2006 June | Suspension of Disbelief

Jun

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things about LINDSEY

1. Realized that I hadn’t scratched off #35 on my 101 in 1001 - yup, by now I’ve traveled to Europe, LOL!

2. Update from before - I released one book in France and two in Italy through Bookcrossing. That was really cool ;-)! In Italy, our tour guide found the books not five minutes after I released them and thought someone in our tour group had lost them. He was asking everyone if they belonged to them, and my whole family kept saying “you should say they’re yours” . . . but I didn’t, and he finally put them back. Haha, it was a close call ;-).

3. The second night we had supper, our chatty couple was not there and we had the whole table to ourselves, which was nice. Then the third night we had a fun British couple sit at our table, and they have been our tablemates ever since. It has been fun :-).

4. Last Thursday was the day we spent in France. We docked at Marseille, then rode a bus to Arles (where we saw several locations that van Gogh painted, including the famous cafe painting) and Le Baux (which was a cute little village with shops and an old church). I bought a great table cloth and matching napkins to go on my new table in the apartment when we were shopping in Le Baux.

5. On Friday we went to Florence, Italy. It was amazing to see so many old buildings, bridges, and churches! We saw Michelangelo’s David. It is HUGE! I didn’t realize just how tall that thing is! And carved from one piece of marble. Amazing . . .

6. On Saturday we were in Rome. The first thing we did was go wait in line at the Vatican. We got into the line around 8:15AM. And we waited. And we waited. The line snaked all around the outer wall of Vatican City, probably a mile long. We didn’t get into the Vatican until about 10AM. I was sooo sunburned once we got done, haha. Bought sunscreen that night on the ship!

7. Once we got inside the Vatican, it was amazing. First we went through this long hallway that was full of amazing paintings - like, the walls were all painted, not hanging paintings. Then the next long room was full of tapestries that are about four hundred years old. It was crazy! Then, the next room was the Sistine Chapel. Wow. There just aren’t even words. It was so incredibly beautiful, and the whole room just had this feeling to it. Then we went into the main church which had so many wonderful things in it. It was also HUGE - there was this boarder around the roof with words written in Latin. It looked like a small boarder compared to the rest of the church, but then our guide told us that the letters are SIX FEET TALL. Crazy! And as we were leaving the church, we saw a baptism happening. It was nice to know that not only is the church in the Vatican, not only is it full of amazing art, but it is still a church that is in actual use!

8. Then we went to see the Coliseum, which was really cool! I kind of knew what the inside would look like with the different layers and seats and stuff, but I never knew what the bottom looked like! Under the floor there was a whole other layer of hallways and elevators and things - there were about 60 trap doors in the floor! From a theatrical standpoint, I was facinated.

9. On Sunday we went to the Napoli region of Italy. We first went to Pompeii to see the ruins. I was thinking we’d see some rubbled city buildings and a bunch of pieces of pottery. No no no. They have uncovered a MASSIVE city. There are still two, three story buildings there, massive columns, and all the streets. That was crazy - the city is so large, and there are still obvious distinctions between the various shops and such. It would have been amazing back in its peak. Then we went to Sorrento, a fun little city that is full of shops and beautiful flowers. We bought som beautiful ceramics there. Then we took a boat to Capri. My goodness, it’s so beautiful!!! I have never seen so many green things. Trees, flowers, plants . . . it was breathtaking. We mostly just had shopping time there, so we wandered around the shops a little bit, then we wandered into a residential area. It was near to see the different little houses, mailboxes . . . I’m facinated by the life in these other countries!

10. The next day was a day at sea, which we were most definitely needing by this point, haha! We just rested, read books, did some laundry, hahaha.

11. Then on Tuesday we went to Mykonos, Greece. It really is all white houses with colored shutters! I didn’t see a single building that wasn’t white. We went in lots of shops there and I got an exquisite painting made by the daughter of a shop owner. It is a painting of the Annunciation, with 18 carat gold leaf. My first substantial piece of art. I am absolutely thrilled.

