thug life

This past Thursday I had the most challenging training yet. My task: to photograph this pair of friends as they met at the bus stop and proceeded to a domestic dwelling to partake in home cooked foods and other such base level activities of existence. My proudest moments involved crossing streets and entire open fields successfully unnoticed by both parties.

  

 Once my mission was successfully completed, I was able to relax in the company of two more experienced spies, who let me in on the secrets of our fine trade. Above, note the demonstration of the proper way to disguise yourself as a hipster gas station robber. Below, note the proper manner of drinking as many complimentary jameson and ginger ales after attending a film festival evening entitled "robot panic apocalypse" as possible. Spies may be classy people, but free is free after all.

And when drinks come in glasses with the name of the liquor on them, you know it's gonna be good.

This coming Tuesday Wellesley-in-Vienna takes a trip to Berlin for five days!!! My goal was to have as much schoolwork done as humanly possible before we left, so of course yesterday while it poured I managed to procrastinate all day. Then today with the sun shining my concentration was the best it has been in....months. Like--- focusing on my laptop writing so hard that I got a headache. oy.
Such is life.

peace.
-luce

arithmetic

 +

 +

=

note: there was no consumption of alcohol or drugs used in the making of this equation. only scrumptious, delicious, incredible Shakshuka (check out the recipe here). Oh, and about 5 cups of coffee a piece.

gotta love Thursdays

-luce

Mittwoch

Wednesdays I help Eva, one of the piano teachers at my internship. The guitar class was having their semester recital a few hours later, so I hung around in the park next door to kill some time. 

It was pretty!

elderly couple enjoying the flowers <3

the concert started in the Renaissance and travelled through time to end with a rendition of Fray's "How to save a life"  

waiting for the tram home I realized I'm going to miss the quaint architecture of this city

Beautiful week, and now I'm ready for a beautiful weekend. My goal: eliminate all tan lines.

-luce

it's a hard knock life

My Super Top Secret Spy Training (S.T.S.S.T) has continued in earnest, as my departure for the motherland looms closer and closer. We are running. out. of. time.

Lessons have taken a more tactical approach, as it has been determined that my physical capabilites are satisfactory. I can run, swim, dive, tackle victims, drive dangerously, and kitchen knife battle, but my logic and wits need to be sharpened. This also has to do with my utter lack of mathematical skills. We started by teaching me pool, which includes not only agile hand eye coordination, but also a firm grasp on angles and physics laws. By the end of training I came close to beating my trainer, neatly sinking my last three balls in a row.

Next, we took training into nature because every good spy needs to know how to frolic. apparently.

Finally, we closed the outdoors portion of training in an undisclosed location that happens to have huge chess sets. I played my first game of chess. AND WON. Either my trainer is fantastic, or I'm just  a whiz at this whole "Spy thing" (which I thought they said in the orientation was harder than going through the Russian Ballet Academy, YEAH RIGHT) because I seem to be progressing faster than and straighter than the eagle flies. btw, the eagle ain't gon be flying so straight (or...at all) once I put my training into action in just 5 weeks time....mwah ha ha. like Salt....except I'm not going to be turned onto the good side (America) by no stinking scientist who likes spiders. gross.

anyone else thinking harry potter? yeah, this might be the funnest ever, especially being extra violent when you take a piece. bloodshed makes the victory sweeter.

Over and out, it's time to finish some homework. Spy training has been majorly distracting me.

-luce

if everything happens that can't be done
(and anything's righter
than books
could plan)
the stupidest teacher will almost guess
(with a run
skip
around we go yes)
there's nothing as something as one

one hasn't a why or because or although
(and buds know better
than books
don't grow)
one's anything old being everything new
(with a what
which
around we go who)
one's everyanything so

so world is a leaf is a tree is a bough
(and birds sing sweeter
than books
tell how)
so here is away and so your is a my
(with a down
up
around again fly)
forever was never till now

now i love you and you love me
(and books are shutter
than books
can be)
and deep in the high that does nothing but fall
(with a shout
each
around we go all)
there's somebody calling who's we

we're everything brighter than even the sun
(we're everything greater
than books
might mean)
we're everyanything more than believe
(with a spin
leap
alive we're alive)
we're wonderful one times one

-e.e. cummings 

happy birthday hellie!

for your birthday, I thought I would procrastinate my assignments for tomorrow and learn me some marisa monte :)

umm...please don't cringe too horribly at my portugese pronunciation...but please DO promise to help me some once you're back in the city :P

hope your birthday was wonderful!
love,
lucy

ps for those wondering, the song is "Beija eu" by Marisa Monte.

may 13

a photo collage to describe (more than words could) the sweetness that was my 21st birthday:

the picnic on burggarten, in my birthday dress and a crown from melissa!

chris is serious about austria, i am serious about getting back to my beer before it gets too warm

roomies! en route to my concert 

we got to the music school, and the concert had been postponed! luckily, we had a bottle of wine and champagne,  and there's a beautiful park right next door...

...and we got silly, which is why these two are my favorites...

after pakastani dinner and rootbeer floats at my place, sir fluffypants and I headed to the opening ceremonies of the Vienna Festival Week, getting there JUST IN TIME to hear the end of Beethoven's 9th. I may have wet myself...

my beautiful birthday garden and crown, which I enjoyed for the rest of this weekend

Sitting on the park in the sun Friday,  I drank a few beers and thought of my Uncle Terry. I know he's somewhere tipping one back in celebration for me as well, and it makes me happy to think that a few things he enjoyed most in life I enjoy too. Playing guitar, eating good chocolate, kicking ass at hearts, and now, legally, drinking a cold beer will always make me think of him, and be happy.

My birthday wish is pretty similar from year to year and this year is no exception: to love the life I have been given, to love the people in it and to seize the opportunities to do good and wonderful things each day. A lot of people remembered me on this day, but I also spent the day remembering and thinking about them. So thank you, to everyone, for the love. It's just a silly birthday, but you all made it a day more about loving each other and reminded me (again) how lucky I am with my friends and family. 

This was surely a day to be remembered.

-lab