Sabbath

Today was my first day off. How is it that it's only when I'm away from home that I manage to have a complete (er, almost--I still worked for an hour) day off? I slept in past my alarm, so I didn't make it to church with the methodists this morning. And I had planned to take the train into Stuttgart, but, well...the best intentions, you know.

So with a few hours of daylight, I strapped on my walking shoes (you know the pair--the sketchers I've had since undergrad) and took off. I walked along the river, among the vinyards, to Ludwigsburg. There are giant locks just above Marbach, a wonder to look at. It's a pity there weren't any ships out. I've enjoyed watching locks fill and empty ever since I studied in England and studied the English countryside.... There were also plenty of water fowl out. One poor bird kept flapping up the river ahead of me and resting until I came along again. Poor thing. Bird brain, really.Were he just a little smarter.


They have an old baroque city, and also a christmas market. For an hour so, I enjoyed the crowds of people, the smells of roasting nuts and Glühwein being served, and the stands and stands of crap. But it's European crap, so it's automatically classier, right? Right?

I do wonder who does indeed make purchases at such stands. Usually they just sell trinkets, little christmas ornaments or leather goods or carved figures from the Erzgebirge. What it seems most people go there for is the Stimmung, the atmosphere. And the drinks. Oh, the drinks!

One week down...

...and four more to go. It seems as though time is going so very quickly, and yet it can't be over fast enough. I find myself having to stop, pause, remember to take this time for what it is--the opportunity to finish up my dissertation so that I can go back to Nebraska with a lighter load and a easier conscience. Thank goodness the archive has set times when it is open, and I try to use that time to the fullest. It opens at 8:30 and closes at 8 in the evening. I get in by 9 and stay until a little after 6. On Saturdays, they have a special card you can swipe and work from 10 to 5. Today I did most of that.

Here's hoping that I continue to progress well, and achieve my goals for the trip.

Los! In den Archiven!

In a few hours, we'll drive to Omaha so I can board a plane for Germany. This time tomorrow, I'll be checking into the archives and setting up my home for the next month. And hopefully work there will be productive. To help me acclimate to the timezones so I can focus better, I've woken up at 5.30 this morning after going to bed at 12. With the help of some benadryl on board, I should sleep like a baby.

I've still not packed (!) and I have to finish up this chapter and send it off. Hmmm. Does someone not want to go? If the young man were coming with me, it would be easier, I think. But tickets are over $1200, and, well, that's a bit outside of our budget.

Hopefully I'll update a bit more while I'm in the archives, offering little fun stories about the time I spend outside the archives. Thank goodness for German work hours--the archives close at 5:30, and so I'll have a few hours of downtime in the evenings. Weekends? Free. And so many people to come visit, I don't know how it will all get fit in.

Bis das nächste Mal,

e

Mending

Today I left work to go to the cobbler, where i picked up my old leather satchel. I've used it for the past 10 years or so, and it's carried me thourgh job interviews, intercontinental moves, and through work on my dissertation. You can imagine my sadness when, about two weeks ago, I picked it up and one of the straps broke.

Fortunately, I found a cobbler here in Lincoln who does leather repair. And for a mere $20, I hope to have another good ten years of wear.

As I biked home in the cold (yep, it's cold. I now wear a face mask/Balaclava to commute) I thought about how good it is to mend things and not simply throw them aside, and how wonderful it is to repair something enduring for a mere $20, rather than spending $50 every year or two on something badly made that doesn't warrent repairs. Rather than tossing a bag every few years, I can help employ a craftsman and own fewer things made in sweatshops.