Very merry Christmas

One of the best Christmases ever: peace and quiet, just me, chilling out all day. Heavenly!
And while I was alone, I did not feel lonely in the slightest, connecting with friends from all over the world. I know I keep saying this, but I am so grateful for all the love and support in my life.

Xmas donut while relaxing in the bath, listening to music

merry Xmas from Steve's dressed up cat

More foxes

I've been making an effort to tidy a bit in anticipation of my friends' visit. And while tidying, I came across my ticket for the play First Love is the Revolution, which I went to see in London during my visit in early November: according to the Soho Theatre 'a viciously funny new play about love, lust and foxes'.

Pretty accurate synopsis, I'd say. Nevertheless, it came as a little surprise to us all, when we realized that the (human) actors were indeed playing animals. As well as humans. It was bonkers and brilliant and indeed very funny. I especially loved the chickens :-)
In short: boy of a broken home falls in love with a fox and said girl fox falls in love with boy. Beautiful, right?

The next night, we went to see Green Day's musical American Idiot. I keep referring to them as Green Park, which gives you an indication of how big a fan I am. I did grow up with them though and thought it sounded like a cool thing. And it was. We had great seats (and thanks to Time Out, a bargain, too) and the music was played live and was pumping (not sure that's a cool thing to say...). Story was a bit thin. I really enjoyed it.

foxy

This year has not been a good sewing year. Especially since I moved to Germany. Which is quite ironic, given that I even have a sewing room now!! Anyway, I shall try to make more time for it next year!

To finish the year, I did these cushion covers to brighten up my black sofa. The first one was an absolute pain to finish. Yes, quite embarrassing given that cushion covers are really the most simple exercise that every sewing beginner starts with... Somehow the bloody zip didn't go in very well.

Anyhow, second one on the other hand was much quicker. And isn't the pink foxy fabric super cute?

I am aware that the hammock doesn't really fit in... A friend was suggesting dying it pink. Not a bad idea at all. :-)

Alf

I used to watch and love Alf as a kid. And I happened to come across the Xmas episode today.
Who would have thought that even Alf would make me cry?
Well, dying kids tend to do that to me...
Lovely episode.

bruised

About a month ago, I discovered a tiny lump in my left breast. By coincidence, I had an appointment at the dermatologist scheduled for the next day anyway, so I showed it to her. And she immediately sent me to the gynecologist for a check. Having lived in the UK for the last eight years, I didn't have a single breast-check during that time so of course I have no idea how long the lump had already been there.

After calling a couple of doctors who either didn't accept any new patients or only from January (the dermatologist had urged me to get it checked asap...), I found one where I got an appointment within a week. I went, had an ultrasound and got a referral for yet another ultrasound at the radiologists. So, I get an appointment there, the week after. They decide to also do a mammogram as well as the other ultrasound. Whatever she saw was not conclusive but she says I should come back for a check in three months time. I ask what the other options are and she says, she could also do a biopsy to get an immediate result. I ask how she decides what to do and she replies that it depends on the patient and that some people simply don't want to wait.

Well, I think, I am not worried. My logic is that if she is worried, she'll recommend the biopsy and otherwise, it's just unnecessary faff. So, I make an appointment for the end of February. I tell a couple of my friends who all think I should get it checked now. Better to know for certain than risk that it is cancer which doesn't get treated. They have a point.

So, I call back to ask for a biopsy. First I need another consultation with the doctor. Who also tells me I need a blood test first. Of course, I don't yet have a GP, so I find myself a GP, get a blood test done (results all good) and get the biopsy done. Under local anesthetics. The first injection hurts quite a little but it's over quickly. And then I don't feel anything. It is weird so to lie on that table half naked...

I then get bandaged up which is a little uncomfortable but otherwise feel fine.
The biopsy was done on Friday and I should get the result on Tuesday. On Tuesday, I call them after lunch time. The receptionist tries to put me through to the doc, who is busy though but I get told that I will get called back within 10 minutes. This is when I actually start worrying. All along, I felt pretty confident that it would be nothing. And not because I think I am invincible, simply because. And besides, worrying would not change the outcome. But the fact that the receptionist is not telling me anything, worries me.

The doctor calls back: preliminary result is negative but they are still doing more tests. Which she had said might happen if it was unclear. Not a great sign, I'd say. But she promises to call me back the next day.

I go back to not thinking about it, and get the call on Wednesday while out shopping: results negative but I should come for a check up in six months time.
Merry Christmas!

left with a bruised boob

self-love

I keep venturing out to get Xmas presents and somehow always come back with stuff for myself.

Thank God for my massive wardrobe in the corridor - always space for more shoes!

The Tower of Babel

Our IT guy was setting up my laptop in my new office. He joined about a month ago and so far I haven't had much chance to chat to him. So, I was making an effort. To be pretty much greeted by non-responsiveness. Friendly silence, I'd say. But I guess some people are simply not interested in chatting.

Anyway, I suddenly remembered that he was looking for a new office chair (quite frankly, I can't work out why he didn't order himself one but was instead looking for one that was not being used. For weeks now...). So, in my new office there were two office chairs, so I offered him one of them. And he just gives me this weird look. So, I explain again - and suddenly realize that I was speaking English to him...
Oops.

Spacious and bright

So far, I've only ever once had my own office. Seven years ago. And it was connected to my boss' office (so, not ideal either). After an office refurb, I then had to put up with sitting in an open plan office. And while I got used to it, I always thought back fondly of my own space.

