I gots busy. Good thing I keep notes! Run-down of my life the past few weeks according to my planner:
6 June
Nothing.
7 June
Nothing.
8 June
Extend visa, catch fever, sleep and drink lots of fluids.
9 June
Pick up train tickets to Rome.
WELTMEISTERSCHAFT BEGINS!!!! GERMANY V. COSTA RICA 4-2 WHOOO!!!
10 June
Train to Rome: leave Augsburg 20:06, switch in Munich 21:03
11 June
Little brother's birthday.
Arrive in Rome 8:09. Meet Camilla at train station, breakfast at cute bakery, little tour of Rome (Piazza Navona, which has an awesome fountain, Campo di Fiori, Piazza Venezia), lunch with grandparents, Italian food is awesome, meet friend Adriana and go to Osservatoria di Monte and San Pietro, get pizza, go to concert, have trouble finding club for concert, get mini-pizzas to become a Real Roman, sleeeeeep.
12 June
Colosseum and ruins, Circo Massimo, Mouth of Truth, relax in park, gelato, WM FUSSBALL ITALY V GHANA ITALY WINS
13 June
San Luigi de Francese (awesome Carravaggio paintings), Pantheon, hang out in park, meet up with Dario and go to Gianicolo to see an awesome view, go to Olympic Stadium which is weird because of facism, dinner, watch Brazil v. Croatia, I hate Brazil, meet Camilla's uncle who was visiting
14 June
sightseeing: Piazza del Popolo, Via del Baubino (monkey street heehee), Piazza di Spagna, Trinita del Monti, Via Condotti, Fontana di Trevi, Quirinale, hang out with Camilla's friend Chicca who has access to tv in English!, giant dinner with 9 Italians who talk fast while Germany and Poland play a terrible game except then Germany got a goal in the 91st minute and won yay.
15 June
Meet another of Camilla's friends at Villa Borghese, hang out in pretty park, shop a little, it is HOT HOT HOT, come home to chill because of heat, make Adam give me play-by-play on England v. Trinidad and Tobago since I can't watch it, notice that Adam hates England, dinner with Camilla's grandparents delicious, watch last half of Paraguay v. Sweden which is yet another of those games where no one decided to score until the final minute (Sweden did), hang out with Camilla and her parents and talk about American history
16 June
Supposed to meet another Hampster (current student one year ahead of us) but can't find him on his cell phone, lazy lazy, see some churches and the river and stuff, go to party at Camilla's friend's house, thankful for the few people who can manage English conversations while drunk, want to speak German when drunk, go home and crash
17 June
Buy postcards and the like, be lazy, get train 21:55, Italy plays US, Italy sucks, final score 1-1 because US doesn't suck as badly as anticipated
18 June
Supposed to get into Augsburg 9:20, train is later than late, finally get back at 11 or so, come home, instead of dying, watch football. Croatia v. Japan is the worst game ever that ends 0-0 because Croatia and Japan are both terrible even though I had such hopes for Croatia after they held their own against Brazil. Brazil v. Australia, hate Brazil but Australia can't get a ball into an empty goal so no idea what to begin with this game. Father's day in US but not in Germany.
19 June
Forgot that my alarm clock lives in another time zone, overslept and missed German, not tragic. Discover I have no Reli, decide waiting nearly 2 hours for Bio is not worth it, so only a double-period of English. Read some sweet little story about an old-timey British boy's first girlfriend, doodle TMBG lyrics all over it. Realize that Germans don't quite get the meanings of deserve, impress. Decide to let it go. Spend newfound freetime planning Hampshire courses for next year, make lots of lists and point systems, have trouble committing, anyone who wants to help please e-mail me.
20 June
Arrive at school to find it covered in white curtains, loud music playing, people in Scrubs standing on roof talking into loudspeaker. Realize this is the famed Abistreik, something like a senior prank. Dance party without actual dancing instead of first 4 periods of school. Have to go to history, nobody pays attention. Have to go to Sozi, Herr Lang doesn't want to work either, discuss Abistreik, look at picture, have argument about whether "park bench" implies simply a certain type of bench, which may or may not be in a park, or a bench of any type that is in a park. Hitzefrei declared on a day we have no afternoon classes (Hitzefrei is when school is cancelled due to heat), go home, play around with courses more, do things on my to-do list but not actually able to check any of them off.
21 June
Too hot for anything, got a good grade on my painting in art, too hot to fall asleep in math even, trying hard not to work, just so so hot, mail postcards, Argie v. Holland, 0-0 because Argentina just played with all their substitutes and neither team really cared because they knew they were moving on to the eighth-finals. First day of summer.
22 June
Alarm didn't go off because I forgot to turn it on, skip school that was just Sozi Schulaufgabe, discover crazy racist ice cream that is delicious, have long discussion with host mom about racism
23 June
Train ran late, kind of paid attention in school but nothing interesting happend, decide to never go to German or Math again and so go home early, do nothing of terrible interest.
24 June
Start uploading pictures of Mary's visit to Butterfly Paper, Jugendrestaurant, in charge of dessert, make best darn mousse from the package ever, watch Germany v. Sweden, great game, 2 goals for Germany in first half, Sweden sucked. Back to kitchen, remain there for next few hours as Jugendrestaurant happens, clean up forever, watch Argie v. Mexico- tensest game ever, 1-1 after 10 minutes, then no more score for the rest of the game and then it had to go into overtime and I bit all of my fingernails off but then Argie scored at 98' and then life was good and the game ended and Argie won and now Argie's going up against Germany this Friday and Piff and I are probably going to kill each other.
25 June
Officially no longer under Experiment's control, which makes me happy. Still want money from them, will get some. Still uploading pictures, go look at them and enjoy and ask questions if you are confused. You can finally see what my amazing city looks like, and also what Munich looks like, and also what my hair has looked like since Berlin since I dyed it but after all the Berlin pictures were taken.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Monday, June 05, 2006
Alibis
Yes, winter has refused to release Germany from its bony clutch- it is still cold and gray here, making me pretty unhappy for a few days, but now I'm used to it.
Yes, you are whining because I haven't updated. Deal.
Hmm. . . went to the theatre Monday, saw Woyzeck, which is a classic German play about men peeing where they shouldn't, apparently. It was interesting. Spent the night at Berni's house, which mostly meant crashing in her brother's room, then waking up and eating breakfast and not having to walk to school for once, which is nice! History was pretty cool on Tuesday- we talked about Marxism and I stayed awake for the entirety of that topic, which is quite an accomplishment for me. It also marked the second day in a row that one of my teachers was all "Communism and Christianity are basically the same idea," which everyone knows already because duh and Shaw. (Confused? Grab a copy of Androcles and the Lion from your local library and read the prologue.) We spent Sozi whining about how the Berlin trip planned for next September has to be either moved or cancelled due to some teachers whining. At some point, Herr Lang said "Well, the sex change process takes longer than 6 months, so you're out of luck," which I wrote down. Don't remember the context on that one. Wednesday was art exam- went to school, had Reli, remembered that there are parts of Job (bibical) that are actually cool, went to Art, painted awesome awesome picture of girls swimming in bottle cap- a hope for the summer that will one day come. Even if I have to move to the Southern Hemisphere come November, I am getting summer this year. English was pretty enterating on Wednesday- I have the quote "An increasing number of officers who are out have had a very good experience in the navy." written down, and a note that we played Homos through History by speculating about Alexander the Great and Shakespeare. Not exactly revolutionary, but I got a chuckle out of the fact that no one else seemed to know these things. Thursday. I don't remember much about Thursday. I have the folowing quote written down from Sozi: "Anyone know they'll be busy 14-15 December? Mom's birthday? Grandma's? Someone's funeral?" Also, I apparently stayed awake in history, although I did not absorb a single fact. I had all of 2 periods on Friday- there was a chemistry exam that meant I had no Bio, there was no math, and I skipped German because there is no reason to wait 3 hours to go to one of my more pointless classes. So got up, went to history, where we apparently listed every single labor union in the history of Germany for the whole class. I slept. English was more time-wasting- we discussed some literary text, and by "we" I mean "people that are not me" and by discuss I mean "half-answer boring questions while reading the text line-for-line while Kari doodles They Might Be Giants lyrics all over her paper instead of paying attention." After that, I went home and uploaded pictures for a while- Picasa's being all flickery, so it's taking forever, but Berlin pictures are slowly filling Butterfly Paper. That night was lock-in at church, where we built rockets and watched Spiderman and played games and did not sleep. Got up next morning, drove to field in the middle of nowhere (Piff got almost lost on the way), sent our rockets into the sky all fizzzzzzzzzz boooom whooooooooosh booooooom fall down chase through long grass and wildflowers. I just like hanging out in fields full of wildflowers, really. Was half-asleep the rest of that day, stayed up kinda late anyway, went to church Sunday, turns out wearing red isn't a Pentecost requirement in Germany, had Communion and it was the very same service of word and table as in America, just in German, which made me super-super happy. I really wish the Germans would do Communion with some sort of frequency, because I miss it. Went to the go-kart place that afternoon with the bros and go-karts sure are fun because zzzzzzoooooooooooooooom fast. I am stil sore but that's okay. Ummmm, not a whole lot more going on. Today is Ferien, and I'm off for two weeks! Woo Pentecost. Heading out bowling shortly, incredibly lazy today, need to do a bunch of things that I am happily ignoring.
I slept in today and woke up to a really great conversation, and I'm using the power of the internet to hook me up with a bunch of country music cause I'm in that sort of mood. A mood for bittersweet country love songs about people being far away.
UPDATE: Guess who won at bowling? Steffi's little sister Simone. We played 3 games and in the first two, Basti beat me by about 2 or 3 points each time- so just barely. Piff was farther ahead, in competition with Simone, Steffi fell in various places. Then Game Three. Final Scores: Simone: 125. Kari: 124. Piff: 121. Basti: 102. Steffi: something less. I BEAT THE BOYS. WHOOOOOOOOO. This is possibly the first time in my life I have beaten my brothers at bowling. Ha.
