Bloody hell – where did the year go.
Now I’ve been in my job for a year, and also living in Germay for a year. Whoa! That is kinda crazy when you think hard about it.
I have been living in a foreign country for a year.
Now my German is still shite. When ever I have got time to practice it I do something else – read a book, write stuff for roleplay games, blogging, podcasting, reviewing books, painting toy soldiers, going out – so I am still basically a novice but I am picking it ever so slowly.
As always with a new research position, the first year feels awful as once again you adjust to what you are doing. Figuring out a new method has been my bane of the year. But the hard work for that is over. Time for actually putting it all into practice and harvesting the results. About fucking time. However in this time I have had one paper done, and a book chapter, and I am waiting on another paper. As a result of work I have also been to Berlin for a conference (took Sam along to that one), Berlin again for another (shorter conference on a specific DFT program), and another in Lugano (I would have taken Sam, but the place was pricey and I would have had no time for sight seeing as the conference was all about my very specific field). That last conference was great as I got to meetup with some familiar figures, including my PhD boss. And hell it was good. Pretty much all my work for my PhD got presented, and my own work was cited a lot in other talks.
Of course Sam and I have been to Venice this year, for Carnival, to mark us being married for 3 years (it will be 4 years this Feb). Venice of course is always great, and I think given we have gone 3 times now we have pretty much walked almost every street there.
This year also saw our friend, James, move back to the UK from Hamburg, which is sad as it was cool to think we could visit him often. But we have also made a few friends here, and I have a rpg group going now. Finally!
On the hobby side of things the podcast goes from strength to strength, and now has a spin off magazine. So I get to write a bit and practice more often with my creative side. We also went to Essen Spiel, a gaming convention, that had a shed load of larp and re-enactment gear, games, rpgs, etc. We also got to meet a very cool artist there, Nigel Sade, who is hoping to move to Germany (where the streets are paved with gold! – actually decent health care and affordable public transport and cheap renting).
This coming January sees me turn 30. I don’t know if that makes me feel old, or not. I guess I don’t care too much – I don’t look my age. And for that we are going to visit the UK, via Manchester and London, where we plan to sample some very cool club nights.
Anyway here are some pictures from this year.
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