So, I have an Assistant...

Hi all,

Who'd have thought, that a mere 6 months after gradation that I'd have a position with an assistant?!? Granted, that "position" is cook for the lunch meal and my assistant mainly helps with chopping vegetables, but it's a start! Mostly, it just makes me giggle...

Today I had to run the the admin building to get my flier posted off for carnival. It printed pretty well, and although it had WAY too much clip art to be considered anything near nice, it did the job. I also helped the visitor find the way, only to find out that the tour wouldn't be given for another hour and a half. She managed to get there by herself (after a few helpful hints and a turnaround or two) and definitely has a courageous spirit.

We were a bit concerned when we didn't see her back for lunch, but apparently some wires got crossed and she ate at a different house. I've enjoyed her company. She's got a good sense of humor and we have the whole "midwestern girl" background going on. I think she's going through swings of feeling like she's fitting in and then not. Orientation would be a good example of "not". The Germans are a strange breed, and I once again had to kick an introduction into being. Plus, half of them slept through the Woodstock film, including the guy who recommended it for the carnival theme! (Maddening...). However, we had a good time at tea-time - although there were some rather dubious "muffins". They reminded me slightly of the cuffins I made in Germany. He hadn't greased the pan, and that was just the beginning. The tops were crisp like sugar cookies, the bottoms stuck, and consisted of blueberries surrounding a chunk of bittersweet chocolate. When I asked if he used a reciped, I got "no...yes...no...". Despite all of this, they were definitely edible. An interesting food experience. And hey, at least he baked!

I was late for dinner, because I'm a robot. Rather, I escorted our visitor to another house (quite a ways away) and forgot I was supposed to back-track to pick up the milk bucket. I was about 50 feet away from home when I realized it. And although the milk pails aren't extremely heavy, I could really use a back rub at this point...sigh. Tomorrow is another day, and it's still quite impractical to have a bicycle!

Hope all is well,
Steph

Depressing Reads and Quirky Randoms

Hi all,
I forgot to mention with all the drama mentioned yesterday about the cherry atop my ---- sundae.

Oh, Jodi...
Now, I like a good love story just as much as anyone else. Ok, probably less, but occasionally. At any rate, this summer I borrowed "Message in Bottle" by Nicholas Sparks and was severely disappointed. What a weenie! He totally ditched out of making hard plot decisions by offing a main character in a freak of nature death. I finished the book, wagging my head in disbelief and thinking I could probably never top it. Well, move on over. Jodi Picoult has come to take your place!

Now, I went and saw "My Sister's Keeper" this summer with KT. She even brought tissues, and we went through them. So, when HM handed me her English book collection I decided to read it near the end of the pile. I was pleasantly surprised to find there were lots more twists and depth to the book, but absolutely appalled at the ending. There's actually a Q&A at the end asking her why she ended like she did. She replied some crap about the continuity of the theme of the plot. I, however, think the movie did a much better job of wrapping it up in a realistic way. So, the terribly depressing ending didn't help my mood either.

Nadeem Aslam
"The Wasted Vigil" is also a huge story about loss, but it speaks to the culture in Afghanistan in a very realist way, for an act of fiction. It's actually a book I had to put down at times - and that's a rarity for me. It was so intense that it just was an emotional rollercoaster. It was well written though, and if you're looking for an intense read (though not necessarily easy at times), I would recommend it.

Random Discovery
Yesterday I got a HUGE kick out of a word in Turkish. I'm a HUGE Narnia fan (I've read the whole series at least 5 times) and my absolute favorite is "A Horse and His Boy". Though this shouldn't surprise anyone...At any rate, once I was old enough to realize the Christian symbolism present (though I try to ignore it), I realized when they talk about the "savages" outside of Narnia that they mean Islam and the middle east. Possibly even Turkey. The word for "Lion" is "aslan". Now, how neat is that? Interesting to think about their brutal god (who they also got to heaven by worshipping faithfully, btw) and yet having a name for the Christian's god (one the 100?). Anyhow, I thought it was neat.

Finally, flyer?
I've been to several places now (Germany, Las Vegas, Istanbul) where they commonly have people distributing little pieces of paper to passerbys. At all places - and definitely in Vegas! - I manage to avoid taking them. Although it occured to me today...someone is getting paid to do this. And so I got curious. Do they get paid for how many they distribute (flat-rate, 50 bucks for 300?) or for how long they stand there? And who checks up on them? If they're paying them so little, would it be even economical? I realized that either way I should probably start taking them. Maybe I'll start a collection!
(Oh, and Merriam-webster claims that either flyer/flier is correct!)

Hope all is well,
Steph