I think if someone were to make a movie about an American in Europe, they'd have to start out by showing the shoes. Shoes pedaling bicycles, shoes standing in buses, shoes walking down the streets, shoes seated on trains. Pointy-toed women's shoes, thin canvas gym shoes, high heels, business shoes, folded-over hightops. And the American would be the one in the big thick sneakers. Can you see the scene in your mind? I can.

That, however, is one trend I refuse to follow. I have three pairs of shoes here: sneakers, flipflops, and black boots - and in true American fashion, I tend to favor the sneakers. Sure, I may stick out, but at least I can walk comfortably. And hey - has anyone noticed that the elderly population in this country is not only extraordinarily large (in number, not in physical size), but also extraordinarily unsteady on their feet? Wheelchairs, walkers... you see them a lot more here than at home, or so it seems to me. Coincidence? I think not. :)

Anyway, one interesting tidbit of news: I got a job, or sort of. It's just a one-time thing, though. See, when I ordered those Samsonite anti-theft bags, I accidentally ordered the smaller version of the backpack my sister appropriated. (I'm not that good at mentally measuring centimeters, and also, that backpack seems small to me in comparison to others I have, so... honest mistake.) So I arranged to go to Hoofddorp and exchange it for the larger one, which I did today. When I got there (and I did not get lost! Unbelievable!), the owner (Erik) happened to have Dutch-English dictionaries at his desk, so I commented on them while he was working on making up a new bill for the transaction. "Yeah, I was trying to translate the site into English, but I think I'm going to have to hire someone; it's not going so well." My ears pricked up, but I kept silent; after all, I was just there to get my stuff, drop a couple of extra euros, and get out, right? Well, no; we finished the transaction and had some coffee and I took a poke around the warehouse and eventually he (yes, HE, not I) came up with the idea that I could translate the site in exchange for a nice suitcase. I think I'm going to go for a couple of smaller bags instead of a big suitcase, but still, it's pretty cool. It's only about 8 pages in Word, and it's not like I'm unfamiliar with the 'website ordering' jargon. :) So I'm going to take a crack at it and see how it goes. Should be fairly easy.

Other thoughts:

- UNC, U Pitt, and Yale need to answer my e-mails. Now.
- Why did I never realize that English 'above' and Dutch 'boven' are almost identical? Duh.
- I want to finish watching Finding Neverland. It's good so far.
- This week's creative writing assignment is all about setting and imagery, one of my specialties. Bring it on!
- How did I fall into the 2/3 of the class who didn't realize that we were supposed to be doing Spanish homework all along (and, related, that the Workspace site isn't the only one for the class)? Duuuh.
- Hmm. Guess I should probably put in another thesis-directed library day here pretty soon.
- The Irish horseback riding people need to answer my e-mails, too. I want to make that trip next weekend, but I really want the riding to pan out!
- What do I want to swim in the Nijmegen meet besides the 50 free? Eliminating the events I would never survive (400 IM and 100 butterfly) the choices are 50 or 100 breast, 50 or 100 back, 50 fly, 200 free, or 200 IM. Vote in comments, please!
- Jags versus Jets tomorrow!