Saturday, October 01, 2005

Ten things I have done so far:

1. Traveled and took some photos. Check out my photo site.
2. Correctly predicted the weather. Did that like twice.
3. Incorrectly predicted that I could beat two locals in a drinking game called Nageln. Basically, driving three-inch nails into a piece of wood with the sharp side of a hammer. Loser buys the round. Therefore, the rounds I purchased included Puntigamer beers, shots called Sambuca, and shots of Jaeger. Did that like seven times. (Note: in spite of the monetary loss, and in combination with some obscure drinking form of Keynesian economics, my street cred increased)
4. Split a bottle of wine with the principal of my school. It's going to be a good year.
5. Moved my lithe little body to the theme song from Dirty Dancing. I was later informed that an old Austrian couple in the bar/restaurant took exception with my considerable talents. Apparently three and a half minutes of vigorous self-massage over the length of my hot and bothered body just doesn't garner the applause it used to. “Nobody messes with Baby!” (the second best line from a movie, ever.)
6. Attended a wedding.
7. Spoke to girls. Yep, I did. But not—as hindsight strikes me hardest—at that damned wedding.
8. Met some super fine cats and dolls at the week long seminar for incoming teaching assistants. We learned a lot about each other and no, we really didn't. WWWT? (What Would Wittgenstein Think?).
9. Sang a song in German to one of the original Von Trapp children, Maria, on her birthday. Seriously! Granted, it was over the phone and with sixty other teaching assistants, but I'm still going to file that in the “I can't believe it's not butter” folder. I even have a photocopy of a hand-written letter she sent to the assistants thanking us for coming to Austria and teaching. Said letter will be placed in said folder.
10. Got a divorce.

Preliminary Conclusion:

It is not a good idea to take part in drinking games—especially with locals—involving sharp nails and a hammer, and thinking, “Yeah, I could win this.” Because before you know it, you're drunk, dancing to a song from a movie about dancing, married, sober, singing a song you don't understand to a person you've never met but who was the inspiration for a character in a movie about singing, divorced, and coming to wonder, when the night is still and the bottle still empty, where your youth went.

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