Today it was a lovely sunny day. Today I:

• Went for a run to the local palace and watched the duckies waddle around the waterway 
• Sunbaked in the park opposite my apartment and saw little insects getting their springtime action on
• Rode my bike to work and read interesting articles about management and strategy

Highlights of Thursday's adventure at Paulaner am Nockherberg (for Starkbierfest):

1. Dr. Evil's Doppelganger's maß of Salvator knocked over

2. Dr. Evil's Doppelganger given the middle finger

3. Dr. Evil's Doppelganger angry

4. Prosting so hard a maß was broken

5. Free taxi ride home

Scott Robson's blog details the above enough and reveals the cause/culprit of each item listed so I won't bother.

Andere Addie and myself on the tables

Yesterday, Andere Addie and myself accompanied an Australian couple, Tim and Dana, to a wine-tasting event at Deutsches Museum. So many best parts of the evening. 

Firstly, it was such an unexpected and huge delight to be able to speak in the exact non-actual-English tongue that I normally use at home. Here I automatically adjust the vocab I use to avoid having to explain things. Usually this means fuller sentences and proper words in place of abbreviations, and therefore far more effort. 

It was also very encouraging to learn that they both came here with no German skills, and both managed to find jobs in order to extend their visas within the 1 year window. I start applications again tomorrow...

Another best part of the evening - Munich. Admittedly, 4 hours of wine-tasting may have had something to do with mine and Addie's loud, shameless and breathless admissions of love for our new home as we rode along the Isar, past majestic buildings the like of which will never be seen in our own countries, because they 'just don't make things like they used to'.

   

By the time we got to the party (theme: Under the Sea), we were pretty tired but donned our costumes (speedos) only to receive tiring comments about the amount of skin showing... I was wearing tights man!!  And so we had a beer, ate genuine McDonalds chicken nuggets which I managed to purchase for 2.10euro per kilo, wasabi frischkäse, cake and rode home. Past the majestic buildings with more breathless 'Omg I love Munich's'. 

We had intended to see out the end of Paulaner's Starkbierfest in our Dirndls tonight, but the risk of a re-run of Thursday sent us instead to our favourite brauhaus, Weisses Brauhaus, for a more civilised evening with starkbier. 

I realise this entire post has been about evenings with alcohol... but that's not my whole life here. I had a falafel on the way home too. 

I love LIDL

Riding home from LIDL today I saw the funniest thing ever at Gern U-bahn station. Gern, by the way, is a quiet, residential area and it was mid-afternoon on a pretty miserable Saturday when I saw this dude:

He was actually a very handsome young man in quite a snappy suit but so wasted. I wish I had a better pic but I watched him for a good couple of minutes standing at the traffic lights, so confused as to what to do with himself. What he needed to do was cross the road but I think he forgot that was his original intention and instead kept switching focus between the gigantic bottle of Sekt (champagne) and the blow-up mattress. He would take a swig of champers, subsequently lose control of the mattress and readjust his carrying position, then remember the Sekt... and back and forth his focus went. 


Just after that I was on my way to meet my new language swap partner Basti when he rang to ask me when I wanted to meet... apparently the msg I sent from Skype didn't work. So we'll meet tomorrow. I'm so nervous because my German is so bad and his English is awesome, even uses slang properly :/


The SKA concert last night was actually pretty good, very very international crowd and cool music but just a bit too much jumping around. And I unleashed my inner-Irma (scary feminist tendencies) on poor Lexy when discussing directions to get there and home... sorry Lex.  

 Quesadillas and bier with Erin and Lex before concert

 The moment we found Erin's keys after she beat herself up 

about being irresponsible...and they were in my pocket... 

 Yes, I am really 25 years old.

To add to the list of wonderful things about Munich is that people take their dogs everywhere and they are all so well-behaved. Today I saw one chillin with his owner in the changing room at Zara! 
There is only one thing that makes me want to settle down and start being old and having committments, and that is dogs. 


Right now I'm going to get some phone credit from the African man at Hauptbahnhof and then go to Tiina's (yes, tiiiina) bday. 

