New Years Eve

It is the end of another year and as we prepare for 2009 many people ponder what the current year brought and how to improve the upcoming year.  Some people make resolutions and others make wide claims about how different things will be once the new year begins.  That being said, I am not one of those people.  I don't do resolutions and if things need to change they can happen now and not only when one year ends and another one begins.  

That being said (or typed in this case) let's get to what is really important; how to celebrate the closing of the year.  Our plan here in Munich is to have dinner with some friends and then go to a park and watch fireworks while drinking champagne.  Yes, pictures will be available!!!

Have a safe and happy New Year celebration!

Did someone say "movie night?"

Tonight Carsten and I rented a movie and went to Gary and Klaus' for a movie night.  This time we saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall.  It was not the roll on the floor laugh factory I was expecting, but it was a solid movie with great writing and acting.  It was more of a romantic (less comedy) movie than I am used to watching, but I guess not everything can be a slasher flick!  

Another movie review

Carsten's sister and her partner came to our place tonight for a brief visit and to pick up some things.  We also ate dinner at a near-by restaurant that I have wanted to try since moving here.  The food was okay, not spectacular-a bit disappointing actually.  It was an Italian restaurant, maybe I should stick with places that only serve wurst!!!

Anyway, after they left we watched a movie that Carsten rented.  This time it was the Martin Lawrence flop Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins.  Now, it wasn't all bad.  Some of the writing was quite good with several laughs; however,the rivalry thing went too far and was tiresome after a while.  Mo'nique was fantastic as always, but Cedric the Entertainer I found boring and monotonous.  In the end, Mike Epps stole the show and was the best part of the movie.

My new addiction

While in the German countryside I became a Sudoku lover.  I don't know how I did not get into this craze when it first came out.  So, when I am not trying to learn German, or when trying to avoid learning, I am doing a Sudoku puzzle.  

Speaking of learning German, one of the best things about the week at Carsten's mom's place was being able to communicate with her, if only a little bit.  She helped me practice some words and I was better able to understand things that she said/asked.  Plus, I could answer her some.  I still have a log way to go, but it was nice to feel as though I have made some progress. 

I'm back

So, after one week in Niederbeisheim, I am back in Munich.  It was a wonderful week that can be described in five little words:  food, food and more food.  I can only imagine the amount of weight gained during this trip.  Oh well, I guess that is what the holidays are for!!

As you can see, I have added some pictures from my trip.  One is Carsten and me on Christmas day.  Three are from a hiking trip (one of me and Carsten, one of Carsten's sister and her partner and one of one of the most beautiful pictures from the trip).  And of course one picture is Carsten's mom and her husband, from Christmas.  

Now, let's recap the week.  We left on Sunday, December 21st and after about 5 hours of driving we made it to Carsten's mom's home.  And the first thing we did, after letting the cats out of their kennel, eat dinner!  Oh and speaking of the cats, they did fantastic in the car.  They are so well behaved :)  The rest of Sunday was relaxing and catching up on things.  On Monday morning we got up early to go to Carsten's sister's home so that her partner could do some repairs on the car.  That afternoon we went to the hair salon and I received my first "German" haircut.  It turned out pretty good, though no one can compete with Anthony in Chicago!  The rest of the day was spent eating.  Seriously, Carsten's mom made so many cakes while we where there.  Anyway, the next day was the hiking trip.  We had to drive a couple hours and then walked about 7 miles to the top of Brocken.  A cold and snowy day,but a great workout.  Oh, and we finally broke out our walking sticks, which we coincidentally bought one another last year for Christmas.  On Christmas Eve we spent the day with Carsten's mom running errands, grocery shopping, etc.  We also took a scenic drive through the countryside.  Carsten made the observation that in many ways the area where his mom lives looks quite similar to Wisconsin, which in fact it does.  That evening Carsten, me, his mom and her husband ate our holiday meal and exchanged gifts.  The following day was Christmas Day in the US.  Here we ate more food and in the afternoon Carsten's sister and her partner came over the eat, exchange gifts and celebrate Christmas.  The day after Christmas I practiced my driving, which seriously needs to improve soon.  I can't believe how much I struggle with this.  Anyway, we also went to a neighboring town from Carsten's past and walked around, though it was bitterly cold outside.  The evening was a relaxing day in front of the Christmas tree and I finished reading the book Seeing by Jose Saramago.  On Saturday we spent the day running errands with Carsten's mom and then the three of us went furniture shopping.  Well, shopping isn't the right word, but we looked at options.  It will be great to finally move and begin to feel settled.  In my opinion the first task is buying a bed, but I digress.  Saturday night was my favorite night of the week.  We ate food, watched a German "game show" and just hung out.  On Sunday we had to make a trip to Carsten's sister's house to pick up some things and then back to Niederbeisheim to pack up the car.  In that time, Carsten's mom made one more homemade cake.  We had coffee and cake and then headed off to Munich.  Again the trip took roughly 5 hours and then we were finally back home.  

