That's the way it goes...

Have you ever noticed that many relationships you have with things around you are a love/hate relationships (not necessairly with people).

Like midday naps: I love the sleep- I hate waking up.

Or chocolate: I love the taste- I hate the guilt.

Or the internet: I love the entertainment- I hate the distraction.

Or relationships: I love the excitement- I hate how my mind overthinks everything.

Yep. The world is made of love/hate relationships. It's that whole "silver lineing thing". :)

So, let's see. What's new? Yesterday I went over to Patrice's. I got my but kicked on Playstation 2 again. I'm not sure what the game is called, it's Something Force and here's how badly my butt was kicked. He scores 56 kills. I had 13. I'm such a sad little killer. I'm like the poodle someone has named Killer, Spike, or OMG-I'm-a-really-terrifyingly-aggressive-dog. *hangs head in shame*. But on the positive side- Patrice cooked some truely awesome Lasagna. (no recipe just throwing things in and looking very chef-ish). I'm truely impressed and humbled by his cooking skills. (Unfortunately he has revealed his talent and therefore will be required to do repeat performances. HA!)

Then we watched Pirates of the Caribbean- Dead Man's Chest on German television. That's right, in GERMAN! Watch me rock the multi-cultural thing. Overall a really great time.

What the f*** do I do with all these?

Today is one of those days where either A.) I've got a lot to say. Or B.) I'm spending to much time in front of the computer. You choose. I just wanted to post something- then I thought "But this is a blog about me being an au pair- I need to focus." But then I woke up and realized that I'm always posting stuff that has no real revelance. (occassionally, yes- normally? no.)

So Here's my thing. See these?
Do you know what these are? These are tolietpaper rolls which the girls have been collecting for craft projects since forever (okay abou two months) but I'm seriously running out of places to put these suckers. We did one craft project with them and they just keep bring them to me.
I'm not kidding you when I tell you they have found their way home from the kids' afterschool activities. i.e. Gym. I really don't know what I'm going to do when they start bringing them home from their friends' houses. I think I'll let Dorothee explain that one if the parents start noticing.

Blogs Blogs everywhere- But where are the cool ones?

Okay, so I'm surfing the web, and trying to figure out exactly where I can find blogs that are funny, cool, and have things to say that I care about. I've tried going to blogs I like then jumping from one to another trying to find ones to follow for the fun of it, but it's actually not that easy.

I've tried looking them up online by subject- but there aren't many au pair bloggers out there. (I'm like the last unicorn- and the ark is leaving). I even thought "Hey, Blogspot has a daily Blog of Note" thing- I can go look there. (Personally I don't know how they come up with these people). Though-truth be told- I'm curious. Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to ask my readers to submit cool blogs (your own, or others you enjoy) and I'm going to link to them (assuming you aren't someone who just posts other peoples' pictures). Or if you can tell me where to find cool ones, I would really appreicate that too. If you find anything that makes you go:

Hmmm

WOW!

or

OMG THAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!!!

Please send them to me.

I will continuing searching and I promise that I will only link to cool ones that fall into one of the above categories. In fact- I will go categorize them as such. :D

Okay... that wasn't expected

All for naught. I was in bed by 2:30am. I figured little party girls would be wanting to stay out later, but nope. I'm sure they may have stayed out later, but Sarah's eye was acting funky- (turns out she went to an emergency eye doctor and she has pink eye.) So in deference to her feeling crappy, we all went home early.

Oh, and happiness- I can report that wax earplugs work far better than foam ones. This morning I was awoken at 8am by the vibrations of my bed. (get your mind out of the gutter). I went into the hall and saw the light on in Paula's room. There she is jumping around dancing with a crown on her head while Bob Sinclair's "Everybody Move" blasted from a McDonald's kid's meal toy. I didn't hear the music until I was in her room. How the heck she considers this "being quiet until her alarm goes off" I really don't know.

2 am Sleepy Time

Okay so today is Melly's surprise birthday party. I know Melly is a real partygirl- she's happy if she gets to stay out partying until 6am. (I normally am ready to curl up on a corner of the dancefloor and sleep by 2am). So this afternoon I bought earplugs- slept from 2pm to 5pm and am hoping this will buying some time. Hope. But I seriously don't like trying to wake up from mid-day naps. Ugh. We'll see how long I'll make it.

I don't like it when the natives are restless

There is nothing creepier than what just happened to me. I'm sitting at my computer happily working away while Carola colors with crayons at the dining room table, and Paula plays with her puzzles in her room. Suddenly I can feel someone staring at me, and I turn to find myself 6 inches from Paula's face. She was just standing there STARING AT ME!! It was creepy. (I told her so).

