This month has been rather emotional. For business reasons, our company has terminated some contracts with a couple of customers, which ultimately means that I will no longer be working with some of the repair partners that I have been in close contact with over the past several years. Two weeks ago, I visited one of my repair sites in Germany to complete a few final tasks, and had the opportunity to have dinner and a few beers with the guys. We have all been in the industry for a while, so we know how things tend to be. Nothing lasts forever, and as some projects come to an end, others will start up. One always hopes to find another opportunity in the future to resume the working relationship, but I was particularly touched that the guys expressed the same sentiment. So, it was a literal "auf Wiedersehen."
Not surprisingly, I was feeling a bit pensive at the weekend. Friday evening, I met up with a few friends for dinner at the pub, which was followed by a few more pints. It was a pretty nice time, marred only by the presence of a guy that I had met briefly once before. The pub was a bit crowded, so when I saw him across the room, I headed outside to chat with a friend, and hoped like hell that he wouldn't see me and come outside.
For a few minutes, my luck held out, and I was able to converse with my German friend; we caught up on a few bits, but, as both of us are rather quiet, a lot of times we can simply enjoy the time without babbling the whole time. Then, the guy came outside for a cigarette, came over to our barrel, and greeted us in English. He couldn't remember my name, but I answered when he asked, then continued to sort of stand there quietly. Like I said, Mono and I were not really saying a whole lot, but neither of us intended for the silence to serve as an invitation for someone to come up and start a conversation. OK, we were in a pub, so this is a normal thing for people to chat randomly, but I just was not really in the mood.
"Wow, you guys seem really down tonight," the guy said with his strong Irish accent.
"Just having a quiet night at the pub," I responded, with no desire to relate details of my recent work weeks.
The guy continued to blather on about this and that, and I hoped that he wouldn't stick around for a second cigarette. My buddy introduced me to a German word a couple of years ago that I am quite fond of: Depp. Der Depp is basically a jerk, a moron, a fool, a dork, or, to get rather vulgar, a complete prick.
The fact that the guy had a big Paul Bunyan type beard was only a small part of the annoyance. I have a beard myself, but I am not an Abercrombie and Fitch type of guy. Everyone is entitled to their own style, but his irritated me a lot. Mono felt the same way, and he quickly finished his beer and took off. Fortunately, another friend came outside, so I still had some moral support for my last beer of the evening.
Unfortunately, the Depp continued talking, and once he started talking about offshore accounts and ways to avoid taxes (he is a finance guy), I realized that I would be better off going home. I emptied my glass, paid up, and bid my friend a good evening, then chucked off home.
20 minutes later I received a text message from my friend; the Depp wanted to head off to the red light district in the city. Again, to each his own, but that is certainly not my thing.
Saturday proved to be a rather quiet day for me, but I wokked myself a little chicken broccoli stir-fry during the afternoon, then I got to thinking about a movie that I had seen several years ago called "This is England."
It is not as if I have been living completely under a rock, but I was unaware that there several mini-series that served as continuation of the story, and I found myself watching several episodes through the course of the evening, and late into the night.
The story itself is great, and the cast and production is equally impressive. However, what struck me most was the piano soundtrack by Ludovico Einaudi. His work absolutely floored me, and it has been quite some time that I have been so struck by musical expression. I learned piano from an early age, but it was Joe Jackson in particular who has had such an influence in what I play. His work makes me want to continue playing. Listening to the Alarm and Miles Hunt (the Wonderstuff) made me want to learn guitar, and because of them, I am a strummer. I never developed the technical ability of a Pete Townshend or Eric Clapton, nor did I ever really have that desire, especially with guitar. Although those guys are phenomenal in their own right (as was Prince, I might add; I recently listened to a solo he played during "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" which was absolutely incredible), I have preferred the more basic styles, rather more minimalist in approach.
With this composer Einaudi, I find a new influence, which is thrilling. While watching the films last weekend, I had to stop and take a breath; the music was that expressive.
