I’m not in a blogging mood at all, and I haven’t been for quite a while but I’d hate for this show to stop rocking. Yeah, as if it ever has. Whatever.

So just to catch everyone (including myself) up on some stuff:

• There’s still snow. Everywhere. Well, not in Aachen, most of it is gone here – but Maastricht really THRIVES IN SNOW (who doesn’t?), I can tell you that much. The snow is that sort of dry snow that’s almost like sand and because of the low temperatures it’s still everywhere although it hasn’t snowed in days, and boy, does it sparkle. It’s surreal. It’s like from a mediocre animation movie.

• Uni has started again. And Maastricht University DOES NOT FUCK AROUND. They’re into serious business over there. This week was still okay as far as workloads go but, let’s face facts, just paying these horrendous sums on literature for January only (!) sort of leaves you rolled up on the floor in terror and defeat. I have to come up with a topic related to memory for a 3000 word essay, and report back to the supervisor with a thesis and potential literature to include in it next Tuesday. What it comes down to is that I AM SCREWED because I cannot for the life of me come up with an appropriate issue. Personally, I cannot relate to anything concerning the memory because my own DOESN’T FUCKING WORK. Anyways. If you happen to have just read an interesting article, or know of a great movie or novel or whatever that relates to the topic, please don’t hesitate to speak up! Please.

• The Israel/Hamas war in Gaza. I haven’t read enough about it to actually have anything sensitive to say. As usual, without background info, you have virtually nothing to comment on. I know the CNN headlines, have skimmed their articles and watched AC360° for some news updates, though – I guess no one really knows what to do about the situation in Gaza. They never did, and they don’t do now. I just cannot believe that the words war and death toll and civilians killed and so on don’t mean anything anymore because they’ve become such a constant part of the daily news. I don’t get as angry anymore as during the Mumbai attacks or the Georgian/Russian war situation last year. It all sort of blends in, and I hate that I feel as though the war in Gaza has been going on forever anyways.

I also cannot believe that I know everything there is to know about the whole Blagojevich scandal in the US but couldn’t tell you anything whatsoever about German politics. Jon Stewart may be the one to blame.

I know I bore you to death with this but please just read this follwoing quote from a CNN article about the attack of a U.N. truck: An Israeli military spokeswoman said it is not aware of the attack but added that Hamas militants sometimes target U.N. aid trucks to take food. HAMAS MILITANTS SOMETIMES TARGET U.N. AID TRUCKS? As in, the great white shark can be found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans, it’s a carnivore generally eating other fish but sometimes targeting human beings? As in, Animal Planet? As in, shit happens, they apparently have no control over just what the hell they bomb? Jesus effin’ Christ, honestly. Maybe I’m obsessing over the little things, as usual.

• As seen through the dirty bus windows this past week: A father evidently having been sleigh-riding with his kid, now on a stretcher next to an ambulance at the side of the road, his leg in a screaming red temporary splint, his face distorted in pain, his kid watching on in tears. A boy seemingly disoriented, turning in a circle, and in another circle, one of his mittens falls to the ground – I have no means to let him know as he proceeds to walk in the direction he had come from. A FREAKIN’ MAGICAL LAND OF SNOW AND SUN AND BLUES SKIES AND WOODEN SLEIGHS AND HORSES AND SHINY, HAPPY PEOPLE.

• There are three recipes I’ve been meaning to post forever. They’re nothing special, though, so I may just post them right after each other to have them online for whatever purposes.

I think that is all. I’m renting Guess who’s coming to dinner? from iTunes tonight. I just had to try the movie rentals and this film seems as good a choice as any. Have I mentioned that I love iTunes? Because I certainly do.

Have a great weekend everyone, and leave me essay suggestions. Any, I repeat: any, suggestion will be of great help!