12. Yesterday was Istanbul, Turkey. We saw the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. They were OK - they were not in as good condition as all the buildings in Italy. I guess they just don’t take good care of their historical buildings. It was neat to see them though - I’ve never been in a mosque before. Then we went to the Sultan’s Palace, which was quite lush. We didn’t have time to go into the harem, but we did go to the treasury. There so many beautiful jewels - thrones, cradles, sabers . . . it was really cool. Then, the coolest thing. There were relics. John the Baptist’s hand and skull. Slightly creepy, but still really really cool. Then we went to the Grand Bazar, which was waaaaay more tourist-y than we had thought it would be. However, I did get a really cool hookah though ;-)! It’s got a ceramic base, so cool. Today we are going to Ephesus, Turkey. As in, the book of Ephesians - sooo pumped!

13. Every day, as a part of these tours, they arrange lunch for us. Just had to mention that seperately, because lunch is always amazing, especially in Italy. We keep taking the business cards for the restaurants . . . just in case we ever get a chance to come back ;-). I will update more later!!!

And as a bonus, I still have yet to hear from Ben about his mother, so please continue praying for her. Thank you!

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Posted at 11:01 am in: 101 in 1001, General, My Life, Thursday Thirteen
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Jun

Thursday Thirteen #46

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things about LINDSEY

1. Barcelona was AMAZING! We got to go to a couple of amazing churches, walked all around the Gothic quarter, and went to the Picasso museum. We had a WONDERFUL time - my mom keeps saying that we need to go back there.

2. The only thing that I didn’t like was that they speak Catalan there, which is very very similar to Spanish, but just different enough that I was getting confused from time to time. However, my Spanish was better than I remembered it (the vocab anyways - the grammar, not so much), so that was exciting.

3. Right now we are on the cruise ship! It set sail about 2 hours ago (10PM Spanish time . . . 2PM EST). And of course, after settling our bags into our rooms and heading to dinner, the first thing that I did was check out the internet access ;-), bringing you my first international Thursday Thirteen! Wasn’t sure that would happen.

4. However, there is one teeny-tiny problem . . . wireless is $10 for 30 minutes!!!!!!!! RIDICULOUS. So, don’t be expecting too many updates in a timely fashion. I may write updates in Notepad and then post several at a time - might be the best way to do this.

5. I’m almost done reading a book that I started on the plane over (haven’t had too much time for reading yet - been sightseeing!), and I’m hoping to finish it tonight.

6. If I do finish the book, then I plan on releasing it tomorrow in Marseille, France. How cool will that be?!

7. A little nervous about tomorrow - since I was able to understand many many things via my Spanish in Barcelona, I haven’t really had the “I’m in another country and can’t speak the language” feeling. And tomorrow we’re going to France. The fact that I was able to get by with my Spanish in Barcelona was VERY comforting . . . we’ll see how this goes tomorrow.

8. The couple that we are seated with at our table is very, very chatty. Seem like nice people, but by the end of the meal, we were all tired, haha! Luckily we only eat one meal with them, and it’s at the end of the day after we’ve been doing stuff, so we’ll have something to talk about at least.

9. The casino is right next to the lounge that has Internet access. I keep hearing the ka-ching of slot machines. Stongly feeling the urge to waste all my quarters . . .

10. Please say prayers for Ben’s mother - she had a very difficult doctor’s appointment today, and I have yet to hear how it went.

11. And since I’m exhausted and have limited battery power, here are some quizzes :-). Will write soon ;-)!

12.

You Communicate With Your Body

Body

This isn’t as bad as it sounds, it just means that you’re a “touchy-feely” person.
You need a lot of affection in your life. And for you, this means both giving and receiving little touches.
Warm hearted, you bond with people easily. In fact, you often feel a little sad when you’re not in the company of others.
A little moody, you tend to be controlled by your emotions. But a bit hug always comforts you!

How Do You Communicate?

13.

You Are an Excellent Cook

Excellent Cook

You’re a top cook, but you weren’t born that way. It’s taken a lot of practice, a lot of experimenting, and a lot of learning.
It’s likely that you have what it takes to be a top chef, should you have the desire…

Are You A Good Cook?

