This is The End

Yesterday was my last day at my job. This may shock you, but it's hard (though, admittedly, getting easier) to do a job on one side of an ocean when you're living on the other side. I loved my job, but sometimes, you just have to say adios (or auf wiedersehen) to something comfortable and delightful in order to move along to something mysterious and interesting. One of my goals in life is to become more mysterious and interesting, so this must mean I'm on my way, right?

Things I Will Miss About Having a Normal Job
-Office supplies
(orange post-its, hi-liters, binder clips, tabbies, Pendaflex, pretty ink pens) I was one of those kids who begged my mother to take me to work with her back before there was a "take your (insert PC offspring here) to work day." And my mom was an office manager. Early signs of geekdom, clearly.
-Dressing up
I try to tell myself that I can still wear those cute black heels while I'm cleaning the sink, but that seems more like a Twisted Sister video (or something even more unmentionable) than reality.
-Business cards
This sort of falls under the office supplies topic, but business cards merit their own category. They are personalized and printed on linen cardstock in two-color ink. Just thinking about them gives my structure-loving, rule-following soul the shivers. Nevermind that more than once I gave one away only to later find it forlornly floating in a mud puddle.
-Hallway gossip
There is no one to gossip about, or with, in my hallway at home. I don't even have any pets.
-Feeling competent all day long
It was nice to see my phone ringing and know, when I answered it, I would most likely be able to respond intelligently to any question and add the important nuances to the conversation and make the caller hang up feeling helped and positive. Soon, I will be lucky to know how to pick up the phone, let alone speak to the person at the other end in a language he or she might understand.
-Independent intellectual power
Yeah, I know more about this certain thing, this thing that I do five days a week and sometimes even more often, than any of my family members and all of my friends outside my workplace. I'm the one to go to for answers about this thing. Hear me roar.
-Smart and funny colleagues
I worked with some really bright people who liked to laugh. And they weren't people I would probably have met otherwise, and there are a few of them I probably won't ever see again.

Stay tuned, next time I'll list everything I won't miss about work. But first, I think I'll go take a midafternoon nap on a weekday since I'm still in my pajamas anyway...

Jon Stewart is my TV boyfriend

I'm not much of a politico, not that I don't have opinions (freely expressed here and elsewhere), but I tend to shy away from getting too 'involved.' Yes, I know, our country is going to hell in a handbasket because of people like me. Just thank your lucky stars I'm moving away.

Well, we disconnected our cable television this year in favor of high-speed internet access, so I actually missed the historic Tucker Carlson "stop hurting America" speech, which I probably wouldn't have seen anyway since it is on Crossfire, one of those 'political shows,' but have of course watched multiple times online now that my internet connection is fast enough. Before I move to a place where Comedy Central does not exist, I would like to pause for a moment and say to the world (well, to the internet) that I was a Jon Stewart fan back when he was in "Playing by Heart" as Gillian Anderson's love interest. My husband will attest that I had a crush on him back then, and everyone else who just discovered him should just back off. Even though I'm not that political, and as you have probably noted from the sidebar my main news source is E! online, I heart JS. Because he's my TV boyfriend.

My friend Sandi introduced me to the phrase TV boyfriend. Most everyone has them. They don't require monogamy, thank goodness, because David Duchovny used to be my TV boyfriend too, back when he was on TV. Maybe Gillian Anderson is actually my alter ego.

Der Travelogue

I am now sufficiently recovered from jet lag to make a report on our "Look and see" (credit Ute, our relocation consultant) trip to Germany.

My little diary:
Day 1 - Holy crap. This is the worst decision we've ever made. I hate it here. I am tired and I want to go to sleep. The traffic from Frankfurt to Nurnberg is terrible. Everyone is mean. The TV channels are all in German. It is hot.
Day 2 - Awesome! I love the cobblestones and the historic buildings here. Everything is so old, and yet we could actually live in one of these buildings. People are so nice, and willing to indulge our pathetic attempts to speak German. Jeff is just going to love his new job. The apartments here are really cool. I can't wait to go test drive a BMW or a Volkswagen.
Day 3 (very very early in the morning) - Why can't I sleep? I am worried about everything. Will I get fat because of all the sausage? What will I do with myself? What if Jeff doesn't like his new job? What if I can never learn German and can't speak to anyone and don't make any friends and become one of those wives who screeches at her husband when he comes home because he is the first human being she has seen all day long?
Day 3 - I am so glad I took that nap from 8-11am while Jeff went into the office. I feel much better now. The food here is really good, I love eating ham and cream cheese on a fresh roll for breakfast. I can't wait to buy a bicycle and ride across the cobblestones with a canvas bag full of fresh vegetables in the basket.
Day 4 - I am so tired. I want to sleep all day and then I'm awake all night. Can't they do something about this? Why is everyone so cheerful? Why do we have to answer so many questions? Didn't someone tell us that "they all speak English over there anyway?" They lied.

So, it was a little bit of an emotional roller coaster. But it was good to see exactly what we're getting ourselves into, and especially helpful to see our housing options. We are both looking forward to a time when we understand the street signs and can read a menu without a phrasebook (order the klein beer, not the gross).