a little remindful of homesickness

Claudine says: Hi :)

Claudine says: are you on for a while? I was just about to get lunch

Laura says: ah, you beat me to it

Laura says: slow computer

Laura says: yup

Laura says: see you in a bit

Claudine says: Hi

Claudine says: great now you're gone :@

Laura says: nope I'm here

Claudine says: sorry :$ impatient

Laura says: having a conversation

Laura says: get this…my aunt who last summer we dashed down to see because we figured she was dying, ended up having her legs amputated...is taking her five daughters on a week-long Alaskan cruise!

Laura says: how great is that!

Claudine says: that is great

Claudine says: so she's doing well?

Laura says: evidently

Laura says: I just heard from my cousin--i was asking about some of my Dutch heritage in case we go to Roterdam, where we're supposed to be from and she says she's doing really well.

Laura says: being well cared for...good luck to Dad with his three daughters...no wonder he's such a fan of euthanasia.

Laura says: So, did you get a snow day, I didn't get to read the news

Claudine says: a lot of schools in NJ and LI closed and the parochial schools closed but the NYC public schools didn't so neither did we :(

Claudine says: i think we got about 7 inches of snow though

Laura says: wow cool

Laura says: after all the warnings, I woke up to a dusting here

Laura says: tonight it's supposed to start though...up to four inches by evening, so all of belgium is in pure panic. That's like a nor’easter in here

Laura says: Oh....yayayayayay...my briefcase finally arrived today

Laura says: a lesson in poor problem solving skills by DHL...I will have to write them a letter

Laura says: the DHL people typed in 15 instead 85...and yet it took them 3 days to figure out the right address, even though right there on the package on a clear white label was the correct address.

Laura says: Seems like a training issue to me.

Laura says: But I am happy six months of work is not completely lost

Claudine says: that's good

Laura says: i was getting a little upset about it, because i couldn't track it b/c the number wouldn't work and it should have been here by Friday

Laura says: and I kept having to hang around the house just waiting for it.

Claudine says: so sad

Laura says: but finally got to the embassy today to apply for my 2nd passport

Laura says: really...i was stressing out...and there's nothing on tv to distract me

Laura says: think--my computer, all my notes, everything I've done for 6 months potentially gone

Laura says: plus my digital recorder, mp3 player and some cash plus travelers checks worth a couple hundred bucks

Laura says: I was very upset

Laura says: you are supposed to be the nice one, remember

Laura says: ?

Laura says: I should go pack now for tomorrow.

Claudine says: sorry

Laura says: I'll be gone for about two weeks. 2 ½

Claudine says: i have a meeting at 4, where are you going again?

Laura says: Lugano, Switzerland via Milano (gross, gross city)

Laura says: and then to Budapest

Claudine says: have a great trip

Laura says: and I hope to go to Slovakia and Czech republic too...but may have to skip up to Sweden quickly to catch a couple games with teams I've been following

Laura says: I will...I'll try get on IM as often as I can

Laura says: it's always fun...if a little remindful of homesickness