In 2005, I was actively not watching television, save for some early morning football matches during the weekend. Dramas, crime shows, and sitcoms were just not interesting to me at the time. Despite my appreciation for some British broadcasting, I was always annoyed when I heard about yet another US remake of a British film or show.
And that is why I completely missed The Office.
By 2006, I was no longer in the US, and had relatively little access to any US television programming, which pretty much was fine by me. That said, I continued to keep up with films, and managed to make a decent collection of DVDs, including a mix of indie films, old standbys, Hollywood hits, and a nice amount of European films. From time to time I would see a comedy film from the states, and as I checked the actor's bios, regularly saw that one or more had been in the cast of The Office.
Once or twice, I wondered if I should perhaps check that show out, just to see what all the fuss had been about. I have become a fan of Steve Carell over the years, and I consider him to be particularly funny in many of his roles.
At the start of this year, The Office popped up on netflix, and I decided to watch an episode or two.
And of course I got hooked.
So, my month of February has included me watching the entire series. To some extent, so much English language broadcasting has not done my German skills any favors, but once I got into the series, there was NO WAY I was not going to finish.
During this same period, I continued rereading the familiar stories of Ian Rankin. I started just before Christmas, and this past week finished the latest novel. Thus, I have read 8 novels so far this year, and while some people might argue that it does not count if it is a repeat, I have already expressed my opinion on that. Besides, there is just something about rereading good literature that comforts the soul.
And it also makes me a little sad. I get very emotional at the end of something that I find meaningful, including mentioned series of books, or a good vacation, or a good visit with friends and family, or the conclusion of a really good television series.
This week stands out as a really shitty week, considering the sad state of the world. My heart, thoughts, and prayers are with the citizens of a country who have just been invaded, and those thoughts and prayers are for the rest of the world, too, as it just seems unfathomable that we just do not seem to be learning from our past.
Part of me felt a little guilty for escaping into my books and my show, but I needed it, all the same.
As I finished the latest Rebus, I just reflected on how great that series has developed, and reminded myself of all the good discussions I have had with other fans of the series over the past years.
Then came Friday evening, and I sat down to watch the final episodes of The Office. The finale, itself, was absolutely incredible, and I was just overwhelmed with emotion. I am kind of glad that I watched all of the seasons in a condensed time period; I am not sure I would have found it as entertaining I had watched it on a weekly basis over nine years. On the other hand, I might not have been so blown over emotionally I had spread the viewings out over time.
At any rate, despite the heavy emotions, my heart just felt fuzzy as the television series came to an end. What a heartwarming finale, and again, a brilliant show.
With a couple of deep breaths, I am ready to renew my efforts on German language broadcasting, in the interest of continuing my language learning and cultural education. I mention this, because once or twice during the month, I did notice that I was suffering from the "if you don't use it, you lose it," situation.
Fortunately, I can remedy that very quickly. In fact, Friday afternoon was a perfect reminder that I am still deep in the German way of life.
There is a little stoplight down the street from my flat. The intersection is at Funffingerplätchen, which is where five little streets all intersect with one another.
I do not want to complicate the explanation, but the streets are either super busy with traffic, or absolutely empty. In fact, the stoplights turn off in the late evening, around 22h, as there is simply no need.
But, there are plenty of pedestrians, cyclists, e-scooter riders, along with various autos and delivery trucks, so it behooves one to pay attention.
Back to the stoplight, it has a crosswalk (known as der Zebrastreifen, Pablo), and while the crosswalk is barely two lanes wide, it does have the little button that you press so that the traffic light will change to green so that pedestrians can safely cross the street.
Friday afternoon, I wanted to run a few quick errands during the lunch break, so after grabbing my shopping bags, I walked to the light and stood there along with other people, waiting for the light to change.
It was a particularly busy afternoon car-wise, so we all waited a few minutes, then continued waiting, as the light had not yet changed.
Everyone in the neighborhood knows about how long the light takes before changing, and once that time period passes, you starting wondering what the problem is.
Suddenly, the car traffic was gone, and still the light had not changed. By this time, there were quite a few pedestrians on either side of the street, all still waiting for the pedestrian light to turn green. Patience was starting to wane, especially as 3 minutes passed without a SINGLE car driving by.
Light still red.
Why hadn't someone gone ahead and crossed?
Because there was a child waiting with us.
And no one wanted to be the guy who defied the rules and did not set the example.
I was actually standing next to the mom and her son, and overheard them talking with each other, asking the logical question, "why is it taking so long?"
Finally, as we all still stood there and the light still had not changed, an older man announced, "Look, I am declaring that this light has turned green, and I am crossing. I have some place I need to be, and cannot wait any longer."
That was all we needed. People started looking both ways, then crossed the street and we got on with our lives.
The mother and her son were headed in my direction, and were walking just a few steps in front of me. Both kept looking back to see if the light had ever changed, and they continued this for the better part of the next block, until they no longer could see the stoplight that must have been malfunctioning.
I found the whole experience rather charming. People want to follow the rules, even in seemingly insignificant situations. We were all frustrated, not to mention a bit confused, but it all worked out in the end.
Minutes later, I was finished with my errands and returned to the same intersection on my way home.
Yep, the light was still red.
I looked to see if any children were standing around, then checked for traffic, then crossed safely, and continued on my way home.
Look both ways, and see you out there
Bryan
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