In which this is where the title goes.

It's been pretty quiet here in Lake... er, in Hamburg. My past few days have included a lot of gray skies, reading, and finally-- that great, powerful, first-world luxury of wireless internet at home. Some adventures include:

1. A pilgrimage to the sacred shrine of IKEA. I went to pick up a few things I needed and, of course, walked away with a few things I didn't know I needed until they were nestled snugly in my arms. An example of one such item would be my new friend and roommate, Kratz (translation: Scratch), or Kräztchen when I am feeling particularly affectionate.

I was also able to jazz up the ol' abode with my classic decoratory touch. This space is starting to feel like my space (ie. a place in which I hang out and drink alotta tea, not to be confused with my_____: a place where I would take a lot of emo pictures of myself at odd angles in the bathroom mirror).

2. Apartmentmate invited me to another amazing show at her theater, which made for a very enjoyable evening. I'm severely liking this routine and hope it continues.

3. Yesterday morning I visited one of my favorite biweekly haunts: The Isemarkt. This is an incredible farmers, etc. market that runs underneath a U-Bahn (subway, except at this point it's more like a SUPERway) line. There is almost no end to vendors selling produce, meat, cheese, puppets, brooms, usw, usw. I visited my old friend The Muffin Man and managed to snag the last of the marzipan muffins before they were gone, as was my usual custom two years ago. I mooshed and munched it happily in my mouth while moseying down the narrow corridor. The traffic of baby strollers and Elderly Persons Pulling Plaid Shopping Suitcases with Wheels wasn't too heavy, Gott sei Dank. It smelled of fresh nostalgia.

4. There have been various innings and outings with the Smith crew. We spent the evening yesterday on a gastronomical adventure of the Italian variety. They didn't speak a single word of English (or Italian) the whole time. My proudness muscle got quite a workout.

5. On another tour of the neighborhood, I made an amazing discovery: There is a magical thrift store hidden a block away from my apartment. I had previously only come across one thrift store in all of Germany, that one being owned by a woman I stayed with in Berlin. Unlike that rather upscale one, this is small, cluttered, and crammed with a claustrophobia-inducing amount of really nice clothes for great prices. This is very exciting with a great potential for danger.

...But mostly I just want to hang out on the couch in my sweatpants while I consume my favorite warmed beverage and amuse myself with the mythical world of Der kleine Hobbit. (I just finished four years of college. Give me a break, people.)

Some recent observations:

1. Gosh, there sure is a lot of smoking action around here.
2. Ohh, right. Here you pay to drink water and then pay to pee. Glad someone is making a profit off of my bodily functions.
3. Yummm, bread!
4. Flesh-colored spandex does not look hot on anyone.
5. Hamburg's sidewalk trash bins are always overflowing with snark. This one pleased me in particular, as it brought me back to learning the subjunctive via Die Prinzen. It plays on their hit song (WARNING: Don't watch this video if you plan on going to sleep anytime soon! Or if you have high standards. For anything.) "Ich wär so gerne Millionär" (translation: "I would so like to be a millionaire!"). Ah, and the German word for trash is Müll. Snarkidy snark snark snark.

Oooh! The sun! Goodbye.