18 September - Shoulda been a German

Or at least moved here when I had Skylar. The state gives all kids 160 euro a month until they are 25! So I guess to the parents and then when the kid turns 18, it goes to them. If you have a kid and you are in school, you get to go to school for free and they give you 400 euro! Now you can't exactly live on that, but it sure would have helped. And, in most states, the day cares are free! Seriously, what is so great about America when here, they give you money to help you live, pay for school and daycare, and have nationalized health care?? If I had moved here after I had Skylar, they still would have done this for me even as an immigrant! Then I might not be thousands of dollars of school loan debt.

I am pretty much planning out my weekends for the next few months when I get home. Concerts, shows, outings, and parties.. I can't wait. Now if only I could find a job to finance it all. Maybe I should stay in Germany and get 160 euro a month for Skylar.. nah :) Today I got 4 tickets to Rob Zombie who is playing at the Roy Wilkins Center. I have loved his music for almost as long as I've liked Edie Brickell, but she never leaves Tennessee :)

Was kind of an icky sticky day today. I went for my run through the woods and probably consumed at least a dozen gnats.

17 September - Rathus

We got a letter that said we needed to go the Rathus (town hall) to fill out and sign some final paperwork for our visit here. I also wanted to stop at the yarn store to get more yarn for a scarf I am making, but they discontinued the line. So now I have a pot holder with holes.

So, into town we went and apparently there is another festival of some sort. We went into the Rathus and found the room we were directed to and found a bunch of people waiting to go in. I don't think Germans believe in orderly lines. It seems no matter what it is, people just form a mass and hope to go in some semblance of an order. Whether it's the bakery or the town hall, people just stand where they are and wait until the counter person recognizes them as their turn. It is impossible for that person to know who was there before who so it ends up being whoever they make eye contact with. And I know Germans think American niceties are overrated, so they have a tendency to push and shove and glare instead. Anyway, after about an hour we finally got our turn. We went in and she presented us with some forms to sign saying that we were leaving on October 6th and no longer needed permission to stay. At least that is what she told me the papers said... I suppose it could have said that they are going to throw me in jail and keep us here forever, but I hope not. I just signed it and off we went.

16 September - Soy!

I had to go to the post office and mail a package, but for some reason, the place is always closed. Either I get their on their lunch break or they are closed from such and such a date for renovations. I've been there 3 times trying to mail this package and I just keep bringing it back home. So, we went to a different grocery store because it was by the post office. They had a whole section of soy stuff! Soy veggie burgers, soy schnitzel, soy gyros, soy sticks, ect. They even had smoked tofu! So finally with just a few weeks left, I can eat the food I am used to eating. Maybe I went a little overboard and got like one of each :)

The woman at the checkout spoke no English whatsoever and apparently my local bank card decided not to work. I think the strip wouldn't register or something, but luckily they took my Visa from home because I had no idea what she was trying to tell me.

Ah, for dinner a yummy soy steak and corn. Mmm, mmm, mmm.

15 September - Back to the Grind

Spent most of the day just catching up with everyone and Skylar spent the day catching up with his gaming buddies. A whole week without computer! But we made it :)

I formatted a few things on my project and rearranged a little. I just stare blankly at the conclusion since there is none.

I went for a short run and got some milk, but that was about it for my journeys of the day.

Mostly is was just good to back, so we just hung around and of course I did laundry.

14 September - Back to Germany

Now for the reverse of our fun travels in getting here. We had to be at the Venice main station by 9:30am to catch the bus to the airport. I go to the main desk to pay for our shuttle rides and she says, sorry, they are all full. What!! She said starting today, you need to make a reservation for the shuttle because they changed from the big bus to an eight seater van. I was livid! I checked out last night and told the girl that I needed to catch the 9:30am bus and she said the shuttle would get me there in plenty of time and not to worry.I told the girl at the desk this and she suggested the public bus, but that can take up to 45 minutes. We did not have 45 minutes! So she suggested a taxi at about 25 euro. I demanded to speak to the manager and she got all flustered and said he wasn't there. Then she called the driver of the van and asked if he could come early and take us in and then come back to get the rest of the passengers. He agreed. Unfortunately we got caught in traffic and just barely made the bus which meant that he was way late in getting back to the other passengers. I felt bad, but it really was not my fault. They should have told me last night that I needed to make a reservation on the shuttle.

