Day 21 - Guests at the Table

Last night we had guests, which is why I was unable to blog.  I know, there are millions of admiring fans who are disappointed and upset but what was I to do?  I couldn't take off and ignore the people Cary and Christian invited over and the get together lasted well into the wee hours so there was no time to complete anything of substance.

The people who came were cast mates of Cary's from Starlight Express.  We entertained Abbey, Carl and Mikey and we all had a wonderful time.  Drinks were consumed and I did my best to educate the uninitiated about the awesomeness of the Tragically Hip.  Alas, I think too many beers made the reception a little less memorable than otherwise might have been expected, but there's always next time.  I've started a new love affair with Schwartzbier.  It's black, flavourful and is smooth as glass, I am consuming one right now.  I assure you, it's damn good.

Today is a holiday in Germany.  It may be a tad ignorant, but I have no idea why it's a holiday, I assume it's just because they wanted a day off to drink some Schwarzbier.  Thus, I name today Schwartzbier Day, officially.  That being said, I think anyone who is so inclined should mosey on over to the beer store and see if there is a German Schwartzbier available to partake in this, now official, holiday.  The truth is that they love the spring here in Germany, so this is some kind of May Day holiday, but I think Schwartzbier Day sounds much better, so I'm going with it.

My roller skating is also progressing nicely.  I've gone out as often as possible and all the children look at my skates like they're from another planet, it's entertaining as hell.  I can tell by the looks on their faces that they're unsure if the 4-wheeled skates are cool or just plain weird.  

I've finally started writing my book.  It's set in Germany, at least for now, and will be an epic best seller, I'm sure.  That's just me using the power of positive thinking, not my extreme arrogance...I promise.  I've written one whole page, and I'm quite sure I hate all of it, but my research says that it's normal to feel this way.  Just keep writing, they say, and fix it later.  So I will do exactly that.  

I've been trying to "find myself" since we've been here.  It's an overplayed term, to be sure, but I'm using it because it's a good stand by phrase.  Much better than "contemplating the meaning of life" or "soul searching" in my opinion.  The reason I chose "finding myself" is part of my lesson for today.  The saying implies something that most people seem to ignore.  In order to "find yourself", you actually have to get lost first. And here I am, lost amidst a sea of beer and pork products with Kierstie by my side.  As a self proclaimed "Man's Man", I'm not sure I'd ask for directions...even if I wanted to.   

Ian