Hallo Berlin (again!)

And we are here. More importantly, the luggage is also now here, which means everything can proceed as it should.

Email and internet access are spotty (I'm currently at the computer of the director of my institute of affiliation, which may or may not be a good idea) but hopefully that will resolve soon enough.

Til then, though, short ends:

Do not fly through Heathrow. Or, do not fly the same day as me en route to Berlin -- it is apparently cursed, though all ends up okay. 10 of us from the JFK flight were literally whisked off the plane and onto a bus, then to the connecting terminal, through security, and set loose to sprint down the terminal to the (honest to god) last gate there. Those of us with rollie bags let the unencumbered get there first to save our spots. Nothing like a good sprint to round off a trans-Atlantic aisle seat red-eye.

It is chestnut season here! They are everywhere, and I can't help but pick them up. Buckeyes, as they are, were rare when I was a kid - sort of good luck charms, I think - and now that I know they can be roasted and make me think of Christmas, I like them even more. I have been picking up one when I leave my building, just impulsively, and thought that they might be a good way to count the time here. Or to collect and have a buckeye-roasting party.

It is also cold here, like serious fall-level cold. And what with me forgetting my good shoes, I have managed to give myself blisters on both ends of my feet, and so am wearing my walking sandals again. I'm sure I look crazy, but I am NOT wearing them with socks, at least.

German keyboards are a challenge, once again. Observe:

Or, rather, ObserveÖ

Can we compare how sentences look on a German kezboard versus an English oneÄ WhatÄs the real problem_ Where are ß call me crayz ß the dashes and apostrophes_ Or the question marks_ Most importantlz, we have switched the zäs and the yäs. Zargh. I do kind of love that ä, ü, ö, and ß are readilz, I mean readily, accessible, though.

Also - beware of subletting without putting everything in writing. In both cases, it can get dicey...but more on that later. Hopefully I'll have a connection set up in my office space early next week, and with that will come some semblance of a routine. I realize now that I have been routine-less and traveling since early August, and now don't feel like I can -- or don't yet want -- to settle in. Strange, that. I also realize now how many people I didn't get to say good-bye to, so hopefully Skype will come in handy for that.