This and that

More than one day off in a row! Hurray!! Today, I worked on updating and reloading a website for one of my clients in Tennessee. That site, and actually the whole hosting site, had been affected by a website defacing attack and we'd lost the index page. Fortunately, the Abrams has been working on putting in more routers for a faster Internet and today the Internet connection was finally good enough to upload my files. So I feel accomplished, even if that and working out are all I get done today. I'm fine with that, lol.

I'm honored and excited to be getting involved with the FRG (Family Readiness Group) chapter at Hohenfels Army Base. This week I'll get to attend my first meeting and help put together care packages for our soldiers in theater. I'm also hoping to get in on another upcoming event in a couple of weeks, work permitting.

It snowed early this morning, around 6a.m. I hear, but it only stuck to the tops of the mountains. It's been in the 40s (F) all day today. Winter is coming, and I need to find some snow boots soon. I have a new winter jacket, which I'm so excited about. I hadn't had a new jacket in probably 5 years.

I think I should take up a new hobby while I'm here. I never have enough time as it is really, but I feel like I'm spinning my wheels when I'm not at work. Can't travel right now, so I need something else to occupy my time, or rather my brain. I want to start learning German, but getting ahold of the program isn't as easy as they make it sound at first. Maybe I'll finally design my own website. Maybe....

Choices

There are so many things that could be said about this week that possibly shouldn't be. There are so many complaints I could make, and genuine ones too, not just imaginary gripes. But I spent a fair amount of time wallowing in my misery yesterday, so I'm thinking maybe it's best to let those things go and move on. Sometimes life just isn't pleasant, people aren't pleasant, circumstances aren't ideal... and well, you just deal with it and move on. How's life in Germany? Well, it's still life - it has its ups and downs. The occasional mountaintop experiences and rarely the valleys of despair, but mostly it's the land in-between. That doesn't change wherever you go. Right now, I need a vacation from the dorm and from work. I need a day of 'me' time without other people 'invading' my space uninvited. But right now, I'm just going to bed. Things always look better in the morning. :-)

Stubborn streak + grocery shopping = sore shoulders/back

Day off work, so I went grocery shopping, and I was too stubborn to pay for a cab, so I hauled all 40€ worth of groceries back in my oversized shopping bag. It was painful, literally. At least I'm starting to find my way around town better.

I bought a cyclamen plant and I really hope I don't kill it. I have awful luck with plants, mainly because I over-water them I think. I still haven't managed to buy a pot/pan to cook anything in. And I've been trying to find a tablecloth and curtains for my room without any success, but I'll keep looking.

There's an employee appreciation event today over in the ballroom. I went and got free food, and then came back to work on some design stuff because I felt guilty for slacking off. On my days off, I'm generally pretty tired, so I don't get moving in the mornings like I should and then I lose half the day just resting. Dreadful habit.

Brandon's away at training right now for the next two weeks, and then he gets like a day off before he does another training bit for another week. I miss him, and I wish he didn't have to be away so much this month, but at least so far I've gotten to see him every couple of weeks or so. I took the train up this last weekend to see him.

If only taking the bahn wasn't such a pain in my side.... Oh yeah, the last time I took it, I didn't know that single Bayern tickets aren't good for ICE trains, so I got fined 27,50€. That's over $30 US. Fun times.... The trip back was standing room only with a bunch of teenagers going to Oktoberfest. Guys were peeing in beer bottles because they couldn't get through to the WC. It was special.

Well, I've got to get back to work. I didn't accomplish half the things I wanted to today, but at least I got some groceries. Starving is never a good option. ;-)