some words of little comfort

if you hate christmas shopping like i do, then a word of caution - i have just discovered that no matter which country you are in, no matter how picturesque the landscape or view, christmas shopping is shit. i have just come home from spending an afternoon shopping down the hauptstrasse and i hate myself for it. my legs hurt, my brain feels like mash, i am not in a happy mood, and the next person to nudge, push or stop directly in front of me will feel something hard and sharp in the back of their skull.

i love shopping. i used to work in the CBD of melbourne and i loved it. i could go shopping if i needed to after work or before if i could get my lazy arse out of bed. when i first got here i was in love with the sheer joy of walking down a huge shopping district still looking like it was back in the 13th century. my first trip to france (which i still haven't blogged about! sorry!), was a shopping dream. as was my first trip to mannheim. (mein gott, the jackets!!!) now, after spending the entire afternoon dodging pedestrians and pushing my way through crowds of, what i can only call, motherfuckers, i hate it. christmas, you've ruined one of my favourite hobbies. although i shouldn't say that, last year i wanted to kill everyone and the year before i wanted to kill everyone, but i soon got over it and enjoyed shopping once more. my only saving grace is that i'm heading to berlin tomorrow and i can't wait. hopefully the christmas 'spirit' wont attack me there, as i'm in a new place and somewhere i've always wanted to go. ah berlin... home of burlesque and cabaret, new home of marilyn manson and home of the hardcore euro beats and clubs i've been craving. ich bin berliner!!!

in other news, after five tries at getting my 'working holiday permit' i finally have it!!! the crazy thing is the woman who's been alternatively nice and the devil, didn't even check anything. all she asked for was my insurance paperwork. she didn't even look at my bank statements. she didn't care that i hadn't filled out the form completely. nor did she seem to care about my living arrangements or when my plane leaves. to be honest, i'm not even sure how many months my bank balance would let me stay for, but she didn't even calculate that! i think frau halter has been into the gluhwein and i got her in the right mood. i wonder if i had gone in asking for citizenship would she have just giggled and gone, alright? but who cares?!?! i'm now allowed to stay until october next year!!! maybe now i'll actually focus on learning some german, instead of just looking blankly at people with the look of a startled deer in headlights. but first things first, berlin, party party party, then i'll get a job and then i might learn some german. or maybe i'll try the german learning thing before the job. who knows, but things are looking up mein freunds. i even found a place that serves melbourne style coffee and i know how to order it! ein milchkafe bitte... (even if i don't know how to spell it. hehehe...)