Stuff

Did you know that chocolate oranges are not really orange slices dipped in cohcolate?! Who knew! When you pull it out of the box there is a sticker on it that says "burst to enjoy" or something like that. Again, too lazy to get up and go check. Which led me to the question, how do you "burst" a chocolate orange? I banged it against the counter multiple times and nothing seemed to "burst". I finally just unwrapped it and pulled it apart. I am unsure as to whether or not that had anything to do with my attempts at bursting. Whatever, it's chocolate and it fits in my mouth.

In other news, spring break begins in approximately 20 hours. And yes, I am counting. Trying not to count minutes. Seriously, if I make it through tomorrow without killing any young children it will be a miracle. "No, you can't call your parents to get cough drops. Yes, go to the bathroom, but if some other kid comes and tells me you have been throwing wet paper towels at the ceiling again you will never pee at school again. To be honest I really don't want to hear your story right now. Congrats on the new hampster. Yes, you may go to the library. No, ice will not help your papercut. You're going to be absent when? And don't you DARE tell me you "think" you left your spelling packet at home." Sigh. My thoughts no longer go in orderly processes through my head, they run screaming through the crowded parking lot that is now my brain, smashing windshields, throwing rotten fruit, and setting off car alarms. I can hardly keep from twitching by the end of the day. 19 hours and 40 minutes now!

Thursday is my swimming night. I should be changing right now. I am exhausted. My stomach is rebelling. Just ate dinner. American Idol is on (really that was just the only thing on, it isn't exactly my favorite show). Papers to grade. Decisions to make. Do I give those filthy kids a break and make up grades for missing papers to put in the grade book, or should I give them zeros like I said I would? Deeper sigh. I think I am going to attempt to swim then come back to the grades.

laziness

So despite the fact that I have faithfully worked out lately, I have come to the conclusion that I am extremely lazy, or else really good at avoiding things I don't want to do. Examples:

1. I am currently sitting in my living room on the couch and someone has left the fan on at a rather chilling level. I am cold. I really wish the fan would stop. Am I going to get up and turn it off? Not a chance. However, just my luck, one of my many couch friendly blankets was lying on the back of the couch within reach. Now the only problem is how to keep the cozy blanket over my arms while I type. Maybe Riley will come home soon and flip the switch by the front door.

2. I meant to blog last week about my trip to the grocery store, but I didn't. However, Tessa's account of her Walmart trip has somewhat inspired me, so here are the highlights: I tried to con Riley into going to pick up chips to take to a friend's house (who was providing the rest of the dinner) despite the fact that he had to run a different errand first, but he caught on to my scheme and told me to suck it up and go get chips (in a loving manner of course). So I went to Homeland, parked, and avoided eye contact with the girl scouts who were enthusiastically selling cookies over by the other entrance which I avoided like the plague. Who likes to be the person to tell a girl scout "no sorry I don't want cookies today"? So I made it inside without purchasing any thin mints or tagalongs and decided it would be best to grab a cart since we needed milk and probably a few other things along with the chips. Homeland is great because they provide little cart wipes for us weird people who like to wipe our carts down before we touch them. Only this time I had to reach around the rather attractive young security guard standing by the antibac wipes. Now normally the security guard is old and very non-threatening in his uniform and bullet-proof vest (groceries are a dangerous business) and I make jokes to myself about how they are "Homeland Security" and realize that I made that joke last time I came too. Anyhow, this guard is young and much better looking than the normal guy and I wonder what he thinks about this odd girl who must disinfect her cart before she pushes it. So I wipe quickly and try to whip my cart out of the line of carts and continue to my shopping before I look too dumb, only when I whip I bring about two other carts with me and cute security guard has to help me disentangle myself from the other carts before I can escape. I smile to myself sheepishly and mutter a "thanks" as I turn my cart to leave and realize that I got the defective cart that doesn't turn! So I have to pick up the back end of the cart and reposition it to point the way I wanted it to go before I could make my escape. By then I was mentally cracking up with no one to share my joke. The rest of the trip was uneventful except for the fact that I had to manhandle my cart every time I wanted to turn right.

3. Today at school I used my planning period to kidnap one of my student's stuffed animals (today was pajama day)and leave her notes on how to find poor Hello Kitty instead of grading all the papers that desperately needed grading. Hello Kitty was reunited with her owner in our first grade study buddies' classroom.

4. I finally picked up my contacts today. They have been in for almost a week and a half. I have been wearing my current pair for... well never mind... a long time.

Anyhow, after looking at all of that procrastination I am amazed that I accomplish what I do. Now I need to shower and grade more papers. Nah, I'm going to bed.

Oo, Riley is back, maybe he will turn the fan off!

