What a week it's been. It's honestly hard to believe that my last post was only just a week ago. It seems like much longer. Last weekend, I did take myself to Innsbruck. It was, as expected, a pleasant escape for a few days. And a funny thing happened! Well, I was instructed to stop in Vienna first to obtain everything necessary for my working permit. This meant going to the US Embassy which - trust me, in and of itself would have been a nice escape! Nothing like standing in a long, DMV-style line staring at George W. Bush's oh-so-charming headshot for an hour. Yum! Most of the people were standing in that line to register to vote... I wonder if the headshot altered their decisions any... Anyway, that being done, I then had a ... read more

So! I’ve selected my travel destinations and have started booking hostels and whatnot. As I mentioned before, I will be going to Florence the last weekend of September. Then, next weekend (Sept 5-7) - drumroll please! - I did everything in my power to incorporate everyone’s suggestions which told me to go somewhere new, somewhere scenic, somewhere with an interesting city, etc. So, I selected Innsbruck. Innsbruck sounds like Breckenridge to me, honestly. It’s mostly a skiing town, but there is a very cute town-center with lots of churches and castles (which are two travel-musts for me), etc. There is also this Swarovski exhibition of some sort that I might check out… but all of the travel sites have reviews of this place that tell me not to waste my time with it. I think that ... read more

Happy Mittwoch once again! Okay, my last update was just 3 days ago, so to be completely honest - there's not a whole lot of updating to be had about my actual life. I've spent the last couple of days a little bit "off" as a result of living alone again and trying to settle into a new life again. However, yesterday I made a specific point to get myself out of the apartment for a few hours. In so doing, I wound up going on a nice long walk - checking out the downtown area (if it can be called that) and familiarizing myself with some of the practical shops around there. I mean, there aren't really "convenience" stores here where you can just walk in and grab whatever crap you need right then... but ... read more

Log o' Lea So, this isn't worth another email in your boxes, hence the silent publish... but living in any Grandma's house, a young woman is bound to receive all kinds of Phantastisch life-tips... some of which I feel the need to share with you all in a little log o' Lea. 1. For the Bees Got a bee problem? Seriously try this -- it actually works. Take a handful of pennies and spread them around your outdoor table or picnic blanket when you are getting ready to eat. Bees, for some reason, HATE copper and will avoid your area for the duration of your charming outdoor meal. 2. Austrian Cooking 101 So, here I come to Austria to experience the wonder and charm of the culture: the language, the people, the food... Lea brings me ... read more

Here's my leetle friend!! This is little Grace, she was born 02-08-2008 (haha, they're calling this a moon-sign) at 11:18am :) Karin had a c-section and will therefore be sticking around the house until early November. Not a problem - I am here, still, to help her out and to care for the baby while she rests. As for me, I'm doing really well. I'm a little bit "homesick" for some English-speakers... but tonight was fun because Heinrich and Lea decided it was time for me to start speaking German. Lea started speaking only in German to me this afternoon, and I'm quite surprised at how much I've understood. Then, tonight, Heinrich (pronounced Henry, by the way) told me all about how to get to Vienna by bus and U-Bahn (the Austrian T / subway / ... read more