:: Monday, May 31, 2004 ::

Nights in the Dam

Here's a quick update on my upcoming travel plans. If you didn't re-read my previous post, I now have a link to the af Chapman, the hostel I'll be staying in when I'm in Stockholm.

I have also secured lodging in Amsterdam, at the Hotel Prinsenhof located on the beautiful and scenic Prinsengracht canal (or so I'm told). They only have a double, which is a bit more expensive than I had wanted to pay, but it does include breakfast, and is in fact cheaper than some single rooms in other hotels of a similar nature. It's near the center of the city, far enough away to avoid the drunken British football fans/stag parties that roam the red light district, but close enough to the city center to enjoy all Amsterdam has to offer. And it's in a historic canal house that the Eyewitness Guide to Amsterdam, at least, considers to be one of Amsterdam's best hotels, possessing "an individual charm and character not found in most of their chain-hotel counterparts," and "one of the best-kept and prettiest of the city's simple canalside B&Bs." Sounds like a good place to stay to me.

:: posted by Rob 6:13 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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The Day After the Day After Tomorrow

So in case it wasn't clear from the title, yesterday I saw The Day After Tomorrow, yet another summer movie that seems to be more critically reviled than it should be. Come on, people, it's summer! Summer blockbusters aren't supposed to be Palme d'Or winners - they're supposed to be fluffy popcorn movies. Yeah, so the science is unrealistic in its timetable. So what? Grapefruit-sized hail in Tokyo! L.A. destroyed by like 50 tornados...at the same time! New York flooded by a tidal wave and then frozen over in an ice age! That's why you go see a movie like this. If you want a Best Picture winner, go watch A Beautiful Mind again.

For me, I'll take my summer blockbusters just the way they are (as long as they're not too over-the-top...)

:: posted by Rob 6:02 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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I'm leaving on a jet plane

And it's back to Sweden I go! Come hell or high water, I am going to Sweden in August. August 11, to be exact. That's when I board a plane headed for Europe, becuase I finally bought my tickets! Yay! I'll be heading to Amsterdam first, spending a few days there, then it's on to Stockholm for a few more days before finally arriving in my final destination of Falun on August 16. I still don't know where I'm staying in A'dam, but in Stockholm it's the Youth Hostel af Chapman & Skeppsholmen, on board a 19th-century sailing ship. Pretty cool, eh?

So, I'm back in the whirlwind of pressure and activity of getting ready to move overseas in only 2 months. I am very excited, but kind of stressed, too - there is so much to do, it's overwhelming at times. But at least I know I'm going.

Of course, if for some reason I don't get a residence permit, I'll be screwed, but I'll be going anyways. My tickets are non-refundable, so if my year in Sweden falls through, I'll be taking an extended vacation there, at least. Silver linings are great and all, but of course, I want to be there for the long haul. So here's hoping. Keep that good karma coming!

:: posted by Rob 5:01 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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Summery Blockbuster Goodness

Well, the summer movie season has officially started, I guess. This past weekend, I saw Troy and Van Helsing.

First off, Troy. Though at times it seemed like a Lord of the Rings and Braveheart reunion, it was quite good. Makes me interested in trying to read The Iliad, or at least the Cliff's Notes version. :) I've read parts of it before (and even wrote a paper once upon a time comparing the roles of the gods in the Iliad and the Odyssey), but the movie raised several questions I'd like to have answered more fully.

I thought Brad Pitt as Achilles was quite good, as well as Sean Bean (LOTR's Boromir) as Odysseus. I particularly liked how they did the Trojan Horse, though I thought they could have perhaps found a better Helen than Diane Kruger (I think Sienna Guillory in the TV miniseries Helen of Troy made a much better Helen). I also would have liked to see the gods take on the major role they do in the Iliad, but I knew they decided not to put that in the movie and I understand why, so no real problems there. All in all, quite an enjoyable film and well worth the almost 3 hours spent! I would even say that I liked it better than Gladiator (a Best Picture winner). Brad Pitt as Achilles would totally kick Russell Crowe's Maximus' ass in a fight. 'Nuff said.

