Happy New Year

Austin, December 31st

We cleaned the house for the beginning of a new year. After we cleaned the house for hours, I wanted to practice a bit on the guitar. BANG! The e-string broke. Great, I bought it just yesterday and today it's already broken. When Loran came home from work, we drove th the music store too get a new one. I got it for free, and the cashier tuned the guitar, too. Finally it sounded good. Back home I played 'Blowing in the wind' almost perfect. The A-chord makes me some problems, the strings are to close together, I will need a lot of practice to get this chord right.

Now the e-string sounds good when I just play the single string, but if I play a chord it sounds funny. Maybe I touch it with a finger by mistake?

At seven we went downtown to Sixth Street. We walked a bit around and ate in a seafood restaurant. The walls of the restaurant were over and over taped with pictures of customers. We draw some pitures, too, Gary is the best drawer of us three.

The we went to Esther's Folleys New Years Show. It was very funny. And the magican was AWESOME! I have absolutely no idea how he did his tricks, some of them were really impressive.

After the show we walked at Sith Street around. There was much to see. Like A Hummer Limousine! And some men in Scot skirts, and a lot of weird looking people. I guess the slogan of Austin really fits to the city: 'Keep Austin Weird!'

At about 2am Steffen and Daniel picked me up and we lit some firework. We had much fun, even when I got a shot from a roman fire in the face. Feels not very good, but I didn't burn or something, it just got hot. I still can feel it a bit, but there is nothing to see, so it's no problem.

Happy New Year everyone. I wish y'all a successfull and joyful year 2011!

Golden strings

Austin, December 30th

Today I bought the strings for my guitar. They are golden, it looks really cool. But the e-string sounds a bit weird.

You can't play on broken strings

Austin, December 29th

My dad called me today! I haven't spoken to them for months. Actually I wanted to call them on christmas, unfortunately I didn't get a connection to Europe. It's good to hear their voices again.

When Loran came back from work, he brought me a guitar! He found it on the trash at a goodwill store, next to his office. Now I can continue playing guitar, well, after I bought a few new strings. Two were already broken and a third broke when I tried to tune it. Seems like I have no idea how the strings have to sound, because I made it so tigh, I just tipped on the string and bang! it broke.

Actually nothing

Austin, December 27th

Today I spend with texting Sierra and watching lots of Two and a Half Men. I love that show.

For dinner we went to Moonies. They have huge burger and fries, but I don't like the food there.  And tonight Loran and I went to the gym. I just used normal weights and no weight machines today. We haven't been long there, just about 45 minutes and to get really sweaty in the end I run on the treadmill. With 12 miles per hour. Don't sound so fast, but I dont think I could run much faster for a long time.

Names

Austin, December 28th

I slept a loong time. Many of my friends want, or have to spend time with their families, but my hostparents worked, so I did pretty much nothing. I guess the highlight ofmy day was that I found a friend named Sierra in facebook. I met her some months ago in theater class, but then she suddenly disapeared in facebook and school.

It turned out that she goes now to an other school.

Americans have so nice names, but I guess I just like them so much, because they are new for me. I heard German names all my life. And lots of French names, because I life close to France. But English names I know just from TV, and there they have all the same names, Jack or Charlie or Betty. Here I meet often people with names I've never heard before. Thats really cool, when I will have children, I will have a HUGE choice of names.

UT Campus

Austin, December 26th

Gary and I were downtown today. We were in a museum on the University of Texas Campus, so I wore my UT shirt. I think it was the first time since I bought it. And i wore my boots, the first time outside. I LOVE them!

The museum was okay. It was about the history of Texas, but I couldn't really see a storyline or something. Here they talked about Spanish conquestadores, there suddenly cosmonautes. And then back to I don't know what. They need a bit a better organization. In the same building was an I-MAX. A great 3D-Cinema. We watched TRON. Like all of the new 3D movies with very much light effects. With all I mean Tron and Avatar, more 3D I haven't seen the last few months. I wonder if there will come more movies in wich the lights are more important than a exciting story.

But whoever wrote Tron must have a lot of imagination. Sometimes the story was very complex, sometimes a bit boring. Gary said the same.

For dinner we were in a restaurant. I had chicken-fried steak. Sounds weird, 'chicken-fried'. And it tasted a bit weird. But the beans and rice were good.