The Y

Working out is an interesting phenomenon. First I decided that the only way to get my squishy butt off the couch and into some other non-squishy state was to spend money on a gym membership. That way I would at least feel guilty if I was not working out but still spending the money on it. So I searched around a bit (and by that I mean I checked out the Y, found it to be just a tad pricier than I desired, and checked out one other gym that sent something to my house advertising "teacher discounts", which turned out to be nothing much), and finally decided that since the local YMCA is only about a stone's throw from my cosy casa (depending on who is throwing the stone) that would be my best bet. So I paid my dues and signed up. So far my genius guilt-induced work-out program is going beautifully. I even have a little schedule of when I go and roughly what I do when I am there.

So that is where I found myself this Monday evening: dance aerobics night. I was running quite late in getting there due to a dinner engagement that involved really good free food (you can take the kid out of college, but you can't get them to pass up free food) so I missed like the first half of my class. This left me quite un-warmed-up and a bit off. My grapevines were kind of small and the little hop in the middle threw me off. And should I clap now or just fling my arm in some artful way? Oh crap, I think I two-stepped when I was supposed to pony!

Anyhow, I finished up dance aerobics without major incident and even stayed for the "toning" afterward, which involved five minutes of me (and the rest of the class of course), two 4-pound weights, and a brief glimpse of hell. Three words: we did arms. Now no offense mom and dad, but I blame my genes for my wussy upper body, as well as my under-developed neck muscles which prevent me from leaning over and looking into the mirror simultaneously. I mean really, my head is not that big.

Once the class was over I decided to take a break from the treadmill and mount an elliptical. They are supposed to be better for your knees but it took the first ten minutes or so just to get over the knee pain. Once I found my stride I began to realize that it was a much slower stride than the other Y patrons around me. I know that you shouldn't compare yourself to others but I totally do. I am that person who secretly checks out what speed the person next to me is going, or always checks to see how long those around me have been going. Done after only 10 minutes? Amateur. Going on mile 7 huh? I'm leaving now. Well I checked everyone else out and finally decided I just needed to go at my own speed at resistance level 4, not the resistance 20 the woman next to me was going. It looked like she was running through water! Maybe she is training for Baywatch.

I ellipted for a while and mused about things to put in my blog... much cleverer things than I have actually written... then walked home, stretched my burning legs out on my yoga mat while fighting off the dog who figured that since I was lying on the floor I needed a hug, and now I am going to bed. Hope this post isn't too detailed, I am a little out of practice.

Last full day

We are back in Busingen once more, glad to not be getting on any trains today and to use the computer for as long as we want. I can even find the exclamation point!!!!!! And the letter Y is in the correct place. Small victories. Anyhow, I will give you the highlights of the last few days.
Three days ago we took the train(s) to Interlaken. As we were wandering down the street towards the Travel Information center to book some adventurous things we happened upon a booth advertising paragliding and other stuff. We ended up booking paragliding for both of us for that afternoon and rafting for the next day. Paragliding was amazing! I really never got scared, though I almost threw up. Taking off was the best part. You run a few steps, wait for you chute to catch up to you, then run a few more until there is no ground underneath you any more. I would highly recommend it to anyone. However, at the end as we were descending I agreed to a few acrobatic maneuvers which I think is what did me in. By the time we landed I was praying fervently that the Lord would keep my lunch from coming out my mouth. We then took the train, a bus, and a lift up to Gimmelwald and the Mountain Hostel where we stayed the night. It was a very busy place, full of American Alp enthusiasts all talking about good hikes and other places they had gone or are going to. We stayed in the owner's daughter's room (she is apparently away at college) so we got some space to ourselves. The next day we went back down the mountain and went white water rafting. I seem to remember going rafting in Colorado in years past and just wearing my own clothes and a life jacket. Not so here. We were given wet suits, wet suit jackets, booties, life jackets, and helmets. Pretty intense, but I was very thankful for them once I felt the glacial water. We opted to join the Swiss-speaking boat (as opposed to the one full of Australians) and not know how to say useful things like "all forward, right, left, and duck/hold on". The water was decently rough and within the first hundred feet we hit a rock funny and the entire back of our raft went under, leaving me up to my waist in freezing cold water. Somehow we were able to wiggle the boat out of the spot it was stuck in and regain some sort of bouyancy. It then took a few minutes for all the water to drain, at which time I felt like we were floating down the river in a full bath tub. The rest of the journey was not quite so treacherous, though we were bummed that our raft didn't get to attempt the small waterfall since our guide was brand new. Oh well.

I am apparently writing in too much detail because Riley has given up waiting on me and has gone back to the room. Summation of the rest of that trip: Next day we took some lifts up a mountain to hike, hiked the trail, took a bunch of pictures, but the mountains were covered in clouds so we couldn't see the big mountains, only the hills directly in front of us. Ate overpriced cheese fondue. Bought a few souvenirs. Took the train back to Schaffhausen. Fell asleep as soon as we got back. Today we are hoping to borrow some bikes and ride to the Rhine Falls. Tomorrow: home. Love you all!

