Julie & Julia

A few weeks ago, I watched the movie "Julie and Julia." To be quite honest, I had very little desire to see it when the previews came out. It didn't look that exciting to me. However, when I babysat for a friend of mine, I saw that she had it on her shelf. I'm always interested in seeing movies I haven't seen before, so I thought I'd ask if I could borrow it. I wouldn't say that it was my favorite movie, but it was good.

What I enjoyed most were all the recipes. I've become obsessed with finding recipes that I can use once we get back to the States. I'd love to use them here, but you just can't find the same things here...and sometimes those things are more expensive. I've had a very difficult time finding cheap and exciting ways to cook in Germany. Every time Stewart and I discuss the menu, we come back to the same foods. It's rather frustrating. I'm not sure I can eat lentils again for a while. I've even joined a group on Facebook (run by a friend from my childhood ward) that shares recipes of dinners they've tried. I enjoy it quite a bit; I just wish I could contribute.

Anyway, back to "Julie and Julia." Besides the delicious food, I'm kind of fascinated by the idea that someone would write a blog about it, and people from who-knows-where would actually read it! I feel like the people I know don't even read my blog...not that I keep up with it regularly. Maybe that's why they don't read it. Of course, then you wonder if it's even worthwhile to write a blog if nobody's reading it. I started this blog with the idea that we could keep our families informed while we spent time in Germany. Unfortunately, because I'm so horrible at writing anything here (and Stewart doesn't really have time), I think they've stopped reading. In fact, I'm not sure there's one family member that reads this anymore. *shrug* So, my hat goes off to Julie for writing such a successful blog.

I was humbled yet again today for not keeping up with the blog. My niece told me she met a friend of mine at Old Navy, and he told her he reads the blog. Doh! I haven't written anything for two months. I guess there isn't much to read, eh?

So, let's see what I can do to bring this up to date.

1. I got my hair cut. I went in for a trim, but I don't know any of the "hair" vocabulary, so I didn't understand much of what she was telling me. I did understand that she thought I needed a lot more than a trim. I'm not surprised. It was pretty bad. She also suggested I get layers, which was fine with me. So, they washed my hair (which Stewart said they prefer to do here), and she set about cutting it. Afterward, she asked if I would like her to dry it (which I didn't understand until she pointed to the hair dryer). So, I thought, why not? She used a diffuser, so it actually turned out pretty nice. What didn't turn out so nice was the price!!! I paid about 3 times as much as I had planned on spending...highway robbery! To top it all off, she tried to get me to buy a tiny bottle of something to heal my hair for 10 euros! Yah, right. The hair is fine, but I don't plan to get my hair cut again until we're back in the States.

2. Stewart and I are definitely headed back to Binghamton for the next academic year. Stewart got the TA-ship he was hoping for, so we have to go where the money is...especially since I don't have a job right now, and prospects are dim.

3. I've spent a lot of the last couple of weeks communicating (or at least trying) with my adviser at Binghamton University. In order to get an extension for my NY teaching certificate, I have to provide a projected course schedule signed by my adviser. I thought he had pretty much approved what I sent him (with the exception of one class, which I changed), but I'm still waiting to hear from him. I'm a bit anxious, as I need to send in my application sooner than later. I'm not sure how long it will take to hear back from State Ed., or if they'll even approve the extension. I think they will, but I'm not looking forward to paying the non-refundable fee. Ugh!

4. We are going to spend a couple of weeks for Easter in Berlin with our South African friends. We're pretty excited to be sleeping in a real bed...and spending time with our friends, of course. We may also have the opportunity to visit the Freiberg Temple, Dresden, and Prague! We're super excited about those possibilities! Oh, and we're going to see "Alice in Wonderland" while we're there! I'm psyched about that too. I've wanted to see it ever since I heard they were making it...yay, Johnny Depp!

5. On Sunday, our ward is having an Easter fireside. Stewart and I are singing a duet. It should be fun.

6. Lastly, let's talk about the weather... ;) We've had the window open all day! It's finally spring, and I can't tell you how excited I am about it! It's nice to be in a place where spring exists in practice and not just in theory.

Well, that's it for now. I make no promises about being better at updating, since I may break them. We'll just see what happens.