25 Random Things About Me

I got this in Facebook ~ Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you.

1) I don't know if I'll do this.... since I don't usually like to do things when I'm asked. I don't know why!!!

2) I am addicted to "Demon" a solitaire game for which I have terrible stats (I only win 12% of the significant time I waste playing!!!)

3) I'm introverted, but an outgoing person can bring out the chatty version of me.

4) I like to eat raw veggies, even if I'm not supposed to.

5) I am often freezing cold. Growing-up (and probably to present-day), my sisters had a huge hatred towards my feet as I liked to tuck them under their legs while curling-up on the couch. I am mostly allowed to put my icy-cold feet on my extremly graceful and tolerant BF. :D (thank goodness!!!)

6) I am quite nostalgic. I'm working on that though (trying to make new memories all the time!) Some of my closest friends I've had for over 20 years!! Maybe we're just getting old!

7a) I love dark chocolate and out of the store bought options, President's Choice Chocolate Decadent chunky cookies are my favourite in the whole wide world!!! When it comes to savory: Miss Vickies, Sunchips, Pringles BBQ and Smartfood (although I recently got a really yucky feeling when I got nostalgic all over a large bag of smart food...)!

7b) If I know I have it in the cupboard, I cannot restrain myself one bit. I pig out. Wholly and completely! Oh and on the rare occasion I crave ice cream: I like the good stuff in the teeny containers! Cookie Dough, Strawberry-Banana frozen yoggi.... etc.

8) My Mom has two brothers. One older one younger. They had 2 and 3 sons respectively, she and my dad had 3 girls. My Dad has a younger sister. She had twin boys. All my cousins are boys! I lost one cousin a number of years ago in a stupid accident. It sucks alot. I am quite close with my relatives in Brazil. My family keeps morphing and growing and growing and growing and..... you get the picture.

9) My family is comprised of: Engineers 40%, Architects 20%, Artists 20%, Lawyers 10%, misc.10%. Pretty funny! And as it grows, the stats remain pretty constant so far!

10) I'm a romantic. So is my man! :D

11) I have no idea what I shoud be doing right now with my career. It's a good time for a change since the market sucks and construction is usually hit first (well, after the banks and all that jazz) - plus considering I'm interested in more than I was doing before, maybe it's my chance to change my focus entirely... but what and how and how and how.... And, I am actually getting tired of thinking about it and talking about it too! It's funny how much my life revolved around work before (naturally) and how I constantly tried really hard to 'worry' about other things (travel, sailing, climbing, all extra-curricular)... and I guess I'm trying to say, that it was the only way to stay sane then and led me to my life now (which I love) and I gladly cannot relate to career, career, career as much as I used to when I see everything else there is to live for. Yes, I know how lucky I am. Note: I also have a bit more 'ADD' now than ever before...... what was I saying?

12) I often think about my next meal. Even if I'm presently eating. I'm trying to decide if this is because I've got an eating disorder in the making or if it's because I'm a planner. I'll try not to think about any of this too much more...

13) I'm about to start learning German. I worry that my English, French and Portuguese will suffer (more than they already do). I've already noticed subtle, but new errors in all of the above. Well, not that I'm perfect at any of them, but stuff I SHOULD know!

14) I love sailing, but it scares and humbles me. I enjoyed climbing when I did it. I started it conquor my fear of falling. Nope, didn't work. But I had fun while I did it! I stopped due to injury and pains. Maybe some day, I'll return to it. I've got all my gear still! :) Never say never!! :D Oh, and I think climbers have a lot in common with sailors. Hummmmmm.....

15) I believe driving an automatic car is not really driving. I love manual. THAT's Driving! I am guilty of multi-tasking while driving. Yes, the hands free cell phone (but, I have reduced even this to a minimum). Or even eating. But never never never have I read behind the wheel (road signs excluded). Seriously, I see it in rush-hour traffic in Toronto ALL THE TIME!! Very disgusting. I honk at those losers and make undecipherable gestures to keep them guessing. I have road rage. I inherited it from my Father.

16) I like short cuts after I know the long way around really well.

17) I can do things really quickly. But if I take it a bit slower, I enjoy it much much more!

