My Life

I give up…

Ok I give up. I’ve been fighting it for a little over a month. I’ve had migraines, sniffles, and sore throats… and still plodded through. I’m a tough cookie.

Last night, I came home (after having had a sore throat all day b/c I had fallen asleep with the window in my living room open) and had the chills and shivvers. Within an hour, I had a fever and felt like the world had pooped on me.

Thusly… I took nyquil and went to bed. I slept, woke up with the fever still, and called in sick to work. Yep, it’s official, I’m sick. I give up, I surrender. Body, you win. You fight this nastyness off once and for all and make me feel better. Meanwhile, I’ll stay here, in bed, sleeping, drinking hot tea, and enjoying the nyquil knockouts.

Oh, and in the meantime, anyone know a good english speaking doctor in Berlin? Just in case I need to make a visit?

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The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round….

subtitle:
You know you spend too much time on a bus when…..

Ok so I know I’ve blogged about the bus drivers here in Germany before. It’s only lately that I have begun to think to myself that I’m spending too much time on the bus. I have nicknames for nearly all the drivers – and can now, at the drop of the hat, tell you which ones are good, bad, and otherwise indifferent – and which ones you should maybe just wait on the next bus to come. Don’t ask me their real names – I couldn’t tell you that. I can, however, tell you how they generally drive based on their nickname. See if you can match the bus driver with their nickname:

The Nicknames:

a) Yeah-Yeah
b) Curb-lover
c) Herr-K-Jer-key
d) Feathers
e) Move-it-along
f) Psycho
g) Chatterbox
h) Spring Chicken
i) Grandpa

1) Dyed black hair and a Farah Fawcett haircut the only female driver. She is always chewing gum or something.

2) With Cursory glances at monthly tickets and grunts at those that have to buy a fare, he does everything with a kind of grumpy incompitence bordering on the rude.

3) earrings, kinda punk but could be hot if he put on sunglasses, works part time, has been known to flert with the high schoolers while driving. Also lets people play music as loud as they want, annoying the others on the bus.

4) This guy drives like he owns the road. Takes sick pleasure in zooming away from the bus stop just after you’ve boarded. Not holding on? You’ll wish you had been as you tumble to the floor. Pushed the button to get off with plenty of time for him to make a normal slow down? Eh – doesn’t matter. He slams on the brakes at the last possible second – just to see if he can make you fall down twice.

5) He knows everyone. Literally. Nice guy – good driver. From the moment you get on you realize that this is more like a neighborhood chauffeur than a bus driver. He has the candy for the kids, the advice for the parents, and makes sure that those teenagers are well in line.

6) Plays his own “sugar pop” music up front, then sings, hums, or whistles along while driving. Since those sitting behind him more than 2 rows can’t hear the music, only him, He is also affectionately known as “the entertainer”.

7) Close your eyes when riding with this guy and only listen for the sound of the lady naming off your stop. If you open them, you’ll want to grip your seat and make sure you said your prayers this morning. After this roller coaster ride, you’ll hope you never see him again.

8) Considerate – if it’s raining or cold – even when it’s his break, he pulls up and lets you on the bus so you can stay dry. Knows all the routes, and all the drivers (you’ll often note he waves at the others as he sees them on the way.) The only problem? He stops – at every stop – no matter if there are people there – or not. It makes the route – take so much longer – than if he did what the rest of the drivers do. (That being to slow down, realize there’s no one there, and no one wanting off – then continue at a medium pace to the next.)

9) Exact same as 4, only this one likes the bumps and makes sure he hits them ALL. Because he’s had the same route for years, He should know where they are – and does. His efforts leave the passengers in awe – or is it Ow?

Answers (highlight here to see the correct answers). A6, B9, C4, D1, E2, F7, G5, H3, I8.

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Winter is coming….

and I have now purchased a new winter coat.

One funny thing about shopping here in germany is that it seems all the stores carry the SAME style of everything. Finding a winter coat (or well, any clothes) that is suited to my body style/shape is really difficult. Let me explain. For those of you who don’t know me, I HAVE CURVES. God made me with a figure – with curves in all the right places. Bluntly, I have a chest, I have an ass. I am built to be athletic – to be a pack horse (as some would say) but I’m not a stick skinny little chick.

That being said, I don’t need my hips, my ass, or my chest to look any bigger than they already are. So, why do designers put big wide belts around the middle of a coat? WHAT is up with the military pockets that pooch out and make your hips look bigger? And why do they have to have them on the chest too? Really, they make me look short, fat, and NOT nice at all. End of story.

Now, that being said, the vast majority of coats here offered are black, dark brown, olive green, or white. Let’s think a minute (I know logic doesn’t play into this at any point) but it’s Germany. This is Northern Europe. It’s going to be winter soon. This means that it will be pitch black by 5pm for at least 3 months out of the year. WHY oh WHY do they want to give us dark coats? I mean the majority of the population is outside waiting on buses, trams, etc. Would it hurt to at least add some reflective qualities? Do they like the fact that people wearing these clothes *MIGHT BE HARD TO BE SEEN?* Ok I’ll grant you that at least these do hide the dirt….

Re White coats. WHY would you want a white coat in a city that it rains in nearly every day during the winter? I mean I’ll grant you some of them are very cute, but again, IMPRACTICAL. The dirt here is dark colored. Most people don’t really have a washing machine and “dryer”. No, everything is hung up to dry because it’s more economical. So, that being said, White coats would get dirty easily, be washed frequently, and require time to hang up (3-5 days) to dry. Who buys these? Who wears them? Do normal people really keep these clean? (Apparently I’m NOT normal because my winter coat gets washed at least 1 time a month – because it’s dirty around the cuffs and sleeves!)

At any rate, after much hunting – 3 stores near me, a trip to berlin, and finally to potsdam’s stern center “mall”, I’m pleased to announce I have a new winter jacket. Not only is it down, has no “military style” pooch out pockets, and fits, it’s also my favorite color. RED. *big cheesy grin*

I’m sure I’ll have pictures posted soon. Now the hunt begins for accessories (think scarf, gloves and hat – since this doesn’t have one with it). *Does No one here wear red? Oh wait… I already know the answer to that question. Only if you’re a guy or…. ME.*

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