First Snow and Nowhere to Go

This week is the first time the snow has stuck here in Munich. Last Winter was very mild, and it seems as though we're in for a good one this year. The image on the left is of my building, and the image on the right is a view from my window. It's very pretty, but I am certainly not used to having to trudge around in the snow. At least it doesn't leave you damp and muddy like the rain does. Nonetheless, the pleasant weather is gone; the long winter cold is here. The kids in the nursery in front of my building don't seem to mind. They're playing outside of my window as I write. There are two little boys, about 3 and 4 years old, in red snow jackets and wool hats. They are trying to crack the ice of a frozen over puddle, first with their shoes, but have evolved and are now hitting it with sticks.

I had my pre-surgery physical exam this week. A little blood, urine, and an EKG later and I'm good to go. The Fletcher low blood pressure seems to be holding true, which continues to astonish me considering how chronically stressed I am. I've gotten everything sorted with my professors, so there shouldn't be any problems, but there will be because God will invariably get bored and want to mess with me, auf Deutsch. My surgery is on the 21st, which means I'll be spending my Thanksgiving in a hospital bed, with a big bandage around my head that will make me look like Frosty the Snowman. Is it too much to hope that they will have the Turkey Day football games on?

I was going to do a little overnight trip this weekend before my surgery, maybe go to Garmisch or Innsbruck. However, the German railroad workers have gone on strike, which they rarely do unlike in other European countries, so I'm stranded. Maybe I'll go on a brewery tour instead. There is a fantastic brewing school not too far from Munich, and it's a five-year degree here. Seems a little excessive considering that German purity laws only allow 3 ingredients in beer, those being water, malt, and hops (unless it's wheat beer).

Otherwise das München Leben is pretty unexciting. These days I rush from one building to another to keep out of the cold (it's about 25 outside right now). I come home, do some work, cook dinner, and watch a movie or something with friends. I'm so exhausted from speaking German all the time that I always take a nap, should the opportunity present itself.