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Buenos Dias, Compadres...

We've had the first official snow! There's a snowman in our courtyard (and a mighty professional looking one, considering how little opportunity the kids here in Berlin have to practice), and our neighbors waged a rather one sided snowball fight with our bedroom window last night. At least...I think it was them. I was ecstatic to see the cars and the parking lot covered, and the terrace. It was a rush like a little kid. Whee! Berlin is, to put it mildly, outside the snow belt. You've got to get down into the Harz mountains or real deep down in Bayern before you get serious snow like I know it from home.

Anyway, weather aside, the stress of Black November hasn't killed me yet. One more week and I'll officially have it all behind me. I'm not so sure I'll miss it, to be honest. Hopefully I've learned my lesson in terms of biting off more than I can chew, in terms of work...but somehow I doubt it. Deep down, there's that fear that suddenly there won't be enough work, ergo money. I mean...it's not a problem now. My job at the kindergarten is pretty secure, and it pays definitely enough to live on, but not enough to move to a new place, pay the lawyers fees if we lose the lawsuit or pay for the laptop...

Which brings me to my next topic. Stephan and I are going to become Macpeople. It should be here on Tuesday...somehow I doubt I'll see it often, but it's just as well. It seems like we spent forever trying to decide which model, which brand, what features, how much, why...whatever. I'm glad everything worked out, I'm glad it's ordered and I'm glad it's done with. I'll tell y'all what I think of it when I've had some time to play with it. The good news is...I'll be able to chat with you all on WEBCAM!

In other news, last Tuesday, we had a look at a FANTASTIC apartment near where we live. It's about 30 sqaure meters more than we have now, fourth or fifth floor, balcony, hardwood floors, a nice big kitchen, gas stove...perfect. Really great. We've been rushing around like mad this past week, getting all our paperwork together to apply for it, and now we'll have to see if everything falls into place. Technically, we'd really need the settlement money to get everything squared away there. There are things we'd need to buy for a new place...like a fridge and things we'd need to sell, like our patio furniture (tear! it's so pretty!)...It seems like too much needs to happen in too short a time, but I'm trying to stay optimistic. I have a crush on an apartment. It's close enough to where we live now so that our commutes to work and school wouldn't change that much and although it's on the main drag, it's high up enough that you don't hear jack and the bedroom is faces the courtyard anyway. We talked to the couple that lives there now and they also said that the management company and the landlord are all reasonable people...not like the jackals we're dealing with now. One can only hope that they realize it's really in their best interest to let us get the @#$% out of here and move on with our lives. We're only spreading hate and discontent here and I mean, they would EASILY get this place re-rented at whatever their asking price might be. It's a plum location, the terrase is an extra bonus, it's calm, quiet and if you're a total sap, you won't notice that you're being taken for a ride by the management. I mean...hopefully they'll have learned their lesson and play it a bit straighter with their tenants from now on. Bastards.

We'll have to see. If everything works out, we'll be moving between Christmas and New Year's. It's the only time we'll both have time to really do anything. My school/work starts back up on the fifth or sixth--whichever the Monday is, and Stephan's Uni as well. So we'll have a bit less time then. Keep your fingers crossed that it works out for us. The judge was supposed to have sent out his official verdict on Friday...we'll get it from our lawyer sometime hopefully next week. Stephan was at the last hearing (on Halloween--har har har) and the judge said he'd decide in our favor, but he'd leave the opposing side the opportunity to appeal (although they shouldn't actually have it, because they've already appealed once). Stephan went to visit our landlord (he lives coincidentally in our street. Isn't that bizarre?) and said that he didn't seem all that motivated to go for the jugular. Apparently he kept saying that he was a victim of the management company as well, and that he just wanted the situation resolved. We'll have to see if the situation really turns out that way...after all the horseshit that's gone down, I'm not so sure I actually believe anyone. Like I said, keep you fingers crossed. I never thought I'd say this, because I do love this apartment, but it would be so nice to be out of here and to be able to put this whole mess behind us.


