Weekend Review {8/24}

FRIDAY

It was a miserable workout since it was just about to start raining when we started.. Then it started raining as we were doing our 400m laps.  See also: reasons I can't fucking breathe: 100% humidity.  Oh and the rain did NOT bring the temp down.  It just got wet and more miserable.  I did hard mode for my workout and, since it was raining, the dogs didn't get walks, but they were appeased with bully sticks instead.  /praisehands.

After a shower, it was time for productive things.. which mostly meant me sitting at the computer doing random work things.  I did my last tech writer task, which was bittersweet. 

After work, it was couch time.

He was eating his foot/scratching his face.
Mostly I was worried I was going to get stabbed in the eye with a paw.

This cutey-patooty. <3 

We had a Friday evening argument, leftovers for dinner, and watched Community until bedtime.

SATURDAY

Teh German got up with the beasts on Saturday morning, while I stayed in the bed and scrolled and drifted in/out of sleep.  I did eventually get up and put on clothes and went out to pick up the grocery order and the few items that weren't from Sam's, Octoberfest beer for Teh German, Halloween Oreos for myself. #YOLO

When I got home, we discussed the afternoon plans.  We had dinner reservations at Myles and Jun Yakitori with Twin Mom and Dad and another coworker and his wife at 6 and we were originally supposed to go to a gathering at one of Teh German's coworkers, but that ended up being cancelled because of the weather, which actually worked out...

Because around 1230ish, Teh German got a call asking if he could bring our trailer to fetch a crashed motorcycle.  It was a very bad situation, the rider was taken away in an ambulance and had several surgeries within 12 hours of being at the hospital.  And here's how/why this applies to me.  This person was riding with a group that I've ridden with before.  A group that I wasn't overly comfortable with because of how fast they'd go or stupid stunts they'd do.  This accident validated the way I feel about riding with certain groups and how vehemently opposed I am, the majority of the time.

That said, I'm also ~10 years older than the person that went down and I'm not shy about when I'm uncomfortable.  I've straight up said, "If this shit keeps happening, I will go home."  This person's inexperience, coupled with the pressure to ride at a higher level than their actual skill level, plus a bike that was too powerful/large for them made it a recipe for disaster and... to be completely honest, I was part of a large group of people that expected something like this to eventually happen, and that feels horrible and is completely unfair to the individual that went down, but is true, since they refused any guidance about the situation.

While Teh German was being a tow truck, I played WoW.

By the time Teh German came home, I was showered and ready for dinner so that way he could get ready and then we'd both be ready when it was eventually time to leave.

Dinner was fucking fabulous.  I tried to drink an entire pitcher of the sangria but couldn't because I was sooooo full.  I had warned Teh German that dinner was my job celebration since he had refused to celebrate any other time that it was appropriate, so I ordered the whole pitcher of sangria (should have gotten half, didn't think), beef tongue yakitori, and the wagyu beef entree.. and had ZERO RAGRATS.  Twin Dad ordered half the yakitori menu and he shared some of the stuff with the table so I also tried beef heart and some type of mushroom.

After dinner, we went over to Twin Mom/Dad house and hung out for a few hours before finally heading home to feed the beasts the rest of their dinner, sit outside for some scrolling time, then it was finally bedtime.

SUNDAY

Sunday was my day to get up with the beasts, so I did that, then went back to bed for scrolling and naps.  I, eventually, got up and went downstairs to talk to Teh Bestie about dinner plans while I'm there next week.  Teh German came downstairs and decided to make breakfast instead of having cereal.  I got off the phone and helped him by dicing the potatoes for the potato skillet he wanted to make.

Teh German is the one who has to cook fried potatoes because I can never get them to properly fry.  He just does it so much better.  So he did sage sausage, fried potatoes, and eggs in the skilled, topped with cheese, and he also made bacon, just because.

After breakfast was 2nd coffee time, then Teh German decided to go out to the garage to do garage things.  I gamed.  Meri was confused at extra voices in the garage when Teh PT Kid came by to chat with Teh German.

In the evening, we had totchos (tater tots + taco chicken dip) for dinner.  After cleanup and doggy dinner, we watched Community until bedtime.

______________________________________________

Despite a Friday evening tiff, the weekend actually went well.  Sometimes, I feel super lazy not being crazy busy on the weekend, so I guess that's still the residual Stockholm Syndrome from being in school for 3 years.

Teh German has the rest of an interview (it's weird, don't ask) this afternoon for an MD job.  So fingers crossed on that situation.  This week I'm wrapping things up and trying not to be an asshole to the Cyclone who keeps insisting they are going to "work on the pain points" of all the shit I've been doing for the last 2 years, as if I didn't try to make the processes better and why not attempt these things sooner than now since everyone knew I was struggling?  Fuck you.  Ugh.

