Celebrations & Demonstrations / Respect & Internet

to nobody in particular:

...May 1st (Labor Day) is "celebrated" all around the world...

...in Berlin, there are fests, cherished traditions and a day off of work...

...there are also registered demonstrations, intentional riots and planned mayhem...

...depending on how i feel tomorrow night, i may go check out an area or two, just to see the experience -- we'll see...

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..."you learn something new every day"...

...two days ago, i learned: "Respect" by Aretha Franklin is such a sham -- as a quintessential women's movement anthem in the '60s, it was actually written and released by Otis Redding two years earlier...

...yesterday, i learned: wouldn't the internet be awesome if it didn't cause any problems?...

...today, i learned: there's some "action" expected tomorrow just down the road from us (see above)...

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currently reading: Love & Respect by Emerson Eggereichs

Testing / Discovering

to nobody in particular:

...thursday and friday were fairly intense, but after roughly five hours of test-taking, including written, reading, listening and speaking sections, Sarah and i both passed our language proficiency test -- we'll go in and pick up our certificates and results in a few weeks, but we were already told that we passed, and that we did a great job...

...i passed with 84.5 points (out of 100)...

...i'm happy with that...

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..."you learn something new every day"...

...seven days ago, i learned: leadership team meetings in German are with my reach!...

...six days ago, i learned: some people are difficult, whether you like it or not...

...five days ago, i learned: 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12345678987654321 -- interesting, right?...

...four days ago, i learned: when waiting to take a huge test, it doesn't help that the test-giver is ten minutes late and apparently clueless...

...three days ago, i learned: i am able to pass the Zertifikat Deutsch B2 test at the Goethe Institut in Berlin-Mitte...

...two days ago, i learned: the Czech Republic is country that consumes the most beer (per capita) -- with Ireland and Germany in a close 2nd & 3rd, respectively...

...yesterday, i learned: Aids as a hoax?...

...today, i learned: baby humpback whales drink 500 litres of milk daily...

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recently finished reading: Blink by Ted Dekker

Upcoming Test / Anticipating Rest

to nobody in particular:

...this past week has been an odd one, and the one to come will be, as well -- it will be nice to enjoy this coming saturday...

...on thursday and friday (23rd & 24th), we'll be taking a language proficiency test -- i can't say that i'm super-excited about it, but i will definitely be glad when it is over...

...i'm confident that we are going to do well, and am really praying we do better than well, so that we won't have to take again (a specific "grade" is hoped for/required)...

...but this week we'll continue our studying specifically for it, as it is the giant that we're gawking at right now...

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..."you learn something new every day"...

...seven days ago, i learned: Easter is so very especially fantastic...

...six days ago, i learned: i'm not necessarily afraid of or intimidated by females that are taller than me, but i do kind of notice when their a foot or more taller...

...five days ago, i learned: smaller groups can bring bigger results...

...four days ago, i learned: the Goethe-Institut only gives the B2 test every two months, and the next one is on april 23rd/24th -- register & pay, then study & pray!...

...three days ago, i learned: the Eisbären won the DEL (German Ice Hockey League) again this year, for a total of four times in the last five years -- dynastyabulous!...

...two days ago, i learned: the left side of the brain has two language learning regions -- one for grammar, the other for vocabulary...

...yesterday, i learned: even though language learning only takes place in one small region of the brain, your whole head will hurt after a super-long day of studying...

...today, i learned: Travis picks up and understands more than i realized...

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recently watched: Man on Fire

This Week / Last Week

to nobody in particular:

...we had a fantastic brunch last week -- our first one in a public setting...of course it had its ups and downs, but overall, it was a great one...

...i turned 27 this past week -- and it was the first time in my entire existence that i didn't blow out any candles on my birthday...pavlova for dessert...

...we have a four day weekend this weekend, which is very nice...it has had a decent start to it, and we'll see how it pans out tomorrow and monday...

...Jesus is tremendous...

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..."you learn something new every day"...

...eight days ago, i learned: rebuilding a lost template is annoying, but finally finishing it is rewarding...

...seven days ago, i learned: kaffee und kuchen with neighbors is gooooood...

...six days ago, i learned: brunch is goooooood (but don't get all your hopes up)...

...five days ago, i learned: just take a day off -- seriously...

...four days ago, i learned: working on your birthday is a bummer, but it's not all that bad...

...three days ago, i learned: finally!...

...two days ago, i learned: each time i watch The Passion of the Christ, i am challenged with a new insight...

...yesterday, i learned: Travis rocks the Laufrad...

...today, i learned: stop and think about what the shortest way to your destination would be before you go ahead and start out with the first idea that pops into your mind...

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currently watching: "Fawlty Towers"



...truly wonderful...

Weird Week / Gorgeous Days

to nobody in particular:

...this is a busier week -- we are having our first brunch in a well-known local church building here in the area on Sunday, and we are still working out the logistical and practical details -- but it is a huge step for Freischwimmer...

...Germany won both of their World Cup qualifying matches this week (saturday and yesterday), so that is good news -- and England won their match yesterday too...

...Berlin Eisbären are tied in their semi-final match-up...

...fantasy baseball starts this week -- look for me in the middle of the standings...

...Hannah isn't sleeping very well, Travis is showing more attitude, and Sarah and i love them tons anyway...

...this has been a weird week so far...

...God is speaking to me though, of course...

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..."you learn something new every day"...

...seven days ago, i learned: yes -- i can (and do) buy rice cakes...

...six days ago, i learned: the new exhibition at the gallery is pretty awesome -- i like it a lot...

...five days ago, i learned: days where Travis and i can hang out together are good for my soul -- i am looking forward to more, especially when he gets older...

...four days ago, i learned: even though it's gorgeous outside, some people will stay inside...

...three days ago, i learned: Sarah's mom owned Richard Simmon's exercise tapes -- and Sarah exercised along with them...

...two days ago, i learned: some days are just crappy -- but they usually end...

...yesterday, i learned: it feels good to sigh and take a victorious look at a completed 2000 piece puzzle...

...today, i learned: there are roughly 4 million (out of 80 million) illiterate people in Germany...

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just finished reading: The Brethren by John Grisham

...randomly grabbed this book of the shelf at the library a week or so ago -- i liked it...