Bucket O News

It's been a busy, busy two months. I can't believe how quickly the new year has gone by!
I finished the last of my classes in Decemeber, which put me on graduation status. After 6 agonizing weeks, I received my diploma in the mail. John was super cute and framed it for me for Valentine's day. It's perfect.

Also, the wedding date is set to July 31! Addresses please!

Engagement

Well, it happened. John asked me to marry him, so I am officially engaged.

I will be posting a pic of my ring soon- it's gorgeous (helps when I got to pick it out).

Date: Sometime in August. Will let you know as soon as it's set. Email me your addresses please!

schlesinger.julie@gmail.com

Knitting Genius

I have recently rediscovered knitting. Wow, it's time consuming- but I love it. More than just the repetitive motion, it's the completion and having something to show for your time and patience.

Reminder: Knitting is not cheap. A good pair of needles will set you back $12-$20 depending on size and material. Yarn price ranges across the board depending on weight, length, dye and material. Keep in mind that you will probably use more than one skein per project ($6 suddenly turned into $60 for a decent sweater).

I'm sticking with the smaller projects right now- scarves, hats, gloves....

I finished a pair of lime green fingerless sock-gloves the other day. They're pretty rough. I realized that I'm OK on the basic stitching, but I get a little chaotic on the tricky stuff. Oh well....

Current Projects (yes, all at the same time):
White Bucket hat (1920-30's flapper-esque)
Beaded scarf (yikes, avoid mixing two mediums in the future)
Finish John's fingerless gloves (he is claiming he'll do it, but has realized he abhors knitting)

Projects to finish before Xmas (yes, including those above):
2 more scarves- I want to do something out of the ordinary, but time is of the essence.
another pair of gloves

I'll post some pictures of the works, both finished and in progress, when I get back to the house!

Another Day

Shakespear once wrote, "In wine there is truth." I don't remember which play he wrote it in, but the phrase I have remembered since freshman year.
I will admit that I do the occasional binge drinking. Usually with my tailgaiting friends before the Utes Game. I have a grand time! But Shakespear was right.
The insecurities of humanity come out with the induction of alcohol. Even the most "put together" of people can have the worst unseen problems when the wrong alcohol is introduced into the blood stream. However, I have found that I have not had those problems when intoxicated. I don't think that being 'drunk' is an excuse for your actions. You are who you are. I do believe that people should be held accoutabled for their actions whether or not alcohol was a factor. We are human, and therefore prone to social and relational mistakes, but you should be responsible for your actions. Period.

That is all I have on this drunked eve.

I Live to Serve!

As per Leah's request I am posting pictures of John and me. I guess it's about time, we've been together almost a year!After a grueling golf game with my BRAND NEW clubs (all pink...)

Family trip to Hawaii, waiting for the rental car.

The condo in Hawaii. It was sooo hot and sticky.

Golfing in Hawaii. Obviously another great game!

Another Day

I think I want a new pair of shoes.





It has started raining, fairly regularly and the temperature has dropped to the mid 80's (a welcome relief after several weeks reaching above 100). I'm not sure what has changed, but something in the air has dampened my mood.





It may be the start of yet another school year, or the fact that holiday season at work will soon be here- I'm not sure.





What ever it is, I'm sure it's nothing that a new pair of shoes couldn't handle.





I'm thinking a new pair of spunky heels. However, not practical for the fall/winter seasons. Maybe some new boots...

Some days I stop and think about how hard I have been working and when I am going to fit in enough sleep so that I don't feel exhausted each day. So far I have yet to get more than 6 hours of sleep per night, even when the next day is technically my day off. I guess that's what I get when I work full time, am finishing my last semester of school and am teaching dance twice per week.

But today was different. I read through my childhood friend's blog. Right now it is her only means of communication to the world she once new in the US. She joined the peace corps. Andi, the girl who hated bugs and would never have dreamed of sleeping outside is volunteering in Panama to help with agricultural needs. My perspective on 'hard' has suddenly taken a drastic change.

