Time flies and so will I

I'm going to Ireland tomorrow. I think it's great. I get to see my goddaughter and see all the things she can now do - like move abouts. Of course I get to also see my sister and her husband and get to have actual conversations with them. I think I've been talking way too little. Then I get to try their sauna. There's only two bad parts - I have to take a bus at six tomorrow and I'll get back home at like 2.30 on Sunday. But I've decided not to think about those two. I have a bad habit about stressing about not getting enough sleep in advance. I'm trying not to do that. I think I've been quite successful at it now.

I've had quite a nice week (or two). Time just flies. I did have like the worst birthday ever but there's nothing I can do about that. I'm just so used to having parties or at least baking something for my friends that having none of those was just really depressing. Luckily I found some Buko-pepper cheese at the store and having like a taste of home was great. Of course the cheese is like Swedish but at least it wasn't overly salty like everything German.

I should go to sleep now because of the early bus though I sort of want to wait to see if the bnd gets home and we could talk a bit. I'll most likely read a book for like an hour still. I do have to check that I've got everything I need for my trip. Luckily I don't need much. I've got some clean clothes and a pair of wool socks. Money, camera, passport and my printed tickets. I sort of can't wait to get going.

Lunches and, well, the big question

Today at lunch I noticed that the restaurant I go to eat most often is turning kind of Turkish. Now there's nothing wrong with that other than their buffet no longer has any vegetarian options and there is like always this turkish sort of rice. But I still got a local flammkuchen served so no problem yet I guess. They haven't got a roll of meat sizzling on the wall yet but they do have these water pipes on show. I never get the bill when I want and the place is a bit too expensive for the quality they serve but I still go there since it's easy to go.

I've been testing out a new restaurant every Wednesday. It's going quite nicely since I've found two new places where I can go weekly. The other is like a Chinese restaurant and the other kind of like the one I go to most often but without the turkish influences and I get the bill on time. The last time I went there though the food was way too salty but it might have just been that dish and I don't have to eat it again. Tomorrow I'm planning on going to this pizzeria. I'm sure they also have pasta so I should find loads to eat there. I just hope it's not too scary looking once I get close and not too expensive or sleezy. So I'm currently doing ok with lunches even though I had a sandwich disaster last Thursday when I found meat in the sandwich that wasn't supposed to have any. I got it exchanged without eating but the lady at the cafe was sort of rude (surprise, surprise with me being in Germany) so that annoyed me.

I skipped climbing last week since I had a horrible headache on Wednesday and I was contemplating why I like climbing anyways and did not want to force myself to go since I really wanted to stay at home. It was hard deciding not to go but I think it was a good idea. It's just that even though the guy I climb with is nice and all, it's not the same as climbing with my friends.

I sort of feel like I'm becoming very asocial and it's bothering me. Like it would be very nice to hang out with people here to but it's too big of a hastle for me to try to socialize with new people when I'm happy enough reading a book everynight even though that is sort of a waste of my life. But I guess it all comes down to the big question about the purpose of life and all and whether what I feel I should be doing and what I am doing is really what I want to be doing. I can say that the actual work here is much more fun than at the university since I'm feeling like I'm getting stuff done and I have the equiptment to do it. I think my upcoming birthday has also made me think about stuff and how I'm really incredibly old and whether what I'm doing is what I would have thought to do like ten years ago.

Climbing, books, lunches and trips

So, I'm back in Germany again. I have been for almost a week. It hasn't been so bad. I think I've actually had a bit of fun at work or at least it's been nice even though I haven't had any interesting results. I've even managed to have lunch every weekday without big problems. I even tested out this new restaurant on Wednesday. They had all the pizzas for 5.50 and I believe the vegetarian pizza I had was the best one I've ever had. It had all fresh toppings. I shall go there again even though the restaurant was a bit nicer than I sort of like for lunch. The prices weren't all that bad though and if I wait till they have the pizza lunch special again then there isn't really a problem with anything. I do find it sort of annoying having lunch all alone everyday but there isn't really anything I can do about it. I did have lunch alone at the university also so you'd think I'd be used to it even though it is a bit different when going to an actual restaurant and not just the university diner.

