The dunes

my friends and i always go to the beach. we love it.

The Dirty, Dirty South!!!!!!!!!!

My road trip isn't really a road trip. I mean every year we go to Mississippi and visit my grandparents. My father's parents. It's at least a 8 hour drive and it's always a long, anxious, stressful ride. It's always a drag for me, my mom and my brother because every time we get closer to his hometown he gets very emotional!!! He think he knows everything, he always trying to make everything perfect, he wants everything to go his way!!! Basically, it's a drag driving down there!!! We talk about people, laugh at people, sing, blast the music and eat the whole ride there!! That's my experience of a road trip!!!

The "Bone Church"

When I was in Prague, Jason and I heard about this church outside of Prague.  Supposedly it was covered in bones; in fact it was described to us as just a church built of bones.  Intrigued and having nothing to do that weekend, Jason and I set out on a day trip by going to the weed infested train station, got on a smoking train with the natives, who were smoking cigarettes like a teeny bopper chews gum, rolled onto Kutna Hora, passed some sunflower fields, they reminded me of corn, jumped off the train, and strolled past the Philip Morris museum, which was in a church, to the "Bone Church".

We payed to get in, and when we walked through the doors, I was hit with a wall of stink, much like the Old Folks', diaper and catheter, area of a hospital.  The place reeked of death....and there we were, surrounded by bones....and the art they created.

The impact is still being felt today.  This church warped my sense of what art and life mean, and I am still trying to sort out their definitions.  I think it is important to shake up your boundaries, and the "bone church" did just that.

This chandelier has every bone in the human body in it.

The Roadwarrior

I don't know what you consider a road trip, but when I lived in Nashville I used to drive at least two hours everyday. I lived about an hour outside NashVegas in Murfreesboro, a small college town. All of my friends lived in Nashville so naturally I would visit them everyday. My grandfather gave me a gas card to which I took complete advantage of. It was a road trip everyday up interstate 40. I love driving it sets me into a meditation. I love the road

Who Would of Known

Every year I always go on vacation on birthday. i usually go for a week tops, maybe little over. It usually only to one other major city to party or whatever, just to escape hardships of everyday. Well not on my 19th birthday. i went to nyc, Boston, Baltimore, Wilmington, Philly, and last but not least adventure land. I stayed at marriot hotel in Boston for a night went out to spin a club there. The next night i went to nyc to visit my granddad vito, you know to get some money. than vito had his friend friend Gino fly with me to Philly than he chaperoned me around Philly took me to eat at the tavern on market st. than that night i went to woodies and danced all night. The next morning you know my ears wouldn't stop ringing, i must of been dancing to close to the speakers. Oh, and to add i couldnt feel my legs than when i went to wilmington i had this affair with this puerto rican model names christian perez and let me tell you something he was a PEREZ aight. tall, olive complection deep blue eyes, reminded me of the evening ocean tide. so anyways i he came with me to baltimore bought me a brand new dolce and gobanna sunglasses and outfit to wear to my sisters wedding. was nice silvr pinstripe. than all a sudden i was taking and i hear this knock on the door. im sitting there like what is room service knocking on th door so late, dont thes people no how to use a phone jesus. well i answer a door right. standing in the dark, is this short, plum like dark skinned puerto rican women telling me she found my number, and adress to this hotel in her mans phone she would like to speak to Bry Bry. She was like "Im FEE FEE and may i speak to bry bry! im gonna whoo that bitches ass, ill be damned if im gonna let anotha women get it with my man! Where she at?!? she was like, wait". I respond by " whachu mean your man??'. was thinking to myself, Bry Bry you really did it this time, just had to go get a married man, damn. I quickly responded like, "this is", that didn't help neither. twelve minute puase... Than Fee Fee yelled " Oh Hell, no Boo, For real?" im like sorry boo i didnt know he was married. Fee Fee was real cool she began to explain to me, you know, it aint your fualt th mans confused. But the last thing she said was "your cute, Whered you get them Shoes From? and im like " they gucci" she was liek "for real??" Do you know that how i ment my best friend, Who would of known???

