Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Um.
Existential crisis over, ingore the eipc whinge. Too tired for my own good, sometimes. Time to fall into bed.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
When life hands you lemons...
I've just had the most depressing last few moments. Aside from the fact that it's 13 degrees today (13!! It's warmer in Adelaide in Winter than here in Summer!) I just had a slightly confronting session with the bathroom mirror. My Dad has arranged for me to accompany him & Mum to the dinner for the medical conference he's attending in Berlin this week. And, of course, Mum had duly reminded me a few weeks ago that I needed to look presentable. My mother doesn't trust me with these things, you see. So today, figuring that I should decide which dress I'm taking to Berlin, and I had a calamity.
None of them fit.
It was the worst with the dress I expected to wear. I couldn't even zip it up. Which is appalling, because the fitted part is just under my boobs and I didn't even think I'd put on any weight there. (Because really, this all has to do with me being a guts and eating unhealthy food that I'd never go near at home, so it's all just gone straight onto my belly.) So I tried on the other dress, which I'd actually thought was smaller than the first. I could zip it up, with difficulty, but it just looked awful. I looked like one of those horrible British ladies who associate with the guys down at the British Army Base. In my panic, I tried the high-waisted skirt that I used to wear to work. Nope, no luck there, either. I could zip it up, but it just hitched itself up continually, which we all know is tacky and disgusting (unless we're British Army Wives).
Goddammit. I have better things to do than to buy new clothes that really I don't need, because when else am I going to wear a decent dress here? I'm finding this whole thing pretty depressing, really. It's just money that I didn't want to spend, on something I definitely didn't want to spend cash on. I have enough clothes. I guess this all comes back to me absolutely hating that I'm a different size to at home, and feeling like I've let myself down somehow. I knew that there was a bunch of my clothes that didn't fit, and that was ok, because I had others. But in situations like this, where I really don't have others, the whole situation just feels embarassing. I can't believed I'm getting so worked up over a stupid dress.
So, tomorrow after uni, I have my plans cut out for me. And maybe I should think about wasting some money on a gym membership.
None of them fit.
It was the worst with the dress I expected to wear. I couldn't even zip it up. Which is appalling, because the fitted part is just under my boobs and I didn't even think I'd put on any weight there. (Because really, this all has to do with me being a guts and eating unhealthy food that I'd never go near at home, so it's all just gone straight onto my belly.) So I tried on the other dress, which I'd actually thought was smaller than the first. I could zip it up, with difficulty, but it just looked awful. I looked like one of those horrible British ladies who associate with the guys down at the British Army Base. In my panic, I tried the high-waisted skirt that I used to wear to work. Nope, no luck there, either. I could zip it up, but it just hitched itself up continually, which we all know is tacky and disgusting (unless we're British Army Wives).
Goddammit. I have better things to do than to buy new clothes that really I don't need, because when else am I going to wear a decent dress here? I'm finding this whole thing pretty depressing, really. It's just money that I didn't want to spend, on something I definitely didn't want to spend cash on. I have enough clothes. I guess this all comes back to me absolutely hating that I'm a different size to at home, and feeling like I've let myself down somehow. I knew that there was a bunch of my clothes that didn't fit, and that was ok, because I had others. But in situations like this, where I really don't have others, the whole situation just feels embarassing. I can't believed I'm getting so worked up over a stupid dress.
So, tomorrow after uni, I have my plans cut out for me. And maybe I should think about wasting some money on a gym membership.
Friday, August 27, 2010
A couple of thoughts...
While I'm thinking about this, and before I go to eat dinner and possibly make oatmeal cookies, I'm just going to write a few things down.
I guess I've never really been one for surprises. Sure, they can be nice, but I hate knowing that someone has a surprise for me. Anyway, maybe that clouds my opinion here... but really, I hate it when someone drops in unannounced. Not just anyone, but one particular person, Sd, who decides that if I haven't picked up the phone when they've called 4 times in the last 10 minutes, then they're just going to come by and visit. It's a bit creepy, actually, how much he can't take a hint. Not just with the phone thing, but with me making it pretty clear that I had other things to do. But, unfortunately, I was brought up to be polite, so I let my unexpected visitor come in for a quick cup of tea. Then I said I was going to the post... and he followed me to the post office. I said for gim not to, but he did. And when I asked where he was going, after the turn-off to his house, he answered that he was just going for a walk. And when the rest of the walk to the post office continued in silence, he still didn't get the hint. Then he waited for me outside while I was in there, and then, I said I was going to buy a winter coat and it would be boring for him, and he FINALLY left.
Needless to say, I didn't buy a winter coat. I went into H&M for long enough to be polite, and then walked home. But honestly, how insistent do I need to be, in order to shake off unwanted company? I would never just show up at someone's house and stick around when they were making it perfectly clear that I was unwelcome. I don't feel like I have the right to infringe on other people's time when they clearly have other things to be doing. Besides which, I'm still angry at him because I think he's gone nuts, and I think he's unappreciative of all the other things that people do for them. Grrrr.
I think I'm just going to stop answering the doorbell. Let the neighbours take the post - I'll get my books in a few days. It's not worth the risk of trying to shake off the clingiest visitor that I've ever encountered.
I guess I've never really been one for surprises. Sure, they can be nice, but I hate knowing that someone has a surprise for me. Anyway, maybe that clouds my opinion here... but really, I hate it when someone drops in unannounced. Not just anyone, but one particular person, Sd, who decides that if I haven't picked up the phone when they've called 4 times in the last 10 minutes, then they're just going to come by and visit. It's a bit creepy, actually, how much he can't take a hint. Not just with the phone thing, but with me making it pretty clear that I had other things to do. But, unfortunately, I was brought up to be polite, so I let my unexpected visitor come in for a quick cup of tea. Then I said I was going to the post... and he followed me to the post office. I said for gim not to, but he did. And when I asked where he was going, after the turn-off to his house, he answered that he was just going for a walk. And when the rest of the walk to the post office continued in silence, he still didn't get the hint. Then he waited for me outside while I was in there, and then, I said I was going to buy a winter coat and it would be boring for him, and he FINALLY left.
Needless to say, I didn't buy a winter coat. I went into H&M for long enough to be polite, and then walked home. But honestly, how insistent do I need to be, in order to shake off unwanted company? I would never just show up at someone's house and stick around when they were making it perfectly clear that I was unwelcome. I don't feel like I have the right to infringe on other people's time when they clearly have other things to be doing. Besides which, I'm still angry at him because I think he's gone nuts, and I think he's unappreciative of all the other things that people do for them. Grrrr.
I think I'm just going to stop answering the doorbell. Let the neighbours take the post - I'll get my books in a few days. It's not worth the risk of trying to shake off the clingiest visitor that I've ever encountered.
Photos from Lublin.
This was the train toilet that emptied directly onto the tracks. (Sorry, I had to!)
I think this was the Dominican Church?
The courtyard in the castle.
The Old Town, as seen from the castle.
The front of the Castle.
This was the view from the hostel stairwell. It was slightly nicer than the rest of the town.
These are the raspberries that saved me (from running straight back to the train station).Photos from Majdanek (Lublin).
I'm going to just start this run of photos with the quick interjection that I take photos of absolutely everything. I feel like when I see a site of atrocities, I should capture it, so that it can be remembered. I don't think of anything as "unspeakable" per se - I think that the more we speak about things, the more we should be able to learn from what has happened. This is probably the reason why I study German history - there's a lot to learn from. There's a lot to stomach, and there's a lot of reasons that I can't understand. It's not that I don't understand the theory behind them, it's that I don't understand why the people who justified them could have possibly thought in the way that they did. That's probably what makes this branch of history hold my attention for so much longer than other areas - no matter how much I study it, I'll probably never come to terms with it all, so it will continue to hold my interest. That being said, following this is a lengthy post about a space where a lot of people died, so feel free to skip over all of it if you so choose.
Shower Room.
This is the exhibit of shoes.
Wildflowers & Guard Towers.
An example of bunks.
Looking through the keyhole into empty barracks.
Other Barracks.
This is the fence that surrounds the Prisoners' Compound.
Fence, Guard Towers and Barracks.
Corner of the hideous "modern" monument, and haymaking in the fields on the property.
Gas Chamber.
Shower Room.
This is the exhibit of shoes.
Wildflowers & Guard Towers.
An example of bunks.
Looking through the keyhole into empty barracks.
Other Barracks.
This is the fence that surrounds the Prisoners' Compound. 
Fence, Guard Towers and Barracks. 
Corner of the hideous "modern" monument, and haymaking in the fields on the property.Entry #7 from June Travels
I'm on a roll... third entry written out for today! Only three left after this one!
2 July 2010
So, I'm on the train to Olomouc presently. I'll write about yesterday, seeing as how my present situation is pretty boring: stuck in a compartment in stifling heat because the A/C isn't functioning. I'm so sweaty an uncomfortable, and it's so airless in here.
Yesterday I woke up early. Was still tired but crawled out of bed before my alarm went off. Showered & got ready, then took the tram to the main station, where I caugh the bus to Oswiciem (Auschwitz). When I got there, it was peacefuo and quiet. Some of the exhibitions weren't open yet, but as I walked around, I found most open. I looked at nearly all of them, but there was just too much for one visit, and too much country-specific stuff (like exhibits on Jews from the Netherlands, for example). I went to the shuttle bus stop, but had some time to wait, so I went into the small cafeteria-style eatery that they had there. It was all very old (70s kinda decor, I guess) with lace doilies and some plastic flowers. Had a coffee while I waited, then caught the short shuttle.
Birkenau was different. Auschiwitz was big, but Birkenau was huuuuge. A had properly built, multi-level buildings, whereas B had a lot of wooden structures, and nearly all the buildings were single-story. A was pretty much intact, whereas much of B was missing. And of course A had been turned into a museum, with entire rooms full of combs or shoes or suitcases or human hair... whereas B was left simply as a reminded of what had happened. It didn't need exhibits - it spoke for itself.