I keep telling myself that current Company problems are NOT my problems anymore, but apparently I'm always in disaster mitigation mode.  Even Teh German told me the same thing.. I just need my brain to comprehend it.  One day, maybe.

Until then.. 3ish more days... as I'm not planning on doing much on Friday.. because.. well.. just no thanks.

Weekend Review {1/20}

FRIDAY

School and work on Friday.  I went into the office super early so I could leave early.  When I got home, I walked the beasts and waited on Teh German to come home.  Our evening plan was a group Halls Chophouse dinner. 

My bison filet was fucking delicious.  Some of the company left things to be desired and Teh PT Wife and I agreed that we'd keep our Halls dinners to the ladies from here on.  We made it home by 9 and shortly after it was bedtime.

SATURDAY

Saturday, Teh German got up to feed the beasts and never came back to bed.  I woke up and scrolled for a little bit and went back to sleep.  I woke up later and when I finally willed myself to get out of bed at 10, Meri started using me as a headrest and I was stuck in bed for 30 more minutes until she moved.  #Rules

Once I got up, I willed myself to go run.  I started my run and met a neighbor and his wheelchair dog, so I walked their circuit with them.  Then I went on my run, adding a few new streets to bump up my miles, which I'll do again, but slightly different next time.  When I was almost home, I saw Roux and his Humom and said if they came back to the house, I'd get Meri and Pax and we could do a group walk, so that's what we did. 

When I finally returned home, I saw a text from Teh PT Wife asking if Teh German and I wanted to go to Smokey Oak for a dog event they were hosting.  I said yes, that'd I'd be ready in 20 minutes.  I didn't clarify until I got in the car without Teh German that he was already out running his errands and maybe he'd meet us after he was done.

Whippet!

We walked around the tents and petted stranger dogs and worked up an appetite.  There was a bully rescue, the greyhound rescue, and a great dane rescue at the event and those are all the collective's favorite breeds, so it was a win.  Teh German did ultimately end up meeting us and eating late lunch with us.

When we got home, it was chill time.  Teh German left for planned hockey activities around 5, then was back home by 5:30 after finding out someone cancelled and the group was less interested.  He headed over to Teh PT House while I held down the couch.  I headed over to Teh PT House to catch a ride to a ladies night event at Honkytonk Saloon with Teh PT Wife.

As someone who was only allowed to listen to country music until she was 12, I have pretty country roots.. but Gentle Readers, this was too much for me.  I will say the people watching was on point, but I learned there is a line dance for every song now, which is exhausting.  Also, as someone who doesn't know all these new line dances, the Alpine Skiing event on one of the TVs was more interesting than the girl on the dance floor with her ass hanging out of her booty shorts who knew every dance to every song.

I danced to 2 songs and got kicked in the ankle during the 2nd dance and that was it for me.  I was pissed.  How much fucking flailing are you doing to KICK SOMEONE during a line dance that doesn't involve ANY kicks?!  Ugh.  Since I was in a rage, I wasn't sad when Teh PT Wife said she was ready to go home. 

We were home shortly after 10 and I wasn't sad.  We hung out with the husbands for a bit and told them about all the sights we got to experience.  Not long after, it was sleepytime, so we headed home and took care of bedtime chores and went to bed.

SUNDAY

We stayed in the bed until 11 on Sunday.  IDK why, it wasn't like we'd partied hard or did anything overly strenuous Friday/Saturday.  Meri wasn't disappointed since she was stretched out between us for her post-breakfast nap.

When we got up, we had breakfast and I finally headed to the office to start Spring 2020 homework.  I also took care of some managerial tasks for organizing my life and finally started the tedious process of German homework.  For the millionth time, I questioned if I should drop this German class and take a different, easier, class, but I actually enjoy this class, despite the workload, so it's complicated and I'll stick with it, even if I have to whine about it first.

This girl makes me swoon.

Due to ADD, it took me a lot longer than it needed to, to do my homework.  YOLO.  Also, Teh German decided to hang the dining room curtain rod and do tank things, neither of which is quiet or conducive to studying.  Ultimately, I ended up having to put on my fancy headphones to block out his noise.

It was leftovers for dinner and Modern Family in the evening.  We finally caught up on Modern Family, so we started watching Community.  Teh German isn't sure about it.  I explained that first seasons are always rough, so we'll carry on.

Around 9, it was time for bedtime chores and sleepytime.

______________________________________________

Overall, a fantastic weekend.  I did finally get a run in and it was fabulous and then on Sunday I was such a slouch that I broke my 19 day activity streak and I'm disappointed in myself, but not overly.  It is what it is.

No school today as it's MLK day.

