New Blog

http://donkeysarecoolish.blogspot.com/

Look for lots more. Lots. Or little. Or some other string of words that combine to make a modicome of sense. I sooo spelled that wrong.

Once again we run into the firing line...

Well, it's been a while hasn't it? And with time passing comes changes...some forced, some accepted, some needed.

So here I am posting to my old blog and preparing to embark upon some new and unreal adventures. Well, hopefully more real than unreal...but you know what I mean.

Be on the lookout for a new blog (of sorts) with all new happenings in the land of Neil Crawford. I've got a lot to talk about...and even more to experience.

Be ready 'cause I'm not sure I am.

And so it ends

This is it folks...perhaps my last blog post in Switzerland.

I did my check out stuff, paid my fines (damages to our building, thanks Magnus), got my refunds (the stupid books they never gave us), yada yada.

My bags are all packed and waiting. Now, it's just sit around. My flight out isn't until tomorrow at 10:35 AM (arriving at SFO at 4:25 pm)...so it's just a waiting game at this point.

I'm just going to hang out here for a while...take the funi down at some point, take the train to the airport at some point and camp out there overnight. I could get a hotel room there but...meh...what's the point? I doubt I will sleep, that would mean unpacking some stuff...besides the Geneva airport is comfortable and quiet.

The graduation was pretty cool...I got a shiny medal and great grades. Granted I was a touch disapointed with a couple of 'em...2 freaking C's (70% in marketing and 78% in Facilites...or was it rooms?)...but all the rest were A's and B's...and I did amazing compared to the rest of my students. 10 of 'em failed...which is really sad. Some passed by less than 1% and some failed by more than 10%. Ow.

But all in all it's been...well...amazing. It's snowing (still), quiet and rather sad. There has been lots of hugs, handshakes and face kissing....some tears...and some joy.

It's funny to think it's all pretty much over now. It hasn't fully settled in, and probably won't for a little bit. What a long strange trip it's been.

On a bit of a sad note...Magnus is in deep shit. Last night he got extremely wasted and broke into someones room and unpacked all their stuff...just threw it all over the place. We found him this morning sleeping on the couch, still wearing his school clothes. Security was called in and I don't know what is going to happen to him. He's not coming back, that's for sure. It was pretty pathetic watching him just crumble over the semester. He needs help...and honestly he isn't going to get it here. I'm not sure if I told the story about the guys breaking into his room to beat him up...maybe I will later.

So, once I return to the states...to good old California...that may be the end of my Around the world in unkown days. I mean coming back would be the full circle. So that would be the end I guess.

We shall see. I've still got some adventures under my sleeve. This old man has a couple tricks left...and I've got some plans for more...interesting...things.

So wish me luck on my flight home, get ready to have a beer with me and see a hell of a lot of pictures.

I love you all...and thanks for sticking with me in all this. It's been awesome.

And the envelope please...

Today we found out if we passed or failed management. We were each divided up into our seperate classes and we all went to seperate rooms. I hadn't been in a classroom with my fellow students, all together, in quite a while. It was a bit surreal...but cool.

But then the waiting began...waiting for this freaking envelope.

The class delegate went downstairs to get these little buggers...and it felt like an hour before he came back. People were nervous...and I was too. Granted I know I did well and everything...but still...ugh.


The little note either says "PASS" or "You have a meeting with Mr Small" (the program director). I admit I was really scared at this point...


WOOOOO HOOOO!!! Mission ACCOMPLISHED baby! Tomorrow we graduate and I get to see my actual grades.

And today is a beautiful day!

Sometimes Americans are the dumb

http://www.nata2.info/humor/pictures/americans.gif

Enjoy

Snow is fun

Here is a video of Neil having fun in the snow. Enjoy.

Just click it and it'll load in a seperate window.

http://media.putfile.com/Neil-sled

I decided to just go home

There was a lot of talk of the wildness that would have been yesterday (does that make sense? No? Oh well.) People were really excited and amped about being done with everything. And of course the best way to celibrate...gosh...well ANYTHING in Bluche...is to get extremely drunk.

So that's what happened. And I was a part of that...sorta.

It started casually, as most things do. Have a couple drinks in Person X's room, have a couple drink in Person Y's room, move on to the bar at San'nick, eventually go to Absolut, lose all sense of time, location and well-being, wake up the next day sometime in the afternoon groaning and wondering where the hell you left your gloves/scarf/wallet/brain/lunch. Yada...rinse and repeat.

But I guess I had a moment clarity. Something...snapped. I wasn't really aware of it until this morning but wow, am I happy I did. Allow me to explain.

I had been drinking a lot in a variety of places. I was standing outside San'nick waiting for the taxi. People were running around and screaming...total chaos (and totally normal). We had to buy a ticket for the taxi...and I did. Andrea fell down and smashed her elbow...thought it was broken...realized it wasn't broken...and said "OMG LET'S GO DRINK MORE OMG OMG!". A couple of her friends, equally wasted, are saying "no no no".

I'm standing there with a ticket in my hand.

Snow is falling, and falling heavily.

I look at my ticket, then look at the crowd.

And then it happens.