I walked around the entire complex, as I had in A. I was hot and exhausted by the end of it. And I'm disgustingly tanned from being in the sun so much lately. My camera card is full, so I'll have to do something about that. I caught the shuttle back to A, vaguely remembering the time that I thought a bus was going back to Krakow. (I'd seen a sign, fleetingly, in the museum shop). I had a stew in the cafe, which was mostly cabbage but was pretty good, and an entire bottle of cold water. Then, thankfully, my timing was brilliant, and I caught the bus back to Krakow.
The bus was bumpy but the ride was pleasant enough. I was pleased to rest my feet for nearly two hours! I got back to Krakow and looked around the giant shopping centre, but didn't buy anything, and went back to the hostel.
I made pasta with chickpeas and veg for dinner, saving the rest for lunch today. Packed my books, newly purchased at the camp, into another bag. Showered - didn't brush my hair, just let it curl. I've done that again today - too lazy to care. Went to bed early.
Slept poorly again, and was up before my alarm (also again). Got ready, had breakfast (the mixed berry jam was a vast improvement) and checked out. Tram to the shopping centre next to the train station - I'd seen a Mac store and wanted to bring in my nearly-empty powder compact so that I could get an exact replacement. I had to wait a few minutes for it to open. Got my powder, which was zl 105 - still much cheaper than in Australia! - and went to the train station.
Bought a bagel for the train trip to Katowice, where I had lunch in my half-hour wait, which was leftovers from dinner. Delicious. Now I'm on my way to Olomouc. Ate my bagel, which was vastly better than the American-style ones that I'm familiar with. Only an hour to go...!
2 July 2010
So, I'm on the train to Olomouc presently. I'll write about yesterday, seeing as how my present situation is pretty boring: stuck in a compartment in stifling heat because the A/C isn't functioning. I'm so sweaty an uncomfortable, and it's so airless in here.
Yesterday I woke up early. Was still tired but crawled out of bed before my alarm went off. Showered & got ready, then took the tram to the main station, where I caugh the bus to Oswiciem (Auschwitz). When I got there, it was peacefuo and quiet. Some of the exhibitions weren't open yet, but as I walked around, I found most open. I looked at nearly all of them, but there was just too much for one visit, and too much country-specific stuff (like exhibits on Jews from the Netherlands, for example). I went to the shuttle bus stop, but had some time to wait, so I went into the small cafeteria-style eatery that they had there. It was all very old (70s kinda decor, I guess) with lace doilies and some plastic flowers. Had a coffee while I waited, then caught the short shuttle.
Birkenau was different. Auschiwitz was big, but Birkenau was huuuuge. A had properly built, multi-level buildings, whereas B had a lot of wooden structures, and nearly all the buildings were single-story. A was pretty much intact, whereas much of B was missing. And of course A had been turned into a museum, with entire rooms full of combs or shoes or suitcases or human hair... whereas B was left simply as a reminded of what had happened. It didn't need exhibits - it spoke for itself.
I walked around the entire complex, as I had in A. I was hot and exhausted by the end of it. And I'm disgustingly tanned from being in the sun so much lately. My camera card is full, so I'll have to do something about that. I caught the shuttle back to A, vaguely remembering the time that I thought a bus was going back to Krakow. (I'd seen a sign, fleetingly, in the museum shop). I had a stew in the cafe, which was mostly cabbage but was pretty good, and an entire bottle of cold water. Then, thankfully, my timing was brilliant, and I caught the bus back to Krakow.
The bus was bumpy but the ride was pleasant enough. I was pleased to rest my feet for nearly two hours! I got back to Krakow and looked around the giant shopping centre, but didn't buy anything, and went back to the hostel.
I made pasta with chickpeas and veg for dinner, saving the rest for lunch today. Packed my books, newly purchased at the camp, into another bag. Showered - didn't brush my hair, just let it curl. I've done that again today - too lazy to care. Went to bed early.
Slept poorly again, and was up before my alarm (also again). Got ready, had breakfast (the mixed berry jam was a vast improvement) and checked out. Tram to the shopping centre next to the train station - I'd seen a Mac store and wanted to bring in my nearly-empty powder compact so that I could get an exact replacement. I had to wait a few minutes for it to open. Got my powder, which was zl 105 - still much cheaper than in Australia! - and went to the train station.
Bought a bagel for the train trip to Katowice, where I had lunch in my half-hour wait, which was leftovers from dinner. Delicious. Now I'm on my way to Olomouc. Ate my bagel, which was vastly better than the American-style ones that I'm familiar with. Only an hour to go...!
Entry #6 from June Travels.
While I'm on a roll with writing, I'll see if I can manage a bit more...
30 June 2010
So, I'm in Krakow, and all is well. I was too tired and lazy yesterday to write, so I guess I have to catch up now. Yesterday I was up early again but lazed about for hours in the hostel, reading awful girly magazines that were there. I had breakfast, which was just bread and jam - I couldn't eat any of their spreadable cheeses.
I went into the old town - saw the castle, which was really nothing special. Went for a long wander. It wasn't very exciting, but it was ok. I bought some red currants for just zl3 at the markets near the hostel. Back at the hostel, I washed them, and lovingly picked them all from their stalks. I ate a lot of them, but saved plenty for my train journey. I was sorry to tell the hostel lady that I was going, because she was really lovely, and seemed really concerned that I was going early. I said that I was meeting a friend in Krakow, to give an excuse for catching the earlier train. She gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and wished me well. I felt guilty for running out. It's a pity that the town is such a dive. It's just not a place for young travellers, and therefore not a good place for a hostel. Oh well.
I caugh the 160 bus because Lonely Planet said that it would go by the train station... but it didn't. So I caught another bus back to the centre - it had "glowny" as a stop, but of course one stop before that, I realised that in this particular town (and certainly not in others!) that meant the bus station, not the train station. Lonely Planet had called the train station "glowny" - wrong again, LP. So from the centre I caugh the bus #1, which I knew went there. Thankfully, owing to my early leaving, I still had plenty of time to spare. I waited in the terminal, watching the train-time sign turn over letters and numbers with noisy clacking. It was a bit mesmerising, really. I boarded my train half an hour before the departure time. It was so hot! No air con, just open windows, which aren't too useful when the train is stationary (and arguably useful when it isn't). I was worried because my ticket wouldn't be valid because I was using it a day early, and had formulated a list of excuses, but all was fine. Ate lots of currants, and the other half of my bread, at about 6:30 or 7pm.
The train got into Krakow Glowny a little after 9pm. Oh, before I forget - I went to the bathroom on the train, and discovered (by way of an open pipe, and some glints of light) that it all falls down onto the tracks! I was so entertained that I took a photo, and resolved to use the bathroom the next time that the train was stopped at a station somewhere. Such low-brow humour... I am my father's daughter.
Anyway, I left Krakow station, found the tram easily enough, and even paid for a ticket! Machines were at the stations and had a variety of languages. Brilliant! See, I do pay for public transport, when people make it possible for me to do so. The "15-minute short trip" ticket was only zl 1.80. I got off the tram, and had a bit of a look around the street. Couldn't see it, so tried to open my bag for my map, only to discover that my new travel lock was jammed and unopenable. I eventually got it, and discovered that the map only had the old town area, so it was useless. I eventually found the street, though.
I checked in, put down my bags, and went to the kitchen. Made dodgey pasta for dinner and saved half for later (today). Went to bed about quarter to eleven. This morning, I woke up early again - I got woken up a bit during the night, and kept waking every 15 minutes. Not sure why my body clock seems to think that 5am is ok, but whatever. I got up at 6:15 (alarm was set for 6:30), and discovered that there was no hot water in the showers.
So I went to the reception, but no one was there, just a bunch of polish kids playing videogame soccer in the common room. They all ignored me, and there was no one behind the desk, so I gave up waiting and just used a shower that was designed for rooms on that side of the building. Whatever. So I put my stuff back in my locker, and went down to breakfast. It was only bread and jam again, which I think is pretty stingy. Oh well.
Went for a walk to the old town, took photos, then hung out at the Castle, waiting for it to open. And actually, Wewel Castle was awesome. Reasonably priced (the State Rooms were cheap considering how much I saw!) and lots of different stuff to see, but the ticketing system was a bit dumb. After that I went to the old town, climbed the tower, saw St Mary's Church, walked along the remaining defense wall, and visited the Barbican.
Then I did some shopping... bought sunglasses, which I've been needing desperately. And then a shirt and a new dress, then some jeans-leggings (jeggings!)... but rest assured that they're only for under dresses where my jeans look too bulky. There's no way I'm joining the crazy of wearing leggings in lieu of pants. Ugh.
Went back to the hostel for leftover pasta. Bought some basic food - bread, jam, sweet bun - along the way. After lunch, I lazed about for a few minutes, resting my tired feet. After lunch, went into the old Jewish Quarter, which was very cool. Lots of hip little bars and cafes. The Jewish Museum wasn't very good. What's with everyone charging zl 7 for photos? No way was I paying that to take photos of a synagogue. But there were 2 amazing artworks, huge paper cutouts from beautiful paper, hanging on the wall there, quite modern. In the last few years I think. I really wish I'd written down the name of the artist.
Went to a different synagogue after. It was small, and a bit makeshift in the tourist department, but oh well. After that I bought some apricots, and half a kilo of cherries from a market stall I found. The apricots were the best I've had since the tree at Rushworth Ave (my childhood home) unfortunately died. And the cherries were huge, with lots of flavour. I walked down to the river, to rest and snack. Then back to the hostel, where I ate the rest of the fruit, plus some bread and jam. Such a guts!
I checked net stuff and found that there's a 7:10am bus to Auschwitz, so I'll be leaving here by 6:30am tomorrow. So early! I'm a bit nervous about it - I guess because it's important to me. When I came back here, I discovered that I've managed to get athlete's foot... so my feet were all itchy and hot and sweaty, but really there's not much to be done when you walk around all day. I washed 2 tshirts and 2 sets of underwear in a sink when I was here for lunch, and they're still damp. Hopefully they're dry tomorrow, so I have something clean to wear! I'm totally craving vegies right now but I think I've eaten enough. I'm not hungry, but I'm definitely not satisfied. It'll be nice to be back in my own kitchen!