And now the time has finally come again! Yesterday I moved into my new office. Which is so spacious and bright and lovely. Most of all, it has a door. That I can close. It also has a little corner and I am now thinking of how to decorate it. Idea at the moment is to get a (pink) beanbag and create a chillax area. :-)

Which also reminds me of this article I read on Tiny Buddha:
 "7 Ways to make your workday awesome" - good stuff.

I just need a gentle push

the hammock arrived and it's more comfy than it looks in the photo

Friday Night Dinner

Sunday Roast on a Friday night. Potatoes followed with a slight delay. And no, of course not self-made. More than 10 years in the UK and I still haven't made a single roast...

Dear Mr. GLS delivery man

PLEASE DELIVER MY PARCEL TO MY ADDRESS AND DON'T LEAVE IT OUTSIDE A HOUSE THAT HAS A SIMILAR SOUNDING ADDRESS.

Thank you.

Dear Mr. Postman

PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE MY PACKAGES ON MY BALCONY!!!!
I have a number of lovely neighbours who are happy to accept them on my behalf and otherwise I'd rather collect it from the post office than find it soaked on my balcony.

Thank you.

Harold says

Life is simple.

You make choices and you don't look back...

This shall be my motto for next year!

Ms Clumsy

Well, actually, it was not clumsiness really: this morning I flooded my bathroom... While I was having my shower, the shower head came loose, fell off and the water was therefore all over the place. Besides, I am having a cold and a headache. But the prospect of only another three days at work before the winter break is cheering me up immensely.

Ms Efficiency

I called the garage today regarding my light bulb hat needs replacing to check whether I could just drive by to get it fixed or needed an appointment. Most likely an appointment I was told but that they would need to check it. So, I drove by tonight, and the guy fixed it there and then. Took less than 5 minutes and we got chocolate, too (you ask, you will get). Sorted.
Very, very happy :-)

miracles

or How a mishap turned into something good.

I left work unusually upbeat last week. We had had a good interview in the afternoon and I generally felt, I had had a productive day. I was also looking forward to seeing the kids for the English tuition. I get to my car, then remember that my colleague had pointed out that one of my lights needed replacing. Key is already in the ignition, I get out again, the door falls shut. And then I hear the noise. The car locks itself automatically.
Like a fool, I try every single door. All of which are locked. And as you may have guessed: all my stuff is inside: my mobile, my flat keys, my purse. For a moment, I have no clue what to do next. A girl arrives, whose car is parked near mine. And she is lovely: offers her help and agrees to give me a lift back home. Once inside the car, we realize that we are actually work colleagues!

At home, I go to my neighbour who - after a long weekend away - is luckily back! I call the children's home to apologize and tell them I won't make it. He calls my landlady. Who is not home. He calls her brother. Who is home and who agrees to go over to his sister's to collect the spare key. My neighnour then drives me to a meeting point half way between us and the landlord, where we get the key. Back to my place to collect my spare keys, back to the car park to get my car. When we arrive, somebody has just driven out, so the gate is also open, so I run inside. And lastly: the battery had not yet died, despite the light having been switched on.

All done in just about an hour.
I hope it won't happen again.
But most of all, I am so grateful how easily it was all solved.

melancholic

One way to immediately induce melancholia is to read back through my blog.
I know it's still two weeks to go but I was wondering whether I had come up with any New Year resolutions for 2015 (seems like I didn't). So, I was reading back over my January entries.

Thinking back about my Australia holiday makes me sad as I miss my Aussie friends. And while I am currently waiting for a work related invite to Melbourne, I have little hope that I will be going down under any time soon. It also reminds me of all the awesome food I had and how things have changed and I hardly eat out these days.

Then there are all my London posts - full of love for the city I called home in the last few years, and my friends, of course. It's not quite six months since I moved to Bavaria. While I don't regret it, it still seems surreal. And I am not entirely sure I was aware how much things would change when I took the decision to accept the job.

2015 has definitely been a year full of ... stuff. Lots and lots of great moments and a few tougher ones, too.

the wisdom of the youth

'You know, I don't take any of this too seriously.'
Said my 26 year old colleague to me. She has a very good point, which at 35, I still haven't truly internalized.
Live and learn.
Slowly at least.

holiday feeling in my living room

I'm in shopping mood (and still haven't bought a single Xmas present...). This week my two rugs arrived. I love the one for my living room, which I feel makes it look less bare than before. Not so sure about the one I got for my sewing room. I think a size smaller would have done for that room...

Anyhow, this week, I've also been looking at rocking chairs. And my sensible self decided not to get one. So, instead I just ordered a hammock. Much more sensible, right?

My parents used to have one, which would occasionally be set up in the living room. I have high hopes that gently swinging in the hammock will be THE antidote to my job. And it's even big enough for two people :-)

As it happens, it looks as if I will get my own office from January. The one that I think will be mine, has this corner space which you cannot see when you get in at the door. And I would LOVE to have a hammock in that corner, too. Or maybe a beanbag or a comfy chair at least. Being relaxed and not thinking about work, will surely bring on loads of Eureka moments, no?

a splash of colour

Moderately nefarious

Check out the BBC test of evil.

My result:
Scoring highly on 'Macchiavellianism',
slightly lower (but still high...) on 'narcissism'
but in the lower quarter on 'psychopathy' (what a relief... to my environment!).

"Like Don Draper, you are moderately nefarious. You walk on the dark side of humanity, 

but your ruthless streak may just help you get ahead."

Time of month

When anything nice makes me tear up, I know it's my time of the month...

Two steps forward, one step back

Even if it feels like one step forward, two steps back...
Another day of realization that I haven't changed as much as I think and how deep some of my beliefs clearly sit. And how patience is simply not my strengths. And how I can always count on my friends to pick me up.

and more comedy

I also love James Corden. This is hilarious!

