Ruminations

So, this afternoon Brian (BJ) came over and we studied Property for a little while, I then officially started my slow and gradual move out and pack for my trip....
After my last final on May 9th, I have to do three things, 1) pack for my 6 week trip
2) bring back to Issaquah the stuff I will need/want for when I get back from my trip and work at the law firm for 6 weeks
3) get my stuff together that I won't need all summer and have set aside for storage in spokane!

So....I did my first run through of all my clothes, while BJ was here....and he ended up with an amazing amount of my clothes that were just a hair too small for me...he got some nice stuff! Not to keep of course, but I wanted to spruce him up a little bit for Italy..he got some Banana Republic & Ben Sherman outfits! He finally doesn't look like a homeless Gonzaga BBall fan!
:)

I feel good about the upcoming two finals, my Property and Constitutional Law tests...Contracts will be absolute HELL! That is this coming Saturday...
So this week we have TUESDAY-Property Final
THURSDAY-Con Law Final (BJ and I turn in our take home, Pat has an in class test)
SATURDAY - Contracts Final

:(
Then two more next week...

I would send out the itinerary but we still have a few more things to decide. We were going to spend two nights in Venice, but that is being shrunk down to a single DAY trip! So we are trying to figure out what to do with the rest of that weekend....wine tasting in the Tuscan hillside? Italian cooking lessons in downtown Firenze? A trip to Pisa to see the leaning tower?
not sure!!

Also we are debating going to Belfast Ireland, and may just go straight to Dublin and have an extra day there.

Once we figure it all out we'll send out all the detailed plans :) :) :)

We are having a hard time finding a cheap place to stay in Capri....I say we just sleep outside near the beaches......

Okay, off to bed. Tomorrow is our last time to cram before our Tuesday test!!

Dollar v. Euro ... :(

It is a fraction better than last week, I'm talking about 2 Pennies better ... but still this is sad :(

1 USD = 1.56 Euro

Brian sent this to me...

Seems like we're making it just in time!

Dutch Government Seeks To Ban Magic Mushrooms

While dried magic mushrooms are illegal in the Netherlands, fresh mushrooms can still be bought openly in so-called "Smart Shops".

The Dutch cabinet has proposed a ban on the sale of all hallucinogenic "magic" mushrooms because they could induce life-threatening behaviour.

A bill will now pass to the Dutch parliament, where a majority of lawmakers are expected to back a ban after a teenage French girl who had eaten mushrooms died jumping from a bridge in 2007.

While dried magic mushrooms are illegal in the Netherlands, fresh mushrooms can still be bought openly in so-called "Smart Shops".

Posters in Smart Shops outline the effects the mushrooms have and whether users are more likely to feel chatty or exhilarated, for example.

"The use of mushrooms can produce hallucinogenic effects which can lead to extreme or life-threatening behaviour," the health ministry said in a statement late on Friday after the cabinet decision.

In February the Dutch association of Smart Shops (VLOS) promised tighter self-regulation and noted the majority of mushroom-related incidents involved young tourists to Amsterdam mixing mushrooms with alcohol and cannabis.

Figures from the Amsterdam emergency services show there were 55 call-outs for mushroom-related incidents in 2004, a figure which had more than doubled by 2006 to 128, with the majority of youngsters involved coming from Britain.

The VLOS said sales of mushrooms rose by 20 percent last year, while the number of accidents experienced by users rose by a smaller percentage.

In recent years the Netherlands has looked to shed its "anything goes" image and has tightened laws on drug use and prostitution.

"If they succeed with this mushroom ban then I am sure they will try to ban things like cannabis as well. This is part of a wider trend," said Freddy Schaap of the VLOS.

Friendship

In honor of hanging out with two close law school buddies for 6 long weeks, I decided to post some inspiring Cards I found that reflect the feelings we have and the lengths we will go if we need each other during this trip...


After a long walk through the hot cobblestone streets of Florence...


During our first night in Munich!


Pretty much anywhere...

Countdown

16 Days .... 5 Finals .... and a partridge in a pear tree...

:) Tick Tock

Hello Blog World!

I think the mere existence of this blog effectively ends my run for presidency in 2028. No longer are pictures of me "experiencing foreign culture" limited to primarily physical distribution, where they can be taped onto posterboard for public display. No, now they will be available to the entire world, digitally, easy to reproduce AND published daily. As a result, I will embrace it. I can just see it now...

Larry King (who is 100+ at this point): "So it says here that you studied abroad after your first year of law school. I have a picture of you in Amsterdam..."

Me: "Yes, I did but I did not inhale."

I mean how often do you get spend 6 weeks in a foreign country in your mid 20's??? Answer: Never to not very. Also, I know what many of your are thinking, and yes I am still in my mid 20's until September, at which point I cross the line into late 20's. As such, I plan to do Europe right. Sean N., since he was not around to witness the spectacle I was during undergrad, questions whether I am actually "that" fun. To respond, he will get a chance to see how and why at different points I had the nicknames "Saturday Night Fever," "Sofa King," "Special Pat," and, the one that's stuck, "Wall." There is a reason friends suggested I get "partytime" tatooed across either my ass or stomach.

For those of you the previous discussion worries, don't, I do plan to enjoy actual foreign culture (food, museums, art/architecture, and natural wonders) and study while we are there too.

Send us your emails/comments and we will respond when appropriate (I use that term loosely). Also, look for new pics and follow our European adventures daily.

Ciao!

I'll catch you after finals and I heart TECHNO!