She was wanting to know if her friend was home. How am I supposed to know? I really don't have any clue. Today has already been a very long day, and it is only 3:37pm. Reason for long length? Paula is wanting me to entertain her. Her friends are unavailable. I've set her to doing crafts, reading books, bicycling, doing puzzles, and nothing is working. ... Great! Now she's taken to staring at Carola. (I just got complaints) It's pretty bad when the kid starts coming towards you and you can say "No I don't know if your friend is home, no you can't stare at your sister, no you can't have gum, and no you aren't painting anymore. Anymore questions?" and the kid turns back around. Because this means that you have already answered the previous questions so many times that you know what the questions are before being asked.... again. It's going to be a loooong day.

Yay!

See anything different? That's right! It's a cooler looking blog! I've been searching since... well- about nine months now, for a better looking blog template. I want cool! I want something original! I see all these other cool looking blogs and I think *sigh* "I want". This isn't exactly one-of-a-kind but I do like it. PRETTY!!! Thanks to Lena @ http://www.simplyfabulousbloggertemplates.com/

Hmmm... A Theory.

Okay, so I think I have it. I figured it out while I was watching Grey's Anatomy last night. There was this episode where they had to perform surgery on this woman whose chemo drugs had evidently mixed badly with these herbal things that the woman was taking, and during surgery the surgeons were dropping like flies because her blood was toxic. (Not like they were drinking it, but that it was an airborne toxin.) What does this have to do with anything? Easy- this is a perfect example of what happens to me everytime I sit down to do that stupid Descartes paper. I'm focussed, I'm focussed, I'm foc... oh look, a butterfly- that's cool butterfly- do you think they get to choose their color or does it just happen, if I could be a certain kind of butterfly I'd want to be one of those kickass bright blue ones from the Amazon- I remember seeing them on this computer game I used play in elementary school- I can remember what they are called, but they look so pretty. It's like the perfect shade of blue... where was I?

Oh yes, the fact that when Descartes, like the woman on Grey's Anatomy, comes around- my brain cells start dropping like flies. It's true. I personally think this is an interesting phenomoenon. Don't you?

Woo hoo!

So I'm like freakin' eccstatic because my knitting/crocheting (crocheting for me, knitting for everyone else- because I'm a knitting retard) group. We met every week back in the fall, then November hit, and holidays came and the fit hit the shan and everyone was too busy to get together. I've been afraid that we were just going to stop all together, but it looks like we will be starting again tomorrow. Which makes me very happy. :) <- see, a smilely face!

So we are meeting and I get to show them all the cool things I've been working on. No, really, check it.

See? I'm amazing!

Pro-Procrastination Inclined

Don't you hate those days where you have lots and lots to do. But you just can't get yourself motivated? You know you should just jump in and get the stuff done because procrastination is not your friend- but you can't summon up the will to care. Yep- that's today. It's days like this I think I need a keeper. lol.

I met up with Patrice last night and we played video games (I got my ass kicked, but in my defense- I'd never played those games before.) It was really fun. I was surprised when he said that I'm the only girl he's ever played video games with. I just shrugged and said I grew up with an older brother- I played video games a lot. I think I'm going to have to go into Stuttgart and get Mario Kart, Golden Eye or something so I can kick his ass for once. ;) Anyways then we hung out for a while, watched Scrubs and later went into Stuttgart for Mickey D's. :D Nummy Nummy. Poor guy though, he had to pick up his rental car because he has to travel 4.5 hours to Dusseldorf for a work thing tomorrow. But that's not the worst- he has to get up at 5 to get there for the meeting. Ugh. That would realllly suck. I thought it was funny, he was complaining about his rental being a POS. I looked at the Mercades emblem and thought "How bad can it be?" Besides, he sure looked like he was having fun driving it. He says he's going to destroy the engine. (I think this is probably why he uses rentals for work). ;)

Okay, well, I suppose I should go back to trying to get my ass into gear. Work Tiffany, Work. FOCUS!!! lol.

Updates Abound

I can happliy report that the guy, Patrice, I met last... well, I guess it was a week ago last Wednesday... well, he's not a weirdo. He's a sweetie and I'm meeting up with him again today. Guy thinks he can beat me on N64. Ha! He's going down.

In other news, I am working like mad on my Descartes paper- yep, it's still not done, I'm a dumbass and I have limited time to finish. But I'm going to get the SOB done, that's fo' sure.

Other than those two things there's not a lot happening here. My parents are preparing to come visit me in May. They want me to plan the whole trip- which I can totally do. However they need to let me know where they want to go. (this is key) because otherwise it's not easy to plan. Maybe I should just book everything and let them be surprised. That would be nice yes? ;)

Evil-osity

Haha ha. um, I mean Muah ha ha. Yes, that's more like it.