Right when I wanted to go to bed, I suddenly thought about Spätzle. I don't know why, and the next thought was: I forgot about a christmas gift of my parents! When they sent me the package, there was a very little wrpped box, I put it under the tree and forgot it. So I went to the tree and looked for it. I needed almost fife minutes until I found it, red paper on a red ground and bad light. But I found it, and what was it? A swiss army knive, model Cadet. I think thats the civil model that comes closest to the Model 1961, the one that was used by the Swiss Army until 2008. Just the reamer is missing, and replaced by a file. But who cares? I love it! Thanks Mama and dad! Now I just have to remember that American schools are much stricter with the no knives rule than German schools. 

Christmas

Austin, December 25th

I woke up and had lots of merry-christmas-wishes on my cellphone. Why get people so early up on christmas?

Gary made me make breakfast. He gave the directions and I followed. The bacon hates me, I'm pretty sure it planned to kill me with hot oil drops flying around.

After breakfast we opened our gifts. I GOT COWBOY BOOTS!

They are hot, aren't they?

I wore them the whole day, and I'd like to wear them the whole night too. But of course I won't, thats ridiculous.

And I got a poster, from myself in my Jersey and helmet. God I miss the football games. Its hanging now in my bedroom.

Here are really a lot of pictures of me in this house.

We had much fun with unwrapping gifts. I gave Loran some cologne, Loran had for Gary cologne. I both got some other body spray stuff from me. And I got some deodorants. From Axe, my favourite brand. And pretty soon there were a lot of different smells and nothing really fit together. Boys and cologne, a deadly combination for everyone who likes fresh air.

Pretty soon after the presents it was time to start cooking dinner. The meat needed about 3 hours to cook. And guess who had to cook. Me. Of course Gary told me again what to do.

After we prepared dinner and the meat was cooking I got a call. From Germany! My best friend Eric called me. Finally someone with who I can talk in German. I mean German how I speak it, not that proper high language German stuff i have to use to communicate with my german friends here or teacher who know German.

The dinner was good. I think I put a bit to much salt on the meat or the sauce, but it was still good.

After dinner I baked finally my cake ready. The dough was over a day in the fridge and hard in the beginning, but wet in the end. The 'decoration' didn't work so well as usual. It looks kind of blurry. But at least this time it's just the taste that matters. Next time I wil take more care and then it will look how a Linzer in my family has to look like. As a perfect end of the day we watched Star Wars.

Yoda sounds in the original so funny!

Hmm, I just realize, I haven't visit any christmas service this year!

Christmas eve

Austin, December 24th

It's christmas eve, and at least now I'm sure I will not have a white christmas. More a wet christmas. Right now it's rainng, but it seems like it stops soon. Like my coach said, in Texas it rains hard, but short.

Actually I wanted to spend the day with Lauren, but her mom wanted some family time. Okay, then I change my plans and go to the gym. Over the holidays it will be closed, so last chance this week.

Then i made hawaiian pizza for Loran and me (heat the oven and take care that it wont burn, everyone can cook!) and then we got some stocking stuff for the christmas socks.

And now I will watch Star Wars.

May the force be with you, and merry christmas.

Linzer cake

Austin, December 23rd

Today I bought the stuff for my favourite cake, 'Linzer Torte'. Unfortunately are some of the incrediences not available here, like Vanilla sugar, or look totally different, like Cherry Brandy. But finally I got most of what I need, and the dough tastes really good. I couldn't find ground Almonds, so I bought slices and hit them until they were small enough. Who said violence is no solution??

The late evening Loran and I spend in the gym. I think I like the loose weights better than all the machines. In every gym I need to find out how much I can lift at the machine, but dumb bells weigh always the same.

Cookies

Austin, December 22nd

I sleep to much. I absolutely sleep to much. I waste the little time I have with being in bed. Even when I'm not tired, just because I'm to lazy to get up.

But today I did a lot, compared to the last days. I went with Gary to walmart to get groceries, we forgot that I bought them and so we goofed around in Sports Authority. I thought about buying a paintball or a soft gun. But I don't need them, I actually don't even know what to do with them. And I don't need golf stuff either, I have access to a golf course, but the clubs feel weird. For me reason enough not to play golf. At least not now. Lunch we had at Schlotzkys. I tried the new Hawaiian sandwich. The pineapple is missing.

Luckily Gary remembered the groceries when we arrived home, I fould have forgotten them in the trunk.