*snort*

I love Bradley Cooper. 

I saw the Elephant Man in London.

And this clip made me snort with laughter. The best kind, right?

familiar faces

I am meeting new people all the time. And I like it. I am drawing a lot of energy from it. And I love that moment of meeting somebody interesting (man of the week: NY cop, then turned private investigator, then bounty hunter, then opened in art gallery in Norway and now lives in a tiny village near Rosenheim).
Nevertheless, it also tires me sometimes. And just this weekend, I was missing my friends very much. Not having to have the same conversation (that's what I do, that's where I come from), over and over again.

And just by 'magic' the last couple of days have been marked by reconnecting with some of my friends all over the world. Balance restored.

on TV right now. Still haven't watched the whole movie or musical...

on the road

A typical case of 'Don't judge a book by its cover'.

I used to make snap judgments all the time and would put people into drawers on first impressions. Sometimes, even before even properly meeting them, I would form opinions that were often difficult to change. That of course led to a lot of self-fulfilling prophecies: me expecting a certain behaviour from somebody meant of course that I was displaying a certain behaviour, which in turn provoked the reaction I was already predicting...

I'd like to think that I changed. Maybe it's got to do with believing that there usually is something interesting, and/or nice to discover in every single person. Or maybe it's got to do with trying to make the best of every situation. I am stuck with you: well, I might as well try to have a good time.

12 hours in the car is a long time. Tiring but interesting.

And 1 hour can still be enough time to hear about somebody's life story.
When I was younger, I always admired people who were comfortable and at ease with themselves when I just felt massively awkward in most social situations. For some reason, I felt that the ability to chat to your taxi driver stood out for me. Not entirely sure why...
So, when these days, I have a chatty tour in a taxi, I still feel proud of myself.

Which also leads me back to the 12 hour car journey: Which once again made me realize that I am still very much holding onto old beliefs I hold (relating to myself). And it feels as if I need to tell myself over and over again that I have indeed changed. And often still can't truly believe it. Weird.

Leytonstone

When I moved to London, our first flat was in Leytonstone. This morning, I found out about the stabbing at the station last night.

I'm not a very well informed person at the best of times, and usually just skim read the headlines online. When travelling, I often completely lose track of what is happening in the world. And I have to admit, I hadn't realized that Syria is now being bombed...

What do we do with all of this information? It's depressing and sad. And my way of handling this is to bury my head in the sand.
Equally depressing and sad, I guess.

Barcelona - part 3

MACBA - we need more confetti machines in this world!

Barcelona - more pictures - part 2

Barcelona - in pictures - part 1

Renaissance Fira Hotel

Dinner at Can Travi Nou

Barcelona

Once again, I am not sure how this happened, but nowadays I am beyond myself with excitement at the prospect of having just a day off work. On the upside, I like to think that I am really treasuring the little things! :-)

Anyway, after the work event in Barcelona (don't get me wrong: this actually also was fun, and I really enjoyed being on site with my team), I had two days off to explore lovely and sunny Barcelona as well as to catch up with S, an ex-colleague who now lives in this beautiful city.

Exploring a city with a local is of course always the best! And despite having very limited time, S gave me a great tour including lots of nice food in quirky places, with a bit of shopping thrown in, too (there was a reason, I travelled with a half empty suitcase!).

of course

Getting up for work is a daily struggle. I know - in the grand scheme of German average office hours - I am pretty lucky: I have to be in the office by 9:00 and given how close I live, I can get away by getting up at 8:30 the very, VERY latest. Which doesn't help either though.

Come the weekend, I am up by 9:00 the latest... (is this saying something about how I feel about work? Rhetorical question ;-))

like mother like daughter

Growing up, I was always embarrassed about the chaos and mess at home. Despite the fact that my parents had a decent (or even big) sized house with sufficient storage, there was always stuff everywhere. Including on the sofa, which regularly pissed off my brother. 

Well, what can I say... When I lived in London, I blamed my tiny flat and lack of storage for the chaos. Now, in a much bigger place, I really cannot use that excuse anymore. And still, my place is a mess. And my sofa especially is full of crap, with only space for myself to sit...

Plan for the weekend: TIDYING and trying my very best to keep it that way. 

How did this happen?

I honestly don't know how this all happened... I did not expect to be travelling quite as much. Back from an event in Zurich, I then went to Barcelona. I was already looking forward to staying put in Rosenheim until the end of the year (again: how did THAT happen???), when I had to go to Zug (in Switzerland) at short notice. Such a pain to get there, too, 5-6 hours by car, particularly pleasant when you are stuck in a traffic jam and the autobahn gets closed off.

I then thought: now THIS is it for the rest of the year. Just to find out that I am off to Zug again for a couple of days later this month.

Not sure whether it's age, but I constantly feel exhausted and tired these days. I am so looking forward to having time off over Christmas.
Having said that, I do enjoy not being in the office. If only I always came back to an inbox filled with emails I need to reply to :-(

10 top things on changing careers

Just came across this article - very fitting given a number of conversations I recently had. And I am sure it affects lots of people, so I thought I'd share it.

Wedding at first sight

I had heard about this TV concept in the UK and have now discovered the German version on telly.
'Experts' pick a man and woman to marry each other who've never met before. Interesting concept, but why on earth anyone would want to go through with this, I don't know. Unless, it's simply to be on national TV... And yes, I appreciate that arranged marriages still exist in certain cultures. And one may argue that the family does not necessarily know the protagonists any better than some so called experts.