30 June 2010
So, I'm in Krakow, and all is well. I was too tired and lazy yesterday to write, so I guess I have to catch up now. Yesterday I was up early again but lazed about for hours in the hostel, reading awful girly magazines that were there. I had breakfast, which was just bread and jam - I couldn't eat any of their spreadable cheeses.
I went into the old town - saw the castle, which was really nothing special. Went for a long wander. It wasn't very exciting, but it was ok. I bought some red currants for just zl3 at the markets near the hostel. Back at the hostel, I washed them, and lovingly picked them all from their stalks. I ate a lot of them, but saved plenty for my train journey. I was sorry to tell the hostel lady that I was going, because she was really lovely, and seemed really concerned that I was going early. I said that I was meeting a friend in Krakow, to give an excuse for catching the earlier train. She gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and wished me well. I felt guilty for running out. It's a pity that the town is such a dive. It's just not a place for young travellers, and therefore not a good place for a hostel. Oh well.
I caugh the 160 bus because Lonely Planet said that it would go by the train station... but it didn't. So I caught another bus back to the centre - it had "glowny" as a stop, but of course one stop before that, I realised that in this particular town (and certainly not in others!) that meant the bus station, not the train station. Lonely Planet had called the train station "glowny" - wrong again, LP. So from the centre I caugh the bus #1, which I knew went there. Thankfully, owing to my early leaving, I still had plenty of time to spare. I waited in the terminal, watching the train-time sign turn over letters and numbers with noisy clacking. It was a bit mesmerising, really. I boarded my train half an hour before the departure time. It was so hot! No air con, just open windows, which aren't too useful when the train is stationary (and arguably useful when it isn't). I was worried because my ticket wouldn't be valid because I was using it a day early, and had formulated a list of excuses, but all was fine. Ate lots of currants, and the other half of my bread, at about 6:30 or 7pm.
The train got into Krakow Glowny a little after 9pm. Oh, before I forget - I went to the bathroom on the train, and discovered (by way of an open pipe, and some glints of light) that it all falls down onto the tracks! I was so entertained that I took a photo, and resolved to use the bathroom the next time that the train was stopped at a station somewhere. Such low-brow humour... I am my father's daughter.
Anyway, I left Krakow station, found the tram easily enough, and even paid for a ticket! Machines were at the stations and had a variety of languages. Brilliant! See, I do pay for public transport, when people make it possible for me to do so. The "15-minute short trip" ticket was only zl 1.80. I got off the tram, and had a bit of a look around the street. Couldn't see it, so tried to open my bag for my map, only to discover that my new travel lock was jammed and unopenable. I eventually got it, and discovered that the map only had the old town area, so it was useless. I eventually found the street, though.
I checked in, put down my bags, and went to the kitchen. Made dodgey pasta for dinner and saved half for later (today). Went to bed about quarter to eleven. This morning, I woke up early again - I got woken up a bit during the night, and kept waking every 15 minutes. Not sure why my body clock seems to think that 5am is ok, but whatever. I got up at 6:15 (alarm was set for 6:30), and discovered that there was no hot water in the showers.
So I went to the reception, but no one was there, just a bunch of polish kids playing videogame soccer in the common room. They all ignored me, and there was no one behind the desk, so I gave up waiting and just used a shower that was designed for rooms on that side of the building. Whatever. So I put my stuff back in my locker, and went down to breakfast. It was only bread and jam again, which I think is pretty stingy. Oh well.
Went for a walk to the old town, took photos, then hung out at the Castle, waiting for it to open. And actually, Wewel Castle was awesome. Reasonably priced (the State Rooms were cheap considering how much I saw!) and lots of different stuff to see, but the ticketing system was a bit dumb. After that I went to the old town, climbed the tower, saw St Mary's Church, walked along the remaining defense wall, and visited the Barbican.
Then I did some shopping... bought sunglasses, which I've been needing desperately. And then a shirt and a new dress, then some jeans-leggings (jeggings!)... but rest assured that they're only for under dresses where my jeans look too bulky. There's no way I'm joining the crazy of wearing leggings in lieu of pants. Ugh.
Went back to the hostel for leftover pasta. Bought some basic food - bread, jam, sweet bun - along the way. After lunch, I lazed about for a few minutes, resting my tired feet. After lunch, went into the old Jewish Quarter, which was very cool. Lots of hip little bars and cafes. The Jewish Museum wasn't very good. What's with everyone charging zl 7 for photos? No way was I paying that to take photos of a synagogue. But there were 2 amazing artworks, huge paper cutouts from beautiful paper, hanging on the wall there, quite modern. In the last few years I think. I really wish I'd written down the name of the artist.
Went to a different synagogue after. It was small, and a bit makeshift in the tourist department, but oh well. After that I bought some apricots, and half a kilo of cherries from a market stall I found. The apricots were the best I've had since the tree at Rushworth Ave (my childhood home) unfortunately died. And the cherries were huge, with lots of flavour. I walked down to the river, to rest and snack. Then back to the hostel, where I ate the rest of the fruit, plus some bread and jam. Such a guts!
I checked net stuff and found that there's a 7:10am bus to Auschwitz, so I'll be leaving here by 6:30am tomorrow. So early! I'm a bit nervous about it - I guess because it's important to me. When I came back here, I discovered that I've managed to get athlete's foot... so my feet were all itchy and hot and sweaty, but really there's not much to be done when you walk around all day. I washed 2 tshirts and 2 sets of underwear in a sink when I was here for lunch, and they're still damp. Hopefully they're dry tomorrow, so I have something clean to wear! I'm totally craving vegies right now but I think I've eaten enough. I'm not hungry, but I'm definitely not satisfied. It'll be nice to be back in my own kitchen!
Entry #5 from June Travels.
Yep, I've been more than slack with writing these out... this next one is from Lublin.
28 June 210
I'm presently eating the last few raspberries from a 250g punnet that only cost me zl3.9 (about a euro). So cheap! So, I think the panic of arriving here has finally subsided. It's sort of the equivalent of ending up in Coober Pedy without intending to. Of course, I intended to end up here. I just didn't expect for it to be so dilapidated. My instructions on how to get to the hostel were terrible. I was told which number bus stop to get the bus from , but not that it wasn't actually the one in front of the station (I found it eventually), or which bus to actually catch. I took a gamble.
My instructions were to get off at the 5th stop, which left me planted in the middle of nowhere. So I crossed the road for the bus back, trying not to stress, wondering whether I'd gotten off the train in the right place. On the bus stop across the road, I looked at the list of stops, and voila! The stop I wanted was there. So I'd just caught the bus in the wrong direction (thanks, hostel). I caugh the #6 to the right stop, then had a good 10-minute walk ahead of me. Oh, and I didn't pay for any buses today. I love just sneaking on the back, instead of trying to work it out with a driver who'll probably hate me for speaking a foreign language.
Anyway, I finally got to the hostel. It's tiny - obviously just an old apartment or something. Walking in felt like stepping into someone's living room. But the old man was very friendly. Somehow, I don't think that this place gets too many visitors. There's only one toilet and one shower. I doubt that they've got wifi as claimed. But there's a free breakfast, and I think I'll even stick around for it. My other plan is to get the 6:12am train tomorrow (Tues) instead of Wednesday - there's even a 5:11am bus to get me to the station. But I don't think I'm in that much of a hurry now. My original panic had me thinking of calling Mi and having her pick me in Olomouc a day early, but I don't think I'll do that.
I might just catch the 4pm train tomorrow, arrive in Krakow at 9pm and stay in the same hostel for an extra night. I checked on Hostelworld and they've got beds free, so hopefully by emailing them, I won't have to move beds after one night. But that's getting too far ahead.
After setting my bags down (I'm the only one in the room) and discovering that there are no security lockers, I decided to head out. I forgot to refill my water, which is a pity, as it was really warm today. I was sweaty and smelly. I started to walk to the old town to get a map, because the guy at the hostel didn't have any. Then I saw on the bus stop the number 159, which I knew from my Lonely Planet notes to be the bus that goes to Majdanek. So I decided to get my one and only plan for Lublin accomplished. I caught the bus there, only to discover that large portions aren't open on Mondays, including the visitors' centre. My hopes for a drink of water perished. But the grounds were open, if not the museum, and a few of the buildings were still open, so I walked around. The grounds were huge, and in a few open buildings, bunks had been set up, but mostly they were locked. And one building, outside of the prisoners' compound, had thousands of shoes in wire cages... they were probably on the floor in piles when the camp was liberated.
The huts were stinking hot and airless inside, so the one with the shoes was revolting - I kept expecting something to move. It was really creepy, and the black grime all over the shoes, plus the stench of them, was disgusting.
I also saw a room used for gassing. The concrete walls were oddly stained blue in places, and I wondered whether it was chemical. I was feeling a bit angsty, half expecting something to jump out at me, so I left. There wasn't anything else open to see. And across the fields from the buildings, where strips had been mown into the grasses and wildflowers (clearly hay-making season), were hundreds of big black crows. Maybe ravens, actually. The younger ones were cawing with high voices, but the death-rattle of the older ones was especially unpleasant. I was expecting them to suddenly attack me. However, despite all the crows, there were thousands of butterflies there. Strange.
I went into the nearby Lidl before I caught the bus back, caving in to my thirst. I bought two rolls with onion baked on top, salad stuff, sandwich stuff, and a few drinks. Then a bus back - I got off to wander through the old town. The buildings were quaint and old, but mostly falling apart. No sign of repairs, or even of repainting, which is a pity because most needed some love quite badly.
On my way back to the hostel I walked through a tiny market, where I bought my raspberries. Then back here, where I asked to use the internet. The old guy (owner?) had to restart the computer to make it work, and the net was slow, but I was able to email my request to the next hostel, plus check the train times. So I think that tomorrow I'll poke around in the old town until my train in the afternoon. Museums and tourist stuff seem to be closed Monday and Tuesday, so my timing is pretty awful, but hopefully I can grab a couple of photos to prove that I was here. Though, if not for Majdanek, I know I'd never have come. Oh well.
This town is just so run down. Buses are in an awful state of repair and the roads are abysmal. Poland clearly has no money for maintenence. You can really tell that it used to be Communist...
I'm going to go. I've eaten dinner, am drinking a beer, and plan on having a shower - also so I can wash a tshirt for tomorrow. Mine are all dirty. Fingers crossed that one will be dry enough for me to wear!
