I have caught the fever! Now that I live outside the States, I have become more of a soccer fan. I am definitely into the world cup matches. I like Brazil and am rooting for them and France. Not to say that I am not a baseball fan anymore, I still am a set in stone Yankee fan ( who won the world series last year!?!?!), but now that I am outside the states, I have a new perspective on the game. Whereas baseball is pretty much an American game (with a few other countries that play ball also), soccer is world wide. Baseball’s world series should be called the US series in my opinion, how many other countries send teams to the “world series”? None. Down in South Africa are teams from all over the globe competing for the title. I think it is very cool and I somehow makes me feel like I am more a part of this big world and all of the people in it. People are VERY PASSIONATE about the game, their teams. I have no soccer jersey yet, I am thinking about getting one.

Other things going on besides soccer, I am progressing quickly in my new job. I am still in training, which means I am not getting paid, so I am learning as quick as possible so I can start working on my own and finally start making money. Working with the film and the projector is great, this past week I learned how to take apart a movie, put one together and change the trailers at the beginning of the movies. The movies come in film canisters, usually 5 or 6 canisters for 1 movie. The particular movie that I helped take apart or “un-build”, was Barria, an Italian movie 2 1/2 hours long, 9 film canisters. It took awhile to take the reels apart, but I’ll get faster and I can bring some music with me to play while I work, because it is after the theater is closed. As a kid, I often wondered who worked up in the projection room in the movie theaters. I would ofter look up at the long window, the light from the projector flickering as it played the movie. I never saw anyone though. Now I get to look out that long window down at the audience! WOW!

So I am training a few times a week, nothing is hard, it’s just I have to do everything  by myself in the small theater, lots of small things to learn, from building film to getting the cash drawer ready for the next day and stocking the candy and pop. Thank goodness no popcorn, the theater is easy to clean that way. No plastic cups, the soda and beer (that’s right beer!) come in bottles and the people bring any bottles and candy and ice cream wrappers back to the desk as they leave. I started training with the guy who speak some English, he spent time in Utah studying, so I was able to learn faster with him explaining things to me in both German and English. I trained this week with the son of the man who owns that theater and a few more in Essen and he speaks no English. So I am having to accelerate my language comprehension and speech dramatically. I am still in the integrations course for the moment. I can finish the current module, Susanne and I got that worked out the other day with one of the directors. After that I will have to find another course to register with. There is a morning course at the same school, which would be great, but I have to be on a waiting list to get it. It begins in October, so maybe I’ll get lucky. My brain is tired though, it is working overtime trying to learn the language at school and then use the language at work.

And high fives to Susanne, she finished her US taxes and they are on their way to America! Living here gives us an automatic 2 month extension for the US taxes. Susanne has gone through a mound of German tax forms, American forms, booklets and lord knows what else. Take about a process! we have to file both here and in America, but there is an exemption thing that says if we make under 60,ooo euros, then we don’t have to pay US taxes, but we still have to file. I make close to nothing, I have one W-2 from Fedex and that’s it. Susanne has made money in both countries. The first time she looked at the German tax forms she cried. Lots of pages of incredibly long words that she had no understanding of. She had a Steuerberater explain things to her to help her get started. Then she had to file twice, here you can file online, but you still have to file a paper copy with EVERYTHING attached! So I ask, what in the hell is the point of filing electronically, when they want (and will) go through every friggin  piece of paper you send? Not going any farther with this. The paper systems here are enough to make you tear your hair out!  We are not sure if she will have to pay anything.  There are no calculations or adding on the form, you just put the numbers in and either a person, The Steuerberater( which costs  lots of money) or the tax office after you have sent the forms in. Then they do the math and send back your forms and whether you owe or not. She found out that the tax bureau is having computer problems so she won’t get her forms back for 2 -3 months. OMG. Can things get any slower here?

For the people in America, consider yourselves very lucky. In most instances in the US you don’t have to wait long for things to get done, that is unless you live in a very rural area. I filed my taxes and got them back within a week! Just moved and need your lights turned on, phone, internet? A few days. Not so here, I know some have disagreed  (see post “We’ll Get It When?”) with me, but for us, our experience has been, THINGS TAKE LONGER HERE, PERIOD.

Maybe I’ll write a sequel to the We’ll get it when post. “Yea, we got it- 2 months later!” lol

Later!

Music Post Today: (look in the sidebar)

I’m feelin’ a little Millie Jackson  like today. Millie was a one of a kind singer back in the day! Some real old skool stuff. Enjoy!