Knowing that I was due in Madrid for a few days during the coming week, I debated whether or not to order some of the music, since it would likely be delivered while I was out of town. I finally decided to go on and order a couple of books of his sheet music with the expectation that they would be waiting for me upon my return home from the business trip.
The few days in Madrid were again spent completing some open tasks and saying auf Wiedersehen to some repair partners that I will likely not have to visit any more. Like with the partner in Germany the previous week, and the visit to my partner on Porto in March, I was a bit sad to be ending my working relationship with the Spanish partners. I have worked hard to build these relationships, so they are difficult for me let go of, despite my understanding that these changes are always going to happen in business.
I had a little extra time in Barajas to sit and contemplate. I like the contrast of sitting in a busy airport collecting my thoughts while other travelers are rushing about catching their own flights. I caught up on the affairs of the world by reading the Economist, and tried not to get too depressed by the state of things in the world (upcoming elections of a bunch of Depps, etc.) but was really looking forward to getting home. I had already seen that a package was out for delivery, so my music would likely be waiting for me later that evening.
Sure enough, I opened my mailbox to find a nice thick envelope containing my recent purchase. That arrival was more than enough to keep me from getting to irritated with the other letter that I received from Deutsche Bahn, the one congratulating me on my "recent" renewal of my Bahncard 100. This is the same Bahncard I cancelled three weeks ago. Ah well, another "to-do" that I will have to take care of early next week.
So, Thursday evening, Friday afternoon and evening, and again for a couple of hours this morning, I have been sight-reading several new pieces. One of the great things about playing piano is having the ability to express, and knowing that sometimes the simplicity is all the more moving. I certainly like composers such as Debussy and Czerny, but in Einaudi, I now have a composer that I can study and learn from. I am attracted to his expressive style and use of dynamics, and find a real connection in the playing style. My own feeble efforts will undoubtedly improve, and I look forward to the journey.
One of my favorite compositions is called "Berlin Song." I have taken to referring to it with an added "...the Frankfurt Mix," for no other reason other than to express that I think it is wonderful that I am an American who is learning pieces composed by an Italian that were on a soundtrack of an English film about skinheads in the Midlands during the 80s, and it makes for a nice connection here in my little corner of Germany.
It works for me, and I can only say "thanks."
See you out there
bryan
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Stir-Frying the Tax Return
Procrastination. Frustration. Mild confusion. Relief.
Yep, these are a few words that come to my mind when thinking about the process of filing the annual tax return.
Each year, when tax time comes around, I always try and set a target date for completing my tax return. Since my parents usually visit around this time of year, I tend to complete the return and let them mail it in to the government upon their return to the states. Normally I did this out of convenience; my parents would arrive in Germany, and in addition to any small gifts that they happen to bring, they would have my 1099s in two. Thus, I could complete my return and send them home with the documents.
Because I live abroad, I get an "extension" which gives me a little more flexibility with the due date. That being said, the return is more of a formality, since I only have to declare my earnings from another country, then further down the page (on the tax return) I am able to back out the figure. Thus, I usually do not have to pay any additional taxes. This is totally fine by me, because I am taxed pretty heavily in the country where I live.
I have refined my process over the past few years, and now tend to have my father email me my 1099s (which are still delivered to my US address). This allows me to complete my return before their arrival, and I have in recent years actually put everything in an addressed envelope so that they only have to put it in the mail.
Of course, you might be asking why I do not file electronically, which is a fair question, as I tended to file electronically when living in the states. Maybe I will do this again sometime in the future, but for now, I have my little process, which is not too complicated.
Because the process is not complicated, I tend to put off doing the thing for days, even weeks, then finally, with a bit of exasperation, I quit mucking about and sit down and complete the return.
Almost to the letter, my sister goes through this same experience in the country where she lives. Not surprisingly, we tend to keep tabs on one another to find out who has completed their return already. It is almost a contest to see who can procrastinate the longest. Additionally, we do compare notes to make sure that we are filing everything correctly. Both of us have investments in the states, both of us have salaries that are well under the foreign income allowance, so things tend to be very similar. Until this year.
