31 December 2002 ---JOURNAL ENTRY SIX---
I must be at work at nine o'clock tonight. I don't think that in my entire life that I've goneINTO work at any job at nine o'clock!
I got cut from work at 6 o'clock last night because the dinner closer wanted to make money. At first I was pissed because I had hoped to make money but after having a beer I was over it. I went over to Chris and Casey's with Nate and we had some beers, watched the Rams/49ers' game (great comeback, Rams!) and had a great time. Sometimes time IS more important than money. Hmmmmm, grasshopper occasionally grow!
Today my folks and I took my mattresses and my mom's Xmas supplies (good Jew that she is!) to my folk's work and put them into the attic. We cleaned that for awhile, organized some junk for lack of a better phrase and then I had a wonderful at a delicatessen: a pastrami sandwich! hmmmMMmmmm. Anyway, the clock is striking six pm here in southern california, I'm about to embark on the most important year of my life (so far) and I have to say that all things considered, I'm living a damn good life!
This is day 13. I'll be on a plane over the east coast in exactly 13 days. Do you want to hear what will happen when I get off the plane in Frankfurt? All right, I'll tell you.
I'm going to first go down to baggage claim. Hopefully my large blue duffel bag (I still don't know how much that thing weighs) and my purple travel pack come through the conveyor belts relatively unscathed. With the purple pack on my back, laptop case around my neck, I'll have my green travel pack around in my left hand and I'll be dragging my blue duffel bag to a tram that will take me to the Frankfurt Haupbahnhof. From there I'll decided whether I want to buy a Bahncard which will set me back 70 euro but save me 25% on every ounce of German train travel for one year. Then I'll buy a train ticket on an ICE train from Frankfurt to Freiburg. I'm hoping that I won't have to drag my stuff too far as it will be heavy and I'll be some serious jetlagged. From the Freiburg train station two hours and eight minutes later, I will see my lovely girlfriend who will carry one of my bags up the stairs to the tram which will take to Lorettostrasse and then huff it the last 75 meters or so to her flat. All of this will happen before noon on Tuesday, January 14th
I met a couple at the restaurant on Saturday who live in Bonn. He is a German and she is American and they were here visiting her parents for two weeks. After speaking with them for awhile, I was complimented on my vocabulary for a beginner and they were nice enough to give me their email address. I don't really know what they can do for, but the man did go to university in Freiburg and it is another person I know in this foreign country. Plus, it felt really good to meet someone in the middle of something I'm about to do. She has been in Germany for a few years now, they just bought a house there and it was priceless for me when she was pleasantly surprised when I started talking about Edeka and Aldi, two grocery stores in Germany. No one in America knows about them unless they've been there. Well, kids, I'm going to add a new story I think and my travelogue from my 17 day jaunt to Europe last year while following the Black Crowes around in June and July of 2001. I hope you enjoy it, please email when you can! Peace
Today's lesson in German is below:
Koennen Sie mir bitte helfen? = Keuhrnen zee meer bitta helfan? = Can you help me please?
