Today was a day of spending money, and getting things. I finally got a mobile phone, which cost me a fortune, but that's Europe I'm told. On the other hand I got a wicked phone (Sony-Ericsson Z520i if anyone's curious) and I am now able to give my number out when I meet people, which thus far has been quite the stymie on continuing social relations. I also bought a sweet coat that I had eyed in the H&M here (you better believe this store is even better in Belgium! And cheap compared to everything else on the fancy strip), but I hesitated because they didn't have a size bigger so I could wear a sweater under it. But it's such a sweet coat that I figured, F it, it's almost my birthday. That's me all zipped up and shadesed to make the coat look all the more badass, but it still doesn't do it justice. It's hard to take a picture of yourself with a tripod upon which the camera can only be oriented laterally, if slightly at a diagonal (thanks for the mini tripod Mike!). I also bought a pepper grinder (which as many of you know I cannot live without and will someday have the balls to carry around in my purse like a finicky old lady) and a small french press. The coffee here, with a few exceptions, sucks ass, it's mostly Nescafe, and I would rather just make some in my room in the morning before I'm out of my PJs.

So that was a lot of money spent, A LOT of money. I didn't feel too bad about it though since these are all things I need, and I have some extra startup cash because September (as well as blessed March, the month after dread February) is a three paycheck month. Anyhoo, when I got home there was waiting for me my first piece of mail in the new place, a little slip of paper that said a flower delivery person had come and gone not finding me at home. I had my suspicions, since there are certain longstanding traditions between certain beloved persons and I with regard to flowers, but I wasn't entirely sure and called the place on my new mobile. I walked down to Brusselsestraat to pick them up, and my goodness the fuss! The people in the flower shop were so taken with the bouquet (which presumably they had designed themselves) and the note my poetic Maman had written me that they were cooing and congratulating me to high heaven above. It is, indeed, a beautiful bouquet, and I felt very happy and special walking all the way home with it. There's something lovely about walking around with a fancy bouquet, everyone smiles at you and thinks they know what it's all about. I wouldn't rob them of their private versions for all the world, whatever makes strangers smile at me is A-okay.

I really didn't do anything after that. I hung out on the internet, made myself a lovely dinner, and then went for a constitutional. All of three blocks down Tiensestraat to Erasmus, where the evening regulars smiled and made jokes to me about my perpetual writing in my journal (I am only recently comfortable with being so noticeably hypergraphic, but it does serve as a good conversation piece with utter strangers). It's nice to start feeling like I belong here and people know me. It's a small thing, but it's why I repeat my visits so often to the places I like. People are emboldened to talk to you when you are a) alone, b) young and female and c) in their face all the time. I don't know anyone's name, but I like hearing the Dutch spoken and spending time pretending I've been here all my life.

Now it's 10:30, or rather 22:30, and I should be thinking about bed. I didn't sleep well last night at all because the international party was such a clusterpoop that I left early feeling pissed off, lonely and homesick for some decent dancing music and partners. Such feelings come and go, but whenever they come I have to sit up with them for a while. I bought some Jim Beam at the nachtwinkel the other night because I've been eyeing it in the window. The clerk was so surprised he had to ask me twice what exactly it was that I wanted, and when I finally convinced him, he made the comment that Belgians don't drink Jim Beam. I said something like, ah yes, well... this is maybe why I am so homesick. "Ah! You are American! What is it like to live there now?" So when I'm feeling blue I sip my Beam out of the bottle and wish you would all just hit the numbers and come drink with me.

This is a canal that runs across Brusselsestraat. I like to stop here on my way to the only grocery store that's open on Sunday (GB Express).