Now, time to get situated and prepare for our move to Freiburg...one more week and then we will reside in a new city.

We're off...

...to Carsten's mom's house.  I will be off-line for the next week or so and thus won't be posting anything new on my blog until after we return home.  However, once I get back I plan to update the blog with all that occurred in the countryside of Germany.  Oh, and hopefully we will have some pictures as well, especially since Carsten just bought himself a new camera.  Happy Holidays everyone!!!

A holiday party

I am feeling better today and think that within the next couple of days I should be back to normal, or at least as normal as I can get.  So in honor of my improving health and the holiday season, Carsten and I went to Gary's holiday party.  The food was great as well as the company.  And we played Uno, which was a blast and since it has been years since I played, it was a lot of fun.  Too bad Carsten didn't seem able to win even one round :)  I guess I could give him one of my wins.  What really made the night was the public transportation was on our side on the way home, which is not always the case late at night here in Munich.  Now off to bed.

Day 5

Today is the fifth day of not feeling well.  However, Carsten went to the pharmacy (Apotheke) this morning and bought me some medication.  So far it seems to be helping some.  

For whatever reason, Carsten decided today needed to be the day that I open a bank account.  For those of you reading this who are not living in or from Germany, apparently this is done through the Post (Office).  Though we in fact did take care of it, it is still unclear to me how this works.  So, I am either confused because of my fever and loads of medicine or the process really is confusing.  I'll let you decide which of the two it is.    In the end it is done and apparently I now have a bank account for all the money I make while being unemployed :)

At the end of the day Carsten rented another movie.  This time we watched a little film called You Kill Me.  No, I didn't know it either.  It was a bland little film that had some laughs but wasn't anything spectacular either.  The best part in my opinion was Tea Leoni, who I think is fantastic is basically anything.

Now it is bed time and hopefully tomorrow will bring sunny skies and better health.

No real post today

I am still quite ill (day 4) and will likely do nothing but sleep and watch DVDs for the rest of today. Carsten is at his work holiday party and due to poor communication (and now me being sick) I am at home.  May tomorrow be a healthier day :)

Run Fatboy Run

No, that is not what I heard while out on the streets of Munich!  It was the movie we watched tonight.  Run Fatboy Run was the latest movie from Simon Pegg.  It was a romantic-comedy, which is not a genre I typically enjoy.  However, this was cute and had several good laughs in it, plus the writing was spot on as well as the acting.  So, if you want a good rom-com, this might be what you are looking for.  Oh, and based on a few of my recent posts, clearly I am looking for a job in the movie review business :)

Still ill

This day seems to be a total waste.  I think I might have a fever along with aches, chills, a couch and sore throat.  I have slept much of the day and don't have much energy.  On the upside, since I finished my class yesterday I didn't have anything to miss today.  Plus, the weather is cold and gray so who would want to be outside anyway.

Last day of school

Today marked the last day of my first German language course.  I really enjoyed this class and what really made it was the teacher, who is the blonde woman standing next to me in the picture above.  I am looking forward to taking another course once we move to Freiburg and I can only hope my next teacher is as good.  