My whole early childhood ed program is also starting to pick up. I've got a round of papers and presentations in early December that I'm trying to get a hold on. I spent part of yesterday banging out a rough draft of an analysis of a paper on the various forms of media and their effects on childhood development. It's shite in all probability...it's been aeons since I've actually had to write something in any way scientific in English, let alone in German. Stephan's been very patient about reading things for me. I mean...so far the semester as a whole hasn't been that bad. They try to give us as much prep time as they can in-class, because so many of the people there have families. It's crap for me, because I do so much work/research for all this shit online and the one computer lab that they have there is usually booked or being ruled by the super cantankerous, very flaming Bernd. I haven't asked, but I can't imagine that they have WLAN or anything like that. Not that I'd be interested in hauling my laptop to work and then through half Berlin to school. I change trains in THE addict hangout in Berlin. Junkies would rob their grandma without qualms in broad daylight. I mean, okay...it's Europe--it's not like they're packing heat or anything, but still. There's an awful lot of them. Not the right place for our new baby MacBook, if you catch my drift.


Wie dem auch sei...
(How/Whatever the case may be)
this has turned into a monster post. I was a bit under the weather this week--and have blown through a whole bottle of Tussin to prove it--so we're skipping out on our Sunday run this week, which is crap, since I have the feeling that I'm getting soft and squishy all over and don't have the time other days of the week to do anything about it. Argh. We all know that dietary restrictions and/or willpower is not my strong suit, so exercise is really the only way to keep things under control. Which means it's time to finally join a new gym. I think that's a story for another day, though. I think I'm going to read a bit more in the fantastic book that Mer sent me (love yis, dahlin), the Time Travelers Wife. It's so good---I stayed up way too late last night reading. That's how you know you're getting old and sedentary, right? God!

Anywayyyyy, take care of yourselves, don't freeze yer bollix off and don't get too stressed.

love and silky pre Christmas kisses,
.mia.

Wow.

What times we live in, my friends!

I'm pretty excited, to tell the truth. I mean, for someone who got on the bandwagon relatively late. Living here, you see what kind of overwhelming support Barack Obama has on the international scene. It's such a great thing--although I think on a certain level, it's symbolic of the frustration not only of Americans but also of people all over the world with the Bush regime of the last eight years. I worry a bit, though that things will just be so catastrophic by the time Obama takes office that he'll have to be doing ridiculous amounts of damage control and won't be able to do half the great things he has the potential to achieve for America. But at least the potential to do good is there, unlike a certain other administration that comes to mind. Here's to hoping he can make good on the rhetoric, the enthusiasm and the good will that got him this far.

And what do we all think about "rogue" Sarah Palin positioning herself for 2012? I love all of the fantastic hate that's come out of the McCain camp over how much of a joke this woman really was. For me, the Canadian prank callers were the icing on the cake. The fact that she didn't catch on, that she really thought she was talking to the real Sarkozy is astounding and insulting to the man himself...but then, her camp CONFIRMING this whole ridiculous incident...was unbelievable for me. If I'd worked for her, I'd've lied my FACE off. I mean, there are some things you don't necessarily need to admit to. People thought George W. was idiotic--at least he had half decent handlers. Don't get me wrong--I don't feel sorry for her, and it's not based in some kind of catty woman-against-woman horseshit. I don't think she's qualified and I don't think she understands or appreciates the difficulty the office of the Vice Presidency presents...let alone the Presidency. Otherwise she would have never accepted the nomination for a job for which she was so completely unqualified.

But anyway...I suppose that's enough political blather for today. I don't even really want to hear it anymore myself. I was so addicted to news in the months and weeks before the election, but now it's all anyone talks about and I'm sick of it. Bring me new news! I know that Barack Obama won the election, and while I am interested in who he decides to tap for his cabinet, I don't need to hear report after report based on whatever speculations the expert of the hour has to offer. I'd prefer an insightful analysist of the choices when they've been announced. Enough, though. Really.

