2001-12-17 - 12:06 p.m.

Belgium was beautiful, and it was a great thing to do for a weekend (when you don't have to work on Monday, that is.) Obviously, as 'tis the season, the city was beautifully decorated, with random Christmas trees on city street corners, decorated with ribbon. The Grand Place is adorned with lights, and an enormous creche, complete with pink and purple and green lightup animals. It was strangely beautiful, though. And as always in Europe, I reveled in the history that lives in all that amazing architecture.

I've spent far too much brain power trying to follow the path that has led America into the land of the McMansion. I realize that America is a baby, that we don't have the ancient architecture that's been standing for centuries. But the settlers came from somewhere, right? How did the aesthetics of living space devolve from stone and wood and leaded glass, graceful curves and turrets, to pre-fab, vinyl sided 4000 square foot monstrosities that feature jacuzzi tubs and faux-marble bathrooms, but no moldings or window frames? It's mind-boggling, really.

Anyway, the boyfriend and I had a great time, and had some serious conversations about our future, and drank lots of beer. We ate at a restaurant chosen solely for the wrought iron gates at the windows, exact copies of the one I use as a headboard, from Morocco.

The flight home was smooth, quicker than expected, and uneventful, with the exception of the mid 60's Italian self-proclaimed playboy sitting next to me, who told me stories of his life and gave me his top secret risotto recipe. This made the boyfriend disgruntled, as last night he asked me when I was going to make him Baron Von Essig's Top Secret World Renowned Porcini Risotto.

And now I'm home, about to go meet P for lunch. This morning I have reconstructed my entire vanished resume, and called everyone on my reference list. I've had a good number of leads, which I expect I'll be following up into January. No jobs, though. My original job-offerer LOWBALLED me when he found out I'd been laid off, which pretty much clinched that decision for me. Sleaze. So I told him no thanks.

Then I'll finish my Christmas cards, go get a little tree and some lights, and get ready for the boyfriends office Christmas party. Sure to provide some good stories.

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