Piggy Toes: A Children's Shoe Boutique

I couldn't think of what to title this blog, so I looked out of the coffee shop I'm at and named it after the first sign I saw. If you'd like to visit this boutique, come on down to the corner of Halsted and Webster!

"Paul, what are you up to these days, you loony laddie?" you ask. Let me tell you, you inquisitive individual.

Here's a picture...in case you're bored already.

If you're still with me, I'll briefly highlight some things going on in my life with categorical headings (as a way for you to overlook the ones you have completely zero interest in and slightly loathe me for placing in the blog).

rē-lō-ˈkā-shən:

Chicago has been home for the last couple years, but shan't be much longer. I have enjoyed the city and experiences therein a great deal.

I wasn't sure where I'd live before going to Slovakia, and I had trouble finding a good full-time job in Chicago. My good friend Kyle Lammott came up to Chicago with his friend Chris from Colorado to get all the stuff moved out of his apartment. While skillfully packing Civil War guns and dangerously heavy desks into a U-Haul truck, I found out that Chris needed help with his construction job.

Long story short: after a couple weeks of correspondence and planning, I have a job and place to stay lined up. I'll be headed to Castle Rock (just south of Denver) later this month. If you're in the Chicago area, let's hang out before I leave.

Here's another picture...in case I'm losing you (AKA a deceitful ploy to keep you reading my blog).

ˈtē ˈdə-bəl-yü ˈär:

That's TWR by the way. A lot of my time has been spent in various coffee shops throughout the city writing emails and letters in preparation for the next chapter of my life. It really has been a huge encouragement hearing back from friends and family and being able to get back into touch with them. It means so much and makes me realize that this is actually going to happen.

A lot of people don't know much of what I'll be doing in Slovakia, and I'm learning more as I go as well. Here is the initial job description I was given in case you're interested:

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR (Short-Term)

Department: Marketing and Communications - Europe
Location: Bratislava, Slovakia

Specific Social Media Coordinator duties will include all or part of the following:

- Initiation of TWR Europe social network presence
- Initiation of 1-2 video productions per year
- Coordination with the HR team on our joint PR plans (e.g., recruiting video, use social networking sites to identify and source candidates)
- Possible internship with RTM Portugal (up to 3 months) - Internet Radio
- Development of clearfrequencyradio.com (not started)
- Development of one radio-based fund raising project (production)
- Writing articles for TWR Europe's webpage
- Assisting with the maintenance of TWR Europe's web content

Please don't feel like you need to support me financially in order to keep in touch with me! :) I'm just excited to stay in touch with people who are interested in my life! I also want to get to know you better as well.

However, if you are interested in partnering with me financially, that would be awesome! The easiest way to avoid the hassle of sending in checks would be to go here. I'm currently at 15% of my monthly support and 35% of my outgoing funds. It's so humbling to be able to see the generosity of people firsthand.

How about another picture? Don't worry, this blog is almost done!

ˈmyü-zik:

As most of you know, I enjoy music. I love finding out about new bands. Please tell me about bands you like, so I can check them out.

I've been listening to a lot of La Dispute recently. Also, I've really enjoyed Hammock, an instrumental band that is perfect background while studying, reading, or writing.

My friends Dru and Guy have been throwing some demos together under the name of College Park. Check out their nifty tunes on their Purevolume page. Not to be outdone, The Jonah Swanson Boys have recorded some new material as well. Ha.

Dealing with Cornerstone withdrawals was more difficult than I anticipated, so I had to hit up Van's Warped Tour when it came into town. I was probably in the oldest 5% of the people there which was fairly disturbing. If you're a sucker for catchy dance tunes like I am, check out Breathe Electric.

ˈfən

With my time in Chicago nearly coming to an end, I'm trying to do a few of the things I've always wanted to do in the city, but never got around to. One of those things was visiting Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower).

So, I did just that. The view was incredible. The glass skydeck enabled you to look straight down 103 floors with nothing but a layer of glass separating you from a long, exhilarating fall to your death. Check out some pics:

That's all for now. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Keep in touch:
Email: p.a.kitchener@gmail.com
Phone: 262.951.8672
Mail: 474 Black Feather Loop #415 Castle Rock, CO 80104
Facebook: facebook.com/pkitch
Facebook Group: Paul to Slovakia
Blog: pkitchener.blogspot.com

Website: twr.org/global_staff/kitchener/
Twitter: kitchenerpaul
Skype: p.a.kitchener