Südstadt can't HANDLE me!

Glamor shot, for Karin ;-)

This musli bar I'm eating right now (or rather, this musli bar that's kicking me in the teeth right now) would NOT survive in the US... it's so unfriendly!! taste AND texture!

(musli = german cereal. every musli has to have oatmeal (I think that's what this is) and crunchy things that are kind of like rice krispies)

The guy at the desk next to mine at work is a smoker. Sigh. What's the point of going out in the break room to smoke if you come back and you're saturated with the smell? gosh, that's my least favorite part of work so far. And seriously, people should turn off their phone's ringing ability once they leave for the day!!!! Other annoying sounds at work: the printer(s) that stand right behind me. rarrarar. And today, one guy kinda walked behind me, a little bit into my "space" to talk over my desk to the smoker (okay, that's terrible, I shouldn't call him the smoker, because when I say "smoker" I usually mean it in a slightly nasty way. he's always really really really nice to me, PLUS he's got an awesome last name. Mr. Okay. How cool is that?! :D) anyways, this guy walks to a spot directly behind me and starts talking to Okay. for some reason, the fact that he (and the origin of his voice) was where he (it) was, struck some sort of nerve, and I experienced a slight panic attack. I don't know if that's what it really was, but it was weird! I couldn't move or concentrate during their entire conversation.

anyways, the point of this blog is not to bore you to death, so I'll keep moving. All in favor? Aye. Alright let's do this...

I  haven't been all that tired in the morning at work, 'til today. it was an hour-and-a-half in the morning (and half the afternoon as well) of struggling to keep my eyes open, trying to drink water and eat crap tons of mints because I don't want to rely on drinking coffee, and I haven't found hot chocolate in stores, yet. so it was pretty rough lol

Speaking of work, these are some views out the nearest windows to me. By the way, windows make up two whole sides of this room in which I work. That's about 1000 times the amount of windows in Aurora. It's very nice. :D I was able to take these pictures in peace, because for some reason, almost everybody in the room was at some meeting or other. Shrug.

So, remember how I was leaving to make dinner on my last post? haha, that was a spectacular meal. Let. Me. Tell you. So I had bought a little baguette at the bakery as I came home from work, YUM, I had a glass of milk, YUM YUM YUM YUM (1.5% this time. yes, I actually do have some self control.), I browned the rest of the ground meat, then poured sauce in, and threw on some mushrooms, YUM YUM, and boiled that til the meat was done (and as I ate, let the rest simmer). I also cooked way too many spaghetti noodles, so I ate enough food for three people (or if you're measuring in Eriks, one-and-a-half people). Anyways, the sauce I had bought surprised me when I tasted it, since it had a little kick to it! It was nice, but entirely unexpected. I suppose the chili that's on the front of the label, chilling with the tomato, should have clued me in....... Regardless, IT WAS THE MOST DELICIOUS DINNER I HAVE EVER HAD in recent memory. major nomage. I also documented the massacre of the meal.

Before:

 After:

It was glorious indeed. In that baguette's defense, I took the "After" picture when I had finished the milk. I shortly thereafter completed the carnage, and finished off the bread. mmmmmmm

It's been cold since Tuesday. Sigh. Speaking of Tuesday, the last part of the dream I had that night was awesome: cruisin out on Dale Hollow Lake, when I see two huge red dolphins swim around us. I grab my camera and dive from the roof to the catwalk (like I'm diving for a fly ball) and snap a pic really quickly, but the sylvan was in the way! the dolphins dive, and I'm running around the boat like crazy trying to see them if they surface again, when I turn the corner and see an orange massive fish right at the edge of the boat, facing up to us, and right as I'm thinking "FACE!!" (cuz that's what I see), I hear dad yell "Whale!!" and then I'm snapping pictures like crazy, and there's TWO of them, and they leap way high up into the sky (a la Magikarp) and I think I managed to capture that. I hear dad say, "Even blind people can mow the lawn, if they know the pressures." and then I wake up.

Walkin' through the Altstadt

So the Ikea mattress was to be delivered yesterday, the order for which I cancelled on Sunday. But it was still to be delivered since it was already en route. Okay, whatever. So I worked a few extra hours Tuesday, and a few extra hours today so I could hang out at the apartment for whenever it is delivered. I was hoping that it would arrive early morning so I wouldn't have too many long-houred days. But noooooooo. 12:30 on the button. Gaaaaah, so frustrating. And very convenient for the mattress, that I had only enough patience to stay until 12:30, so as I was walking out the door, the bell rang. RAWR. Also, yesterday was "Schal-Tag" at the 1.FCN Fan Shop. (Schal = scarf, and the professional soccer club here in Nürnberg is 1.FCN) And when Corey and Ben were here over the weekend, Corey was eyeing one of the scarves pretty seriously. So he left me money, and yesterday I went to buy it for him, but the shop closed at 7. My plan was to workworkwork until 6:30, then walk 12 minutes to the subway, ride the subway for four minutes, walk three minutes, and buy scarves (cuz I want one too!!!). well, I'm not allowed to be at work alone, and the last guy left at 6:00. Plenty of time! That is, if the East Gate wasn't shut. I can't exit via the turnstiles using my chip-less visitor's badge, so I wasted 30 minutes trying to find an exitable exit, and I finally found one!! YAAAAAY!!! but it was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay on the other side of the Siemens campus, so I walked really really fast to the subway (my shins were hurtin purty bad). I made it, too! woot. Then I bought me some pants. They were kind of expensive, and twice as much as in H&M, but the cheap-o ones in H&M really were cheap. these are AWESOME. I haven't been this excited about a pair of pants since the last purchase of pants at Tractor Supply. They're essentially the girl version of those pants.

So today was a long day at work, making up hours. Yikes. I started early. I reference the snippet above about falling asleep.

This is my bank card! Isn't it awesome!? :D
That really is the skyline of the Altstadt.
mmmmm..... Skyline..........

Monday, right after my Magnificent Meal, I was carrying everything I had in the kitchen to my room, all piled on my computer, next to the keyboard. It sounds like a lot, but it wasn't: camera, laptop charger, ipod. but anyways, as I got into my room, the camera jumped ship, so I freaked out a little bit, then I heard this loud annoying BIP come from the laptop. Pause. Then I carry on, and sit down. I try to pause the song by hitting the spacebar, and that BIP emits again!! and the song doesn't pause!! I quickly realize that NONE OF MY KEYBOARD KEYS WORK!!! nor do the volume buttons. Panic! the mouse works, thank goodness. I try to restart. Twice. It doesn't work either time. PANIC!!! power button, force shut-down. Remove battery. Hold power button for 45 seconds. Replace battery, plug in power, turn on, and everything's still there!!!! :D :D :D phew.. goodness.

MAN, I smell like new pants.

Peace out, girl scout.

From my "front" porch. "Sunset."

From my window. "Sunrise." I hate these buildings
that surround me.