The Creeping Crud

I've got what my dad would call "the creeping crud"- which basically means I'm sick. I started feeling sick last night. Then during the night I started sweating and having chills now. Now I'm completely feverish, still doing to sweating/chills thing, and my stomach is revolting against me. Ugghghh. I don't feel good.

And to make matters worse, my mind is being messed with again...I think... I don't know. God, I'm tired of this. I'm really ready to come home. That's one nice thing about coming back. I just get to drop the baggage off at the plane terminal and walk away from it. Let it solve itself and leave it at that.

I'm still working on my last paper. I'm going to rope some people into looking at it for me, then I'm going to send the sucker in and request my finals. Yay! I want to be done soooo much. One less thing to stress me out.

As far as my mind being messed with, I really want to go down to Fildorado and find out what is what, but I really don't feel well. I figure I'll see how I feel these evening and take it from there. I know where he is until 10:30pm. so I can always try to track him down. Unfortunately this crud has made me have to cancel my party plans with my friends tonight. Which really bums me out. But knowing how late they will want to stay out clubbing---it's just not a good idea.

Two Weeks and Counting...

I believe strongly that stomach flu should be like chicken pox- you should only have to suffer it once... of course, I was the kid who got it twice- even though that is NOT supposed to happen. What can I say? As one of my favorite book characters would say: "I am a riddle wrapped in an engima drenched in Big Mac special sauce."


But alas, the great bug of stomach ickiness has come and attacked me. Again.

Joy

*Rolls Eyes*

Okay, but this blog is not about that... entirely. No, this blog is about the fact that I am anxiously waiting/dreading going home in 2 weeks. That's right, two weeks from now I will be hurling myself into the sky in a tincan filled to brimming with my fellow sardines- braving the December weather and hoping and praying until my eyes bulge out that we won't get delayed. (Honestly, 17 hours of travel time is enough, thank you very much.)

I can't wait to get home... even though I have been enjoying Europe tons and I have a trip to Barcelona planned for two weeks after I get back. I just miss the familiar. Like driving my car, eating Mom's cooking, 30 theater-ed Movie theaters (oh the selection, oh the rapture!), like going to thrift shops, Target, used bookstores and last but not least: MY DOG!!!!

I tried to bring her with me. Really I did. See.

But she just wouldn't fit. The more I tried to squeeze her in, the more she would squeak. And although she may sometimes resemble a rat- she just doesn't naturally squeak. She does however have other amazing ablities. Check this out:

Oh yeah, my puppy kicks booty!

Things I've Learned Since Last Posting

Last week I discovered many things:
1. Germans have alcoholic beverages available to the adults at children's school functions. Dorothee and I attended Carola's sport's Christmas program- where here was alcohol available for a price. Nice. Then the same night we attended Paula's Kindergarten's Christmas party- where gluhwein (hot spiced wein) was available to all adults for free. (even better). So I preferred Paula's even though they did send the kids to a play then made all the adults wait around in the kindergarten and wouldn't even let us eat any of the food that was sitting there tauntung us. (Nana nana boo boo)
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2. Weihnachtsmarkts Rule! A Weihnachtsmarkt or Christmas Market winds it's way through the streets of the city. It is made up of stalls that are festively decorated with people selling everything. Scarves, ornaments, toys, jewelery, things that slice and dice food, minatures, and just about anything else that people could want. They also have stalls that sell food and of course, gluhwein. The best part of this is that you can keep the mug when buy the gluhwein. Here's the one I got:

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3. Where kids track- so do their school mates' germs. Yeah, I would like to send out a special thanks to Carola for giving me her stomach bug which had me calling Grandpa (Raaalllppphhh) and bowing down before the porcelin throne for many hours.
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4. Straight up electolytes from a packet are nasty. Stick to the gaterado. Personally, future consequences be damned, I don't care if the chemicals are slowly pickling me from the inside out. If I'm trying to keep a stomach settled, nasty things don't help. So if someone offers- just say no. Remember the techniques they taught you in D.A.R.E.:

Saying "No Thanks"

Giving a Reason of Excuse

Broken Record

Walking Away

Changing the Subject

Avoiding the Situation

Cold shoulder

Strength in Numbers

(Heart you Dorothee :D )

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5. I'm a terrible fan. I found out Friday that my favorite actor of all times: Will Smith, has a new movie coming out very soon and I didn't even know about it. UGH! How terrible am I? Yeah I know. Okay, so it's called "Seven Pounds" and it's by the same director as "Pursuit of Happyness" which we all know was a tear jerker- and it looks like this one's along the same path, but hey, it's Will Smith, so go see it- it will of course be great! Click here to see the trailer.

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6. Carola+Scraped Hand= Drama Queen. Last night Carola fell, scraped up her hand and became convinced that that was the end of her ablity to write and therefore can no longer do her homework. *rolls eyes*

Rolling Right Along

Since Friday, I have been sick. Ugh. Sniffles, mucus, sore throat, fever, thy name is Tiffany.

I would say that I have been lucky I haven't had a stomachache- but I think that showed up tonight along with it's good friend- headache.

I say again. UGH.

On the good side, I have gotten two more trips planned. Ha! That will teach Dad to tell me that I should travel now and not worry about the money. No. Wait. I'm the one who has to pay this all off when I come home. Well, shit. I wonder how long I can make this job last.

Anyways.

My planned trips are:

Vienna, Austria- Nov. 7-9

Palermo, Sicily Italy- Nov. 28-30

Holla!

So, when you are cold, windblown, snowed on, and sick of the bad Kansas weather.

Just think of me.

And remember that when flipping that bird- I'm to the East. :)

Life goes on...

Still alive and kickin'. I had a great birthday- Dorothee, the girls and I went to a biergarten to have real German food- well, stereotypical German food- for my birthday. It was awesome and very yummy. This treat was made even sweeter when I was blindfolded and kissed from behind from a surprise person- Melly! Turns out that Dorothee had planned out with Melly a couple weeks ago to surprise me and Melly, Judith and Sahra all came to the restaurant to spend some time with me on my birthday. It was really sweet. I was totally surprised.

I was supposed to go the Volksfest in Stuttgart this weekend. It's the real German's version of Oktoberfest. The Oktoberfest which is held in Munich is all over run by tourist. Just crazy- so all the Germans come here instead. Well, I was half way there when I realized I simply wasn't going to be able to make it. I was totally going to throw up. I felt soooo sick- and more beer would not help the problem. So I went home instead. Then spent the next two days in bed very sick and with a fever- which I almost never have. Ugh. It was so sweet when on Saturday Melly and Judith brought me soup. Awwww. :)

You may be wondering how my meetings with the army family and the crocheting group went. Well, the army family had to cancel- but we are going to try again next friday. And the crocheting group I made a mistake thinking we were meeting on my birthday when in fact it was to be the next day. Whoops. So when I went to meet one of the girls who was going to show me how to get to the host's house, I thought I had been stood up. Well, I did meet them on Wednesday and they were all super nice, and I had a blast! We meet again this Thursday and I am sooo excited. I'm soo lucky to have met so many nice people since I've been here.