Update from the States!

Oh dear! It sure has been a while since my last update! I have been meaning to log-in and write something, but I have always been so tired during the times that I had a free moment to do so!

It's nice to be home again and see my family and friends again, but after nine months of being away, not much has really changed. There is still a lot of traffic on the freeways and the cars are slowing down in the same spots. I haven't forgotten how to drive either, but how hard is it to drive an automatic anyway?!

I am getting used to seeing all the newspapers in English and hearing conversations around me always in English. Although while visiting Starbucks one day on Broadway in Seattle, an interesting man clad in black commented on my turquoise ring I was wearing. I couldn't hear what he said very well, so I immediately responded with "Hvad siger du?" Which is actually Danish for "What did you say?" It was so quick and instinctive that I hadn't realized what I said until it was already out. I think the man understood the tone of the question anyway and didn't flinch at all to the funny sentence...he probably didn't even notice. Broadway is full of interesting people!

I went to a Husky football game last Saturday and played in the alumni band with all my old friends. Many didn't know I was going to be there, so it was nice to see the surprise on their face! I got a lot of compliments on how I looked, too, which was nice to hear! It was great to be in Dawg-land again and see everyone in purple and gold. Even though the Huskies have had one of the worst seasons of the 115 years of Husky football, the fans are still supportive and back up their team and the newly fired coach. And that is exactly what the band helps do as well. We keep the spirit alive and get the fans dancing along! Actually, if you go to www.kromann.net, my brother has put a link to the 6th quarter pep band dancing among the tailgaters. I brought out my clarinet and danced along, but it was dark and so the video is not the best.

I also got a job! My friend Heather hooked me up with some no-brainer work at a mortgage escrow company and I am making a couple bucks an hour to offset some of my expenses while I am home. Although it's nice to be making some money, I don't know how it's going to work for me to get quality work done on my project. I will likely need to cut down on my hours and spend more time on reading and research.

On Tuesday we leave to drive down to San Diego for the wedding, which is next Saturday. It will be a LONG drive...about 1500 miles!! We leave pretty late in the evening on Tuesday, because my sister has a recording session with the Husky band. We will then drive down as far as Eugene, Oregon where we will stay in a hotel and then the next day drive straight on down to San Diego, while hitting the Siskiyous mountains and the Shasta region during the day time. They often get snow this time of year and we have already been in an accident in the Siskiyous about 19 years ago and want to be careful not to repeat that again. The driving will likely be 18 hours all together...my butt hurts just thinking about it.

I'm off to get my hair trimmed so it looks nice for the wedding. I hope everyone back in DK is doing well and their projects are coming along! It's exactly one month from today until the deadline! WE CAN DO IT!!! GO DAWGS!

I think this is absolutely hilarious! I saw this sign in downtown Aalborg and thought, "My mom has been here the whole time, and I didn't even know!" For those who don't know, my mom is Annie Kromann! However, she doesn't practise zone therapy or clairvoyant counseling!

The walking streets are already decorated with Christmas decorations. On November 1st, all the stores are decorated and are selling Christmas items. The season starts early here, because it is getting darker and darker, and the best way to get through the dark winter is with parties and preparations for Christmas!

Gosia has a fantastic voice...like an opera singer! She met up with Joao in the piano shop on Saturday and they performed for an audience of me and the store owners! It was great!

Gosia, Marieke, Karin, myself and Igi at Cafe Luna on Friday night for a little going away dinner. You can see my "royal" suitcase behind my arm! :)

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

Well, they are almost packed. It's hard to get too far on packing when I am using things I need now, before tomorrow, like my toothbrush and pajamas.

I will leave Aalborg for Copenhagen tomorrow morning on the Abildskou bus, which is only a 140 kroner for a student ticket. It is SO much cheaper than taking the train, which would be 340 kroner, because I'm too old for any special discounts. I will spend a couple days in Copenhagen and enjoy the Christmas atmosphere, maybe do some shopping (under 100 kroner), and then I will leave bright (actualy dark) and early Wednesday morning. Maybe I can talk my dad into helping me pay for a taxi to get me to the airport at 5 a.m....

The last couple days have been full of goodbyes, getting last minute items, and cleaning up my room so I don't come back to a mess! :) Friday night, some friends and I met at Cafe Luna and had dinner and enjoyed the first "Julebryg" (Christmas beer) of the season. Marieke and Karin gave me a cute little suitcase with a crown on it, which was full of all sorts of goodies for a comfortable trip back to the states! So nice! Today I had tea and cake with Gosia and Luca and got hugs through them from other people who wished me a nice trip home. It sure is sad to say goodbye, but the good thing is that I will be back! Muwahahaha!

I will try to report from the states as much as possible, but I have a project to write, which has first priority. Although, I am the worlds greatest procrastinator, so I am I sure I will find time to write an entry or two!

Seattle, here I come! (via London and Los Angeles)

Here I am by the bar (with the bartender smiling in the background) at the Irish House last night (voted best Irish pub in Denmark 2004). I am holding my pint of Strongbow cider. Good stuff!

Getting Stressed

There are so many things you have to remember to do when you are leaving for a while. Right now, I am in the process of figuring out a descent problem formulation for my project. This process takes SO long and I am really missing the group members that I had last semester. It is so great to have several minds to work with rather than just your own. Fortunately, we are assigned to a supervisor who we meet with just about every week up until we turn in our projects. I met last week for the first time with my supervisor and it went great, but then left me a little more confused on the direction of my topic, which will be on marketing and Starbucks. So, tomorrow I will meet with him again and hopefully he likes my idea of loyalty and experience marketing with a focus on Starbucks...I hope that has an international enough context...

I actually started packing today! I don't think I have ever started so early, but it is a good idea to do so, because you don't want to forget something you wanted to bring with you! Although, considering the way I pack, I should probably not make that a problem. I manage to pack everything...including the kitchen sink! ;) I also trying to get my room cleaned up and organized before I go so that I don't come back to a mess. I also want it to be easier to see any spiders that may have decided to move in while I am away. That is what I really worry about. There are SO MANY spiders in this house. The skinny long-legged ones I have become a little bit tolerant of, but the fat-legged harry ones are not accepted. Those get vacuumed...the others I can manage to pick up with toilet paper.

Last night I met some friends down at the Irish House for their monthly open jam session. It was so great to sing along to people just playing around on their guitars. Those guys were really good and had great voices, too! It was a great time and I enjoyed my pint of Strongbough (strongbow?) cider. It is so good! :)

Not too much is happening around here. It is just getting really dark, really early now and it is much cooler. Winter is right around the corner. Which reminds me...I should think about baking my pumpkin on the front porch or chuckin' it in the garbage...I am sure I can procrastinate and bake it before I go. I can just freeze the glop and then make a pumpkin pie or muffins when I get back! Yum!

I'm off to bed! I guess I will awake to the results of Americas next president...if all goes as it should.