Chasing Ideals

I have said that I am currently in Koln but for the more technical sods out there I am actually staying in a suberb called Wesseling. I am not sure why I mention this now expect for the sake of unnecessary clarification. My days here have been spent doing as little as possible apart from a fair amount of reading and general lolly-gagging. I have produced three loaves of bread in a week so I guess it can't be considered a complete waste. Most afternoons I was thorougly absorbed in my book "I Claudius." I had begun reading said book in Turkey but lost it after a particularly rough(constant nausea and co-passenger lying on top of me) bus trip. My replacement copy came with the arrival of Floyd to Ireland but until my time here I hadn't the opportunity to continue it. As is prone to happen I was inspired by my read to learn all and then some of the history of the Western World and begin teaching tut-sweet. I had discovered on this journey that I have a noteworthy penchant for historical fiction and this book was perhaps my finest example. It spurred my interest in Roman history tremendously because it was written in the style of a diary as opposed to a list of facts and dates. In spite of my loathsome attitude toward high school students, occasions such as this remind me that I must never rule out the thought of one day being a teacher. I will never forget courses I took in which the teacher made a subject like history come alive and commanded the interest of the student. I would sit in awe and admiration for such as those

Now that I have clarified that my local is Wesseling I must bring to light some of the area's quirks. Yesterday while going to retrieve my photos I passed a window advertising a local photographer. I had never before seen such a frightening example of a studio's work. One of the headlining photos was of a girl with a massive purple mohawk and a smile that might scare off a grizzly. The haphazardly hacked style of the mohawk had the immediate result of nearly bringing up the last seven meals I had consumed. I don't fault the girl for desiring some glamour shots but for her picture to be used for advertising purposes brings into question the business expectations of the studio. Cathrin informed me today that that picture has held that spot for the last ten years. She too seemed not just a little disturbed by the sighting of it.

Reports here also indicate an increased number of cats being snatched from streets and gardens alike. I went with Cathrin today to a pet store and the employee there warned that cat theft was on the rise and that especially her beloved black cat Fussel is at risk. Apparently black cats are the key targets of this mayhem. The pet store worker was not the first to mention this new threat making it all the more believable despite the seemingly ridiculous nature of it. These warnings also coincided with a dream Cathrin recently had of Fussel being taken as fodder for the local Satanist group's communal rituals. In her dream she later rescued hers and other unfortunate pets from the clutches but certainly it brings a shudder to one's bed time thoughts. I have now decided that Wesseling is perhaps the key Satanist stronghold of the area and will be on close daily watch for any and all suspicious goings-on.

I have added a gallery of photos to Lovable Quirks that includes shots of our adventures from Bulgaria to Koln though sadly in reverse order. I want to also quickly remind that the comments link at the bottom of each post is working and have decided that all of you know this and just couldn't be bothered leaving any. Gracias for that with forboding cherries on top.