28 June 210
I'm presently eating the last few raspberries from a 250g punnet that only cost me zl3.9 (about a euro). So cheap! So, I think the panic of arriving here has finally subsided. It's sort of the equivalent of ending up in Coober Pedy without intending to. Of course, I intended to end up here. I just didn't expect for it to be so dilapidated. My instructions on how to get to the hostel were terrible. I was told which number bus stop to get the bus from , but not that it wasn't actually the one in front of the station (I found it eventually), or which bus to actually catch. I took a gamble.
My instructions were to get off at the 5th stop, which left me planted in the middle of nowhere. So I crossed the road for the bus back, trying not to stress, wondering whether I'd gotten off the train in the right place. On the bus stop across the road, I looked at the list of stops, and voila! The stop I wanted was there. So I'd just caught the bus in the wrong direction (thanks, hostel). I caugh the #6 to the right stop, then had a good 10-minute walk ahead of me. Oh, and I didn't pay for any buses today. I love just sneaking on the back, instead of trying to work it out with a driver who'll probably hate me for speaking a foreign language.
Anyway, I finally got to the hostel. It's tiny - obviously just an old apartment or something. Walking in felt like stepping into someone's living room. But the old man was very friendly. Somehow, I don't think that this place gets too many visitors. There's only one toilet and one shower. I doubt that they've got wifi as claimed. But there's a free breakfast, and I think I'll even stick around for it. My other plan is to get the 6:12am train tomorrow (Tues) instead of Wednesday - there's even a 5:11am bus to get me to the station. But I don't think I'm in that much of a hurry now. My original panic had me thinking of calling Mi and having her pick me in Olomouc a day early, but I don't think I'll do that.
I might just catch the 4pm train tomorrow, arrive in Krakow at 9pm and stay in the same hostel for an extra night. I checked on Hostelworld and they've got beds free, so hopefully by emailing them, I won't have to move beds after one night. But that's getting too far ahead.
After setting my bags down (I'm the only one in the room) and discovering that there are no security lockers, I decided to head out. I forgot to refill my water, which is a pity, as it was really warm today. I was sweaty and smelly. I started to walk to the old town to get a map, because the guy at the hostel didn't have any. Then I saw on the bus stop the number 159, which I knew from my Lonely Planet notes to be the bus that goes to Majdanek. So I decided to get my one and only plan for Lublin accomplished. I caught the bus there, only to discover that large portions aren't open on Mondays, including the visitors' centre. My hopes for a drink of water perished. But the grounds were open, if not the museum, and a few of the buildings were still open, so I walked around. The grounds were huge, and in a few open buildings, bunks had been set up, but mostly they were locked. And one building, outside of the prisoners' compound, had thousands of shoes in wire cages... they were probably on the floor in piles when the camp was liberated.
The huts were stinking hot and airless inside, so the one with the shoes was revolting - I kept expecting something to move. It was really creepy, and the black grime all over the shoes, plus the stench of them, was disgusting.
I also saw a room used for gassing. The concrete walls were oddly stained blue in places, and I wondered whether it was chemical. I was feeling a bit angsty, half expecting something to jump out at me, so I left. There wasn't anything else open to see. And across the fields from the buildings, where strips had been mown into the grasses and wildflowers (clearly hay-making season), were hundreds of big black crows. Maybe ravens, actually. The younger ones were cawing with high voices, but the death-rattle of the older ones was especially unpleasant. I was expecting them to suddenly attack me. However, despite all the crows, there were thousands of butterflies there. Strange.
I went into the nearby Lidl before I caught the bus back, caving in to my thirst. I bought two rolls with onion baked on top, salad stuff, sandwich stuff, and a few drinks. Then a bus back - I got off to wander through the old town. The buildings were quaint and old, but mostly falling apart. No sign of repairs, or even of repainting, which is a pity because most needed some love quite badly.
On my way back to the hostel I walked through a tiny market, where I bought my raspberries. Then back here, where I asked to use the internet. The old guy (owner?) had to restart the computer to make it work, and the net was slow, but I was able to email my request to the next hostel, plus check the train times. So I think that tomorrow I'll poke around in the old town until my train in the afternoon. Museums and tourist stuff seem to be closed Monday and Tuesday, so my timing is pretty awful, but hopefully I can grab a couple of photos to prove that I was here. Though, if not for Majdanek, I know I'd never have come. Oh well.
This town is just so run down. Buses are in an awful state of repair and the roads are abysmal. Poland clearly has no money for maintenence. You can really tell that it used to be Communist...
I'm going to go. I've eaten dinner, am drinking a beer, and plan on having a shower - also so I can wash a tshirt for tomorrow. Mine are all dirty. Fingers crossed that one will be dry enough for me to wear!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.
So it's pouring in Paderborn again. I know, you're just as surprised as I am. It's not like it rains all the time around here, or anything. Ahem.
What this means is that I'm going to stay home and write things (ok, admittedly recipes, even though we all know I can't follow one to save my life) instead of getting out and doing something. Which is actually ok, because I've already done my morning's exercise. Today, as yesterday, I caught the bus to the Sudring Centre and roller skated in their undercover carpark for half an hour. It was great fun, despite the rivers of water rushing down from the roof, which made the (already oily) carpark kinda slippery. I've only fallen once, which was today, which didn't really hurt and left a couple of red marks on my palms that will be gone by tomorrow. I got back up and kept skating, but the adrenalin of having fallen meant that my balance wasn't too good. My body is a bit retarded like that.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure all the Sudring Centre workers think I'm nuts, but that's ok. It's not like I'm getting in anyone's way, and no one has actually told me they think I'm nuts, so I'm happy to go on in my oblivion. Either way, I'm proud of myself for getting out of bed on a rainy morning, when really, I didn't have to. Go me. Either way, it was better this morning, because I didn't have to go to uni afterwards.
So, on to the rest of the week. The zipper on my only real pair of jeans broke yesterday. It's ok because I still have my really tough black ones, plus a bright blue and an aqua green pair, both of which are stretchy and probably not very warm. So I'll live without real jeans. I'm tempted to recycle the material and make it into something else, because I got caught up on cute handmade craft blogs recently... so maybe, when I get an awesome idea and actually make it, I'll be able to post a photo. I'm not getting my hopes up, because I know I'm hopeless at finishing things, but I'll give it a try.
I'm contemplating going into Thaliaa (bookshop here, with cute gifts too) and getting a red rain cape with white polka dots. I think it would come in pretty handy on days like today... plus I feel like I'm becoming shameless enough to wear it. Well on my way to being a cat lady...
On Wednesday morning I got up a little earlier than usual and went to the Dom Markt. Splashed out more than 9 Euro on buying two hokkaido squash from the Bio stall... but theirs looked the best. The skins are almost red, they're so vibrant. I'm going to have to take some photos, because really, one learns to appreciate how precious vegetables are when you have a veritable drought in your adopted country. (Note that I'm temporarily adopting this country; I certainly don't think this country is adopting me. But I'm not exactly fussed by that.)
Anyway, I stocked up on veg again. Made a frittata with the greens of two bunches of beets, and roasted the beets themselves until I could simply peel off the skins like an overripe peach. They're sitting in one of my pretty canning jars in the fridge, tasting for all the world like the familiar tinned beets at home - minus the liquid, though. They're already several billion (at least) times better than the packaged beets I bought a while ago, which are the only thing I've bought here that I simply couldn't eat. I learned my lesson about shrink-wrapped foods from those... and now that I'm trying to eat locally, I've discovered how easy it is to get beets that actually taste like beets. Plus I secretly really enjoyed having pink fingers for a few hours. ;)
The old man at the potato stall said my German was perfect, and was surprised that I'd only been learning for 5 months now. On Sept 5 I have my 6-month anniversary of being here. It's not quite half-way, but close enough. And on that day, I'll be in Berlin with my parents for the morning, then catching a train back to Pb with them in the afternoon. It's quite fitting, really. Anyway, I'll go to the market again tomorrow, more because I like going than actually needing anything. I have a big tub of roasted veg in the fridge that I'm going to eat over the next few days. However, I'm out of lettuce... there we go, market trip completely justified.
I'm contemplating ordering a bunch of concert tickets online but I should properly decide what I really need to see... going to Koln in the midst of a semester isn't the easiest logistically, because it's just so much easier not to miss class. Two shows I want to see are in Hamburg on consecutive nights, and in my holidays, so I think it's about time I organised that trip to Hamburg that I've been talking about.
I think that today is Baking Weather. Steffi suggested something with cinnamon, because today's weather makes it feel closer to Christmas... might work out some cookies. Mmmm.
What this means is that I'm going to stay home and write things (ok, admittedly recipes, even though we all know I can't follow one to save my life) instead of getting out and doing something. Which is actually ok, because I've already done my morning's exercise. Today, as yesterday, I caught the bus to the Sudring Centre and roller skated in their undercover carpark for half an hour. It was great fun, despite the rivers of water rushing down from the roof, which made the (already oily) carpark kinda slippery. I've only fallen once, which was today, which didn't really hurt and left a couple of red marks on my palms that will be gone by tomorrow. I got back up and kept skating, but the adrenalin of having fallen meant that my balance wasn't too good. My body is a bit retarded like that.
Anyway, I'm pretty sure all the Sudring Centre workers think I'm nuts, but that's ok. It's not like I'm getting in anyone's way, and no one has actually told me they think I'm nuts, so I'm happy to go on in my oblivion. Either way, I'm proud of myself for getting out of bed on a rainy morning, when really, I didn't have to. Go me. Either way, it was better this morning, because I didn't have to go to uni afterwards.
So, on to the rest of the week. The zipper on my only real pair of jeans broke yesterday. It's ok because I still have my really tough black ones, plus a bright blue and an aqua green pair, both of which are stretchy and probably not very warm. So I'll live without real jeans. I'm tempted to recycle the material and make it into something else, because I got caught up on cute handmade craft blogs recently... so maybe, when I get an awesome idea and actually make it, I'll be able to post a photo. I'm not getting my hopes up, because I know I'm hopeless at finishing things, but I'll give it a try.
