What's up?

Hey everybody! So, this week I will actually be coming back from Spain! I totally forgot to mention anything about it publicly, but, well, now I'm going back. haha!

Anyway, while I was there there was this bakery, I forget its name but it was probably something like La Tienda de Pan or something (haha). What's cool about this is they were having baking sessions where you could actually go in and bake something. I didn't actually bake anything, and really I just thought that was kind of cool. However, speaking of food, I did find a place that looked almost exactly like an American Diner!!

Anyway, going back to before I left, I've already begun shipping Christmas stuff. Actually, maybe I'm late, some of them are going to Australia. Still, I think it's cool that there is a FedEx in the Czech Republic!!

And, just because I feel like this post needs another picture, here is a shot actually for a friend (long story).

So yeah, nothing really interesting going on here. haha! Maybe that's why I don't blog much! Laska! Claire S.

Hi!

Wow, I haven't posted on this blog in so long Blogger even changed!

Hi any of you 150+ people that read my blog!! I am sorry I have not posted anything in the last... well, very long time. I wouldn't say that I've been busy, but I have had a lot going on. Here are just a few highlights:

First off, I've found that I'm speaking English a lot more than I thought I would be here in the Czech Republic. For example, a few days ago I was actually directing a shoot (more on that later), and I had to speak English the whole time. Of course, being from America, this wasn't much of an issue, but I have been speaking Czech rather heavily and forgot a few things. I still made more sense than the actual director, though.

Anyway, so I did end up getting that house in Dobroviz, Middle Bohemia. I actually got it August 5th... sorry!! We have done a little remodeling, mostly by hiring people because neither Morgan nor I (I think that's right) know what we are doing when it comes to remodeling. I think the neatest thing we've done aside from setting up the studios is a whole-house sound system that I can control with my iPad! We were surprisingly able to get Bose speakers, which if you don't know, Bose is one of the best brands in sound. I guess Bose is like Apple: so good, they are international. Or maybe they were imported, I don't know. Morgan handled most of that, ask her. haha!

When we moved in I posted this on Facebook: "Today's agenda: watch a bunch of hunky guys move my stuff into the new house, drive Ferry for a while, get Morgans' Jeep and get some furniture (because, smarties we are, we don't really have any), test the new kitchen with dinner, and head to Rose's (I think) club where a bunch of my friends are holding a party for Morgan and I. Thanks Carmen!!"

Yes, Rose and Carmen and a few of my other friends actually held a party for Morgan and me! It was really cool. I love my friends ;-) Our living conditions are actually really good. Morgan and I sleep in the same bed, but we're used to doing that anyway. We have found that crime is sort of an issue considering we've already been broken into once. ... ... Sorry, I keep thinking I should elaborate on that, but the real story is kind of sickening. Basically, we were broken into while we were home, we... um... -- I'll keep this PG-13 and say threatened -- the robber with weapons (my gun and Morgan's claws and one of her swords), and the guy was arrested. No major harm was caused to anyone, again keeping things PG-13.

Back on the subject of living conditions, however, we have found jobs and the local friend's houses, clubs, and other things (STARBUCKS!!). I should probably clarify that I don't go to clubs to get drunk and act like an idiot. I just like the atmosphere and the music! ...Ok so I might try to get the bartender to get me a cocktail, but only one. Even one messes me up. haha!

Um, let's see... oh yeah, so we both got jobs! Morgan is doing photography and web design, and I'm with a modeling agency that I've only done like 3 shoots with. Speaking of which...

 Ok, so remember the shoot I was talking about earlier, where I had to speak English and whatever? I would hope so, it wasn't that far ago. Anyway, so their director of modeling (or whatever his title is) read over my portfolio and somehow came to the conclusion that I would be great for co-directing a Thanksgiving photo shoot! Why people trust me with things like this I may never know, but it was fun to be only behind the camera instead of both in front of and behind the camera. Anyway, as it turns out, the shoot had nothing at all to do with Thanksgiving, or food, or really anything I was thinking it would be. Then again, I was envisioning hot models wearing turkey outfits. So glad that didn't happen. What the shoot was actually about was America in general. I'm guessing the Czech are beginning to like the Americans more, I don't know. We ended up having models in pretty much everything American: flags, various store and restaurant chains, and I think for part of it they were trying for the Miss America deal. All in all, it was fun!!

Anyway, other random things:

I drove on the Autobahn to Bijou's place in East Germany and went faster than I should have. I think I went like 192 mph or something crazy like that.

More on the modeling job: they said there would be absolutely no nude or 'suggestive' themes, which is good for me. I really wouldn't mind if there were any, though. They did say I may also have a chance to do some acting, which worries me because my best acting parts have been me sitting around or dancing.