This year, my sister returned to the states for the school year, and is employed in a school. Thus, she now has a W2 that she has to deal with. Furthermore, because she is physically in the states, she does not get the "extension" that she has had in previous years while in Spain. On top of that, our financial investment guy (from the states) switched firms mid year, so instead of getting one 1099 form, we got two. This created a bit of anxiety for my sister, who always tended to procrastinate the longest (thus always winning the "contest.")
In effort to help support, I decided to try and meet the normal deadline (April 18) this year as a way of motivating my sister to complete her return punctually. A month ago, we talked about our returns, and I had my father send me the 1099s per PDF. Then, my sister started thinking too much about her previous returns and started tripping herself up. This got me a little confused as well, and we had a few hectic conversations trying to make sure we had the same interpretation of how to file, the particular rules, etc. True, there are some differences in the way we have to file our returns (from abroad), but they are not that tricky, as long as you don't think about them too much.
Two weeks ago, we had one more conversation on the topic, agreed that we both had common understanding of how to file our respective returns, and then I simply buckled down and completed mine. This year, I went the extra step (primarily because my parents have not yet visited this year) and posted my return back to the states on the 14th of April, several days ahead of the deadline. I was quite proud of this achievement, and said as such to my father last Friday morning.
Friday evening, as I was having dinner with some friends, I started receiving numerous questions via text messages from my sister, who was still confused and struggling with her return. We made arrangements to speak the following day, and bright and early Saturday morning (bright and early afternoon for me) my sister phoned me and together we went through everything again. "Record your W2 on line 7, and on your schedule B and D, just note that you had 2 1099s. Everything else is the same like before." I showed her how I had filed, and finally she got herself sorted and was able to complete her return.
Late that afternoon, I received a text message confirming that she, too, had sent her return off to the IRS. Another tax year completed.
To celebrate my punctual filing, I bought myself a wok (on the way home from the post office) and spent Saturday afternoon experimenting with a bit of chicken and vegetables. I am still lacking experience in the kitchen, but am slowly getting there. I tend to follow the instructions, make sure I have prepared my ingredients ahead of time, try not to overthink things, and most importantly, pay attention. Using that approach, it really isn't that difficult. In fact, it is far simpler than filing a tax return.
And it certainly tastes better and is more enjoyable, too.
see you out there
bryan
Yep, these are a few words that come to my mind when thinking about the process of filing the annual tax return.
Each year, when tax time comes around, I always try and set a target date for completing my tax return. Since my parents usually visit around this time of year, I tend to complete the return and let them mail it in to the government upon their return to the states. Normally I did this out of convenience; my parents would arrive in Germany, and in addition to any small gifts that they happen to bring, they would have my 1099s in two. Thus, I could complete my return and send them home with the documents.
Because I live abroad, I get an "extension" which gives me a little more flexibility with the due date. That being said, the return is more of a formality, since I only have to declare my earnings from another country, then further down the page (on the tax return) I am able to back out the figure. Thus, I usually do not have to pay any additional taxes. This is totally fine by me, because I am taxed pretty heavily in the country where I live.
I have refined my process over the past few years, and now tend to have my father email me my 1099s (which are still delivered to my US address). This allows me to complete my return before their arrival, and I have in recent years actually put everything in an addressed envelope so that they only have to put it in the mail.
Of course, you might be asking why I do not file electronically, which is a fair question, as I tended to file electronically when living in the states. Maybe I will do this again sometime in the future, but for now, I have my little process, which is not too complicated.
Because the process is not complicated, I tend to put off doing the thing for days, even weeks, then finally, with a bit of exasperation, I quit mucking about and sit down and complete the return.
Almost to the letter, my sister goes through this same experience in the country where she lives. Not surprisingly, we tend to keep tabs on one another to find out who has completed their return already. It is almost a contest to see who can procrastinate the longest. Additionally, we do compare notes to make sure that we are filing everything correctly. Both of us have investments in the states, both of us have salaries that are well under the foreign income allowance, so things tend to be very similar. Until this year.