I'm contemplating going into Thaliaa (bookshop here, with cute gifts too) and getting a red rain cape with white polka dots. I think it would come in pretty handy on days like today... plus I feel like I'm becoming shameless enough to wear it. Well on my way to being a cat lady...
On Wednesday morning I got up a little earlier than usual and went to the Dom Markt. Splashed out more than 9 Euro on buying two hokkaido squash from the Bio stall... but theirs looked the best. The skins are almost red, they're so vibrant. I'm going to have to take some photos, because really, one learns to appreciate how precious vegetables are when you have a veritable drought in your adopted country. (Note that I'm temporarily adopting this country; I certainly don't think this country is adopting me. But I'm not exactly fussed by that.)
Anyway, I stocked up on veg again. Made a frittata with the greens of two bunches of beets, and roasted the beets themselves until I could simply peel off the skins like an overripe peach. They're sitting in one of my pretty canning jars in the fridge, tasting for all the world like the familiar tinned beets at home - minus the liquid, though. They're already several billion (at least) times better than the packaged beets I bought a while ago, which are the only thing I've bought here that I simply couldn't eat. I learned my lesson about shrink-wrapped foods from those... and now that I'm trying to eat locally, I've discovered how easy it is to get beets that actually taste like beets. Plus I secretly really enjoyed having pink fingers for a few hours. ;)
The old man at the potato stall said my German was perfect, and was surprised that I'd only been learning for 5 months now. On Sept 5 I have my 6-month anniversary of being here. It's not quite half-way, but close enough. And on that day, I'll be in Berlin with my parents for the morning, then catching a train back to Pb with them in the afternoon. It's quite fitting, really. Anyway, I'll go to the market again tomorrow, more because I like going than actually needing anything. I have a big tub of roasted veg in the fridge that I'm going to eat over the next few days. However, I'm out of lettuce... there we go, market trip completely justified.
I'm contemplating ordering a bunch of concert tickets online but I should properly decide what I really need to see... going to Koln in the midst of a semester isn't the easiest logistically, because it's just so much easier not to miss class. Two shows I want to see are in Hamburg on consecutive nights, and in my holidays, so I think it's about time I organised that trip to Hamburg that I've been talking about.
I think that today is Baking Weather. Steffi suggested something with cinnamon, because today's weather makes it feel closer to Christmas... might work out some cookies. Mmmm.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Hold your breath...
Another week, another update. Seems to be the way I roll with updates lately. Probably because it gets to the weekend, and I think about doing my German homework, and all of a sudden there's a list of other things I could be doing. I'm getting so predictable in my old age!
My workweek (ha, as if I do any work!) was uneventful. German class Mon-Thurs mornings, lazing about during the afternoons. I've been doing a lot of cooking lately, just because I haven't felt that excited about what I've been eating. Hokkaido squash (pumpkin, close enough!) from the markets was definitely a highlight, because it meant that I got to eat pumpkin scones and roasted pumpkin. I've got a big tub of roasted veg in the fridge at the moment, which is definitely awesome.
So, to get to the things that are outside of the routine: firstly, on Monday afternoon I took a train to Koln. I got to my hostel, put my things down, ate my packed dinner, and went to see Polar Bear Club play at the Blue Shell. The show was good - the first band were mediocre, the second (Deny Anything, who were kinda crucial punk-hardcore) were pretty good, and got extra points for the singer's denim cutoffs with a minor threat patch, because it amused me. And, of course, Polar Bear Club were solid, and played a good mix of old and new stuff. I bought a tshirt for ten euro, not realising in the terrible light that it's navy, not black. Also discovered that it's a kids' size (I hate when bands do that for girls' shirts!) which means it's a bit of a funny shape and the sleeves are wayyy too long, but it'll be ok once I sew them into that rolled-up position. Whatever, it's only ten euro, and it helped a band whose CD I've been listening to for months, despite not having bought it. So it's a fair trade.
After the show, I went straight back to the hostel and slept. (Oh, I did get to tell PBC's singer that it was awesome to see them, and he said they might make it to Aus in Feb... I said it was too early cos I wouldn't be back. heh.) On Tuesday morning I got up at 6am and was on the train at 7:20am (pre-packed pumpkin scones for breakky!) with a coffee in hand. I made it to uni at the start of our break, and met C in the cafete - he was also showing up late. It was a struggle to stay awake for the second half of the lesson, because I don't do very well on less than 8 hours sleep.
Anyway, going to a show just made me miss Adelaide, because that was what I'd do on weekends there. It's always strange going to a show here and not knowing anyone when at home I'd be in a room full of people I know, or at least familiar faces. I sent J a message to say hi, and he told me that he had a photo of me that Md had given him sitting next to his bed. It's reassuring to know that my best friends haven't forgotten me.
So, back to the other good bits in the week. On Friday I caught the train, with bike in tow, to Muenster. I'd bought a pump at the bike shop on the way to the station, because my back wheel was kinda flat. So I started on the tyre, unscrewing the cap on the valve, and after a few seconds the middle section of the valve fell out... which meant that in the space of about 2 seconds, the entire tyre was deflated. So when M and E met me at the station, I had to explain my predicament. M agreed that the tyre was unfixable (by us, anyway) so I left it chained up near the station and we walked back to their house. I got what I paid for with that bike... ;) it was free, so really I could have left it chained in Muenster, bur then I would have felt bad about Sd arranging it for me (and probably fixing it up against after B fell off of it a few times)...
So, hanging out at M & T's house was awesome. It's so good to be able to talk to people with whom I share common interests. Not to say that people here aren't nice, but I don't have much in common with anyone. So it's good to be able to get into a proper conversation sometimes! Plus I got to try out the flying fox at their local park - though I think E and Sa made it look easier than it was, ha! I was fed delicious pasta for dinner, the cake I'd brought hadn't been squashed in my bag (which was totally what I'd anticipated happening) and I tried a delicious bio beer that I promptly forgot the name of. It was a really fun evening.
The next morning, T and I were up bright and early at 6:30am, to go to the Flohmarkt. (M was also up bright and early, albeit not voluntarily, to look after the kids!) T managed to find a bike for Sa at the second stall, which was good luck if ever I've seen it. I was tempted to splash out on a better bike and just leave mine chained up in Muenster forever but my common sense and wallet got the better of me. What I did purchase, however, was an awesome pair of roller skates, to fulfil my secret desire of getting into roller derby. Also because I've been looking for fun ways to get active. Plus they only cost 5 euro, score! Everything else I looked at seemed to cost 20 or 30, even just for shoes. T got all the bargains, but in that she didn't really buy anything for herself, getting games for the kids instead, I can't really feel jealous. Maybe I just need to start shopping at the stalls run by kids...!
Anyway, I had an absolute ball at the Flohmarkt. There were hundreds of stalls, hundreds more people, and so much cute stuff that was just great fun to look at. M and kids came down at a more normal hour, and then we went back to their place for lunch. I decided that I'm going to steal M's bike, because it was just so comfortable and easy to ride. After lunch we went on a walk around the lake that I can never remember how to spell, which was really nice... the weather was unbelievably good! I was pleased to be able to make the most of the sunshine, because it had been so rainy all week. It was like the last hurrah for the unbearably short German Summer.
Anyway, I caught the bus to the train station at about 5:40pm, which was held up for a while because of residual Flohmarkt traffic/parking. Large sections of a street were only wide enough to let traffic through in one direction, so the bus had to wait for a looong time. Anyway, I eventually made it to the Hbf, picked up my bike, and waited for a while for the train, which was all good. I was listening to my running mix and feeling like some kind of crust kid, with denim shorts and tennis shoes and books about avoiding processed food. I can't believe how easy it is to keep myself amused sometimes! Then the train was delayed for ages in Hamm, but I eventually made it back to Pb. I had risoni for dinner, because it's like pasta but faster to cook, just with some fresh herbs and veg mixed through. I hope I remember never to buy tinned artichokes from a German company ever again. They just didn't taste right. Anyway, I was in bed by 11pm, which suited me perfectly.
This morning I slept in (twenty past seven! Unbelieveable!) and taught myself to rollerskate in my room. It's safer to begin on carpet because I can't roll too far, there are no stones, and no one is watching. I'll go to the Flohmarkt at Uni next Sat to find some kneepads if I can... and I'm going to have to find a deserted carpark to visit insanely early in the morning, so I can get in some practice. I made roasted veg while I ate breakfast (well, I did the prep work - the veg roasted themselves without much help from me, actually). Beets, carrots, summer squash and baby potatoes: so cute! So there's dinner sorted, plus extras for tomorrow. This morning I finally got around to trimming my hair. I was a bit lazy and haven't thinned out the back properly yet, but I did trim the back and cut the front to eye-length. Chin-length was getting a bit ridiculous because it didn't look good and I just pulled it behind my ear all the time. I could have had a fantastic devil lock if I'd been so inclined... thankfully, I wasn't. I'm no Davey Havok.
Which reminds me, I dyed my hair mahogany last week. It's already faded considerably, which reminds me of how much of a joke "permanant" hair dye is in my hair. For four Euro though, I don't really care. I've got another box of dye that was also on special, which is just straight red, so when this goes too pink I'll put that one through, but I'm not keen to spend enough cash to maintain this colour by dyeing it as often as it needs it (every two weeks for red dye). So either I'm going to have very pink hair, or I'll change it to some respectably-fading colour. I'll decide that next time I'm at the supermarket and decide to get hair dye as an impulse purchase.
