It was a good start to the weekend because I found out I got paid for the first time!  It was the wrong amount, but at least I got some money.  One of my colleagues was moving into her place today, so last night a bunch of us had a last 'hurrah' at the Olive, a restaurant in town, to celebrate her leaving the hotel!  It was a great dinner to give Kathy a sending off.

[caption id="attachment_64" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Me, Kathy, Richard, Sarah, Zach, Larra, and Amy"][/caption]

We were discussing doing a "flash mob" dance for Homecoming in two weeks.  It'll be the first Razorback homecoming in history and we're all a part of it, so we want it to be good.

Today, Kathy, Amy and I went to the mall to try to get cell phones for Kathy and I.  It was a disappointing day because it turns out I can't get a phone unless I have a German bank account.  Actually, they'll accept a German routing number, so it looks as though I'm going to have to open an account here.  I was so mad because I was going to do that this morning, but my laundry took too long so I missed the bus to get there by the time the bank closed.  I guess I'll have to go this week.  I also found out for sure that using credit cards here is not going to work.  Amy tried to use her Visa to buy a GPS, but the guy at the store told her that we wouldn't be able to use those credit cards here.  That's why I want to open a German bank account and get one of those cards with the chip in them that they use in Europe.   If I don't, I'll be buying everything from Amazon and shipping it over.  I never carry cash.  It makes me too nervous.  I need to investigate it a bit.

The other thing that I've discovered is that I am probably going to have to get a car.  I am not excited about this, but I think it's going to have to happen.  The buses here do not run often enough to get me where I need to go in a timely manner.  If I get a place in town, which is what I'm hoping, I may have to suck it up and get a car.  Gas is not cheap over here.

It was disappointing because I really wanted to get a cell phone today and feel like I was starting to get a semblance of normal again.  I have a list of things that need to get done, so it's still a bit overwhelming.  But, again, it's nice because I'm not the only one feeling this way.

I found out yesterday that I'll be coaching basketball.  I'm so excited about it, but nervous at the same time.  It's going to be a great way to see the other bases in the area when we go to play them.

I'm going to need to rent out my place.  If anyone knows of any prospects for a great place in Bridgeport, let me know!

Well, grading calls!