back from the void

okay okay, so it's been a while. i kinda dropped into a communication void, but let me tell ya, it's purely the result of me having a wonderful time. i know i promised i'd write more frequently, but.... bah!

so, for all those avid making tracks readers, i am in the process of drafting the second installment of the berlin bumper edition. it will be a similar kind of deal - chapter headings and everything to make it easy.

but for now a brief update:
- i am currently in france, hanging out with my good friend john. it is warm and sunny, and has shown me the value of having a summer once in a while... i've just been through two back-to-back winter seasons, first in the southern hemisphere and then in the northern and it's taking it's toll
- i now have five jobs, mostly piecemeal earnings, bits and pieces here and there, but should earn me some money so it's okay, and with 22% unemployment in berlin, i'm glad to have found anything frankly
- have developed some lovely friendships over the past months and have begun to get attached to this city of berlin - according to everyone i speak to, the summer is unbeatable so that's exciting - friends so far include katrin, silke, swantje, isa, jenny, lea, berlina, claudia, klaus, conny, doreen, laura and a few others are in the pipeline too
- have been spending my time going to german class, seeing many operas, attended a few excellent sessions of the berlinale film festival (mostly documentaries), participated in the writing, editing and proofreading of a thesis on postmodern english fiction for a new friend, visited my lovely cousins in belfast ireland in january
- have joined the state library
- have had many lovely visitors, including matt s, xanthe, jackson, lenine, jodie, and now marti who is currently staying in my room while i'm away
- am planning some great trips away, including london to see my dad and sister, hopefully new york and toronto to visit lenine (but this is dependent on money and time), poland again sometime soon, maybe prague for a weekend, and with any luck i'll make it down to budapest and if my dreams come true even to russia again (i have a strong wish to attend the second ever gay pride march in moscow - the first was last year and got a bit bloody so we'll have to see about the safety stakes...)
- am considering an extended stay to maybe study a masters, but not sure about this yet... it's all being built around my desire to be fluent in more than one language - the best way to do this is to stay in germany for a bit longer...

well, so that's a little brief update, but many fabulous stories and anecdotes and photos and philosophical musings are coming this way soon. don't give up on reading my blog - just maybe log in less frequently to avoid disappointment and boredom!

kd