So then on the bus to Treviso to catch our plane at 12pm. This time they did check our bags and flagged Skylar's so the girl had to go through it and was kind of irked that all that was in it was smelly clothes. They let us go and off we went to the plane. It was storming! We had to run to the plane on the runway since they don't have those tunnel things that attach directly to the building. We were soaked by the time we took our seats. Made for such a comfy ride. There are no assigned seats either, so everyone just pushes and shoves trying to get to whatever they seem to think the best seat is. At Frankfurt-Hahn we took a bus to Frankfurt train station, then a train to Heidelberg, then on to Heilbronn where we caught a bus to the flat. Finally getting home at about 8pm.

13 September - Gondola

With no real plan again for today, we took the shuttle into Venice. We took the water bus to San Marco square and wandered around for awhile. There were so many people! There was also a demonstration of some sort with lots of people wearing green and carrying signs written in Italian. Skylar was holding on to me for dear life so as not to get swept away in the crowd. We thought about touring the Basilica or the clock tower, but the lines were longer than the best rides at Great Adventure. So we got a bit of lunch and of course some gelato and then got back on the water bus towards the main station since this was the last day of of our pass.


I wanted to see what the Jewish Ghetto area was, so we got of at San Marcoula and went down more streets lined with tourists and crappy vendors selling chachka. There were public toilets, but they cost 1.50 euro which seems to be a thing in Europe. I guess it's better than not having any option at all like in NYC or even Minneapolis. I don't like that they charge in the train station and sometimes in restaurants, but I think it is a good idea in public areas. I'm sure they make enough to keep it maintained. Anyway, so there was nothing special about the so called Jewish Ghetto except things might have been a tad cheaper. We just walked and walked and walked until we finally just decided to take a break in a quiet spot along the canal.


As we were walking around again, a Gondola driver approached me and I must have been in a weakened state... I asked how much and he said 80 euro... I pouted a little, and he said OK, for such a pretty lady, I'll do it for 70. I said maybe and walked a few feet away and looked to see how much money I had on me. I am not usually one for bargaining.. actually I hate discussing money at all, but all I had was 60 euro, so that's what I told him. He conversed with his partner for a minute saying things like bella and sweet, then finally said OK. I know it is still a ridiculous amount to pay for a boat ride, but when would we ever be in Venice with a chance to ride a Gondola again??


The ride was absolutely lovely! It is such a different view from the canals and so relaxing! The driver gave us a tour and explained some of the history. He sang in Italian as he rowed along, which was so adorable. I asked him if there were any women Gondola drivers and he said there are just some starting school for it this year. Wow! And school? Really? He said they have to be able to speak French, Italian, German, and English fluently and know a great deal of the history of Venice in addition to learning how to drive the boat and control with just one oar against the wind and all down the narrow canals. Said it takes a couple years and there are many exams. He was so funny and even did a Fonzy impression when he passed by his friend whose name is Bollo, like the Italian Fonzy. It was hilarious mostly because it was so absurd. The ride took about an hour. When we got off the boat he asked where my husband was and I replied, Husband? Bah! Who needs a husband! He started cracking up and almost fell in the water.


We walked on a bit more and started scanning the menus for an actual Italian dinner we could eat. We came along a place that had Melanzane alla parmiggiana! Michele had suggested this dish. We asked if it was vegetarian and the waiter promised it was. I almost jumped for joy! So we sat down and ordered. They only had one serving left and Skylar kindly let me have it and ordered spinat riccot canneloni instead. Both were delicious! I even ordered a glass of wine, but since I have the tolerance of a hamster, I was all giggly and clumsy by about half way through. We stayed for a few extra minutes and did some people watching . Of course we got some more gelato and then walked on to the station. We got there a bit early, so we went to the park again.