I freak out about having a blind date. I don't think I could physically go through with a blind wedding... Anyway, good luck to them.

sleepless

After a three day event last week, I am still feeling exhausted. Is it age, I wonder? Is the general stress level I currently put myself under? And why am I not sleeping when I am so tired?

Some of my friends have been advising me to scale down my free-time activities - but a) I need those to balance out work and b) when I do sit at home and have no plans, I tend to feel lazy and wasting my time away.
I just need to get my sleep pattern in order, I think.

Keep the lies coming

I spent a couple of hours with V today, the 9 year old girl from a Sri Lankan family. This was set up through the volunteering agency and the Caritas. She is adorable. I am still trying to figure out why they feel she would benefit from me spending time with me (apart from the fact, that I am of course loads of fun! ;-)).

The mum had cooked lunch for us, unfortunately a bit too spicy for my taste, but what a lovely gesture!

V asked me about what church I belong to. And I couldn't bring myself to say neither... She is Catholic, so I decided to tell a little white lie. I did wonder how much of my own beliefs I should or should not be sharing with her. Certainly not volunteering it, but surely I should answer questions honestly, right?

Anyway, after a bit of math homework, reading and drawing, two hours were up super quick. And I left with an invite to her birthday :-)

Burger deluxe

F&ck, Switzerland is crazy expensive. This is by far the most expensive burger I've ever had. And it's not made with Kobe beef or anything...

28.50 CHF + room service charge... at the Moevenpick Zurich Airport hotel

Let's eat

Eating German food was the only thing on G's wish list for her weekend in Rosenheim. Well, I think we did well on that front. And only that front...

And in the process, I discovered two new cafes that do brilliant breakfasts (Cafe Innig and Kunstmuehle) and another great Bavarian place for dinner (Zum Johann Auer). 

Blue

Expect the unexpected.
Since I moved to Rosenheim, I've been meaning to check out the local art gallery. To be honest, I was in no rush, as I didn't have high expectations...

When G was visiting over the weekend - and with not much else to do here - we went round to check out the exhibition 'da droben' (up there) by Christina von Bitter and Ernst Heckelmann. And I absolutely loved the blue paintings!

Next exhibition opens on 11 December with works by Andy Warhol!

Beauty

Zuger Lake

What a pushover

I hate to say it, I really do, but sometimes I am a pushover.
I hate pushovers. And despite my big mouth and strong views, I can also turn into a shy and helpless sheep at times. It's terrible.

There you go. That was the realization of the day.

no words

The world is seriously f*cked.
The attacks in Paris last Friday are just one of many examples of what is wrong. And I have to admit that spending any time thinking about it, scares the shit out of me.

a life less serious

Let's face it: most things aren't even worth thinking about twice. And I still manage to waste lots of time on lots of crap.

Maybe there's an idea for my next tattoo:
'Relax!'
Or maybe
'Who gives a shit?'

London = lots of food

Fish finger sandwich at the Island Queen
Sushi at eat Tokyo, Soho
Korean at On the bap, Covent Garden

Bluebird in Chelsea

We didn't spot any MIC stars but had a great lunch at Bluebird. Fab interior and the 2 course lunch including a glass of wine for just £20/ 3 courses for £25 are a steal! And when in Chelsea, you really have got to go shopping on King's Road. Right?

London, my love

The new plane photos

...are taken on the train. A nice way to travel really. Pictures are unfortunately a little blurred and don't capture the beautiful landscape on the way from Zug in Switzerland back to Rosenheim a couple of weeks ago.

The teacher in me

Well, there's is no teacher in me. I have zero patience. I am not objective. I am terrible at explaining stuff.

Nevertheless, I spent many hours giving private tuition as a teenager. Cause that was an easy way to earn some pocket money back in the day. I honestly have no idea whether my 'students' learned anything at all. I also do not recall thinking very much when I took that decision. It just seemed the thing to do back in the days.

Anyhow, fast forward 20 years (writing this makes me feel very old...), and I found myself giving English tuition to a couple of teenagers at the local children's home. And had a great time. The pair of them are really lovely and we were laughing a lot. And as always it puts so many things into perspective.
Well worth getting up early(ish) on a Saturday.

It remains to be seen though whether I can be much help in terms of improving their English...

Let's test

What is better than eating out?
Eating out in pleasant company and getting a free dinner.

Cafe Arnold in Bad Aibling, 15/10/15

My first stint as restaurant tester. Now I only need to figure out how to make it into career.
As for the restaurant: a lovely little place, which had a bit of a living room feel to it. Service was very friendly, the Schnitzel not the best I've had but the cake (sorry, so greedy that I forgot to take a photo!) we had for dessert was perfect!

yes, no, yes, no, yes, no,...

in a loop
plan for the weekend: taking a break from that loop and waiting for a Eureka moment

Mr Feffer

I like Ben Stiller. And I like Jennifer Aniston. So, of course, I love 'Along came Polly'.

And how lovely is this quote from Irving Feffer - Ben's Dad - who otherwise says nothing:
'It's not about what happened in the past, or what you think might happen in the future. It's about the ride, for Christ's sake. There is no point in going through all this crap, if you are not going to enjoy the ride. And you know what... when you least expect something it something great might come along. Something better than you even planned for.

Thank you

To everyone who made my long weekend in London absolutely amazing.
I miss you all so much.

Shopping

I don't need any of this. But it's nice to shop.

food porn

Rest assured: I am still eating food, and good food, too, despite the lack of food pictures. The German food is actually one of the things I missed when I lived in London. I can always eat a Schnitzel!

On the business trip to Zug, we always stay at the Guggital hotel. The rooms are very basic with only a single bed (Yes, I am very much used to sleeping in a double. Always.). But boy, the food in their restaurant is AMAZING!

