Well, I have been in Frankfurt for a couple of weeks now, and it's been very interesting and very busy so far. I'll run through a little of the last couple of months for this blog entry.

The fun started even before I got here as I was quite busy in January getting all prepared to leave my apartment, again, for possibly a whole year this time! I got most of the things that I wanted to get done finished though, so that was nice. The most important thing was to get the (now imfamous) bar started and at least under-construction while I am away. And it's underway, finally!! Cabinets should be completed and installed in March, and then the counter-top comes after that. All should, hopefully, knock on wood, be done by the summer. So it looks like only 2 years late, but there could be a house-warming in August! Although I may not have bar stools then... hmm... have to think about that.

Any ways, another important thing was also to get the kitchen backsplash (and valences) finished as well. Turns out the kitchen people did not receive the right valences, of course, so did not get that completely done, but the backsplash I pretty much finished. Did it entirely myself, my first tiling job, and I'm quite happy with it. There are some place where, if you look really closely, you can see some errors on my part, but really for a first shot I am quite happy with the outcome.

So, then it was off to Germany January 25, with a stop-over on the way in London. Kelly Rowland was playing at G-A-Y on a Saturday night and it fit in perfect with my flight to Germany to stop-over. Went out for dinner with the boys and then they were all tired and went home early, but I went over to see Kelly and she was Amazing! I was not sure what to expect because the only other big band I saw there was some dumb British pop band (cannot even remember the name), and it was packed with people totally excited about this stupid band I had never heard of, so was not that fun. But this time it was the exact reverse, and I loved the music, and everyone else there was also really into Kelly, or at least all the people at the front, where I was able to get up to pretty close.

The only kind of annoying this was she did not start until like the absolute end of the night. I think it was about 2:30 when she started and played for 1/2 hour ending at 3:00 when the club closes. I guess they probably do that on purpose so that people will drink more because a big chunk will probably leave after the show. So any ways she opened with Cant Nobody, and then went into a bunch of Destinys Child songs... Say My Name, Jumpin Jumpin, Independent Women, Boodylicious, I remember, maybe others? I do remember the highlight was Stole. I always loved that song from her first album and I still dont know if maybe it was a single and I didn't even know it or what, but it seems everyone else loved!! it as well when she sang. It was great. She also did Like This from her new album, and of course Dilemma. Oh, and she also did new Destinys Child, like Survivor and Loose My Breath.

Then she ended the show with one encore song, and it was the song Work from her new album. I liked that song before too and I guess it's the second single. I didn'even know it was a single, but the crowd sure did! I think this was the song they went to the most crazy for. It is kinda cool that the crowd was into the new music and not just the old stuff. The encore was probably my second favorite song / performance (after Stole) of the night, and a lot in part to how much the crowd loved it... although Jumpin Jumpin has always been an old favorite and was also a lot of fun, but really that was part of a medoly and lasted only like 1 min so cant really count... Any ways, all in all a great night. I am now going to watch the website for the acts that are appearing at G-A-Y, because if another singer that I really comes along I wil be sure to catch it being so close here in Germany. For me that kind of concert is worth it just to come to London for the weekend.

So, then I arrived in Germany the Monday after that. I was supposed to get my work permit that day. But now I have now learned that Germans have a ton of bureaucracy. I think the problem is that they have so much of it that it’s not very properly organized and no one really knows what’s going on. I am specifically referring to my work permit, which I still do not have. I have been to the visa office 4 times already, and this other town registration (I think that’s what it was anyways, still not entirely sure... but I think you have to register with the government where you are living in Germany! Pretty strict, and the US thinks they have big brother! Any ways, it’s not an issue that I still don’t have the permit, as I can be here 3 months on a tourist visa, but I’m technically not supposed to be working... well hopefully it will all straighten out before I have to leave the country... of course I could always fly back into Brussels or Amsterdam (as they are much more relaxed there...), but then I would have to take a train to Frankfurt from there and just adds hassles... well, we’ll see what happens. I guess you get this kind of bureaucracy everywhere, I am just used to it all being taken care of before I leave, which I think I will insist upon next time.

Any how, some good news, I found an awesome apartment. That was the other thing I was doing all of last week was searching and looking at apartments. I saw probably over a dozen and was getting a little discouraged as the only ones that were acceptable (for this old stuck in my ways North American... :), were all quite expensive around €2K – €3K euro/month. Everyone at work was telling me that was way too much, and it should only be €1K – €1.5K. But I really wanted to move in first of the month to not stay in a hotel any longer into February. I also didn’t want to do anymore looking as it was eating my working time. Luckily I was not busy at work and could take a lot of time off to view apartments. But I didn’t want to do that all again the next week. So I was getting a little discouraged and on the Friday thought I would be not moving till the next week. Then the very last place I saw, at 7pm at night, was perfect! Well pretty good and much better than anything else anyways.

