Mercurial Moose

I was planning to blog yesterday. Yesterday was good. Yesterday was great. It was like the story of the man who asked why he was banging his head against a wall replied, "Because it feels so good when I stop." Well, yesterday, I got to stop for a whole 26 hours, and it felt so good.

On a wave of euphoria - tomorrow is a holiday after all - I returned to the office. The cleaning folks had been in during my one day absence (yes, I worked Sat. again), another good thing. Discussed the project with the boss and settled in to make the last graphs for our 1 o'clock, only to discover a mistake I had made which invalidates everything I spent Saturday doing. Fixing it produces a system from which I can no longer get results, so now I am fiddling again with the meeting getting ever closer.

But back to lovely yesterday . . .
I was bound and determined to get out and about before the never-ending rain that I am quite convinced is coming sets in. So we biked 20 km through the woods to the in-laws instead of taking the train. We made the trip in a little over an hour and fifteen, down 45 minutes from our trip last year. A chance to revel in biking skills regained, to earn the pile of divine potato salad to which I greedily helped myself at lunch. Forty km later, I had a little pain in my knee and rear and a very sleepy husband. Not a bad day's work, that.

Whiplash to the present moment. . .
Well our appointment dude is coming 2 hours late and after that, I am supposed to aquaint myself with a new piece of software, so that I can fix "the problem".

There go my plans of getting out of here in time to buy food, and activity that didn't make it onto the schedule on Saturday and of which there is no chance tomorrow. Also visions of disappearing Workers holiday.

Not to worry; the software is lost. It must be sent from an office in another city. Whew! No way it can get here before Wednesday.

Horrors! The software can be sent via email!

So it's Saturday . . .

and I am at work, but that is OK, 'cause I knew in advance I would be here and made sure that D. and I went out for dinner last night (and got a little tipsy on a Spanish wine I like). Other reasons, it's not so bad to be working:
1) One roadblock in my insane mini-project got cleared last night - and I found one of the solutions myself (yey me!)
2) Glorious weather and my office window overlooks the garden of the next building.
3) No one else here. No phones, no construction noise.
4) I slept a whole two hours late today.
5) D. is working today anyway (It's training, not school, but attendance is mandatory.)
6) I don't have to be here tomorrow. (A huge relief.)

My commute - bike 15 min, switch to train 5 min, train 23 min, switch to bike 10 min, bike 10-15 min is so pleasant - invigourating, relaxing - when the weather is fabulous.

Random -"I won't ever fit in here entirely" (Not that there's anything wrong with that!) thoughts of the day :

1) I will not be putting one of those little triangular neckerchiefs that scream "I am a German" on any future child of mine.

2) Germans go jogging in soccer sneakers - ow!

And I discovered something amazing this morning -


The folks over at Hope is Emo are geniouses. I only listened to the audio today in the train (new ipod, love it love it, love it).

Becuase I can't leave that ugly post sitting there. . .

A Photo

Farmers market in Freiburg some months ago. The olives were awesome.

Something in the water

We knew it was coming; my sister-in-law is expecting. I am surprised how much of a loop we've been thrown for. So many little monsters rearing their heads - my job, moving, etc. stand in the way for us and the clock ticks away in the background. I considered not having kids for the first time today - I honestly don't know how we would manage it. In all likelihood, it's just a bad reaction to other people appearing to have their lives in order (well paying permanent jobs from which they will not get fired and at which they are entitled to part-time work).

And the loud, demanding, and somehow endearing cat of Christmas planning fame has was euthanized after animal medicine ran out of answers for him while we were on vacation. I cried and felt silly for crying about an animal I barely knew and didn't much like, but perhaps I was lucky that there was an acceptable outlet for tears in light of all the unacceptable reasons for tears (see paragraph 1).

Things are a wee bit out of whack here at chez Moose and I am too down in the dumps to critically assess what I would have to do to be happy. Everything on my "what i need to do to be happy" list is impossible because of work, and because all my other applications resulted in rejection letters, I am not feeling fired up to go find another job - it would also further delay other things (see paragraph 1). So ends another weekend spent, largely in bed, recovering from or dreading the return to work.

My guy is great, but even saints have their limits plus he's not without his own paragraph 1 issues himself.

On a lighter note, we watched a French movie "Tanguy" last night - what a giggle! Two hoofs up!

shout-outs (shouts-out?) to Micah, who will always be my Lord of the Peeps.

I would explain, but how do you explain a peep torture contest that culminates in an iron maiden designed for peeps and consisting of the core of a toilet paper roll, industrial staples and electrical tape? It would seem that there are others with this unhealthy obsession with Easter candy -
the evidence (Hat tip - Ironic Catholic).

And from Micah -



Sorry there's not German "translation".

Ack! ack! . . . ack!

How can we be back? How can I have to get up for work in 4 hours .. . . for a job that pays me less than what a scholarship student gets after taxes?



But do I deserve your sympathy? The photos to the left would seem to indicate that a "no" is in order. (In fairness, we spent only 45 minutes at that pool.) CR was beautiful, but not without its prickles. More on that later. Much more, much later.