Sometimes it's good to be evil. Okay, so not really evil but definately not nice.

1. Carola's in her room screaming (because I wouldn't do her homework for her). I choose (after listening to her for thirty minutes) to listen to my ipod while hanging the laundry. This girl is realllly loud, so I sing along with the music. Evidently my singing along to the songs does a good job indicating to her that I'm not listening to the tantrum. (I'm surprised she still has a voice). It was kind of funny,- in a way which can be found after a good deal of screaming has been inflicted on your eardrums.

2. Carola talked with her mom after bathtime and Dorothee decided she could finish her homework in the morning since she sounded really tired on the phone (and I can imagine that after the above she probably was). I'm washing Paula's hair when Carola comes in and in a sing-song voice tells me "I don't have to do my homework to night!" (a very nana-nana- na- na tone). She was smiling in a gloating way. But she forgot one thing. "Okay, then it's time for bed. Good night Carola." Smile falls. (She forgot I'm the boss.) That had me smiling while I finished drying Paula's hair.

Muah ha. Muah ha.

Has the curse been broken?

Okay, call me a glutton for punishment. I'm not sure if I have explained every little detail here, but suffice to say that when it comes to dating in Germany I seem to attract every sociopath within a 20km radius. Pathetic really. Well, I went to meet the... (fourth?)... one in a long stream of failures last night. But guess what? He's not weird! (Which is probably a miracule). We had fun, went for pizza at an italian restaurant, went to a cool coffee place then went dancing at a club. It was nice and normal. Lots of fun. (Maybe the curse is broken. Or is that too much to hope for?) Anyways, it's just nice to have someone to hang out with. (I may be speaking too soon, nothing against him. I just have lousy luck.)

In the morning both Dorothee and Alex asked me a lot of questions about my date and Patrice. It was really funny. I sometimes feel that I've got another set of parent's here watching out for me. It's nice.

Alex thinks it is horrible that when the date ended, Patrice (the guy) asked me if I thought it was a successful date. I told him that I figured it was, since both of his eyes could move. (that was the part Alex can't believe I said. But hey, it's honest.)

Two Rants for the Price of One

This blog post has two purposes.

First part is entitled: Things I didn't know before.

Second part is entitled: Where the f*$& is civilization?

THINGS I DIDN'T KNOW BEFORE

Oh, becoming an au pair is easy. You find a family, you like the family, you come to live with the family (assuming the family likes you) but it's more than that. (You really have to focus on the living with the family part. Because that's what you are doing. ) This is totally unlike the roommates you have had in the past who annoy the hell out of you, eat your food, and run up and down the stairs drunk. With roommates you can scream, bitch, and ignore them if it comes to that. You can even move out when you are tired of dealing with it. No, this is an actual family with their own way of doing things, kids who you have to always be on your best behavior in front of, and you live where you work. (which means "no, you don't just say quits".) And, (this is important), there is no actual "end" to the work day. (anyone who tells you different is lying.) This means that if you are home, you are on call. Don't get me wrong, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'm just trying to point out the differences. The biggest one, is that they have a different way of doing things. Which takes time to get used to. Me? I'm tiptoeing around landmines, or at least it feels that way. But I will say this- because I live where I work, and the boss's (Dorothee's) word is law, it has caused me to be a lot less disorganized then I normally am. Oh I still have, as Dorothee refers to them, "Pigeon Droppings" but they are of a lesser amount than with my previous roommates.
Most Roommates that I have had have ended badly. With three down (not counting suitemates) I'm the common factor in these relationships. So maybe I'm the bad roommate. It's completely possible, but with the subordinate relationship, I've had to a lot more shutting my mouth and nodding then I would normally stomach in a straight roommate relationship. This is most likely a good thing for me. But it's not easy.

But back to the family part. Families have dramas, sometimes big, sometimes small. Sometimes happy, sometimes... not so much. I think being an au pair can have a big effect on you. For instance: being an au pair teaches you that all families are different, and most likely they have different ways of doing things (this is especially true when you are an au pair overseas). Being an au pair can also teach you that you aren't ready for kids of your own. I'm sure there have even been a few au pairs in the past who have done their time then run to the nearest gyno screaming "TIE THE TUBES!!!" But these cases are far and few between. You get to witness the happy moments, like when Carola reads English for the first time and you realize "Holy Shit! This six year old can read two languages while I'm still working on the first!" Or when Paula takes to repeating things you say like "Bow chicka Brown Cow" (the punchline from a favorite joke, which sounds really cute coming from a four year old). or when little Jane forgets her homework for the umpteenth time and you watch the mom fly into a tailspin. (Dynamics, it's all about dynamics) I'm not really sure what the point of this part of the post is. I think, mostly to talk about somethings that I have been on my mind recently. I think that my decision to become an au pair was (to this point) the most influential decision I've ever made. I don't know what the total outcome will be (that may need to be assessed 10 years down the road) but I know now that it's been educational and interesting if nothing else.