Back at the hostel, we packed up all our things and souvenirs. I doubt I'll ever go back to Venice for vacation, but it was definitely a great experience! Skylar was enthralled and that is all that matters.

More pictures can be seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/osani77/VeniceDay5

12 September - Burano and the Doge Palace

We slept in a bit later this morning. The sun must have really did us in yesterday. We took our time and got breakfast at the hostel restaurant. It was nothing special, just a few scrambled eggs with some tomato and onion and a basket of quartered toast pieces. Simple, but good.



When we got into Venice, we took the water bus to Fondamente Nove and walked around a little. Then took another boat to Burano. It was quite a long ride, but Skylar wanted to see all the brightly colored houses. We got good seats again, so we just relaxed. There is something about taking a boat that makes the drive time not seem to matter at all. Burano is an island that is known for it's brightly colored houses that were painted by the wives of fisherman so they could identify which one was theirs from out at sea. As we got nearer we passed a few smaller islands that looked like they had been submerged in water from time to time. As we got nearer to Burano, we saw the brilliant blues, yellows, red, purples, and pinks of the buildings. Every house was a different color! Not just any color either, but beautiful bright, vibrant colors! Burano is also known for their lace, so there were many shops with fancy lace dresses and scarves. Many of the inhabitants were just going about their regular business hanging their laundry out on a line. It really made me feel like we had gone to some little villiage from long ago full of wives waiting for their husbands to return from the sea. There was also quite a few cats and dogs wandering around. There doesn't seem to be any leash laws here, so even in Venice the dogs just run around. At least they don't have to worry about them getting hit by cars :)



Again we tried to search for vegetarian food options, but gave up and had pizza again. I do love pizza though, so it was just fine by me. Maybe in less touristy parts of Italy the food selection is better. Besides, since Burano is a fishing village, just about everything had fish in it.


After lunch, we took a foot bridge to a neighboring island and walked around it. We came to a cemetery that was very well kept. All the graves had flowers on them and they were the kind above the ground with clean polished stone lids. There were many really fancy ones and also some that looked like drawers. Once we circled the whole island, we headed back over to Burano and caught the water bus back to Venice.

Skylar had picked the Doge Palace out of the sight seeing book as a place he really wanted to see, so we went there this afternoon. The place was extraordinary! The ceilings are all painted and decorated with exquisite detail. The Doge Palace is where the council representatives sat and the Doge is like the president. The palace is filled with courtrooms, meeting rooms, hearing areas, and the prisons. In the center is a beautiful courtyard. There are rooms of weapons and torture devices as well. Pictures were not supposed to be taken, but we got a few. The paintings have gone through many renovations and even redone after a fire in about 1500.


As it was getting late and Skylar was in a hurry to get back to the hostel, we caught another water bus back to the main station. We got to watch the sun set over the canal from the boat; it was breathtaking! The buildings look even more beautiful along the canal in the evening. There were tons of tourists getting Gondola rides. I thought we would do it, but at 80 euro, I am a little hesitant. Skylar hasn't pushed for it at all once I told him how much they cost and he seems happy with the water bus boat, so that's good. We got to the shuttle just in time. Another long day that was over before we knew it.

More photos can be seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/osani77/VeniceDay4

11 September - Lido

Well, this morning my shower flooded the bathroom and the toilet seat came off the hinges. So much for fancy, I guess. On the way to our shuttle, I told the girl at the front desk and she called a man to come fix it right away and replace our towels that got soaked.

It was a sun blazing hot day, so took the water bus to Lido for a day at the Venetian Sea. We walked around a bit through the town. It is very different from Venice. All the stores look new and commercial and it really looked like many other beach towns. Somehow I managed to only pack the top half of my bathing suit, so I had to try and find a yet another new bathing suit before we hit the beach. We found the Undercolors of Benneton and they happened to have all their mismatched suits on sale, so I was able to find a bottom that would work. It was a bit too big and showed way more of my back side than I was comfortable with, but I figured it would work.