Give me 1 hour in the office tomorrow and I will be planning what I want to pack for a return to the States. Not making my stopover in New York into my final destination was extremely difficult. My city of residence in Germany has always made me so happy until now, but today - despite sun and a nearly empty streetcar, there was nothin.

I only have to do this for a year - and that must be managable.

We're on our last day in the "mothership" - so much left undone and that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomache although I know that tomorrow at lunch I will be with good friends I haven't seen for months. My hair is softer, my skin is clearer - is it the chlorine, the soft water, the Dail soap, or is it just home?

The NJ DMV is populated by at least a few idiots. How many of you know what to do with an umlaut in English? Mueller - anyone? That's not what the fine folks at Motor Vehicle Services thought. My marriage certificate (already in English) would have to be translated by the consulate. I explained that they do not, nor have they in the recent past offered translation services, but she was not to be moved. So we called New York. U umlaut to UE is common sense and everyone knows that - there is nothing we can do for you.

So we were sneaky and evil and went to another office. No problem. She squinted, she asked her supervisor and she issued me my new license.

vici, vici, vici

Life has been so hectic. I am sorry for not blogging and not responding, but here I am taking the last train in this morning and I have to leave early this afternoon to buy Manhattan eye shadow at DM, which apparently isn't available in Costa Rica. :) It's ok, Laura.

The girlie weekend was great. I think I will be chewing on some stuff for a long time. And now, I will be disappearing again til I am back on the other side of the pond.

take care - bis bald!

O brave new world, that has such people in it!

I saw some Hasidic Jews (sp?) in the train tonight - they weren't speaking English but my initial reaction was the same as I have often had with African-American looking people here (who then turned out not to be African American).

I think --- ooooh someone like me! I feel like I am home when I see them. My only conversation I ever had with actual Americans here outside of the University didn't go well. They were really jerky to me (and not members of the aforementioned groups). Sometimes a girl just gets a little homesick.

And then the guy in the seat in front of me was carrying a backpack from teh 6th annual international conference for toxic cyanobacteria.

Perhaps diversity isn't only to be found at home.

*** I am sure this offended someone, and that isn't my intent. I realize the ridiculousness of the feeling and that's why I am even mentioning it. Even if the gentlemen I saw in the train were from NYC, I doubt they would appreciate my enthusiasm. I've seen more people here with turbans than I have with unshaved side-burns.

Beware the Ides of . . .Oops, too late!

Actually, everything was ok. The worst thing I did today was not be able to understand someone's name on the phone. After having asked him to repeat the company name, I just gave up. Unfortunately, the person for whom the call was intended decided he would call back and it wasn't who he thought it was (right company, wrong guy). Situation, ultimately resolved, but I cannot understand a thing people say at the start of a telephone call - yes, that part of the call where they announce themselves and generally mention everything I need to be writing down in all of 0,35 s.

But really, that's not that bad. No, it's not my job to answer the telephone, but everyone is supposed to if the secretary is busy, and at the moment, she's not busy, she's recovering from a car accident.

On to Caesery-like thinks. . .
The Ides of March is about the only thing I am superstitious about. We read a heap of Shakespeare in highschool and a long time ago in college, the comedy theater group ran a fundraiser where you could donate and "betray" a friend on the Ides of March. Fill in the "Name of the Betrayed" and the appropriate lecture and lecturer and if permission was obtained a group in togas entered your lecture, announced that you had been betrayed and proceeded to "stab" you with plastic forks. Someone in my class betrayed our unsuspecting prof. Dr. Otto, not that you will ever read this, but you are a good sport.

I proceeded to get into a serious car accident on the Ides of March that year, for which I was responsible and in which, thankfully I was the only person hurt and not seriously. I had too many people at the hospital to take me home and I still have the stuffed bunny my friend Micah gave me. It is one of my most prized possessions - a reminder that there are people who will still love me, no matter what kind of mistakes I make. (and it was a mistake - inexperience and a badly designed intersection which has subsequently been completely realigned).

Not much new in Moose-land. The weekend was full of driving. Autobahn and city driving on Saturday- more starting on a hill on Sunday. I managed to stall out down town, but this time my hysterics were all on the inside. This is important :).

Work is better and worse. Despite my many revisions and D's revisions, nothing remains of the report I wrote. The report was entirely re-written by the boss. The aren't acting like they are going to fire me - they wouldn't be spending this much time with me if they didn't feel it was still possible for it to work out.

Even thinking worst case scenario - Reasons to stay as long as I can there
1.) I can view it as a short course, I am learning so much, plus I will get a little money out of it.
2.) I need it for my resume.
3.) If it gets really bad, we can adjust our life planning - but not until I've stuck it out a while.
4.) It is better now than it was the first few days.

Not enough sleep and D. is out of town. I am taking my first night off in a while and indulging in a little DSG9, the silliest show in German TV.

