14 February 2007
Kleinigkeiten - Little things
Nothing huge has passed since Saturday, but there are lots of little things.
My HR dept is reading through a VW Golf lease agreement - I'm looking at 3 years in the Golf TOUR If it all goes well, I might be able to pick up the car on Monday. That is, if I sign the purchase papers and follow the 17 step dance to get insurance and license plates.
I'm crossing my fingers, but not holding my breath.
All of my ceiling light fixtures are up, so my wall switches are now more than decorative - they're functional! I still don't remember to turn the lights on when I walk into a room, but I'm sure I'll get used to having fixtures again.
I visited Ikea again. I picked up a few necessaries, and a couple things I just wanted, but mostly I did recon! I sat on couches and decided that Ikea does not have the couch for me. I hated them all with the exception of one leather sofa, but the only non black/brown/white color it comes in is an ugly burnt orange. so that won't work.
with that cleared up, I went on to research closet guts. there are no built-in closets here, so I have to buy some closets that will stand in my room. I figured out that I want real drawers which go on rollers, not the baskets that just slide in and out. I didn't have time to configure the whole thing, though. which turns out to be lucky! I can config it online, place the order, and save 30€ on delivery. whoa-ho! The closets are over 2meters high, and there's no way I'd be able to (or even want to) haul those boards out of Ikea, stuff them in my rental Golf, and then schlep them up 2 flights of stairs. Delivery is not a luxury, in this apt, it's a requirement. I've gotten soft.
the moving company picked up all the leftover boxes and packing material from my move, so now there's room just about everywhere, but especially in my front hall (where the bikes will live).
After the packing pickup I stopped by the Rathaus (city hall). The girl at the Infothek was able to give me Yellow Sacks! This is the special garbage bag you need for recycling plastics. The Germans call themselves Umweltschutzmeisters Or Masters of Environmental Protection. All of the garbage is separated here, plastics and metals in the Yellow Sacks, glass goes into green/brown/clear collection points on most streets, food waste goes into Biomüll, Compost. Old Paper is collected on the curb once a month, and everything else goes into Restmüll.
The garbage thing has been a great mystery to me, and with my Yellow Sacks I think I can do it right.
I went online and bought a train ticket to Nürnberg and printed it out! eeee! I'm learning! I used my discount card, and earned BahnPoints. Not sure what they're good for, but it can't hurt, right? (Imagine trying to navigate NWA.com in a foreign language and still managing to earn all your frequent flyer miles)
So tonight I'm going to Nürnberg. OK Go is playing. I hope they play Crash the Party.
that would make my day.
my plan for the next few days:
Wednesday: Ok Go in Nürnberg
Thursday: Auslander Stammtisch (Foreigner Pubnite)
For the weekend, I might just go back to Nürnberg, they've got a lot of shopping, a cool museum and a big castle. Someday I want to stay in the hostel there, it's actually in the castle walls.
oh, I also found a new way to get to work. Instead of skirting around the whole city, I head west, go up steep narrow one-way streets to the cathedral area, turn at the top of the hill. Then I get to ride down a long steep cobblestoned downhill that dumps me out closer to work. it's hilarious, it's all one way streets with huge mediaeval walls built on either side. sharp blind corners and the sort of thing we just don't have in the states. I'm a happy girl. It's a great daily reminder that I'm in Europe.
My HR dept is reading through a VW Golf lease agreement - I'm looking at 3 years in the Golf TOUR If it all goes well, I might be able to pick up the car on Monday. That is, if I sign the purchase papers and follow the 17 step dance to get insurance and license plates.
I'm crossing my fingers, but not holding my breath.
All of my ceiling light fixtures are up, so my wall switches are now more than decorative - they're functional! I still don't remember to turn the lights on when I walk into a room, but I'm sure I'll get used to having fixtures again.
I visited Ikea again. I picked up a few necessaries, and a couple things I just wanted, but mostly I did recon! I sat on couches and decided that Ikea does not have the couch for me. I hated them all with the exception of one leather sofa, but the only non black/brown/white color it comes in is an ugly burnt orange. so that won't work.
with that cleared up, I went on to research closet guts. there are no built-in closets here, so I have to buy some closets that will stand in my room. I figured out that I want real drawers which go on rollers, not the baskets that just slide in and out. I didn't have time to configure the whole thing, though. which turns out to be lucky! I can config it online, place the order, and save 30€ on delivery. whoa-ho! The closets are over 2meters high, and there's no way I'd be able to (or even want to) haul those boards out of Ikea, stuff them in my rental Golf, and then schlep them up 2 flights of stairs. Delivery is not a luxury, in this apt, it's a requirement. I've gotten soft.
the moving company picked up all the leftover boxes and packing material from my move, so now there's room just about everywhere, but especially in my front hall (where the bikes will live).
After the packing pickup I stopped by the Rathaus (city hall). The girl at the Infothek was able to give me Yellow Sacks! This is the special garbage bag you need for recycling plastics. The Germans call themselves Umweltschutzmeisters Or Masters of Environmental Protection. All of the garbage is separated here, plastics and metals in the Yellow Sacks, glass goes into green/brown/clear collection points on most streets, food waste goes into Biomüll, Compost. Old Paper is collected on the curb once a month, and everything else goes into Restmüll.
The garbage thing has been a great mystery to me, and with my Yellow Sacks I think I can do it right.
I went online and bought a train ticket to Nürnberg and printed it out! eeee! I'm learning! I used my discount card, and earned BahnPoints. Not sure what they're good for, but it can't hurt, right? (Imagine trying to navigate NWA.com in a foreign language and still managing to earn all your frequent flyer miles)
So tonight I'm going to Nürnberg. OK Go is playing. I hope they play Crash the Party.
You're not the prettiest girl in town
I'm not the only boy with sullied
clothes and a sullen frown,
To hell with Valentine's, to hell with perfume
To hell with chocolates and picnics
And Sinatra tunes
Cuz while
the rest of the girls are drowning in roses
and songs he composes
And
while the rest of the guys are all trying
All trying so hard
[Chorus]
Oh girl, let's crash the party!
El Dorado on the lawn
(hey, hey, hey)
Let's burn holes in the carpets
Kicking, shouting,
dancing on the tables all night long
that would make my day.
my plan for the next few days:
Wednesday: Ok Go in Nürnberg
Thursday: Auslander Stammtisch (Foreigner Pubnite)
For the weekend, I might just go back to Nürnberg, they've got a lot of shopping, a cool museum and a big castle. Someday I want to stay in the hostel there, it's actually in the castle walls.
oh, I also found a new way to get to work. Instead of skirting around the whole city, I head west, go up steep narrow one-way streets to the cathedral area, turn at the top of the hill. Then I get to ride down a long steep cobblestoned downhill that dumps me out closer to work. it's hilarious, it's all one way streets with huge mediaeval walls built on either side. sharp blind corners and the sort of thing we just don't have in the states. I'm a happy girl. It's a great daily reminder that I'm in Europe.
