the 10th of march. that epic day when the power went out all across europe for a record three weeks. why wasn't the blog updated? blame the power grids, probably the swedish ones. the vikings never really learned how to be civilized people. they're still rapacious vikings at heart, though they clothe themselves in a thin veneer of "tolerance" and "good-natured humor".
okay you don't believe us? that's fine. we've never written an honest word on this blog. you are being held captive in our fortress of lies.

.......

OR SO SAYS JOSH! i am here to whisk you away from josh's fanciful fortress of lies and deceit to inform you of the real situation which has unfolded over the past unblogged weeks. we've been overrun by a plague; the most glorious plague you can imagine! even better than locusts, about 1,453 macalester students descended upon london in the past week for spring break, and we had the time of our lives entertaining them and frolicking gayly amongst the beauteous wooded ceilings and flowing taps of the cheshire cheese.

we have not, however, posted on our blog, sadface :-(
we apologize to our myriad legions of adoring fans, spiteful haters, and creepy stalkers who have anxiously awaited this blog post. but rest assure, josh and i guarantee this epic blogpost will blow you out of the water, or blow your socks off, depending on whether you are in water, or wearing socks. if neither is true, stop reading now, or rectify the situation, because here we go:

ok so first off: london! with friends! we explored all the dripping decrepit corners of the city with our stalwart macalester contingent. from the gunshot riddled alleys of camberwell to the courtyard of scenic buckingham palace, made all the more impressive by a certain virulent hailstorm that pummeled us as we resolutely trudged up the mall, screaming at mother nature and cursing our parents for bringing us into this cruel world.
but it wasn't all crime and natural disaster!
indeed, there was more than enough ribaldry and mirth to cheer ourselves up. sitting next to the english hearth through the days and nights the sounds of hearty laughter intermingled with the police sirens and shrill cries that resound through the london night.
we spent one terrific night at caitlyn's pad in earl's court. we co-opted a certain shack in the back of her apartment complex (a "classroom") and we chilled there until the early hours of the morning, at which time we all collapsed upon each other on the floor in a big teeming pile of macalester friendship. conversations about how amazing the summer will be were non-stop. and when we woke up in the morning, the landlord, fabio, was angry at us because we had not checked in with him. so in order to rectify the situation, he thought he would read off some names of people who had supposedly arrived for the next program he was housing (as caitlyn and co. were vacating the apartments that night). so imagine his surprise when he discovered that none of the six groggy bodies splayed out on the floor were actually supposed to be there. but just as he was about to evict us, luckily caitlyn came down from her quarters and explained the situation and we cleaned up the wreck of a classroom and went our merry way.
thanks for visiting everyone! it was terrific to see all of you. we miss you a lot.
and now! for more exciting travel news updates, i am proudly sending you over to the desk of one E. Nib. esq., lower-level clerk for the legal war machine of the Scoopington Brothers, feared attorneys and polo enthusiasts.

I, one E. Nib. esq., would also like to convey my amorous affection for all the lovely folks who came and visited us. Great times were had by all!!!...except when I couldn't hang out because I was writing papers :-(
also, i am firm in my commitment to calling my essays papers, they are not essays, they are papers, and don't let any of these heady britons tell you anything different!

hmph. now that i'm done with my haughty semantic quip, lets talk about less obnoxious and more fun things, like amsterdam!
josh and i arrived early easter morn', right around the time when that misty glow of dawn
illuminates the pasture to show thousands of little easter bunnies carrying baskets with eggs and announcing jesus' ressurection. god bless those little bunnies, always there to remind us that pagan fertility worship is important, and that triumph over death itself is nothing unless we eat chocolate eggs! unfotunately, josh and i celebrated easter sans candy eggs or latin mass :-(

instead we hung out with great people, smoked quite a bit thanks to a treasure left to us from william, and went on an epic quest for pancakes!

this was a quest of messianic proportions, as if it were preordained to happen on easter. we set out from tim l's gorgeous apartment and josh and i faced our first trial: the pavement.
the courtyard outside tim's apartment is quite amazing. it is arranged of...um, my geometry fails me. trapezoidal(?) type shapes were arranged brilliantly in the courtyard so that they all fit together, and, astonishingly enough, are all the same size. josh and i were simply mesmerized, but with the help of megan, marissa and timl, we were able to snap ourselves out of it and continue on our quest. our first destination was unsuccessful, as the pancake stand we journeyed towards had vanished. yes, vanished. at least thats how i remember it...
so we journeyed on, but the weather soured; yet we did not let our spirits do the same, and our unflagging determination guided us through a veritable blizzard, a maelstrom of ice, hail and snowflakes the size of your head!...well they were pretty big anyways.
so how did we face this powerful vortex of wintry weather that amsterdam assaulted us with? a picture at the "i amsterdam" sign of course!(publication of said photo on facebook is forthcoming)
that last part was crucial, remember kids, if ever caught outside in a blizzard whilst questing for pancakes, it is vital for your survival that you trudge through the mud to take pictures at the nearest and coolest tourist landmark you can find!

so finally we reached the pancake house. its a fantastic little restaurant in the middle of a park and it stands in what used to be a carousel! if that were not fantastic enough, the pancakes are incredible. not quite crepe, and not quite american pancake, but all deliciousness.

then we trudged back to timl's apartment, and ended our odyssey with a long nap, dominos pizza, and lots of arrested development.

and that was the first day we were here. um. oops. that was rather long. sorry about that, if my soapbox doesn't creak under my feet i forget i'm up there and keep pontificating. rest assured that josh and i will return post haste to enlighten you as to our subsequent amsterdammian adventures. i hope that our words are a bit more pithy and less rambly in the coming post, but i promise nothing, because, well, we're pretty much done with classes....so yeah, expect more, sorry for the delay, and we love you all

<3 niblorte