We got a bit of lunch and some delicious gelato and then headed off for the public beach. The island has many beaches, but there is only one that is public: Blue Moon. The rest are privately owned and operated by hotels or residents. We went to change into our suits and had to pay one euro for the changing rooms, the toilets, the showers, and the use of an umbrella or we could get the whole package for 15 euro. I figured we wouldn't be changing more than twice, so that would only be 4 euro.


We found a nice piece of sand and laid our stuff out. Then hit the water! It was a bit cold, but not too bad this time of year since it has warmed up all season. Since my bathing suit was too big, it kept slipping off every time I got hit with a wave. I am sure I flashed the entire beach! Oh well, we still played in the water and tried to jump the waves. I laid in the sun and Skylar built a sand castle. We lazed about in the sand and water for the whole day soaking up the rays.

As it started to get later and cooling down, we headed back to the water bus and took it to Rialto for some dinner. I took a bunch of pictures from the boat since we got the good seats at the head. Since we've gotten here we've only had pizza because vegetarian Italian food is much harder to find than I thought. We kept asking places and checking menus, but they all said they only had carbonara sauce. We came to a quaint little restaurant and asked the waiter about vegetarian lasagna. He went and asked the cook who came out and told us of course. We were elated! She said she could put in fresh zucchini or mushrooms too. Now I specifically asked for lasagna and lasagna is lasagna in English and Italian, but something must have gotten lost in translation because what we got was bowls of spaghetti with some oil on it. I was so mad! I said it was not what I ordered and the waiter kept apologizing and the cook pretty much said too bad. I was so not happy about paying 13 euro for spaghetti and probably should have just left because the cook was then being so rude, but we stayed and we ate it, so I paid and we left. Oh well, then we headed back to the boats. Skylar had been wanting one of the masks that are everywhere, so I finally let him pick one out at a shop along the way.

We got back on the boat that took us to the bus station where we could take the shuttle back to the hostel and get to bed.

More pictures can be seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/osani77/VeniceDay3

10 September - Murano

We got up bright and early and went to the restaurant for breakfast. They didn't have much, so we settled for a croissant. Not bad as corissants go. We also found out the pool is only open from 10am-6pm and the shuttles come at 9, 10, and 11am in the morning and 8, 9, and 10pm at night, so unless we planned on staying at the hostel all day, we wouldn't be using the pool. So we showered up and caught the shuttle into Venice for the day.

We started walking with no particular destination in mind. We stopped at a street vendor and got some pastries for breakfast. When we got to San Marco, we decided to catch the water bus to Murano to see the glass. At the ticket counter, the man said we had to go back to the city center to get a student pass which was about half price. However, when we got there and waited in line for an hour, they told me I am too old for a student pass (14-29)! How dare they! And Skylar was too young! Gah! So we had to pay full price which was quite painful. We got the 3 day pass, so we'll use them quite a bit and get our money's worth, I hope.

Finally we boarded the boat and went to Murano. When we got off, we were directed to a glass blowing demonstration. It was pretty cool! The man giving the demonstration said that glass blowing is passed down from generation to generation. To be a master, you have to start very young and be an apprentice for 20-25 years. Seems kind of a strange dream to want to work over a hot flame making gaudy tourist crap all day for little money, but who am I to judge. Then we went into the shop there and this man kept following me around. Maybe he thought Skylar and I looked suspicious. Skylar had his eye on this little octopus and I told him we would look around some more before we bought anything. So the man just gave it to us. It's nothing fancy, but it was still nice of him. We thanked him and went off exploring.

