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Koala Stressball
May. 13th, 2021 05:58 pmThe week started with glorious weather, touching 30C on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. We had intended to do our geocaching exploits with NoteFox on Sunday, but as it was Mother's Day, we decided to rearrange for the Saturday. This meant we were free on Sunday, and we spent a long amount of time sat by the Spree, drinking beer and enjoying the sun. A number of other people had followed suit, but the verge wasn't particularly busy and there was plenty of space for everyone. Stupidly, I only got one beer out, meaning I had to go back and get a second one for us once we realised just how pleasant it was. Alas, we had to go inside at 5pm as I had Pony Chat, while the evening clouded over somewhat and we decided to just cook our regular Sunday evening meal instead.
Monday and Tuesday were even better and as I work lates on Monday, I was free until 3pm to enjoy the sun once more. Wolfie took an extended lunch and we cracked open some Krombachers and shared a cheeseboard before we had to go back into the house. Tuesday was much the same, sans the beer, while in the evening we decided to walk down to the market hall in Armenius Strasse to try some poutine. Alas, the poutine place was closed, meaning we ended up back at our friends who import the British beers, with us buying three from him as well as some more of his delicious burgers. We sat outside and ate these, with it all being rather pleasant in the sun, while we decided to swerve the alcohol and have artisinal cola instead on account of trying to limit alcohol intake.
On Monday, I received a text from my doctor's surgery in the UK about my eligibility to get a vaccine, with a further text today from the NHS urging me to book. This spurred me on to try and get a vaccine in Berlin, aided on Monday evening by a tip-off from some furs that there was a hospital in Spandau with some spare AstraZeneca. Demand is high though, what with new legislation basically exonorating the immunised from all of the lockdown restrictions, and by the time we had agreed to go for it, the appointments had all gone. This was frustrating, as we spent a little too long weighing up the pros and cons of the less effective AstraZeneca vaccine along with its associated bloodcot risks. As it stands, those in Priority Group 4 (i.e. those adults under 60 without underlying health conditions or belonging to a specific profession) can just get the AZ vaccine but today it was announced that on Monday, all priority in Berlin will be scrapped. This relates just to doctors' surgeries though, not the vaccination centres, and it promises to be a right free-for-all as a million Berliners vie for a vaccine. We don't know what we are going to do yet - I think we'll try and get one, but many surgeries are just innoculating known patients. It may be a few weeks before we manage to get jabbed but at least the pace is quickening once more and with a 40% increase in delivery in June, I am confident we will be innoculated soon. I do wish the German system was as ordered as the UK one, but I am reassured that we are not too far behind, while with ten million one-shot J&J vaccines coming next month, we could be done before our British peers. This is the frustrating thing about all this - while I would certainly get a first vaccine in the UK quicker, I may get my second vaccine in Germany quicker due to shorter times between doses or the one-shot vaccine, which is not yet approved in the UK. However, it will be quite the bun fight to get an appointment, which only enhances my regret about missing out on the Spandau gig.
Today the weather has been absoutely filthy, as befits a national holiday I suppose. Wolfie is working tomorrow, but I am off, having decided to take a four-day weekend as I needed the break. Alas, I have just spent two hours in an important work meeting about a forthcoming new project with which they need my assistance. I thought it was best to be involved here, particularly as work has been a little slack of late and I need as much justification as possible to get as high a pay increase as possible in July. It was definitely a productive meeting, but it hasn't been the start to the holiday I would have liked.
Things are looking up in Germany though - our flat is pretty much sorted now, with only five weeks to go until we move in, while it's likely that bars and restaurants will open next Thursday, at least for outdoor catering. We need five successive workdays of the incidence being under 100, with the last three reading 93, 86 and 83 respectively. Alas, earlier in the week we had a 100.8, which knocked the plans back a week, but with the rate decreasing across the country, there is talk of opening up things like swimming pools too. Furthermore, to attend, you either need to be vaccinated or have a negative test, with our nearest test centre literally around the corner. With one free test available per week, it's not going to be a huge bind over the next few weeks while we wait for our vaccinations, plus it gives you the reassurance that everyone else in the bar doesn't have COVID either. I don't see us going over next weekend, which is another holiday weekend, but maybe one mid-week evening the following week, when it's likely quieter. Fortunately, having worked two and a half hours today, I am to finish work early one day to facilitate this.
As the weather has been so bad, Wolfie has introduced me to Beat Saber, a VR-based video game that all the cool kids were playing earlier in the year. It is actually quite good, but my playspace is a little tight, meaning I have to be careful I don't push my fist through the window when I am thrashing at the flying boxes coming towards me. It's actually quite intense and great cardiovascular exercise, which I have been sorely lacking since the gyms have been closed for a year now. Indeed, I feel so good that I have decided to wear feminine clothes tonight for the first time in a month. I have just felt fat and bloated over the last few weeks, not aided by the increased beer consumption. I do wish I had a better opinion of myself but if anything things are getting worse. I keep apologising to Wolfie all the time, even for the most trivial things like accidentally breaking the soap dispenser in the bathroom, and I feel always on edge. I think part of that is the limbo in which we are living - coronavirus, vaccine, flat, residency - while this week I have started to realise the uncertainty that is part of life as an immigrant. We're quite lucky as we can always go back to the UK, although I don't particularly want to, but not having the cards required to remain is starting to have a psychological effect, while it does mean leaving and particularly re-entering the country is difficult. Hopefully we get them soon.