I work hard, I spend long days on my feet, dealing with customers that are trying to nickel and dime me for anything free I can give them. Come on people, you are spending $2500 on a 50" LCD and you want the HD cable free? Really? Don't get me wrong, I love my job and plan on being with the company (Best Buy, for those of you that didn't know) indefinitely. After reading Andi's blog, I realized that what I do to work hard is nothing compared to what she and her host site do. They are trecking a 45 to 50 degree slope where the corn crop glows, carrying manuer on their backs to fertilize and sometimes working all day without food or water. When the sun comes up, so does she, when it goes down, she does Andi.

All this without running water and electricity? I like to think I could do it if presented the situation, but I couldn't say that I would want to. Andi wrote that she had her first hot shower in over a month when she went to town to meet up with some friends- she cried.

For everyone out there, stop for a minute. When you're paying that massive electricity bill or complaining about gas prices, think for a moment what you would do if suddenly the luxuries we take for granted were gone. I know that we don't all choose to join the Peace Corps, but there are people in the world who don't get the choice, they are born there.

I'm not usually such an activist, but it feels different when there is someone living that way so close to my heart. Good Luck, Andi. Have a safe 2 years away from home!

WOWZA! Looking back, I got busy busy in Germany and stopped posting daily (or even weekly). I now wish I had done it! Lots of little things about the trip have escaped my memory!

However, I have never been one to keep a diary or journal or anything like that. I rely on my not-so-amazing memory. I figure the things I remember without the diary are the things worth remembering! right? If they don't stand out in the hundreds of hours of my life, why would I write them down? I can't imaging myself re-reading them anyway. I just wouldn't have time.

Sat & Sun 28-29. July

We headed out for a quick trip to Berlin. There were several groups from the program going together, so we made quite a few people. The first train we had seats, the 10 minute transfer train we definitely were squished to standing room, and the 3rd, longest train we were on the stairs and floor. The first pick is the first 1/2 of the stairs, there is another set going up to the second level. I sat on the floor next to the door and the group of cyclists drinking Champaigne at 10 am. And no they didn't share.

The second pic is our Hostel. It was pretty nice, and really cheap. Our group took up 6 of the 8 bunks, so we were quite the cozy family. Fortunately, the bathroom and shower is inside the big room, so you share it with roommates (possibly and most likely people you don't know, but in this case not), no need to go down the hall.

Pic 3 is our view out the window of the Hostel. Beautiful eh? Well it should be. It's a painting on the side of a building. We were only on the second floor, and looking out the window was like looking into the streets of New York. In fact Berlin was VERY similar to New York, only everyone prefered to speak German (most people could speak english better than I speak German).

#4 is the Brandenberg Gate....does it need more explaination? It's spectacular. We saw the piece of the remaining wall, it's a bit of a walk from the gates and rathaus. We also visited the new Holocaust Memorial and the University where Einstein attended. We actually had pretty good weather. We ate at the Hardrock Berlin, the only restaurant in Germany that Ice has been served in a drink without asking. And for all of you wondering.... most drinks are served COLD here! No warm soda. It's summer people! No one in their right mind wants a warm beverage. Even beer in Germany is served cold to cool (depending on the kind). I've been told be my new friends that beer was only served warm in the past because refrigeration was so expensive!

The fifth pic is a little bar across the street from two very popular clubs. We decided to pre party there. While we sat, we watched several policecars pull up to each of the clubs and decided that our little bar was perfect. from left to right: Jael, Azia, Felicity, Kathryn and Amanda. Felicity and Kathryn were the other two occupying the free bunks in our room. They are from England and N Ireland. Kick ass accents.

The last pic is me standing at Checkpoint Charlie. I had to Pay 1 EU to stand with the guards and get my pic taken, but that's ok. I also had my passport stamped with the old West and East Germany stamps and the Checkpoint charlie one!!!! wahoo!