I took today off from everything...slept twelve hours last night and had a fantastic hot bath today...all efforts to try and shake off last week/prepare me for the next one. It was Stephan's suggestion that I try to do as much nothing as possible. He grocery shopped yesterday, cleaned the apartment and washed dishes yesterday. It was awesome, because I wouldn't have been able to do it. This week shouldn't be so bad, though. At least I'll have Tuesday afternoon to get my house in order. It was nice not to worry about anything--whether it be the stupid translations of the Thanksgiving recipes or the course prep for next week's adult ed classes or the reading for school. I mean--it's all still there, subconsciously at least, but my powers of repression are strong, so it's working. I did sneak in a bit of productivity and did some pre-shopping for Christmas today, so that I know where to find what when my next paycheck rolls in. I've got to get Christmas presents sorted for the family--my goal is to have the package get there on time this year. We'll see.


Anyway...hope everyone's well! Take it easy.

Happy November! or "Hurray for procrastination"

Ahhh, Kinders--

How is everyone?

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to the Harz mountains to wish the Grandparents a preemptive happy birthday (although that's actually a HUGE no go here--brings bad luck, doncha know...). It was nice, and we got back relatively early this afternoon, so it wasn't too stressful. I hadn't been since May and there was snow on the ground, so I was excited all around. In light of all the upcoming insanity (KiTa Thanksgiving, My Thanksgiving, 3 different adult ed courses, school, exams and WORK) I should be doing about a bajillion different things other than updating this, but you know...vive la procrastination!
So anyway, the Grandparents are well, the Angie is well, the Max is well and it was really nice to be out of the city and in such a lovely quaint village like Schierke. It's one of my favorite places in Germany because it reminds me so much of home. Sometimes I think that one of my ways of dealing with being so far away is to find little pieces of home wherever I go. To be fair, however, there are definitely more conifers in the Harz region than in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern combined. And there was snow!!!! Not much, and we didn't go up the Brocken (weather was too foggy and craptastic) where there was allegedly more, but it was enough. In Berlin it rains. A lot. Last week we had four out of five days of constant.rain. I thought I was going to go crazy! I also had nothing to wear, because no one here has dryers. Everything gets hung out on the balcony on drying racks. But when it rains and is windy, nothing gets dry. And it sucks. In the depths of winter here is when I'm at my post patriotic. Wait and see.

In other news...the elections!!!
They're coming and I'm so excited. I voted about a month ago, but it doesn't matter. I absolutely cannot wait for Tuesday to see how committed America really is to being the change we want to see in the world. I mean, I'm not the hard core Obama fan that so many other people I care about are...and if I'm going to be honest, I would have preferred Hilary, but I think that Obama has the potential to take the US in a very fascinating direction, domestically as well as internationally. I don't have anything against McCain personally. I think it's a shame that he allowed himself to get strong-armed into making such poor and uncharacteristic decisions (choosing Palin as a running mate, abandoning his principles and giving in to negative campaigning). He's a good I guy, I think. He's certainly an American hero, and he definitely deserved a better campaign than the one he got. I think that's really only fair to say. However, as a result of one of his poor decisions in particular, I hope to heaven that he doesn't win. That woman is not fit to be president now, and she won't be fit to be president in 2012. I think she needs to go back to the hinterlands where she belongs. But I don't want to get too nasty here. I just happen to think that she speaks to the vilest part of America, really the bottom of the barrel of what we stand for as a nation. And no, I would not like to go out for a beer with her. Which is also, by the way, absolutely NO MEASURE of a person's ability to govern. I mean seriously, people. Whoever came up with that crap, anyway? Fortunately, as I heard James Carville say to Wolf Blitzer today, in times of trouble, America is less likely to vote based on likeability and more likely to vote based on capability.
Here's to hoping that's true.

Anyway, I'm going to pack it in for today. I've got some reading that I won't have any other time to do...so yeah. Take care of youselves and ROCK OUT ON TUESDAY!!!