In other news:
I saw a man in full-on Lederhose this morning in the train station. I don't live in Bavaria-it was the equivalent of seeing someone dressed like Big Bird walking through the train station.

I shared my commute with a friend this morning who was on his way to the airport. Lucky surprise that I took a later train.

Does anyone know of anything fun to do half-way between Philly and DC? (Something my vegetarian friends can do - so a crab restaurant is out.)

It's all about being ready to drive someone else's standard shift car from a red light on a hill. I haven't entirely got the two feet, two hands, hand-brake thing down. Fortunately, I err on the careful side and stall instead of rolling backwards.

Work was really bad the past few days. (Almost fell in the bedroom last night trying to get around the drying rack - I regained my balance and didn't knock my head against a drawer. I was sorry I couldn't get myself krankgeschriben. Now that's a bit messed up.) Today was not as bad and I feel nearly euphoric. Wacky, huh? We found a binder that had been missing.

Again - today was alright. We will see. So on to some other stuff.

Why are things for little girls marketed in the exact same color of pepto bismol pink all over the world?

Does champions league soccer really matter to anyone?

I met my husband for the first time two years ago tomorrow. :)

and to wrap it up
International Frauentag, Schmauentag

On the autobahn as a driver for the first time ans lived to tell the tale. . . well at least to report it here. Spent some time the past two days with farmers - wow, is that an dialect to deal with. Some strange goings on with a colleague as well. Does he keep directing me inappropriately because he doesn't know himself? Boy, I sure hope so.

Practiced driving for 2.5 hours tonight. I still stall out when I have to use the hand brake starting on a hill. Otherwise, it is generally going well.

Yesterday, slept a lot, went grocery shopping. Today slept late again, went to lunch at the in-laws, practised driving (got to get used to the whole manual transmission thing), and now I am spending a couple of hours working on translation tasks. As my week nights now consist of showering and laying out clothes and lunch for the following day before going to bed, I had better wrap up what I can and announce the end of my availability for this kind of work.

Re water contained in tall structures and towns containing such structures.
I have no idea what the place is like. It's only day 2, but I may get to know the place well. I may well be spending 12 hours a day there.

sorry so stressed, but i gotta go

So I am not fired yet. Everyone was really nice, but I knew that already. What remains to be seen is whether I am up to the tasks that will be mine. I came home and cried, a lot, but I am feeling a bit better now. Tomorrow is Friday, after all, so there is a lower limit even if I am going to start working on my first report. First day, two projects and no clue.

On the way home, I walked around a bit. There was a symbol of the city I was in that was illuminated and the wet pavement around it shone in the light and it was also clear that this job just one part of life and even if it lasts a few years, it won't be forever. As long as I am happy with where I am going at the end of the day, and I am than I can keep slogging, at least for the moment.

It's a bird! It's a plane! But this being Germany,

it's not Superman! That's right folks, it's

1 More Day

of unemployment, of vacation, of being my own boss. I have filled the past few weeks with tasks I had been putting off for another day - the visit to the Frauenartzt, tomorrow's visit to the dentist, travel vaccinations, a visit to a friend living out of town, and translation, translation, translation. Today, I headed off my former place of work to have lunch with my former colleagues, do a bit of (who'da thunk it) translation work and say "good-bye". Good-bye because every one of my now preciously limited vacations days are now spoken for for the rest of the calendar year and I don't know when I will see them again.


D. obviously thinks that my stress level isn't high enough - we're now watching die Weisse Hai - i.e. Jaws. I was going to make a snarky comment about bad German movie title translations, but we decided that "Kiefern" wouldn't have made much of a movie.

Here are two views from yesterday, a grey day in BW and friends on the way to a baby-bubbles class.

Is it me . . .

or do Americans not care at all about the Bernstein Zimmer? It seems to come up as a topic of "unsolved mysteries"-type shows here and I had never heard of this in the States.

Bist Du narrisch!!

For those of you who don't read Margaret Marks' excellent "Transblawg" from which I have gotten some excellent pointers, swing on by for a tale of library books, the Fall of the Wall and a story that most would only believe if the protagonists are Germans.

There was an episode of Tatort on last night on SWR. Der Biensle und schäbische/allemanische Fasnet - it rocked, but was I paying attention? Nooo. Uncle Sam and I had a date with Forms 2555 (x2) and W7 and 1040 and schedules A and B (lions and tigers and bears, oh my!). The lovely, lovely State in which I am domiciled allows me to file as a non-resident and to use a different filing status than the federal filing status, so it appears that there is light at the end of the tunnel, after all, but I have no idea how immigrants wade through the paperwork when I find it challenging to understand exactly what has to go in box X.

Our own Fasching adventures were anything but, so I am posting a photo from our trip to Weil am Rhein last year. It was amazing and significantly less lame than endless cartloads of Gardetänzerinnen who don't dance and throw candy to Schlagermusik.

Yes, yes, they are talented young athletes, but I want a spectacle if you are going to expect me to stand on the street and try to avoid loosing an eye as hard candy sails through the air. Give me Guggenmusik any old day. And chocolate.