Ang

Day 5?

We are currently doing a quick update on the computer at the Mountain Hostel in Gimmelwald. I will do this quickly so I don^t hog it.

Highlights
-Paraglided yesterday, almost threw up. It was incredible
-White water rafted today. Also incredible. In the first five minutes we nearly submerged our raft and we had to hang on for dear life.^ Wicked
-Beautiful views of the Alps. Wow
-Hiked under a waterfall, got a little damp.
-Thats it for now. Love you all
-Ang

Day 3- Ebenalp

Day three consisted of our second day trip to a beautiful little... place... called Ebenalp. If you want information about it just ask my dad, I'm sure he's researching everything we do. Keep up the good work dad! Anyhow, we awoke bright and early and caught a train to Waserauen. Then we took a cable car up a mountain/cliff to this little place that had a church and a house thing built into the cliff it was cool. Also, there were paragliders and hanggliders. Holy crap. They just put their chutes in place and take off running down the mountain until the wind catches their chute and they float off into the wild blue yonder, or a little ways past the cliff where they catch an updraft that causes them to sail around in endless circles. It's really cool from the bottom of the mountain because there's just a swarm of them circling the top of the mountain like buzzards around a fresh kill (do you like my use of imagery?). Here are some pictures of the beautiful scenery and paragliders...




Oh wait, our camera ran out of batteries after 4 pictures. Hopefully they are great pictures. We hiked a bit, I didn't die from the climb back up the trail, we caught the correct train back, all was well.

Things I learned today:
-It is totally ok to pack up your chute in your speedo
-Don't put your feet on the seats on the train, old ladies will grump at you in German.
-First class cars on trains have microscopic 1's on the side for all to see and you shouldn't ride in them if you are not supposed to be in first class.
-When it's dinner time, feed me, lets not walk all over Zurich looking for a power converter (though that was not at all Riley's fault, I was not hungry at the beginning of the trek).
-Swiss outlets are 3-pronged and look nothing like American outlets
-The Bible College where we are staying is not in Switzerland, it is in Germany.
-German outlets are 2-pronged.
-Most people who know English are very nice and willing to help you out.
-Chinese ladies at the Chinese Restaurant are not so helpful.
-Switzerland only gives out Francs, they don't believe in Euros and therefore no ATM in the ENTIRE COUNTRY will give you any.
-Again, the Bible College is in Germany, therefore the ATM right next door has Euros... so much wasted time.

Well, we are excited about the day to come. We head to Interlaken tomorrow, please pray that we can find a decent place to stay. Love you all! Apparently Riley thinks this is a good time to play ping pong so I'd better go.

-Ang

2nd Day Swiss

After some confusion with flight delays they (US Airlines) moved us to a Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany. It was uneventful, unless you count the unhappy toddlers in the row next to us and the passengers in front of us who felt the need to recline into our laps. Oh well, at least we got to see the Hannah Montana movie.

We arrived in Switzerland yesterday morning, managed to get ourselves train passes, and find the correct train. We even managed to locate the right bus that would take us to the college, and some God-sent man knew where the college was and told us when to get off. We were then shown the apartment that they were letting us use for unbelievably cheap (in a country where "cheap" has a much more expensive meaning than we are used to) and crashed the moment we laid down. When we woke up we were famished and decided to brave the bus into Shauffhausen for some dinner. After walking around for quite some time looking for something good, checking out the prices on the menus posted outside, and wincing at the prices, we sat down to eat at a very good restaurant. Riley ordered curry wurst on the recommendation of a friend and we decided it tastes like chicken flavored Ramen with a touch of sausage (veal sausage to be precise).

Today we slept in and decided to take a boat down the sparkling Rhine River to a small tourist town (Riley calls it a tourist "trap") called Stein Um Rhine. It was very quaint and we had some excellent crepes for lunch, but we were ready to move on about an hour before our boat came back (though we did find a cool museum that our awesome Swiss passes got us into for free. This thing rocks!). When we got back to Shaffhausen we planned out our trip for tomorrow at the train station, then ventured in to what we were pretty sure was a grocery store. We were correct. We also remembered why we don't ever grocery shop together.

Now we are excited to be resting and gaining some internet access. We will continue the tale of our adventures tomorrow. Until then, here are a few things we have learned so far:
-Lufthansa is the airline from Germany (Riley won that bet, I assured him it wasn't German)
-Flying first class oversees is barely flying, it's traveling in your Lazy Boy while people serve you food and wine. We would like to try it someday.
-Europeans have a different definition of personal space.
-If it's hot and you want to swim but you don't have a bathing suit, no problem! Just strip down and sunbathe in the nude on the banks of the river while waving to passing boat passengers.
-When visiting a German-speaking country, it's helpful to know German.
-Words related to travel seem to have the word "fart" in them. Makes me giggle.

Have a great day! Chow!
-Ang