WHERE THE F*$& IS CIVILIZATION?

This could be a problem totally unique to me. But if it is, then I would be completely surprised. I came to small village in the near-osity of a major metropolis. This means- while there isn't much (read- anything) to do here, there is the possiblity of things to do about 45 minutes away. Problem- all of my friends here in Germany live at least 45 minutes in the opposite direction. Meaning- I'm stuck. And don't even think about finding someone off the internet to hang out with. Because Trust Me. They are all weirdos. Like this guy who messaged me on Kwick the other day. (Kwick is like Myspace for Germany- my German friends made me get an account.) Anyways. He messaged me because he wanted to know if I was interested in a one-night-stand. I replied "No thanks. But I appreicate the knowledge that you think I'm a slut. Good Day." Then followed it with a smily face doing the L on the forehead gesture. I think he got the message. Do you see my frustration? Here's what I want: A intelligent human being who lives near me to hang out with. Movies, walking around Stuttgart, or having dinner. Just friends. I don't even care about gender. I didn't think this was too much to ask. But I'm obviously taxing the cosmos' abilities here. Ugh.

Tragic.

Wow. Proof that terrible things can happen anywhere. This morning a 17 year old kid went into his old Realschule (like a high school) and just began shooting people. There are 16 dead at last count. The scary thing to me, is that this happened about 12 miles from where I am now. Here's a video for more information.



My Prayers go to the families and friends of the people in Winnenden.

Introducing....

My Blog- Now bringing you MUSIC!!!

Today's playlist features Fall Out Boy, Fall Out Boy... and yep. More. I can't afford the CD, so you get to listen to it on my blog. I like the first song (the one you are currently listening to if you haven't muted it) It's called Tiffany Blews. Though Tiffany is never once mentioned in the song. Cool though. Anyways, Enjoy. (Thanks Dorothee, your website with dessert on it gave me the idea. Thanks!)

Here's My Analogy

Okay okay. I got this. Check it:

My Analogy regarding my decision about where to go from here...

So I am like 8 feet out on a branch that's 84,743ft above the ground. (it's my tree, trust me, it is exactly that high up)

So I'm on this tree branch (location- Germany) and the ground is my family, the branch connecting to trunk is the US, and further out on the branch is Europe.

Now I have to make decisions. It's not quite possible for me to go back to my family after I have climbed so far up, but the US is possible- it's stable, I've been there before and I can cling to it.

But further out on the branch is Europe- the possiblity of me staying on in Europe. It's intriguing, it's scary, but it's exciting. But there's a possiblity the branch could snap under me and send me hurtling back to my family (and possibly break my poor little body).

Randomness Abounds Here

I especially surprise myself sometimes. Dorothee commented on how many times I have been to the gym this week, and even I was impressed. That's right. Tiffany's going to be a rock body soon. Well, in theory at least. But this is a switch from 6 months ago when I nearly never went. Now I'm running, walking, lifting, pulling and going for a swim afterwards. I am impressive, let me tell you.

Now my other big news. I have reached the half way mark in one of my classes and am now ready to take the midterm. (Granted, I'm still struggling with Rene Descartes. I hate him soooo much.) But pop cult. in the 1960s is interesting at least and I'm going to kick its little booty. Yay! Okay, so that's nearly all... no, wait. I went and saw Benjamin Button at the local theater. It was good. I enjoyed. It was very Notebook-ish. It was good. Anyways. Peace out!

Oh, and I want Fall Out Boy's new CD. There's a song on it called "Tiffany Blews" not once in the song is my name mentioned. But I still like it. That's all.

The Amazing Farting Fish!!!

Oh, yeah. So I'm real mature.

I randomly ran across this article and I nearly died laughing. The title is: Flatulence from aquatic animals adding to greenhouse gases. To which I say: "Ha! Take that Gore. It ain't just us Humans, it's also the tooting tuna. The farting flounder. The Cheese cutting carp. The gas passing porpus. The... well you get it. No longer can you simply point the finger at the Human race and say "You DID this!" Now you must also look to the odorous octopus and say: "Beano my tentacled friend. Beano."

Read Article Here: http://www.expatica.com/de/news/local_news/Flatulence-from-aquatic-animals-adding-to-greenhouse-gases-_50228.html