December 2008

What is happening in December 2008

Birthdays in December - I always feel sorry for those with a birthday in December for it gets overshadowed by Christmas. Who has a birthday this month?

Michael Nixdorf will be 45 on the 5th December, my brother-in-law Geoffrey will be one year older on the 13th :-), the lovely Jördis will be 29 on the 17th (Jördis - when are we going to the cinema again?), and ending the month is Ian Maxwell who will be celebrating his 47th on the 30 December with Birgit, and on a ski slope somewhere in Austria.

Have fun on your big day to all of you!

Other things in December. Lots of food! I am going to parties on the 10th, the 11th, the 13th the 22nd December. I shall be taking Hans to various Christmas events this month starting on the 10th. My Spanish classes finish this month and I plan to continue next year. I feel I have made progress with these teachers and so want to learn more with them.

I may even get in a concert or two with Angelika and the Komische Oper starting with a show I have a ticket for next Thursday. I usually end the month with her and her 'band' at the opera house and hope to do the same this year.

I also have two walks planned with the 'Sporty Oldies' starting on the 6th with a modest 12 klm walk near Berlin. My Thursday afternoon Adobe Photoshop course will end in the middle of the month but I plan to do the next level course starting in January 2009. I have agreed to stand in for teachers in six classes at the Institute this month as well as take on a student with special needs. Should be interesting.

The big event for me is Jan arriving on Wednesday 17th December from Rhode Island. I also hope to see Peter, for I have a lot of books for him, and who knows, perhaps Itzak and Stefan will turn up with Jan and Peter. Jan is flying to Spain on the 27th December to spend the rest of his time with Arancha before he returns to Rhode Island.

I am not sure where I shall be spending the Christmas holiday period. I am waiting for news from Marga and Teresa to see if we are going to meet again to have an 'Ignore the Christmas Hoohaa' evening or with Ziya, Anne-Marie and Franziska. I have also got an invitation from Oldie Hermann to spend the time with his group of Oldies. Nice to have a choice.

We are all atheists and stand at a distance from this religious event for it is difficult to escape the commercialism of it all - to the point where it really is becoming meaningless if you are not shopping. Well you can live outside it to some respect and that is what we try to do.

You can have fun and enjoy good food with interesting people each day of the year without believing in such fairy stories. And you can buy children presents and be very loving and supportive to them each day - and not just at the end of December. I think you have got my point so I shall not continue.