I am feeling under the weather today, which made me really no want to go to school, but since it was the last day it seemed as though I really should go.  I made it through, though it felt like the longest class ever.  Afterward, Carsten and I met to finish his Christmas shopping.  We also found a refrigerator that we both like for our new place.  All-in-all it was a pretty successful day.  Now though I will go to sleep and hope to feel better tomorrow.   

Another movie

I love watching movies, no matter how bad some of them might be.  The way I look at it, these people spent their time and energy making this piece of crap, so I might as well watch it.  That being said, Carsten rented Bank Job tonight starring Jason Statham.  I was confused at the start of the movie, but I blame that on being ill.  However, about 2/3 into it I really enjoyed it.  What made it even better was finding out at the end that it was based on a true story.  So, anyone interested in watching a movie about a real life bank heist in the 70's, this is the movie for you.

The moving day is set

Soon my next move will be history and I believe it will be my last move for at least a couple of years!  It looks as though the movers will come on January 8th and take our stuff to Freiburg on the 9th, though I will not go down there until the 11th.  Carsten will move down on the 6th as he begins his new job on the 7th.  And, just to add one more thing to the mix, I am hoping to start my next language course on the 12th.  Because when you think about it, who really wants to feel settled before moving on to the next thing :)

Our final movie

We watched the third movie we rented.  I clearly enjoyed it more than Carsten.  Again, the movie was 10,000 B.C.  I found it to be a bit of a love story and was enjoying the action scenes.  The film is completely fictional and quite unrealistic and a bit too much like Apocalypto, but since I am no movie critic who am I to judge!  

McCafe

We decided to take a walk to the nearest McCafe, which is really not all that close, but what can you do.  We don't have these in the U.S. or at least I have never seen one.  Basically it is a cafe inside a McDonald's, err go McCafe!  We each has a slice of cake and split it.  They were so tasty, but I couldn't help fantasize about the french fries I was smelling.    It was my first time in a fast food restaurant since moving to Germany.  In the end, it looked like every other McDonald's in the US, only the menu was in a different language.

A decision has been made!

So, it appears that Carsten and I have made a decision regarding the kitchen.  We will go with our first design/choice of the day yesterday.  Once it is installed (after January 20th) we will take pictures for me to post on here.  Let me just say that it is somewhat modern looking with a chocolate brown/white color scheme.  

It appears that a decision has also been made about my German language classes.  Though I would really enjoy doing one more month here in Munich, it doesn't make much sense with the move, holidays, etc. as I would be in an empty apartment.  So, I will begin my next course in Munich shortly after the start of the new year.  I hope my next instructor is as great as my current one!

And finally, we watched Kung Fu Panda.  It was not as funny as I had hoped it would be, but it was still quite entertaining.   Thankfully I enjoy cartoons like a six year old (wait, do 6-year olds still enjoy cartoons?) so I enjoyed the film.  

Kitchen Nightmare

Well, nightmare might be too strong of a word, but after spending 5 hours and only looking at 2 kitchens, I am pooped.  Of course this would be a lot easier if I didn't have to design the kitchen under budgetary restraints.  Apparently money is an issue!  Alas, the two kitchens we designed are both quite nice and both would do the job.  Thankfully we have the night to think thing over before making a final decision and contacting the two companies on Monday.  

To take our mind off of the kitchen, we decided to rent some movies.  Again we had the three for the price of one so it looks like we will be having some movie time until I return to class on Monday.  The movie we watched tonight was Jumper.  It wasn't the worst movie I have ever seen (that is still BloodRayne) but it is nothing to write home about.  Oh wait, I guess that is basically what I am doing right now.  The other two movies we rented were Kung Fu Panda and 10,000 B.C.  Let's hope they are better.