We then continued on looking in every glass shop we passed by, which was every shop! I don't understand how they make money when they all sell the same thing. They claim to be individual glass blowing shops that make their own products, but how come none of them are different? They all sell the same chachka that looks exactly the same. It really was all very pretty though. I just wouldn't know what to do with it. I'm not one to collect stuff like that. Skylar loved it and wanted everything! He got a couple little necklaces and a family of octopi. He kept thanking me for taking him there and saying how much he liked it. Even said he wants to live in Venice and buy a speed boat. Sometimes I don't really get him or why he likes certain things, but I am just really glad he is enjoying himself.

After our feet were killing us and we bought enough junk for one day, we took the boat back to Venice to catch the shuttle. At the hotel we went back to the restaurant and got another french fries pizza. Then headed back to the room for bed.

More pictures can be seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/osani77/VeniceDay2

9 September - Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

We got on our way at 4am this morning. We took a taxi to the train station in Helbronn, took a train to Mainz and from there, took a bus to Hünsruck where the Frankfurt-Hahn airport is. We flew to Treviso airport and took another bus into Venice. Everything actually went just fine. I was so worried about our bags being too big or too heavy, but they didn't even check! I checked though and we were fine. I guess when they do check, they can hit you really hard, so everyone is just paranoid about it. We had to buy plastic baggies for a euro each for our liquids though. Although, they didn't seem to care much about that either because there were a couple things I forgot to put in and they didn't even notice them in my bag. However, they did take my knitting away when we got on the plane and the flight attendant said she was surprised I made it through security with them. Knitting needles can apparently be used as a weapon... you know, like a pen or a cue-tip could be too. She let me have it back after the flight though.



We finally got into Venice at about 2pm and the first thing I wanted to do was find some pizza and some gelato! We walked around a bit gaping at all the beautiful old architecture and bridges and finally settled on this cute little place with our table beside an enormous open window so it was practically outside. Unfortunately, I wasn't that impressed with the pizza. It was paper thin and just OK. Afterward, we followed the trail of tourists with ice cream until we came across the first of many and got a cone. Yummy!!! It was just as I dreamed of... and yes, I actually had been dreaming of real Italian gelato. Seriously, what makes it so good?? Why can't Americans make ice cream like that??



We decided to stay and wander around until the shuttle came that evening because it would take us directly to the hostel and we wouldn't have to deal with the public buses. We walked up and over and around the many canals. We looked at the little gift shops selling masks and Milano glass thingies. There are fruit and vegetable stands all along and on the canals too. So we got some delicious peaches. We went to a Leonardo Da'Vinci museum which was actually pretty neat. It had models of many of his designs such as the cam, some pulley mechanisms, ball bearings, the bicycle, a machine gun, and a bunch of other mechanical stuff. It was all made of wood and they were working models so you could turn them and see how they work.



We kept on walking and admiring everything until our feet hurt and our shoulders were sore from carrying around our luggage. So, we backtracked our way back to Pizzale Roma for the shuttle. We still had some time so we stopped at a park and played around a while.. well actually Skylar played... I think I fell asleep on the park bench.

When we got to the station, we waited and waited.. and waited... 7pm (when the shuttle was supposed to come) came and went and we waited. We befriended some other travelers that were also waiting. Finally I called and they said that due to the end of the season, the first shuttle now comes at 8pm instead of 7pm. So we all went to a nearby cafe and got a glass of wine. In Germany, beer is cheaper than water.. well in Italy, wine is cheaper. My glass of wine was 2.50 and Skylar's sprite was 3 euro! It was strong wine too!


Finally, the shuttle came and it was a big fancy charter bus. We made our way to the hostel and checked in. The hostel is called Camping Jolly so I thought for sure it was going to be a total dive, but it was actually pretty decent. Not the Ritz or anything, but nice. We have our own cabin (actually a trailer) with our own bathroom and refrigerator. It has two cute little beds and decent space. There is a giant pool and even an exercise room.

We went to the little restaurant for some more pizza and met up with our new friends again. The waiter swore he knew me from somewhere and finally relented that I must just have one of those faces. What does that mean anyway? That I look like everyone else? Uhhh... thanks. We rented some towels and headed back to the room for an early night. We were exhausted!