I got to spend a few days with my friend Tanya before she left for New Zealand, too! She taught me a few neat recipes for making various things.

Oh yeah... and then we have Morgan and her favorite place, the hospital! Long story short, she was found on the side of the road, driver's side caved in slightly, her laying in front of her Lamborghini, and said car on fire. We aren't really sure what happened, but thankfully, she's ok. She's short about a quarter million dollars, though, but she likes her Jeep more anyway.

Devin, who if you don't know is one of my best friends, has shown me how awesome woodworking can be! He directed me to this show his dad watches in the USA about this guy who does woodworking using non-power tools. It looks like great stress relief, anyway! He warns me that it's a lot of hard work and practice, but my dad was a metalworker and my grandfather was a metalworker... and I think my brother is being trained in welding... Hm. Maybe I'll be a model who also works with metal. haha!

Oh! And I've already had a boyfriend since I've been here. Only problem is, he, like many others, decided to think with the wrong head and got dumped in front of his friends. I really hate dumping guys, especially like that, but I HATE guys like that. Yet for some reason I'm still more for men than women. Only slightly, though.

I found a store full of just totally random things, and I in that store I found what looks to be a stuffed animal kind of thing in the shape of a sperm cell. And right next to that was a notepad with hearts on it. I'm not sure what the store even was, there was random stuff everywhere!

Anyway, I think that's a pretty good summary of what I've been up to. I'm going to try posting more often, too. Trying to remember everything you've done over several months is hard, haha!

Laska!
Claire S.

More houses!

Well, I still have not heard about my offer on the house here in Naples, but from what I understand they won't accept because I was in the US when I did it. Maybe I should just walk down to the realtor's office...

I did find a really nice place in the Czech Republic, too, though, and it's a lot cheaper. It's a modern, low energy home, 1020 square feet with 2 terraces, on about 2.5 acres of land. Asa for rooms... well... it's a bit absurd.

Cloakroom (probably the equivalent of a entry hall kind of thing), 2 living rooms, a kitchen, dining room, 2 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, 3 car garage, warehouse, and clostes galore. It's... awesome. Oh, and it also has a garden and heated pool and deck.

The brick villa (which I think is what it really would be) is located in the village Dobrovíz, a district west of Prague in the Middle Bohemia region. It is fenced in, with the street side having a brick fence and sliding gate with remote control.

I saw this description and figured it would be a million dollar house. But no, it is selling for 5,780,000 korunas, which is 340,000 dollars. That's it.

I'm going to contact the realtor in the morning to see if I can schedule a tour. I might just totally forget about what the house in Italy.

But of course... I like Spain too. I lived there for about 3 months one summer, so I actually know what it's like to live there! And now I know what it's like to live in Italy, and my friends up in the CR say it's a great place, too. Maybe I can find cheap places in all three and live in all three! haha

Not really.

Amore! Laska! Amor! Love,
Claire S.

Over teh Atlanticz!!!

Lol...

So, as you may have guessed, I'm somewhere in the sky over the Atlantic. I am glad I got a plane with wi-fi!! Even if it is super expensive and whatever. (PS- never get planes with wi-fi. it's super slow, hard to get into, and really only good for what I'm doing now: updating from the middle of the Atlantic.) I almost wish I could jump in the ocean, really... but we're really high up and I would die, so not a good idea ;-) And it's cold. And has sharks. Yeah, bad idea.

Anyway, here is our itinerary (sp?):

Depart Tampa at 9:35am. (You can imagine the morning I had)
1 layover in Paris (god knows why...)
Arrive in Naples around 11:50am (yay!!! direct flight!!! And no, it doesn't take 2 hours. that's including time zone changes (according to my calculations, that is).
Total trip time: something like 14 hours over like 5,000 miles.
ALL FOR THE LOW, LOW PRICE OF $2,157!!! ...each. 2 people. Did I mention I had to pay for this?

When we happen to arrive, we don't have a place to stay aside from a friend's house. That's right, I've yet to do anything with the houses I was looking at. What a smart gal I am... but I really think it's for the better. My friend (Rose, for easier typing) has an apartment she'll let us live in for free as long as we don't stay "too long," which knowing her is like 10 seconds. In that time, we will look at for sale by owner places, and probably look like a lesbian couple to every realtor we talk to.

Morgan still isn't even sure about living here, and honestly I'm not either, but once my stuff arrives in... I forget what port it's coming in (probably Naples XD), we can move it around from there. It's just a semi trailer and, though I don't know anyone who drives a truck, I'm willing to bet Rose does and I can get a deal. Maybe. Fingers crossed! I do like Naples, though, so maybe living in a place with an awesome garden (maybe with a few olive trees and grape vines) on the outskirts of town is possible.