Off to Freiburg

In a moment we will leave and drive to Freiburg.  The downside of this is that the weather has turned quite snowy and we only have "summer" tires on the car.  The other downside is spending money on a new kitchen, which as you know is quite costly.  The upside is going to Freiburg and seeing our friend Andrea, who has so graciously offered her air mattress to us for the night.  Auf Wiedersehen!  

A long day

Today Rachel left Munich to head back to the states.  We had to get up at 4am today to ensure she made it to the airport by 5:30am.  It was great having her here and I must say it is quite quiet without her, but in a good way :)  Anyway, getting up that early made for a very long day.  I had a good start to my class today, but as it progressed I felt more tired and thus seemed more confused by what we were doing.  After coming home and having a late lunch with Carsten; took a nap, much longer than expected too!  Somehow I still feel tired, though I blame that on spending the past two hours doing homework.  My class ends next week and I still have not decided what to do.  Right now my options are 1.  do another class here in Munich before moving to Freiburg and continuing in classes there or 2.  just move to Freiburg right away with Carsten and start school immediately.  The reason I might stay in Munich is because we will still have the hotel and I really like my class/teacher and the thought of leaving it makes me kind of sad.  I need to make a decision soon as my class ends on Tuesday.  In other news, we are leaving tomorrow for Freiburg again as we need to look at kitchens for the new place.  As much as I like to shop I am not looking forward to this excursion.  

Rachel's last full day

Since Carsten finished work yesterday he was able to spend the day with Rachel while I was at school.  Once my class ended, we met for a lunch on the run and then wandered through the city center.  I took Rachel to one of my favorite churches here, bought some of my favorite candy to share with her and then Carsten went with Rachel into the Apple store, which recently opened here in Munich.  Tonight we plan to go out for dinner to a "typical" Bavarian restaurant in honor of Rachel's last night here.  We have to leave around 4:45am tomorrow to get her to the airport in time for her flight, which means it will be a long day at school, but so worth it.  It has been great having a visitor here and connecting with my roots from the states. 

Tollwood revisited

It sounded from Rachel as though she had a nice day visiting the city.  She participated in the tour that I had done shortly after I arrived here (see a previous post for the details of the tour).  Since I had class and then homework I was unable to spend much of the day with her; however, we were able to go to Tollwood (the Christmas market on the Octoberfest grounds).  We had a nice time there, looking at all the goodies for sale, drank some Weiß beer and ate some Indian food (a curry sampler).  Though it was a nice time, it was a later night, at least for a school night.  So, bed time for some quick sleep before school tomorrow. 

Wanting more free time

How is it that I am not working, but going to language school, and still don't feel as though I have enough time in the day?  Since I had class/homework and Carsten had to work today, Rachel was on her own in the city.  Based on her report, she seemed to have a good time, though did not get through all that she had hoped for today.  One of the things on her list was the BMW museum, which happened to be closed today.  She has more things on her list of sites for Tuesday, so maybe she will find more success then.

Tomorrow, Tuesday December 9th, is Carsten's last day at his job.  He has vacation time to use, which is why he is off for the rest of 2008.  On the upside, he will get to spend some time with Rachel out in the city on Wednesday before she leaves on Thursday morning.  

Bad Tölz

Today we decided to take a train to Bad Tölz to walk through the city centre and check out their Christmas market.  The weather was cold and at times a few flurries would fall, providing a beautiful view.  In my opinion, it looked like what was one expects to see in an "old world town."  We ate some yummy food, had some gelato, which really didn't make sense since we were already cold, and then some hot tea.  We decided to avoid the glühwein after our beer challenge the night before.  It was a pleasant day, even if we were all tired a bit.