This week includes:
-Finally starting my research class.
-Work happy hour with corporate visitors
-WiCyS meeting
-Hairs did
-15k on Saturday

The other big thing I need to do is get back to the gym.  Since I've been running only, my mid-back has been absolutely KILLING me.  I've read up on how to deter arthritis pain and turns out, strengthening and working out help the most.  Ugh.  So, that's a thing.  I've charged up and update my tablet for watching Netflix while on the elliptical (warm up/gym cardio) and then post elliptical, it will be weights and core.   Siiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.  I really need an accountability buddy because, as of late, I'm the BEST at demotivating myself.  It's the worst.

Weekend Review {12/23}

FRIDAY

Friday was a cluster fuck of a day.
I got barely any work tasks accomplished because of Teh German stress, not him personally, but the situation that I've been vague about.  I left work on a mission to go home and self-medicate with Xanax and vodka.  I didn't take any medications.

Instead, I did the laundry and walked the dogs with Teh PT Wife and snuggled with the dogs and then Teh German came home and we were talking for a bit and then Mom called and Teh German went upstairs to shower and then after my phone conversation, I went upstairs to get ready.. because despite all the stress of the day, we were still headed to Teh German's company holiday gathering at Poogan's Smokehouse.

I'll be honest, I almost asked Teh German if I had to go to his company party because I wasn't overly interested in dealing with the coworkers after the day I'd had.  But I ended up (wo)manning up and powering through it and the food was delicious and the company wasn't so bad and I didn't say anything inappropriate to anyone, which was a legitimate fear.

Additionally, the food was fucking delicious.  I'd been to Poogan's Porch before, but never Poogan's Smokehouse and I'll definitely be going back to the Smokehouse.  Dat shiz was delicious.

I ended up driving us home and lying to Teh German that Teh PT Fam was probably already in the bed when we got home since he was "well-lubricated" by that point and I didn't want to deal with the "overly-lubricated" Teh German.  I was already faced with a night of Twitchy McGee, so that was enough of a sacrifice in my mind.

SATURDAY

Saturday morning, Teh PT Wife and I headed to Summerville to run the Hot Cocoa 5k.  I run this race for the hoodie they give that is valued more than the entry fee... and I'll admit that this was probably my last year participating, or at least until I need a new hoodie.  The race sells out pretty quickly and there are a LOT of kids.  The beginning of the race was so congested, it rivaled a Disney race going through the tunnels.  If you're not aware of this, just know it's a DISASTER.  Too many people, not enough space.  Some twatwaffle ran over the back of a woman's heels with her stroller when she was trying to pass her.  WTF?!?! 

After the race, we checked out the tents to free stuff, I considered lying to obtain a kid's medal because that's what I run for, and then Teh PT Wife put in a Starbucks order, we fetched it, then went to Dick's so I could get some new shoes, then by the hippy/healthy grocery store where I ended up buying so much shit (coffee, apples, and beer), then to brunch at First Watch.

yes, yes I did buy these lumberjack shoes.

When I got home, Teh German was, thankfully, up and moving.  I sorted through all my purchases and finally took a bath and then I took a nap.

In the evening, we went over to Teh PT House for socializing.  We were back home and in bed before 10.

SUNDAY

It started raining on Sunday and hasn't stopped.  If it was colder, this would be an epic Christmas snow, but I live in Charleston, SC, so it's not.  Boo. 

We got up and had a slow start.  I managed to sit on my ass on the couch for 95% of my awake time on Sunday.  Meri snuggled with me for a significant portion of that, which always brings me joy.  I played my stupid Disney Emoji Blitz game and finished a book.

For dinner, I did chicken wings in the air fryer with salad.  We finished out the evening with Modern Family.

______________________________________________

I debated starting a puzzle, but on Saturday Teh German had went to pick up the materials for the backsplash installation and it was all laid out on the dining room table, so there was no puzzle room...  Oh well.  Soon enough.  I'm definitely not shunning a good lazy weekend.

Today is the backsplash installation.
Wednesday is Christmas.
My office is closed on Thurs and Fri, which means teleworking all.week.long.
Please do be impressed that I got up at normal time this morning and showered and got ready like normal and then went downstairs for work things right away.  It is fabulous being able to start work so early and not having to deal with fuck-tards on the road and then I still work just as late in the afternoon, which means I can curb my hours on Friyay. 

We're still sorting through that huge news thing that I want to talk about, but I can't yet.  I want to make sure it's settled before I start jinxing it... because I'm not superstitious  but I'm a little stitious (5 pts if you know where that's from).

If I don't make it back here before Christmas, Merry Christmas, Gentle Readers.

Weekend Review {08/12}

FRIDAY

Friday was work and I left around 3 to hit up the gym.  While I was working out, Best Buy called to say my computer was ready for pick up and I scheduled to pick it up at 7.  After my workout, I went home and showered.  Teh German came home a few minutes after me but did some job/computer things before he showered.  Around 6:30, we headed to Best Buy to pick up my laptop.

Guessssss whhhhaaaatttt, Gentle Readers....
The screen is ACTUALLY fixed!
ANNNDDD yet again, my laptop did NOT come home with me!!!!  Crazy, right?
Honestly, I'm not even a little bit surprised.  I actually laughed when the tech told me it'd need to be sent back, again, for the repairs.

