I got nothin.

So there hasn't been too much going on recently.  Business as usual.  I had holding patterns at home and I'm discovering the new ones I've created for m'self here I suppose.

I got to see The desolation of Smaug for the second time last weekend, which was awesome!  The Dutch subtitles were fun, particularly for the lines spoken in Orcish or Elven, 'cause you had to guess what they were saying.  Highly entertaining actually.  I also got to try out the bagel and coffee shop.  It's a Dutch cafe chain called Bagels & Beans and it's not bad.  The coffee is good and there's a good selection of bagel sandwiches including (of course!) tostis.

I'm at the five month point now with five and a half more months of work and then about a month, month and a half to travel around before going home.  It's kind a weird place to be.  It feels like a long time and not much time at the same time, so it's almost like a sensation of limbo at the moment.  The other thing that's odd for me right now is watching the kids.  I've felt old before seeing some of my sibs friends back home when they hit their growth spurts.  The oldest boy in my host family is twelve, almost thirteen, and I swear the top of his head has gone up a fair bit since the last time I looked.  Bah!

The next trip on the agenda (that I need to start planning) is Italy at the end of February.  I've got a week, and it's still Wintry so I figured Italy was a good choice.

Oh, my special frustration this week is books.  I'm heading in to a reading phase and I've been trying to find some fantasy or historical fiction and non-fiction books that I haven't read, and the lack of a library I can haunt is getting to me.  My usual pattern is head to the library, browse the sections I'm interested in at the time and take out a fair sized pile to sample.  When they're due, return and repeat.  But I can't do that here.  It's a different country so the books are all in a different language in the library (duh!) and I don't have that much disposable income so I'm not buying books.  Not that I'd want to anyway.  I read just about anything, but I'm more picky about which books I own.  I only buy books if I've already read them at least twice as that's a good indication I'll keep re-reading them which makes them (in my mind) a good investment.  And when I'm on these reading stints I generally go for things I haven't read before so I don't want to buy those.  So yeah.  It's making me antsy.  Very antsy.

Done for now.  Peace out

After Christmas

I went to Munich for two weeks over the Christmas and New Years holidays to stay with family.  I am very glad I did so.  Firstly because I got to hang out and reconnect with cousins I only get to see occasionally which was awesome!  Secondly because I got to meet a bunch of their friends who were all a lot of fun.  Thirdly because, y'know, Munich.  One thing I'm missing already is the company of other geeks.  As far as I can tell, I'm the only geek in the circle of people I hang out with in the Netherlands, and living with a couple of fellow geeks for two weeks really brought home how lonely I'd been feeling and how much I'd missed geeking out with people.

The first several days after I arrived were devoted to exploring Munich proper and seeing the Christmas markets.  It's very interesting to see the differences in some of them.  There's the generic, I suppose, and then the themed, like the medieval market and the artisan market.  It was pretty cool.  Then it was Christmas, so we had to get everything put up properly.  Cy had made everyone personalised Tardis stockings, and Alel mad a cardboard fireplace outline for the tv so we hung the stockings off that.  At least until we filled them.

Christmas Eve was a pork roast that one of the aforementioned friends came over and made, with lava cakes for desert.  And the Christmas Eve tradition of new pjs.  Christmas day was what Cy called the "big breakfast" so toast, bacon, eggs, potatoes, and loads of toppings for the toast.  Dinner was turkey with all the appropriate additions, and very good vegetables with pumpkin pie and a cheese pie for after followed by the Doctor Who Christmas special.  Boxing day we stayed in, if I remember rightly.  Friday I went to Dachau concentration camp.  It was a very intense experience.  Two places I would recommend people visit if they think they're up for it are the Roman catacombs and Dachau.  Those are the two places where I have walked in and immediately  had all the hair on the back of my neck stand up.  Saturday we made  day trip to Salzburg.  Sachertorte is reeeeally good!  Sunday Cy and I spent the whole day in the Munich residenz and treasury, and ran out of time.  It is spectacular.  Highly recommended if you find yourself in Munich someday.  And on Monday I got to go entirely game geek for a day 'cause Alel arranged a rpg session i could join in on!  Yay!  Oh, and we went for dinner to another of Cy's friends places where I met a cat who plays fetch and had really good chicken curry.  Then it was New years and we went over to the friend who made the pork roast's place (from now on he's M) for dinner and to watch fireworks 'cause he has a great view.  Dinner was, as usual, really good but the clouds dropped and we were completely fogged in for the fireworks.  We could hear them though.  Pretty much all of Munich was setting of fireworks from about 11:50 to 1:30 or so.  It sounded like popcorn in the microwave when it's at it's fastest pop rate.  Constantly.  For close to two hours straight.  It was pretty cool.  New year's day was yummy chicken day and Sherlock!  Sherlock is baaaaack!!!!  Oh, and Cy cut my hair for me, which was awesome!  It looks great!  The 2nd Alel and I went to the Pompeii exhibit, we went to a medieval style restaurant for dinner, and then it was time to go home.  That made me sad.  All in all a fun, tasty, and friendly two weeks. 

Oh, and me being me I managed to gimp my left foot when I got off the bus with my bag.            It still hurts.  Oh well.  Be well y'all, and hope you had a good holiday!   Rock on.