Yes, you are whining because I haven't updated. Deal.
Hmm. . . went to the theatre Monday, saw Woyzeck, which is a classic German play about men peeing where they shouldn't, apparently. It was interesting. Spent the night at Berni's house, which mostly meant crashing in her brother's room, then waking up and eating breakfast and not having to walk to school for once, which is nice! History was pretty cool on Tuesday- we talked about Marxism and I stayed awake for the entirety of that topic, which is quite an accomplishment for me. It also marked the second day in a row that one of my teachers was all "Communism and Christianity are basically the same idea," which everyone knows already because duh and Shaw. (Confused? Grab a copy of Androcles and the Lion from your local library and read the prologue.) We spent Sozi whining about how the Berlin trip planned for next September has to be either moved or cancelled due to some teachers whining. At some point, Herr Lang said "Well, the sex change process takes longer than 6 months, so you're out of luck," which I wrote down. Don't remember the context on that one. Wednesday was art exam- went to school, had Reli, remembered that there are parts of Job (bibical) that are actually cool, went to Art, painted awesome awesome picture of girls swimming in bottle cap- a hope for the summer that will one day come. Even if I have to move to the Southern Hemisphere come November, I am getting summer this year. English was pretty enterating on Wednesday- I have the quote "An increasing number of officers who are out have had a very good experience in the navy." written down, and a note that we played Homos through History by speculating about Alexander the Great and Shakespeare. Not exactly revolutionary, but I got a chuckle out of the fact that no one else seemed to know these things. Thursday. I don't remember much about Thursday. I have the folowing quote written down from Sozi: "Anyone know they'll be busy 14-15 December? Mom's birthday? Grandma's? Someone's funeral?" Also, I apparently stayed awake in history, although I did not absorb a single fact. I had all of 2 periods on Friday- there was a chemistry exam that meant I had no Bio, there was no math, and I skipped German because there is no reason to wait 3 hours to go to one of my more pointless classes. So got up, went to history, where we apparently listed every single labor union in the history of Germany for the whole class. I slept. English was more time-wasting- we discussed some literary text, and by "we" I mean "people that are not me" and by discuss I mean "half-answer boring questions while reading the text line-for-line while Kari doodles They Might Be Giants lyrics all over her paper instead of paying attention." After that, I went home and uploaded pictures for a while- Picasa's being all flickery, so it's taking forever, but Berlin pictures are slowly filling Butterfly Paper. That night was lock-in at church, where we built rockets and watched Spiderman and played games and did not sleep. Got up next morning, drove to field in the middle of nowhere (Piff got almost lost on the way), sent our rockets into the sky all fizzzzzzzzzz boooom whooooooooosh booooooom fall down chase through long grass and wildflowers. I just like hanging out in fields full of wildflowers, really. Was half-asleep the rest of that day, stayed up kinda late anyway, went to church Sunday, turns out wearing red isn't a Pentecost requirement in Germany, had Communion and it was the very same service of word and table as in America, just in German, which made me super-super happy. I really wish the Germans would do Communion with some sort of frequency, because I miss it. Went to the go-kart place that afternoon with the bros and go-karts sure are fun because zzzzzzoooooooooooooooom fast. I am stil sore but that's okay. Ummmm, not a whole lot more going on. Today is Ferien, and I'm off for two weeks! Woo Pentecost. Heading out bowling shortly, incredibly lazy today, need to do a bunch of things that I am happily ignoring.
I slept in today and woke up to a really great conversation, and I'm using the power of the internet to hook me up with a bunch of country music cause I'm in that sort of mood. A mood for bittersweet country love songs about people being far away.
UPDATE: Guess who won at bowling? Steffi's little sister Simone. We played 3 games and in the first two, Basti beat me by about 2 or 3 points each time- so just barely. Piff was farther ahead, in competition with Simone, Steffi fell in various places. Then Game Three. Final Scores: Simone: 125. Kari: 124. Piff: 121. Basti: 102. Steffi: something less. I BEAT THE BOYS. WHOOOOOOOOO. This is possibly the first time in my life I have beaten my brothers at bowling. Ha.
Monday, May 29, 2006
The World Ain't Slowing Down
Sorry, I've kinda ignored you guys recently, but I've been busy. I have an hour and a half before I need to run out the door again, so I think I can give you a run-down of the past two weeks.
Wednesday, very very nearly missed my train (as in, if it hadn't been 5 minutes late, I would have missed it) but did make it to Wittenberg to see Mary and Casey and also that church that Martin Luther nailed some theses on or something. It was Casey's birthday yay Casey! We took millions of pictures of that and other things, and then got ourselves on a train and went to Berlin, where we found every single other American person who was with us in Tübigen and also in Cologne (well, Jesh wasn't there that day but he came later) which makes our group awesome for not getting anyone sent home. Um, lots of talking and whining that night? The next day, we went to the Amerika Haus, where a Jew from England told us that Germans "moan" too much, among other things. We then let Allyson, whose host sister lives in Berlin, show us around the city a bit (yes, more pictures, will upload sometime) and there was shopping for silly things and we found a Mexican restaurant! You know we ate dinner there, and it was Rose's birthday, so they made it happy hour early for us. That night, we chilled at the hostel and tried to write a song for the Bundestag and gave each other massages. Friday was Bundestag day! Rose and I were handcuffed to each other the whole time because handcuffs are awesome and we wanted to make sure we would have an appropriate reputation. We met all sorts of new people who are also C-Bers in some way or another, and then they chose to not let Buster do the original song that we made but instead had some other group do a cover of some pop song translated (badly) into German. We were slightly peeved. There were many politicians doing what they do best, including a pretty awesome dude who looked like Trotsky. After Bundestagging it for a while, we hopped on a bus and went off to set foot on American soil at the Embassy! The real Ambassador was not there, but some other dude was, and we mostly enjoyed our Bratwurst and potato salad and danced around on the grass and tried to have fun, although the DJ was pretty terrible and the party got boring fast. It was nice of him to play Sweet Home Alabama, though, so us few crazy people from below the Mason-Dixon line could scream it and dance in the rain. When the sun came back out, we discovered that paper plates make really terrible frisbees, and they eventually decided we could leave because we were going on a boat tour. Proof of Experiment's amazing organizational skills: they did not buy any sort of public transportation tickets for our large group to go on this required boat ride, so we all had to shell out on our own to get there, and also no one thought about your average public bus's ability to handle a group of, oh, 120. I hear there was some illegal riding and some €40 tickets handed out, and we ended up having to take two buses (one coming half an hour after the other) and it was a fiasco. Somehow, we all made it to the boat, where Rose and I promptly went to the bottom level and fell asleep. I hear there were pretty things to see, but we were exhausted. We were left to our own devices to get home from the boat ride, and we all had a good laugh as we watched Mary and Katelynn get on the subway in the wrong direction and ride away looking scared (they got off at the next stop and caught the next train back- they hopped on before we figured out which train we needed to take). Saturday morning brought paperwork and more paperwork, and a pretty neat alum named Dillon or Dylan or some spelling of that idea who told us not to begin sentences with "Back in Germany" or "One time in Germany" or "Germany" and also not to yell at our moms for buying gross bread because America does not have good bread. Bustin Roses decided to finally get some of their many awesome Betreuer songs from the year on hard disk, and me and Mary and Emily and Christine and maybe some other people hung out and listened to them be awesome. (Bustin Roses is Buster, Dustin, Rose and Tootlez, for ye unintiated.) It was rainy and Mary and I went into the city to buy hair dye and hope to sightsee, but we ended up cowering in the mall because the weather was gross. The Betreuers had told us to meet up at 7 at a Biergarten, and Mary and I ran into the members of Bustin Roses in the train, and the 6 of us tried to find the Biergarten, and eventually asked a snarky newspaper stand man who told us where, and we arrived to find Swantje and her boyfriend and nobody else. We waited a while and then a giant Bero-led troupe of Americans showed up and it was raining and the Biergarten had no space for us, so we went and got on a train and rode somewhere and stood on a corner for half an hour until someone told us we could go to the bar across the street, where we ordered drinks and hung out and Rose and Dustin and I talked to Alum Dude Dyllan (who is from Virginia Beach and goes to William and Mary) and he eventually offered to head back to his place but Rose and Tootlez and I were tired and cold so we went back to the hostel and mooched internet and my Roomies came home and there was post-midnight wishing of Mary a happy birthday (her birthday was Sunday) and it was super-cute when the South American dudes brought her a birthday beer, which she may or may not have actually drank. Emily dyed my hair at 3 in the morning and we slept nowhere near enough. Sunday was all good-byes, which my brain doesn't even begin to understand because I have to many of them and they are rarely real, and then I hopped on a train and listened to wonderful travel music and I love the café in the train where I can get a cup of tea and sit and watch the countryside- THE way to travel. Got home, my host parents had some guests over so there were drinks and desserts with people I barely know, and also sweet sleep. I went to school on Monday, went to school on Tuesday, went to a football (soccer) game in which I saw the WM (world cup) team from Togo beat the Bayern All-Stars or something of the like. Went to school Wednesday, picked up Mary from the train station on the way home from school, Thursday was Ascension, so no school and I gave Mary the Grand Tour of Augsburg (there are pictures of this, too) even though everything but Burger King and Subway and McDonalds was closed. Took Mary to Munich on Friday in the pouring rain and Munich is a pretty nice city to hang out in, actually. Pictures pictures pictures, found the best non-used bookstore ever, had the best beer ever, got really wet. We chilled on Saturday and went shopping in my city (which is the second-oldest city in Germany, by the way, having been founded in 20 BCE) and I bought pretty things for way cheap at H&M, as usual. Yesterday was Confirmation Sunday and church was full and there was a praise team there that even played a song I knew, and we met Mary's British friend Jim that afternoon and then Mary got on a train and I came home and crashed. School today was uneventful, and I'm leaving in one hour to go see a play with my German class and stay and Berni's house because we will get back late and there is no train.