What the hell am I doing? It's been a long long long week of finals and work and stress. This has been a good night, a fun night. But when we reach this point...this point of absolute drunken lunacy...people fall down and hurt themselves. People loose track of reality. People make poor decisions.

I walked over to the guy and said, "here, take my ticket". He was shocked and confused. He gave me my money back and took my ticket.

I walked over to my friends who were still arguing, still screaming, still trying to do...whatever the hell it was.

I looked at them all and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, it's been a great night. But I'm going home."

They partially noticed, partially cared and partially reacted. I sighed...and walked home.

I slept great. I feel good.

I'm getting way too old for this shit.

Done

Yep...done.

200 word essay on the "footprint" impact on the environment due to the recent natural disasters...
200 word essay on the cultural impact of the recent natural disasters...
200 word essay on the international relations impact of the USA's action in other countries...
200 word essay on the sociological impact of the USA's action in other countries...
200 word essay on a painting of the eruption of Krakatoa...

And that's it.

I had my celibration beer.

At 6 the party starts.

For now...I relax, and enjoy my freedom.

Life is good, isn't it?

OK...this is it...

Today...

Today.

TODAY!

Today is my last final.

My

Last

Final

The very last one...ever.

Well maybe not ever 'cause I may end up at Cornell or Kendal (Kendal is a Les Roches sister school in Chicago...would only take me 2 semesters for a BBA vs 2 years at Cornell).

But in Switzerland...at Les Roches...here...in this building...today is my last final EVAR.

I'm so freaking excited I could pee all over myself. Or punch someone in the nose. I just scream and make farting noises. I'm seriously and beyond stoked.

Yesterdays Human Relations final wasn't all that tough...sure it was lots of writing and I did forget one (2) things...of the "4 myths about discipline" I could only remember 2. Crap. Oh well.

And today is Contemporary World Issues which was a class made up of several couple week classes...Art, Culture, Sociology, Environmental Ethics, International Relations...and we aren't sure what the test will be. Rumor has it one part will be Art (here is a picture, tell me about it) and the other will be your choice. Another rumor is that we will get to leave the class and write an essay using research...which would be neat.

Either way I've not a care in the world about this class. Yes...I'm going to look up the stuff I need to know for Art (the trichotomy of iconology, iconography, and...something else I'm looking up right now). But that's it.

I'm done

Dee oh ne ee DONE

Shall we party? Why yes...I think we shall.

Soon.

Magnus has completely lost it

I'm sure most (if not all) of you remember this guy. He's my neighbor and for quite a while we were pals. We had some really good times.

But as time passed I started to realize this guy is trouble. For one...he's FULL of crazy get rich quick schemes. That itself isn't bad...but it adds to the issues.

Secondly, and moving up the importance list, he is a huge hypocrit. He would talk a lot about wanting to do well here...then miss class. He'd talk about how he wants to excel...then miss class. He'd talk about turning over a new leaf...then miss class. It had gotten to the point where I just didn't believe him anymore...whatever.

Finally, and perhaps the biggest issue (as will come painfully clear) is that he drinks HUGE amounts at random times and does extreme and ugly things. I'm pretty sure I posted about him coming crying into my room wanting to talk to me about...well, I'll keep that private...but I had heard him ALL NIGHT LONG pretty much YELLING in his room. Plus...a couple weeks ago he did the same thing but with some girl. I felt sorry for her 'cause he went into his usual drunken "you know nothing about the world!" rampage. I wasn't worried that he was going to hurt her or anything...but I could tell she wasn't...comfortable...with the conversation. This was at 6 am on a Thursday mind you.

So since then I haven't been talking to him. It's rather pointless. This guy is trouble and I'm too damn old for that level of trouble in my life. Forgetaboutit.

So I'm walking to campus and run into Ethan (a kid from NY...not a bad guy, very stereotypically NY kid...rich, chip on his shoulder, but not a fool). He tells me that someone broke into his room last night while he was out...raided his fridge and ate everything, went through all his stuff and threw it all on the floor, found a couple bottles of liquor he'd been saving and drank them, then smashed (!) his laptop and stole his Sony PSP.

Ethan then asked me who I thought it was. I paused. Ethan laughed and said I knew him. I sighed.

Magnus.

Magnus got insanely drunk and did all that. All himself. Unreal.

I'm not quite sure how Ethan found out it was him initially...I guess he told Magnus about it and Magnus first reaction was "wow, how horrible!" then it was "Ethan, I did it...allow me to explain...I was very drunk and..."

Hmmm. Let's see here. I broke into your room and destroyed it. I was drunk. I'm sorry.

No, that doesn't quite cut it. Not at all.

I asked Ethan if he was going to report it to the school...and he said he's not sure. He's not the type to send this up the chain...more the type to deal with it himself. Which would be bad for the both of them...if you know what I mean. I said he should report it. Magnus has gotten into a world of trouble here at school and so far they've given him many slaps on the wrist. And obviously he's learned absolutely nothing from all this. I think Ethan should report him because the school will HAVE to act on this and will expel him...which is something that needs to happen.

Magnus needs two things right now. He needs help, obviously. He's got some serious problems. And he needs to understand there are consequences for this kind of behavior.

Unbelievable eh? This place makes crazy people...crazier. I'm looking forward to going home.