I've been asleep for like 10 hours now, and we have a loooooong way to go. And it's my normal time I fall asleep anyway, so I'm still tired. Thankfully, we have the best seats EVAR!!! (not my pic, found online because for once Morgan didn't have a camera on her)

According to the site (and I've yet to find some of these features), I have "access to the aisle -- so there's no need to step over your neighbor anymore. But more important, each seat turns into a bed complete with a mattress and a duvet. And forget fighting for overhead bin space. The seats have their own extra storage right at your feet. Finally, there is a bench facing your seat to invite people to sit and chat during the flight. Other features include: a10.4-inch TV, auto-massage, hi-fi speakers with noise-distortion protection and video on demand."

I noticed the first part when I got on and the next about 10 minutes into the flight. I don't really care much about the space, but Morgan used it for her laptop. The bench is what Morgan decided to fall asleep on for whatever reason she may deem. I have my iPad, so the tv and speakers are not in use, but the massage is awesome. It's also the softest leather seat I've ever sat in. Probably explains the price!

Didn't I say I was going to bed? haha! I may post another sometime later on.

Amo! (may as well start the Italian now, right?)
Claire S.

Moving -- The Plan

Time draws nearer, and I think I have a plan that will work.

I'm talking with a realtor in Naples, Italy. I think that would be a good place to live aside from the constant threat of volcanic eruption. I would have to live somewhere on the outskirts of town because the main part of Naples is... well, messy and crowded. But, it's great weather almost all the time, there is PLENTY to do, and the ocean is the edge of Naples. Only problem is there are a LOT of fees.

The main house I like is really well priced at $515,000. It has 2 floors, 2153 sq ft, 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a balcony, a large kitchen and garage -- everything I really need. I put in an offer at $550,000 just to (hopefully) ensure I get it -- and can afford it. Here are some pics from the website:

Here's the Garden. The path leads to something that looks like a small green door. No idea.

Here's a shot of the house and balcony.

Here's where the remodelling takes place. It's kinda dark and outdated.

I like it, though. And, for its location and price, it's perfect for just one girl and maybe a few boyfriends, hopefully leading to a husband and kids, I don't know. Either way, though, a good find. Of course, I'm looking at others because this one isn't exactly away from the crowd of houses and is right on a somewhat busy street near a big business, But you just never know.

I also found a moving company that can move internationally for a good price. All I need to do is box up stuff, which is mostly done. I found another company to move my cars, too, so it should all work out. I hope.

I already bought plane tickets to go from Tampa to Barcelona, then to Naples. Total: ~$1,800 (I don't remember the actual price).

Housing, moving, and getting there -- I'd say I'm set. Once i get there shouldn't be too hard. I've found all the important stuff: Grocery store, post office, "general" store, etc. I think I'm good. Now to show all my findings to my parents and see if I missed anything ;-)

Laska!

Claire S.



Cheese!

Actually, this will have nothing to do with cheese. It just has a special meaning to me :)

I really just wanted to note that police officers get really bored. Morgan and I decided last night to take our supercars out for a little spin. We decided to rally together a bunch of friends to go with us, so we had this little 2 lane line of my Ferrari, Morgan's Lamborghini, Steph's Porsche (actually her brother's, but who cares?), and Jeremy's Corvette. Darrel also, since he didn't have his Porsche, decided to take his what Morgan calls "Pimp Mobile" out with us. It's one of those cars with a special paint job, awesome sound system, shiny wheels -- pretty much everything but jacked up. He did it to a 350Z, so it's about 13x better than most cars people do that to.

Anyway, so we were driving along, surprisingly obeying the speed limit, doing pretty much everythign right, when 2 cops threw on their lights and sirens behind us. We pulled over, and immediately one of them came up to me. There were 2 officers per car, so we all got a little visit. One of them was actually kind of -- nevermind.

As far as I can tell, they were just checking out the cars. We had all the lights and such, including street lights on 2 cars. Maybe they were making sure we were legal? Anyway, it was a totally pointless stop. That's the second time in the last few months! No warnings, just random checks.

Afterwards, of course, we all went to Starbucks :)

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to Morgan's new bass, Twalvè, a 12 string custom bass/guitar thing. Aside from the price being around a MiniMOOG's price (I think it was about $7,000, actually), it is a really interesting instrument. I've yet to figure out anything along the lines of pickup types or truss rods, but just from what I've seen and heard, it's pretty cool. Of course, Morgan doesn't know how to play a guitar, so she mainly plays the bass part of it. I'm teaching her a little guitar and theory for guitar so that she can play the whole thing and not have wasted a lot of cash, but I have to admit, it is definitely a cool instrument. Maybe not as cool as Pikasso, a 42-string acoustic guitar, but I like it!