This year, my sister returned to the states for the school year, and is employed in a school. Thus, she now has a W2 that she has to deal with. Furthermore, because she is physically in the states, she does not get the "extension" that she has had in previous years while in Spain. On top of that, our financial investment guy (from the states) switched firms mid year, so instead of getting one 1099 form, we got two. This created a bit of anxiety for my sister, who always tended to procrastinate the longest (thus always winning the "contest.")
In effort to help support, I decided to try and meet the normal deadline (April 18) this year as a way of motivating my sister to complete her return punctually. A month ago, we talked about our returns, and I had my father send me the 1099s per PDF. Then, my sister started thinking too much about her previous returns and started tripping herself up. This got me a little confused as well, and we had a few hectic conversations trying to make sure we had the same interpretation of how to file, the particular rules, etc. True, there are some differences in the way we have to file our returns (from abroad), but they are not that tricky, as long as you don't think about them too much.
Two weeks ago, we had one more conversation on the topic, agreed that we both had common understanding of how to file our respective returns, and then I simply buckled down and completed mine. This year, I went the extra step (primarily because my parents have not yet visited this year) and posted my return back to the states on the 14th of April, several days ahead of the deadline. I was quite proud of this achievement, and said as such to my father last Friday morning.
Friday evening, as I was having dinner with some friends, I started receiving numerous questions via text messages from my sister, who was still confused and struggling with her return. We made arrangements to speak the following day, and bright and early Saturday morning (bright and early afternoon for me) my sister phoned me and together we went through everything again. "Record your W2 on line 7, and on your schedule B and D, just note that you had 2 1099s. Everything else is the same like before." I showed her how I had filed, and finally she got herself sorted and was able to complete her return.
Late that afternoon, I received a text message confirming that she, too, had sent her return off to the IRS. Another tax year completed.
To celebrate my punctual filing, I bought myself a wok (on the way home from the post office) and spent Saturday afternoon experimenting with a bit of chicken and vegetables. I am still lacking experience in the kitchen, but am slowly getting there. I tend to follow the instructions, make sure I have prepared my ingredients ahead of time, try not to overthink things, and most importantly, pay attention. Using that approach, it really isn't that difficult. In fact, it is far simpler than filing a tax return.
And it certainly tastes better and is more enjoyable, too.
see you out there
bryan
Saturday, April 09, 2016
What Do I Want To Do When I Grow Up...Again?
There is something quite nice about waking up early on a Saturday morning, feeling rested, albeit with mild irritation that you weren't able to sleep longer. But, what can you do? I tend to make myself a coffee and enjoy the opportunity to just let my mind wander. Sometimes the peace and quiet helps me to concentrate the thoughts and apply a bit of perspective.
Over the past couple of years, I have become more and more frustrated with my situation at work. I am not referring the normal ups and downs that come with the job, nor am I talking about the high level of stress that accompanies my position, although this past February was a bit of an eye opener. My frustrations come from the fact that I really like what I do for a living, and I do my job very well, but I am disillusioned with the industry, the company, and at times, some of my colleagues. I have to choose my words carefully when I describe this frustration; although I do have an ego, I remain very humble. It is far more important to me that our company be successful rather than my individual performance. Of course, I want my performance to be strong so as to help the company achieve the success.
Perhaps I am naive in thinking that my colleagues feel the same way, and focus on improving their contributions to our collective effort. Last month, the board hired a new president of our company, which makes the third president inside of two years. Whenever there is a management change, I notice that people go out of their way to try and highlight how "valuable" they are. This is disconcerting not only because it conflicts with my own style, but because to a certain extent (at least short term), some of these "valuable" people get promotions that perhaps they don't really deserve.