Monday and Tuesday were even better and as I work lates on Monday, I was free until 3pm to enjoy the sun once more. Wolfie took an extended lunch and we cracked open some Krombachers and shared a cheeseboard before we had to go back into the house. Tuesday was much the same, sans the beer, while in the evening we decided to walk down to the market hall in Armenius Strasse to try some poutine. Alas, the poutine place was closed, meaning we ended up back at our friends who import the British beers, with us buying three from him as well as some more of his delicious burgers. We sat outside and ate these, with it all being rather pleasant in the sun, while we decided to swerve the alcohol and have artisinal cola instead on account of trying to limit alcohol intake.
On Monday, I received a text from my doctor's surgery in the UK about my eligibility to get a vaccine, with a further text today from the NHS urging me to book. This spurred me on to try and get a vaccine in Berlin, aided on Monday evening by a tip-off from some furs that there was a hospital in Spandau with some spare AstraZeneca. Demand is high though, what with new legislation basically exonorating the immunised from all of the lockdown restrictions, and by the time we had agreed to go for it, the appointments had all gone. This was frustrating, as we spent a little too long weighing up the pros and cons of the less effective AstraZeneca vaccine along with its associated bloodcot risks. As it stands, those in Priority Group 4 (i.e. those adults under 60 without underlying health conditions or belonging to a specific profession) can just get the AZ vaccine but today it was announced that on Monday, all priority in Berlin will be scrapped. This relates just to doctors' surgeries though, not the vaccination centres, and it promises to be a right free-for-all as a million Berliners vie for a vaccine. We don't know what we are going to do yet - I think we'll try and get one, but many surgeries are just innoculating known patients. It may be a few weeks before we manage to get jabbed but at least the pace is quickening once more and with a 40% increase in delivery in June, I am confident we will be innoculated soon. I do wish the German system was as ordered as the UK one, but I am reassured that we are not too far behind, while with ten million one-shot J&J vaccines coming next month, we could be done before our British peers. This is the frustrating thing about all this - while I would certainly get a first vaccine in the UK quicker, I may get my second vaccine in Germany quicker due to shorter times between doses or the one-shot vaccine, which is not yet approved in the UK. However, it will be quite the bun fight to get an appointment, which only enhances my regret about missing out on the Spandau gig.
Today the weather has been absoutely filthy, as befits a national holiday I suppose. Wolfie is working tomorrow, but I am off, having decided to take a four-day weekend as I needed the break. Alas, I have just spent two hours in an important work meeting about a forthcoming new project with which they need my assistance. I thought it was best to be involved here, particularly as work has been a little slack of late and I need as much justification as possible to get as high a pay increase as possible in July. It was definitely a productive meeting, but it hasn't been the start to the holiday I would have liked.
Things are looking up in Germany though - our flat is pretty much sorted now, with only five weeks to go until we move in, while it's likely that bars and restaurants will open next Thursday, at least for outdoor catering. We need five successive workdays of the incidence being under 100, with the last three reading 93, 86 and 83 respectively. Alas, earlier in the week we had a 100.8, which knocked the plans back a week, but with the rate decreasing across the country, there is talk of opening up things like swimming pools too. Furthermore, to attend, you either need to be vaccinated or have a negative test, with our nearest test centre literally around the corner. With one free test available per week, it's not going to be a huge bind over the next few weeks while we wait for our vaccinations, plus it gives you the reassurance that everyone else in the bar doesn't have COVID either. I don't see us going over next weekend, which is another holiday weekend, but maybe one mid-week evening the following week, when it's likely quieter. Fortunately, having worked two and a half hours today, I am to finish work early one day to facilitate this.
As the weather has been so bad, Wolfie has introduced me to Beat Saber, a VR-based video game that all the cool kids were playing earlier in the year. It is actually quite good, but my playspace is a little tight, meaning I have to be careful I don't push my fist through the window when I am thrashing at the flying boxes coming towards me. It's actually quite intense and great cardiovascular exercise, which I have been sorely lacking since the gyms have been closed for a year now. Indeed, I feel so good that I have decided to wear feminine clothes tonight for the first time in a month. I have just felt fat and bloated over the last few weeks, not aided by the increased beer consumption. I do wish I had a better opinion of myself but if anything things are getting worse. I keep apologising to Wolfie all the time, even for the most trivial things like accidentally breaking the soap dispenser in the bathroom, and I feel always on edge. I think part of that is the limbo in which we are living - coronavirus, vaccine, flat, residency - while this week I have started to realise the uncertainty that is part of life as an immigrant. We're quite lucky as we can always go back to the UK, although I don't particularly want to, but not having the cards required to remain is starting to have a psychological effect, while it does mean leaving and particularly re-entering the country is difficult. Hopefully we get them soon.