On to Van Helsing. Regardless of the horrible reviews it's been getting, I actually quite enjoyed it. No, it's not the Lord of the Rings, but it's good, fun, summer fluff. Lots of action, great visuals and cinematography, cool special effects, good action, and of course, Kate Beckinsale in a corset. I was impressed with how they connected the classic Universal movie monsters (Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolfman) together in one movie, and it was cool seeing Dracula's brides (hotties themselves, natch) getting to play a much more active role in things than in most Dracula movies. I also liked what they did with Van Helsing himself, in terms of his final showdown with Dracula and what was needed to finally destroy Dracula. And not to give anything away, but of all surprises, it doesn't have a typical Hollywood ending. Yes, there is plenty of room for sequels (of course), but not in the way you might think.

And compared to other Vampire vs. Werewolf movies starring Kate Beckinsale (such as Underworld), Van Helsing is practically Citizen Kane.

So ignore the somewhat threadbare plot, enjoy the stunning visuals, look out for the homages, laugh at the jokes and the fluctuating accents, suspend your disbelief entirely (really? a road that close to the edge of a cliff for that long?), and enjoy. You may just have fun.

Oh, and regarding the carriage-pulling horses that jump over an impossibly wide chasm that you might have seen in the previews? As Anna herself says, "Transylvanian horses are faster than even a vampire!" (Like I said, suspend all disbelief - it's fun!)

Now I'm just waiting for The Day After Tomorrow.

:: posted by Rob 4:04 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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Cruel Fate Redux

And with the sound of drowning hopes and shattered dreams, my plans for Sweden may be all for naught. I went down to see my folks this weekend, thinking we would be discussing the financing of my trip, which they had already agreed to help with (and for which I am grateful). When I got down there, however, it all went to hell.

It's not that they decided not to help me, it's just that their help may not be enough. The Swedish Migration Board requires you to have a set amount of money with you to support yourself while you are over there, or they won't grant you a residence permit. They don't want you coming over there and living on Swedish welfare or something. Makes perfect sense, and since my parents had already agreed to foot the bill for graduate school, and since tuition in Sweden is free, their money would be used to prove that I had enough to live on while I was there. All well and good.

They had even agreed to give me some extra money above and beyond what was required to help get ready for the trip, like for paying off my credit card bill so that I had no outstanding debt while I was in Sweden. The only problem was I was having to run each thing I wanted to use the money for by them first to get their approval. I had argued that they should simply give me the money and let me use it as I saw fit, and had planned to argue that point further this weekend.

Much to my surprise, when I arrived there, they were all set to not only give me the money, but to allow me to use it exactly as I needed. Exactly what I had asked for, right?

WRONG.

Yes, they gave me the money, and even stated that they wanted nothing to do with the decisions on how it would be used, the only problem being: it's not enough. There are simply too many expenses that must be paid stateside before I can go. Previously, I had thought that certain other expenses they would help cover as well. Not so. Everything even remotely related to Sweden now comes out of my pocket, from the money they gave me (because I sure as hell don't have any extra money of my own). The main problem, of course, is that the vast majority of the mney can't be used; it has to be saved to show the Migration Board that I can support myself while I'm in Sweden, and indeed it will be used to live on while I'm there.

What that leaves is a relatively small amount to pay for everything else, and therein lies the problem. The amount I have to spend won't even begin to cover what I have to pay for. Forget for the moment certain things that I want or think I need for the trip itself: an mp3 player, digital camera, a phone, new shoes, etc. I'm talking other big expenses.

