A Gorgeous Hat For A Gorgeous Lady
Jan. 15th, 2024 01:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lupestripeThis January is turning out to be quite a typical one. At the start of the week, the weather plunged to -10C, meaning I was very reticent to leave the house. This does at least afford me the opportunity of saving money, which was just as well as I had to pay some backdated health insurance for the two and a half months I was unemployed in the autumn. I was dreading phoning them and getting it sorted, but in the end, it was all rather smooth, plus the repayment wasn't as much as I expected. It was still quite a dent to my finances though, so having a cheap week proved to be a good idea.
On Friday, we went around to Monika's place. She lives at Flat 109 and organised a small new year's gathering for the tenants on this floor. It started at 6pm, which was way too early for me, but once I had finished work and we snaffled a quick McDonald's, I headed round. Monika dropped me a message saying we were missed as I didn't arrive until 7:45pm, with Wolfie coming half an hour later. It was a really nice event, with some bread and homemade dips provided, as well as some tortillas and crisps. About ten of our neighbours were there, including another gay couple and some Japanese/Brazilians so there was quite a lot to discuss. We were also given a few beers too. I was being quite jocular and I think it went down well, although Monika admitted the speed at which I talk does cause her problems. I tried to slow down a little once I heard this. We also noted how homely the place felt. She moved in at the same time we did and yet our bare walls are testament to a lack of commitment to the German move. With Wolfie and I both losing our jobs and the increasingly febrile political atmosphere here, I am reticent to commit further and am strongly considering moving back to the UK. Right now, though, with Wolfie's job going well, I think we'll stay a while longer, while at least we do have some very good friends here now. Indeed, our social life has really started to pick up, with this neighbourly gathering being one such example.
I had noticed at the tail-end of last week at there was another rock night on at the Zita Club at Zitadelle, so some of us decided to head down after the gathering. Indeed, this was why this Friday was chosen for the meet-up. There was Monika and her husband, as well as one of the Brazilian guys. It was nithering walking down by the river but the club was warm once we were inside. The tunes were more classic rock than anything, but they did play Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Green Day and System of a Down on request. Rocking in the basement of a 16th-century citadel was pretty cool too, as was the metal eagle backlit with red lighting that was on the wall. With entrance only €7 and beer at €4.50, it was a very fun and cheap evening, with its locality meaning we'll definitely go again. It seems to take place every six weeks or so and we even chatted with a few of the locals, although again my German failed me and we largely did it in English. The guy who took our coats did speak to me in German but as he was mumbling, I struggled to hear what he was saying and again English was used. Monika and her husband headed off around 1am, but we stayed until past 3am, heading back home via the kebab place with the Brazilian. It was a really fun night and, as I say, definitely one to go back to.
I had been due to go shopping with Notefox on Saturday, but he hadn't gotten in touch when I went to bed at 6am. Alas, he did in the morning, stating at lunchtime that 'you're not out of bed yet, are you?' which was quite accurate. We arranged to meet up another time in early February as by the time I was awake and decent, it was past 3pm. The only things I did on Saturday were go to the supermarket for supplies and then head down to the Spandau Stammi at Pool Station. Seebass was down there and wanted me to go, and I was quite surprised how busy the place was. It seemed like the whole of Spandau was there, while there were quite a few furs too. Unfortunately, I had missed Planke, which was a shame as he had invited us to a techno club. However, having had a heavy night the evening before, I would have probably declined, not least because I had to write some stories on Sunday. I did meet a few furs, but largely just spoke to Seebass, spending a pleasant couple of hours before walking back in the bitter cold.
That's largely it really. My job is proving to be quite stressful as they have changed the teams around, leaving me on my own with one website with just one writer. Meanwhile, I am not really getting the support I need. Added to this is the current political situation here and the much higher living costs and I am feeling somewhat disillusioned. I just hope that things will calm down and the far-right threat will subside, although how likely that will be I am unsure. This has resulted in many nights of poor sleep and three of the last eight struggling to nod off. I am so very tired. I guess, as we have done over the last few years, we'll just have to monitor things and see how they go. In the meantime, Wolfie is off to Anthro New England on Wednesday while Blacksnip is coming to visit this weekend. It'll be our first major things of the new year.