Amuse bouche of beef. As A didn't want hers as it was too bloody for her taste, I got two :-) (and no, it wasn't as massive as it looks!). Then pumpkin soup to start  super creamy! And venison with Spaetzle and pear and red cabbage and chestnuts.

Finding Bukowski in random places

During the night of the blue miracles, we stopped at Kaffä. A cute little cafe with comfy armchairs. So, on Saturday, I went to check it out to also test their cake. Which was delicious! The hot chocolate was one of these Italian/Spanish really dense hot chocolates. Too sweet for my taste.

As it happens, a literary event was taking place, so we decided to stay (it was free...). Unfortunately, not many people showed up, and there were only seven of us in the end. The event takes place about once a month under a changing topic. Last night's topic was 'Liebestӧter', which literally is a long john but refers to more than just un-sexy underwear.

A selection of texts were read. Great short story by Charles Bukowski, but it was somehow strange to be hearing about a young girl fucking an old and married guy - in such a small round of strangers.I really enjoyed the bit from Adam Jackson's The 10 secrets of abundant love. The bit from Eckhart von Hirschhausen's book on the other hand, wasn't my thing. One of the guys commented on how he enjoyed my facial expressions while it was being read. And I just thought, well,  I thought it was shit.... Not sure what my face was giving away. Hopefully exactly that.

And I thought nothing was happening here! ;-)

Summer is back!

Well, I am pretty sure that there's something wrong with my thermometer but it has been really lovely this weekend! Nevertheless, I need to arrange for my summer tyres to be replaced with my winter tyres soon...

pampering

Very unlike me, I didn't have many plans this week. I do really enjoy just lazing around and with the sewing I always find something to do, if I really want to. Nevertheless, I am realizing that I am very much an intro-extrovert hybrid: recharging my batteries from a mix of interactions and quiet time.

Anyway, with the prospect of no plans for Friday night, I spontaneously booked myself a facial. Note: one of the benefits of living in a small town is that you can still get last minute appointments. Maria at bodysano did a great job at up-selling and I ended up with some fancy Thalasso treatment. 90 minutes of bliss. And of course, I nearly fell asleep during the massage bit. Heavenly :-)

you can sell me anything

Some people just have 'it'. Everything they say just seems to make sense. They make complicated things appear simple and straightforward.
A fantastic ability indeed!

zen

I had my first appointment for the 'manual therapy' I had been prescribed for my back.
Well, I was meant to. I show up at 8:50 and the receptionist tells me that the therapist called in sick yesterday and as they didn't have my phone number, they weren't able to cancel my appointment.

Now, that would normally annoy me. Very much. But for some reason - am I growing up???? - I didn't really mind. Scheduled my six prescribed sessions instead and went my way.

As Simon Amstell tells us (in Grandma's House): there are actions, and there are our perceptions of those actions. And the latter are the ones that are causing all the pain. So, I am clearly successfully changing my perceptions. At least some of them.

train travels

I've finally been to Liechtenstein! Well, I travelled through on the train and the only reason I know I was there is because of the o2 update I got on  my phone. Not paying for roaming charges in Europe is a fab feature of my phone contract, by the way!

Changing trains is a pain, and waiting around in the cold even more, but watching the beautiful landscape going by, especially the snow covered mountains makes it very much worthwhile.

2 days in Zug, Switzerland.
3 more days until the weekend
Another 3 more days until LONDON! :-)

Die Nacht der blauen Wunder

€12, 13 bars, 5 gigs - it was all happening in Rosenheim city centre last night.
You buy a wristband in the first venue you go to and then get into all other participating venues. Each band was playing a 30 minute set. Followed by 30 minutes during which you could make your way to the next venue.

With the weather being rather cold these days - or really just what you'd expect in autumn - I was tempted to stay in, watching DVDs, wrapped in a blanket on my sofa. But then I figured I should really get my ass out on one of these rare occasions, that something is happening here! And it was a really good night in the end. Not yet sure I experienced any blue miracles. But who knows, it might reveal itself eventually.

either... or

Either I need to relearn how to read a clock, or the inner clock of my washing machine runs according to a different timescale. And yes, I am so lazy that it annoys me to go to the basement just to realize that the machine still hasn't finished just yet. (And yes, I live on the ground floor. So what?)

I believe I can fly

My second aerial yoga class and another resounding success. As per usual, I left the office in a state of rage - and left the class super relaxed and calm. Even if it was a bit more hard work than the last class. It ended with relaxing inside the hammock. Which also reminded me, that I really want a hammock at home.

Last but not least: only two days until the weekend, which is always a reason to rejoice.
Good night.

a shoulder to cry on

I just read about this service they offer in Japan: renting a guy to cry with. Sadly, I am sure there is a market for that kind of service out there.
What happened to having friends to console you?

Popping over to Italy for lunch

As you do. Well, if you live in Southern Germany anyway. The bus trip to Lake Garda unfortunately got cancelled - I wonder whether it had to do with nobody other than us wanting to be on a bus at 5:15am on a Saturday morning - but we went to Bozen instead. The geographical dummy that I am, I assumed it was in Austria...(yes, you may laugh about my ignorance). Ah well, nobody told me that it's called Bolzano in Italian!

Being on a bus at 6:15am on a Saturday morning was only marginally better than 5:15, especially as I lay awake for hours the night before and then woke up at 4:45. But it was so worth it! The day was absolutely beautiful and the weather amazing: sunbathing in mid October when it's been winter coat weather in Rosenheim already, was just brilliant.

Beautiful views, good food, and a visit to the Iceman - Oetzi. And lovely company, of course :-)

I would highly recommend taking the cablecar up to Oberbozen

Blackforest Gateau to start the day :-)
And you've got to have pizza in Italy!

