Bionic Teutonic

Last evening I had this strange experience where, for a fraction of a second, my sense of self was that of me as a 12 (or so) year old. My brain sort of snapped back to my current 30-year old self and was actually disoriented at the disconnect for a second. It was sort of like time was maleable for a brief point in time and I wasn’t living linearly. It’s strange, because while I think back to being a kid sometimes and look back on memories, etc. I tend to forget what it actually felt like on a visceral level. But for that split second, I felt it completely.

Only two and a half weeks to go, then I’m done, done, done with class. I can’t wait for summer. After spending the last 6 weeks neck deep in my textbook, a little freedom will be very welcome. I’m having visions of sunny days, playing in the park, and hanging out with friends (all of which are a little elusive these days). Ariel and I are starting the ball rolling on selling our house and moving back to Capitol Hill. Both of us are tired of living so far out and I’m definitely feeling the need to simplify my life logistically. Currently, I spend around 2 hours a day getting to and from work. While I’m in school, this is actually just fine, as I spend the bus commute studying, but I’d like to get that time back thank you very much. Add to that the fact that even going to the grocery store requires getting in the car, and it all equals us feeling a little bit separated from the life we are really comfortable in.

On a totally different and random note, someday, I want to be able to do this. This guy is amazing.

Today on the bus, a guy got on, only to realize he didn’t have any change. As he turned around to get off the bus, 4 people jumped up with change and paid the guy’s fare. It was beautiful. Small acts of kindness.

I went and got my haircut yesterday, and I’ve come to the realization that I am a bad salon conversationalist. I have never stuck with any one hairstylist (what are they called these days anyway?), so every time I get my haircut, it’s a total stranger and I never really know what to talk about. Other people seem to become instant best friends with their hairstylist and I kind of envy that, but for me, it’s about as awkward as I get socially. This stranger has to be close to my head for half an hour, so conversation seems reasonable but they are kind of in the middle of doing their job and everything I say ends up feeling forced. Yesterday my hairdresser apologized for being quiet at one point saying “sometimes I just get so into what I’m doing”, as if that were a bad thing. Which then made me feel weird like maybe I wasn’t being conversant enough. Sometimes I think I go so long in-between getting my hair cut because I’m avoiding having to think of things to talk about with my hairstylist.

I got the oddest e-mail this morning from one Andreas Fetz. It looks like he was trying to forward a presentation to himself and at first I thought it was some spam because of the attachment, but his e-mail signature had all his work information in it, so I went and looked him up. Looks like he works for a food company in Germany as an e-mail marketer. Oddly parallel to my marketing job. I’m totally curious. I wrote back saying I thought I was the wrong Andreas Fetz. I hope he responds.

Update:  He wrote back! I’m now in contact with the other Andreas Fetz. Sounds like his family is from Austria, so we are probably not related. We’re both curious though and have been exchanging some info. I was right about the fact that he was trying to send himself an e-mail. He just switched around the e-mail address.

Arghhh, sometimes it feels like my monetary responsibilities expand in direct proportion to however much money I have. There is some hidden law at work in my life right now, where no matter how much extra money I have, something comes along to claim it. I’m making more money than I ever have in my life up to this point, and yet I don’t see any more of it than at other points. Taxes, car trouble, house stuff, etc. I feel like somehow I’ve gone into this place where I’ve UNsimplified my life financially and it worries me that I will somehow get stuck with my monetary needs ever increasing. I’ve never really budgeted my money, but I think it might be time to get organized a little.