and it's not 42.
The answer to keeping control over my life is to
1. buy the proper containers for my stuff .
2. Put everything in a specific place. Even if the place is arbitrary, define the place.
3. Spend at least an hour every day putting things back into their places.
Repeat 3 daily, with daily:
laundry, wash, dry, hang, fold, put away.
kitchen tidy (putting stuff away)
dishwasher unload and load as we go
This gives me a stretch of calm from about an hour after I get the kids on the bus. During that time, I can:
1. Go through paperwork and pay bills, file bills, control budget
2. Read magazines
3. Watch DVR'd TV while writing/blogging/reading blogs and news
4. Extend zone of tidiness incrementally
5. Decide on dinner and ascertain that I have correct ingredients or go shopping (done at least every other day).
I have a hard deadline of Friday for getting all my (on extension) tax paperwork together and it looks like I will make the deadline, while discarding extraneous paperwork and clearing up on the way.
This week has been the first time in I don't know how long that I have felt happy with the state of my environment. I no longer feel that I need to apologize for the condition of my apartment when I have people over. Although I am using the dining room table as a desk, it takes me less than 5 minutes to have the apartment ready for guests.
Interestingly, although I always wear a watch, one of the items that gives me the feeling of control is that we put a clock up on the wall. That was something the German resisted, saying that it "didn't go", although the finish (chrome, from Ikea) was well within our range of balck, white, chrome and brushed nickel. However, last night he turned to me and said that having the clock makes him feel more "present". I agree.
It's a nice feeling. I'm not certain how I will be able to hold onto it after my German classes start again, but it will be a priority.
Apartment beautification plans for this evening are to put up our remaining two re-purposed shelves. Tomorrow the wheels will go on the Arbeitsplatz and perhaps on the weekend (when we are in Bremen) we can find something colorful for the walls (we really need some color!)
Self improvement plans, now that I have been wearing my prescription orthotics for two weeks and the pain is decreasing, is to get back to the gym. Next Wednesday is the start date goal.
New York to Berlin, New York to Colorado, it's a long trip...
Showing posts with label Exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exercise. Show all posts
24 September 2008
21 September 2008
What we did on Thursday.
What a valuable tool this is, the ability to get me back to writing when it seems that life has passed my blogging by and that it is difficult to catch up.
In no general order:
The German needed to go to Munich last week for a business trip (no, he didn't get to leave his conference or the airport hotel, so no Oktoberfest for him). Since he was leaving later in the day, we took that morning to take care of a few chores. The first was to pick up a package that was being held at the Zollamt (Customs house). (We went to register for our Anmeldung first, but the amt was not open until later.) I'm never quite certain why certain packages are held hostage and others are not, but tere is only one customs department for Berlin, so I am grateful that although it requires two separate U-Bahn lines and then a bit of a walk, it is still reachable by public transportation, as that is all we have. (I can see why the German needed to take the babystroller when he needed to pick up the huge package of clothes that we sent last time.)
When we got there, we stood in line to take a number and to make a guess as to what was in the package (after all, it was a gift, how could I be sure?). My best guess was: hot sauce or scharfe Sauce (Can you tell my German spelling is even worse than my spoken language?). Since the shipping was $55, the Customs raised an eyebrow at me in question and I just shrugged. We got our number and settled in for what seemed like it should be a 2 hour wait, based on the number of people ahead of us, but which turned out to be only 15 minutes. I used that time productively to examine the items that were displayed as confiscated in their several categories: OTC harmless medications such as Tylenol, completely harmless items such as multi-vitamins (which the powerful Apotheke industry keeps out), protein and work out powders such as whey protein (which Germany likes to keep out so it can charge 5x the standard amount and make taste terrible) and then the real items which should be kept out: endangered animals, pirated and illegal materials.
