My mother is a Haynes & she is in Amsterdam!!!

My mother is a Haynes and she is visiting me here in Amsterdam, so is my father, and it is wonderful. I was on my way to meet them at their hotel monday morning, and I ran into them walking down the street with all of their luggage. That is when this foto was taken. We were so excited to see one another that we could not even open our eyes...

In other Amsterdam news, I have a bike. It is blue and it is beautiful. Everyone here bikes, so now I bike and I love it, bikes have their own lane and it is flat here.

I love my cousins
much love, laura

I should be reading...

There's no excuse for my lack of words over the last six weeks. Here's some of what I've been up to:
1. Student teaching (7th grade)
2. Being a grad student
3. Visiting Charlie in St. Louis (September 30)
4. Ellen and Noble's engagement celebration with families (see photo)
5. Family weekend at Bennington College (October 6)
6. Volunteering with Pajama Program (October 25)
7. Running (less than 5 times in the last 6 weeks...not enough to count as a distraction)
8. Joining Facebook (dangerous and goes along with the title of my entry)

Now it's time for me to really get back to my U.S. Constitution and Civic Decision Making class readings. For tomorrow I am reading some "race cases": Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857); Regents v. Bakke (1978); Brown v. Board of Education (1954).

What are you all doing for Halloween? Let me know if you have good costume suggestions. I'm thinking of being Meriwether Lewis or William Clark with my cooperating teacher (student teaching placement), as we've just started a Lewis and Clark unit. Although not sure I'm up for wearing that costume to a NYC party by myself. It's one of those costumes that doesn't make sense without its pair.

Barcelona, plus a note on re-entry

Hey loves,
Tommorrow is my 1 week aniversary in Barcelona. It is going well. I just returned from a 4 hour supposed english/catalan language exchange in which I asked four questions about Catalan and my fellow language exchanger spoke for 3.5 hours about the propper way to deal with "race relations in the United States", but anyway, I now have 4 frases in Catalan that I plan to use throughout the week...

Yesterday I went to the beach, and Friday I went to a Ben Harper concert with a friend who works for an online music magazine. We got to go to the concert with free press passes, but I had to be the photographer... so I had a foto pass, and I took fotos of ben harper from a pit in front with people who had bigger lenses than me. It was awesome.
In Barcelona I live in a dirty old flat, in a great location, with a slovakian, a brasilian, and 2 italians... we speak a beautiful mix of languages that makes Laura want to learn Italian.

I also write with further clarity about my future. I just found out through e-mail that the Watson Fellowship Conference is scheduled to take place at Scripps College, located in Claremont, California, from Thursday, August 2 to Sunday, August 5, 2007.
Maybe some people should blog about when they are getting married... I hope it´s not the same weekend.

a very bad essay

I am writing a very bad essay...there are many infinitives...it is like being constipated...something is in me and half way out and I don't like the smell of it...

Today I went to work at the Big Blue... it reminds me in some ways of the Blue Moon...I was told that I had a "warm personality" but that I needed to "improve my peripheral vision" and "be more aware of what is going on around me"...I have had tunnel vision for the past 26 yrs...my childhood occupational therapist never resolved my "position in space" problem...but perhaps the prospect of video retail greatness will bring me up to speed.

Today I decided that I was going to apply for as many jobs as possible from the "etc" section in Craig's list...like Barbara Ehrenreich on speed.

Back in Madrid

Hello beautiful women, (and other blog readers- ie. Mike and Noble)
I miss reading you all, but it was inevitable that everyone´s lives where going to get busy after our "August of transition", well except mine, I still pretty much have time to blog :)...
I just got back to Madrid after 5 days away in Basque country in the north of Spain- where in addition to Spanish they speak Euskera (a language that doesn´t share a common root with any other European language) and the seperatist movements appear to be fairly strong, or at least vocal. The ETA blew up a bus while I was in San Sebastian.
The 2 cities I went to in Basque country where Bilbao and San Sebastion. In Bilbao I went to the Guggenheim museum, to a squat where they are hosting a graffiti exhibition next weekend, and to the beach. In San Sebastion I went to the museum of sculpture artist Eduardo Chillida and to the beach. In San Sebastion I stayed at a hipster Austrailian hostal, that organized overpriced Spanish dinners with all you can drink Sangría and party boat tours... It was called "the Urban House" and they offer "services for independent travel". I walked around the first few days by myself thinking I was deeper than that, but the last night I went out to play pool and speak lots of loud English with Aussies and quite enjoyed myself.
I am starting my last week in Madrid- mixed feelings about moving on to Barcelona- excited, I hear great things about the city and have a lead on a cheap place to stay... but I´m also just starting to feel really comfortable in Madrid- good people, good rythm. Anyway- that is the nature of this year and was to be expected.
I love you all very much and think of you daily, Laura
p.s. I also just put some fotos up at www.worldwalls.blogspot.com if you want to
take a look.

Back to school

It feels like a long time since I last posted. Hope you are all doing well. I wanted to post about my time in Chicago and leaving St. Louis, but then never got around to it when I was back in New York and finishing up at my old job. I have started orientation at Teachers College, and it is a bit overwhelming. It of course coincides with Labor Day weekend, and most everyone I know is away for the weekend. I am looking forward to meeting with my advisors; I am hoping they'll be able to reassure me that I can finish all these credits in one year. I walked to and from school today, which was wonderful. I love New York and seeing all the families and couples walking around the Upper West Side and having brunch and saying goodbye to college-aged children made me happy. But I wanted to be around people, so I'm now home in New Jersey and hanging out with Ethan and Mom and Dad. Thinking of you all often...miss you. Love, Frannie

California

Things I have accomplished in CA
1. Assembled bed from Ikea with Mike
2. Purchased cute magnet spice holders from target
3. Took Blockbuster personality test
4. Completed Blockbuster interview
5. Passed typing test, spelling test, and math test at temp agency
6. Purchased new catalytic converter for car
7. Cooked brownies, green bean casserole, peanut butter pie, bean salad, strawberry shortcake and more in order to maintain a sense of identity.
Mike said "This is a whole new side of you." and I said "Of course it is, I am a workaholic who quit her job."

I love you all very much
Erica