I do not have real aspirations to become a c-level executive, but respect that this is a goal for many people. I prefer to work for an organization where management earns the respect of its employees not because of their title, but because of their actions and efforts. The other day, I got into a little pickle because the hotel booking that I made for my upcoming trip to Madrid was 15 euros higher than our travel company allows as a booking rate. I had to explain that I chose a hotel that was slightly more expensive because of it's proximity to the repair supplier I would be visiting. Staying at a cheaper hotel further away would mean that I would have to travel further with a taxi, which would result in higher expenses. The fact that I had to justify this to management (who approve all travel) was a little annoying, considering they always fly with business class. I found myself wondering if these are the type of people I want to work for.
In fairness, that is a rather trivial example, but sometimes it's the little things that become significant. Last summer, we started using some new metric reporting software. The software is pretty cool, and management loves it. The summary page provides a map of all the countries in our region, and color codes the country in accordance with the metrics. If the metrics are on (or above) target, the country shows as green. In the event that the metrics are not on target, then the country shows red. Green good, Red bad.
For an executive level, the color coding is helpful, but it doesn't always tell the real story. The other week, when one of my countries showed up as red on the performance charts, management flipped out and wanted to organize a task force to go off and investigate the problem. That wasn't necessary, I explained, as there was no problem. The country showed up red on the metric because of the way the metrics are calculated. We deal in repair volume, and for those countries where the volume is very low, the impact is more significant. For example, to measure quality, we have a metric that calculates the number of repeat repairs. If a repair partner does 1000 repairs, and 100 of them come back for repeat service, you have a 10% bounce rate. But what happens if you only did 2 repairs, and one of them came back? You'd have a 50% bounce rate and your country shows up as red on the metric chart. Unfortunately, not every manager wants to accept this kind of logic, especially those who only want to have graphs that look perfect (green). Again, are these the kind of people I want to work with, to work for?
So, here on Saturday morning I am thinking about me. Do I need to switch industries, or change companies? Would that even make a difference? Or, is it time for a different career altogether? If so, which one should I consider?
The answers won't all come today, but soon. Meanwhile, I will reread a little Dr. Seuss.
"Oh, the places you'll go!"
see you out there
bryan
Over the past couple of years, I have become more and more frustrated with my situation at work. I am not referring the normal ups and downs that come with the job, nor am I talking about the high level of stress that accompanies my position, although this past February was a bit of an eye opener. My frustrations come from the fact that I really like what I do for a living, and I do my job very well, but I am disillusioned with the industry, the company, and at times, some of my colleagues. I have to choose my words carefully when I describe this frustration; although I do have an ego, I remain very humble. It is far more important to me that our company be successful rather than my individual performance. Of course, I want my performance to be strong so as to help the company achieve the success.
Perhaps I am naive in thinking that my colleagues feel the same way, and focus on improving their contributions to our collective effort. Last month, the board hired a new president of our company, which makes the third president inside of two years. Whenever there is a management change, I notice that people go out of their way to try and highlight how "valuable" they are. This is disconcerting not only because it conflicts with my own style, but because to a certain extent (at least short term), some of these "valuable" people get promotions that perhaps they don't really deserve.
I do not have real aspirations to become a c-level executive, but respect that this is a goal for many people. I prefer to work for an organization where management earns the respect of its employees not because of their title, but because of their actions and efforts. The other day, I got into a little pickle because the hotel booking that I made for my upcoming trip to Madrid was 15 euros higher than our travel company allows as a booking rate. I had to explain that I chose a hotel that was slightly more expensive because of it's proximity to the repair supplier I would be visiting. Staying at a cheaper hotel further away would mean that I would have to travel further with a taxi, which would result in higher expenses. The fact that I had to justify this to management (who approve all travel) was a little annoying, considering they always fly with business class. I found myself wondering if these are the type of people I want to work for.
In fairness, that is a rather trivial example, but sometimes it's the little things that become significant. Last summer, we started using some new metric reporting software. The software is pretty cool, and management loves it. The summary page provides a map of all the countries in our region, and color codes the country in accordance with the metrics. If the metrics are on (or above) target, the country shows as green. In the event that the metrics are not on target, then the country shows red. Green good, Red bad.
