To laser...or not?

Tagchen...

I'm posting from a remarkably snowy Berlin. It's too warm for anything to stick, but Mother Nature's been doing her best all day long. Things here are going well...Stephan got better, I got my flu shot and haven't been ill since (knock on wood). Valentine's Day was pretty catastrophic...Stephan doesn't believe in celebrating it, which is fine with me...I'm not a fan of the commercialism and of course it's better to take the time to celebrate your relationship and the person you're with ALL year round and not just on one dark winter day

...HOWEVER, sniping at eachother all day is not really a super alternative. Unfortunately, that's what we did. I finally had enough and called a friend and was getting ready to leave, but we wound up talking it out and getting along. That's kind of our thing. We rarely have knock-down, drag-outs...we'll just snipe at eachother until one of us has had enough, then comes the part where we ignore eachother for a few hours, and then one of us has enough of that and makes the move to talk it out. And then we usually do. 

Anyway, we've had a bit of stress lately...because we found a really lovely apartment in the Bänschstr. in the same house as a buddy of Stephan's. It's got just about everything we want...except for a balcony. Which is a bummer, but sometimes one's got to make some compromises. We also finally managed to get all the necessary paperwork in order (pay stubs from the last three months, two credit histories, a document from our management company stating that we don't owe them any money and the application from the new management company)--which was no small feat. Now the only remaining issue is whether or not we'll actually get the apartment. It is certainly possible that they've already said "to hell with these clowns--let's take someone whose paperwork is already complete!" There were a TON of people at the viewing. More than I'd ever seen at a single apartment viewing before. So yeah. Stay tuned...we'll find out either tomorrow or the next day if we've made the cut. It's really almost as stressful as applying for a job or for college. I think that someone who made a business of finding best apartment for people would make a KILLING. Really...I mean, my job isn't that stressful, but I've certainly got enough to do without having to troll the internet for non-divey apartments in our district, making appointments for viewings and that dealing with the mountains of paperwork. I'd be willing to pay money to some sort of headhunters who'd find us the perfect apartment for the perfect price. Sigh.

In other news, I had my first appointment at a german optometrist this week. I had to get an official vision test for my driver's license. While I was at it, I thought perhaps I might replace my two year old contact lenses with something available on the german market. So I found out a lot about my eyes. My newfound optometrist pal told me that I'd be best served staying with my brand if at all possible, because my eyes could have a reaction to a new type of contact lens after all this time. She searched and searched and searched and finally found a distributor of my lenses in Germany...and now they're on order, but before she could order them, she had to measure me, and because I have toric lenses, apparently you can't just take them out and get an accurate measurement. I had to wear my glasses for a whole day, to work...the whole nine yards. My kids found me strange. All day, I had small children creeping up beside me--silently (they're otherwise NEVER silent) and trying to peek behind my glasses--almost as if to make sure my "real" face was still there. And of course the weather was just plain sadistic for someone with glasses--sleet and snow. I wasn't sorry to be able to pop my lenses in the next day. However, this was one of the first times in years that I'd left my house with only my glasses on. I had to surrender them at the optometrist's so she could measure them...and it was terrifying. I really had no idea how blind I'd become. I stood there, watching the fuzzy shapes of cars race by on the six lane road outside and I got so dizzy I had to sit down. Everything was so hazy, so unclear. I felt so helpless. I was happier than I'd ever been to put my glasses back on. The kindly optometrist told me that I have only 60% sight in my right eye with my glasses, so after I get my contacts straightened out, it looks like that's the next thing on my list. Stephan thinks I should get lasered. I've never really thought about it. Not seriously at least...but the best eye clinic in Germany is in Rostock. I'd never really thought about how poorly I really see until I sat there half blind and completely terrified in a strange place. Maybe it's not such a bad idea. I'll get a call within the next week telling me when my trial contacts (42€ per eye, thank you very much!) are in...I can ask the optometrist then what she thinks. 

Right. So, enough news from across the pond...it's time for a chat with the folks. And some water. I hit the elliptical pretty hard after my ab course today...and now dehydration's hitting me. 

Lots of love!

The New News. Get up do date, folks!

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.