Recap: Our "Mini-Vacation"

Dan and I traveled from Mehlingen to Bremen (a drive of approximately 5 hours)last Sunday to pick up my car. We intended on stopping in Koblenz for a night, then continuing on to Bremen before heading back the next day; we ended up staying in Bremen an entire day and night, due to the utter incompetence of the personnel at the shipping office. I have my car, though, and we are back home, so all is well.

Hopefully, after the vehicle inspection is done, and I have my permanent plates in hand, we can start settling down to a somewhat normal routine.

JIM GAFFIGAN

On the way to Koblenz, we listened to a collection of mp3s, which included clips of Jim Gaffigan's "Beyond the Pale." I was reminded of our family trip to Savannah a few months ago, when the four of us listened to the comedy station on the radio for (nearly) the entire ride. I was fortunate enough to catch Dan in the midst of his laughter, and everytime I look at these pictures I involuntarily succumb to bouts of hysteria:









*Dan says he looks like a "goblin" in the second picture, but that's my favorite one.*

METHOD MAN

While on the autobahn, we passed a large black tour bus, and Dan asked me to clarify what was written on the rear. In large letters, I read the words: "Method Man, European Tour 2010." I had my camera handy, but wasn't fast enough to get a good picture.
When we arrived back home, Dan looked up Method Man's schedule, and sure enough, there was a concert in Hamburg the same evening we were all on the autobahn.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Dan suggested we stay in Landstuhl (a town near the base) for a night, to have dinner at an old castle there, and then tour it the next day. That's crazy, because I was having that exact idea about a week ago.

Why is it raining again? It was getting so warm...I hate this weather.

2004 - 2010

BAD NEWS (QUICK TIP: DON'T FALL ASLEEP WITH YOUR GLASSES ON!)

I fell asleep rather quickly the other night (it was my intention to continue reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame - alas, it was not to be). I awoke seven hours later to find my reading material still on the bed, along with my glasses.
I picked up the latter, and thought they felt pretty odd. I soon realized why:



I was particularly fond of those glasses: they were purchased in 2004, and I began wearing them exclusively about a year and a half later.
They have served me well.
Thank goodness I packed a few extra pairs- I am currently wearing my reddish-brown ones (prominently featured in the first entry).

GOOD NEWS

Dan's Volvo has passed inspection! Plus, I now have temporary tags for my car, which we will be picking up on Monday (we are considering leaving on Sunday night, for a mini-vacation).

AND...

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Hooray for Irishmen (and women)! And beer too, I guess.

Road Trips

Though we don't have the same schedule (still no days off together), Dan and I have decided that, if opportunities present themselves, we should socialize and travel with others as frequently as possible. Thus, I have acquired the following itinerary for the upcoming week(s):

IKEA (MANNHEIM)- TOMORROW

Since the USO tour was such a success, my friend Heidi and I have decided to explore a bit more of our surroundings. We are going to begin this weekend with a trip to IKEA, which is about an hour away from our general area (she needs to get furniture, I need a rug and some mats).

BREMEN (PORT)- NEXT THURSDAY

Dan and I will be taking a mini road-trip of our own next week...to pick up my car! It is due to arrive on Thursday, and will be located approximately 5 hours away, in the port of Bremen. We are planning on taking the day off to retrieve it.

BELGIUM/LUXEMBOURG- NEXT WEEKEND

Part 2 of the USO-inspired expedition, to be undertaken by Heidi and I. The current plan for our weekend is as follows: drive to Belgium for some waffles, then on to Luxembourg to engage in a bit of shopping and light touristy activities, then head back home. However, after speaking with some colleagues today, I am tempted to slip some skiing into our agenda, before the official season ends.


FURNITURE UPDATE:

We have a sofa now! And a bed, and a dresser, and numerous desks...

Almost Like Home

A co-worker of mine is in the process of moving to a smaller home, and, having heard of our furniture-less circumstances, offered Dan and I a futon, some chairs, and a desk. Of course, I immediately accepted the offer. She dropped off the items this morning, and I spent a good portion of the afternoon "fixing up" our sparsely-furnished guest room. Now, it is the only comfortable room in the apartment.
For those of you planning on visiting us in the coming year, this is what you have to look forward to:







Also, our YouTube page is complete! A video of our guest bedroom (as well as the exterior of the apartment) is now available. If you are interested, the link is provided on the right.

Yesterday's Happenings

Yesterday I purchased a brand-new camera, which is almost exactly like my old one, except for its being a bit newer, and red. I was in the process of setting it up when I was suddenly compelled to check the original one again. Turns out, my previous camera was not broken at all- the battery, which I thought had been recharged, had simply died. I am so relieved; I will be returning the new one sometime next week.

So, now that I have a functional camera once again, here is a long-overdue picture of the cuckoo clock I purchased in the Black Forest:


Handmade Cuckoo Clock by Adolf Herr, House of Black Forest Clocks

ALSO...

Dan and I went to the theater on-base yesterday to watch Sherlock Holmes. We both liked it a lot, which is a pretty rare occurrence. We saw Avatar last week, at a German theater, and while I thought the movie was good overall, I was immensely bored during the first half, and pretty disappointed in the "3D" effects. I was almost tempted to walk out during the intermission (and Dan was so frustrated that he actually suggested it), but I'm glad we stayed.

AND...

I cut my hair! By myself. More on that (and, possibly, a few photos) later.

Unwinding

AH, BOOKS!

I went to the library after work today, and checked out the following books: The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, by Victor Hugo. I really wanted to read Mrs. Dalloway, but last night I checked the online catalog and it wasn't available at the library on-base. I think I will search the bases closer to our house, though.
I'm really starting to like this extremely easy access to so many (free!) books; the library is right across the street from my office building. I may just get a card for the library in downtown Tampa- I think Dan already has one.

THE TOUR (ALAS, NO PICTURES)

Last weekend I went on a USO tour with a friend from work; we went to the Black Forest, where we each bought a cuckoo clock and sampled a slice of their legendary Black Forest cherry cake, which had quite a bit of liquor in it. We took photos in front of Germany's highest waterfall, and ended the day with a tour of the Triberg museum. I left my camera in the car, but my friend took some pictures, and I will be uploading those soon. I was going to take a picture of my cuckoo clock and include it here, but was unable to for the following reasons: 1) due to the strong winds last weekend, our internet and phone access was disconnected, for a total of five days, and 2) I just realized that my camera is no longer functional- I think it must have been a delayed reaction after a recent fall.

WORK AND OTHER NEWS

Dan is enjoying his job (he is becoming more familiar with his co-workers) and my situation is not too bad, either. I am now officially able to receive overtime compensation(though I don't think I will be staying late too often!), and today it was decided that I will be eligible for my crew evaluation within the next two weeks, hopefully...once I have passed that, I will have a somewhat steadier schedule, which I am looking forward to.
The car situation is not faring too well, but there is better news: our furniture is being delivered next week! And this weekend a co-worker of mine will be dropping off a futon and a desk, for which we are supremely grateful.