I think we were called so early because the Customs officer thought it was amusing. When he opened (with our permission) the box and saw the 14 lb jar of Louisiana Hot Sauce, he laughed. I asked what we could do in order to prevent being forced to come out here to deal with this in the future and we discussed the proper way to fill out the forms in order to minimize the chance of being called in (obviously, there's no toll on my Hot Sauce) but he said that sometimes it's just the luck of the draw and there's nothing that one can do.
Then we walked back to the U-bahn and went to register at our new address. The German had attempted to do this three times before, but the agency was on a modified strike. That's a strike when they wait until you reach the head of the (long) line and the worker tells you that the strike prevents them from doing any non-ememergency work and that your registration (and concommittant ability to purchase a parking permit and/or register for school) are not an emergency.
In this case, the strike was finally over but when we got to the head of the line with our briefcase full of required documentation (including our Anmeldung from 1 km away), the clerk informed us that without my passport or a Personalaufweis (which I don't have as a non-German citizen) that I could not re-register. Even though we had my marriage license, a German driver's license, a US driver's license and the previous Anmeldung, that would not be sufficient.
I told the German that we would stay and that he could re-register the children and himself and I would simply be a non-person. Strangely, when we got to the correct person, we had no problem in re-registering myself with the others based on the documentation that we had with us.
However, we weren't able to register for a parking permit as the letter that we had brought from the rental agency was not sufficiently explicit to allow for it. We will get another letter on Monday that states that we rent more than 6 times a year and that will be sufficient.
Then we ran off to the fitness center to replace my ID. First, the young lady couldn't find me. I suggested that if I weren't in the system, I would be happy to reverse the debits from my checking account and then she managed to find me in the system. She wasn't able to get my card done because this is Germany and she needed to contact three other poeple, promise to call us to tell us what to do, needed to be called twice (by us) and then was able to discover from the main office that she should have just given me the new ID I told her I needed. Love German customer service.
Quick lunch at a donner place, where I actually had a felafel teller and then ran back to the apartment to be there for the children and for us all to say good-bye as the German was off to spend the next 32 hours either travelling or at the airport hotel.
In no general order:
The German needed to go to Munich last week for a business trip (no, he didn't get to leave his conference or the airport hotel, so no Oktoberfest for him). Since he was leaving later in the day, we took that morning to take care of a few chores. The first was to pick up a package that was being held at the Zollamt (Customs house). (We went to register for our Anmeldung first, but the amt was not open until later.) I'm never quite certain why certain packages are held hostage and others are not, but tere is only one customs department for Berlin, so I am grateful that although it requires two separate U-Bahn lines and then a bit of a walk, it is still reachable by public transportation, as that is all we have. (I can see why the German needed to take the babystroller when he needed to pick up the huge package of clothes that we sent last time.)
When we got there, we stood in line to take a number and to make a guess as to what was in the package (after all, it was a gift, how could I be sure?). My best guess was: hot sauce or scharfe Sauce (Can you tell my German spelling is even worse than my spoken language?). Since the shipping was $55, the Customs raised an eyebrow at me in question and I just shrugged. We got our number and settled in for what seemed like it should be a 2 hour wait, based on the number of people ahead of us, but which turned out to be only 15 minutes. I used that time productively to examine the items that were displayed as confiscated in their several categories: OTC harmless medications such as Tylenol, completely harmless items such as multi-vitamins (which the powerful Apotheke industry keeps out), protein and work out powders such as whey protein (which Germany likes to keep out so it can charge 5x the standard amount and make taste terrible) and then the real items which should be kept out: endangered animals, pirated and illegal materials.
I think we were called so early because the Customs officer thought it was amusing. When he opened (with our permission) the box and saw the 14 lb jar of Louisiana Hot Sauce, he laughed. I asked what we could do in order to prevent being forced to come out here to deal with this in the future and we discussed the proper way to fill out the forms in order to minimize the chance of being called in (obviously, there's no toll on my Hot Sauce) but he said that sometimes it's just the luck of the draw and there's nothing that one can do.