Friday 27. July

We headed to the West Coast of Schleswig-Holstein, which is the North See. It was really really cold that day! I have on 3 jacket in the picture of me- i look slightly like a marhmallow. It was raining very very hard. We went through the Watts (muck/mud) earlier in the trip, but I didn't take my camera out, I was afraid to drop it. I was muddy to my ankles. The first pick it a coastal town. The pole is the measurements of the highest floods they have had in recorded history. The hightest one was only in the mid 70'a.

The second picture is the boardwalk that takes you out to the Watts. I'm on the final steps of the board walk in the next pic. It usually is mud- where they're naturally building new land (something that astonishes me and I will explain it if you want later)- however the wind was blowing so hard that low tide was still 2 ft deep.

The last pic is a fair in Friedrichstein. I'm not sure what festival. The music was hokey classic german, and we had a grand time eating crepes and diving in and out of the flee market tents whenever a flash storm hit!

Thursday, 26. July

We don't really go out so much on weeknights, but apparently this night was special! We went the a Beer Garden called the Forstbaumshule. It's the biggest one in Kiel, with some of the best Dunkel Weissen (dark Hefe). It was pretty cold outside and there was a live band singing really American songs with pretty thick German accents--classic!

How the name "Beer Garden" came about: once a long while ago, beer was stored in Kegs buried in the ground. Why? Breweries were only brewed during certain seasons...like when hops were available. They would make enough to have all year. Many placed didn't have basements big enough-or basements at all- so they buried their beer. It was easier to tap the beer underground than to dig it up, so people would go outside to drink their beer. The area would many times have some type of garden or vegetation. Thus Beer Garden! This isn't completely accurate, it's the story I was told- in german- on my second day here....there may be some myth and mistranslation!

Well we went on a mandatory outing Tuesday. Everywhere we went was totally interesting, but we had three tours in one day. By the time we got to the castle we were all completely exhausted. Which KC and the gang are demonstrating in the picture. We went to a town called Schlewig. The first stop was the Viking museum. The only tough thing about it is that everything is in German. It can be a little frustrating trying to read about a display when you don't have the vocabulary for it. The church above was sweet. The first picture is the view from the top of the bell tower (also shown). I have clips of me descending the spiral staircase. It was dark and a tight spiral. There were so many steps it took 4 separate shots all the way down. click here to see one of them: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=14127818. Not to mention that we all had to stop periodically to regain our balance. The staircase has a serious dizzying effect.

The picture of the watch is from the castle, dating about 1700. It only has one hand on it. My kind of watch. Apparently there was a time when the 'minute' didn't matter. As long as you made it within the hour you weren't considered late at all. Sweet eh?

We had our midterm party last night. Just a BBQ at the other dorm building. I didn't take any pictures there. I didn't think of it all. But so far so good!

We're going to the West coast tomorrow-hope it doesn't rain- and to Berlin Saturday!

Today was pretty average. Classes and more classes. My German Tutor cooked a german meal for me and two other students last night, so we decided to cook her an american meal. We chose french toast and hashbrowns. We made it pretty party like and invited everyone living in the dorms to come eat. Amazing how one of the most American meal I could think of was called "french" toast. For the most part she liked it, but thought it odd we would serve something so sweet with potatoes. **by the way, I'm kick ass at making hashbrowns and french toast now.

I didn't take any pictures of the party, but it was nice to have a real meal- even whith nearly 20 people squished into a 15X15 kitchen. It's a really good break from Döner Kabob-which is really popular, but is actually Turkish. They're amazing. I took a picture of the meat cooking at one of the shops, but I don't know where I saved it (this picture is much more appealing anyway!).

This was my view from the beach while waiting to go sailing the other day....jealous aren't you?

Well don't be. It rained hard the next day and today was only 71 for a high. It might be a good break for ya'll though, I hear it's still blazing in the big SLC!