I guess it's Memorial Day, too, isn't it? Hmmm. My upcoming schedule: art Schulaufgabe Wednesday, Ambassador Project due Thursday and I still haven't written that paper, lock-in at church Friday-Saturday, then comes 2 weeks of Pentecost break and I am thinking about heading to Rome the second week of that because there is a future Hampster down there and she is willing to show me around yay! Still trying to figure out if I should go somewhere the first week- anybody want me for a few days?
Wednesday, very very nearly missed my train (as in, if it hadn't been 5 minutes late, I would have missed it) but did make it to Wittenberg to see Mary and Casey and also that church that Martin Luther nailed some theses on or something. It was Casey's birthday yay Casey! We took millions of pictures of that and other things, and then got ourselves on a train and went to Berlin, where we found every single other American person who was with us in Tübigen and also in Cologne (well, Jesh wasn't there that day but he came later) which makes our group awesome for not getting anyone sent home. Um, lots of talking and whining that night? The next day, we went to the Amerika Haus, where a Jew from England told us that Germans "moan" too much, among other things. We then let Allyson, whose host sister lives in Berlin, show us around the city a bit (yes, more pictures, will upload sometime) and there was shopping for silly things and we found a Mexican restaurant! You know we ate dinner there, and it was Rose's birthday, so they made it happy hour early for us. That night, we chilled at the hostel and tried to write a song for the Bundestag and gave each other massages. Friday was Bundestag day! Rose and I were handcuffed to each other the whole time because handcuffs are awesome and we wanted to make sure we would have an appropriate reputation. We met all sorts of new people who are also C-Bers in some way or another, and then they chose to not let Buster do the original song that we made but instead had some other group do a cover of some pop song translated (badly) into German. We were slightly peeved. There were many politicians doing what they do best, including a pretty awesome dude who looked like Trotsky. After Bundestagging it for a while, we hopped on a bus and went off to set foot on American soil at the Embassy! The real Ambassador was not there, but some other dude was, and we mostly enjoyed our Bratwurst and potato salad and danced around on the grass and tried to have fun, although the DJ was pretty terrible and the party got boring fast. It was nice of him to play Sweet Home Alabama, though, so us few crazy people from below the Mason-Dixon line could scream it and dance in the rain. When the sun came back out, we discovered that paper plates make really terrible frisbees, and they eventually decided we could leave because we were going on a boat tour. Proof of Experiment's amazing organizational skills: they did not buy any sort of public transportation tickets for our large group to go on this required boat ride, so we all had to shell out on our own to get there, and also no one thought about your average public bus's ability to handle a group of, oh, 120. I hear there was some illegal riding and some €40 tickets handed out, and we ended up having to take two buses (one coming half an hour after the other) and it was a fiasco. Somehow, we all made it to the boat, where Rose and I promptly went to the bottom level and fell asleep. I hear there were pretty things to see, but we were exhausted. We were left to our own devices to get home from the boat ride, and we all had a good laugh as we watched Mary and Katelynn get on the subway in the wrong direction and ride away looking scared (they got off at the next stop and caught the next train back- they hopped on before we figured out which train we needed to take). Saturday morning brought paperwork and more paperwork, and a pretty neat alum named Dillon or Dylan or some spelling of that idea who told us not to begin sentences with "Back in Germany" or "One time in Germany" or "Germany" and also not to yell at our moms for buying gross bread because America does not have good bread. Bustin Roses decided to finally get some of their many awesome Betreuer songs from the year on hard disk, and me and Mary and Emily and Christine and maybe some other people hung out and listened to them be awesome. (Bustin Roses is Buster, Dustin, Rose and Tootlez, for ye unintiated.) It was rainy and Mary and I went into the city to buy hair dye and hope to sightsee, but we ended up cowering in the mall because the weather was gross. The Betreuers had told us to meet up at 7 at a Biergarten, and Mary and I ran into the members of Bustin Roses in the train, and the 6 of us tried to find the Biergarten, and eventually asked a snarky newspaper stand man who told us where, and we arrived to find Swantje and her boyfriend and nobody else. We waited a while and then a giant Bero-led troupe of Americans showed up and it was raining and the Biergarten had no space for us, so we went and got on a train and rode somewhere and stood on a corner for half an hour until someone told us we could go to the bar across the street, where we ordered drinks and hung out and Rose and Dustin and I talked to Alum Dude Dyllan (who is from Virginia Beach and goes to William and Mary) and he eventually offered to head back to his place but Rose and Tootlez and I were tired and cold so we went back to the hostel and mooched internet and my Roomies came home and there was post-midnight wishing of Mary a happy birthday (her birthday was Sunday) and it was super-cute when the South American dudes brought her a birthday beer, which she may or may not have actually drank. Emily dyed my hair at 3 in the morning and we slept nowhere near enough. Sunday was all good-byes, which my brain doesn't even begin to understand because I have to many of them and they are rarely real, and then I hopped on a train and listened to wonderful travel music and I love the café in the train where I can get a cup of tea and sit and watch the countryside- THE way to travel. Got home, my host parents had some guests over so there were drinks and desserts with people I barely know, and also sweet sleep. I went to school on Monday, went to school on Tuesday, went to a football (soccer) game in which I saw the WM (world cup) team from Togo beat the Bayern All-Stars or something of the like. Went to school Wednesday, picked up Mary from the train station on the way home from school, Thursday was Ascension, so no school and I gave Mary the Grand Tour of Augsburg (there are pictures of this, too) even though everything but Burger King and Subway and McDonalds was closed. Took Mary to Munich on Friday in the pouring rain and Munich is a pretty nice city to hang out in, actually. Pictures pictures pictures, found the best non-used bookstore ever, had the best beer ever, got really wet. We chilled on Saturday and went shopping in my city (which is the second-oldest city in Germany, by the way, having been founded in 20 BCE) and I bought pretty things for way cheap at H&M, as usual. Yesterday was Confirmation Sunday and church was full and there was a praise team there that even played a song I knew, and we met Mary's British friend Jim that afternoon and then Mary got on a train and I came home and crashed. School today was uneventful, and I'm leaving in one hour to go see a play with my German class and stay and Berni's house because we will get back late and there is no train.
I guess it's Memorial Day, too, isn't it? Hmmm. My upcoming schedule: art Schulaufgabe Wednesday, Ambassador Project due Thursday and I still haven't written that paper, lock-in at church Friday-Saturday, then comes 2 weeks of Pentecost break and I am thinking about heading to Rome the second week of that because there is a future Hampster down there and she is willing to show me around yay! Still trying to figure out if I should go somewhere the first week- anybody want me for a few days?
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Run Run Run
I made it to 107 of 127 in Paris picture posts, I believe- this means I have 80 pictures that are just going to have to wait. Until then, overload on visual stimulation for a while, then take a few days to recover and PREPARE.
This weekend was awesome- we had a great time at Mädelsabend making wraps and singing songs and watching a super-sweet movie that made me miss someone, and just hanging out and not getting enough sleep. Saturday morning brought losing at Sorry (which is called Mensch Ärger Dich Nicht in German) but not as bad as Nadja lost, and then driving Jaclyn home and getting to stay for delicious lunch instead of me and Nadja and Anja foraging something from our leftovers. Back home, turned leftovers into a salad for dinner, up to church, meet up with boys, drive to Conference. It rained like CRAZY. The radio was terrible and I surfed it constantly and maybe heard one decent song. My iPod isn't friends with Piff's cd-player-to-cassette-adapter, even though the speaker jack fits in the hole. We were too early and it was wet and we walked and hid from the rain and ate and hung out. The Teenie Konferenz suffered from having less energy than a similar event in America would have, but a fun band played some praise songs that I know and some praise songs that I didn't know and there was a silly dance! Ummmmm. . . slept in the Sporthalle that night, which isn't the most awesome place to sleep, but we passed out on our air mattresses and didn't wake up until people started waking up and being noisy in the morning. It was nowhere near enough sleep. Breakfast and packing and wandering for the 2 or 3 hours until stuff got started, then an overly-long ordination service where we tried really, really hard not to fall asleep with minor success, and then waiting in the longest line for lunch and they were out of schnitzel and tomato-mozzerella sammiches, so we ended up with Wurst and pea soup and a pretzel (you can play a guessing game to decide who got what!). Hanging out for a long time, Nadja ran into some people she knew, Anja saw a few people she knew, but mostly only from our church, walked around, avoided the off-and-on-rain, eventually went back for the afternoon service, which proved to be a lot of fun with an awesome xylophone-based band and a cool Baptist dude making a keynote (I know, Baptists, but this guy was neat!) and a surprise visit from the goalie from Stuttgart, who I guess is a famous Fußball player and also pretty religious! Lots and lots and lots of Fußball in general. . . end of the fun service, headed home but not without stopping by Nadja's mom's house to say hi cause it was Mother's Day and all. . . half-sleeping in the car. . . get home, "help" Piff with his English homework, sleep. . . Monday at school. . . skipping Bio in the afternoon because I had to buy birthday presents for a ton of people because I will be seeing them today (!) and then Tuesday and more school and fully intending to bake cookies, but then I fell asleep on the train and missed my stop and thus got home an hour late and then had lunch and started uploading Paris pictures and Piff had a lot of homework and cookies didn't happen. Sorry, guys.
I AM GOING TO BERLIN TODAY. WILL BE GONE UNTIL SUNDAY. WILL HANG OUT WITH CRAZY AMERICANS, TAKE MANY PICTURES, HAVE ADVENTURES, MAYBE EVEN TELL YOU ABOUT THEM.
