Good News: I took a vacation! I visited friends in Berlin this week.Bad News: Berlin wasn't really warm enough to be a spring break destination. And although it was promisingly warm in Minnesota when I left, we've gotten 6 inches of snow since I got back.
Good News: Berlin is great, even in the snow.
Bad News: Berlin is great, even in the snow, except when the public transit workers are on strike. This leads to a deadly combination of really cranky city-dwellers, picket lines, overcrowded Ersatz-transport, and lots of people driving (on slick roads) for the first time in years.
Good News: There are a lot of Berliners who think "it's annoying that they're striking, because it takes me an hour and a half to get to work, but I think it's good, and I support them, because they probably do deserve higher pay." Oh, those Europeans....
Bad News: I am not nearly as understanding, since I too am underpaid but still have to pay for a taxi to get home after 10pm.
Good News: Other than that minor glitch, it was a nice vacation. I recovered from the mutant super-virus that ruined the first half of March for me soon after arriving in the city. I got to meet baby Mathilde, who is very sweet, and reconnect with Inga, Sandra, Patrick, and Leo, as well as kebab, Turkish honey, and currywurst.
Bad News: I did not do homework. This could arguably be listed as Good News, but since I now have a week's worth of reading and writing to do, and only two days in which to do it, it feels much more like Bad News at the moment.
Good News: I did relax in Berlin. I even read a book for fun (The Master Butcher's Singing Club, by Louise Erdrich, which I definitely recommend).
Bad News: I'm having serious bakery fantasies again. Having relaxed makes the oncoming stress of school, the conference (coming up this Friday), the lack of summer plans, and the general anxiety about my future really unappealing.
Good News: It's almost April. So the semester is almost over.
Bad News: It's almost April. Every passing day chants "there's not enough time, there's not enough time," and it's getting louder. It's probably Worse News, though, that my calendar is speaking to me....
2 comments:
Hey - Glad I checked your site! I knew you were having some wintry weather there. Sarah is home for the weekend. Know you're buried but will probably try to call and chat a few minutes tomorrow. Welcome home! -papa-
not doing homework is always good news... then again - I haven't really done any in years now, so that's pretty cool.
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