I bought new climbing shoes today. I don't really like the color but they feel tight enough and don't smell like my old shoes. My old climbing shoes were getting a bit big and the smell from them was just horrific. Ok, so washing them might have helped with the smell but I think it was about time to buy new shoes anyways. I'll still save the old ones (and wash them) if someone with my shoe size wants to come climbing with me.

I just ordered six books from amazon.de for like 36 euros. They are like two trilogies by Robin Hobb. I've been reading one trilogy and I really like the books so I thought I might as well order more books by her. I don't think the price was bad either. Books cost like 10 euros in the stores so 6 euros is quite a lot cheaper. Plus I don't have to go stand in front of the very bad collections of english books in the book stores. I did that today and decided the internet was a very good option. I just hope I'll get the package alright since it's like dhl and I don't know how they deliver. I hope I can pick the package up at the post office. Last time they tried to deliver to me at 9 am on a Saturday. I woke up to the buzzer and was like "what the heck" and figured out too late that it was my books. I just picked them up at the post office afterwards, which was handy since it's on my way home from work anyways. Oh and if anyone wants the Tawny Man trilogy by Robin Hobb I can send it after I finish with it. There is another trilogy that sort of happens before it and I haven't read that and can't now since I'll know most of what happens but not having read it is no problem.

I bought flights to Ireland, today. I'm going there in February. The flights only cost 20 euros all in all. Incredibly cheap. I just had to get them. I called my sister and I was like "I'm coming there in February". My godchild just learned how to crawl after frog slippers so I just have to go see her. I've now also bought flights to New York. I'm going there for one week with the bnd in March. It should be great fun since I get to also see my other sister and her significant other. I now also have flights to England for a week at a crystallography school in March-April so I'll be up and about and back and forth quite a lot this spring. At least time will pass by quickly with always waiting for the next trip.

More lunch and dampness

The week has gone by quite fast in the end even though it seems like ages since some things happened. That's the way it is when in a new place (even though this is not a new new place). I managed to have lunch today - pizza and a coke. All was going dandy until I saw my new boss in the same restaurant (I like staying incognito and really don't want people to know I have lunch alone) sitting on the other side of the restaurant but facing me. So I got over that and decided I don't mind if he sees me talking to myself and then this man asked me whether the other chair around my table was taken (the restaurant was full) and I was like "no". I though he'd move it to the table with no chairs right next to my table but he didn't. Then I was like "ok, this is normal - people sit at the same table also at university diners" but then he asked me something and I mumbled something like "ich weiss nicht" and then was like "ja, ahem" when he said something else. I don't know weather he just thought I was rude or figured out I didn't really understand him and really didn't want to put much effort into it either. He ended up moving to another table once people left so that took care of that. I kept a positive attitude and got through lunch quite well. Then as I was walking back to the factory area the sun made an appearance for the second time in my time here. That got me in a good mood.

My apartment is terribly damp. I really don't know what to do about it. And I spotted like mold on top of the balcony door. So there is stuff growing in here. Having done my laundry yesterday has made the situation no better and in fact worse. I now have the window open but I don't know whether that will make it better or worse. I think part of the problem is that the hallway is also really damp and I suspect there is no air moving in there. There is a sort of fan in the toilet but I'm not sure that helps at all. I'm just a bit worried about like living in these kind of conditions. and when I go away for two weeks I'm not sure whether I should put the blinds (German blinds covering the whole window and balcony door from outside) down or keep them up since I don't want to come back to a rotten apartment (rotten clothes and stuff). Oh why can only Finns build proper houses? It seems everywhere else there is always some problems.

Climbing

I went climbing today. Had some trouble getting out of the city by bicycle but otherwise got there nicely. It's not too far. I had loads of fun. I did nice routes and found a few challenges. They had this night where you can go even if you don't have someone to climb with. There was no-one else but me needing company so I climbed with this person who apparently was just taking over for someone who was sick but it was great. We did all the same routes and I think I climbed quite nicely. Oh, I am soooo good. ;) I have to go again next Wednesday and then some other day like Sunday for bouldering. "Everywhere you go, always take you climbing shoes with you (and the weather if it is nice)."