Back to School

Notebooks ~ CHECK


Backpack ~ CHECK


Pens that look really cool but you know you are going to lose them in a week and go back to the plain old black and white BIC pens ~ CHECK!


Yes it's that time again. And it was actually good this time becuase for once I was shopping for supplies the same time everybody else was. So everything was on sale.

Having to do several other subjects in Japan, I didnt really get to attend all the Japanese language classes that I wanted to. So I will try and take as many German classes as I can.

This term: Elementary German and Western Civilization. I have to select from a list of classes and both meet the criteria for at least a certificate in German studies. The former hopefully will springboard me into more advanced language classes. We had our first one last night and was just the introductory part but we did tackle the first lesson and it went rather well. It seems easier than Japanese, but still difficult especially when most of the letters have different sounds thn they do in English. Before too long I should be comfortable at least to go downtown and get around ok. Hopefully, sooner than later...

For now, AUF WIEDERSEHEN !!!!!

I Got Olympic Fever!

Is it cold in here or are my goosebumps coming from the greatest swimming race I have ever seen?


After watching this race I had Goosebumps the size of the Olympic Rings!

Intentionally ignoring my duties at work (it was a slow day)I watched the Men's 4x100m relay while practically yelling at the TV in our reception area.

"I'm sorry," I told everyone, "I just love the Olympics!"

Thankfully most of the action takes place after business hours, or at least thats when it airs here in Europe. I even watched mens and womens rowing during my lunch break. You read correctly, rowing! I don't know what it is about it but it kept me entertained for a full 45 minutes!!

I just love the Olympics. Where else can you ride a horse around a ring or play ping pong in front of a global audience? I have watched more complete Badminton and Water Polo matches (2) in the last two days than I have in the last 25 years.

And it's not just watching the Americans. I couldn't help but tune in to the seventeen year old Chinese guy who was weight lifting almost three times his weight. And those little Thai guys are small but they were throwing around alot more than I could.

I don't know why these games bring out the biggest fan in me. Maybe it's because it only happens every four years, or maybe cause I'm just a huge fan of competetion at anything [ like showing up to work the earliest just to say I was first, :)]All I know is I LOVE THE OLYMPICS!!!

As Quick As It Started...

our softball season has ended.

I jumped on a team as soon as I got in Germany and we have been playing evry other night or so for the last two months. The season ended last weekend with our end of the season tournament.

We started off the year with an 0-4 start. Everybody was having fun, though, despite owning the leagues worst record. But then we won one, and then two, and then three. Before we knew it we had turned the season around and had won nine straight going into the tournament. Almost all of those games we were behind at some point and rallied to come back to win.

We started the tournament in the same fashion. We played sloppy the first couple of innings and the came back against the first two teams and won, the second being a dramatic 7 run rally in the bottom half of the last inning capped off by a two run walkoff homerun by yours truly! Coming off that high we beat the first place team to move into the championship game. They ended up coming back around the losers side of the bracket to play us in the final game but I guess 4 games in one day was too much for us as they beat us twice to take first place in the double elimination tournament.