Oh, and while I remember, Sd didn't bail on Pb after all. Ra had to come back early because he couldn't find a hostel in Hamburg (as if he didn't book in advance? What the hell?) so Sd didn't go there. He was annoyed at me for telling C about how I was worried, because then C told everyone, and they all reacted like he'd lost his mind. I told him that perhaps that should tell him something, and promptly signed out of skype. I'm still angry with him, and he knows that. I can't deal with people's stupid rich-kid attitudes to their problems. My parents are sweet enough to help me out with my finances here (I saved twice as much as I'd thought possible, and I still fell short of what I needed for a year, and they helped with the rest). And honestly, I am so grateful for that. I take every chance to say thankyou, because I know how goddamn lucky I am. I have amazing parents. We don't agree on everything, and that's ok. I'm never going to be someone to complain about them when they're funding my studies, helping out with my finances, and using a medical conference as a thinly-veiled excuse to visit me... I am so lucky! :)
Ok, so, excitement aside... actually, no. I'm listening to Fascination by Alphabeat... they're not a band I get into much, but this is quite possibly the cutest pop song ever written. Pity it wasn't written 20 years ago, otherwise it'd probably be the most famous. Anyway, it's hard to sit still with a song this upbeat playing. I want to go outside for a skate, but I see that ending in scrapes and tears, so I think I'll hold off until I get some kneepads... still cautious. I turn more into my mother every day... but there are a few billion worse people to turn into, so I should be grateful!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BOMhenAQcw&feature=related
My workweek (ha, as if I do any work!) was uneventful. German class Mon-Thurs mornings, lazing about during the afternoons. I've been doing a lot of cooking lately, just because I haven't felt that excited about what I've been eating. Hokkaido squash (pumpkin, close enough!) from the markets was definitely a highlight, because it meant that I got to eat pumpkin scones and roasted pumpkin. I've got a big tub of roasted veg in the fridge at the moment, which is definitely awesome.
So, to get to the things that are outside of the routine: firstly, on Monday afternoon I took a train to Koln. I got to my hostel, put my things down, ate my packed dinner, and went to see Polar Bear Club play at the Blue Shell. The show was good - the first band were mediocre, the second (Deny Anything, who were kinda crucial punk-hardcore) were pretty good, and got extra points for the singer's denim cutoffs with a minor threat patch, because it amused me. And, of course, Polar Bear Club were solid, and played a good mix of old and new stuff. I bought a tshirt for ten euro, not realising in the terrible light that it's navy, not black. Also discovered that it's a kids' size (I hate when bands do that for girls' shirts!) which means it's a bit of a funny shape and the sleeves are wayyy too long, but it'll be ok once I sew them into that rolled-up position. Whatever, it's only ten euro, and it helped a band whose CD I've been listening to for months, despite not having bought it. So it's a fair trade.
After the show, I went straight back to the hostel and slept. (Oh, I did get to tell PBC's singer that it was awesome to see them, and he said they might make it to Aus in Feb... I said it was too early cos I wouldn't be back. heh.) On Tuesday morning I got up at 6am and was on the train at 7:20am (pre-packed pumpkin scones for breakky!) with a coffee in hand. I made it to uni at the start of our break, and met C in the cafete - he was also showing up late. It was a struggle to stay awake for the second half of the lesson, because I don't do very well on less than 8 hours sleep.
Anyway, going to a show just made me miss Adelaide, because that was what I'd do on weekends there. It's always strange going to a show here and not knowing anyone when at home I'd be in a room full of people I know, or at least familiar faces. I sent J a message to say hi, and he told me that he had a photo of me that Md had given him sitting next to his bed. It's reassuring to know that my best friends haven't forgotten me.
So, back to the other good bits in the week. On Friday I caught the train, with bike in tow, to Muenster. I'd bought a pump at the bike shop on the way to the station, because my back wheel was kinda flat. So I started on the tyre, unscrewing the cap on the valve, and after a few seconds the middle section of the valve fell out... which meant that in the space of about 2 seconds, the entire tyre was deflated. So when M and E met me at the station, I had to explain my predicament. M agreed that the tyre was unfixable (by us, anyway) so I left it chained up near the station and we walked back to their house. I got what I paid for with that bike... ;) it was free, so really I could have left it chained in Muenster, bur then I would have felt bad about Sd arranging it for me (and probably fixing it up against after B fell off of it a few times)...
So, hanging out at M & T's house was awesome. It's so good to be able to talk to people with whom I share common interests. Not to say that people here aren't nice, but I don't have much in common with anyone. So it's good to be able to get into a proper conversation sometimes! Plus I got to try out the flying fox at their local park - though I think E and Sa made it look easier than it was, ha! I was fed delicious pasta for dinner, the cake I'd brought hadn't been squashed in my bag (which was totally what I'd anticipated happening) and I tried a delicious bio beer that I promptly forgot the name of. It was a really fun evening.
The next morning, T and I were up bright and early at 6:30am, to go to the Flohmarkt. (M was also up bright and early, albeit not voluntarily, to look after the kids!) T managed to find a bike for Sa at the second stall, which was good luck if ever I've seen it. I was tempted to splash out on a better bike and just leave mine chained up in Muenster forever but my common sense and wallet got the better of me. What I did purchase, however, was an awesome pair of roller skates, to fulfil my secret desire of getting into roller derby. Also because I've been looking for fun ways to get active. Plus they only cost 5 euro, score! Everything else I looked at seemed to cost 20 or 30, even just for shoes. T got all the bargains, but in that she didn't really buy anything for herself, getting games for the kids instead, I can't really feel jealous. Maybe I just need to start shopping at the stalls run by kids...!
Anyway, I had an absolute ball at the Flohmarkt. There were hundreds of stalls, hundreds more people, and so much cute stuff that was just great fun to look at. M and kids came down at a more normal hour, and then we went back to their place for lunch. I decided that I'm going to steal M's bike, because it was just so comfortable and easy to ride. After lunch we went on a walk around the lake that I can never remember how to spell, which was really nice... the weather was unbelievably good! I was pleased to be able to make the most of the sunshine, because it had been so rainy all week. It was like the last hurrah for the unbearably short German Summer.
Anyway, I caught the bus to the train station at about 5:40pm, which was held up for a while because of residual Flohmarkt traffic/parking. Large sections of a street were only wide enough to let traffic through in one direction, so the bus had to wait for a looong time. Anyway, I eventually made it to the Hbf, picked up my bike, and waited for a while for the train, which was all good. I was listening to my running mix and feeling like some kind of crust kid, with denim shorts and tennis shoes and books about avoiding processed food. I can't believe how easy it is to keep myself amused sometimes! Then the train was delayed for ages in Hamm, but I eventually made it back to Pb. I had risoni for dinner, because it's like pasta but faster to cook, just with some fresh herbs and veg mixed through. I hope I remember never to buy tinned artichokes from a German company ever again. They just didn't taste right. Anyway, I was in bed by 11pm, which suited me perfectly.
This morning I slept in (twenty past seven! Unbelieveable!) and taught myself to rollerskate in my room. It's safer to begin on carpet because I can't roll too far, there are no stones, and no one is watching. I'll go to the Flohmarkt at Uni next Sat to find some kneepads if I can... and I'm going to have to find a deserted carpark to visit insanely early in the morning, so I can get in some practice. I made roasted veg while I ate breakfast (well, I did the prep work - the veg roasted themselves without much help from me, actually). Beets, carrots, summer squash and baby potatoes: so cute! So there's dinner sorted, plus extras for tomorrow. This morning I finally got around to trimming my hair. I was a bit lazy and haven't thinned out the back properly yet, but I did trim the back and cut the front to eye-length. Chin-length was getting a bit ridiculous because it didn't look good and I just pulled it behind my ear all the time. I could have had a fantastic devil lock if I'd been so inclined... thankfully, I wasn't. I'm no Davey Havok.
Which reminds me, I dyed my hair mahogany last week. It's already faded considerably, which reminds me of how much of a joke "permanant" hair dye is in my hair. For four Euro though, I don't really care. I've got another box of dye that was also on special, which is just straight red, so when this goes too pink I'll put that one through, but I'm not keen to spend enough cash to maintain this colour by dyeing it as often as it needs it (every two weeks for red dye). So either I'm going to have very pink hair, or I'll change it to some respectably-fading colour. I'll decide that next time I'm at the supermarket and decide to get hair dye as an impulse purchase.
Oh, and while I remember, Sd didn't bail on Pb after all. Ra had to come back early because he couldn't find a hostel in Hamburg (as if he didn't book in advance? What the hell?) so Sd didn't go there. He was annoyed at me for telling C about how I was worried, because then C told everyone, and they all reacted like he'd lost his mind. I told him that perhaps that should tell him something, and promptly signed out of skype. I'm still angry with him, and he knows that. I can't deal with people's stupid rich-kid attitudes to their problems. My parents are sweet enough to help me out with my finances here (I saved twice as much as I'd thought possible, and I still fell short of what I needed for a year, and they helped with the rest). And honestly, I am so grateful for that. I take every chance to say thankyou, because I know how goddamn lucky I am. I have amazing parents. We don't agree on everything, and that's ok. I'm never going to be someone to complain about them when they're funding my studies, helping out with my finances, and using a medical conference as a thinly-veiled excuse to visit me... I am so lucky! :)
Ok, so, excitement aside... actually, no. I'm listening to Fascination by Alphabeat... they're not a band I get into much, but this is quite possibly the cutest pop song ever written. Pity it wasn't written 20 years ago, otherwise it'd probably be the most famous. Anyway, it's hard to sit still with a song this upbeat playing. I want to go outside for a skate, but I see that ending in scrapes and tears, so I think I'll hold off until I get some kneepads... still cautious. I turn more into my mother every day... but there are a few billion worse people to turn into, so I should be grateful!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BOMhenAQcw&feature=related
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Date with a Bottle...
I've listened to the Hawaiian Islands album that J sent me (Live Fast, Get Tropical) perhaps 50 times in the last couple of days. It's definitely got a distinct sense of humour (perhaps a little too juvenile in the filler track, which I always skip) but the rest of it is awesome. Brutally honest in places, with lyrics that make me grin wryly and want to dance. I told L the other day that this album was making my rainy day feel decidedly tropical, and he seemed pretty pleased. His vocals are awesome, too. Wish I could sing like that, but unfortunately, I'm a woman. Damn.
