Montag, 7. August 2017
July 2017
durhamfamily, 15:15h
Hi Internet People
I have very little non-baby news for you. But I’ll fluff it up to balance out this post.
My parents visited for the first time in July. I thought they were coming in order to meet the baby, but they clearly came for Elizabeth and me. For two whole weeks, they pampered us by letting us sleep, cooking dinner, washing the pots and pans. I doubt life will be so easy ever again.
Very regrettably, I had to duck out halfway through my parents’ visit for a business trip…to Kentucky of all places. Elizabeth was understandably frustrated, as was I, but my parents didn’t let on to their frustration. In fact, rather than get mad, they embraced my departure as an opportunity to further help Elizabeth with the baby. They took what would’ve been a stressful time for Elizabeth and made it relaxing, a few times even going grocery shopping alone. Eventually they left, as well, leaving Elizabeth alone with the baby for 9 days. If you want details on that, you know who to ask.
Kentucky came and went in a flash. My flights were on weekdays, and I often worked late and then attended work-related evening activities, so I barely realized I was home. But it was great seeing the people I did see. Instead of a hotel, I stayed in my parents’ empty house with Buddy dog. That was nice. Buddy and I managed lots of little walks despite the mightily oppressive Kentucky weather. Without Buddy, I probably never would’ve ventured outside.
When I returned to Germany, everyone was alive and happy. Well, except for me since I didn’t sleep on the airplane. Never do. I watched Split…which I do not recommend, and I finished Lonesome Dove (the book). Today, though, everything is back to normal. The new normal, which involves significantly less sleep than the old normal. Elizabeth and I will get the hang of it eventually.
Yesterday I started reading The New Jim Crow for my book club. In general, I’m not reading as rapidly as I had been the first half of 2017, but I’m doing my best. I chalk it up to exhaustion. Even though I’m not busier (I’m arguably less busy), my mind is too muddled to process silly things like words and numbers. I like pictures now.
On a related note, my German language skills are plummeting, which is funny because, if you’d asked me earlier in the year, I would’ve said that my German “couldn’t be worse.” Well, it can, turns out. My only consolation is that I can pass on the lessons I’ve learned: Not everyone can learn a language from 3 years of immersion. Not everyone can learn a language from a year of private classes. Not everyone can learn a language from 1000+ hours of Duolingo and Memrise. In fact, some people may not be capable of learning another language at all, especially when they never learned one during school. Maybe it’s just me. I refuse to chat or socialize with anyone in any language. It’s a wonder I ever learned a functional amount of English. The worst is at the office. There, my silence is absolute because I don’t want my coworkers to speak in English, because it reminds me of how miserably I’ve failed. I’d rather keep in my silent bubble forever. I wonder how I’ve warped their perception of Americans…
Running is not going well. I’m on the hook to run a 10 K leg of a 50 K team race. This is the same race which I ran with Other Kyle two years ago, and so I know what I’m in for. The race is a hilly mess, and it will be the end of me. My team this year has particularly high hopes, which stresses me out because I’m not likely to meet expectations. It’s not such a big deal, I guess. The most I can do is report my current progress to Gerhard and let him decide if he wants to cut me. (If I’m cut, I wonder if I’ll be stupid enough to run the 50 K alone.)
That’s all for today. I’ll throw in some pretty pictures if I think of it. Until next time!
I have very little non-baby news for you. But I’ll fluff it up to balance out this post.
My parents visited for the first time in July. I thought they were coming in order to meet the baby, but they clearly came for Elizabeth and me. For two whole weeks, they pampered us by letting us sleep, cooking dinner, washing the pots and pans. I doubt life will be so easy ever again.
Very regrettably, I had to duck out halfway through my parents’ visit for a business trip…to Kentucky of all places. Elizabeth was understandably frustrated, as was I, but my parents didn’t let on to their frustration. In fact, rather than get mad, they embraced my departure as an opportunity to further help Elizabeth with the baby. They took what would’ve been a stressful time for Elizabeth and made it relaxing, a few times even going grocery shopping alone. Eventually they left, as well, leaving Elizabeth alone with the baby for 9 days. If you want details on that, you know who to ask.
Kentucky came and went in a flash. My flights were on weekdays, and I often worked late and then attended work-related evening activities, so I barely realized I was home. But it was great seeing the people I did see. Instead of a hotel, I stayed in my parents’ empty house with Buddy dog. That was nice. Buddy and I managed lots of little walks despite the mightily oppressive Kentucky weather. Without Buddy, I probably never would’ve ventured outside.
When I returned to Germany, everyone was alive and happy. Well, except for me since I didn’t sleep on the airplane. Never do. I watched Split…which I do not recommend, and I finished Lonesome Dove (the book). Today, though, everything is back to normal. The new normal, which involves significantly less sleep than the old normal. Elizabeth and I will get the hang of it eventually.
Yesterday I started reading The New Jim Crow for my book club. In general, I’m not reading as rapidly as I had been the first half of 2017, but I’m doing my best. I chalk it up to exhaustion. Even though I’m not busier (I’m arguably less busy), my mind is too muddled to process silly things like words and numbers. I like pictures now.
On a related note, my German language skills are plummeting, which is funny because, if you’d asked me earlier in the year, I would’ve said that my German “couldn’t be worse.” Well, it can, turns out. My only consolation is that I can pass on the lessons I’ve learned: Not everyone can learn a language from 3 years of immersion. Not everyone can learn a language from a year of private classes. Not everyone can learn a language from 1000+ hours of Duolingo and Memrise. In fact, some people may not be capable of learning another language at all, especially when they never learned one during school. Maybe it’s just me. I refuse to chat or socialize with anyone in any language. It’s a wonder I ever learned a functional amount of English. The worst is at the office. There, my silence is absolute because I don’t want my coworkers to speak in English, because it reminds me of how miserably I’ve failed. I’d rather keep in my silent bubble forever. I wonder how I’ve warped their perception of Americans…
Running is not going well. I’m on the hook to run a 10 K leg of a 50 K team race. This is the same race which I ran with Other Kyle two years ago, and so I know what I’m in for. The race is a hilly mess, and it will be the end of me. My team this year has particularly high hopes, which stresses me out because I’m not likely to meet expectations. It’s not such a big deal, I guess. The most I can do is report my current progress to Gerhard and let him decide if he wants to cut me. (If I’m cut, I wonder if I’ll be stupid enough to run the 50 K alone.)
That’s all for today. I’ll throw in some pretty pictures if I think of it. Until next time!
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arboretum,
Montag, 07. August 2017, 3:49 PM
I wonder how I’ve warped their perception of Americans…
Not at all, I guess. Americans are known for not speaking another language. And Schwäbisch Gmünd was the temporary home for a lot of Americans, the 56th Artillery Group was stationed there, the 55th Support Battalion and the 56th Artillery Brigade - later to be renamed 56th Field Artillery Command (equipped with Pershing missiles - now that was something a lot of West-Germans did mind in the 1980s).
Not at all, I guess. Americans are known for not speaking another language. And Schwäbisch Gmünd was the temporary home for a lot of Americans, the 56th Artillery Group was stationed there, the 55th Support Battalion and the 56th Artillery Brigade - later to be renamed 56th Field Artillery Command (equipped with Pershing missiles - now that was something a lot of West-Germans did mind in the 1980s).
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