Then we walked back to the U-bahn and went to register at our new address. The German had attempted to do this three times before, but the agency was on a modified strike. That's a strike when they wait until you reach the head of the (long) line and the worker tells you that the strike prevents them from doing any non-ememergency work and that your registration (and concommittant ability to purchase a parking permit and/or register for school) are not an emergency.
In this case, the strike was finally over but when we got to the head of the line with our briefcase full of required documentation (including our Anmeldung from 1 km away), the clerk informed us that without my passport or a Personalaufweis (which I don't have as a non-German citizen) that I could not re-register. Even though we had my marriage license, a German driver's license, a US driver's license and the previous Anmeldung, that would not be sufficient.
I told the German that we would stay and that he could re-register the children and himself and I would simply be a non-person. Strangely, when we got to the correct person, we had no problem in re-registering myself with the others based on the documentation that we had with us.
However, we weren't able to register for a parking permit as the letter that we had brought from the rental agency was not sufficiently explicit to allow for it. We will get another letter on Monday that states that we rent more than 6 times a year and that will be sufficient.
Then we ran off to the fitness center to replace my ID. First, the young lady couldn't find me. I suggested that if I weren't in the system, I would be happy to reverse the debits from my checking account and then she managed to find me in the system. She wasn't able to get my card done because this is Germany and she needed to contact three other poeple, promise to call us to tell us what to do, needed to be called twice (by us) and then was able to discover from the main office that she should have just given me the new ID I told her I needed. Love German customer service.
Quick lunch at a donner place, where I actually had a felafel teller and then ran back to the apartment to be there for the children and for us all to say good-bye as the German was off to spend the next 32 hours either travelling or at the airport hotel.
20 August 2008
An exegesis on Plantar Fasciatis and foot pain
I.ve been sufferring pain in my left foot for over 10 weeks now. It has gotten better and then worse and better and worse and each time the better has been less and the worse has been more until the pain in my foot has actually caused me to both limp and to develop a pain in my hip from all the favoring that I am giving my foot. Thing1 asked me last week whether she could have a mama that had a good foot and could run faster.
I've been ignoring this because, frankly, I had larger problems to deal with.
That's over with and now I need to deal with this problem and I just haven't been certain what to do.
Should I get accupuncture? There's a Chinese massage place nearby that has fussmassage that sounds workable? Or is there a specific doctor I should go to? Is it a podiatrist or an internist and how do I find one?
I had been thinking that this is plantar fasciatis, a problem that I have had in the past when wearing sneakers without adequate anti-pronation and stabilization (I love me some Saucony Grid-Stabils when I ran) but I haven't been jogging since 2005, so that seemed strange. But on doing more research, and even though stretching has not helped, I think that it is and that it is a result of this being the longest time that I have ever gone without wearing sneakers or other orthotically controlled footware. Germany is so much more formal in terms of footwear that I have been wearing black shoes and believing that my feet had adequate support but I think that I have been wrong.
I dug a pair of Mephisto walking shoes out today and by the end of the day, even after doing a lot of walking (the kita school buses don't start running until next month so I am taking the girls to school and picking them up every day: 35 minutes each way, 4x a day,with a walk to the train, transfer to bus then walk again) my feet felt better than they did at the beginning of the day.
I think I will see how tomorrow in the Mephistos feels and perhaps go for a foot massage since the pain is no longer piercing: any one have any other advice or experience?
I've been ignoring this because, frankly, I had larger problems to deal with.
That's over with and now I need to deal with this problem and I just haven't been certain what to do.
Should I get accupuncture? There's a Chinese massage place nearby that has fussmassage that sounds workable? Or is there a specific doctor I should go to? Is it a podiatrist or an internist and how do I find one?