For an executive level, the color coding is helpful, but it doesn't always tell the real story. The other week, when one of my countries showed up as red on the performance charts, management flipped out and wanted to organize a task force to go off and investigate the problem. That wasn't necessary, I explained, as there was no problem. The country showed up red on the metric because of the way the metrics are calculated. We deal in repair volume, and for those countries where the volume is very low, the impact is more significant. For example, to measure quality, we have a metric that calculates the number of repeat repairs. If a repair partner does 1000 repairs, and 100 of them come back for repeat service, you have a 10% bounce rate. But what happens if you only did 2 repairs, and one of them came back? You'd have a 50% bounce rate and your country shows up as red on the metric chart. Unfortunately, not every manager wants to accept this kind of logic, especially those who only want to have graphs that look perfect (green). Again, are these the kind of people I want to work with, to work for?
So, here on Saturday morning I am thinking about me. Do I need to switch industries, or change companies? Would that even make a difference? Or, is it time for a different career altogether? If so, which one should I consider?
The answers won't all come today, but soon. Meanwhile, I will reread a little Dr. Seuss.
"Oh, the places you'll go!"
see you out there
bryan
Friday, April 01, 2016
Wiggly Bunnies and Other Easter Bits
I always look forward to the Easter holiday, and this year was no exception. In order to comply with German labor laws, I had to use up a few remaining vacation days from 2015, and I chose to use those in the days leading up to Easter weekend. I had no plans other than to relax and just hang out.
Things got off to an interesting start one morning as I entered my kitchen to make a coffee. As I rounded the corner from the hallway, my left slipper went flying off my foot and hit the far wall. "What the hell?" I thought to myself, as a I retrieved my slipper and noticed that the sole had become detached from the top. Ah well, it might be time to buy a new pair.
Indoor footwear issues aside, I stayed true to my plan of just doing whatever the hell I felt like during the break, which was very little. One day, I decided to brush up on a few finger exercises on the piano, which led to a bit of a marathon session where I played a lot of Joe Jackson songs. During said session, I discovered that I had been using the wrong chord combination on one of my favorites, so spent a fair amount re-learning the correct chord sequence.
I made sure to get all the necessary grocery shopping completed early, so as to avoid the masses; people tend to shop the day immediately before a public holiday like they are preparing for Armageddon. Therefore, Maundy Thursday proves to be an absolute rodeo at the store, as people are running around stocking up on loads of things. For my small household, it was a simple task, made that much simpler without having to put up with a bunch of frantic shoppers.
On Good Friday, I caught up with my sister for a couple of hours on Skype. I shared a little video that a friend had shown me earlier in the week about two little pandas and their 100 days of life. I quite like videos like this (it is the "awwwwww" factor) and was certain that my sister would enjoy it, too.
The weather was mostly rainy in the days leading up to the weekend, but Saturday brought some sunny weather. The owner of a little shop across the street from my flat always has a little gathering. A guy dresses up as an Easter Bunny and stands outside offering chocolates to passing children, and shots of Eierlikör, which is basically a souped-up shot of an egg based schnapps. It certainly is an acquired taste, and is not my thing at all. However, there were plenty of beers available, so we all stood outside and enjoyed the afternoon sunshine. The beer kept flowing for several hours, so a little later after the sun had set, it got a bit chillier, but all in all it made for a very nice day. Thumbs up once again to the joys of standing around outside on a street corner enjoying a bottle of beer. Talk about a block party...
Because of the beer intake on Saturday evening, I had a bit of an early night (after attacking a bag of tostitos) and woke up Easter Sunday to the time change feeling pretty OK. Once again, we had a bit of morning rain, and I spent the time enjoying a few coffees and listening to music.
My sister sent me a little skype message emoticon of an Easter Bunny (complete with wiggly tail), and during the afternoon, I was pleased to see the sun come out. I elected to go sit on a patio and listen to the "quiet" of the neighborhood. Hardly anyone was out all, save for a few people taking some walks around the city, or at least my little corner of the city. I appreciate these few occasions when the city is so still and quiet. Absolutely no hustle and bustle whatsoever.
