-7:45am- We lie awake, unable to get back to sleep, still wondering how the hell he got up here.

8:00am- Sarah sneezes at the breakfast table and her contacts go flying out of her eyes. We should have taken this as a sign.

10:15am- Took the train from Paris to Rotterdam. There, the train we were supposed to be on to Amsterdam does not show up. They send a tiny, older train. It takes on too many sweaty, local Euro-trash people.

10:45am- Overcrowded train arrives in Roosendaal (aka The Pit of the World). There, an even larger crowd of people wait for an even smaller, dirtier train.

11:20am- Sarah and I, and all our luggage are crowded into a 2nd class train car without seats. There are screaming children. Gum is sat on.

11:50pm- I decide I hate the Dutch.

2:20pm- Arrive in Amsterdam and search out hostel.

3pm- Are issued keys for room "H", bed 9 and 10.

3:05- We walk up 5 flights of stairs. These rooms end at "E".

3:10- Walk up different 5 flights of stairs. Find room "H". Key works to entryway for rooms "H" and "G". We walk into entryway. Discover key does not work for room "H". A nice person in the room lets us in.

3:12- Someone's stuff is all over Sarah's assigned bed. Other girls in the room say that said person is probably just sleeping there because they do not want the top bunk, go ahead and move her stuff.

3:15-3:30- We unpack all of our stuff. It is all over the hostel room. Sarah has claimed her bed. I walk down the 5 flights of stairs to go complain about our key not working.

3:35- I force a nice Dutch man to remake our keys. Meanwhile, Sarah has a problem with her locker and decides to come down to inquire.

3:40- We pass each other in the stairwell. I get back to the room. They key still does not work. The nice girl lets me in again.

3:45- Sarah returns to room. Informs me that we are in the wrong room. I look around. We have beds 9 and 10. I ask the other girls in the room what room this is. This is room "G". Sarah and I exchange looks of mortification.

3:50-4:25- Sarah and I move all of our crap to the other room. She goes back down the 5 flights of stairs to get new sheets as she put hers on another girls bed. I finish unpacking and go to put my backpack in the locker. Someone has usurped my locker.

4:30- Sarah and I pass each other on the stairwell. I am going to figure out what I can do with my stuff without a locker. Looks of mortification are again exchanged.

5pm- We are settled into the Hostel. We debate the merits of exploring Amsterdam with the luck we've had today.

5:15- We decide to brave it, but not before I make a deal with the local Gods. I promise to be on my best behavior in Amsterdam and not say anything bad about it in my blog if it will please, please cut us a break.

5:30-8pm- The local Amsterdam deities keep their end of the bargain. The rest of the day is uneventful and Amsterdam is a charming city.

8:00-10:30- We shower and crawl into bed. I cry myself to sleep. Partly in lament for our bad day, partly in sweet relief that it's over.

Paris pictures

Paris!!! We got to Paris on the first Sunday of June. This meant that all the museums were free! So the first thing we did was head to the Louvre.

The Venus de Milo. Does not disappoint! It's no David but its pretty cool.

The Code of Hammurabi! The first laws... ever. Neal I took this picture for you!

The biggest let-down of the Louvre. You heard me. I was unimpressed.

Now THIS! I don't know what this is, but THIS is ART!

Me, looking awkward surrounded by so much tacky opulence. These are the Napoleon Apartments inside the Louvre.

If you look at this and think "Hey, this is nice!", you have bad taste. Sorry.

Oh, Hello Paris!

The front of the Louvre.

Inside of the famed Notre Dame in Paris. I really do think that the Strausbourg Notre Dame was more impressive.

The front of the Notre Dame.

La la la la, hanging out on a bridge in Paris.

The most iconic thing in an iconic city.

Not a great picture of me but I'll take it. It was cold and bright all at the same time and this place was mobbed with tourists and tour groups and beggars so we wanted to get our pictures and get out!

Me, in front of a fancy fountain!

A 3,300 year old PINK obelisk given to Emperor Charlemagne.

The Champs-Elysees, is alright with me!

From the "Nekayah with black jacket and scarf" series: Nekayah in front of the Arc de Triomphe.

Rodin's The Thinker, in the Rodin sculpture garden.

The above pictures are all in the Rodin sculpture garden. It was totally worth the 6 euros!

The Rodin museum and surrounding garden.

LET-DOWN!

The Paris Catacombs. There is only one picture of me in them, as Sarah was freaked out and ditched me. Yes. Ditched me in an underground cave full of macabre bones.

I have more random Paris pics I will post when this adventure is over. As is, I'm really tired so... I'm out!