It's the smallest pleasures here that make my day.

Last night, I called Deutsche Telecom to see if DSL was available in my apartment. This required several conversations (if you can call them that) in Deutsch and two phone calls. I found out that DSL is not available, and by the end of the phone conversation, the man on the other line was saying "Schones Tag" and more. We were laughing, I was apologising for my Deutsch and everything felt good, even though I appear to live in the boonieland of low cell phone reception and no DSL.

I was thrilled when I hung up the phone and got something done.

Shortly afterward, our sweet little German cleaning lady came in and started chatting. She thinks I have good German skills. Which I'll tell you having any German skills qualifies "good" to the locals.

Even just writing about this and remembering it makes me laugh and feel breathless.

What is it about speaking in another language?

I've discovered that I'm rather literal minded, word-minded (even though I thought I was only good at math-science person when I was younger) and of course, love learning. So the language high shouldn't be that surprising.

Simple communication. Such a small thing to bring so much pleasure. Yet it is the core of our being- connection with other beings. Most likely, the most important part of our existence here.

Germany is filled with simple pleasures. I am drinking them all in.

My brain works like this

THE LOST THOUGHT
by Emily Dickinson

I felt a clearing in my mind
As if my brain had split;
I tried to match it,
seam by seam,
But could not make them fit.

The thought behind I strove to join
Unto the thought before,
But sequence ravelled out of reach
Like balls upon a floor.

Bled , Slovenia- backpedalling to the pictures...

Arrival into Slovenia.

Bled. The church had a sort argyle roof. Beautiful.

Walking down to the lake.

The boats which you take to the island in the center of the lake. Rowed by locals.

Good morning ducks.

They're headed to the Church!

Cute old man syndrom strikes again.

And I'm always a sucker for little girls.

Piles of orange fluff. I romped in it like a child. (Y'all know I'm not terribly mature yet.)

Castle and my church. I didn't go to the castle. I thought it was good enough from afar.

I used to think fall meant "death" but I'm changing my mind these last few years. With leaves like these...

Little crystal droplets were everywhere that morning.

Pom pom tree.

The 3.5 mile path was mostly paved but not entirely.

Closer.

So damn cool!

It was a little cold for swimming anyway.

Love these colors.

Chainsaw conversations. No one died.

My boat to the island. You can tell by the tilt that I was the only passenger.

Happiest rowing man ever. He built this boat with his own hands 16 years ago after the boat his father gave him 33 years ago wore out. Amazing craftsmanship.

Mini-confessional. No privacy here.

Walking down the steps. I just thought it was so pretty.

Side of a tree.

The church on the island up close. They've had marriages here for centuries, but were banned while Slovenia was communist. The marriages started again in 1989.

Nativity scene by local artist.

The island.

I love Slovenia.

I love orange even more.

Neatest wood piles ever!

Train station...

My hostel.

So nice!

Walking into town.

Christmas Markets -Nuremberg mostly

He was the cutest little Santa man. With an instrument that I'd steal! :) Just kidding. No really, I would steal it.

I remember I was deathly afraid of the ferris wheel when I was a kid. Maybe not this one.

Best way to eat corn.

Double decker.

So much junk for sale. But it was pretty. Didn't buy anything.

Pretty ornaments. Funny lady.

I was thinking about putting this tree on my Christmas cards, but I'm using glitter and whatnot instead.

Nuremberg.

In the coffeeshop, contemplating life. As usual.

Ordering Gluhwein solves all the world's problems. (There was a fire too.)

Amberg. Just a tad smaller. Do you have a magnifying glass?

Darkness

"There is light enough for those who wish to see," wrote French philosopher Blaise Pascal, "and darkness enough for those of the opposite disposition."


I'm sitting here in the darkness of my office listening to the darkness of Radiohead, between patients. The windowshade's drawn. I've often wondered why I ended up in optometry, a field which is spent in the dark, when I like the light so much. When I think of professions in the dark, I think photography, which is much more on the creative bent than optometry. I bet most people wouldn't see the darkness in optometry. I do.

Darkness starts to drop down when I'm leaving the clinic at 4:30 or 5:00. It shocked me at first. I had to find out the latitude of Vilseck. Minot was at 48.22°N, Portland 45°31′12″N and Vilseck 49°36'36"N. Auckland was 36°52'S.

It's the furthest from the Equator I've lived. The furthest North. The longest darkness I've experienced and we're not yet to the shortest days. I noticed it a few weeks ago. At first, I found it disturbing- how could the days be this short already? Days are still shortening.

But darkness brings comfort. Peace. Solitude. Reflection.

It's the time of year to embrace the darkness. To see life with a shadowy light and peer out with half-closed eyes.