A friend joined me outside for a beer, and again, I was able to appreciate the spirit of the moment, simply having a quiet, relaxing weekend.
Monday was our final holiday of the Easter break, and I didn't too much more than visit the gym for an hour, then hang about one last day before returning to work.
Boring? No, not at all.
Quiet? Absolutely. Like a library.
Of course, I was back to work on Tuesday, but with the knowledge that it would be a short work week, and sure enough, here it is Friday noon, and I am prepping for another weekend. I will likely be a bit more lively this weekend, perhaps like a wiggly bunny, albeit without the costume.
see you out there
bryan
Things got off to an interesting start one morning as I entered my kitchen to make a coffee. As I rounded the corner from the hallway, my left slipper went flying off my foot and hit the far wall. "What the hell?" I thought to myself, as a I retrieved my slipper and noticed that the sole had become detached from the top. Ah well, it might be time to buy a new pair.
Indoor footwear issues aside, I stayed true to my plan of just doing whatever the hell I felt like during the break, which was very little. One day, I decided to brush up on a few finger exercises on the piano, which led to a bit of a marathon session where I played a lot of Joe Jackson songs. During said session, I discovered that I had been using the wrong chord combination on one of my favorites, so spent a fair amount re-learning the correct chord sequence.
I made sure to get all the necessary grocery shopping completed early, so as to avoid the masses; people tend to shop the day immediately before a public holiday like they are preparing for Armageddon. Therefore, Maundy Thursday proves to be an absolute rodeo at the store, as people are running around stocking up on loads of things. For my small household, it was a simple task, made that much simpler without having to put up with a bunch of frantic shoppers.
On Good Friday, I caught up with my sister for a couple of hours on Skype. I shared a little video that a friend had shown me earlier in the week about two little pandas and their 100 days of life. I quite like videos like this (it is the "awwwwww" factor) and was certain that my sister would enjoy it, too.
The weather was mostly rainy in the days leading up to the weekend, but Saturday brought some sunny weather. The owner of a little shop across the street from my flat always has a little gathering. A guy dresses up as an Easter Bunny and stands outside offering chocolates to passing children, and shots of Eierlikör, which is basically a souped-up shot of an egg based schnapps. It certainly is an acquired taste, and is not my thing at all. However, there were plenty of beers available, so we all stood outside and enjoyed the afternoon sunshine. The beer kept flowing for several hours, so a little later after the sun had set, it got a bit chillier, but all in all it made for a very nice day. Thumbs up once again to the joys of standing around outside on a street corner enjoying a bottle of beer. Talk about a block party...
Because of the beer intake on Saturday evening, I had a bit of an early night (after attacking a bag of tostitos) and woke up Easter Sunday to the time change feeling pretty OK. Once again, we had a bit of morning rain, and I spent the time enjoying a few coffees and listening to music.
My sister sent me a little skype message emoticon of an Easter Bunny (complete with wiggly tail), and during the afternoon, I was pleased to see the sun come out. I elected to go sit on a patio and listen to the "quiet" of the neighborhood. Hardly anyone was out all, save for a few people taking some walks around the city, or at least my little corner of the city. I appreciate these few occasions when the city is so still and quiet. Absolutely no hustle and bustle whatsoever.
A friend joined me outside for a beer, and again, I was able to appreciate the spirit of the moment, simply having a quiet, relaxing weekend.
Monday was our final holiday of the Easter break, and I didn't too much more than visit the gym for an hour, then hang about one last day before returning to work.
Boring? No, not at all.
Quiet? Absolutely. Like a library.
Of course, I was back to work on Tuesday, but with the knowledge that it would be a short work week, and sure enough, here it is Friday noon, and I am prepping for another weekend. I will likely be a bit more lively this weekend, perhaps like a wiggly bunny, albeit without the costume.
see you out there
bryan
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