So what had happened wasssssss...
When the tech opened the laptop, right away he noticed that the laptop hadn't been reassembled correctly and tabs that shouldn't be showing, were, in fact, showing on top of the keyboard.  ANNNDDD, in addition to that, the plastic piece covering the rear hinges/guts was broken.. ANNNDDD it had to be sent back because the tech couldn't put the tabs back in without taking the computer apart AND since it was broken, the plastic piece had to be replaced, which they don't keep in stock, understandably.

Sooooooo, I mean, I didn't cry this time, that's progress.  Teh German asked if I was really ok and I was.  I think he was surprised I wasn't more pissed off about the situation, but when you're me, you just go into shit expecting to be disappointed and then it's not overly surprising when you ARE disappointed.  🤷 And #DemAnxietyPillsYo

We had agreed on the way to Best Buy to go to my fave Mexican place for dinner, La Nortena.  Thankfully, Teh German acknowledged that Wild Wing Cafe, which is in the same parking lot as Best Buy, had recently received pretty poor sanitation ratings and he didn't really want to go there.  Fun fact, had he suggested WWC, I would have informed him about the poor sanitation ratings and we wouldn't have went there anyways.  I was glad I didn't have to disappoint him.

Lingua chimichanga with a side of cilantro.
#ProudCilantroLover

After dinner, we headed home and released the beasts, then headed over to Teh PT House for socializing.  At yawn-o-clock, we finally headed home for bedtime.

SATURDAY

Saturday was lazy day.  I'm not used to not having things to do.  Soooo, I woke up early because I had to pee, fed the dogs, then went back to bed.  When I got up later, I decided to walk the dogs before it got too hot (I was too late).  I took the beasts on a walk and I was literally dripping sweat by the time I got back. 

Gentle Readers, I am a Southern Belle, in all ways except for the part about glistening.  No.  I sweat.  Like a pig.  Sometimes, I drip sweat.  It's the most disgusting thing to me.  Hate, Hate, HHHHAAATTEEEEE.

The only silver lining to the sweating session was that Meri was giving a toy lawn mower in someone's yard the motherfuckin stare down and she ran into the silk fence around one of the construction lots and because that surprised her, she then jumped and got caught halfway on the silk fence.  The commotion and noise was so abrupt that it freaked out Pax, who also jumped, but did not come in contact with any silk fence.  I, on the other hand, lost my shit cackling at everything that had transpired.  I was not laughing when I got home, dripping with sweat.  Ugh.

I called Teh Running Bestie and told her and Teh German of Meri's demise with the silk fence and they both got a chuckle.  For many years I've waited on Meri to hit her face on one of the steel rods holding up the silk fence or some other issue and finally the day came!  Her near misses have baffled me for years, but my wait was worth it.

After getting back home and drying myself off, I had breakfast and coffee and then we videoed with Mama G for a bit.  I managed to toss in some German and understood enough of what was going on the majority of the time.  After it was over, Teh German and I worked to get Skype working with Alexa so we can just use the Show next time for video.  It would be awesome if Amazon also integrated with WhatsApp, butttt that's probably never gonna happen.

I moved to the couch and finished a book, nothing great, and Teh German left to go "help" Teh PT Husband smoke a turkey as a pre-Thanksgiving trial.  And by "help" I mean, they sat outside together in the mabillionty degree weather and watched the electronic smoker do what it does without assistance.  I refused to go outside after my stint with the dogs, so after I finished my book, I laid down and took a nap...

..and woke up 3 hours later... and then I just laid on the couch because I had nothing to do.  I'm not good with having nothing to do...

Around 4, Teh German texted telling me smoked turkey was almost done and asked if we had any sides we could contribute.  So, I made mac and cheese and warmed up peas and baked beans.  Pantry hoarding to the rescue!

August Thanksgiving

By 5, we were enjoying the fruits of our labors.  I'm not disappointed by smoked turkey.  We hung out for a while longer, Teh PT Husband introduced me/us to Big Mouth, a show on Netflix, which had me cracking up.  Teh German and I agreed that we would watch it next/when The Americans gets too heavy and we need something funny to watch.

When we got home, Teh German offered to let me peroxide his ears.  It was gross and awesome.  After, it was bedtime.

SUNDAY

Again, with the needing to pee super early.. Ugh.  I fed the dogs while I was up, because #BestWifeEver, then I went back to bed.  Around 8 or 0830, I woke up to some beeping and was super confused and then finally deduced that it was probably the fish tank, so I woke up Teh German, told him the fish tank alarm was going off and he got up and I went back to sleep.  When I did wake up again, I got dressed and took the dogs on a walk... again. 