Anyway, I'm enjoying a lazy Saturday at the moment. I was up at 6am this morning (ok, admittedly I didn't get out of bed until 6:30) and I went to the markets at about 7:15. Today I came home with a few less things, because I still have some longer-lasting staple items (savoy cabbage, beets, a handful of beans) from last time. I also did a naughty thing and went to Real... my reason for being there was that I'd seen, when I was there with Ta, that they had jars for canning. And, seeing as how I'm taking an interest in food preservation, I bought a few. I know that I can only can in a water-bath at home, which is useless for non-acidic (read: non-vinegared) pickles and preserves, so I bought glass jars that have those metal clip-top lids for use in the fridge. Today's haul is going to be roasted apricots, and maybe lightly vinegared carrots. I don't have any dessicated coconut or maple syrup (my usual decorations for roasted apricots) but I intend to eat them on my morning oats, or mixed in with natural (soy) yoghurt. I also want to make soy yoghurt, but that's a project for a slightly warmer day. I'm also going to roast hokkaido pumpkins (or are they squash?) later on... that was another score from this morning's markets. I'll probably go back on Wednesday for another one.
Anyway, markets aside, I'll have the usual this-is-my-life update. Last Saturday I went to the markets and stocked up completely. I decided that I'm going to avoid supermarkets as much as possible in an attempt to eat more locally... could be interesting. Of course, that project went to hell with Ta visiting, because I'm not one to tell my guest that she can't eat Turkish watermelon (which was much better than any other melon I've eaten here!)... but rest assured that it's back on track this week. I'll be blogging about it soon.
So... no idea what I did last Sunday. Can't have been too exciting. Anyway, on Monday night I picked up Ta from the Bahnhof. We sat in the kitchen catching up for ages, and I finally found out the reason for her impromptu visit. It's a little depressing, actually. To begin with the back-story: she's only a year older than me, but she has breast cancer. It runs in her family, and both her mother and grandmother have died of it. She's handled it with incredible grace, and with the same black humour that she's had in all the years that I've known her. We don't keep in touch as often as we should (does anyone, really?) but we still hang out easily when we're together. So, when her doctors told her that the expanding tumors were pressuring her lungs and that she was only allowed to travel by plane for the next 6 weeks, she promptly booked a 5-week holiday across the world. Smart lady, that one.
So, I was pleased to be on her list of people to visit, and hopefully I wasn't too boring. Having a visitor is always a little bit of a struggle for me, because I need a lot of alone time... and the more I'm alone, the more I want to be alone. I go through phases, and let's just say that lately I'd rather read blogs than make conversation. It happens. Anyway, I had German course from Mon-Thurs. Tuesday evening we just hung out, went to the Asian Supermarket and the giant Marktkauf nearby. Ta insisted on paying for groceries, which was awfully sweet. We had Bahn Mi with tofu for dinner... deliciousness. Wednesday I think we had a look around the Dom and the river and a few other bits and pieces, and had dark beers at Tuba, bought a couple of things at Real, then made tofu burgers for dinner. Thursday we went on a hike to the Turkish supermarket, collected berries on the way, and stocked up on a few things. We went there in the hope of finding Persian Fairy Floss for Ta to try, but they didn't have any at the time. She was, however, pretty happy about the cherries, watermelon, and assorted "eurocreme" faux-nutella products, so it was still worth the walk. We had a beer at Tuba again, and had satay for dinner.
Friday morning I dropped her at the Bahnhof, and lazed about for a good portion of the afternoon. Caught up on my daily reading and cleaned my room again. I should really do some laundry... it feels like Sunday, because I'm still unused to the new novelty of the three-day weekend. It's not as good as the 4-day weekend I'd organised whilst at Flinders (which I promptly squandered by working too much in order to save money to get here) but it'll do. Oh, what a hard life! Ha. In other news, I bought a saddlebag for my bike, which is appropriately designed to double as a handbag, simply by being cute and red and having white polka dots. Win. I still need a pump for the tyres, but I'll buy that soon.
I'm presently having a very confusing conversation with Sd, who is up and leaving, in the middle of the course, for the sake of some travelling. I knew he was unhappy here, but I'd thought that he'd at least finish the course first. He said he doesn't know when he'll be back, but I think he still plans on making the prufung in September, so the longest he can be gone is two weeks. Still... it's a bit crazy, and a bit concerning. I guess everyone goes off the rails sometimes, and I don't think there's anything I can do to help this time. I think he does need the time away, to reassess what he's doing with his life, but I guess I'm just not approving of the timing. I get more like my parents with every passing year... I suppose because I always managed to stave off my impending implosions until I'd finished whatever I needed to do, and then just collapsed at the end of it. I don't feel like I have the luxury to potentially give up early. I'm too lucky to have the chance to begin something to just throw it in.
Speaking of lucky, A has asked me to be one of her bridesmaids for her wedding. Yep, that's right, my sister is getting married. She has an incredibly expensive, diamond-studded ring to show for it, too. I'm always so happy for my siblings when these things happen. She and Tr have recently bought a house, so it looks like everything is falling into place. I'm the only one of our family not to own a property of some sort, and quite convinced that I'll probably never have the money. Not at this rate. Also no intention of getting married (not now that we can get the tax breaks without it!) so I'm definitely heading down quite a different path to the rest of the family. But that's ok, because I look enough like them for them not to worry that I got swapped at the hospital as a baby, etc... so they're ok with me being crazy. It keeps the family entertained, at least!
Anyway, I think I've rambled enough. I'm either going to type out more entries from my excursion into Poland, or go to find enough lemons to make pumpkin preserves...
Anyway, I'm enjoying a lazy Saturday at the moment. I was up at 6am this morning (ok, admittedly I didn't get out of bed until 6:30) and I went to the markets at about 7:15. Today I came home with a few less things, because I still have some longer-lasting staple items (savoy cabbage, beets, a handful of beans) from last time. I also did a naughty thing and went to Real... my reason for being there was that I'd seen, when I was there with Ta, that they had jars for canning. And, seeing as how I'm taking an interest in food preservation, I bought a few. I know that I can only can in a water-bath at home, which is useless for non-acidic (read: non-vinegared) pickles and preserves, so I bought glass jars that have those metal clip-top lids for use in the fridge. Today's haul is going to be roasted apricots, and maybe lightly vinegared carrots. I don't have any dessicated coconut or maple syrup (my usual decorations for roasted apricots) but I intend to eat them on my morning oats, or mixed in with natural (soy) yoghurt. I also want to make soy yoghurt, but that's a project for a slightly warmer day. I'm also going to roast hokkaido pumpkins (or are they squash?) later on... that was another score from this morning's markets. I'll probably go back on Wednesday for another one.
Anyway, markets aside, I'll have the usual this-is-my-life update. Last Saturday I went to the markets and stocked up completely. I decided that I'm going to avoid supermarkets as much as possible in an attempt to eat more locally... could be interesting. Of course, that project went to hell with Ta visiting, because I'm not one to tell my guest that she can't eat Turkish watermelon (which was much better than any other melon I've eaten here!)... but rest assured that it's back on track this week. I'll be blogging about it soon.
So... no idea what I did last Sunday. Can't have been too exciting. Anyway, on Monday night I picked up Ta from the Bahnhof. We sat in the kitchen catching up for ages, and I finally found out the reason for her impromptu visit. It's a little depressing, actually. To begin with the back-story: she's only a year older than me, but she has breast cancer. It runs in her family, and both her mother and grandmother have died of it. She's handled it with incredible grace, and with the same black humour that she's had in all the years that I've known her. We don't keep in touch as often as we should (does anyone, really?) but we still hang out easily when we're together. So, when her doctors told her that the expanding tumors were pressuring her lungs and that she was only allowed to travel by plane for the next 6 weeks, she promptly booked a 5-week holiday across the world. Smart lady, that one.
So, I was pleased to be on her list of people to visit, and hopefully I wasn't too boring. Having a visitor is always a little bit of a struggle for me, because I need a lot of alone time... and the more I'm alone, the more I want to be alone. I go through phases, and let's just say that lately I'd rather read blogs than make conversation. It happens. Anyway, I had German course from Mon-Thurs. Tuesday evening we just hung out, went to the Asian Supermarket and the giant Marktkauf nearby. Ta insisted on paying for groceries, which was awfully sweet. We had Bahn Mi with tofu for dinner... deliciousness. Wednesday I think we had a look around the Dom and the river and a few other bits and pieces, and had dark beers at Tuba, bought a couple of things at Real, then made tofu burgers for dinner. Thursday we went on a hike to the Turkish supermarket, collected berries on the way, and stocked up on a few things. We went there in the hope of finding Persian Fairy Floss for Ta to try, but they didn't have any at the time. She was, however, pretty happy about the cherries, watermelon, and assorted "eurocreme" faux-nutella products, so it was still worth the walk. We had a beer at Tuba again, and had satay for dinner.
Friday morning I dropped her at the Bahnhof, and lazed about for a good portion of the afternoon. Caught up on my daily reading and cleaned my room again. I should really do some laundry... it feels like Sunday, because I'm still unused to the new novelty of the three-day weekend. It's not as good as the 4-day weekend I'd organised whilst at Flinders (which I promptly squandered by working too much in order to save money to get here) but it'll do. Oh, what a hard life! Ha. In other news, I bought a saddlebag for my bike, which is appropriately designed to double as a handbag, simply by being cute and red and having white polka dots. Win. I still need a pump for the tyres, but I'll buy that soon.
I'm presently having a very confusing conversation with Sd, who is up and leaving, in the middle of the course, for the sake of some travelling. I knew he was unhappy here, but I'd thought that he'd at least finish the course first. He said he doesn't know when he'll be back, but I think he still plans on making the prufung in September, so the longest he can be gone is two weeks. Still... it's a bit crazy, and a bit concerning. I guess everyone goes off the rails sometimes, and I don't think there's anything I can do to help this time. I think he does need the time away, to reassess what he's doing with his life, but I guess I'm just not approving of the timing. I get more like my parents with every passing year... I suppose because I always managed to stave off my impending implosions until I'd finished whatever I needed to do, and then just collapsed at the end of it. I don't feel like I have the luxury to potentially give up early. I'm too lucky to have the chance to begin something to just throw it in.
Speaking of lucky, A has asked me to be one of her bridesmaids for her wedding. Yep, that's right, my sister is getting married. She has an incredibly expensive, diamond-studded ring to show for it, too. I'm always so happy for my siblings when these things happen. She and Tr have recently bought a house, so it looks like everything is falling into place. I'm the only one of our family not to own a property of some sort, and quite convinced that I'll probably never have the money. Not at this rate. Also no intention of getting married (not now that we can get the tax breaks without it!) so I'm definitely heading down quite a different path to the rest of the family. But that's ok, because I look enough like them for them not to worry that I got swapped at the hospital as a baby, etc... so they're ok with me being crazy. It keeps the family entertained, at least!
