Table for One!

I've been here almost a month and a half now, and I have barely used the stove. It is a gas stove, and I've always had electric. Frankly, I'm frightened of the stove. I fear that one day I will blow up the whole apartment, and that would be bad.

But, last night, I got sick of sandwiches, so I made pasta! Unfortunately, I am not the best at pouring pasta into a pan and so made enough pasta for three meals. Yeah, lunch and dinner today! It's all good, though, because that simply means that I don't have to spend money on food today. Woo-woo!

I also spoke to Bridget on Saturday, and she told me how to use the oven. So maybe one day I can bake something! (Although that is a touch-and-go process -- no thermometer or anything. Lovely.)

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Some of you might remember that last semester, I wrote my final German paper comparing Faust to the Harry Potter series. Dr. Barry emailed me last week to tell me about the Faust conference in Toronto next weekend. Apparently some woman will be presenting a paper on centaurs throughout literature from Faust to Harry Potter. In my search for things to do while at work, I discovered a website for an upcoming Harry Potter conference that is currently looking for papers. *light bulb* Soooo, I think I might try to re-work my paper and submit it to this conference. Just an idea.

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A new group of students started today. They are only one group, only 10-15 instead of the 25 from the other groups we've had previously. They seem like nice kids thus far. Two have been here for other programs this past month, one is an American pastor living in Jessen, and the others... well, I don't know much about them yet. It should be fun. And once they leave, the group from Carlton College gets here. And once THAT group leaves, I will be home!

Yes, I am coming home. But only for a week in November. The California family will be in town for the holiday, and I am going to fly home to celebrate Turkey Day with them. I rationalize it as one of the few times we are all together without having a funeral! Bonus! Anyway, that is the big news from me. I was going to try to wax poetic about 9-11, but I can't. I've got nothing to say. It feels like it's all been said!