This weekend was awesome- we had a great time at Mädelsabend making wraps and singing songs and watching a super-sweet movie that made me miss someone, and just hanging out and not getting enough sleep. Saturday morning brought losing at Sorry (which is called Mensch Ärger Dich Nicht in German) but not as bad as Nadja lost, and then driving Jaclyn home and getting to stay for delicious lunch instead of me and Nadja and Anja foraging something from our leftovers. Back home, turned leftovers into a salad for dinner, up to church, meet up with boys, drive to Conference. It rained like CRAZY. The radio was terrible and I surfed it constantly and maybe heard one decent song. My iPod isn't friends with Piff's cd-player-to-cassette-adapter, even though the speaker jack fits in the hole. We were too early and it was wet and we walked and hid from the rain and ate and hung out. The Teenie Konferenz suffered from having less energy than a similar event in America would have, but a fun band played some praise songs that I know and some praise songs that I didn't know and there was a silly dance! Ummmmm. . . slept in the Sporthalle that night, which isn't the most awesome place to sleep, but we passed out on our air mattresses and didn't wake up until people started waking up and being noisy in the morning. It was nowhere near enough sleep. Breakfast and packing and wandering for the 2 or 3 hours until stuff got started, then an overly-long ordination service where we tried really, really hard not to fall asleep with minor success, and then waiting in the longest line for lunch and they were out of schnitzel and tomato-mozzerella sammiches, so we ended up with Wurst and pea soup and a pretzel (you can play a guessing game to decide who got what!). Hanging out for a long time, Nadja ran into some people she knew, Anja saw a few people she knew, but mostly only from our church, walked around, avoided the off-and-on-rain, eventually went back for the afternoon service, which proved to be a lot of fun with an awesome xylophone-based band and a cool Baptist dude making a keynote (I know, Baptists, but this guy was neat!) and a surprise visit from the goalie from Stuttgart, who I guess is a famous Fußball player and also pretty religious! Lots and lots and lots of Fußball in general. . . end of the fun service, headed home but not without stopping by Nadja's mom's house to say hi cause it was Mother's Day and all. . . half-sleeping in the car. . . get home, "help" Piff with his English homework, sleep. . . Monday at school. . . skipping Bio in the afternoon because I had to buy birthday presents for a ton of people because I will be seeing them today (!) and then Tuesday and more school and fully intending to bake cookies, but then I fell asleep on the train and missed my stop and thus got home an hour late and then had lunch and started uploading Paris pictures and Piff had a lot of homework and cookies didn't happen. Sorry, guys.
I AM GOING TO BERLIN TODAY. WILL BE GONE UNTIL SUNDAY. WILL HANG OUT WITH CRAZY AMERICANS, TAKE MANY PICTURES, HAVE ADVENTURES, MAYBE EVEN TELL YOU ABOUT THEM.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Thursday, May 11, 2006
508
Pictures on my camera from Paris. 200 live at Butterfly Paper now, the rest will come when I get a chance.
Church was fun Sunday, and Nadja's promised me the pictures that you will love love love. Went to school with Piff Monday. . . I talked to his class about America and school and I honestly don't remember what else. . . fun people, though, and a change of scene is always lovely, especially on a nice day when Piff has a free period and we can sit on the grass and bask in the sun. Slept in super-late Tuesday (til 8!) and went to 2 classes, and was also lazy, I guess, but I did at least get to the post office with the biggest stack of postcards ever. Yesterday was Wednesday and I went to school and then I was sick and I came home after history because I really only felt obligated to go to Bio anyway and then I slept and then Adam did his best to make me smile and forget my aching stomach for a while and then I slept some more. Felt better today, went to my 3 classes, still really love Sozi even though the whole discussion of marriage in the German context is so much more boring because there is so much less controversy than in America. Mostly they are all "would somebody please get married before they are 35 and also maybe have some kids because our population is shrinking so much and we are going to die out according to people who exaggerate things." And in America we're all "gays sanctity of marriage divorce rates church state children aaaaaaaah" and it is emotional and controversial and you can have a debate. Oh well. The sun came back out after being gone for two days, and that was nice, but I spent a good portion of my afternoon uploading pictures for you fine folks. Mary is a very bad photographer no matter how dearly I love her and I apologize because my camera is also pretty bad and that makes certain pictures, like of the pretties in Versailles, less pretty, but there is nothing I can do about it. The pictures of the statues in the Louvre are some of my favorites. The 5 pictures of the parking lot at Versailles are not my favorites at all, why did Mary take them? The pictures of me making silly silly faces are also not my favorites, but Someone likes them and up they go.
I am really tired and I have not studied for my Bio Schulaufgabe that is tomorrow and that I guess I have to take cause Fosse kind of expects it of me. Ugh. Good thing I have a free period, I guess.
Tomorrow night is Mädelsabend at Anja's, and it's General Conference Saturday-Sunday, so I'll be scarce this weekend, but I'll try to get all the pictures up before I go to Berlin, which I do on Wednesday.
BUSYBUSYAAAHBUSYEEEEEEP
Church was fun Sunday, and Nadja's promised me the pictures that you will love love love. Went to school with Piff Monday. . . I talked to his class about America and school and I honestly don't remember what else. . . fun people, though, and a change of scene is always lovely, especially on a nice day when Piff has a free period and we can sit on the grass and bask in the sun. Slept in super-late Tuesday (til 8!) and went to 2 classes, and was also lazy, I guess, but I did at least get to the post office with the biggest stack of postcards ever. Yesterday was Wednesday and I went to school and then I was sick and I came home after history because I really only felt obligated to go to Bio anyway and then I slept and then Adam did his best to make me smile and forget my aching stomach for a while and then I slept some more. Felt better today, went to my 3 classes, still really love Sozi even though the whole discussion of marriage in the German context is so much more boring because there is so much less controversy than in America. Mostly they are all "would somebody please get married before they are 35 and also maybe have some kids because our population is shrinking so much and we are going to die out according to people who exaggerate things." And in America we're all "gays sanctity of marriage divorce rates church state children aaaaaaaah" and it is emotional and controversial and you can have a debate. Oh well. The sun came back out after being gone for two days, and that was nice, but I spent a good portion of my afternoon uploading pictures for you fine folks. Mary is a very bad photographer no matter how dearly I love her and I apologize because my camera is also pretty bad and that makes certain pictures, like of the pretties in Versailles, less pretty, but there is nothing I can do about it. The pictures of the statues in the Louvre are some of my favorites. The 5 pictures of the parking lot at Versailles are not my favorites at all, why did Mary take them? The pictures of me making silly silly faces are also not my favorites, but Someone likes them and up they go.
I am really tired and I have not studied for my Bio Schulaufgabe that is tomorrow and that I guess I have to take cause Fosse kind of expects it of me. Ugh. Good thing I have a free period, I guess.
Tomorrow night is Mädelsabend at Anja's, and it's General Conference Saturday-Sunday, so I'll be scarce this weekend, but I'll try to get all the pictures up before I go to Berlin, which I do on Wednesday.
BUSYBUSYAAAHBUSYEEEEEEP
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Goodness
I am exhausted.
I went to Paris, I had fun, I arrived home safely. There are millions of photos, and I will upload mine sometime in the next weeks- the pictures are better than any words I could produce. Mary has a bunch of photos- click on the link to her blog down there and you can figure out how to get in touch with her to see hers if you are impatient. I also stole a few from her and have put them on the Butterfly Paper, so you know what to do.
I am going to finish the Zwickau post one of these days, too, I swear.
I have been going to school while I wasn't traveling, and it is still school. The weather is warming up, the sun is shining more frequently, and that makes me pretty happy. I wore shorts today, even.
Life is really busy and yet pretty quiet. It's a nice pace and I'm very happy and that happiness translates into less blogging, I guess. Sorry guys.
I've got my Hampshire e-mail address now: kmec06@hampshire.edu. If you have something against gmail for some strange reason, I guess you can reach me there. Also, that means I now have Facebook, which is strangely addicting.
Hampshire housing forms are now available and I am trying to figure out if I prefer "very quiet" "quiet" or "semi-quiet" housing, or if I would be deeply offended by having a roommate or not, or if I go to bed before 11, between 11 and 12, between 12 and 1, or after 1 on weekdays. I went to bed at 2 last night. I plan on going to bed at about 9:30 tonight. I have no idea how to interpret those sort of discrepencies, which are entirely normal for me. Hmmmmm.
Tuesday marked 1 year of Beige Space existing. I want presents.
I went to Paris, I had fun, I arrived home safely. There are millions of photos, and I will upload mine sometime in the next weeks- the pictures are better than any words I could produce. Mary has a bunch of photos- click on the link to her blog down there and you can figure out how to get in touch with her to see hers if you are impatient. I also stole a few from her and have put them on the Butterfly Paper, so you know what to do.
I am going to finish the Zwickau post one of these days, too, I swear.
I have been going to school while I wasn't traveling, and it is still school. The weather is warming up, the sun is shining more frequently, and that makes me pretty happy. I wore shorts today, even.
Life is really busy and yet pretty quiet. It's a nice pace and I'm very happy and that happiness translates into less blogging, I guess. Sorry guys.
I've got my Hampshire e-mail address now: kmec06@hampshire.edu. If you have something against gmail for some strange reason, I guess you can reach me there. Also, that means I now have Facebook, which is strangely addicting.
Hampshire housing forms are now available and I am trying to figure out if I prefer "very quiet" "quiet" or "semi-quiet" housing, or if I would be deeply offended by having a roommate or not, or if I go to bed before 11, between 11 and 12, between 12 and 1, or after 1 on weekdays. I went to bed at 2 last night. I plan on going to bed at about 9:30 tonight. I have no idea how to interpret those sort of discrepencies, which are entirely normal for me. Hmmmmm.