Corn Chippies

Eating corn chips at my desk. Reminds me of my dad. 
My free sample Nivea deo scent reminds me of Peru. 
This makes me want to learn Spanish again.
Which reminds me that I'm in Germany and need to do some German today. 
Which makes me think I need to get a coffee to do so. Which makes me think of the Tiger Chai coffee with a shot of Chai at San Francisco Coffee Club down the street, which makes me look out the window to judge the weather and whether it's worth going which makes me turn away in disgust because its cloudy, turn my head back towards the corn chips and start this all over again.


Aside from this ridiculous procrastination I did write a cover letter for a dream job today - strategic consulting in life sciences / healthcare industry. Lucky I brought my suit here! Also about to write a nice letter to a nice Prof named Reiner who will maybe want to supervise me getting nerdy and doing a phd here.


Before I continue with my day...

 My little cactus, unnamed (free acquisition, thanks Kai)

 My cool hat from Flohmarkt at Olympia Park

 My TV got taken away, so this is another (sneaky) free acquisition in its place.

Left to right: Angie, Dino, ChrisT, Zogibear

 My iPod screen when it's actually on. 

Can't choose what I want to listen to so I have to limit myself to choice of music and it's pretty bad if I accidentally set it to repeat! Right now Snoop and Wir Sind Helden. 

Ok, prof letter now. 
Later, quesadillas and a ska concert. Never heard of this before but i think I can wear my new hat there.

Email students, apply 2 x job, upload photos, hunt suitable phd, 200 situps...

Dear IOC,

Please make List Writing an official Olympic sport. 

Sincerely,

Adamina 

 An assortment of lists written today. 

Of more than 20 tasks on list on right, number accomplished: 2

(Accomplished tasks: email student, buy tea) 

While writing lists and then procrastinating about doing anything on them, I spent a good while meditating on the rainy view outside my window. This Deutsche Post man was the bright spark of my morning, check out his (training) wheels!

 

Training wheels at front. Poor dude was soaking.  

 Housemate Madeleine & bro Arnold making Ćevapčići from scratch!

This evening, Erin, die Andere Addi, myself and Mayda made a feral amount of nachos before heading to Ryan's Muddy Boots for St. Patty's day which was just like Melbourne Cup Day - only tolerable if you're as boozed as everybody else, or rolling in it, and we fit neither description so I was home by 22.30.

Erin with my new umbrella. Way too expensive but the pop out mechanism is so smooth.

To-Do List for Friday

• Make list of places to go when parents come to Europe
• Make list of healthy meals to avoid eating crap all the time
• Make list of tongue twisters for student that can't say 'th'
• Make more succinct to-do-list for Thursday's leftover to-do's
• Try to do at least one sub to-do of one to-do on one of the lists

Gastro Sensations - the good kind

It's been a long time.

I thought I'd break the silence with an expression of gastronomic satisfaction following my weekly visit to Bergwolf for Currywurst mit Pommes Rotweiss (hacked up bratwurst with fat chips, t-sauce and mayo, all slathered in a no-doubt MSG-laden Dream-Curry-Sauce) and beer. 

Last week I switched to the Veggiwurst version for health reasons.

The problem is, now I have to wait a whole week to feel this satisfaction again, but the MSG withdrawl is already setting in.

On the bright side, I have Enchilada night at Erin's house to look forward to on Sunday.

Enchilada night no. 1: Erin supervising

Me, Erin, Kai and Mayda taking Sherby Shots out of dainty cups post Enchiladas

Last Sunday: 2 of the CurrywurstWednesdayClub members having a BBQ in the Hirschgarten (the little thing on the ground the smoke is billowing out from, it's not actually coming from Jared's ass)

Left to right: Jared (CWWC Member), Farah, Scott, The Other Addie (just as cool) (CWWC Member)

Lead me not into temptation... (battlegrounds I face in Munich)

• Supermarkets. Today I entered Penny to pick up 2 necessities (forgotten the min I stepped inside). I emerged 40 mins later with my handbag full and arms overflowing (plastic bags aren't free here) with 4 jars and 4 packets of Mexican spices, corn chips, salsa, Nutella, ham, pickles and G knows what else. I don't have a clue how to make Mexican food.
• The price of beer. It's far too low.
• My goodlooking blonde English students. Now I want to be blonde too but that's expensive. 

Bis Bald :)