More photos can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/osani77/VeniceDay1

8 September - Packing for Venice

Project? What project?

Skylar and I rode to town and got a small duffel bag to bring with us. It's nothing fancy and the price was right. Maybe we'll need it when we go home anyway. Since the flights for home were bought with my adviser's miles, we get to bring 3 bags each that can weigh up to 50lbs. Crazy, I know. I've actually been really good though and haven't really bought much here other than a few key chain souvenirs, so unless our stuff swelled from being here, we should have plenty of room.

I printed out all my travel details and times of connections to and from. I printed out directions to the hostel and some sight seeing places. I think I have everything ready for our trip. We only packed necessities so hopefully we are under the weight limit.

For some reason I can never sleep well before a trip, but we are going to bed early anyway.

7 September- Travel Nerves

Ryanair is known for all their little hidden fees, so I am stressing that I have everything the right way. I checked in online for both the to and return flights and printed out our boarding passes. If you don't they charge you 40 euro. I double checked our names because if they are spelled wrong, they charge you per letter even if it is their mistake. I don't think my backpacking bag is small enough and my laptop backpack is not big enough, so I'll have to go buy a small bag. It has to be 50X40X20 and weigh less than 10kg otherwise you have to have it checked and that costs about 50 euro. Of course there is that liquid rule too, so I have make sure I have all my little travel bottles.

I am also worried about the connections. We have to take a taxi to the train station because the buses don't run that early, then take a train, then a bus to get to the airport and there is only one train that leaves from Heilbronn early enough, so we better not screw it up or we'll miss the flight.

Hopefully everything will go smoothly. I've got my fingers and toes crossed :)

6 September - Blueberry Cream Muffins

This morning I made scrumptious blueberry cream muffins. It was dull and dreary outside and I figured what better way to cozy up than some muffins :)

Skylar and I just watched movies and hung around most of the day. I did some laundry and made a packing list for Venice. Just a few more days!

5 September - Ganzhornfest

It rained most of the day, but once it cleared up, Skylar and I rode down to Neckarsulm to the Ganzhornfest. Germany loves festivals! We watched a lot of big band music. It was really cool! I thought the band kids were supposed to be the nerds in high school... but these kids were all punked out, with different colored hair and piercings. They had on elaborate band uniforms with an emblem of skull and cross bones. To top it off they played a Green Day tune! Some of them had their faces painted like skeletons or vampires. There was also a pretty cool metal band on another stage. We walked around and tried a few things to eat. Most of the people just stand around these things and get drunk, which seems to be the norm to do around here. We went and played on the play ground for a while where there was this cool bouncy metal bridge thing that I can't even explain, but when one person jumped on one side, the person on the other would go up in the air. Skylar climbed the wall they had set up and of course just flew right up it before the guy even had a chance to tighten the belay. It was a lot of fun! Then we rode the 10k or so home.

4 September - Wrapping up

Diana wanted to meet today because she's been away for awhile and wanted to get caught up with things. She asked a lot about Skylar and I explained how hard everything has been for him and the troubles he had at camp. I tried not to be completely down about my project. I went into the problems I've had with making any sense of it and how what I had was really pointless and that I'd have to do something else entirely for my thesis. There was nothing that she could do or say to help the project, but it would have been silly of me to tell her everything is fine when it's not. She of course wishes there was something that she could do, but it's too far gone now, so I just have to get through it.

We talked a lot about an allergy clinic she's been at for the past month. She has a lot of food allergies and is trying to figure out what she actually can eat, so there is this place near Bavaria that puts her up and makes all her meals in a cycle fashion. Like this grain one day and another grain the next to see what she reacts to and what she doesn't. Then she has a strict regimen for the next 2 months as well. What amazed me most about the whole thing was that it is all paid for. It's part of regular health care and insurance pays for it. I may be wrong, but I don't think US health insurance would pay much of something like that.