Update: About two hours after I wrote this, my collar broke. I did feel a little bad, but I wasn't as devastated as I thought I would be. Wolfie made it for me about six months into our relationship and it's lasted over 16 years. It failed due to simple wear and tear, with the leather becoming brittle, making the buckle snap off. We've patched it up with some sticky tape until Wolfie can make me a new one, but it's a testament to its quality that it snapped after so much daily wear.
On Friday, we went around to Monika's place. She lives at Flat 109 and organised a small new year's gathering for the tenants on this floor. It started at 6pm, which was way too early for me, but once I had finished work and we snaffled a quick McDonald's, I headed round. Monika dropped me a message saying we were missed as I didn't arrive until 7:45pm, with Wolfie coming half an hour later. It was a really nice event, with some bread and homemade dips provided, as well as some tortillas and crisps. About ten of our neighbours were there, including another gay couple and some Japanese/Brazilians so there was quite a lot to discuss. We were also given a few beers too. I was being quite jocular and I think it went down well, although Monika admitted the speed at which I talk does cause her problems. I tried to slow down a little once I heard this. We also noted how homely the place felt. She moved in at the same time we did and yet our bare walls are testament to a lack of commitment to the German move. With Wolfie and I both losing our jobs and the increasingly febrile political atmosphere here, I am reticent to commit further and am strongly considering moving back to the UK. Right now, though, with Wolfie's job going well, I think we'll stay a while longer, while at least we do have some very good friends here now. Indeed, our social life has really started to pick up, with this neighbourly gathering being one such example.
I had noticed at the tail-end of last week at there was another rock night on at the Zita Club at Zitadelle, so some of us decided to head down after the gathering. Indeed, this was why this Friday was chosen for the meet-up. There was Monika and her husband, as well as one of the Brazilian guys. It was nithering walking down by the river but the club was warm once we were inside. The tunes were more classic rock than anything, but they did play Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Green Day and System of a Down on request. Rocking in the basement of a 16th-century citadel was pretty cool too, as was the metal eagle backlit with red lighting that was on the wall. With entrance only €7 and beer at €4.50, it was a very fun and cheap evening, with its locality meaning we'll definitely go again. It seems to take place every six weeks or so and we even chatted with a few of the locals, although again my German failed me and we largely did it in English. The guy who took our coats did speak to me in German but as he was mumbling, I struggled to hear what he was saying and again English was used. Monika and her husband headed off around 1am, but we stayed until past 3am, heading back home via the kebab place with the Brazilian. It was a really fun night and, as I say, definitely one to go back to.
I had been due to go shopping with Notefox on Saturday, but he hadn't gotten in touch when I went to bed at 6am. Alas, he did in the morning, stating at lunchtime that 'you're not out of bed yet, are you?' which was quite accurate. We arranged to meet up another time in early February as by the time I was awake and decent, it was past 3pm. The only things I did on Saturday were go to the supermarket for supplies and then head down to the Spandau Stammi at Pool Station. Seebass was down there and wanted me to go, and I was quite surprised how busy the place was. It seemed like the whole of Spandau was there, while there were quite a few furs too. Unfortunately, I had missed Planke, which was a shame as he had invited us to a techno club. However, having had a heavy night the evening before, I would have probably declined, not least because I had to write some stories on Sunday. I did meet a few furs, but largely just spoke to Seebass, spending a pleasant couple of hours before walking back in the bitter cold.
That's largely it really. My job is proving to be quite stressful as they have changed the teams around, leaving me on my own with one website with just one writer. Meanwhile, I am not really getting the support I need. Added to this is the current political situation here and the much higher living costs and I am feeling somewhat disillusioned. I just hope that things will calm down and the far-right threat will subside, although how likely that will be I am unsure. This has resulted in many nights of poor sleep and three of the last eight struggling to nod off. I am so very tired. I guess, as we have done over the last few years, we'll just have to monitor things and see how they go. In the meantime, Wolfie is off to Anthro New England on Wednesday while Blacksnip is coming to visit this weekend. It'll be our first major things of the new year.
Update: About two hours after I wrote this, my collar broke. I did feel a little bad, but I wasn't as devastated as I thought I would be. Wolfie made it for me about six months into our relationship and it's lasted over 16 years. It failed due to simple wear and tear, with the leather becoming brittle, making the buckle snap off. We've patched it up with some sticky tape until Wolfie can make me a new one, but it's a testament to its quality that it snapped after so much daily wear.