Tuesday marked 1 year of Beige Space existing. I want presents.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
CRAZY
So I started to write a summary of my Zwickau adventures, and I swear it will get done eventually, just not. right. now. Because I am going to Paris tomorrow, and school started again this week, and my weekend is summed up in the above picture [although you can't tell from the picture, Piff is wearing Lederhosen], so things are a little crazy now. Not sure when regular word-based blog postings will resume, but there are lots of pictures from Zwickau on the Butterfly Paper, and you can feel free to leave comments there asking me what stuff is and I will tell you about it, I promise. Otherwise, I have about a million things I need to take care of and very very little Lust.Also, I set a date to fly back to the US. July 27. It is not moving. It allows me one month before I have to be at Hampshire (August 31). Feel free to write it on your calendars and plan to take me out for smoothies and kosher sandwiches or Mexican food. Or to have a party. I like parties.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Just Traveling Through
Well I can't tell you where I'm going, I'm not sure of where I've been
But I know I must keep travelin' till my road comes to an end
I'm out here on my journey, trying to make the most of it
I'm a puzzle, I must figure out where all my pieces fit
Like a poor wayfaring stranger that they speak about in song
I'm just a weary pilgrim trying to find what feels like home
Where that is no one can tell me, am I doomed to ever roam
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' on
Questions I have many, answers but a few
But we're here to learn, the spirit burns, to know the greater truth
We've all been crucified and they nailed Jesus to the tree
And when I'm born again, you're gonna see a change in me
God made me for a reason and nothing is in vain
Redemption comes in many shapes with many kinds of pain
Oh sweet Jesus if you're listening, keep me ever close to you
As I'm stumblin', tumblin', wonderin', as I'm travelin' thru
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' thru
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' thru
Oh sometimes the road is rugged, and it's hard to travel on
But holdin' to each other, we don't have to walk alone
When everything is broken, we can mend it if we try
We can make a world of difference, if we want to we can fly
Goodbye little children, goodnight you handsome men
Farewell to all you ladies and to all who knew me when
And I hope I'll see you down the road, you meant more than I knew
As I was travelin', travelin', travelin', travelin', travelin' thru
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin'
Drifting like a floating boat and roaming like the wind
Oh give me some direction lord, let me lean on you
As I'm travelin', travelin', travelin', thru
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' thru
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' thru
Like the poor wayfaring stranger that they speak about in song
I'm just a weary pilgrim trying to find my own way home
Oh sweet Jesus if you're out there, keep me ever close to you
As I'm travelin', travelin', travelin', as I'm travelin' thru
Thank God for Dolly Parton. I'd like to apologize to all the people I keep leaving, but I can't help it, and I don't want to do otherwise. I'm going to spend the rest of my life leaving. Know that I cherish every moment we have together, but I can't stay, and I can't spend my time looking back or ahead. I have to focus on the road immediately before me, and I have no idea where it will go next. I know it's hard on everyone that doesn't have this need to run, but know that you can always call me or e-mail me or whatever and I will be there for you as if I had never been gone.
I've learned that space and time do not bind me, and I am so so thankful.
But I know I must keep travelin' till my road comes to an end
I'm out here on my journey, trying to make the most of it
I'm a puzzle, I must figure out where all my pieces fit
Like a poor wayfaring stranger that they speak about in song
I'm just a weary pilgrim trying to find what feels like home
Where that is no one can tell me, am I doomed to ever roam
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' on
Questions I have many, answers but a few
But we're here to learn, the spirit burns, to know the greater truth
We've all been crucified and they nailed Jesus to the tree
And when I'm born again, you're gonna see a change in me
God made me for a reason and nothing is in vain
Redemption comes in many shapes with many kinds of pain
Oh sweet Jesus if you're listening, keep me ever close to you
As I'm stumblin', tumblin', wonderin', as I'm travelin' thru
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' thru
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' thru
Oh sometimes the road is rugged, and it's hard to travel on
But holdin' to each other, we don't have to walk alone
When everything is broken, we can mend it if we try
We can make a world of difference, if we want to we can fly
Goodbye little children, goodnight you handsome men
Farewell to all you ladies and to all who knew me when
And I hope I'll see you down the road, you meant more than I knew
As I was travelin', travelin', travelin', travelin', travelin' thru
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin'
Drifting like a floating boat and roaming like the wind
Oh give me some direction lord, let me lean on you
As I'm travelin', travelin', travelin', thru
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' thru
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' thru
Like the poor wayfaring stranger that they speak about in song
I'm just a weary pilgrim trying to find my own way home
Oh sweet Jesus if you're out there, keep me ever close to you
As I'm travelin', travelin', travelin', as I'm travelin' thru
Thank God for Dolly Parton. I'd like to apologize to all the people I keep leaving, but I can't help it, and I don't want to do otherwise. I'm going to spend the rest of my life leaving. Know that I cherish every moment we have together, but I can't stay, and I can't spend my time looking back or ahead. I have to focus on the road immediately before me, and I have no idea where it will go next. I know it's hard on everyone that doesn't have this need to run, but know that you can always call me or e-mail me or whatever and I will be there for you as if I had never been gone.
I've learned that space and time do not bind me, and I am so so thankful.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
A Little More Unconventional
Everyone's posting about how great their Easters were. I guess it's my turn.
So I slept in until 10 or a little later, which isn't that late compared to the last few days. I got up and showred and bummed around until Basti and Steffi came over and Basti showed off his awesome grilling skills for lunch (it was yummy) and then we packed ourselves and the dog into the car and drove off to Andechs on the Ammersee, where there is a mountain called Holy Mountain with a church and a former nunnery and current brewery. You get to guess what we were there for. The beer was delicious, it rained when we first got there, but then the sun came out and it was even pretty and we sat and drank and laughed at the big Bayer dude with his lederhosen and his giant beer. The clouds were coming back up, so we left (and stole one of the beer glasses but shhh) and drove home and saw no less than 2.5 rainbows. Yay April in Germany. Steffi and Basti have headed back to Steffi's for the night, and I need to pack to go to Allyson's tomorrow and probably clean up a bit, too.
This was a good Easter. Basti is a good big brother, and I get to see Allyson TOMORROW and stay with her for a whole FIVE days and we will have an awesome time in East D-Land. I'm going to get the final group of pictures up on Butterfly Paper today, too- there are lots and lots there, and you might have missed some, so go check it out.
So I slept in until 10 or a little later, which isn't that late compared to the last few days. I got up and showred and bummed around until Basti and Steffi came over and Basti showed off his awesome grilling skills for lunch (it was yummy) and then we packed ourselves and the dog into the car and drove off to Andechs on the Ammersee, where there is a mountain called Holy Mountain with a church and a former nunnery and current brewery. You get to guess what we were there for. The beer was delicious, it rained when we first got there, but then the sun came out and it was even pretty and we sat and drank and laughed at the big Bayer dude with his lederhosen and his giant beer. The clouds were coming back up, so we left (and stole one of the beer glasses but shhh) and drove home and saw no less than 2.5 rainbows. Yay April in Germany. Steffi and Basti have headed back to Steffi's for the night, and I need to pack to go to Allyson's tomorrow and probably clean up a bit, too.
This was a good Easter. Basti is a good big brother, and I get to see Allyson TOMORROW and stay with her for a whole FIVE days and we will have an awesome time in East D-Land. I'm going to get the final group of pictures up on Butterfly Paper today, too- there are lots and lots there, and you might have missed some, so go check it out.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Whoa
I went and got all busy. Oops!
So, um, let me think. Tuesday. . . Tuesday, Piff and I got drug to the symphony. Symphonies are really long. Wednesday. . . Wednesday, I did nothing. I slept, I played on the computer, I ate, I chilled. Thursday was Nadja's birthday! I went to the train station and bought my tickets to Zwickau to see Allyson, and then I went to church for Nadja's birthday coffee! I drank tea. There was cake and I met Nadja's mom and sister and all sorts of other people were there, including baby Elizabeth, and we chatted and played with the baby and ate delicious things and it was good times. Friday was yesterday, right? The host 'rents and Piff and Anja got up early and headed off to the wedding that has them out of town this weekend, and I slept in late and was lazy. Steffi came over (her parents are out of town this weekend, too) and we had pancakes for lunch, and I played with Steffi's dog Harry. That night was Good Friday, and I had to go play James the brother of John! Basti dropped me off at church on his way to pick up movie tickets, and the service was really wonderful. I kind of made it into Good Friday and Easter all together for myself, and I had communion for the first time since I've been in Germany, which felt really, really good. I had really missed communion- I'm used to doing it once a month at least and I kind of need that, somehow. I was in a super-good mood after the service (remember how I kind of made it Easter, too?) and, as it happened, had some time because it was way shorter than expected and Basti wasn't coming for another 45 minutes. So I chilled with Nadja and sang songs like Jesus Loves Me and Shout to the Lord and Awesome God and Heart of Worship. I stole Nadja's guitar, and it is now my job to learn to play all my Ami songs on it and teach them to Iris and Nadja and Karin. Billy, that is your cue. I need songs! I need them in such a way that I can figure out how to play them! So, um, Basti came and I left and met his friend Felix and we went to the movies (we=me, Basti, Steffi, Felix). . . after adventures in the parking garage, of course. The movie theater was FULL. Steffi hypothesized that the crazy German law against playing music in the disco on Good Friday had something to do with this. Crazy Catholics. Fortunately, we had reserved our tickets on Wednesday, and Basti had picked them up after dropping me off at church, so we weaseled through the crowd and bought some snacks and ate our snacks while waiting for them to open our theater, and then went in and discovered that we had really great seats. I think it's neat that the movie tickets in Germany assign you a seat. German movies still have way way way more preshow commercials than American, including an intermission for some chicks to come in and hock ice cream. Also, no fun movie trivia, although the 10 For Two commercial hints at it. And I continue to prove that I am a sucker for things in my native tongue by getting way too happy at the Media Markt commercial where Oliver Pocher (he is famous here) sells a camera to a British couple. So cute! "I am Peter. This is Mary. We would like to buy a camera." "Take this one. It is very billig." "Thank you." "Please." "Good-bye." "Yes, it is!" And then the British guy says "ich bin doch nicht blöd" in his British accent and it's so cute. So, um, there was also the actual movie? Ice Age 2 had more serious moments than the first, what with Manny being all convinced that he is the very last wooly mammoth alive, except then he finds a girl wooly mammoth, but oh wait she thinks she is an opposum, so how the hell is he supposed to continue the species with her? Sid's voice bugged me, Diego is sexier than a cat has a right to be, and I was upset that he got only the tiniest of side-roles in the movie. One of the opposums was named Eddie, so I guess my dad would have liked that. And that crazy crazy squirrel seeking nuts. I will tell you that the only actual times I truly laughed involved the squirrel, and I always go into those scenes like "I am not going to laugh unless this is truly funny, I am not going to laugh just because everyone else is." And then it is really, really funny and I don't know why, but I laugh heartily. After the movie, we had a few less adventurous parking garage adventures, and drove to Steffi's house, where Felix picked up his car and Steffi picked up his dog, and then came back here, where we pulled out the drinks and the truth-or-dare. That game is great to play with a couple (Basti and Steffi) because you can make them admit things and it's wonderful. I went to bed with lipstick on my eyelids, and made it to bed far, far too late. I slept until, I don't know, noon and then dragged myself out of bed and put some clothes on just in time to greet Basti (who had slept at Steffi's, leaving me allllll alone), who promptly took me off to Steffi's for lunch. We had homemade döner and they were pretty darn good, but döner is so so so so filling. It was warm outside and we wanted to do something and maybe burn off some of our crazy lunch, so we pulled the bikes out and went biking! Really went biking. With Harry the dog in the basket on the back of Steffi's bike, like a certain other dog I know. So yeah, we biked. FOREVER. I think we managed at least 35 km, if not 40. That's a lot. It was fun, though! "Pretty" is not a word you can apply to the weather just yet, but people were out and it was warm, and I saw all sorts of areas around here that I did not know existed! Like lakes! Like a nude beach lake! The best part of German bike trips is that you get to make a pit stop at the Biergarten instead of the ice cream parlor. We finally made it home hours and hours later, and were immediately exhausted, so we made some food (a-and ate it), and Steffi and Basti retired to Steffi's with a movie, and I'm thinking about watching a movie, but I also really need a shower, and I'm sort of playing around with the guitar, but I don't know what to do with it, and the internet is not teaching me fun songs. So Billy (or another Sparrow), hook me up! I'm leaving Monday for a week, so you have some time, but I want stuff when I come back, so I have time to learn and then teach.
