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Saturday, December 6th, 2025 12:10 pm
I made myself a chore checklist because I have trouble remembering how long it's been since I changed the sheets, for example, and I want to improve my sheet-changing rate. I started in mid-November, and I have 6 chores, which I alternate in batches of 3 every week (change linens (3) week A, clean & vacuum week B). It's helped, and my living space is mostly cleaner. (Cleaning includes picking up the accumulated stuff on my desk; I need to get some things from IKEA to better utilize my storage space so I stop piling things on my desk that should go elsewhere.)
I've currently got my mattress cover and duvet in the washer, and for inexplicable German reasons, wash cycles on perma press take 2 hours (cotton takes 4), so I'll just be waiting around forever.
I bought some cute art prints I want to hang in my kitchen, but because my walls are concrete, I need to borrow a friend with a drill (also for the purposes of getting them arranged nicely). But I got some German-equivalents of those 3M command strips in "nail," which I've been using to hold my calendar since I moved in, and that seems to be working. I'll see if they come in heavier (the one I have holds up to 1 kg, which ought to be enough for an A3 plastic picture frame, which is the largest I have; the others are 30x30 and 20x20 cm), because I'm still somewhat skeptical about this whole "sticks to wallpaper!" thing (I think I mentioned before that my wallpaper is kind of like popcorn ceiling if you mashed it down).
I'm planning on heading to a hardware store to look at their selection of command strips and ask the employees about what I need to use to drill in concrete (you definitely need anchors for your screws, but damned if I know how long of screws or what kind of anchors; there is a bewildering selection on the websites.) I might do that during the week, though. It depends on the washing machine.
I still need to get some sort of mirror and lighting solution for the bathroom. The only light is behind you when you're at the sink, which is not ideal if you use makeup or anything. There's a wiring outlet above the sink, so it's possible to attach one. Just without drilling, because it's ceramic tile, and you can't just whack some spackle over that when you move out. (Things would be so much easier if German landlords included basic things like mirrors, ceiling lights, and kitchen cabinets. On which, I still need to get a ceiling fan w/light for the bedroom side of my room.)
I've travelled around northern and eastern Germany for roller derby a lot this year, and I have a trip to Leipzig tomorrow and a home game next Saturday. (Our game will be streamed, so check our Instagram (@/bearcityrollerderby) for the links if you want to watch.)
The big travel excitement is that I bought my plane tickets and booked hotel rooms for my 50th (what) birthday adventure to Pompeii. I'll be spending Tuesday and Wednesday in Naples, then hopping a train to Herculaneum on Thursday (my actual birthday), looking at ruins & possibly hiking on Mt. Vesuvius if there's time (it closes pretty early in March), then Friday in Pompeii, Saturday doing anything I missed (Vesuvius? Bay of Naples?), and Sunday I fly back in the early afternoon. I didn't think I'd have that much time there, because I expected the hotels to be way more expensive, but the B&Bs are reasonable! The luxury hotels are comparable to what I paid for basic hotels in Iceland or Norway or con hotels in the US. So I get to stay 5 nights instead of the 3 I originally planned with, which means I get to see some of Naples, too.
I've currently got my mattress cover and duvet in the washer, and for inexplicable German reasons, wash cycles on perma press take 2 hours (cotton takes 4), so I'll just be waiting around forever.
I bought some cute art prints I want to hang in my kitchen, but because my walls are concrete, I need to borrow a friend with a drill (also for the purposes of getting them arranged nicely). But I got some German-equivalents of those 3M command strips in "nail," which I've been using to hold my calendar since I moved in, and that seems to be working. I'll see if they come in heavier (the one I have holds up to 1 kg, which ought to be enough for an A3 plastic picture frame, which is the largest I have; the others are 30x30 and 20x20 cm), because I'm still somewhat skeptical about this whole "sticks to wallpaper!" thing (I think I mentioned before that my wallpaper is kind of like popcorn ceiling if you mashed it down).
I'm planning on heading to a hardware store to look at their selection of command strips and ask the employees about what I need to use to drill in concrete (you definitely need anchors for your screws, but damned if I know how long of screws or what kind of anchors; there is a bewildering selection on the websites.) I might do that during the week, though. It depends on the washing machine.
I still need to get some sort of mirror and lighting solution for the bathroom. The only light is behind you when you're at the sink, which is not ideal if you use makeup or anything. There's a wiring outlet above the sink, so it's possible to attach one. Just without drilling, because it's ceramic tile, and you can't just whack some spackle over that when you move out. (Things would be so much easier if German landlords included basic things like mirrors, ceiling lights, and kitchen cabinets. On which, I still need to get a ceiling fan w/light for the bedroom side of my room.)
I've travelled around northern and eastern Germany for roller derby a lot this year, and I have a trip to Leipzig tomorrow and a home game next Saturday. (Our game will be streamed, so check our Instagram (@/bearcityrollerderby) for the links if you want to watch.)
The big travel excitement is that I bought my plane tickets and booked hotel rooms for my 50th (what) birthday adventure to Pompeii. I'll be spending Tuesday and Wednesday in Naples, then hopping a train to Herculaneum on Thursday (my actual birthday), looking at ruins & possibly hiking on Mt. Vesuvius if there's time (it closes pretty early in March), then Friday in Pompeii, Saturday doing anything I missed (Vesuvius? Bay of Naples?), and Sunday I fly back in the early afternoon. I didn't think I'd have that much time there, because I expected the hotels to be way more expensive, but the B&Bs are reasonable! The luxury hotels are comparable to what I paid for basic hotels in Iceland or Norway or con hotels in the US. So I get to stay 5 nights instead of the 3 I originally planned with, which means I get to see some of Naples, too.