A visitor arrives

Today Carsten and I went to the Munich airport to pick up my friend Rachel, who is visiting us until Thursday.  Though we had not planned on having visitors before 2009, Rachel happened to be in Scotland visiting other friends and it only made sense for her to swing on by to Germany.  So, what do we take Rachel to do only a few short hours after landing?  That's right, a beer challenge.  It was great fun, though we were clearly much older than everyone else who participated.  I know, I know, I am only 24 and I was still older than most everyone else, well except for Gary...thanks :)

Third week completed

For those of you keeping track (or counting down the days like me) you know that I have just finished my third week of intensive German language school.  That means I have 7 actual classroom days left (told you I was counting).  I am really enjoying the class, will miss it when it is done and look forward to beginning another course once we move to Freiburg.  All that being said, I also can't wait to give my brain a brief break before it implodes.  Seriously, I am really getting tired of learning.  I mean, how smart should one person really be?!?  All joking aside, anyone wanting to learn a new language, do it while you are young.  Here I am a vibrant young lad of 24 (yes, I am still holding on to this delusion) and I struggle on a daily basis with trying to grasp the simplest of concepts.  That being said, time to get back to my homework :)

My first movie in München

Tonight Carsten and I went to a movie with Gary and Klaus.  It was my first time seeing a film in Munich, though we attempted to go nearly one month ago.  Anywho, we saw the new Bond film, Quantum of Solace.  I really enjoyed the film, though this is not your father's Bond, so to speak.  It had little lovin' happening and no gadgets to speak of.  However, it was high energy and at least for me kept my interest.  Of course it helped that Gary brought some popcorn that was fantastic!  Oh how I have missed popcorn.  Sorry, got sidetracked there.  The theater was quite different from the ones in the US, or at least the ones I am used to going to.  It reminded me of the Broom Street Theater in Madison, Wisconsin.  For those of you not familiar with this theater, it is a garage!!!  Literally, it is a garage that has been turned into a playhouse.  

Let the kitchen drama begin

Well, it appears that we have decided on an apartment.  It was not my top choice, but it does have some nice features; one being Carsten having the ability to walk to work.  One of the downsides of this place was needing to buy a kitchen for it.  Though this seems to be pretty common here, it was not something either of us wanted to deal with.  So, we obtained a quote and thank goodness I was sitting down.  A final decision has not been made regarding the kitchen and I am sure a lot more discussion will take place and yes, I will write all about it (whether you want to read about it or not).  

Tollwood

Tonight Carsten and I met his co-worker/friend Gary at Tollwood.  It is a winter festival that takes place on the same grounds as Oktoberfest and like most things German, it focuses on alcohol, though this time it isn't beer so much as hot spiced wine (glühwein).  This excursion was a great idea.  Not only did I have a blast drinking the glühwein, but I met some of Gary's friends who I really enjoyed talking with.  However, the best part was hearing stories from Gary and his friends, who also went through intensive German courses, and their struggles.  It helped me to feel better about my own progress and to limit some of the expectations I have put on myself regarding this course.

Some things I will never understand, pt. 2

As I had stated in an earlier post, this will likely become an on-going post.  It seems as though i see things almost on a daily basis that take me by surprise, for one reason or another.  It is not possible for me to write all of these down, so i wait until i see something extraordinary and then I make note of it.  Well, that happened today.  It is not that I haven't seen anything this "odd" before, it was just something that caught my eye and made me laugh a bit.  So, here is the scene.  I get off of the bus and walk to the Post to pick up a package that has been sent to me (thank you Katherine for sending all my excess mail).  As I am walking to the Post, a curvaceous woman of about 50 years old is riding her bike in my direction, wearing a dress and smoking a cigarette.  She inhales from her cigarette and then uses that same arm to indicate she is turning left.  It was then that I laughed.  Seeing her smoke and ride her bike was one thing but then to inhale, one more time, before indicating she was turning seemed like too much for me.  The moral of the story, she may get lung cancer, but she will have killer calf muscles!

World AIDS Day

Today, December 1st, is World AIDS Day.  It is the first year in some time that I have not been involved in some sort of outreach or programming that honors today.  For those of you who are interested in more information about World AIDS Day click here or here or here.  

Today is the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day.  In 1988 the World Health Organization announced the first World AIDS Day to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS as well as provide opportunities to understand and support persons living with HIV/AIDS.  If you would like to read what President Bush "wrote" regarding World AIDS Day, click here.