Sunday was not as miserable as Saturday, thankfully and there was sweating, but not dripping. 🙌

When we got home, Meri insisted on going outside for a while, then came in and watched the front door for a bit, then she laid down for less than 3 minutes and was up being a busy body again.  I swear to Buddha that dog is solar-charged.  Like, I joke about it, but I was ready to take a nap and I'd only been awake for 45 minutes.  Pax was laying on the floor panting with me questioning if I'd almost given him heat exhaustion.... and Meri was like, MOOOAAARRR!!!  Weirdo.

I finally got tired of dealing with her, so I gave both dogs bully sticks and after, they finally settled.  Shitheads.  Teh German left to go help the Biker Gang move something, so I had another boring day ahead of me.  This time, I decided to be productive. 

First, I repaired Pax's caterpillar.  I had to repair it in the guest room because when I took it into the loft, Pax did not approve and we played tug until I finally gave up and he brought it back into guest room.  He supervised my work, then he DNGAF when I was finished with it.  #RUDE.

Next up, I showered because I was gross.  After the shower, I started laundry and purged my clothes, as I had planned.  Then, I headed to Walmart to pick up my hot flashes BC and a few items that were on the list.  Then I came back home and made brownies for the cookout Teh German and I were going to for dinner.  Then... I waited for Teh German to come home.  I did my Duolingo lessons and played Solitaire and talked to Teh Dad, who I almost hung up on because he insisted on comparing me to Karl, which he thought was funny for some reason, but 100% was not since Karl was a fucking douchewad and he was saying I was being like Karl since I was pissed at Teh German for being late.  Anxiety pills did NOT help in this situation.  Then again, neither did Teh Dad, who seemed to be insistent on trying to piss me off more, even though he thought he was being funny.  Only one of us was laughing and it sure as shit wasn't me.

Teh German came home an hour later than we had agreed on, then he tried to pull some shit where "[I] said 3:30."  Bitch please, I literally broke down the schedule for you and repeated you should be home to get ready by 2:30 no less than 2 times, and then we'd leave at 3:30.  Don't pull some shit with me like you were confused.  Own it, because it's not MYYYYY fault that YOU are late.  In the end, he didn't get to shower before we left and I didn't care.  He knew that he was wrong, even if he'd never acknowledge it and will blame it on the people he was helping, because I'm 100% confident at no point did he ever say to them, "I need to be home by 2:30 because we have plans this afternoon."

We made it to Teh Advocates' house shortly before 4:30.  The rest of the guests arrived around 5ish.  We had burgers and socialized with their new German exchange student and each other.  I didn't understand everything, but it was super loud and I couldn't hear well, so it was fine.  I was struggling to understand English conversation as well, so it was NBD.  Around 7:30ish we headed home to feed the beasts the other half of their dinner.  We watched an episode of The Americans and then it was bedtime.

______________________________________________

Part of me hates weekends with nothing to do, but most of me loves them.  It's a difficult situation because I'm so programmed to be doing something.  I also know that in the very near future, my weekends will probably be shit because they will be filled with homework and I'll be having to coordinate my time again.

This is another quiet week, as I purposely planned.
I have a massage today.  🙌🙌🙌
Friday is hairs did day and then we're going to an Aquarium After Hours event with Teh PT Husband/Wife.  Yes, I purposely rescheduled my hair appointment for a day when I knew we had activities going on so I could show off my fresh hairs.  #NotSorry

Weekend Review {05/13}

FRIDAY

After class on Friday, I went with some schoolmates to lunch at What's Beef, a burger place with these crazy milkshakes that I'd seen on Yelp and knew I had to try.  Thankfully, I continue to be the person that finds the places to eat (I'm sure that will get old soon enough).  I have zero regrets about any of the calories I consumed.

Obama with my fave filter made me LOOOOL

The burger

A Nutella covered churro(ish) donut on top of a milkshake, which tasted kinda like cookies and creme.
Yes, it's ok to be jealous.

Thankfully, my schoolmates shared the dessert with me, since we were all pretty full from eating our messy ass burgers.  After lunch, we went back to school.  I peed and then headed to the train station to catch my train back to the flat so I could chill at home before my 4:00 massage appointment.

After getting settled in and checking in on work things, even though Friday is not a work day, it was time to leave.  The massage place is less than 1 minute from door to door, so I wasn't super worried.  I arrived about 5 minutes early and a lady led me to a room and left me for a bit.  I could hear that she was with another client.  She came in at 3 minutes after apologizing that she was late and would need a few more minutes.  I told her (in German) that I had all night.  There were a few more times she had to leave the room during my session, but I kinda chalked it up as a difference.  When I was finished, I had booked a 2 hour session because it was only 60€, she only charged me for 90 mins.  I tried to give her the 70€ I had planned on giving her (because that was all the cash I had and I wasn't sure of the tipping status for massage in Germany) but she gave me back the 20€ and I made an appointment for a 90 minute session after the run at the end of the month.

