Jamaica

I'm off to Jamaica! : D

Salsa, how I've missed you!

Last night Monica and I headed up north to Lucia's in Liberty to dance the night away with my favorite salsa dancers in the KC area. Mario dj-ed, Nathan organized, and lots of people showed up. Mom even came out for the first time ever to join me salsa-ing! It was so great to see everyone again and get in some dancing. I have to admit, I was really rusty! I think I need more practice.

Then Monica and I raced over to Zona Rosa to hear Dan play. O'Dowd's was rocking out to the band's awesome sound and we got in some more dancing. I also got the worst pick up line I've ever heard. If a guy ever comes up to you and says, "you're cute as shit" and thinks that will make you drool over him, well, either he's had too much to drink or he's really that stupid. I wasn't sure which one this young man was, but I quickly informed him my father was in the band and if he got any closer he might not make it home in one piece. Then I pointed at Dad, smiled, and waved. The boy ran away immediately. Ah, to be with the band!

Today Monica and I got up early and then woke Mario up, dragged him to the City Market with us, and got lots of yummy vegies and fruits. Mmmm! It was a blast. Then Mario showed us the "car" he had at the moment and let me drive. Picture is above. He bribed us with lunch (who can resist Mario's cooking?) but finally I had to leave to head to my German family's.

Now it is snowy and Monica and I have a fire going. It's been a great weekend. However, I am definitely looking forward to Jamaica - I got a really cute new swimsuit today to wear!

(pics above: Salsa boys, Dan, market fun, and me driving. Good stuff.)

Pics

The first pic is of the last snow, not today's. And then of Mario cooking and Monica taking notes, Mario goofing around (I know, surprising!), and us enjoying a nice game of Bingo by the fire. Am I 70 yet?

Procrastination

I think I am doing everything I can to avoid thesis work. So far today I have done laundry, trash, dishes, vacuuming, shoveled the driveway, worked out, did Monica's laundry, etc. Maybe I should just get back to reading articles for my thesis?

We got another wintry mix last night and today, so I listened to the ice pelting the windows. An unusual sound, but fun. I've never been so enthusiastic about shoveling the driveway!

Sadly all of my plans tonight had to be cancelled, so I will wait to see my German girls and my MISO folks.

Tomorrow Monica and I are heading up to Liberty to dance the night away at Lucia's. Nathan puts it together and Mario djs and it's a blast. Last night Mario and the gang came over and he cooked (can that boy cook or what!) and we watched a Latin competition of professional ballroom dancers. Then Mario pulled out the Bingo. Yes, I said Bingo. I jumped right over to play, and Monica raised her eyes from my Skinny Bitch book, gave him an "I don't think so" look, and went back to reading. After several minutes of begging we all grabbed two Bingo cards and chips and waited for Mario to call out the numbers. Monica then informed us, "my grandma is also playing Bingo tonight, on vacation in Florida". I laughed. But Monica's grandmother is pretty stinking cool. Yes, we really enjoyed a night of PBS televised ballroom dancing and Bingo, but there were good friends, good food, and maybe some wine involved....

Eyes

I saw one of the docs today (but not my surgeon, hm...) and he looked at my eyes and said they could fix the right one, I'd just need an enhancement. i.e. another whole surgery. He asked if I wanted to come in tomorrow. I almost laughed. Um, no. That would put off Jamaica, and I would be out of the country too soon. So I suggested July. My new surgery date is July 25th. I am a bit nervous, as I feel like they should have done more tests on my eyes, but they seemed quite confident. I just really, really hope they are right. I am willing to give it another shot, though I have to admit I'm really scared. The first two procedures were enough for me! But if it means my vision might really be perfect....

I hope everyone is having a lovely Valentine's Day.

Monica and I are trying to find a place to go Salsaing tomorrow. A lot of places have closed lately, which is really sad. And Saturday we are going to O'Doud's on the Plaza to hear Dan's band play.

