Spontaneity--What's That?

Transcript, Skype conversation with a friend:

Me: I'm trying to get up my blog posts so everyone can see what I've been up to.

Friend: What's taking so long?

Me: I want to revise a couple of pieces.

Friend: I thought blogs were about being spontaneous, stream-of-consciousness, not flowery prose that you slave over and turn into a masterpiece.

Me: That's not really my style...

But she has a point, so here goes.

Since I have to be at work on a regular basis now, at a desk, of all things, instead of in front of a chalkboard, I am going to devote the first few minutes of work to the blog. Who knows, maybe I'll get better at writing on the fly.

There is too much to catch up on in the last four months. Suffice it to say that I have been enjoying a combination of the life of Riley and intense work. It's pretty much been like this: translate madly for one month, piss around for a month or 6 weeks, translate madly again.  Spend way too much money because I'm having such an awesome time.

Trips I've taken: Hamburg, Amsterdam, Paris, Toulon, Nice, Reims, Epernay. Weimar, Erfurt, a couple of other places that I can't remember. Oh yeah, Dresden, Leipzig.

Experiences: I've been to the immigration office more times than I wish to remember, have been deliberately ignored by a sales associate in a department store, been stared at by children and adults in the East, eaten some really fine food and some really bad food, laughed, cried, thrown my hands up and said "fuck it," and then put them down and started all over again. I have had buyer's remorse, homesickness, peace and joy. I am happy to have my own apartment again. I have realized that someone used the bathtub at the house I was living before as a bidet. I have caught people in terrible lies, realized some people I thought were my friends were not, and have been happy to discover even better ones took their place. I have fought with my former "roommate," have made up with her, and have moved into my own place. I have ordered a ceiling light that is a ceramic teapot. I have put together more Ikea furniture than I ever wanted to again. I have driven a Mercedes C-180 on the Autobahn at 200 km/hour, and crapped myself in the process. But the adrenaline rush was great. I have missed everyone, especially my fencing club, my coach, my "Delta Time" with some of the best ladies in the world. I have cooked, baked, learned how to make layer cakes in an oven that looks more like Easy Bake than Viking. I have found the Germans, as usual, incredibly frustrating and ingenious all at the same time. I am fascinated still by their naivete on so many levels, combined with a prickly practicality that makes kittens want to commit suicide.

And my 20 minutes are up.