At about 4 I went to Laurens. We wrapped her presents and baked many, many, maaaaany cookies. And of course I played with her sisters. Lauren said Lissy has a crush on my, I though that since she couldn't stop staring at me at church two weeks ago. Pretty cute actually, but I'm 11 years older, so she don't really has a chance.

Before she brought me home we started watching 'Phantom of the Opera'. The main characaters have unbelievable high sing voices. I really want to know how the mask stays of the face of this one guy.  

Another day before christmas

Austin, December 21st

It's a nice hot summer day. Oh wait, it's a few day before christmas. But it's still incredible hot. It felt like 80 to 90 degrees. For Not-Americans or people who are not used to Fahrenheit (who are usually not Americans) it's fricking HOT!!

I need a hair cut, so I went the whole long Aver Ranch Boulevard down to the neighborhood with the barber shop. But there were about one dozend customers, so I just went to a store, bought a christmas present and went the whole street back. 

I got my haircut later today, before I went to the gym. I hadn't had to wait long then. The guy who cut my hair was a korean. He said with my 'awesome' English, I could be there a English teacher and make lots of money. But I think that aint gonna happen. Being teacher is the worst job I can imagine. Every day wasting time to try to teach hundrets of students, who don't even care. I know how annoying students are, I am one of them -especially in German class, last year in Germany, that was awesome. But I would probably flip out if someone starts to sing 'Hush little baby' or other sleep songs everytime someone has to read. But hey, I really wanted to know the text of this song, so I had to practice, and the tiring voice of some people are perfect to get in the mood for those songs. Actually, it didn't work, I already forgot the text.

Back to the present, after I got my haircut I went with Loran to the gym.

He said I look like a military pilot with short hair. Working out made us hungry, so we got some burritos and watched 'For the boys' while we ate. I actually didn't pay much attention, but boy, that lady knows a lot of dirty jokes!

Sports and Scrubs

Austin, December 20th

Today I rode the bike for the first time for ages. I think I need more pressure in the wheels. Then I practiced a bit sprinting. I like the starting position whe use in football class. It looks much cooler than the way we start in Germany. And the commands are better, 'set'...'HIT!'

Thats all you need, not the incredible long "AUF DIE PLAETZE", "FERTIG", "LOS!"

Then I watched Scrubs, played with my football, ate something and played a bit more.

Shopping

Austin, December 19th

Today I went with Loran to the Outlet Mall in Round Rock. We bought some christmas gifts and I found a really cool Jeans. we spend lots of time in lots of different stores. There is really everything!

The rest of the day we relaxed, watching movies and wraping the gifts we bought. Trouble still don't likes to get wrapped. I really cannot understand that, he looks so cute with wrapping paper. By this way, this time Loran did that! I didn'r even think about wrapping the cat. Well, yes I thought about it, but he ran always away when I came close with the paper. I think he knows me to well already.

Christmas break

Austin, December 18th

First day of christmas break and I'm already bored. Well, at least in the morning. Eating and watching TV, working out and eat more isn't very fun. Especially when the American TV is most of the time just crap.

But I had a great evening! I were at Lauren's and we watched movies. Once again: Lauren's little sisters are SOOOOO cute. We layon the floor, watching Avatar, Lauren with Katherine and I with Lizzy in the arm.

Later Lauren and I watched Shrek 2 together, before she brought me home.

At this point, if ever someone from CIEE or TravelWorks reads this: YOUR STUDENTS-ARE-NOT-ALLOWED-TO-DRIVE-RULE IS SHIT!! We are in the country of unlimited distances. Being depended from someone with a car sucks.

Since I'm in Texas I should think about handle this situation like a cowboy, a horse. I don't think there is any rule against horseback riding. I'm just not sure if I can ride on the interstate or highways.

A half half day

Austin, December 17th

A second half day. And again with football in first period. We were outside. Pretty cold when you don't move, but we weren't there to relax, but to play Ranger ball. Kind of football for softies, but good to stay in shape. And it was pretty fun.

I skipped second period, because there they wrote a final, which I exempted. So instead of sitting 90 minutes senseless in Spanish I sat at home and watched The Godfather. Funny movie, isn't it?

After dinner Loran and I went to the gym.

Half day

Austin, December 16th

Finals week is actually pretty cool. Today I had just second and first period. Really first th second period and then the first, a little weird, but it was actually pretty cool to work out before school to wake up.

After the workout I talked to my position coach about my goals and commitments for the off season.

He said he's proud of me and happy to coach me. I got every day better, from the first practice day on, and he would happy to let me play in the Spring game. A SPRING GAME! I have one more game left!