Some people are going out ice skating tonight, and while it sounds like fun, it is way too cold, and I'm not sure I trust my night vision enough yet to drive that far alone. A nice, cozy evening by the fire with a movie sounds sooooo wonderful!

I know I've said it before, but it's good to be home. : )

Skinny Bitch

The book is called Skinny Bitch and it's by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. I just finished reading it and definitely recommend it! A bit offensive, I will give it that, but very interesting and to the point. It's full of good tips for being healthier.

It's so freezing here. Wow. But sunny. Hello sunshine, I have missed you! And the sun went overhead today. Amazing.

I love being home.

Made it!

I'm home, happy, and tired. I had a very warm welcome, friends surprised me and had food!

I've also traded in my bus pass for my car. Ahhhhh.

And it's absolutely freezing here, but there is beautiful sunshine so who cares!

It is so, incredibly, wonderfully great to be home. : )

Sunshine in the city

Nayeon and I spent the majority of the day in the city enjoying the sunshine and warmth. We walked into town, around the Alster, sat amongst a ton of people who seemed to simply come out of the woodwork to also enjoy the day, and walked back to my place along the Alster. In the pictures, I like where so many people are sitting on the edge of the bridge, and the one where you can see all the green grass and the birds.

I also did another run of packing and I think this time it will work. I did forget a few things to put in there, but I'll manage to fit them in. The bags are full and heavy, but not over the weight limit.

I still need to finish my paper! Oops. And tomorrow I'm meeting up with Melanie, then babysitting for Paul. My flight leaves Hamburg Monday at noon. I fly to Frankfurt, then DC, then KC.

I can't wait to see everyone!

If all days were like this...

Today was so beautiful! It got up to 50 F and there was real sun! I met Paul to get some help on my thesis, then we tried a nice Pakistani restaurant. It is great because most restaurants here have lunch specials, so you get a nice meal for a much reduced and affordable price.

I also went for a walk to enjoy some of the weather, which a lot of people in town also seemed to be doing! We had a sunset that reminded me of home, with the sky turning pink and orange, something that almost never happens in this gray world. So I took a tea and sat outside and watched the sun go down. The days are definitely getting longer! Just before 8 am it is getting light, and just before 6 getting dark. When there's light, that is. But it felt like spring today, I didn't even wear a hat! I just listened to the birds singing and children playing. Oh how I love warm weather!

Here are some pics from my walk and the Afghani restaurant that I didn't post earlier.

Test Run

I did a first test run of packing tonight and realized I am going to have to do it again. Oh dear. I finished getting presents today (mostly Christmas) so please, no one ask for anything else! I just can't fit another thing. Heck, I can't even fit all of my stuff. The problem is that I am trying to bring a lot of my clothes/stuff home b/c it is really expensive to ship it, and I want to leave a bunch at home. But the bags just never seem big enough. So Sunday I will do another run with the packing. I'm sure I can fit more into the big backpack Emma lent me.

Today Emma and I walked to town (combining our exercise with errands) to finish up the last of my purchases to bring home. I also worked a bit on my paper and now have ten pages done. But there is still a long way to go on it. Emma is leaving for England tomorrow for a long weekend, so it was the last time I'll see her before I leave. Most of my friends are gone this weekend, which I guess is good, because then I can just focus on the paper and getting ready to leave town. Plus, I am babysitting Sunday night, so that ought to be fun!

I am taking questionnaires to a class tomorrow, FINALLY getting onto some research for my thesis. The funny thing is that it is an English class, and I have been asked if I can stay and talk with the kids a bit. Sure! I mean, I was a Fremdsprachenassistentin in Landstuhl, so it's nothing new to me. : )

I feel like there is so much to do before I leave!

Super Tuesday

First of all, yay to olive oil! It so helped.

Secondly, I think our electoral process is more complex and confusing than I realized. People keep asking me questions that I can't explain without researching them online to make sure I actually know. Hmmmm. I guess it didn't really interest me that much before (sorry to admit). I realized I wasn't even sure who voted in primaries, whether it was everyone or just delegates! Still, better late than never to learn a bit about my very own country.

