Amanda Blog and Kiss

So, the World Cup is going on right now.  Hurrah hurrah and all that jazz.  I normally don’t fall for the hype, but it’s hard to hide from it when it’s EVERYWHERE.

So to stay interested, I devised my own personal game regarding which team I want to win.

For instance, let’s take the group that the US team is playing in.    This group consists of England, United States, Algeria, and Slovenia.

The rules of my game are quite simple, and based purely on my past relationships. 

Rules:

- Pit ex-boyfriends against eachother in a battle for the Cup.

So:

England versus United States-  I walked in on my ex-English boyfriend naked on the floor with our friend’s fiancee.  However, after he proposed to me, my American ex-fiance joined an online dating site.

Who should win?  Who was the lesser of two evils?  The American ex.  He was a potential cheat, but walking in on your guy naked on the floor with someone is hands-down the worse of the two situations*.  United States should win. (They drew 1-1.)

Today the United States are playing Algeria. 

Let’s compare my ex-boyfriends- We already know that the American ex-boyfriend was a potential cheat.  The Algerian ex-boyfriend hid me from his parents because I wasn’t muslim and they wouldn’t understand.  Once he left me in mid-sentence on the sidewalk to run away because his parents were walking towards us and he was afraid they might see us there together**.

Who should win?  Who was the lesser of two evils?  The Algerian ex.  Religion and family maybe shouldn’t be messed with, so I find the way he handled our short relationship forgiveable.  And plus we were quite young.  Algeria should win.  Go Algeria!

However, the real kicker is that I have never had a Slovenian boyfriend, and I’m guessing I never will.   Never been dumped, cheated on, or messed about by Slovenians.  Never been shoved aside for religion by Slovenians, never found a Slovenian naked on my floor with another woman. 

 Therefore, SLOVENIA should win. 

GO SLOVENIA!!!!!!!!!

* He has since apologized. 

** He has also since apologized.

In fact I am on friendly terms with all of them and wish them nothing but luck and happiness.  And for Slovenia to kick all of their team’s asses in the World Cup.  Naturally.

In just three days I will be touching down in the United States of Freedom again!

Life has been a friggin whirlwind these past few weeks.

How to even recap?  I’ll try…

I was asked to carry a package from Amsterdam to Prague.  That sounds shadier than it is, and I didn’t blog or facebook about it beforehand lest I got panicked phone calls and emails from my mother about the dangers of being an unsuspecting drug mule.

It was a Wednesday when my boss asked me if I would bring a watch to Prague on Thursday (flights and hotel paid for).  So the next day- BOOM!- that’s where I found myself, the watch having been handed over, and the rest of the day and night was for myself alone to wander the streets of Prague. 

Awesome!

And do you know the HIGH that I was on, because I was alone and far away from home, and nothing to do but think?   It was like someone released the catch on the lock that has been holding my brain captive, and whoooooosh the thoughts just kept on coming.  I couldn’t take down the notes fast enough. 

It felt good.

The next day I flew to Brussels for the weekend, where I remembered how much I love that city.  Like, really really love it.  It’s where I spent my early 20′s.  Brussels and I have been through A LOT.  I even contemplated moving back there again, picking up the ol’ francais, bathing in chocolate and waffles again.

But we can never take a step back, now, can we?

Did I mention the semi-promotion at work?  I don’t think I did.  I got a semi-promotion.  It’s been keeping me very, very busy.  I like that, but damn the days and nights pass quickly when you work 40 hours a week.  Did you know that it’s already halfway through June?  Did you?!?  That’s madness!

But I love this job, and am extremely grateful to be doing what I do.  By the way, if you miss me blogging here, you might very well find me there.

Am I rambling?  I feel like I’m rambling.  That’s what happens when you step away from your blog for a moment and life swoops you away.

Back to the point: I’m going to the States again!  I’ll be in New Jersey, New York, Philly, and Washington DC, from this Friday onward, and I can’t wait.  I’m tickled. 

So I probably won’t blog much while I’m away, but I promise I’ll be thinking of you all (lie) and I will bring you each back a souvenir (lie). 

See you in a bit!

I’m sitting outside a bar in Brussels, nostalgia hitting me in waves and waves, when I realized: I made just 1,000 euros a month at my job when I lived here.

My rent was 550 euros.

Do the math and…..Whoa.

And yet I was in my early 20s, life was insane, and I was constantlly drunk and subsisting on packets of powdered soup.

And I was happy.

It’s not that I miss those days. It’s just that I miss the frugality, the hilarity, and the CRAZY ability to make it into work despite leaving the bar at 5 am the night before.

And I miss Brussels.

More to come, it’s been a hell of a weekend and it’s only just 5 pm on Friday!