After, I went back to the flat and chilled in my room, fucking off on the internet and listening to Alexa and smelling of Patchouli.  When I finally decided to buckle down and do my German HW, I was so distracted by the smell, that instead, I went and took a bath and drank my tea in the bath.

After I got out of the bath, I did most of my HW and then I got ready for bed since it was almost time to talk to Teh German.  Teh German texted that he was leaving work, which means it's time for our chat, and we chatted while he drove to the gym.

Sometimes we also text throughout the day, but these calls are really critical for my survival.  I'm a strong, independent, woman, but being away from my person is difficult.  I enjoy our pre-bedtime/post-work chats because it's like our normal evening chat after we get home when we catch up on the day and discuss what is coming.  I know I'm missing out on things and I don't get to see/hear the dogs, but THIS consistency (or at least getting to talk to Teh German once a day) is very important to me.  Adventures are great, but this is me pulling out my long-distance relationship rule book again.

After our chat, it was my bedtime.

SATURDAY

I did zero productive things on Saturday and it was awesome.  At one point, I tried to self-guilt myself because I am in Germany and I should do awesome things!... But no.  Yeah, I'm in Germany and I should do awesome things, but I've also been sick for a week and it was supposed to rain all day (and then it fucking didn't, rude).

I woke up and had some toast for breakfast and then came back to my room with some tea to watch Ken Jeong's standup on Netflix.  It was super underwhelming and I only actually lol-ed one time.  After the movie, I was briefly tempted to download World of Warcraft (because FREE TIME!) but then didn't feel like dealing with the download that would take half my life on this godforsaken internet and so I played Paperclips instead.  And then I took a nap.

I had told myself that after my nap, I'd get up and go on a run.. buttttt Teh German messaged me while I was asleep and asked what I was doing.  When I woke up, I told him I had been napping.  He asked if I wanted to video and I said yep.  We videoed for a while and he showed me his new toy (a drone) and we chatted about things that were going on and he encouraged me to get out of the house and discover things.. and I strongly considered it..

And then, I didn't.
Because, y'all, I don't really have plans for any more do nothing days while I'm in Germany.  I'm thinking of taking a trip next weekend to Amsterdam.  The weekend after that is my run and Teh German arrives.  The weekend after that, we'll be headed south for family time.
And... I have been annoyingly sick.  I didn't feel bad, per say, but the runny nose/clogged sinuses/annoying cough is old and I'm over it.
Also, it would have been after 6pm when I arrived to the destination I wanted to go to.. and they were only open until 7..
(Insert more excuses here...)

So instead, I played Paperclips for the rest of the evening until I beat the game, and then I went to bed at midnight.

SUNDAY

Sunday was tourist day.  I met with two of our German friends and we had brunch (and watched several people have coffee spilled all over them by a server).

After brunch, we headed to Düsseldorf's Altstadt (old town) for some touristy things.  After parking, we walked the Rhine and we headed to the Düsseldorf Media Tower as our first stop.  GREAT views of the entire city.  It was awesome.

After walking the Rhine "boardwalk", we went into the Altstadt and then to Königsallee to walk by the ridiculously expensive shopping places (Tiffany's, Chanel, Louis Vitton, etc etc etc).  They were all closed since it was Sunday, but that didn't make a difference to us.

Art is a huge part of Düsseldorf culture, so there are many art museums and statues around town.  I had seen this statue on Google when searching for things to do in Düsseldorf, so I had to make sure to get a photo.  PS.  There were many photos taken, but they are on the camera and that's a project for another month.  🤷

After we'd walked through Altstadt, we got bored and decided that we'd go to Köln (Cologne) and do touristy things.

Our first stop in Köln was a SUPER huge church called Dom.  Fun fact: I didn't realize until after I got home and was talking with Teh German that "the Dom" was the name of the church we had went to.  I thought the church had a name that I hadn't heard or didn't see and we were looking for an actual dome of some sort that was a tourist attraction.  #LanguageBarrier looool

I got plenty of good camera photos of the Dom, but not a single one with my phone.  #Yolo bitches.  I did find a book store!  Of course.

We weren't really hungry, but I explained that I hadn't had a "real" bretzel yet, since I didn't count the one from the train station as a "real" pretzel, so we stopped and picked up a pretzel to share.  Köln and Düsseldorf are rivals so we also had to stop and get a Kolsch beer, which Köln is known for (while Düsseldorf is known for Altbier (a dark beer)).  Teh German Runner and I agreed that we both prefer Pils(ner) as our beer of choice.  I say that, because Pils is usually what goes into a Radler, which is the "beer" that I drink (it's really beer + Sprite).

After our snack time, we headed towards the Rhine (yep, again. The Rhine runs south through west Germany, then back east on the border between Germany and Switzerland, to Bodensee (which we visited in 2016), and then goes south into Switzerland) to walk along the water again.  We trekked over the bridge with the love locks, through a park, reaching our final destination: the Köln gondola.