I am so in love with the mountain views here!

shining bright

Read this today and it made me smile:

Make your weird 

light shine bright

so the other 

weirdos know

where to find you

nothing

Left the office at 18:55 and was of course late for my yoga class. Which I had been looking forward to since booking it a month ago. Cycled home in the rain. Now at home with a headache and in a bad mood. BUT, it's Wednesday. Which means nearly the weekend.

Otherwise, nothing to report.

Liar Liar pants on fire

I am not a good liar. To be more precise: I don't like lying. I primarily don't see the point. Or maybe it's  my Catholic upbringing. Or maybe it's my terrible memory which means I would sooner or later slip up.

Either way, it also means that I have no time for people who tell lies. Especially when they are pretty pointless. What's wrong with people?

Btw, I love the Urban Dictionary entry.

tears

I am not entirely sure what I am doing with my free time - I feel I haven't really explored my new surroundings at all in these past three months. 

Another bank holiday fell on a weekend this year... So with everything closed here in Germany, I ventured across the border to Kufstein yesterday. And what a beautiful day it was! Which ended with listening to Madison Violet, a Canadian band. Strangely there was seating in the rather small venue. A bit of dancing would have been nice. But then again, my back appreciated being able to sit!

And no, I had never heard of them before. I only came across them when googling what to do. I especially liked the songs where Lisa was playing the violin. Of course I do not remember any song titles or lyrics...

Here comes the sun

While temperatures have dropped quite considerably and I've been wearing my winter coat (ok, autumn coat) in the mornings paired with a pashmina, it's been a beautifully sunny week, too. And today is another absolutely gorgeous day!

tick

I can honestly say that I've never had any desire to visit the Oktoberfest. But as my boss organized a table for our team, I of course went along. I have no idea what the hype is all about: it's several massive beer tents and a fun fair. You get that in many cities. What's the big deal?
Anyway, it's ticked off my list now.

the obligatory dancing on the benches

Credit where credit is due

Contrary to what a lot (?) of people think, I hate confrontation. I suppose my stubbornness and sense of what is the 'right' thing to do, balances my fear or at least discomfort of speaking out and up.

Today I initiated a conversation, I really didn't want to have. And I think it went well and might have even been appreciated. It unfortunately doesn't change various underlying issues. And I am also not sure how to process the information I got. But I don't have to solve it all in a day, right? :-)

Stop the understanding niceness!

I'm not sure how long this has lasted but God, I am in a foul mood! And I am pissing myself off.
So, please guys, just tell me to stop the moaning and get a grip!
Niceness is not helping!!!
Cause let's face it: life is good. I know it.
Even if I currently seem to prefer to feel sorry for myself...

Top five ways to confuse a Londoner

I love the Time Out lists! 

And I miss London... 

Why I love travelling

- seeing new places
- meeting new people
- experiencing new things
- eating lots of great food
- having a break from every day life

Why I hate travelling*

- living out of a suitcase
- packing way too much stuff and then having to schlepp it around (just in case and so to be prepared for all weather/temperature/occasions)
- waiting around at airports and train stations
- feeling the pressure to make the most of every single minute when really I just want to have a nap


*that should of course really read: what I don't like about travelling ;-)

Better

The wonderful side effect of having shitty days is that less shitty days appear quite good.

Off to Vienna tomorrow! :-)

TV highlights

Austria's Next Topmodel:
Presenter asks one of the models who has a little girl: do you think about her a lot?
Ahem, no, never.
Next...

Not sure whether I keep watching the wrong channels, but so far German TV has proven to be pretty terrible. And my ears are still not used to watching American shows in the German version. It sounds so wrong!!

It's not worth it

My new mantra.
And: who cares about this nonsense in the grand scheme of things?

Well, I unfortunately still do. But in the interest of preventing myself from having a heart attack and growing even more white hair, I am trying to teach myself to let it bother me less and less.
Today I left the office to get to my new evening class on time despite unanswered, supposedly urgent emails in my inbox.
As silly as it may sound: that constitutes progress for me!

McNeely, Stretch & Co

My first icehockey match and I am a fan.
6:2 against the Eispiraten Crimmitschau.

Finally

After 2.5 months here, it was about time for me to have my first massage here in Rosenheim. I have to say, it's a bit frustrating that I was able to get cheaper massages in London than here! Nevertheless, they are pretty essential in my life these days, and it's one of the luxuries I am happy to spend money on.

I booked a 60 minute aromatherapy massage at bodysano with Sandro. How better to start a weekend on a Friday night. I am always amazed at how long the 60 minutes appear - as you would think it flies by when you are so relaxed.

Sandro did comment that I should really come back weekly for a little while as my upper back is very tense. Which I am fully aware of. Not only is it a financial matter of course, but also a matter of fitting it into my diary. Which I am getting back to the busy-ness I enjoyed in London. And I can feel how beneficial that has been for me: I am feeling so much more relaxed and happier. Work is still what it was before, but I am not letting it stress me in the same way. For now anyway.

Come cuddle me

I love Lilly! This is really the best of both worlds: I can go and cuddle Lilly, the office dog, on a daily basis, but I don't have to deal with dog hair all over my flat, or going for walks in the rain. Perfect!

Today, I was keeping Lilly company while her owner was getting a tattoo. Lilly always makes sure she gets your attention. Whenever I stopped stroking her, she would come and nudge me and snuggle up to me. It was so cute!!! Maybe there's something for us to learn: why not just tell or show the people around us what we need from them, instead of assuming they can read our mind. It might of course be easier, if we were all as cute as Lilly is...

