The Friday Five (Freitag funf)

This week's Five.... 

1) Vienna Visit in May ~ plane tickets purchased and apartment rental secured.  We used the service VRBO to find the rental and so far it has been an easy and pleasant experience (thanks, MJ, for the recommendation).  The apartment is on on Max Winter Platz in District 2.

2) Sorted through books ~ Prior to our move  six months ago, I weeded my book collection (librarian-speak for getting rid of unwanted books) so it was rather difficult to take another pass.  I keep books.  I re-read books.  I have some books that have sentimental value. Some that I just plain love and with which I can and will never part.  All this said, I was able to reduce my collection a bit.  I am also consoled by the thought that a friend of ours is willing and able to store boxes of books for us for an indefinite period, so I don't have to weed aggressively.  I have also been advised to keep a good collection; that I may long for the comfort of favorite books in English once I'm living in another country, surrounded by another language.

3) The Closet.  I also took a first pass at my weeding my wardrobe.  This is a very challenging task for me, although I will brag that I have been very good at keeping my clothing collection current for the past few years.  Current does not equal small, unfortunately.  Thing is...I have a lot of clothes, but I really do wear them. I swear. This is a big one for me.  There will be oh so much more on this topic to come, I can assure you.

4) After a 2-3 week hiatus, I just completed another German lesson on the Rosetta Stone.  I'm a little overwhelmed at the moment, mostly with possessive pronouns and still a little lost on learning/knowing the gender of nouns (it's important to know that to get the correct form of the pronoun).  Learning the language will require much more time and attention that I've been giving it as of late.  Must work on this.

5) I'm trying to do what I can to get An American Girl out there and to establish a broad, interesting and interested audience, share with others and have a forum for writing and learning.  This week, I spent time in the blogosphere, looking for other blogs, commenting, linking, making connections.  I've also been thinking about my content and approach and how to not only write the blips and blurts of what I'm doing, but widening my scope, making it more relevant for others.  Give people a reason to want to read beyond just wanting to check up on my progress.  As I figure it out, I thank everyone who is already here for reading and hope that if you like An American Girl, that you'll share it with others and spread the word.

The Friday Five (Freitag funf)

Yes, you are in the right place!  Yes, I changed it again.  Yes,  I do realize that I cannot, should not be changing the format so often.  I don't want to run you off with impatient thoughts of me as a wacky, flaky girl.  But I just wasn't happy with the look and feel of An American Girl; it didn't feel like me and this is, well, supposed to be all about me and what I'm going through this year.  It's important to me that my blog reflect who I am.  So I changed it again.  One last time.  This is it...promise.

And, since it's Friday again (already?), it's time for....

The Friday Five/Freitag funf

1.) Added a feed for the Austrian Times to my iGoogle page to read the news every day .  One of the front page articles this week makes me nervous, BZO Calls for Tougher Immigration Laws.  More on that later.

2.) Spent Sunday afternoon walking around San Francisco with Kiefer.  Bright and sunny, but windy...typical San Francisco.  We ventured through a new (to us) neighborhood...Polk Street.  We walked nearly the entire length, from City Hall up to Russian Hill, not quite all the way down to the Wharf.  Lots of different people enjoying their coffee, their pedicures, their beer and the USA v. Canada Olympic Hockey Game at the local bars.  Saw my friend's friend's flower shop, Cherries, but it was closed, so I enjoyed via a peek through the window.

3.) Started a Story Ideas notebook for possible writing topics - keep it with me at all times to log random thoughts, ideas, connections that pop into my head.  I've always thought my biggest block to writing was ideas.  Now I've got ideas on the page but I have to actually begin the writing.

4.) Left a message for my old landlord in Oakland to see if he has any vacant studio apartments he'd be willing to let us occupy for a few months.  No word yet.  I'm hoping that's not a bad sign.

5.) Started taking photos of furniture to sell on Craigslist.  I wasn't kidding last week.....if anyone in the Bay Area wants to buy a crescent-moon shaped, light-blue leather couch....look no further!

A Different Approach to Spring Cleaning

I find that I am looking at everything in my house in a new light, through a new filter.  It's almost as if I'm giving everything a sideways glance.  You, yeah you, Jamie Oliver cookbook over there in the cookbook pile.  Do you have what it takes to make the cut for Vienna?  I mean, I love you and all and it is true that you've been with me for years.  You have fed me well at times, but I really don't use you very much these days. Yes, you're autographed, which reminds me of meeting your author.  But there wasn't anything terribly memorable about the meeting, other than how long it took to get through the line at the book signing.  So, what's it going to be?

And so it goes, back and forth.  The big purge hasn't actually begun yet, but I find that I am spending a good deal of time making arguments for and against things in my mind already.  I fear being too harsh, getting rid of too much.  My natural bent is not toward sentimentality, but I don't want to tip the scale too far in the other direction and end up in Vienna with nothing of my past.

Then again, I also have a great fear of shipping charges, so I'll have to find a balance somehow.

The Friday Five

I got this idea from Abby Try Again, a wonderful blog of "experiments in film photography and general happiness."   Every week, she posts five senses friday, a way to look back and take stock of the previous week through things seen, heard, tasted, touched, and smelled.  I was hoping to incorporate Five Senses Friday into An American Girl, but I'm not sure I see how to sustain it for weeks on end (will I taste or hear something each week that relates somehow to Vienna or the move?) so I've decided to change it a bit to make it my own (with thanks and apologies to Abby Try Again).

Each Friday, I will post The Friday Five.  Five things I have done, thought, or experienced during the previous week that relate to Vienna, the move, the planning, my blog, or ways in which I/we are celebrating our final year in the Bay Area.  A way to reflect on, appreciate, and share all that happens each week.  And, so, without further ado......

The Friday Five (Freitag funf)

1. Immersed myself in the German language for 2 hours with the German film, Bella Martha. 
2. Through a friend, found a way to get my writing out to the public (I'd like to make writing my livelihood, or at least a part of it, moving forward).  divine caroline - life in your words.  This means, of course, that it is time to seriously begin writing. Gulp.
3. Changed the look of my blog because I found the previous format - layout, font, colors - difficult to read.  I hope you like the new format.
4. Kiefer and I are discussing ways to save money for our move and to begin the downsizing process.  We're thinking about selling a lot of our big furniture and other various belongings, keeping the essentials, and moving to a studio (or smaller, cheaper apartment) for the next six to nine months.  Craigslist, here we come!  Anybody in the Bay Area want to buy a crescent moon-shaped, light blue leather couch?
5. Started The Friday Five!  Okay, that may be cheating a bit, but I just had the idea last night and I'm struggling a bit to come up with Five Things all of a sudden this morning.