We also talked about getting me to the airport and stuff before I leave. I thought it might be easiest to pack up the van the day before so that all we would have to do is go the next morning. My flight is at 10:45am, so we would have to leave at about 6:30am and dragging all my stuff out at 5am is not going to make the neighbors happy. She also suggested we stay at someone's house in Frankfurt the night before so we don't have to get up so early. She said she would ask around if anyone knew anyone that lives there and would be willing to let us stay. Might be awkward, but however is easiest for her works for me. I already feel bad because the school semester starts the day before I leave, so Nora has to put us in her room so the new tenant can move in to ours before classes start.

After the meeting, it was down pouring outside, so I hung around and tried to work on my project a little. I even got chocolate to lift my spirits. I thought it was hazelnut chocolate... well apparently it is hazelnut, blueberry, rum and chocolate.. all I taste it rum! Bleck!

I also found out that I need to register for a class next semester in order to keep my status active and not need to reapply. So I emailed Lael (my adviser back home) to see what I should take. Now, since I don't work for the University anymore, I have to take out a student loan to pay for a class that I don't even need! Pretty stupid if you ask me. So now I get to fill out a fafsa.

3 September - Job Search cont.

It rained like crazy all morning, so I skipped my run. If it rains while I'm running, that's fine, but sometimes getting myself to go out in the pouring rain is a little harder. Besides with lightning and thunder, it's not such a good idea to be running about anyway, right?

I spent pretty much the whole day filling out government applications and applying to every job that even slightly matched my skill set. The government applications are like exams! Seriously, they took like an hour each while it asked me not only my skill level in fifty different areas, but asked for examples in an essay format. If that's just the application, I'm afraid of what an interview might be like.

This evening, Skylar and I went to the Kletterarena and met up with Michele and Thomas for some climbing. Skylar is doing really well with lead climbing. He seemed really into it tonight too, which was nice. He and Thomas went off for a while and did some bouldering too. I climbed my first 7 too, so I was feeling pretty good. I don't know the exact conversions, but I think a 7 is like a 5.10b-c, so pretty darn good for the level of climbing I've been struggling with lately. Then Skylar and I tried some slack lining. Man is that hard! Balance has never been my strong suit anyway. I think I may have to set one up in my backyard when I get home :)

Stomp is performing in Berlin this month so I am trying to figure out a way to get out there. Maybe the weekend before I come home. It would be really nice to see Berlin while I'm here. There is this cool car ride thing that is set up where you go on a website and see if anyone is going to your destination on the day(s) you want to go and then just chip in for gas which is cheaper than a train ticket, so I may look into that.

2 September - Spinach and Rice Frittata

When I am procrastinating the most, the best thing for me to do seems to be trying new recipes lately. Sometimes it's quite the challenge wandering around the grocery store trying to find things I don't know the German name for. Not to mention the whole gram to cup conversion thing. Seriously, the States need to go metric. Life would be so much simpler and the system just makes more sense.

I fiddled with my paper a little and tried to make sense of the suggestions Wendelin made, but mostly just stared at it blankly. Skylar has taken to Green Day radio and it can be very distracting anyway.

My spinach frittata turned out perfect. Delicious! http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1826,153160-247199,00.html

1 September - Meetings

Still a bit and sore and tired from the weekend, but I got up and went to the university to meet with Wendelin. We went over what I had written so far and he gave me some suggestions for some calculations. We realized why we were both so confused over a statement he had made about the numbers being equal. In Europe, they use the comma as we use the decimal. Once we straightened that out, things became a little clearer. Not much, but a little. We worked on the general format of my paper as well. His schedule is very busy for the next couple weeks, so he can't meet with me until the 18th and that is only tentative. Works for me since we will be in Venice anyway.

Skylar was thrilled not to have any more camp and has once again become glued to his computer. He finished his 15th book since we got here! I'll have to find another series for him to read again since he's now read all of the Harry Potters, Levin Thumps, Percy Jackson, and Fablehaven. In addition to a few randoms here and there.