So, um, let me think. Tuesday. . . Tuesday, Piff and I got drug to the symphony. Symphonies are really long. Wednesday. . . Wednesday, I did nothing. I slept, I played on the computer, I ate, I chilled. Thursday was Nadja's birthday! I went to the train station and bought my tickets to Zwickau to see Allyson, and then I went to church for Nadja's birthday coffee! I drank tea. There was cake and I met Nadja's mom and sister and all sorts of other people were there, including baby Elizabeth, and we chatted and played with the baby and ate delicious things and it was good times. Friday was yesterday, right? The host 'rents and Piff and Anja got up early and headed off to the wedding that has them out of town this weekend, and I slept in late and was lazy. Steffi came over (her parents are out of town this weekend, too) and we had pancakes for lunch, and I played with Steffi's dog Harry. That night was Good Friday, and I had to go play James the brother of John! Basti dropped me off at church on his way to pick up movie tickets, and the service was really wonderful. I kind of made it into Good Friday and Easter all together for myself, and I had communion for the first time since I've been in Germany, which felt really, really good. I had really missed communion- I'm used to doing it once a month at least and I kind of need that, somehow. I was in a super-good mood after the service (remember how I kind of made it Easter, too?) and, as it happened, had some time because it was way shorter than expected and Basti wasn't coming for another 45 minutes. So I chilled with Nadja and sang songs like Jesus Loves Me and Shout to the Lord and Awesome God and Heart of Worship. I stole Nadja's guitar, and it is now my job to learn to play all my Ami songs on it and teach them to Iris and Nadja and Karin. Billy, that is your cue. I need songs! I need them in such a way that I can figure out how to play them! So, um, Basti came and I left and met his friend Felix and we went to the movies (we=me, Basti, Steffi, Felix). . . after adventures in the parking garage, of course. The movie theater was FULL. Steffi hypothesized that the crazy German law against playing music in the disco on Good Friday had something to do with this. Crazy Catholics. Fortunately, we had reserved our tickets on Wednesday, and Basti had picked them up after dropping me off at church, so we weaseled through the crowd and bought some snacks and ate our snacks while waiting for them to open our theater, and then went in and discovered that we had really great seats. I think it's neat that the movie tickets in Germany assign you a seat. German movies still have way way way more preshow commercials than American, including an intermission for some chicks to come in and hock ice cream. Also, no fun movie trivia, although the 10 For Two commercial hints at it. And I continue to prove that I am a sucker for things in my native tongue by getting way too happy at the Media Markt commercial where Oliver Pocher (he is famous here) sells a camera to a British couple. So cute! "I am Peter. This is Mary. We would like to buy a camera." "Take this one. It is very billig." "Thank you." "Please." "Good-bye." "Yes, it is!" And then the British guy says "ich bin doch nicht blöd" in his British accent and it's so cute. So, um, there was also the actual movie? Ice Age 2 had more serious moments than the first, what with Manny being all convinced that he is the very last wooly mammoth alive, except then he finds a girl wooly mammoth, but oh wait she thinks she is an opposum, so how the hell is he supposed to continue the species with her? Sid's voice bugged me, Diego is sexier than a cat has a right to be, and I was upset that he got only the tiniest of side-roles in the movie. One of the opposums was named Eddie, so I guess my dad would have liked that. And that crazy crazy squirrel seeking nuts. I will tell you that the only actual times I truly laughed involved the squirrel, and I always go into those scenes like "I am not going to laugh unless this is truly funny, I am not going to laugh just because everyone else is." And then it is really, really funny and I don't know why, but I laugh heartily. After the movie, we had a few less adventurous parking garage adventures, and drove to Steffi's house, where Felix picked up his car and Steffi picked up his dog, and then came back here, where we pulled out the drinks and the truth-or-dare. That game is great to play with a couple (Basti and Steffi) because you can make them admit things and it's wonderful. I went to bed with lipstick on my eyelids, and made it to bed far, far too late. I slept until, I don't know, noon and then dragged myself out of bed and put some clothes on just in time to greet Basti (who had slept at Steffi's, leaving me allllll alone), who promptly took me off to Steffi's for lunch. We had homemade döner and they were pretty darn good, but döner is so so so so filling. It was warm outside and we wanted to do something and maybe burn off some of our crazy lunch, so we pulled the bikes out and went biking! Really went biking. With Harry the dog in the basket on the back of Steffi's bike, like a certain other dog I know. So yeah, we biked. FOREVER. I think we managed at least 35 km, if not 40. That's a lot. It was fun, though! "Pretty" is not a word you can apply to the weather just yet, but people were out and it was warm, and I saw all sorts of areas around here that I did not know existed! Like lakes! Like a nude beach lake! The best part of German bike trips is that you get to make a pit stop at the Biergarten instead of the ice cream parlor. We finally made it home hours and hours later, and were immediately exhausted, so we made some food (a-and ate it), and Steffi and Basti retired to Steffi's with a movie, and I'm thinking about watching a movie, but I also really need a shower, and I'm sort of playing around with the guitar, but I don't know what to do with it, and the internet is not teaching me fun songs. So Billy (or another Sparrow), hook me up! I'm leaving Monday for a week, so you have some time, but I want stuff when I come back, so I have time to learn and then teach.
Monday, April 10, 2006
You've Got to Be Kidding Me
10 April, and it is snowing like the Apocalypse out there. Assuming the world will end in ice and not fire. Man.
I slept later than I care to remember this morning (Ferien ist wunderschön) and spent my afternoon doing nothing of particular interest. Went up to church at 6:45 with Basti (he had brass practice, I had rehearsal for Good Friday, which didn't start until 7:30, meaning Nadja and I hung out for a bit first). I am playing James the brother of John on Friday, and it is a wonderful piece with blowing out of candles and of course gave us plenty of things to argue about. Who should blow out the candles? Where should we stand? How should we move? Craziness. Karin had brought Nadja some spätzle, which we cooked, and we also read Romeo and Juliet, because the church has a balcony and Nadja and I want to take advantage of that and do the balcony scene at some point. We read it in English. Erhard called and said "hey, there is this neat show on that explains how all the magic tricks are done, come watch it," so we did, and ate our spätzle, and hung out, and then Erhard drove me home through the crazy crazy snow. What happened to springtime? Ugh.
I slept later than I care to remember this morning (Ferien ist wunderschön) and spent my afternoon doing nothing of particular interest. Went up to church at 6:45 with Basti (he had brass practice, I had rehearsal for Good Friday, which didn't start until 7:30, meaning Nadja and I hung out for a bit first). I am playing James the brother of John on Friday, and it is a wonderful piece with blowing out of candles and of course gave us plenty of things to argue about. Who should blow out the candles? Where should we stand? How should we move? Craziness. Karin had brought Nadja some spätzle, which we cooked, and we also read Romeo and Juliet, because the church has a balcony and Nadja and I want to take advantage of that and do the balcony scene at some point. We read it in English. Erhard called and said "hey, there is this neat show on that explains how all the magic tricks are done, come watch it," so we did, and ate our spätzle, and hung out, and then Erhard drove me home through the crazy crazy snow. What happened to springtime? Ugh.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Just Don't Say I'm Damned For All Time
It's a good thing Adam sent me all these Jesus Christ Superstar songs. . . German Palm Sunday is closer to monks than rock and roll. . . although I hear the new tradition is the Passion, not JCSS? It saddens me a little, but I guess everybody is growing up and things are changing and you guys are more serious than we were, I guess. Can I help it if I need Herod to have a white guy Afro and be surrounded by androgynous dancer/servants?
And if Caiaphas can only sound one way, and it is that essential voice, and *melt.*
I wouldn't mind hearing Stella's Sanhedrin song, though.
