Ode to the Internet

Oh, my lovely internet...I bow to it and kiss its ring and delight in its many wonders.

After nearly a month without it (I'm told this isn't unheard of), I am so happy to have it back. It was getting really hairy. I'm usually pretty self-sufficient and I regularly shun technology. I go on vacations without it, as my annual retreat into the Maine woods meant no electricity for years (out of habit, even when we got electricity, I made it a rule to leave the gagets at home). I dislike smart phones and their temperamental fits, and I hate being dependent on GPS when a map will do just fine. Still...moving to a new place, not knowing where anything was or what was going on was really hard to deal with. Also...since I was pretty sure living in the middle of a populous European country meant that I wouldn't be without, I had scanned and PDF'ed all the necessary administrative documents I would have needed. Totally useless.

Trying to set up school, trying to meet up with people, trying to meet new people, finding measurement conversions, applying for my residency permit, order basic utilities...pretty much impossible. To make matters worse, the phone is bundled with the internet, so I didn't have one of those either.

So what did I do?

Lots.

Sure, it meant showing up at the train station blindly and maybe waiting a little bit longer. It meant having to spot someone in a crowd at an appointed time. It meant spending a lot of time wondering where I was, what the closest metro station was, and not knowing what was going on in the world.

I did survive though. Neat, huh? I just don't want to do it again willingly.

We did move into a posh apartment though. I like it, especially now that I can be entertained at a moment's notice by endless cat videos (and I don't even particularly care for cats).

The best part was when our shipment crate arrived. The delivery men were understandably grumpy at the walk up (they had been promised an elevator) but the treasures revealed once they left made my life a bit easier.

Oh, look at that. I surprised myself with a whole tote of pretty yarn. Very little rhyme or reason to it. I'm sure I'll survive and get by on it though. Oddly, whenever I was packing it must have been a nice spring day as I packed lots of pinks and purples. Not my usual palate, but everything is in merinos and silks and cormos and cashmeres, so really now. There is no bad color.

There were lots of clothes, including winter coats that I didn't want to have to buy again even though they take up a ton of space. I think the best surprise I left myself were bathrobes. It tickled me to no end that I thought to pack those. It's not as warm here as it is in New York, and it's quite drab most days, so having a cozy warm robe to shulff around the house in with your morning latte was a brilliant idea.

Also, my knives. I was pretty fed up with all the cheap Ikea knives that came standard with every furnished place we stayed. Sawing through bread without ruining it, trying to chop carrots without losing a digit, peeling a turnip without severing an artery, slicing a tomato without turning it into sauce. All these are terrible tasks without proper, sharp knives. I had brought my entire block of professional chef's knives, a couple of paring knives and a really handy bread knife, all of which I sharpen at least weekly. They make the kitchen feel like home.