Leaving On a Jet Plane...

Takes Two To Tango

Well, aren't we clever?

We now have two days remaining until we board the plane and set off to the old country.

It's my bubbe!!!

This is, for many of us, a trip home. Our ancestors came to America from Europe, seeking refuge or a better life. Our families left Europe when Europe was a place plagued by antisemitism and a hierarchical society built solely to benefit the nobility. Europe was a place to get out of... and now it is a place to go to...

So fellow travelers, as we migrate from city to city, let us remember those that came before us. Let us remember the brilliant histories of the places we are visiting and of our ancestors who once lived there. There is no doubt in our minds that this trip is going to be full of fun, but let us not be afraid to let this trip be serious as well.

................

There is no way to make un-awkward transition from that last paragraph. So this is it.

TWO DAY TWO DAYS TWO DAYS TWO DAYS.

To life, to life, l'chaim
#watchfiddlerontheroofpeople

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

            So we got a little lazy… but lets be honest, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Didn’t you miss us? Just think of the three days left that we have until we board our flight to Amsterdam then you will understand what real longing feels like. First off, we would like to put out a disclaimer on the Moby-Dick blog post. We hate to point fingers (Greg), but that was not the planned post for that night. While you were wasting your time reading that, searching for a comical ending or one-liner you actually just spent ten minutes reading an analysis of a book about a whale (sorry desi, but come on in reality it’s a book about a whale #whatssobadabouttakingthingsatfacevalue?)

            We probably should make up for lost time and write all the posts that we missed but guess what…IT’S SUMMER!!!! #FUTRIN #stickittotheman #deadlines?

            Okay so we now have three days left and our eagerness is mounting just as much as the pile of clothes sitting on my bed that I need to fit into a duffel without exceeding 70 pounds #thesearerealproblems #reallyeasyjetaweightlimit #whydoshoesweighsomuch. But can we just say you better weigh your bag before getting to the airport because 1. While patience is a virtue, time is of the essence so put and extra Lesportsac Duffel inside your suitcase #wylieandnicole and 2. As we said before mo math mo problems #lidaicanyoucomewithus?

            So as promised #sydney, here are the top three things to remember when traveling in Europe:

1 1.   Make a copy of your passport #juliayoucouldntfindyourtraintickets #wealreadyknowyouwilllooseyourpassport #weloveyoujef

2 2.   Take lots of pictures #tanlinesmayfadebutmemoriesareforever #deletetheinappropriateonesofthecreepyeuropeanmakingtimewithyourfriend #werenotnamingnames

3 3.  Be safe #dontworryguysiamacertifiedlifeguard #thejewel #wherearewe #thankgodalexaishere

As the summer days drag on and the temperature continues to increase (I mean really mother nature 100 degrees) enjoy the moments of serenity cause soon enough there will be no downtime #letsseehowmanymuseumsweareactuallygonnamakeitto #DONNY #pubcrawl

Peace and Love,

Nikk*e and Samm*e

P.S Piddler’s contract is being worked out, she will be back soon due to popular demand

P.P.S game of thrones is the sh*t #winteriscoming #imp #scifyrules

Best show eva! #butwenowknowwhyguyslikeitsomuch

Moby Dick.

Five.

Wylie's Wisdom 

MOBYYYYYYYY. YOLO.

Our class discussions from the past week have gotten me thinking more about Chapter 64: Stubb’s Dinner. At the beginning of the chapter, Fleece is preaching to the sharks, giving them a moral lesson: share with your neighbor. He is also presenting the message that the more capable and stronger sharks should help the meek, the sharks with smaller mouths. He is openly acknowledging that he is preaching. What’s interesting about this is that Fleece wants the sharks to recognize that the whale is not theirs to take and they should not feel entitled to the whale. I think that Fleece’s sermon to the sharks is actually a larger commentary on the irony of whaling and the politics of the human social hierarchy.

In his effort to make peace amongst the sharks, Fleece preaches, “ ‘Now, look here, bred’ren, just try wonst to be cibil, a helping yourselbs from dat whale. Don’t be tearin’ de blubber out your neighbour’s mout, I say. Is not one shark good right as toder to dat whale? And, by Gor, none on you has de right dat whale; dat whale belong to dat whale?”  In this excerpt, Fleece is implying that even though it goes against their nature to share with and treat their fellow sharks with kindness, they should still make an effort to do so. Just like the sharks, the whalemen feel entitled to the whales and their resources. This is ironic because why then, should the humans feel entitled to the whale? It seems that the crew is quick to apply strict religious values on other people, in this case animals, but when it comes to their own lives being affected, they don’t apply those same values to themselves. They don’t realize that they are hypocrites. The whale meat belongs to neither party.