Also, as long as this post is going out to the TUMC, might as well link you to my future Frisbee team (I swear you guys retain a place in my heart): http://ultimate.hampshire.edu. Peruse the history page to read about the infamous alum who majored in Frisbee "at the 1,100-student experimental college where classes are optional." And be so jealous that you are not going to my school.
And if Caiaphas can only sound one way, and it is that essential voice, and *melt.*
I wouldn't mind hearing Stella's Sanhedrin song, though.
Also, as long as this post is going out to the TUMC, might as well link you to my future Frisbee team (I swear you guys retain a place in my heart): http://ultimate.hampshire.edu. Peruse the history page to read about the infamous alum who majored in Frisbee "at the 1,100-student experimental college where classes are optional." And be so jealous that you are not going to my school.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Alright, Alright
When was my last post? Friday?
Ugh.
Ok, um. Saturday I got up early and got on a train to Nürnberg with church and we went to a Diakonie, which is sort of like a convent for Methodists. All the old ladies there were really nice and it was actually all kinds of fun, although the meat they served us was so gross I nearly went kosher then and there. They gave us ice cream later, though, and it was delicious. The weather was pretty, we took a walk, there are pictures that are making it on to Butterfly Paper slowly. After the old ladies, we went and saw an iMax movie about a Safaria and it was 3-D, which is fun but gives you a terrible headache. And that was my Dada month.
Sunday was the guitar service, where I managed to play decently, I guess, and an awesome guest preacher dude, who showed us (after church), his recently-televised abilities to identify Asterix quotes (don't ask) and then we made lunch together. It was delicious and a good time and I have this awesome Nadja-Piff quote written down, but it doesn't translate.
Monday, there was a Deutsch X. I took it, and wrote a few things on-topic, then BSed a bunch of things that had nothing to do with our current play, but rather the novella before it. Oh well. In English, we watched the most terrible 9-11 Conspiracy Theory movie ever. There was nothing right about this movie. It was hilarious. In Reli, I learned the Apostles Creed in German! I took a nap in my free period instead of studying for Bio, and then woke up for lunch, glanced at Bio, and then napped on. Fortunately, we did not have an X in Bio, so my lack of studying went without consequence. Instead, we learned the Biology of Beer, and it was as funny as you imagine. That night, I hopped on the train and headed back up to school to watch the school play, "Romulus the Great." It was fun, and starred many members of the K12 being incredibly entertaining. Also lots of girls dressed as boys, and Chubie had entertaining facial hair, and there were chickens and 11th graders as statues and I liked it. The play ended at 9:30, and Vronni drove me to the train station since it was raining, and I had the whole place to myself while I waited until 10:30, when the train came. It's nice to have a train station to yourself late at night. You can sing along to your iPod and no one will hear, and you can dance around, and it's lovely. Then you get to your home Bahnhof and get to have this amazing walk home. I wrote about it somewhere. Let me find that. "Walking home in the dark, all alone, when the streets are all empty. I can't help but run until I can't anymore, then I stop and double over and gasp at the air that is so cold it hurts when it hits my nostrils, my throat, my lungs. Then I straighten up and shove my fists into my pockets and walk off, really fast, as if someone were watching me. But no one is, their blinds are closed and their lights are off, and I'm alone. I want to scream into the clear night air, but it will only ruin what I have. I only paused when I saw the kitten, to pet it, but it knows that nights are for prowling, too. I don't want to ever get home, I want to go on walking like that forever." So yeah. That was neat.
I was sleepy Tuesday morning, and school was school. We had some long debate about what's a fruit and what's a vegetable in the free period, I played with prime numbers instead of paying attention in math (I like prime numbers), we went to the computer lab in history to start a week of looking at internet websites about coal mining history in Germany. You know this was a snooze. I got fun mail, and I ate lunch really fast and ran to catch the bus to go to the movies with Nadja and Anja. We saw Die Wilde Hühner, which only plays at 3 in the afternoon, and it was one of those awesome movies that romanticizes being 11 but was so much fun.
No Reli on Wednesday means I got to sleep in. More falling asleep in front of German coal miners in history, and we also watched a film strip. An actual film strip. About coal mining. It made the film strip noise and everything. It was crazy. There were only 6 of us in Bio, but we marched on. Art brought painting, and my art teacher was in a bad mood, but still complimented my (totally mediocre) paintings. I had delicious pizza for lunch and we discussed drunken Friedl stories. I spent German and Math more asleep than awake, and we continued the conspiracy theory movie in English. Some dude had an Arkansas accent, which comforted me, but the movie itself was boring. I got wonderful wonderful wonderful news in the mail- my Hampshire financial aid info came, and I am now a Hampster! I am putting my deposit in the mail tomorrow. So excited!
Thursday, I was up for Ausfragen in Sozi (I looked the word up in my dictionary at long last, and it said "interrogation," which sounds scary). I got 13 points, which is a 1, which is, as Tinta said, "krass." I am terribly proud of myself. In English, we listened to some sort of accent practice. British accents. Yuck. More computer lab in history, but I figured out how to talk to certain people via gmail chat, and that made it better. I went and picked up pictures (the ones that are on Butterfly Paper) from Nadja, and we (me, Nadja, Romi) decided to make a movie night. We made some tea and cut up some apples and carrots and settled down in the frozen basement to watch the Shipping News. The directing and acting were more than solid, but the plot wasn't my cup of tea. (My actual cup of tea was delicious, thank you.) Of course, movies are sometimes long, and I didn't get home until 10:30, meaning I was more tired on. . .
Friday. More computer-rooming it in history, and then to the other lab in English, and there was a new American! She will be here for the next 3 months and she is nice and I was happy to meet here. We spent the whole Pause talking, and it was nice. In Bio, Herr Wittmeyer kept reminding us that drinking in moderate amounts is a-okay and will not cause cirrhosis or death. Those sorts of reminders don't really exist in America. We started Ecology as well, because starting a new topic the days before a 2-week Ferien is the Thing To Do. No math, but I had to stay for German, and was so bored. Home, relax, almost forget about youth group, but Erhard came by to pick something up and drove me and we hung out and played games with Jan, who Nadja and Anja are roping in to help lead, and it was fun.
I slept in today, and I have been lazy and relaxing because I have Ferien now. I chose not to go in to the city, and probably will Monday or something. Right now, I have no Lust.
Ugh.
Ok, um. Saturday I got up early and got on a train to Nürnberg with church and we went to a Diakonie, which is sort of like a convent for Methodists. All the old ladies there were really nice and it was actually all kinds of fun, although the meat they served us was so gross I nearly went kosher then and there. They gave us ice cream later, though, and it was delicious. The weather was pretty, we took a walk, there are pictures that are making it on to Butterfly Paper slowly. After the old ladies, we went and saw an iMax movie about a Safaria and it was 3-D, which is fun but gives you a terrible headache. And that was my Dada month.
Sunday was the guitar service, where I managed to play decently, I guess, and an awesome guest preacher dude, who showed us (after church), his recently-televised abilities to identify Asterix quotes (don't ask) and then we made lunch together. It was delicious and a good time and I have this awesome Nadja-Piff quote written down, but it doesn't translate.
Monday, there was a Deutsch X. I took it, and wrote a few things on-topic, then BSed a bunch of things that had nothing to do with our current play, but rather the novella before it. Oh well. In English, we watched the most terrible 9-11 Conspiracy Theory movie ever. There was nothing right about this movie. It was hilarious. In Reli, I learned the Apostles Creed in German! I took a nap in my free period instead of studying for Bio, and then woke up for lunch, glanced at Bio, and then napped on. Fortunately, we did not have an X in Bio, so my lack of studying went without consequence. Instead, we learned the Biology of Beer, and it was as funny as you imagine. That night, I hopped on the train and headed back up to school to watch the school play, "Romulus the Great." It was fun, and starred many members of the K12 being incredibly entertaining. Also lots of girls dressed as boys, and Chubie had entertaining facial hair, and there were chickens and 11th graders as statues and I liked it. The play ended at 9:30, and Vronni drove me to the train station since it was raining, and I had the whole place to myself while I waited until 10:30, when the train came. It's nice to have a train station to yourself late at night. You can sing along to your iPod and no one will hear, and you can dance around, and it's lovely. Then you get to your home Bahnhof and get to have this amazing walk home. I wrote about it somewhere. Let me find that. "Walking home in the dark, all alone, when the streets are all empty. I can't help but run until I can't anymore, then I stop and double over and gasp at the air that is so cold it hurts when it hits my nostrils, my throat, my lungs. Then I straighten up and shove my fists into my pockets and walk off, really fast, as if someone were watching me. But no one is, their blinds are closed and their lights are off, and I'm alone. I want to scream into the clear night air, but it will only ruin what I have. I only paused when I saw the kitten, to pet it, but it knows that nights are for prowling, too. I don't want to ever get home, I want to go on walking like that forever." So yeah. That was neat.
I was sleepy Tuesday morning, and school was school. We had some long debate about what's a fruit and what's a vegetable in the free period, I played with prime numbers instead of paying attention in math (I like prime numbers), we went to the computer lab in history to start a week of looking at internet websites about coal mining history in Germany. You know this was a snooze. I got fun mail, and I ate lunch really fast and ran to catch the bus to go to the movies with Nadja and Anja. We saw Die Wilde Hühner, which only plays at 3 in the afternoon, and it was one of those awesome movies that romanticizes being 11 but was so much fun.
No Reli on Wednesday means I got to sleep in. More falling asleep in front of German coal miners in history, and we also watched a film strip. An actual film strip. About coal mining. It made the film strip noise and everything. It was crazy. There were only 6 of us in Bio, but we marched on. Art brought painting, and my art teacher was in a bad mood, but still complimented my (totally mediocre) paintings. I had delicious pizza for lunch and we discussed drunken Friedl stories. I spent German and Math more asleep than awake, and we continued the conspiracy theory movie in English. Some dude had an Arkansas accent, which comforted me, but the movie itself was boring. I got wonderful wonderful wonderful news in the mail- my Hampshire financial aid info came, and I am now a Hampster! I am putting my deposit in the mail tomorrow. So excited!
