OK...

Work is driving me crazy. We are now down to TWO coordinators for 3 states - both of us have already taken too many claims this week and are ready to scream. I am upset with my supervisor b/c he gives me this line of crap of how short the other states are (which was their own doing, I might add) and then they give us claims from that state and then what?

Anyway - I made reservations for an apartment in Vienna. I decided I didn't want to wait until the last minute to be looking. At least now I KNOW where I am going to stay. It's going to cost me 3369 Euros for 120 nights - about $1100/month by current currency converstion. I found it online at https://vienna.apartments.at/cgi-bin/apartments.pl?lang=en and I am staying at Lassallestrasse 11, apt 37. It's a wee studio and is not the least expensive that they offer, but the next step up. I didn't want my shower to be in the kitchen. Not for 4 months, anyway. This has a wee bathroom off of the kitchen, but at least it's separate. But it's directly across the Danube from the UN City, so I'll be able to walk to work. AWESOME. I know that my initial internship goes only until the 31st of October, thus if they determine that they are NOT going to extend it. I can shorten my stay at this apartment by giving them 14 days notice. Which is COOL. Plus, if I find something more affordable, I can cancel up to 14 days BEFORE I check in without any fees. It includes the costs for heat & electricity too, so there are no additional charges for THAT. Very cool. I think I'll need to pay up front - because they quote the full cost. Which I'm going to try to make cash payment in Euros - either that or try to have room on my credit card. Yikes. But I'm SO relieved to have resolved that and at least know that I'll have a place to stay in Vienna while I am there. I don't have to think about that now.

Incidentally, for those that are interested, there is a link to the press release put out by William Mitchell on my internship at the left.

Yet another website!

I love finding websites with cool information. Everyone knows about wikipedia, lonely planet & rough guides. But I found this cool new site:

http://www.slowtrav.com/

For some reason, I really like it!!! My life is so crazy & hectic all the time that the idea of just meandering through Europe seems very, very cool to me.

Mea Culpa!

OK - so now I feel guilty. My coworkers are discussing my stress level. I always get this way around finals & it doesn't help that we are being slammed with claims. I hate the crap. I hate the fact that vendors pick NOW to call about all their invoices that they failed to write down why I cut their bill. I feel bad - but I don't know what else I can do at this point. I don't have the vacation left to take time off...so I live with it.

But...I'm working out. I'm trying very hard to remember that I need to work out and that will probably help with my stress level a lot. Especially if I do a LOT of it and regularly. It gets the stress out. Consistency is going to be key. I do promise that I am going to try. I don't want to bring the rest of the team down. I just get frusterated when my supervisor refuses to understand that I don't have the time right now to do "team" activities simply because I am still in school. And the night of my birthday - I'm doing a very pivotal oral argument & then Leah and I are going to have dinner. I want to do that. I just want to enjoy some of my time on my birthday. But - I digress. I don't want to drag down the whole team. I need to keep to myself for the time being. It might seem snooty - but it's the only way I can avoid being a total brat.

To cheer myself up, I made hostel reservations for next year - it was a whim, but I felt the need. I made reservations in Paris arriving the 7th of July & leaving the 11th, then to Luxembourg leaving the 16th. I have to figure out where I'm going to stay in Zurich for 2 days until my uncle gets there. But after that - I'm going to Montreaux, Zermatt, Florence, and Rome with my Uncle Mick. After that...I don't know. I am either going to go on the train with him back as far as Milan - spend a night or 2 in Milan, then go to Madrid. OR I'm going to let him go by himself back to Zurich to catch his train & I'll take a boat to Greece. I'm thinking I'm going to go to Madrid, because then I could go to Portugal after. I don't know - after meeting my uncle & doing that bit - I'm just going to wander around. I'm going to get an unlimited Eurail pass for 2 months, so I'm just going to go & do what I want. I figured reserving the hostels in Paris & Luxembourg was a good idea. At least then I have a rough idea about the first month. And I'm still pursuing housing in Vienna. Who KNOWS how that is going to play out. We'll see!

Hooray!

I am so excited - I talked to Dad last night & he had called the shipping company (he ordered my backpack for me for my birthday) and it's supposed to come today. HOORAY! I am so excited. I'm a goof - I know. We were talking about how different my sister & I are - she would think about this stuff 6 days before she left, I take 6 months!!! But that is what makes us loveable. I also bought an inexpensive messenger bag on Target.com last night to use as like a daybag. Just enough to put a snack, wee souveniers, a sweater and a book/journal in. I don't want to be schelleping my huge backpack all over when I'm just out looking around. Especially if all I need is a sweater & my book.

Hungry!

OK - I get WAY cranky when I don't eat. I'm trying SO SO SO hard to cut back so that I can make a real effort in trying to get my weight down. I don't feel compelled to be uber-skinny, I just never will be that way. But there is really no excuse for me to pack it on. I need to get back down to where I was when I started law school. Just so that I can feel strong again. The biggest hurdle for me is getting to the gym. I can eat like a health-nut. I actually enjoy it (gasp!). But my life is so FULL that sometimes I get pushed to the side & I seriously neglect me. I just don't want to succumb to the compulsion to starve again like I did a couple years ago. I would like to keep my hair, thank you very much!

On the bright side, I'm not about to perish from measles - I just have winter skin. My doctor has lectured me to stop wearing wool until my skin is better, use LOTS of Aveno (maybe I should buy stock!) and - get this - to try not to sweat until my skin is better. WEIRD. Yes. But it makes sense - your pores open wide when you sweat, so if they're already irritated, then - well - they may get MORE irritated. But it was so FUNNY - I asked him if he was giving me carte blanche to not work out. He thought THAT was funny.

Hobknobbing

Tonight I went to the benefit for the Madsen Foundation( http://www.madsenfoundation.org/ ) which was great. I didn't spend the whole time there because I have to finish my stinky paper, but I am glad that I went! It was fun. It was at Rossi's Blue Star ( http://www.bluestarjazz.com/index.php ) in Minneapolis on 9th Street. I was really impressed with the bar. A lot of people don't like the smoking ban in Hennepin county, but I think it's great. This is a nice, mellow atmosphere - if you're looking for a good steak place with a nice bar, I'd check it out. The staff was really friendly.

I keep saying that I'm going to get back to eating really well & working out. For the most part I'm sticking to the eating well part, but I haven't been getting on the working out bandwagon as much as I should be. It's making me mad at myself. Now that I'm not in classes & I'm heading into finals, I need to be working out. I can do it on my way home from work - my gym is right down the street from the office. I have to focus on getting healthy again so that when I get to Europe, I'm not feeling quite so sluggish. Yikes. Plus - it would be a bonus if I could still fit into all my pretty suits when I get to the UN, hunh?

Sometimes I worry...

...about stupid things. Today, I am worried about where I am going to live when I get to Vienna. I mean, Europe is LITTERED with youth hostels and I'm not in the least bit worried about where I'm going to stay while packpacking. And who KNOWS what is going to happen while I'm out there - it could be like Nadia says & I'll meet a herd of Australian backpackers & live with them for 3 months. Longs de phase et prosperant!!! Life with a carpe diem mentality. I mean - how can you really worry about being "stuck" in Austria. Really - I'm starting to worry about running out of cash. But we'll see what comes out of my profit sharing cash out in March (should be 18K+) and what I can get out of my student loans for living expenses. I know it's going to all work out - but I'm about 10 seconds from putting up a pay pal account & taking donations!