 “‘Well done, Old Fleece, that’s Christianity; go on,’” Stubb calls out sarcastically. He is not expressing genuine appreciation for religion at all, but commenting on the entertainment value he gets when watching Fleece talk to the sharks. Then, Fleece says “‘no use goin’ on; de dam willains will keep a scrougin’ and slappin’ each oder, Massa Stubb; dey don’t hear one word; no one a-preachin’ to such dam g’uttons as you call ‘em, till dare bellies is full, and dare bellies is bottomless…’” It is possible that Fleece is making an ironic reference about society. His situation as a black cook who has just been disturbed in the middle of the night to not only cook whale meat but also perform like a jester for the most intolerant and rude mate onboard demonstrates the imbalance of nautical and social groups. The word “bottomless” shows the insatiable nature of the whaling industry. No matter how successful one voyage is, they will return to sea, striving to kill even more whales. Stubb’s constant commands and inability to recognize the message in Fleece’s sermon indicates that perhaps this is a reasonable attribute of the typical whaleman. When Fleece calls Stubb “massa,” Melville is referring to the unfair power dynamic onboard. From his commands and complaints about the cooking of his steak, Melville is demonstrating Stubb’s disrespect for Fleece’s old age. This scene is a clear example of how the American social hierarchy of this time is mirrored on the Pequod. 

Happy D-Day

Yes, we are very excited for our Odyssey across the Atlantic Ocean, but we would be lying if we said we weren't going to miss those crazy men we call our fathers. Thanks for everything Padres. We love you more than words will let us say. Literally, pretty sure we have a word limit on this thing. We are proud to call ourselves Daddy's Girls.

Jimmy and Ron, stay fresh, stay fly, we'll see you in Europe.

Lovingly Yours,
Nikk*e and Samm*e

<3 <3 <3 <3

P.S   I'm a Daddy's Girl, In a Daddy's World
        Life with you is fantastic
        You pay my school and drive me everywhere
        Imagination we are your creation!

(Set to the tune of "Barbie Girl") Oh the songs of our youth; how creative we once were....

Passion for Fashion

Seven.

One week in counting. Time really does go by faster when you have a blog you need to update everyday. Now that we can almost count the days until we leave on one hand (yay math!) it is time to start thinking critically about the most important part of this trip….the wardrobe. Let’s be honest, being culutured can only get you so far when chatting it up in the clurb (aka “club”). Do the fellas really care about if you know that the Mona Lisa was painted from 1503-1519 by Leonardo da Vinci and hangs in the Lourve? (#APArtHistory #Alwaysmakedonnyproud) Let me be candid; they really don’t. This sad but true fact, might be shocking to the intellectual recent graduate of “The Trin”. Nowhere did we learn in our endless readings for Berko and Muniz that in some situations in life looking good is better than sounding smart (Gasp); afterall we did show up in sweatpants and t-shirts. Well we did learn one useful thing at the trin and that is not to generalize so let me retract that previous statement and change it to: most, but not all of us wore sweatpants and t-shirts to school.

So in honor of the seven days we have to wait in anticipation, here is a list of seven items that are a must-have on our trip (aren't you happy these lists are getting shorter)

1. Mophie Battery-Charging Iphone Case #Sammyyouneedthis #skylerwasser #PInuffsaid
2. YSL Tributes #beckywillfallonthecobblestonestreets #skinnedknees #EDCproblems
3. Tight Dress #hervelegerismything #hatersgonnahate #bigbooty
4. Short Shorts #dotheselookgood? #kaybaybayrocksthespandex
5. Day Dress #imtolazytoputogetheranoutfit #jeanshortsgivemeawedgie #ilikethebreeze
6. Bag with a zipper #Barcelona #wearegoingtogetmugged #whyisntalexaheretofigureoutwhatodo
7. Lulu lemon workout clothes #biketours #justasksydneyifyoudonthaveany #whyamisweating

Obviously, there is so much to think about when packing especially the weight of your bag. So make sure you betches have an extra duffel for all of the clothes you acquire cause we are so not dealing with overweight luggage problems. Remember, don’t put your stuff together last minute because just like with your prom dress, you want your friends opinions (even though your mother is the only person who will ever tell you the honest truth).

Fashionably Yours,

Nikk*e and Samm*e

P.S Everyone should buy the song “Seize the day”, it’s inspiring which obviously means its Disney. NEWSIES LOOKS AMAZING. Eurodisney here we come!!!!! (sorry guys)

P.P.S Thank you to our Canadian viewer!!! We love Canada! (call me maybe?)

It's us! 

seize the day! #eurotrippin #yolo

Preparing for Take-Off

Eight.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now only eight days away from leaving the land of the free and the home of the brave. It is time to start legitimately thinking about this trip. This trip is no longer in the hypothetical but in the actual. Time to roll up our sleeves ladies. Roll em' up.

Since flu powder has yet to be proven effective in the muggle world, the only way to Amsterdam (our first stop lego) is by plane. The flight from New York City to Amsterdam is approximately 7.10 hours (let's round up to 8 hours so this blog post has some consistency). 8 hours. That's a lot of hours. So, it now seems necessary to determine how we are going to pass those 8 hours. Here's what we're thinking....

