Slump funk

For the past week and a half or so, I've been in a bit of a funk. Or a slump. I don't really know what you would call it, but it hasn't been pleasant. Breakdown of my slunk (that's the two words combined, in case you were wondering): First, I turned into a raging, hormonal maniac. About two days into this hormonal rage, I realized that menstruation was imminent, and my rage was caused by increased progesterone and estrogen levels in my body. Did this realization help me to calm down, stop terrorizing those around me (including my students), and control my rage? Pah, of course not!! Having been on the baby pill for about two years now, PMS has been a thing of the past. I would think of it and chuckle at how crazy I used to get for that one awful week each month. "That silly Bri from the past! Why couldn't she just chill?" Well, thanks to foiled attempts to illegally import my special brand of baby pill from the US (the Germans caught me red handed and confiscated a three month supply,right before my very eyes), I've been off the pill now for about three months. Slowly, the old small-on-their-own-but-miserable-when-experienced-simultaneously-symptoms began to creep back in. I won't bore readers (ha! readers! who am I kidding) with the gory details of said symptoms, because well, it's just not that interesting. But the whole being the angriest and least patient person IN THE COSMOS thing hasn't been a problem for the past two months. Why it decided to rear it's ugly head this month is a mystery to me.

So, the moral of this story is that last week was the worst week I've had probably in the past eight months or so. It seemed like everything was going wrong, all of the adults- well, most- that I work with were on my case about one thing or another, and all the children that I work with chose last week to exhibit the absolute worst facets of their personalities. Could I have been hyper sensitive to their possibly normal childish capers? Perhaps. But it doesn't change the fact that a few kids just managed to exhaust every last ounce of my patience and compassion, and I was seriously wishing it were legal to liberally employ the use of duct tape in one's teaching practices. I locked myself in my apartment on Thursday night, and used every ounce of my super psychic powers (hey, I might have them) to make time skip ahead a day so I wouldn't have to go to work the next day. Unfortunately, my psychic powers failed me (curses! foiled again!) and I had to do the usual stuff on Friday. I decided at the end of the day to walk home in the sub zero (literally) temperatures, rather than taking the tram. I stopped off at a new cafe that opened near school, and ordered a LARGE hot chocolate, and I have to say, it may have been my first step out of the slunk. It was absolutely delicious, and kept my hands semi-warm on the walk home. Walking through the beautiful buildings in this wonderful German city that I live in cheered me somewhat, and by the time I arrived home I felt less like kicking a puppy.

So, then came the weekend. My mood continued to improve (but we're relatively speaking here people, I was still pretty bitchy), and the highlight of the weekend was rearranging all the furniture in my cavernous living room. I also finally put up the art that I brought back with me after going home in December, and that made me feel much more at home and happy. My living room is much cozier now, and I get to check out a naked chick all the time. Venus of Urbino, greatest painting ever created, one of Titian's masterpieces.....not porn, Dave. I went to bed early-ish in an attempt to stave off Monday morning grumpiness.

And then, on Monday.....AAAAAAAAAALLELUIA! ALLELUIA! Aunt Flo had taken the night train into town! Raging hormonal Bri was gone, and normal Bri was back. I loved my students again (I still loved them last week but sometimes had a hard time remembering it), and was happy to be alive. I celebrated my good mood by purchasing my FIRST house plant. I know, my former housemates are probably shocked I have lived this long without plant companionship, but it's taken me awhile to get over Schlemiel and be ready to move onto other plants. I repotted this plant myself, and decided that it definitely looked like a Charlie.

On Tuesday, I had the BEST symphony rehearsal since I've joined the one here in Dresden. I feel like I finally know the music pretty well, and I actually MADE A JOKE auf Deutsch to the guy who sits next to me. Up until now he's been cold as ice, but he actually laughed! And then he offered me the use of his gummi bear topped pencil. I took it as a gesture of friendship and peace...on par with an olive branch being flown in by a shimmering white dove. And oh yeah.....OBAMA WAS SWORN IN!!!!!!!! Suddenly this town is in love with all things American, which I find rather humorous and ironic. I got to see part of the ceremony and speech at a local pub, it was pretty momentous. Not quite as great as meeting (and SIDE HUGGING) Dan Savage, but an extremely close second.

Now I seem to be sliding a bit into the land of no motivation. Well, in my personal life. I've been catching up and organizing like crazy at school, and am starting to feel better about everything there. I felt so disorganized and anxious all of last week, so the past few days I've been working late and just deep cleaning and planning like crazy. But then I get home, and have abou eight million things I could do.....but I don't want to. Actually, that's a lie. I have two things I have to do. Clean my kitchen and bathroom, and DO MY LAUNDRY. This may not seem that bad, but when one has to venture out of one's place of residence to do said laundry, it becomes a genuine ordeal. When you hate doing laundry as much as I do, and let it pile up for weeks at a time, it then becomes an ordeal of EPIC proportions. So anyway, the past two nights I've planned on hitting the laundromat.....but then I get home and look at the hamper which has been stuffed to the brim and now exploded onto the floor....and lose my resolve. I really HAVE to do it though, because after tomorrow, I can't think of a single clean article of clothing that i have in my posession.

Instead of doing laundry, I do useless shit like this. Oh and I spy on my neighbors. I "took the garbage out" about an hour ago just as an excuse to see my new neighbor, who I ascertained was young and male from the sound of his booming voice echoing off the walls on the landing/hallway. He turned out not to be that cute (rats), but was friendly. Not a total loss I suppose, although he most likely thinks I'm a simpleton. He had an ESPECIALLY Saxony-ish accent so I understood approximately 1/6 of what he said to me while we shared the elevator down to the basement.

And now for the big news, the whole reason I decided to post today...............I'M BACK ON THE PILLS PEOPLE. I just waltzed into a Frauenaertz (direct translation: Woman doctor), told her the kind of pills I'd been taking, flashed my catchall socialized German insurance card, and VOILA! She handed over a three month prescription as if it were no bigger deal than giving me a band-aid for a paper cut.

AND I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER. It's really big news. Also, gloriously cheap. 20 euros for a three month supply. Take THAT, US healthcare system, and shove it up your.....um, system hole?

Now I've realized how late it has become and I haven't eaten dinner yet. Balls. If I'm going to stick to this nine fifteen bedtime I'd better get my rear in gear.

Oh and to end on a JOYOUS note, it was ABOVE ZERO all day today. It would seem that God hasn't forsaken Dresden after all.