..had a nice birthday. Thanks!

So I have to start with a shoutout to my parents, who sent me a card for my birthday, and Kat, who sent me some bday presents -- that was pretty awesome to have, overseas. I spent the beginning of the day just slowly getting up and then went out to a little lake that's not to far from town called Guggenberger See.

The bike out was 12km or so and was really nice, along farmer's fields and some small towns, with the occasional factory thrown in just for juxtaposition's sake. The lake itself is not much to speak of but they do have a sandy area, a little pub nearby, and a sailing club that rents out windsurfing boards. I just went swimming there for a bit, and then relaxed before biking back home.

When I got back, I came into work and did a few things to get ready for tomorrow before remembering to bake. The German tradition is that on your birthday, you bring baked goods for the people you work with. As of writing, I have one little coffee cake-esque piece of baked goods done and the second in the oven. The first one didn't turn out perfectly, but I will serve it for lack of anything better. I need to introduce them to the Canadian custom of having a birthday cake made for you. (and buying the birthday boy a drink.)

...actually had real work this week.

This was the sight as we walked to the caf for lunch today. Pretty delicious, n'est pas?

My apartment search hasn't quite ended as I had hoped it would. The current tenant, who first asked for an extension until Nov. 15, has now asked for an extension to Nov. 30. Now she is a musician, and I understand that those type (BJW and WMPP, I love you both) have a hard time with deadlines. However, as one on the "butt-end" of this deal, things kind of stink down here. I'm tossed up between trying to find temporary housing for six weeks or just looking for a new apartment and cutting my losses. It's a bit of a shame because this one is relatively cheap and nice.

Luckily, there's been one of my favourite obsessions to keep me distracted: work! As well as correcting a low-pass filter (yes, you read that right. I actually corrected someone's electronics) and general lab work, I had to proof all abstracts that Franz wanted for an upcoming workshop we're going to. There were six abstracts to proof, mine to write, and a slightly tight deadline. These kids (read:the PhD students) are good with turnaround times, and we were able to submit everything today. So tomorrow I'm back to lab work and trying to catch up on the literature of the different experiments we're supposed to be doing.

...had a pretty sweet weekend.

On Friday afternoon, I had the feeling that this was going to be a quiet weekend so I decided to go for a run, take it easy at home and maybe swing by work. The run went well and I was relaxing when I got a SMS inviting me out to a guy's house for a few drinks before going out to a club.
I'd never been for a real night out in Germany. We hung out at his place until about 1am (they roll a bit differently over here) before heading to a bar. The people I was with knew the bartenders and so upon the beer we ordered, we all got free shots of I-don't-know-what. Later I would find out that it's a herb-based liquor, similar to Unicum. When we got to the club one of the guys was so drunk that the bouncer said that if we wanted to go in, I had to take care of him. I think I lost him after about three minutes but the club was fun -- people were talkative, even if you couldn't speak German. Club ended at 4:15ish, and I think I was home around 4:30ish.

Needless to say, Saturday was quieter. I did some groceries (the lazy man's load is not wise when you're on a bike) and laundry. My current place doesn't have an oven (wtf) and so I came into lab for a frozen pizza. Delicious.

I had again the impression that Sunday would be quiet and so I got up this morning and headed out for a 10km run, starting from the nearby town of Pentling. I biked over and then ran south, along the Danube. The weather was perfect and when I got home, I received a SMS inviting me out to go climbing near Regensburg. Three friends and a short drive later, we were near Nittendorf, where this pic was taken. They brought climbing shoes for me but they were too small and so I had to just go on a few little climbs that were easy, but the scenery was great and I think everyone had a good time. One of my friends is scaling the cliff wall that you can see. I think I'll definitely sleep well tonight.

...survived the Volksfest!

From L to R, everyone who was in town came out to the Volksfest on Thursday night: Joachim, Flo, Matthias, Max, Frederico, Markus, Verena, me, Tom and Franz. This is us in the beer tent, where we stayed while we were there. There were a few bands that played, including an ACDC cover band (???). Beer here is served by the litre, and there's a special Festbier, which is not bad.

The rest of the festival wasn't much -- just like a fair or something -- ferris wheel, little stupid rides, etc. The location was pretty nice, though. This was the first time I was north of the Danube. I'd like to mention as well that I was in at work a bit after nine on Friday.

...visited the barn last night.

I had planned on getting an iPhone last night after work and then biking out to the barn, but when I finally got my butt into town (after having swung by the grocery store on my way home), I realized I didn't have time and had to get back, eat some dinner, and head out.

The ride is about a half an hour, or a bit over 7km of hills. I seem to have this penchant of trying out shortcuts, and on my way there, I saw a road that looked to be marked with a max. of 60kph. I went down that and it turned out to be a mini-highway. When the truckers started honking at me, I turned around and went along smaller routes.

Once there, I met a fellow (my arrival had been forewarned) who introduced me to things. The coach was sick but will be back, perhaps next week. I walked around and then watched some of the riders practice flatwork. There's little jumping done here, and their jumping ring is smaller than Maple Lane's. I do miss that place quite a bit.

I left around 8:30pm, and started to head home. Engaging the little generator on my back wheel I soon discovered.... that neither front nor back light were connected. I had no equipment with me, and the screws were on so tight that even ripping off a tab from a pen, I was unable to undo them. After 100m of riding in the German countryside without light, I felt this was decidedly unsafe. Thankfully, an idea came to me. For the rest of my bike ride, I held my cell phone in front, periodically pressing a button to light up the screen.

You would think that after that, I'd be smart enough to head home along a well-known path. I decided to try a shortcut. This lead me to a dark path that my feeble cell could not illuminate and so I got off and walked. I ended up passing a gazebo atop a hill with a lookout to the town and the cathedral. I would have enjoyed it more if I knew where I was, or how to get home, as by this time I was slightly tired. But after weaving through sidestreets and a few dead ends, I made my way back.

p.s. This morning I came into work and fixed my lights.

...has been here one week.

To the left is a pic of my super-pimp office. Note the couch: I'm not sure if this is a blessing or a curse. I'm also not sure it's wise to admit that I've already tried it out once.

The week has been full, in the sense that there's a lot to do when you move to a new place. The paperwork wasn't that bad. It just took time and visits to the city hall, a health insurance company, various secretaries, etc. I think I'm almost sorted out for normal life. I came close to picking up an iPhone on Saturday but then saw the T-Mobile's G2 Touch (which is a HTC Hero) and had to make sure I was making the right choice. I saw a series of reviews that favoured the Hero, but noted that the iPhone is more ready for consumers, and with that, I think I'll get an iPhone tomorrow. I'd get it today, but this is Bavaria, and we try to keep our stores closed on Sundays.

In unrelated news, Franz is back from ECOSS tomorrow and we have my first group meeting. I have high hopes of learning what it is I'll be doing for the next three years. Aside from learning German.