negative 34

I have started the letter I plan on sending out to friends and family before I leave. here is the first draft;

dear friends and family

I have decide to start a web blog so I can keep a log of my trip abroad and to keep all of you informed.
I plan on posting my day to day activities, bike rides, and post pictures that I think are really good.
(I would post all of my pictures but that would take up time and space)

feel free to read it at any time. (it the most current post is poorly edited it is because I have not gotten around to fixing it yet)
I have been posting stuff since I got out of school feel free to look over the archive but it is rather boring stuff.

comments are open to any one. but, if you want a reply please email me at vanderwoudep1@central.edu

the blog address is
http://vanderwoudeaustria.blogspot.com/

I'll see all of you after I get back.

Phill

day negative 37

over the past few days i have been cleaning the garage. two days ago the garage was imaculate. i started seriously working in the wood shop for the first time since before i got back from school. i have nearl completed six toy trains lke the one pictured here which i gave to my nephew last christmas. a friend at church is organizing a craft fair in november and she invited me to make some things that will be sold for profit. i have decided to go with toys because it will be one month before christmas and people like woden toys. these trains are the first of many things i hope to make i hope to complete the fourth of several jewelry boxes also pictured above. and i hope to make two model A trucks, one or two fire trucks, tulips, some candle sticks, and maybe some air planes

tomarrow i am going on a bike ride with my parents

i am concerned about flying alone im not sure what to expect.

i got a letter today saying i was awarded $500 dollars from the abroad people. they are very late in giving me this information i think they are having problems with staffing because every thing they do seems to be late.

day negative 43

Yesterday I got my visa. It took only three days for the consulate to complete and mail to me. It is pretty cool, it is a large sticker taking up all four spots on one page of my passport. the sticker has anti-counter fitting things on it like random strands of colored thread in it, and a hologram, and probably other stuff that I cannot see.

my geraniums seem to have stopped growing. They sprouted five days early and they have not changed much in the last week. My morning glories on the other hand are growing like weeds. I expect they will be ready to start climbing in the next week or two.

Today I made a pizza for lunch. I found a recipe that was made to model Giordano's stuffed crust pizza (the best pizza on the planet). It tasted delicious I modified the recipy some for example I put a ring of cheese in the crust like they do at giordanos. and, I have plans to make the next one even better. I plan on making the next one larger because the online recipe called for far to much sauce and I have more than half of it left. I also plan to research how to make the outer crust less crunchy and more uniform on the outside edge (this time the crust took up the outer 2 1/2 inches of the twelve inch pizza) I would like to make it 1 1/2 inches at most.

I researched using the bus to visit my brother in St. Louis Park but it would cost my about $5 to go both ways and for that price I could easilly drive. On the other hand, I would like to get some experience with buses and big city life so I'm not totally unprepared for vienna.

I tried to buy some AAA Ni-Mh batteries on eBay today but paypal has declared that I have to wait 4 days to pay for them. So, I have said I'm gonna buy them I just can't because pay pal is not being friendly.

I'm planning on going to church tomarrow becuase of the possibility of going to dinner with Jeff and Mary Lou. I enjoy their company.

I talked to my sister today and she said she would be happy to sell my college books that the book store would not buy back on amazon.com. all I have to do is decide on prices for each of them. I have decided on the prices but I would like to email her the information on th books (especially the ones that are not already on amazon) so she can more easilly fill in the needed information.

My brother came by today as well he invited my father to go out archerying with him and I was also invited. Of the three bows we had (the Ben Pearson Signature "Take Down" bow, "The Bear", and the compound bow. I fired the take down and the bear. I can usually draw the compound bow once a day but since I had been firing the "Take Down" bow before hand I was un able to draw it.

day negative 47

I left for Chicago on Saturday with my father to apply for a visa we stayed with my grand father (a man who I deeply respect) both Saturday afternoon and all of Sunday. the drive down was nice dad drove for 2 hours then I drove for 2 and dad finished it off. we spent the evening with papa and slept in his living room. I woke up at 5:00 on Sunday and went for a walk around the community then made breakfast (Belgium waffles) and went for a linger walk before church when I got back we went to church. the topic was racism and how you don't need to be white to be racist. this is an amazing concept considering that they taught us in Iowa that if you are white then you are racists. I have a hard time when people lecture me on racism because I'm not racist (I'm color blind) I just hate idiots. the sermon tried to promote "anti-racism" where you intentionally go out to prove you aren't racist which is probably worse than racism you are treating people a certain way because of the color of there skin and weather you treat them better or worse because of it you are still racist the point of equality is equality not special treatment.

After church we went to a Italian restaurant it was very good. then my father and I went to see my grand mother I gave her one of the wooden tulips I made. that evening we watched a show on south west Chicago on PBS and I organized my visa stuff

when I woke up the next day at 5:00 I remembered the password to my credit card account but I could not get online and I thought I needed a credit card statement to give proof of sufficient funds so I was freaking out.

when we got to the consulate in the wriggly building we waited inline for what we thought was the consulate which had a really mean lady yelling a some Indian people luckily we found out we were in the wrong line and moved over to see a much calmer guy who let us upstairs we got upstairs and there was a large carved wooden door that was locked we buzzed to get in but nothing happened luckily a man walked out so we got in after he left. we waited for 15 minutes for the consulate to see me and i had everything that i needed right there everything he asked my for i presented to him right away i went incredibly smoothly. after that we walked to the John Hancock building and went up to the observatory. it was really cool. then we went to a library were they display modern art. i remember going to this place as a child and it never really did any thing for me. modern art is the work of talentless hacks who haven't been judged by time. true art is suppose to move the soul (like Da Vinci, Michelangelo, raphiel, Donatello, ect...) modern art is basically some idiot trying to promote his agenda.

then we went to a concert featuring the juliani group. i was good but far from perfect in my opinion. the drive home went well.


now I am baking cinnamon swirl bread

the reason I respect my grand father so much is that he always strives to do what is the right thing to do

I started growing morning glories on last Monday they are suppose to germinate in 10-14 day mine stated to sprout in just 5. i transplanted 5 geraniums into the pot with them and now only two are left. hopefully they will continue growing.

I have been riding Lebanon hills a lot I think I have the trail mostly memorized. my time is improving with each trip I have been riding the XX-loop and I think my technique is improving.

I am planing on cleaning my garage tomorrow which involves moving everything out of my side and sweeping then cleaning everything before I move it back I should take most of the day.

that all that I can think of right now so I will stop typing now.

day negative 58

58 days to go.

I still have to;
-get a visa
-finalize a packing list
-research options for biking in Europe
-get rail passes
-get a pair of pants
-get electric transformer from dad
-get school supplies
- censor this blog so that it can be displayed to friends and family
-and listen to German tapes

In other news, tomorrow I have to baby sit my two nephews from 10:30 to (between 17:00 - 19:00).

Tomorrow I plan to get up early (6:00) go for a bike ride come home and baby sit for several hours.

I have started to grow geraniums from seeds. they are suppose to sprout some time after the next two days. But, one popped up yesterday. I eagerly await the rest to sprout.

I am making tulips out of 1/2 pine like my grandfather use to make in the wood shop. I have the blanks for 15 or so cut out in the garage I just need to sand them down and paint them.

I found one of my favorite knives today in the garage. I thought I should take this to college next year. then I realized I will be in Europe. It is still settling in that I am going to Europe. And, as the date draws closer I am starting to become more and more nervous. The only comfort I have is that I will be much more prepared than almost every body else who is going, as I am one of the most proficient German speakers going. And, most of them will survive so I should thrive slightly more.

that is all I can really think of for now now I have to go to bed.