Anyway, I think I've rambled enough. I'm either going to type out more entries from my excursion into Poland, or go to find enough lemons to make pumpkin preserves...
Friday, August 6, 2010
I want to ride my bicycle...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARwZ3scXQ7U&feature=youtube_gdata
Enough said.
On another note, I realised that I haven't written out a proper update in a while. I also haven't finished writing up my posts from my June Travels, but plan to get some more done over the weekend. Ta arrives on Monday - my first guest from Australia, and a completely unexpected one. I got an email a few days ago asking if she could stay, and of course I said yes. I haven't seen her in quite some years now, and we were closest when I was between the ages of 17 and 19, but have still caught up a few times since. I'm hoping she's not too bored with things here, but she has been warned...
I've had a great day today. I got up at 6:15am, a little earlier than usual (yeah, I know, 15 minutes isn't a big deal) and had a coffee. Sat in bed and watched Home (the documentary), which To had posted a link to on Facebook. It was awesome, but depressing. I know that the end is supposed to be uplifting, but I really don't find it cheers me up at all after the low point in the film's storyline. I've seen it once before, but it was nice to see it again. It reminds me that I'm doing something right. Anyway, I had a shower and got ready, and by 10:30am was out walking. It takes me about 25-30 minutes to walk a little further than Paderborn North train station, which is now my favourite foraging ground for wild blackberries. It's much better than the patch near my house, which is quite thin on the ground and riddled with nettles. I'm scratched but not stung, have pulled more thorns out of my hands than I care to think about, but happily brought home between three and four kilos of wild blackberries. When I think that they cost about $6 for a 250g punnet back in Australia, well, let's just say that I'm economical. ;)
I'm definitely always interested in free fruit. Even when it's just the sort hanging over someone's fence... but that's another story. I'm a neighbourhood fruit thief, although that's mostly for fruits like persimmons and pomegranates that idiots leave on the tree to rot, instead of enjoying. It's just another example of me hating to waste food. If it weren't for the problem with those tiny black fruit flies in our kitchen (ahem, Mitbewohner...) then I'd definitely have a container full of scraps for stock, but at the moment it's not a very viable option. I don't want to encourage the insects any more than the plates of crumbs, nutella, unemptied coffee filter and sugary cereal bowls already do.
So, how do I summarise the past two weeks? There's not much that I can really say. I've been attempting to go walking more often, and have included some bike riding in the mix. Sd has kindly given me an old fixie that he bought off of Be, because she's going home in a week or so. It desperately needs some air in the tyres and some oil (if I'm listening to Pig Destroyer and can't hear it squeaking, then shhh, neither can anyone else) but it's mine, and I'm pleased. I feel bad about it though, because I really don't want to hang out with him at all lately. I tend to get repelled by people who latch on and get all clingy, and this is an example of that. I ran into Fi in Netto the other day when I was ducking in to buy a loaf of bread, and she told me that she'd met him recently, and had discovered that tendency. Especially because he was trying to talk to her about me, which I find really quite creepy. I think I'll need to have some words with him. I already see him every day in the Pause, and that's more than enough, because we don't have anything to talk about on a daily basis. It's getting pretty agonising.
Of course, I did promise to cut his hair (why did I ever admit that I played hairdresser for all my Australian friends? Now I have to clean someone else's hair from my bathroom floor!)... and he did say he'd make some kind of Turkish eats, but the item he'd mentioned (forget the name) is just zucchini fritters, which a) I can't eat because I'm still on a low-salicylate diet, and have maxxed out my sals for the day with berries, and b) I don't want to eat because I already know how to make fritters. I know that's ungrateful, but I feel like it's me inviting an Asian friend over to share the secret Australian recipe for stir-fry. If I say that I want to learn more about other food cultures, I'm serious about the learning part. While I'm running off on a tangent, can everyone please stop being surprised that I know what za'atar / hommous / dolmades / sumac / pomegranate molasses / other foreign ingredient is. Thx.
Ok, so off of the topic of me being ungrateful, and onto what I'm supposed to be doing, which is summarising the last two weeks. Ok, fine: Lately I've been especially appreciating being antisocial, not hanging out with anyone, and having time/space to myself. Yep, that's about it. I watched No Impact Man recently, which was completely awesome, and I'm trying to save money for when Jayne comes to visit. That's about it. I realise it's boring, but at the moment, I just can't express how much I'm enjoying that. I'm definitely missing Adelaide more than usual, because I keep hearing about interesting things that my friends are doing. But there are things I'm enjoying here, and I've got a lot of future projects simmering away in my brain at the moment, so I just need to hang tight and get things underway.
My first step is to write more. It's about the only thing I think I'm good at (slight exaggeration: I can also sing and cook, but that's where any talent ends!) and when I'm capable, on those oh-so-rare moments, to actually think about what I'd like to do in the future, a lot of it revolves around writing. And not necessarily non-fiction (ahem, sorry to a certain history professor who might read this) but all the ideas that surface in my brain. I need to stop thinking, "oh, that's a great idea!" and forget about it without ever putting pen to paper - or fingers to keys, as the case may be. I've got ideas and I'm certainly opinionated enough to say something. I just need to start somewhere.
Enough said.
On another note, I realised that I haven't written out a proper update in a while. I also haven't finished writing up my posts from my June Travels, but plan to get some more done over the weekend. Ta arrives on Monday - my first guest from Australia, and a completely unexpected one. I got an email a few days ago asking if she could stay, and of course I said yes. I haven't seen her in quite some years now, and we were closest when I was between the ages of 17 and 19, but have still caught up a few times since. I'm hoping she's not too bored with things here, but she has been warned...
I've had a great day today. I got up at 6:15am, a little earlier than usual (yeah, I know, 15 minutes isn't a big deal) and had a coffee. Sat in bed and watched Home (the documentary), which To had posted a link to on Facebook. It was awesome, but depressing. I know that the end is supposed to be uplifting, but I really don't find it cheers me up at all after the low point in the film's storyline. I've seen it once before, but it was nice to see it again. It reminds me that I'm doing something right. Anyway, I had a shower and got ready, and by 10:30am was out walking. It takes me about 25-30 minutes to walk a little further than Paderborn North train station, which is now my favourite foraging ground for wild blackberries. It's much better than the patch near my house, which is quite thin on the ground and riddled with nettles. I'm scratched but not stung, have pulled more thorns out of my hands than I care to think about, but happily brought home between three and four kilos of wild blackberries. When I think that they cost about $6 for a 250g punnet back in Australia, well, let's just say that I'm economical. ;)
I'm definitely always interested in free fruit. Even when it's just the sort hanging over someone's fence... but that's another story. I'm a neighbourhood fruit thief, although that's mostly for fruits like persimmons and pomegranates that idiots leave on the tree to rot, instead of enjoying. It's just another example of me hating to waste food. If it weren't for the problem with those tiny black fruit flies in our kitchen (ahem, Mitbewohner...) then I'd definitely have a container full of scraps for stock, but at the moment it's not a very viable option. I don't want to encourage the insects any more than the plates of crumbs, nutella, unemptied coffee filter and sugary cereal bowls already do.
So, how do I summarise the past two weeks? There's not much that I can really say. I've been attempting to go walking more often, and have included some bike riding in the mix. Sd has kindly given me an old fixie that he bought off of Be, because she's going home in a week or so. It desperately needs some air in the tyres and some oil (if I'm listening to Pig Destroyer and can't hear it squeaking, then shhh, neither can anyone else) but it's mine, and I'm pleased. I feel bad about it though, because I really don't want to hang out with him at all lately. I tend to get repelled by people who latch on and get all clingy, and this is an example of that. I ran into Fi in Netto the other day when I was ducking in to buy a loaf of bread, and she told me that she'd met him recently, and had discovered that tendency. Especially because he was trying to talk to her about me, which I find really quite creepy. I think I'll need to have some words with him. I already see him every day in the Pause, and that's more than enough, because we don't have anything to talk about on a daily basis. It's getting pretty agonising.
Of course, I did promise to cut his hair (why did I ever admit that I played hairdresser for all my Australian friends? Now I have to clean someone else's hair from my bathroom floor!)... and he did say he'd make some kind of Turkish eats, but the item he'd mentioned (forget the name) is just zucchini fritters, which a) I can't eat because I'm still on a low-salicylate diet, and have maxxed out my sals for the day with berries, and b) I don't want to eat because I already know how to make fritters. I know that's ungrateful, but I feel like it's me inviting an Asian friend over to share the secret Australian recipe for stir-fry. If I say that I want to learn more about other food cultures, I'm serious about the learning part. While I'm running off on a tangent, can everyone please stop being surprised that I know what za'atar / hommous / dolmades / sumac / pomegranate molasses / other foreign ingredient is. Thx.
Ok, so off of the topic of me being ungrateful, and onto what I'm supposed to be doing, which is summarising the last two weeks. Ok, fine: Lately I've been especially appreciating being antisocial, not hanging out with anyone, and having time/space to myself. Yep, that's about it. I watched No Impact Man recently, which was completely awesome, and I'm trying to save money for when Jayne comes to visit. That's about it. I realise it's boring, but at the moment, I just can't express how much I'm enjoying that. I'm definitely missing Adelaide more than usual, because I keep hearing about interesting things that my friends are doing. But there are things I'm enjoying here, and I've got a lot of future projects simmering away in my brain at the moment, so I just need to hang tight and get things underway.
My first step is to write more. It's about the only thing I think I'm good at (slight exaggeration: I can also sing and cook, but that's where any talent ends!) and when I'm capable, on those oh-so-rare moments, to actually think about what I'd like to do in the future, a lot of it revolves around writing. And not necessarily non-fiction (ahem, sorry to a certain history professor who might read this) but all the ideas that surface in my brain. I need to stop thinking, "oh, that's a great idea!" and forget about it without ever putting pen to paper - or fingers to keys, as the case may be. I've got ideas and I'm certainly opinionated enough to say something. I just need to start somewhere.
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