So I got an apartment right in the center of Frankfurt, literally less than 5 minutes to the train station that takes me directly to my work, so no transfers which is a very good thing. It’s also less than 5 minutes from the main shopping street, like Robson, and restaurants and clubs and bars are all about. So location is amazing! Then it was only €1,250/month which is totally reasonable for a fully furnished, esp. in this location. Plus that price includes all utilities, water, gas, even phone and internet! This is really nice because I don’t have to worry about registering any utilities in my name and all the hassle that goes along with that. I would have had to do this in some of the other places that were even more expensive. PLUS! It’s an in an apartment building where the woman moving out just got married to the person who’s family owns the building, so she is just moving next door with her new husband. And they wanted to try renting their first fully furnished apartment in the building because I guess that is the trend in Frankfurt, no surprise with all the business people. So, they have gone all out and everything is completely brand new. Meaning even all new appliances, new kitchen cupboards, all new Ikea furniture, bed, couch, big TV, etc. Everything except the hardwood floors, and tiles, but those are in really good shape any ways... or maybe those are new too I don’t know, they look good enough to be brand new. So, I am very happy with the apartment. It’s much better than my very basic place that I had in Antwerp.

The weather here is a little cool right now, usually between 0 and 5 degrees. Hell, I’ll take that any day over what I left in Montreal though!! And the weather seems a little like Vancouver as it rains occasionally, but probably only 2 days a week so far so not as wet as Vancouver. But the area I live in I can tell will be very nice once the weather turns a better. There are trees and tables and restaurants in the streets (under tents) even in the winter, so I imagine this area of Frankfurt will be pretty lively in the summer. So far my impression is much better than I remember from the 2 days visiting before. I was staying across the river in a hostel last time though, and also when I was here before I was comparing it to places like Berlin, Munich and Cologne, which are all very amazing old "European" looking cities and Frankfurt definitely has a more modern feel.

So, last weekend after moving into my new flat, I of course found time to go out and explore the local club scene. I was a little worried that it would be pretty lame because I remember from last time I was here that it was really really bad. Although that was either a Mon, Tue, or Wed night though, I think it was a Wed, oh well, any ways, needless it seems that Saturday is much much different. Actually it's typical German from what I have seen in other cities that absolutely no one goes out during the week, only on weekends and then it's packed. It also happened to be Carnival (MardiGras) that weekend as well. So I tried one small bar first and it was packed to the gills, but they were playing some German like folk / sing along songs, and although people were having a great time, the music was annoying and you could not even move, so I got out of there quick. Then tried a place called Pulse, which was a great bar/club. Believe it or not they have passed a no-smoking bylaw throughout Germany, which is great. However there seems to be some loopholes in the laws. For example, you are allowed to have a non-smoking section and a smoking section, kind of like restaurants were in Canada 20 years ago. Good thing they have to be closed off from one another. Bad thing though is in Frankfurt there is no restriction on the size of each one. So it was quite weird at this Pulse club because it was almost like 2 clubs in one. They seemed to have two sections of everything. Two dance floors, two lounges, two big bars, etc. Very bizarre, but made it interesting to walk about the maze of different places. I quite liked this club. Then of course I managed to stumble my way to the afterhours, called Angel. Don't really remember much, but I think I did not like it as much... not sure though. Oh well, typical. So any ways, it seems there will be no lack of activity for the weekends that I decide to stay here in Frankfurt, unlike the terrible scene in Auckland, so that's good.

Work is alright... I guess... it seems I almost always feel underutilized these days. Every contract just never seems to provide that challenge that I am looking for. Oh well, there are some good things about it though. I was not busy the first week, so I could look for that apartment, which was good. Not all that busy this week either and this is how I was able to write this long email. They actually hired me for a certain project/position/role working with the HR product, which is what I have 7 years experience, but then they first needed help with this other project, which is CRM (customer relationship management), which I have no experience. So that is a very good thing that I should get at least 3 months maybe 6 months of CRM experience, which is very good for my resume. So I am not too worried about being under utilized (I am stuck doing documentation right now), because in the end I should end up with good experience. Let’s see how long it last before I go crazy though. I think it will get better after Mar 3rd, when we actually get the system to work on as right now it's all paper work...

So now I am thinking I will probably only stay for 6 months. I think that's about all of a purley functional position I can take. Plus it a great magic number, the 183 days, and I don't have to pay German taxes. Hopefully it will just be the CRM project, which is scheduled to go-live in July and then I will be back in Montreal for the summer... a little any ways, probably have to find another job for September with my mortgage and all cant be taking all the trips that I used to. Well see what happens.