Random Thoughts, Observations and Stories

Some of my blog entries are little stories. Some are a "I-did-this-and-then-I-did-this-and-then-I-did-this" recap. And some do not fit into either of those categories. This is one of those blogs. Sometimes I can write forever and ever and sometimes it's hard to find something to write about. Here is a short collection of thoughts, observations, and stories that haven't fit into my other posts. It's very possible that I already did talk about these things, so apologies in advance if I'm retelling.

But first, I officially have my visa! It's pretty neat if you ask me. Lots of holograms.

-Five weeks ago at the Frankfurt Book Fair is when my cough appeared. Björn suggested I get some tablets of sorts. This is where I learned the German word for stubborn. Too bad for me because guess who just started coughing again...

-At the office, in order to avoid a safety hazard, I have to climb under the desk to plug in my laptop each day. I don't mind. I don't wear dresses or skirts, so it's not an issue. However, it was funny when Uwe and Björn saw me doing it. The look on their faces was great. Even better, last week, while I was under the desk, Uwe came in to talk to Berit. He had no clue I was under the desk, so when I popped back up, the look on his face was as if I had just performed a magic trick. It was great.

-Sometimes when I turn my computer on, the screen has decided to rotate itself. I kind of ignored it at first, but then it started happening a lot and I couldn't figure out how it was happening. I asked Uwe for help and he just laughed. Apparently, Berit had the problem once before and it was confusing to fix it. Now I know the short cut to fix it, but I still don't understand why it happens every time I turn the computer on!

-I love how direct the Germans are. If someone asks me how my food is, unless it's really terrible, I'll say it's good. Even if it's just ok. Well, they will just say this is terrible or it's just ok. Not a bad idea.

-Every time I talk about hockey, someone asks, do you mean ice hockey? Yes. Yes, I do.

-I have seen no fewer than 4 small children out riding unicycles. I don't know one American child with a unicycle.

-I love how most dads here are "Papa". I think it's sweet.

-I don't like when shows are dubbed in German over the English. Like you can literally hear both. Not necessary and extra confusing for my brain. I end up hearing nothing. Not too many shows are like this, so it's not a big problem, but I do find it strange.

-Marcus called me "Jingle Bells" the other day because of my red coat. He said I just needed white gloves to which I replied, "Ho, ho, ho."

-Last weekend, I tried to walk through the Christkindlmarkt setup, but I couldn't get all the way through. I was stuck in an abandoned winter wonderland with pine-scented trees. It wasn't the end of the world. I followed the breadcrumbs back out and definitely wasn't the only one.

-Today I couldn't get the dishwasher to run. I will have to try again when I go home later. I mean, really, you just press start.

-I saw a mother and small daughter walking hand in hand. The twoish-year-old stopped to touch a leaf covered in frost. She swiped her gloved finger and then took a lick. Mom just shrugged and said, "That's icky."

-Does anyone else have a newer credit card where the number is on the back? It's really confusing them over here.

-I love having tax included in prices, so I know exactly how much small change to pull out while waiting in line to pay.

-I really wish I had brought my warm boots. Less than three weeks to go though, so I hope I can manage.

-I'm very happy. I walk around with a huge smile on my face (except for when my feet are cold, I can't get the dishwasher to run, or I'm coughing). Thank you for all of the notes of encouragement and happy thoughts :)

Happy weekend! Schönes Wochenende!