Nowadays

During my visit to Old Navy today I stumbled upon this rack of clothes...
What is wrong with our world when you can buy clothes for your pets in a normal store?
What is wrong with our world when you can buy clothes for your pets at all?

After school in the sun



After a whole day inside these corridors today I was ready to head outside.




It's spring, it's spring, it's spring!




Over a cup of Starbuck's tea, I met with Ann in the sun after school.






This is what happens with too much time and a camera...




Someone fell asleep at the bench next to us.




Me and Ann.

We started our day trip by taking the bus towards Towson. The bus stop is about fifteen minutes from our apartment and the walk was amazing. Spring overwhelmed us today, it was almost twenty degrees and bright sunshine. Mom eventually regretted that she'd brought her winter jacket.


Towson University




The tiger is Towson University's mascot. This beautiful statue stands in front of the main building.




The same building, although the tiger didn't make it...




The (soon to be) green part of the university area.




A nice old bridge.




Right now everyone is on spring break, but on a normal day these brick paths are full of busy students.






Me in front of the building that holds the English department. This is where I have all my classes.




It almost looks British old fashion.




These are some of the dorms.




The university has its own police. Notice the tiger stripes on the side of the car.




A car on the parking lot seemed to hold a message to my cousin who loves "The Boss" ;-)
 
 


It sort of looks like a heart, doesn't it?




After lots of walking around we bought yummy lunch-sandwiches and had a picnic in the park outside Towson Court House.




The flowers are blooming!




Newspapers for sale outside the post office.




The last stop in Towson was Macy's! Mom and I shopped ...




... and when we came home Schmaltz moved into the bag. A happy ending to a great day.

  
  


Mom and me.




The restaurants are ready for spring.




Hard Rock Café á la Baltimore.




The giant among book stores, Barnes and Noble.




The building used to be a factory and the inside the store the feeling still remains.




The harbor promenade.




Hmm... A fish :-)






A boaty bridge.




A R2D2 mail box.




A touch of American history, from the 18th century.




Schmaltz is helping mom read her book.




Mom and her grand-kitty.

Today, Tuesday, we took a road trip to Annapolis; a beautiful town south of Baltimore that among other things hold The Naval Academy.




































A quick stop at Fort Mc Henry

Anyone who ever lived with a cat knows they hold the answers to all big questions in life. Schmaltz is no exception. Here are his guidelines to reach a happy and healthy life.

Never, ever rush.
Stress doesn't only cause sickness and anxiety; it also doesn't feel good. Give yourself plenty of time on your journey through life. If you stumble upon a nice looking spot; don't forsake the opportunity to sit (or lay) down for a moment.




Stretch often.
Your body is the temple of your soul, and taking care of it should be your highest priority. Make sure to stretch before and after every nap...




... and work every muscle in your body.




Sun is therapy.
Take every chance you can to enjoy a sunny day, even if it's through the glass of a window. Light makes us happier. Why not take a nap, bathing in sunlight?




Entertain your brain.
Spend some time every day to think about things that make you happy. It's easy getting carried away with all the "have-tos", and all the seriousness in our world, but we also need to give the head quarter a break every so often. Take a time-out, lay back and imagine a big can of fresh tuna.




Don't be afraid to put on your charm.
Sometimes life is too much about interacting with others. To make it easier you need to develop a set of pretty faces and convincing gestures. When you want to seduce someone, let them see you from your best angle.




Delegate
The secret of not exhausting yourself is to lay some of your burdens on others. Make someone else rub your belly and tickle your chin, and you don't even have to move.




Use your senses selectively.
When someone says something you don't want to listen to, act like you didn't hear. When someone wants to show you something you don't want to see, pretend to be asleep.




Refuse to be ignored.
However, if you want someone to listen to you; you need to make yourself un-ignoreble. Get close up and keep eye contact.




Pick your fights.
Don't let just anyone pass through your territory without letting them know they offended you. Stand up for yourself; raise a paw and speak your mind.




Allow yourself to change your mind.
If you, in the middle of a cuddling moment, all of a sudden feel like wrestling instead; it's OK. Just attack the hand that's petting you.




Chillax
The goal, though, is to take it easy as often as you possibly can. Claim your right to at least one nap per hour. If you need a tutor; get a cat.

Yesterday I had my first mid-term; in British Literature. I've been nervous, as always, and studied hard, hard, hard. My main concern with in-class writing is the spelling. At the computer I can play around with the language, but when I suddenly have to rely on my own vocabulary I am much more limited. Usually the teacher takes points off for grammatical mistakes, and I'm sure I have some. Hopefully she has a little more sympathy for an alien like me, but who knows.

In general I'm doing well in school. For the American Literature class we write papers three times a week, and so far I've gotten the highest score on all of them except one, and that was due to a misunderstanding. In the British Literature class we wrote a short paper last week, and that came back with an A-. The minus bugs me, but still. In the Folklore and Literature class we handed in a comparison sheet of four different versions of Cinderella. I got a straight A on that. In the Grammar class we wrote a paper about a self experienced language situation. The teacher graded the content and the language of the essay separately. I got a straight A on the content but only a B+ on the language. My main issue is punctuation, more specifically where to put commas. These tiny little marks, which I'm used to placing wherever I feel like it, suddenly have to follow regulations and strict rules. According to my teacher misplacing a comma is the eight death sin, and lowers the grade of any paper. From now on, we've declared war on Comma Splices (misplaced commas).




CS as in Comma Splice.