8 tips to getting on with the boss

I read this article today and I can honestly say that I have no interest in asking any of these questions. I am clearly not interested in having a career, am I?
Alternatively, it's my stubbornness that tells me that my work should speak for itself and there's no need to play games or use tactics to get ahead.

What the %&*$??

I had four IKEA glasses. As we all know, I smashed one of them last week. Leaves three, right?
Tonight I could only find one. Then I discovered a second one in my dishwasher (I can only assume that my colleague put it there when she stayed last week). But where the heck is the third one?
My flat really isn't THAT big...

Am I already losing my marbles?? :-(

waistband issues

I had completely forgotten that I had started this skirt back in London. And had already sewn most of it together. And this is one of the reasons that I don't usually start several projects at the same time but only start something new, once the previous project is done: I was pretty confused with the pieces I had cut out and what else was left to do. The waistband is a complete disaster... As I tend to wear my tops over the waistband, I decided it wasn't worth starting again.

So, this is the first garment I made in my new sewing room :-) Pity that autumn has started. But I am sure I can still wear it with tights, too.

PS: I love those wedges, especially as I feel super tall in them!

Scherben bringen Glueck

So the saying goes (shards are meant to bring luck). Well, not so much for me this week.

One of my four IKEA glasses somehow slipped out of my hand the other day and it resulted in literally thousands of mini pieces. Which were a pain to clear up. But it did look quite pretty. My ability to look at the bright side of things is quite amazing these days! ;-)

And then the next day I had my first car accident. No worries: I was not hurt. I was driving out of the underground car park after work. I did stop but because of the parking cars, I couldn't see the guy on his scooter. Who then crashed into my car. He also didn't seem to be seriously hurt but got taken to hospital anyway. Police was called and I was standing around not having a clue what to do.

On the one hand, I am so grateful that nothing worse happened. But on the other hand, I don't know how I could have avoided it as I DID stop and look. And the thought of something worse happening is a scary one for sure.

The next day, I just wanted to stay in bed and was close to calling in sick... but then decided that this would not help with anything, so I did go to work and also made myself drive as I don't want to be too scared to do stuff.

Mirroring

Imitating another person. 

You want to snap at me? 

Well, I'll snap back. 

Ah, you don't like that? 

Interesting.

I might as well play this game. Cause that is all it is at the end of the day. 

I have a feeling though that I will lose interest in this game pretty quickly.

Pinking it up

Setting a record

I put the heating on today.
On 5th September. This must surely be a record.

Gone are the days where I more or less went through the whole winter months without switching on my heating cause my flat was so warm. Such a pity, as heating was included in my rent at the time...
We'll see how much this will increase my bills now.

expect the unexpected

Today's events completely threw me.

By trying to prepare for the outcomes of a meeting, I clearly had focused solely on the worst possible outcome that the turn of events came totally out of the blue.

I am confused.

I shall put that aside for the weekend and start afresh on Monday.

always

My blog discipline since moving to Germany as been abysmal (always reminds me of that friends episode...). Which really is a pity as there is always so much I could be telling you about!
I definitely hope to catch up over the weekend.

In summary: 
I spent 6 days in London. Primarily working unfortunately but on the odd occasion I was also able to catch up with friends and enjoy some good food.
I delivered my first event in the new job and thanks to a team of 18 amazing hosts and hostesses, it went brilliantly.
I spent lots of time standing about and serving people coffee - and yes, I enjoyed it as much as you might imagine.
I treated myself to the cinema and cried my eyes out over Inside Out.
After coming back, I went to IKEA, didn't get lost on the way and have most furniture for my flat now. Only a sofa left to buy.
I pretty much made another life changing decision (which decision isn't??!).

Good night for now.

It will all be ok

I rationally know that but at times, I seem to 'emotionally' forget it...

Gewusst wie

How do I get people to listen to me?
How long until they realize that I am right most of the time? (yes, I wanted to write ALWAYS)
When will people stop wasting my time?

So many questions, and no answers. I shall struggle on.

STOP

I am hereby making a 'no more shopping' pledge. For practical reasons as I don't have any more space and really do not want to buy more furniture. And let's face it: I really have enough of everything!

Excluded from the pledge are fabrics. Having said that, I will try to use up the pile of fabric I still have instead of keep buying new ones. Wish me luck!

Easy-peasy

It's always so easy to give advice when looking in from the outside. But when you are on the inside, it gets trickier. Why is it that our view on our own life is - very often - clouded by all sorts of things?

Mirror, mirror on the wall

 

Another ebay purchase arrived the other day. And it took me forever to put it together. Personally, I think the manual wasn't clear (why have holes where no screws need to go??? That is so misleading!) but I fear that my complete incompetence also played a role. I somehow couldn't get my head round how the door attached to the body for the mirror...

Either way, I did it! And after 7 weeks, I finally have a mirror again. Plus a great and space-saving way to store my jewellery.

Friday night zen

Have you ever heard of Aerial Yoga? I hadn't until earlier this week, when I googled meditation classes and found Yoga Art - a yoga studio in Rosenheim that offers Aerial Yoga classes. Of course I had to try it!

Throughout the day, my motivation was dwindling significantly though.  After another long week, I really just wanted to go home. But I am so glad I went. It was so much fun! And I left feeling super relaxed and calm. Just the right amount of pushing myself into certain stretching moves without being too taxing. Great way to start the weekend.

The influencer

There are four ways to fasten a bra apparently. And the way you do it apparently says something about your personality. Who knew?
(but seriously: who fastens their bra and then puts it on like a top? Please get in touch!)

