Welcome to Germany.

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So, christmas has come and past. I think I slept most of it. For dinner in my hotel room I had a Tombstone pizza and ate pineapple out of the container. The cleaning lady left a small cookie gift bag in my room when she cleaned. It was the only gift I receive this year, but it was worth it. It occured to me that was the price for coming to Germany. I could have stayed in the states longer. I could have had Christmas at home but if I had the army would have canceled my orders and I wouldn't be in Germany at all (maybe ever). So, that's the price I paid. It was totally worth it.

We went snow boarding today. We is the 30people thy signed up for the MWR trip and showed up at 0500. Funny thing. When I left my room to walk the 20 or so minutes to the pick up point just outside the commissary gate and under the bridge. I discovered that the commissary gate doesn't open until six. I had to scale the 10 foot fence with three strands of barb wire on top that surrounds the base in order to get out. I managed it pretty well. I'm proud of myself. I didn't tear any clothes or break any bones. Climbing a 10ft fence in freezing cold at 0500 is no joke.

The snowboarding went well. As usual I gave myself a minor concussion but nothing to write home about. Feldberg was the name of the ski area (I think). It was cute. There were a few hotels there but not American style. More conservative and tasteful. The people were nice and the food was good. And, as is usual for ski places, the place was crawling with pretty young girls. I have GOT to learn German if I am ever going to be successful here. On the way home we stopped at a roadside rest Area/food bar/coffee bar/alcohol bar and there were two honeys there (one sitting, one working behind the bar) that were having a conversation that was so familiar to me, that I could almost tell you what they were saying even though I didn't understand a word of it. My imagination and what could have been always get the best of me. Learn German.

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