We rode the Gondola to the other side of the river, then we took the rain back to the city center area and eventually headed back to Düsseldorf for dinner.  We did do drive-by of the Media Tower in Köln, which has been closed to visitors for a long time, so we didn't go inside...

Someone had made a suggestion to eat at the oldest Altbier brewery (in Düsseldorf) for dinner, so that's what we did. 

My pig knuckle with sourkraut and mashed potatoes.
Those are tomatoes, not cherries.

Dinner was heavy (as expected), but delicious.  After dinner, we decided to walk to a place I had discovered on Yelp named "Zum goldenen Einhorn" (the golden unicorn).  The menu seemed pretty good but we were full.  So we headed back to the Rhine and then back to the garage where the car was parked.... but not before picking up an ice cream for the walk back..

Erdbeere Eis ist lecker!
Strawberry ice cream is tasty!

Thankfully, I didn't have to take the train all day, despite my offers to take the train, which meant no getting lost and having to deal with the train situation that is always a debacle.  German friends dropped me off (and they picked me up in the AM) at the flat.  We made plans for Tuesday evening to have dinner at Zum goldenes Einhorn.  Then, we have our run on the 26th, and we'll do something with the 4 of us once Teh German arrives in Germany.

I will say that I haven't felt lonely in Germany.  I mean, I could let myself get there because there's a lot of things I don't know, but I know I have family here, and that is a HUGE comfort.  Mama G and Auntie P and Papa G and some of our German friends have reached out to me before I came and while I've been here and it's a comfort to know that if I do need anything, a translator or getting found after taking the wrong train, there are people here who can help me.  Obviously, I have Teh German too, but his capacity is limited when he's across the pond.

After getting settled, I video chatted with Teh German for a bit and then it was bedtime. 

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A very good weekend.  I mean, can a weekend that starts with a massage (that was so thorough I had to take advil the following day because I was so sore) be bad?  Maybe, but not this time!  Lol.

A lazy day and a busy day was exactly what I didn't know I needed.  I'm finally feeling almost 100% again.  My nose isn't as clogged as it was and I am still hacking shit up, but it's not nearly as persistent as it was last week.  Teh German even noted the difference Sunday night about how much better I sounded and how little I was coughing.

This week is full of activities.
Today: Study like a fiend day.  Do the HW I didn't get to over the weekend (not super important, but OCD says I must do it).  I also checked out some books to start studying for the final exam.  Also, my host lady and I will be cooking Reibekuchen tonight (it's like potato pancakes).  Woot!
Tuesday: Dinner with German Friends.
Wednesday: Stammtisch
Thursday: Game night at Goethe
Friday/Weekend: Amsterdam?  IDK about this yet, but I'm leaning towards yes.  Fear is saying, "But you're alone and have boobs." But I've looked at articles online that say that it's safe for solo women to be in Amsterdam.  I'm trying to talk myself INTO this and not out of it.. as I'm known to do, which happens to be super annoying.  I've never done a travel by myself thing, so this would be a good opportunity and Amsterdam speaks good English, so I'd be fine, but the unknown is a scary place.

Also, I really should get some runs in before like.. the actual race day. 
Just walking around on Sunday made my knee supppper achy.  So achy in fact it woke me up in the middle of the night on Sunday and I had to get up and take some advil to get back to sleep.  #OldAF

Weekend Review {3/5}

FRIDAY

Check out the awesome moon-setting I got to see on Friday morning..

It was an awesome start to the day, despite having a headache, which is really holdin' me down.  I'm blaming allergies and pollen and mother nature hating me for these headaches.  Not so much the #barometerhead.

It was a day of work and school.  I had a German test that I really rode the struggle bus on.  Work was work.  I headed home after and Teh German and I decided to go out for dinner (no real surprise there) and we agreed to go the Nowhere bar, which is a place that I've passed by since 2014, when I moved to SC.

When we walked in, we were met by a haze of 2nd hand smoke.  Once our eyes adjusted to the darkness, we sat at one of the tables placed between the "stage" (open floor area for live bands) and the pool tables.  The bar was straight back.  There were menus on the tables, so we sat at a table (closest to the door) and waited to be greeted.  We both noted the guy at the table next to us with his bucket of Bud Lite.  We weren't sure if he was waiting on others or if that entire bucket was for just for him.  We didn't stay long enough to find out.  We were inside the bar for no more than 3 minutes.  Neither of us loved the smoke and the food didn't seem like anything we couldn't get somewhere else, without the smoke, so we agreed to leave.  We both sniffed ourselves all the way to our final dinner location because we had carried so much smoke out on our clothes.  Blech.

We ended up at Neighborhood Taphouse, which boasts an extensive selection of beer, and the food is passable for me.  We hadn't wanted to go far from home, which really limits our choices.