18) I am forgetful and bump into things... I can't see below my own chin it seems. I usually have at least one bruise from some small household catastrophe... I enherited a nack for forgetfulness from my Mom - she puts stuff in safe places and then struggles to find it (yes, very safe places!). Me: same deal. Except I keep forgetting that I will forget where I put it..... maybe, just maybe, I should hide stuff where I can't see it but will most certainly crash into it!!!!!

19)

more later.... (this is still sorta like homework...)

Frankfurt, Germany ~ Arrived!

Okay, so we just got connected and Evgueni and I are both catching up on telephone and emails! Well, we actually have a great long distance plan to Canada that kicks in on the 17th of February. So we're holding tight on the gab-fest for another week. For now, we'll let our fingers do the talking (so to speak).

We are settling in now. We received our shipment from France which is about 30% of our stuff and the remaining 70% should arrive mid-next week. I'm actually quite anxious to get the shipment as I have been in a bit of a limbo and I know this will keep me busy for a while. Plus, I packed all that stuff and locked it up in storage over a year ago - I'd like to see if what was important to me then still applies now! In anticipation that not everything will be interesting anymore, I've located a consignment store and a local "goodwill". The only 'down side' is that I walk everywhere here and I'll have to hire a trailer if there is too much junk!! :)

Anyway, other than that, I've been scoping out German classes the old fashioned way (a pied) since we've had no phone. Goethe is very expensive, but sounds really good. I'm meeting with a representative at Berlitz to see if I qualify for their 'integration' course (which is free other than the course materials). It supposedly coinsides with the Youth Mobility Act (YMA) Visa I obtained. We'll see... failing all of that, I'll take a course at a school that Evgueni found that is about 20% the cost of Goethe with the same teaching standards. I figure, even if the teaching quality isn't as good (which I doubt considering the Germans have so much pride in doing a good job)... I'll be putting in a lot of my own personal study time. Really, it's what I make of it...

E's work: From this end, they're getting their money's worth already! He's home pretty late every day, but is still fitting in late dinners, some lunches and coffee with me. :D Very nice indeed!!! He's already travelled to Munich on business, coming home exhausted after a day of commuting and meeting. It sounds like so-far he's on back-up duty and clean-up of projects on the go already, but there are brand new prospects on the horizon - you know, his own projects! It's always nicer to run your own project that's for sure! So week 3 will bring new adventures for certain.

Our daily German life: We are in need of a couch - I didn't ship one... My butt is tired of sitting on hard chairs and the cold floor! (I think we are heating the basement beneath us.....) :) We have done some 'research' aka 'leche-vitrine'... and hope to get one at the end of the month to celebrate pay-day! ;D We are actually quite comfortable though since we purchased some gently loved furniture (IKEA) from the previous owners. We LOVE our apartment, it is already soooo comfortable (like home). So we're sleeping, eating and living well. I've been busy tracking down English-speaking doctors with help from the previous renter here and the American embassy. I got info mailed!!! Who does that nowadays - darn internet!!!

I've been exploring some neighbourhoods and what they have to offer - not to mention, getting lost. Man-oh-man! The shopping is the national pass time here!!! Seriously, when do people work? And it's good!!!! The other national pass time must be baby-making. Because EVERYBODY seems to be pushing porshe-strollers. Maybe there are no kids in there and it is just an elite status thing..... I digress... The only crappy store I found so far is American Outfitters. Did I mention what a crappy store! But Diesel!!! Wow! And there are other shops! Tons and tons of them! And home stuff!! Wowza!! If you ever wish IKEA came in a Posh package - you would fall in love with Segmuller!!! NICE!!!!! But back to locally... the amenities are amazing and all the important stuff (butcher, baker, grocery store, post office, drug store, restaurant, cheepie cleaning products, landlord, Evgueni's work, metro, bus, park, shopping etc etc...) is all very close! All is within a 5-10 minute walk. E's work is about 15-20 by foot, but it's really easy!

People seem really nice ...except when walking along the sidewalk, they really don't seem to want to move! I guess I'm guilty too and the small German part of me is kicking-in-highgear.