Moving -- really, this time!

On July 16, or sometime around then, I plan on moving to Europe. I've wanted to go for a while, actually. I'm thinking of using a past idea and just stay there when my family goes on vacation.

The date is relevant because that's Morgan's birthday, when she turns 18. I'm older by 7 months ;-) She wants to go with me. We've talked about it between not only ourselves, but with her parents, too. Everyone is okay with it!

Even though I've already started looking, I'm going to stay at a friend's house in Prague until I get a house. My parents said I can keep all of my money (which still leaves them with more than enough to live luxuriously for the rest of their lives), so I don't need a job immediately, but having one would be nice. I'm looking to live either in Germany, Prague, or Italy, the last two are at the top of my list though because I can't speak German. I'm mainly looking in Italy, though, because it's both the easiest language and I have a lot of friends there.

I have a lot of moral support in Europe, west Asia, and north Africa, due to all the friends I've made, most of which live in central Europe.

The only problem I have is trying to move all of my stuff across an ocean. I've talked to various people and I have two options: air or sea. I'm thinking air because it's faster, but I also have two cars, a whole music studio, and my bedroom to move. The good thing is that I don't have much: In my bedroom I have a bed, dresser, a chair, nightstand, and stuff in my closet. That's it. My studio has a lot in it, but it can probably pack up small considering most of it is kinda attached to the house (like, say, soundproofing, lighting, and recording booths).

Morgan is about the same, but only 1 car and a photography studio, which is really small. She doesn't really have her own bedroom even, considering she usually sleeps with me.

I think that, aside from things that happen when we move (exchange currency, ID's, things like that), I'm set. I've already packed the non-essentials, which includes a lot of my studio.

I just hope I'm ready for this...

1/31/11

Www-OW I haven't posted in a while. Like a month.

So far, my January has been okay. At the end of every month, Morgan (my best friend) and I do what we call "Black Blanket Reflection" which, aside from being an amazing song title, is when we reflect on what we did the last month under, obviously, a black blanket. Here's pretty much a good summary:

• In the beginning of the month, I had huge sleeping problems. Not sure why.
• I had my hopefully last growth spurt, which, among other things, grew my breasts close to another cup size larger
• I started playing more games
• I got pulled over for no reason*
• I contracted influenza, which I think I am mostly overwith now.
• And, just the other day, I hit my Mercedes CLK and have to replace the bumper and fender. Yay...

*Funny story, really. I was driving around doing errands for my mom when I saw a police car with its lights on behind me. I pulled over, and it turns out he was after me! While he was walking up, I saw that he was looking at my car (I was driving Ferry, by the way), but not really the plate. When I asked him why he pulled me over, he first tried to say I was driving a stolen car. I told him to run the plate, and he came back saying he was wrong. Then he asked where I got the car, and I said from my dad. I then asked if he wanted to check it out, and he said yes. I think I know why I was really pulled over :)

Aside from that, not much has gone on. Morgan's band finally started producing songs, but to be honest, the two songs they have sound so different, I think at least one is a fake. They sound good, at least!

How has your January been?

Love,
Claire S.

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year everybody! And, for those of you like me, Happy Birthday! And if you are really like me, Happy 18th!

Sorry, the holiday season is always busy for me, considering we travel a lot and have a lot of people to deal with. But, just because it's busy, it doesn't mean it's not boring! Now that I think about it, not much really happened. Let's see, Nick came down, we went to Idaho for a couple days to visit family over the New Year's days, and... yeah, aside from a lot of cooking, that's about it!

Dad said I shouldn't be too excited about being 18. He says that it's the start of putting 3rd grade to use with finances. He gave me one gift: a going away card which read. "To whom it may concern, I hereby grant my daughter, Veronica Erin Schiaparelli-Slater, the right to move out whenever she pleases, and to not come back unless to visit." I laughed.

Going to Idaho was fun. Kinda. Ok, maybe not really. It was cold and I barely knew anyone we visited. Thankfully, we brought morgan along, so I had SOMETHING to do, even if it was just saying how bored we were.

In case you didn't know, Nick is like the perfect enemy. I only met Nick through Morgan, and I really wish I'd never met him. Let's just say our relationship went like this flow chart:

Paint makes that really easy :) Not to mention less emotional, which, trust me, is good ;-)

Hope you had a good holiday season!

Love,
Claire S.