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Showing posts from August, 2014

Picture time! (Ireland)

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My ode to Robin Williams

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I came home this afternoon, after buying some late summer plants from our local nursery, to find that Robin Williams had passed away this afternoon, in an apparent suicide.  Obviously I am not the first person to know.  My Facebook feed was full of people expressing sadness at the death of such a talented actor and comedian. Like them, I am saddened by the loss of such a great talent.  I am also sad to see yet another well-loved person succumb to crippling depression, addiction, and his eventual demise.  I caught bits and pieces of news over the summer discussing his return to rehab and struggles with sobriety.  I had hoped that he would be able to return to a better life, but it was not in the cards. Everyone has a favorite Robin Williams movie, character, stand-up routine.  There are so many to choose from. There is Popeye, which I loved as a child. Good Morning Vietnam - which my mom loved when I was a child, and so I grew to love by default. When I was young, I thoug

How to afford a European vacation...

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I haven't posted for a while, largely because my internet access in Berlin left a lot to be desired.  I blame communism.  That is probably not the problem, but that is what I blame.  :) Rather than spend a lot of time going over the ins and outs of my last few weeks in Europe, I'l start with another how-to (in my opinion).  I found my European summer was, for the most part, very affordable.  And many of you are thinking "yeah, right".  But I'm serious... here are a few of my take aways for how to afford your own summer in Europe. 1.  Choose one destination and live in it.  Aside from airline tickets, housing will be your biggest expense.  Over the years, I have learned that apartments or vacation homes are much cheaper than hotels for a lengthy stay.  For a day or two, there's no real difference.  For more than 3 days, an apartment will generally save you money, especially if you are traveling with friends or family.  My French and German apartments were a