I had been thinking that this is plantar fasciatis, a problem that I have had in the past when wearing sneakers without adequate anti-pronation and stabilization (I love me some Saucony Grid-Stabils when I ran) but I haven't been jogging since 2005, so that seemed strange. But on doing more research, and even though stretching has not helped, I think that it is and that it is a result of this being the longest time that I have ever gone without wearing sneakers or other orthotically controlled footware. Germany is so much more formal in terms of footwear that I have been wearing black shoes and believing that my feet had adequate support but I think that I have been wrong.
I dug a pair of Mephisto walking shoes out today and by the end of the day, even after doing a lot of walking (the kita school buses don't start running until next month so I am taking the girls to school and picking them up every day: 35 minutes each way, 4x a day,with a walk to the train, transfer to bus then walk again) my feet felt better than they did at the beginning of the day.
I think I will see how tomorrow in the Mephistos feels and perhaps go for a foot massage since the pain is no longer piercing: any one have any other advice or experience?
17 April 2008
It's raining again...
But of course, that's no different from any other day here in Berlin.
Yesterday had masses of dry time between the rain, so I ran over to pick up my tickets for second seder (held at a large hotel near here). I need haggadot (the 'lesson plan' for the Pesach meal) as well because I left mine at the in-laws and some shmera matza, so I'll be running back on Friday morning to pick them up. We had reserved the tickets earlier and I wonder if the reason we needed to pick them up in person was to ensure that we were not psychotics? I always wonder, here in this country where all Jewish organizations and facilities require a permanent police presence.
I am not looking forward to trying to gather all the ingredients that I need to make a seder with my little trolley this evening. particularly because I need to go to first causes, that is, to make the charoseth and horseradish and all the other underpinnings required. I even need to pick up a seder plate and the local Judaica store is wildly overpriced: I may wind updrawing one with crayon and putting it under plastic!
We would have done both seders out, but first night the community seder starts after 21:00 and considering that the children are in bed by 19:30-20:00, that would make it difficult to share it with them! Second night we have a babysitter.
I am, however, looking forward to hearing Thing1 singing the 4 Questions: I already hear her practising and I can't wait.
Today I finally have the introduction session for my gym. I am writing this here so that I will be too embarrassed to blow it off and sit here drinking coffee instead (I assure you I would prefer that). I need to get going: I am more unhealthy than I have been in years and more physically inactive than I have been in decades. Add that to the inability to get fat reduced dairy here and the (forgotten but high) cholesterol levels I had before I left the States means I had best get going on exercise.
(My goodness, I love wikipedia! How did I live without it?)
Yesterday had masses of dry time between the rain, so I ran over to pick up my tickets for second seder (held at a large hotel near here). I need haggadot (the 'lesson plan' for the Pesach meal) as well because I left mine at the in-laws and some shmera matza, so I'll be running back on Friday morning to pick them up. We had reserved the tickets earlier and I wonder if the reason we needed to pick them up in person was to ensure that we were not psychotics? I always wonder, here in this country where all Jewish organizations and facilities require a permanent police presence.
I am not looking forward to trying to gather all the ingredients that I need to make a seder with my little trolley this evening. particularly because I need to go to first causes, that is, to make the charoseth and horseradish and all the other underpinnings required. I even need to pick up a seder plate and the local Judaica store is wildly overpriced: I may wind updrawing one with crayon and putting it under plastic!
We would have done both seders out, but first night the community seder starts after 21:00 and considering that the children are in bed by 19:30-20:00, that would make it difficult to share it with them! Second night we have a babysitter.
I am, however, looking forward to hearing Thing1 singing the 4 Questions: I already hear her practising and I can't wait.
Today I finally have the introduction session for my gym. I am writing this here so that I will be too embarrassed to blow it off and sit here drinking coffee instead (I assure you I would prefer that). I need to get going: I am more unhealthy than I have been in years and more physically inactive than I have been in decades. Add that to the inability to get fat reduced dairy here and the (forgotten but high) cholesterol levels I had before I left the States means I had best get going on exercise.
(My goodness, I love wikipedia! How did I live without it?)
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