Making the Most and Ear Callouses

This whole London adventure was really supposed to be more fun than it is turning out to be, so I've got to work on making the most of this opportunity. Skip is working ridiculously long hours, so he is not home much at all during the week. Maddie may see him for about 20 minutes in the morning and is often asleep before he gets home at night. He is doing a great job (and gets continuous feed back to that affect...effect?) but is worn out. If only he weren't so impressive and valuable, he could have more free time.

Maddie has not developed the relationships with friends here that she has in LR or in Duesseldorf because her friends are so spread out and extremely overscheduled. Most of her friends also have siblings, so after school and on weekends, parents are juggling to get kids to one place or another and there's not a lot of time to just play. We invite her friends over after school, but (with the exception of one friend who lives in the same town) those offers are rarely reciprocated. She still loves going to school and she has a fantastic teacher. We have been so fortunate on that front. And she just got her Brownie vest and we ironed all the patches on last night. She is really into that. I'm taking snacks to this months meeting. Don't know what I'll do about that if I still don't have a car.

It seems that since we've been here, there's some minor problem that has to be chased. First it was the 8 week saga of the pipes in the shower, and now, our car has been in the shop for almost two weeks. I can't believe this country once commanded an empire. Take note, America.

The weather matches Duessledorf, so you really have to pay attention to how the weather is affecting your mood.

And then, of course, I have an attitude problem. I grow weary of being the stay at home wife and mother. I even tried to get a part-time job at a stationery store for Christmas, but couldn't even land that. And I do appreciate the time I have to write and play the guitar and exercise and see London. A normal person would just relax into that, but apparently, I am not normal. I need to be doing something useful. Something that generates a modicum of positive feedback. A place to go where people might notice that I've had my hair highlighted and cut (it was two days ago and not one friend or family member has).

Okay, enough already. This is London. A fabulous place with infinite possibilities. Sorry to whine. These days, I should be grateful that one of us still has a job! Cousins Joerg an Annelie are coming today and we are going to show them London. They are such fun and we will have a great time with them.

I do have an ear problem. Our inexpensive German stereo is no longer working. And because of the icky weather outside, the lack of central heating and air and the hard water, the house stays dirty. You have to dust and sweep and vacuum a lot. And I abhor housework and simply cannot do it without some music. So I use my I-pod with headphones. The car being gone means I walk a lot more and, again, take along the I-pod. I little overkill I think, as I have developed a small callous inside my left ear. Is this a new syndrome that is affecting people now? Do you think it's dangerous?

Apologize for the blog-venting. Too early to call anyone in America and friends in Germany weren't home. I had to tell someone. I feel better now.