Thursday, I was up for Ausfragen in Sozi (I looked the word up in my dictionary at long last, and it said "interrogation," which sounds scary). I got 13 points, which is a 1, which is, as Tinta said, "krass." I am terribly proud of myself. In English, we listened to some sort of accent practice. British accents. Yuck. More computer lab in history, but I figured out how to talk to certain people via gmail chat, and that made it better. I went and picked up pictures (the ones that are on Butterfly Paper) from Nadja, and we (me, Nadja, Romi) decided to make a movie night. We made some tea and cut up some apples and carrots and settled down in the frozen basement to watch the Shipping News. The directing and acting were more than solid, but the plot wasn't my cup of tea. (My actual cup of tea was delicious, thank you.) Of course, movies are sometimes long, and I didn't get home until 10:30, meaning I was more tired on. . .
Friday. More computer-rooming it in history, and then to the other lab in English, and there was a new American! She will be here for the next 3 months and she is nice and I was happy to meet here. We spent the whole Pause talking, and it was nice. In Bio, Herr Wittmeyer kept reminding us that drinking in moderate amounts is a-okay and will not cause cirrhosis or death. Those sorts of reminders don't really exist in America. We started Ecology as well, because starting a new topic the days before a 2-week Ferien is the Thing To Do. No math, but I had to stay for German, and was so bored. Home, relax, almost forget about youth group, but Erhard came by to pick something up and drove me and we hung out and played games with Jan, who Nadja and Anja are roping in to help lead, and it was fun.
I slept in today, and I have been lazy and relaxing because I have Ferien now. I chose not to go in to the city, and probably will Monday or something. Right now, I have no Lust.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Sorry Guys
I spazzed on updates this week because I've been terribly busy.
Hopefully I'll fill you in tomorrow.
I'm starting to put new-old pictures on the Butterfly Paper- they date back as far as November and are in no particular order, so ask if you want to know what is going on. How do you get in touch with me, you wonder? Simple. You can hit the button that says comments at the bottom of this very post, or any other post for that matter. Even on Butterfly Paper. If comments that the rest of the Web can see are scary, no problem. Send me an e-mail at oneseventy@gmail.com and I will reply in a timely manner. E-mail too slow for you? I am available on MSN (aka Windows Messenger) (username yerbook170@hotmail.com) and on Google Talk and Gmail Chat via my Gmail address. If you aren't familiar with these programs, type them into your favorite search engine (you know mine), and I am certain you will find all the information you need to know.
I am more than happy to explain my pictures to you and to talk to you about the weather and other pleasantries. If I ever have some time at home again, that is.
Hopefully I'll fill you in tomorrow.
I'm starting to put new-old pictures on the Butterfly Paper- they date back as far as November and are in no particular order, so ask if you want to know what is going on. How do you get in touch with me, you wonder? Simple. You can hit the button that says comments at the bottom of this very post, or any other post for that matter. Even on Butterfly Paper. If comments that the rest of the Web can see are scary, no problem. Send me an e-mail at oneseventy@gmail.com and I will reply in a timely manner. E-mail too slow for you? I am available on MSN (aka Windows Messenger) (username yerbook170@hotmail.com) and on Google Talk and Gmail Chat via my Gmail address. If you aren't familiar with these programs, type them into your favorite search engine (you know mine), and I am certain you will find all the information you need to know.
I am more than happy to explain my pictures to you and to talk to you about the weather and other pleasantries. If I ever have some time at home again, that is.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Eso Espero
You know what's annoying? Earworms in languages you don't understand. Right now, I have a song in an unknown African tongue.
Spring has sprung, guys. I am excited. I slept in until 8, and I went to school and Bio was funny because Herr Wittmeier would ask a question, and go through the whole class, and not a single one of us knew it, and he'd get so frustrated. He explained how to make alcohol to us for a while. I am scared because there is a small test on Monday and I don't understand this stuff very well because it is organic chemistry- do any of you have a decent grasp of the subject and want to help me study?
We really wanted to have math class outside, but Frau Mannhart said no. It reminded me of Frau Velle's class, except with numbers.
In German, Herr Friedl was in some sort of really terrible mood, and it was so hilarious. He was constantly saying the grumpy sort of things that old men say, and we all giggled and giggled. He asked "should next week's test just be 'write whatever you want and I'll grade it? A nice little story about Panama?'" I'm also really proud that I can read his handwriting when he writes on the board now, because dude has some crazy bad handwriting.
I have to play guitar in church on Sunday, and Piff has to play drums, and he brought some guitar back for me when he dropped his drums off, and it turns out that guitar is the easiest instrument ever. I mean, I haven't touched the thing in two weeks, and I can still play this song as if I've been doing it forever. I am most disappointed that there's no work involved.
I'm going to Nurenberg tomorrow, the boys are going snowboarding, my host parents are out somewhere, so there will be no one home to take your calls. Assuming you have a random need to call my house.
Spring has sprung, guys. I am excited. I slept in until 8, and I went to school and Bio was funny because Herr Wittmeier would ask a question, and go through the whole class, and not a single one of us knew it, and he'd get so frustrated. He explained how to make alcohol to us for a while. I am scared because there is a small test on Monday and I don't understand this stuff very well because it is organic chemistry- do any of you have a decent grasp of the subject and want to help me study?
We really wanted to have math class outside, but Frau Mannhart said no. It reminded me of Frau Velle's class, except with numbers.
In German, Herr Friedl was in some sort of really terrible mood, and it was so hilarious. He was constantly saying the grumpy sort of things that old men say, and we all giggled and giggled. He asked "should next week's test just be 'write whatever you want and I'll grade it? A nice little story about Panama?'" I'm also really proud that I can read his handwriting when he writes on the board now, because dude has some crazy bad handwriting.
I have to play guitar in church on Sunday, and Piff has to play drums, and he brought some guitar back for me when he dropped his drums off, and it turns out that guitar is the easiest instrument ever. I mean, I haven't touched the thing in two weeks, and I can still play this song as if I've been doing it forever. I am most disappointed that there's no work involved.
I'm going to Nurenberg tomorrow, the boys are going snowboarding, my host parents are out somewhere, so there will be no one home to take your calls. Assuming you have a random need to call my house.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Ghosts Appear and Fade Away
Yesterday was a really really great day. I started it off with an e-mail from the right person, and I got to pet a kitten when I was walking to the train, and I saw some duckies when I was walking to school. I found out that there are some things people in my Reli class don't know immediately: the Prodigal Son, the Lord's Prayer. I found out that I don't know the German words for these things immediately, so it makes it hard to show off my knowledge. I swear to you, we are doing organic chem in Bio, and it makes me sad. I don't like Chemistry. Just 4 people again in history. I painted a gray gray painting in art (because I was too lazy to get paint that was neither black nor white) and called it Buenos Aires. I am entertained in German when Herr Friedl gets all specific about the way people read lines when we read dramas, and then they don't do it right anyway. I am practicing drawing on my calculator. I giggle when the Germans talk about superstores and having selection. When I go into a Wal-Mart again, it is going to be culture shock.
My mommy got a letter that said Swarthmore wait-listed me, so that is it on college news. My Wellesley financial aid packet came today, and it is incredibly attractive. I can only hope Hampshire will propose something equally pretty, or I am going to be going to Wellesley.
Today, in Sozi, Herr Lang said "Germany had 2 dictatorships in 40 or 50 years, but the 2nd one wasn't our fault." I got a free Leberkässemmel in my free period. It was delicious. I also had Leberkäs for dinner. It should be noted that Leberkäs is neither liver nor cheese. In history, Strobel determined that Patrick was a better person to copy notes from when you've been absent, and Jakob determined it would be great to copy from Patrick tomorrow, when there is the Schulaufgabe.
Schulaufgabe means I get to sleep in. I like that.
My mommy got a letter that said Swarthmore wait-listed me, so that is it on college news. My Wellesley financial aid packet came today, and it is incredibly attractive. I can only hope Hampshire will propose something equally pretty, or I am going to be going to Wellesley.
Today, in Sozi, Herr Lang said "Germany had 2 dictatorships in 40 or 50 years, but the 2nd one wasn't our fault." I got a free Leberkässemmel in my free period. It was delicious. I also had Leberkäs for dinner. It should be noted that Leberkäs is neither liver nor cheese. In history, Strobel determined that Patrick was a better person to copy notes from when you've been absent, and Jakob determined it would be great to copy from Patrick tomorrow, when there is the Schulaufgabe.
Schulaufgabe means I get to sleep in. I like that.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Been Looking So Long At These Pictures Of You
I almost believe that they're real.
Butterfly Paper has been updated.
It was really, really beautiful yesterday. 20°, sunshine. I was all happy.
It rained today.
There is a grown-up man in Aichach who rides a grown-up sized tricycle. It's neat.
Happy Dada Month!
In the Pause today, there were some 6th graders staring at us through the window, so Zimmy put Geli's phone number up. They all scrambled to save it in their cell phones. It was quite funny. He was going to add a "Your Momma Stinks" sign, but the bell rang.
Butterfly Paper has been updated.
It was really, really beautiful yesterday. 20°, sunshine. I was all happy.
It rained today.
There is a grown-up man in Aichach who rides a grown-up sized tricycle. It's neat.
Happy Dada Month!
In the Pause today, there were some 6th graders staring at us through the window, so Zimmy put Geli's phone number up. They all scrambled to save it in their cell phones. It was quite funny. He was going to add a "Your Momma Stinks" sign, but the bell rang.
Monday, March 27, 2006
SOMEBODY
Sent me a song from Aladdin in Spanish, and it has attacked my ear and settled there like some sort of worm.
I'm not really complaining, but I don't know Spanish, so it makes for an awkward earworm.
I'm not really complaining, but I don't know Spanish, so it makes for an awkward earworm.
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