#pre-trip

So for those of you who've been watching this saga unfold: It's all coming together very nicely. (And once more, my most heartfelt thanks to all of you who've assisted for helping make this possible. I really couldn't have borne the Christmas holiday at home alone.)

I now have a flight Out Of Dodge. I have a place to stay in my getaway destination. (An aparthotel, with a free breakfast buffet in the mornings: fabulous.) And I have intermediate lodgings for the couple of days during which I'm making my way there.

(I'm not going to be overly revelatory about the details of where I'm staying, because [believe it or not] I also have stalkers [eyeroll]. And without the ever-vigilant presence of @petermorwood at my back, I prefer not to lay out more personal-location info, when I'm on the road, than necessary.)

So by about this time, seven days from now, I'll be in continental Europe on my way to Munich.

Meanwhile, the usual pre-trip junk is happening. Eyeing the local weather forecasts, trying to figure out what I need to pack (is it really going to stay this mild? What if it doesn't? How many layers will I need for [sort of] ten days...?), making sure time-sensitive household bills have been paid before I go, working out what buses I need to take to get to the airport on time, etc. etc.

But that's all regular, garden-variety logistics. More fun by far is sorting out online reminders for things I want to do for friends I'm going to be seeing while I'm away, and notes meant to make sure I do or see things that can only happen over there. For these I have IFTTT apps that will send me reminders when my phone needs to let me know that I'm physically near someplace where I need to shop for something, or stop in.

...For example: This is where you can buy some of the best smoked and air-dried bacon in Switzerland, if not THE best. This is tied for the best beer place in Munich, notwithstanding the presence of the Hofbräuhaus right across the road. Here's Peter's favorite cocktail bar, home of the Pusser's Painkiller. (But how much pain it actually kills is up for discussion, as the last time we took a business associate there, he didn't look all that great at our morning meeting the next day. That said, he had been trying to keep up with Peter...) Here's the place that has the booze-filled chocolate sticks that Peter's Mum doted on (and we didn't mind, either). Here's where you go for some of the best maultaschen in München. Here's James Joyce's exported Dublin local, where I want to get some photos of the painted tile. Here's the best small artisanal-food market in central Munich. ...And so forth.

There is not a single place on this list in which I won't be thinking of Peter when I set foot there. ...But the memories won't be painful. He loved being there. Christmas lunch/dinner in Munich, in particular, was memorable. I'll be in the same place (assuming it's still there), doing it again.

...It seems obvious to me that the best way I can thank the many people who've assisted in this getaway is to document it as thoroughly as possible: so I'm trying to figure out how best to handle the flood of images and videos that's going to ensue. (In particular, it's going to be Christmas Market time when I fetch up over there... so I'll be storing a lot of imagery of that for those interested.) I've got a few days yet to sort out the details on that, so I'll advise everybody when I get it figured out.

Again, to all of you: thank you! (For those who might still feel inclined to drop something into the pot so I can grab some more groceries or an extra glass of wine: the Ko-Fi is absolutely there for you. Jeez, don't think I'd try to talk you out of it! I'll be glad to drink your health, even if it's just in fabulous German coffee.)

Hellooooo! If you didn’t already know, we’re leaving LA for 9 months (maybe forever), so if you want to come say goodbye, this is where we’ll be.

— FRIDAY, MARCH 25th —

9pm - 1am — We’ll be at Precinct in DTLA to see Not The Spice Girls perform at You’ve Got Male. 

THEN

— SATURDAY, MARCH 26th —

3pm - 9pm — We’ll be at Dockweiler beach doing a bonfire / picnic situation. Text me for specific location details. 

Note: We’ll keep updating this post as things change so check back if you want to know where we’re at. 

So far, this is the rough plan for the trip... 

San Francisco, CA — April 1- 29th (BOOKED!)

Portland, OR — April 30 - May 1st 

Seattle, WA — May 2 - June 2nd (BOOKED!)

Bozeman, MT — June 3rd + 4th 

Denver, CO — June 5th - July 2nd (BOOKED!)

Kansas City, MO — July 3rd-5th 

Minneapolis, MN — July 6th - 20th 

Milwaukee, WI — July 21st - 23rd

Chicago, IL — July 24th - 30th

Columbus, OH — Aug 1st - 27th

Edison, NJ — Aug 28 - Sept 3rd

Brooklyn, NY — Sept 4th - 30th

TBD (Richmond, VA or Asheville, NC) — Oct 1 + 2

Atlanta, GA — Oct 3 - Oct 12th

New Orleans, LA — Oct 13 - 16th

Austin, TX — Oct 17th - 29th

Albuquerque, NM — Nov 1st - 12th

Santa Fe, NM — Nov 13th - 26th

Palm Springs, CA — Nov 27th - Dec 10th

TBD — Dec 10th 

After at the first meeting for my study abroad there was the mention of Skam (means shame in Norwegian) , a Norwegian television show that focuses on a group of high school students in Oslo. This show is really good in all aspects, I mean in the 2 weeks between finding out about Skam and now I have finished 2 out of the 4 seasons. In addition to great writing is that in this show there are many topics that are addressed. What is surprising is that the show was produced by the Norwegian government, so think of it like the public broadcasting system (PBS) in the United States.  Anyway the topics that Skam includes:

alcohol

sex

pregnancy

immigration

sexuality

Even though this show was produced by the government, they do not shy away from these topics as much as a tv show in the United States, including the shows that are not publicly funded. Does this show go into the nitty gritty and have full in-depth discussions? No. However it is enough to start and lead a discussion a certain way. Anyway Skam shows and implies more than what would be considered acceptable. I heard that Skam was very popular in Norway but what exactly does this show reflect about the culture of Norway? 

[Thursday 21st September 2017]

I slept over at my friend’s flat last night so I could guarantee waking up at 6am for today’s festivities. He’s the Deputy Head and lives right near school, shaving over an hour off my potential commute. Anyone who has ever interacted with me before 10am knows this is not overkill. Also I don’t think i’ve woken up before noon in about 10 days now. SAD! DEPLORABLE! etc.

Some might find it strange for a person to quit teaching, hire someone else to take over their job, say a tearful goodbye to everyone in July, and then show up in the first week of school to go on a rewards trip. To them I say “YOU’RE PROBABLY RIGHT??” but also Thorpe Park mid-week is amazing.