1. Take a sleeping pill. #alexa #highinthesky #literally
2. Watch an entire season of Game of Thrones. #ripnedstark #winteriscoming #HBOillmissyou
3. Annoy the person next to you. #whatchyadoingpid? #stophittingyourself
4. Annoy the flight attendants by continuously asking for more Diet Coke. #onemoreplease #0cals
5. Start the mups early. #blackandwhitereallycapturesthemomenttaketwo #peoplelookdumpsleeping
6. Read a super intellectual book. #yourenotfoolinganybody #desideriono
7. Read a super trashy book. #nowweretalking #desiderioyes
8. Plan your city. #youshouldhavealreadydonethat #youregettingvotedofftheisland

Hopefully we won't have a Lost moment and get stranded on some island in some parallel universe. That would never happen. Maybe...

Stay fly,
Nikk*e and Samm*e

p.s. A shout out to our companion and cat-lover pstar. We hear she is being abused by young children in the Berkshires. Apparently she is being forced to play a game called "Hit the Goon" where young children hit her with a ball to receive candy. We feel for you pstar, and admire you for your perseverance. Just remember, Paris shopping. Paris shopping.

p.p.s JUICY SWEATPANTS ARE IN AGAIN. LOVE P&G.

SO COMFY!!!

The Countdown Continues

Nine.

1.     One less than ten. #lidaiwouldbeproud #goprecalc

2.     Hours on the Amsterdam bike tour. #thankskaybaybay #soulcycle?

3.     Chances to live… if you’re a cat. #perrywithouthercats #sadness

4.     Carrie’s attempts to sound like a native. #yousoundlikeyourefromlondon

5.     Times someone asks, “How do I look?” #youlookfine #letsgo

6.     Minutes people last in the art museums. #makedonnyproud

7.     Macaroons eaten in one sitting in Paris. #prefrosh10 #morelike20

8.     Meetings at Becky’s house. #lennys? #wegotnothingdone

9.     Days until we take Europe. #wheresandycohen? #bravorealityshow

We hope that our second post lives up to the hype surrounding this blog. We want to express our gratitude to all of our dedicated readers (our parents), especially our international German friend. Whoever you are, please send this blog on. You creep us out only a little bit. How did you find this blog? Seriously. Just kidding, we love our international friends. We hope to make some more in Europe (hint, hint, nudge, nudge). Oh Canada. PI memories.

A message to our travel companions: start working out. We will be enduring several bike tours on our trip and we will need to be at the peak of our physical capabilities. 

See ya’ll at Soul Cycle,

Nikk*e and Samm*e

Every Rose has its thorn

Actual Euro Trash

p.s. Don’t forget to see Rock of Ages tonight at midnight, and don’t stop believing. Never stop believing. EURO DISNEY. Just kidding, we’re so not going there. Sorry nikki blake.

Another Note from the Piddler

Today I don’t feel like doing anything. I just want to lay in my bed. Don’t feel like picking up my phone so leave a message at the tone because today I swear I’m not doing anything. Nothing at all. Bruno European tour is happening right now. Anyone want to get me a gift? (The German viewer perhaps?)

 

The Countdown Begins

Ten.

Let's break it down.

1. A number. #sorrylidaiitssummer #momathmoproblems
2. Pairs of underwear we will schlepping to Europe #morelike50
3. Antibiotic prescriptions Nikki Blake will have in her suitcase. #isthatlegal? #drugcartel
4. The time Sydney wakes up. NAHT. #morelike12 #we'releavingyouifyou'relate
5. The number of people who will make it to the bike tours. #hijulia
6. The amount of shopping bags Wylie will be taking home. #where'sallie? #where'sintermix?
7. Times Chuck calls the hotels to have a safety bar installed. #thejewel
8. Number of times Sammy says, "Let's put this on the blog!" #iwrotethisformyself
9. Instagrams Kate takes on the plane. #blackandwhitereallycapturesthemoment
10. Number of days til these crazy betches take Europe. #watchout #getoutwhileyoucan

Ten days seems like a long time, but with the amount of planning and packing we have to do we don't doubt that it will go by fast. If you're reading this in Europe, we suggest that you make plans to evacuate the continent. We will be starting in Amsterdam and making our way to Berlin, Prague, Barcelona, and Paris. It's going to be a wild ride, and hopefully we'll have wifi so we can assure our readers (our parents) that we are indeed still living.

Tan lines may fade, but memories last forever. No regrets. Let's do this.

Culturally yours,
Nikk*e and Samm*e


p.s. Go see Peter and the Star Catcher. EURO DISNEY!!!!!!!

It's us!

Euro Trash

 A Note from the Piddler 
Ladies, get excited because the Euro is very weak right now (#mathaward). What does that mean? Less bucks more croissants. (#justkiddingstephyk).