Today has been a pretty chill day. It's Sunday and it's raining. Sunday's here are worse than at home. Absolutely everything is closed. There are a few restaurants and the gas stations. There isn't even a grocery store open on Sunday's. At least not in Kiel. They say that there are a few open in Hamburg-but it's a long ride for a loaf of bread! Not a big deal however, I have quite a bit of homework to do for tomorrow morning.

These are obviously pictures of my room. It's actually not bad at all. I have my own bathroom and the building provided a pillow and blanket (the matching ones). I have my own pillow though, the ones they provided were quite odd. The kitchen is down the hall. We all spend a lot of time there since the rooms are small. There isn't much airflow unless you open your door and your window, so we all spend a lot of time with our doors open. It seems to be an invitation for anyone passing to come on in. Most times it's OK, but sometimes all I want is a little circulation minus the company.

Thursday:

So sorry I haven't posted in a few days....i've been quite busy! The first to pictures are from Thursday. I went with my tutor and her friend to a club called the Max. Besides the fact that I was plastered and mostly likely made a fool of myself, I had a great time! The next picture is a view of the club from a stage area. The club was huge and it was packed. However, Germans don't rub up against each other like they do in america---it's really really nice to not have to fight off guys all night.

Friday:

I don't have a picture for Friday up, but a couple of us went to Hamburg. We went to a little borough called Veddel (it's an old holding town where emmigrants had to stay before their ship departed). One of the students needed to look up some family history to help her mom out. We spent most of the time on the Subway- mostly because we missed the stop and had to turn around! But we eventually made it into the main city. There are tons of designer shops all over! Too expensive for me, so I just looked. I did find a bag of killer Grapefruit Tea- it's delicious! We at dinner at a restaurant right on the water too. Besides the rain it wasn't too bad. We did see a group of site seers all riding 2-wheeled thingers. I have no idea what their called. They were on a tour- looked fun, but way too touristy for me.

Hamburg is only 1.5 hours by train from Kiel, so I'll probably go back. The Kiel Students go to Hamburg for the clubs pretty often.

Saturday:

We went on a sailing trip with the University of Kiel sailing team. Pretty much it was just a kick ass 2 hour boat ride. We tried to help a little, and I got to steer, but mostly we just relaxed and enjoyed a beautiful day on the water! The life vests we wore were super old school. They zipped up and clasped around the center- like most life jackets. But they also had 2 strings you had to put between your legs so the vest would go above your head if you fell in. I know why they were there, but the way they attached was hilarious----I guess you had to be there!

This is the bike I've been riding to and from classes. It's an awesome piece of early 90's technology. At the moment the seat is up as high as possible and my legs are still crunched when I pedal. Most of the people here walk, bus or ride a bike. There are a lot of cars, don't get me wrong... really nice BMW's and Mercedes and what not, but there is very little room to park. In lots of places the cars are on the sidewalk when the street is too narrow. Even the grocery store has only 10 spaces for parkinglot style parking.

The bike ride to school this morning was tough. It's all up hill (inland) to the university. With only 3 gears and a back pedal brake.... you get the idea. 90% of the people i've seen have been in amazing shape. I feel like a blob trying to ride my bike up a small incline. The ride is only about 12 minutes, by the end of the week I plan on being able to make it to class without panting.

Coming back the dorms is easy, all downhill. It's the perfect time to stop for errands. There isn't a gorcery store that carries everything. Nothing like a walmart or target here. Food is at the Aldi, it has a few other things like TP and papertowels. Maybe some dish soap, laundry detergent, and to my surprise, a few office supplie- but not much! There are stores similar to Walgreens, only without the pharmacie. There is another place for that. The pharmacies here are amazing! You walk in and talk to the Pharmacist about your ailments. Right there at the store they prescribe the medicine and sell it. You pay full price in most cases, but skip the price of a doctors visit. They say that pharmacists here know more than the doctors about cures- doctors are for plastic surgery and broken bones.