Airfare, there and back (ultimately, of course, I want to stay there, but my residence permit will only be for a year, and if I haven't found some way to stay in Sweden by the end of that year, I will have to come back, so I need to have money for that return trip)
Insurance
Application fee for the residence permit itself
Penalty for cancelling my cell phone contract (it won't work over there, why keep it?)
Penalty for breaking my lease early
And possibly most expensive of all, dentist bills for fillings and a permanent crown that I need to get taken care of before I leave

The list goes on and on, and no matter how creatively I play with the numbers, it just doesn't add up. I'm still trying to work things out, but I honestly don't know if it will work. Sometimes you do all you can, and it's still not enough. I just have to wait and see, and hope that my apartment management company doesn't screw me too hard on leaving, and hope that my insurance covers most of my dental bills (yeah, right).

And there's no easy way to cut expenses. Should I not buy a return plane ticket, hoping that I will be able to stay there, and if not, put it on a credit card which I'll then have to pay when I'm back in the States with no job, no car, and no place to live? Do I play the odds and not get international insurance, hoping that the emergency insurance the school provides will be enough if anything happens to me over there? Do I buy my plane ticket to get there now, when they're cheap (because they are going up the closer I get to the date of departure), only to end up being unable to go and being stuck with a non-refundable ticket? I don't know. I'm hoping that I can get everything I need and go, but it seems almost impossible.

Like I said, I just have to wait and see how much various things are going to cost. So keep your fingers crossed. It may work out all right, but it's just as likely that it won't work out and all my dreams will be trampled in the dirt. I feel that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and if I miss it now, I'll have missed it for good, and then my life will continue to be this utter waste of time and energy, where I'm stuck in one crappy soul-sucking job after another, constantly hating my life and everything about it. I need to get out of here, for my own sanity and well-being. It's like I've been living in a cage, and the door to freedom has finally been opened, only to be slammed back in my face right when freedom is almost within my grasp.

One final note: I'm not mad at my parents, because, ironically, they gave me exactly what I wanted. It's not like they screwed me or anything. It's just that their gift is ultimately useless to me. And that saddens me more than anything else. I don't know if I've ever been this sad before. It's definitely worse than any minor depression I've had before. And ultimately, I think it could ruin my relationship with my parents more than being mad at them would. And that makes me sad too.

Oh well. That's life, I guess. Here's hoping it all works out in the end...

:: posted by Rob 9:39 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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Fuego!

Happy Cinco de Mayo, by the way.

(Warning: clicking on the above link may actually teach you something about history... Consider yourself warned.)

:: posted by Rob 9:02 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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It's all in the details

A few updates on my upcoming move to Sweden: I now have the official start date for classes: August 23. I can actually move in to student housing starting August 15, so I'll probably show up early.

I also know exactly where I'll be now: the city of Falun, the provincial capital of Dalarna.

Dalarna in brief

Province bird: Eagle owl
Province flower: Spreading Bellflower
Province mushroom: Suillus variegatus
Province stone: Porphyry
Province fish: Minnow
Seat of Government: Falun
Highest point: Storvätteshogna 1.204 m
Largest lake: Siljan 290 km2
Longest river: Dalälven 520 km
Highest waterfall: Njupeskär, height of fall 123 m
The County of Dalarna size: an area of 28.194 km2

Read all about Dalarna's climate, its population, or get a glimpse of The Dalarna of the Future. You can even download a pdf of Facts about Dalarna.

Also feel free to visit Falun's tourist site, check out the current weather in Falun, view a picture gallery, find me on a map, or send a postcard from Falun!

In other news, I'm heading to Green Mansion (my parents' place, aka The Summer Palace) this weekend. Got to hammer out some details regarding my trip/move with them, and scout out storage space for all my junk while I'm away. It'll be nice to see them, of course, and hopefully the weather will be good enough to take the boat out for a spin. I haven't been down there since Christmas, so it should all be good, providing we can keep the arguments to a minimum. And with the mood I'm in regarding the fulfillment of my Swedish dreams, that shouldn't be any problem at all. So it will be Happy Mother's Day all around.

:: posted by Rob 8:47 PM [+] :: 0 comments
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