Ice cream in Romania

Naturally if I will seriously talk about my great road trip anywhere then I will talk about my time away from air conditioning, computers, even normal toilet paper. (it's pink over there instead of white.)

I traveled to a small town in the hills of southern Romania. Then there was this one part of town that people made their homes out of scrap metal and mud found at the junk yards. Some of these people were so poor that they didn't even own a single pair of pants. Some people just walked around completely nude.

I was there to help the kids, bring food and play games with them. Some of these didn't quite know how to react to this. Some of the parents absolutely HATED the fact that I was there. To give their kid a good time and then be gone the next day.

We also threw a BBQ at the place I stayed which was called, "Casa Li Minii." Where there was music, live dances, and stories.

Then later that night is sort of my journey. But before I share it, let me remind you that government workers in almost every European country think that us Americans are absolute trash, especially students.

Well how the story pans out is my friend in Romania, Andrei, is a bit reckless. He went out to see some friends and before he got back, the doors leading into the apartments were locked. The only way to actually unlock the door is with one of those old fashioned keys.

Since the stairs and the patio can be accessed without a key, he decided to try to come into the kitchen window on the third floor from the railing on the stairs. I happened to be at the kitchen window for some reason helping him commit this extremely insane act.

He stands up on the rail and puts one foot on the window ledge. But because there are so many broken rocks and debre the once he leaned himself towards the window, he slips and falls just out of my reach.

He fell three stories onto hard cement. It knocked him out instantly. I yelled, "HE FELL!" Everyone else in the apartment seemed to think I was joking but after seeing me run and kick that locked door open in a single kick without hesitation, they seemed to pay more attention to what just happened.

They called an ambulance and we were trying to soak up the blood and for some strange reason, we used tshirts instead of towels but this is a third world country so I guess it has to be ghetto. But then when the police arrived to examine what had just happened, I was the only witness.

Now remember what I said about government workers hating Americans. Also try to keep in mind that I was the absolutely only witness, I don't understand a word of Romanian, and the only person who can vouch for me is unconscious and on the way to the hospital.

So frankly, the police seemed to have it figured out that I must have pushed my friend out the kitchen window down three stories onto concrete for some kind of kicks and giggles. After they had questioned me in Romanian and me telling them I don't know what you are saying. They decided to arrest me.

That is when this woman named Alex came to the rescue. I was sitting in the office and she starts to yell at these police in Romanian. Now, this woman is 5 ft tall at most. These cops were taller than me with the typical mustache and such.

After they had yelled back and forth for two full hours in a language that I will never understand, I was free. There was a point in that night where I actually accepted going to jail for attempted murder in a third world country. Everyone I traveled with thought I was already in jail.

But it was a nice feeling to walk out of there. I've been more careful about things and got a good taste of Romanian politics when it comes to americans.
-jeff

PS I hope you like the pictures. The first is obviously part of Slatina, Romania. That is uptown and downtown is on the other side of the hill behind me. Then in the second are two kids in the gypsy village. Then the third is the Pastor, Sandu, and his wife who saved me, Alex.

FOR TOMORROW'S CLASS IMPT

Everybody, I forgot to tell you during our post-lecture.  

WE ARE MOVING OUR CLASSROOM OUT OF 511-B

And into 320, where we have class after that.  TELL EVERYONE YOU SEE IN CLASS THIS.  They got us a new computer lab so we can say bye to the janky sauna, no Microsoft Word, computer lab.

So after math,  head over to room 320 (33 east congress building).

Lunch

Who's going to harold's with me!!!!

" Food"

Am i the only one thats hungry??????

Marilyn Monroe Gallery

At the gallery, there was a specific of Marilyn Monroe and it was her face on a computer page it was in red, white, and blue. I think this represented how America is so consumed with the media and pop culture that we can place celebrities and iconic figures on pedestals and it had me thinking that I feed into it because I always want to know the latest celebrity gossip. I thought this portrait was really interesting!