2 home, home beers!

When we got home after dinner, Teh German headed over to smoke a cigar with Teh PT Husband while I took a bath and then lounged in the bed reading and petting Meri with my free hand.  It was as wonderful as you're imagining it was.

I was tired, but was 50 pages from the end of my book, so I powered through.  Teh German came home when I was about 10 pages from the end, which kinda distracted me, but it wasn't a big deal.  I finished the book, and of course, wasn't tired after that.  Ugggggh.  Teh German came to bed soon after and I tossed and turned for all my life.

SATURDAY

Saturday morning, Teh German got scolded for getting up to pee after sunrise and then coming back to bed instead of feeding the beasts.  This meant that I was awake almost the entire time after he got up to pee because the beasts think that once someone is up it's feeding time and I had already claimed not it for the entire weekend.  Meri has a habit of jumping on and off the bed, slamming herself into us as she plops down on the bed to snuggle, thumping her tail against stuff, and Pax likes to do his personal grooming in the morning and I get very little joy from any of that when I want to be asleep.

Nonetheless, we had to get up "early" to get the dogs to their vet appointment at 0920. 

We spent the car ride bickering after Teh German was giving me unhelpful hints about driving and tisking at me for taking pictures while moving.  He also informed me when the lights would turn green.. except that there were still cars stopped in front of me, sooo that wasn't really helpful.  After an overly long 12 minute drive, we finally arrived at the vet with me yelling about the fact that I've been driving for a really long time and do not need his commentary or help, thank you very much.  Damn, control freak.

The vet was a test of our mental endurance, as if the drive hadn't been bad enough.  It wasn't us though, it was the fact that the vet tech put us in the same exam room that we had last been in with Phil.  It was hard not to see my Baggins in the middle of the floor of the room, but Meri and Pax wandering around and investigating and then looking for each other when they were taken back for their blood draws and to get their nails clipped.

After the vet, we went through the car wash because Yurtle needed the tree jizz washed off.  Then we headed home for my lazy weekend to start.  Teh German headed to the garage and went through this box of crap that he's been toting around since we started dating.  My mind was blown.  Andddd then he put more crap in the box "to go through later"...

I went inside, since the garage is not MY "mancave" to do whatever the fuck I wanted to do because, NO HOMEWORK ALL WEEEEEEKKKEEENNNDDD BEEECCHHEESSS!!

I read for a little bit then got bored.  Teh German had migrated from his mancave to the yard.  He had made weeding the yard a priority for the weekend.  When I asked if he wanted help, he told me that I had already deemed it lazy weekend, so I didn't have to help him if I didn't want to.  #BestHusbandEver  Since I was bored, I did end up going down and helping him weed the backyard for about 2 hours.  It was the worst.  Teh German did agree that we could mulch the yard.  Pax really "aerates" the yard chasing after Meri, which means that after we pulled the weeds, there was barely anything green left in the yard.

After yard work, we showered and then went to a Crab Shack with Teh Dental Hygienist and Teh AF Maintainer.  It was derrrichious.  We had to wait for an hour for a table and we sat at the bar, ordered drinks and hushpuppies, watched the NC State game (which happened to be on the TV), and chatted.  I hadn't had crab legs in a hot minute and they were tasty.

Originally, we had planned on hanging out post-dinner, but by the time we got home, I was exhausted and opted out of hanging out for going to bed.  #OldLady  No shit, we were in the bed by 9:30 and I wasn't a little bit sorry.

SUNDAY

Sunday morning, I was feeling semi-motivated.  I asked Roux's Humom if she wanted to go with me to get brunch at Charleston Deli and she said yes.  We hit up Charleston Deli for breakfast and then I talked her into going to Lowes Foods with me to pick up a few options.  Lowes Food just opened in the area, so I had kinda wanted to check it out anyways.  It's a grocery store, but they allow you to drink (alcohol) inside the store.

I picked up this gift for Teh Running Bestie since she will be here next week!

After grocery shopping, we headed home and it was lazy time.  Teh German was working on the Bobber bike and I seriously have no idea what I did..  other than put away the groceries and refill the dog food container.. and subsequently spilled it all over the floor.  Rather than clean it up, I left it for "dessert" for Pax and Meri.  It ended up being Meri's dessert since Pax is adamant about licking his bowl completely clean.

Teh German eventually finished up his bike stuffs and we ate dinner.  After dinner we had a Mad Men marathon.  We ended the night with 4 episodes remaining.

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Very good weekend!  I needed a lazy weekend after being nonstop in February.  Teh Running Bestie will be here next week.  Teh Advising Sister will be here at the end of the month.  I anticipate another dive trip in April for Teh German to finish up his Advanced dive cert.  Exams are at the end of April.  MD/Honeymoon/Teh Sister's Graduation in May/June.  I'm going to enjoy this "downtime" before shit gets cray.