IKEA Guru

I've been spending the last couple of evenings, building my new IKEA furniture. And I actually enjoyed it. Looking for meaning in my life, I am now considering becoming an IKEA guru. It remains to be seen whether I can make money that way...

No photos for now, as my flat is still a complete mess. And I had to realize that I have too many books and too many DVDs and most definitely too many clothes for the furniture I have at the moment. I will spend the weekend trying to put things in some sort of order and primarily move all the empty boxes to the cellar. And then plan for the next round of furniture...

I'm such a baby

I can be such a baby at times... During my colleague's three weeks' leave, I am covering for one of her bigger projects. The project itself has been relatively quiet but today I had to chair a planning call which included a lot of people.

I am generally happy to lead a call, no matter how many people are involved but a) I hate technology and it involved screen sharing and that sort of stuff (and then I couldn't get the conference phone to work...) and b) I always feel uncomfortable when I am don't know all the details. And of course I didn't know all the details as it's not my event, despite what felt like a million handover meetings. Which also contributed to my angst levels - leading through the call was portrayed as this mammoth task.

Anyhow, as you can gather, I survived and even got a lovely thank you from the client. And now I can breathe again :-)

Know thyself

My recent grumpiness is annoying. The only good thing is that I know it will pass.

Through a group on FB for English speakers, I met P. We've been chatting since I moved here and had arranged several meetings. Which always got cancelled. We scheduled to meet for coffee today. 20 minutes before we were meant to meet, I got a message and immediately thought P was cancelling. But instead she just told me that she was on her way. Not that I had any better - or really ANY - plans for the afternoon - or really day and night - but I was feeling very anti-social. Nevertheless, I told myself, that this meeting might never happen if I cancelled today.

So, I went. And I am very glad I did. P was lovely and very open and strangely reminded me of my successor in my last job... We had a nice chat and it would be nice to meet again. Now that I have a car, I can also join the regular meet up in the little village she lives in. Always looking to meet new people! :-)

And a blurry ice chocolate

Grown up

I picked up my car tonight! Somehow this feels like the most grown up thing I've done so far. Buying a car. And I am terrified to drive it. I am seriously considering taking a couple of driving lessons to feel more confident behind the wheel...

First thing I had to do is fill it with petrol. Now, the petrol station closest to my flat only sells Diesel, supreme Diesel (or something along those lines) and Super. I actually asked the attendant what to get as the car says unleaded petrol. What the hell is that these days???

Another interesting moment: when I registered my car, she asked for my bank details. Which will be passed on so they can get the car tax from me. I hadn't even thought about that. Plus my insurance costs me nearly half what the car cost me... But at least, I will be able to finally buy some lamps and bins and other essentials for my flat that I am not able to transport on my bike. How wonderful!

Another Time Out list

20 things Londoners say vs what they really mean

There he goes...

My future husband

The Gaufest was happening while A was here for the weekend. I didn't quite share her enthusiasm for German Blasmusik, men in Lederhosen and women in Dirndl...
The Herbstfest - Rosenheim's Oktoberfest - will start at the end of August and my company has a couple of tables reserved. Funnily enough, I am not planning on spending more than 100€ on a dirndl. In fact I am not planning on spending a single cent on a dirndl. One of my colleagues has a Lederhosen though which I am quite intrigued by. I wonder whether that is a good look on me. Probably not...

goodbye

The other day, I came across the box with the farewell presents from my colleagues. I am assuming R picked most if not all of them and she knows me well:

Isn't that a super sweet collection?

My last day in the office felt less emotional than anticipated. J seemed semi-set on making me cry and I even gave a mini speech during the farewell lunch. We usually go for drinks, but as I (rightly) assumed that some people would not have time to go out after work, I had asked for a lunch. Which was really nice and I had fish and chips on the Narrow Boat - a lovely Pub on the canal in Islington (and yes, it featured on Time Out before - as the loyal readers of the blog will surely remember ;-)). 

After work, S - my new assistant - organized drinks at the Bavarian Bierkeller. I wonder whether my boss was the only one who thought that was a great idea. Quite frankly - and having been to the place before - it's certainly not what I would have picked. Especially as I was about to move to the REAL Bavaria.... Anyhow, just a further indication that S and I were not really on the same wavelength (may I add that she's German, too).

Anyhow, only a small group of people went and it was nice. But again not emotional, most likely as I wasn't close to any of the people who came along (except for J).

Weird to think that this all happened less than two months ago. Which already feels like an eternity. And I think back with wistfulness...

PS: Totally forgot to include a pic of the necklace, I also got:

Boy, drive darling

bad timing

Tomorrow is a bank holiday here. Not everywhere in Germany but here in Bavaria. As the 15th is a Saturday this year, this means that we 'lose' a free day this year. It also means that all shops will be closed tomorrow.

Oh, how I miss London...

exposure

One of the (many...) things I really cannot stand, is when people think I am stupid. Please, do not pretend something is all for MY benefit and to MY advantage, when it serves nothing but your purpose. Quite frankly, the decision is not even strategically a good one.

Let's see how I feel about it all in a few months time. At the end of the day, I don't owe anyone anything. And I am making my viewpoint very clear. If you choose to ignore it - suit yourself.

On the upside: my plan to work my 40 hours worked surprisingly well this week. Long may it continue.

I should get a cycling helmet

I - again - nearly got knocked over today by a very, very stupid woman who only looked right. When I came from (her) left, and it was my right of way. When approaching, I wondered whether she'd turn to look my way before driving... next time, I might consider stopping, just in case! Luckily she didn't drive fast and I could swerve just enough not to get run over.
That f*cking b*tch... And I worried about cycling in London...