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Posted at 4:56 pm in: General, My Life, Thursday Thirteen
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Jun

My favorite things . . . together?

The Beatles are my all-time favorite band . . . have been as long as I can remember!

I am in looooooooove with Cirque du Soleil!

So put them together?

I am intrigued . . . and really really want to go out to Vegas, LOL!

Posted at 6:24 pm in: General, My Life, Randomness
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8/10/2006 -- Thursday Thirteen #23
7/19/2006 -- About Me
8/1/2006 -- What I love about blogging!

Jun

Thursday Thirteen #45

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things about LINDSEY

1. Moved into the new apartment this week! It is freakin’ huge - it’s awesome. It almost feels live a small house instead of an apartment. Matt and Ben haven’t moved in yet (well, most of Matt’s stuff has, but that’s because it was at my apartment since he’s in Europe right now), so I’m trying to get all the kitchen stuff put away and the living room in order so that when they are ready to move in, it will be ready to go!

2. On Monday we leave for our European cruise! We are all sooooooo crazy excited!

3. Since I will not be in the country on a Thursday until mid-July, this may be my last Thursday Thirteen for a while. I will probably still be able to blog (there is wireless on the ship), but I doubt that I will have enough computer time to make up my TT, and it’s even less likely that that time will be on a Thurday. So . . . we’ll see. Don’t think I’ve abandoned you ;-)!

4. I’ve been trying to get more active in Bookcrossing.com. I always thought that it was a neat concept, but I never really got into it because I didn’t want to get rid of my books. I’m a bookophile (is that a word?), and the thought of leaving my books places was just terrifying. Then I sorted through a ton of my books and found some that I was going to give away anyway, so I released them. I think I may be addicted now - it is soooo rewarding.

5. In my process of rediscovering Bookcrossing.com, I learned that there is a huge community within Bookcrossing.com of people who trade books back and forth. What better way to get rid of one of your old books than to ship it to someone who has a book you want! You get a book that’s on your wishlist, and all it costs is the shipping price of your old book! One site dedicated solely to this is BookRelay. You must be a member of Bookcrossing.com to join, but I’ve already traded 3 books on this site - sooo cool.

6. As a part of getting the new place set-up, I finally got . . . my new computer. Yes, I still have, and primarily use, my laptop, but now I have a pretty shiny new Dell XPS 200 desktop PC! This completes #65 on my 101 in 1001. The PC is the center hub for all our networking in the apartment - not only is our wireless and networking for the 3 laptops run off of here, but it will also network our printers, the TiVo . . . it’s awesome. And, while it is definitely my computer (and Sims 2 and Star Wars KOTOR II will be installed soon), it is also the unofficial MagicMouth computer, so that we have a central place for all of THAT stuff! I’m excited ;-)!

7. Also as a part of the move, I’m sorting through all the papers, notes, and textbooks from my undergraduate classes. This completes #52 on my 101 in 1001.

8. I finally got my email all sorted out and organized. I did this a few months ago, but I’ve kept with it, so now I can cross off #63 on my 101 in 1001.

9. My mom bought us a table and set of chairs for the apartment . . . I mean, a really nice one. Pottery Barn. They are soooo gorgeous, I am in love. Look at them in the mahogany stain!

10. Ben has a pet ferret. His name is Bocephus (which also happens to be my little brother’s childhood nickname, how coincedental is that?). Bocephus is coming to live with us. Any suggestions on keeping my sanity? I’m very concerned about the smell . . .

11. I think I may have to try and convince my family to go to P.F. Chang’s once I get home tomorrow. We had it the day before I left home a couple of weeks ago, but the craving is strong already . . .

12. Does anyone know of any good websites to get rid of old textbooks? I know that you can do it on Amazon and Half.com, but I was wondering if there is some secret place that is good that I don’t know about. I have many that I really want to get rid of . . .

13. Today I will be spending the rest of the day sorting/organizing/cleaning the kitchen. If I’m not too exhausted by the end, perhaps I will work on my room some more. Wish me luck ;-)!