If anyone wants to get a bit daring, feel free to post who you want to win the election and why! Boy howdy, this is an exciting election year! ; )

Olives anyones?

Angelina tried pouring olive oil all over her scalp and rubbing it in and leaving it for an hour, and suggested I do the same. So here I sit, dripping like mad, with paper towels tucked into my shirt collar. Oh, it's quite hilarious and no, I am not taking pictures! I have to admit it was a bit odd, but not too bad, rubbing olive oil all over my head. I wonder how it will wash out....

Ew

I need some home remedies here people. My roommate and I (oddly enough) have both very recently developed way too much dandruff. (I apologize if you are a bit grossed out by this, if so, just skip reading this blog entry!) I feel a bit disgusting myself. I thought it was the change of shampoos, but she asked me if I was experiencing the same thing, and I had to admit I am.

So anyone has some suggestions? Please?

I checked online and I am just not sure what to try, there are so many thoughts on the matter!

I think my flies are mostly gone, however. One problem at a time. lol. And no, I am not shaving my head.

One week. : )

Korean Dinner

Last night we had dinner at Eric and Nayoen's. It was delicious! Sadly Emma was sick, so she stayed home, but the rest of us enjoyed a delicous, Korean home-cooked meal. Mmm! Then for dessert than had bought a variety of pieces of German cakes. Oh dear. There goes my avoidance of sugar!

Oh, and I ate squid for the first time last night. Not bad.

In response to Dad's comments regarding the Afghani restaurant. We ate with utensils, but we did get a stew sort of thing with vegies and meat, and flat bread on the side. Absolutely delicious! In the Ethiopian restaurant, however, we did eat with our hands. Talk about fun!

Crazy Weather

Ok, this should be enough postings for one day! lol. But I caught some of the hail on camera so I wanted to share it as well.

It's also weird because it will be coming so strongly from one direction, and two minutes later the wind will completely shift.

Daily Life

I took advantage of the break in rain to pop over to Plus to get some wine and chocolate to take to the Kim's tonight. As I walked past my corner fruit and vegie guy, I waved hello. As I came back from Plus, (oh, wait, it just started hailing out my window! talk about really weird weather!) he waved again, then I heard him yell something. I turned around and he came out the door and said to come inside.

I decided to be polite and come inside, and he immediately asked me if I wanted orange juice or champagne. I looked the the two sitting on the counter and paused. Ummmm. He explained it was their one-year anniversary of having this shop. I accepted a glass of OJ and he, his wife and I talked for awhile. He's been here 30 years, she's been here 18. He came to Germany on vacation one, came again, and just stayed, thinking he would leave after a year or two. 30 years later....

As we talked more and I learned about their lives and they asked me about mine, it was just nice to have people be warm and friendly like that. It always seems it is the foreigners (or at least usually) who let you into their lives quite quickly. I don't know why I like that so much, but I really do.

Once I returned home, I realized I knew quite a bit about their lives, and yet I still don't know their names. I might have to ask next time.

Yay Jamaica!

Dad said he got his vacation approved so it will be a blast in Jamaica! I'm so glad!

I got up this morning and at 9 it was sunny, so I went for a walk (just under 5 miles) and after I got home, the clouds rolled in and it's gray and rainy out. I'm quite happy I decided to get out there when I did and enjoy the 1.5 hours of sunlight for the week. Yay! hee hee.

Last night Emma, Chris and I met up with Eric, Nayoen and Joy. We went down to the Schanze Viertel and to Fritz Bauch for a little while, but obviously the smoking ban wasn't in effect there, so after awhile we walked over to the area near the Jesus Center and the anarchist house, and stood around Haus 73. An interesting crowd, to say the least.

Ok, that was weird. As I was typing the rain changed over to large snow that just came pouring down, so I watched it for a few minutes. About ten minutes of heavy snow (it's too warm to stick) and then the sky cleared and it's somewhat blue again, and just snowy a bit. lol.