And he would like me to run track, so in spring I will be in the track team, in addition to football.

track is mostly running. 200 yards, or 400, 800, or one or two miles. And high or wide jumping. So lots of possibilities for me to have fun.

Then I had my math final. Pretty easy, the only problem was the second last question. What is the name of our principal.

Direct after school, thanks to the half day already at 12 o'clock, Gary and I drove to the Mercedes shop. The trunk of Lorans Mercedes needs to be fixed. So we spend lots of time watching the new cars and eating free cookies and popcorn from the shop.

Then we went to Sheplers, a huge Cowboy store were we bought boots.



Austin, December 15th

Vista Ridge Pictures proudly presents:

ARMANDO SCAREFACE

My multimedia project is ready. A little bit change in the text, me as the dangerous Alpacino Scarface, uhm Armando Scareface, a new restricted sign and this yellow dot with a scorpion or whatever it is, and voila, here is my poster. 100% selfmade, I think the sign was the most difficult part. But it was all the work worth, simple and elegant, my masterpiece.

In theater we wrote our midterm final. It was a pretty funny test. A few questions about what we learned. Or should have learned. Two of the questions made me a little nervous, I absolutely couldn't remember how all the curtains in a theater are called. But hey, two questions aren't that much, and Ms Dye actually gave me points for 'Roter Vorhang' as name for the first curtain. The second one was really wrong.

My favourite questions were 'Name 5 people in this class and what color shirt they are wearing today' and 'What did you learn about yourself?' 'I learned that I can make Americans laugh with my accent and that I love Tishya, Haley, Cristine, Diana, Moreia, Tiffany, Michael & Ms Dye.' I got also points for that.

All in all 96 points, and for every joke answer ful points. Boy, I love that class!

After the final we had lots of time left, but nothing to do. So I shared some of the Milka chocolate with my class. I gave Ms Dye one bar as christmas present, she acted like my multimedia teacher earlier, when I gave her a bar for christmas, she hugged me. Who said you can't buy friends??

After I started to give one of the girls a massage, soon we had a whole 'massage chain'. On person stood after another and gave the person in front of him a massage. Was pretty fun. But they said my massages are the best.

I guess at least this class will remember me when I go back to Germany next year. 

Finals

Austin, December 14th

Today we wrote the first finals. I exempted English, so I had the las period free. Unfortunately I didn't kow we write today, I thought its on thursday, so I didn't took care for a ride home. So I sat in front of the class and watched the girls writing their final, texting some friends and reading a car magazine.

I wrote my History final in 3rd period. 100 annoying questions, luckily multiple choice, so I didn't need long. Until lunch break I was finished. Then I played Poker with some other guys in the class. We played about everything, pencils, coins from a other game, food an a little money. I lost 3$, someone else about 10-15$. 

In excelsis deo

Austin, December 13th

Christmas songs everywhere. In TV, in the radio, in my mind and even in shops is everywhere christmas songs to hear. Unfortunately I like just a few of them, or the song is ruined by a stupid company to make it fit to their more stupid commercial. It's a pity.

At leeast the songs in the Starbucks Coffee, where I went to with Suzi to do our Algebra Final Review sheet, were most of the songs good. Especially Gloria in excelsis deo, one of my favourite church songs, I enjoyed.

The last school week of this year started, and will be soon over, with two half days in school and all the exams. I wrote a test in Multimedia about Photoshop. It's somehow required, but it doesn't count very much. It wasn't really hard, I think the teacher didn't know what to ask, because some of the questions, especially the true or false questions, were a little bit weird. I remember the last two: 'Todays date is January 1st' and 'Mrs Koster is a good teacher (be careful what you answer)'. Well, it's absulutely wrong that we already have January and with a thread included in the last question, is it clear to answer with true.

The theater final will be very interesting, too. One of the question is to write what we learned about our teacher, one thing what we learned about ourselves and then the names of 5 people in the class and what color their shirt at this day has. By this way, theater class was great. I wore a Roman soldier helmet all class. For the Cinderella play of my group I first wanted to wera a hat, then we changed to a crown but then we found this awesome golden helmet. It looked pretty weird, a prince in blue jeans, a pilot jacket and a Roman helmet, but I had fun. All of our costumes today were a little weird. Sebastian wore a straw hat and a tie as odl gat guy, and fairy wings and a broomstick as fairygodmother. Jessi had a fur as ball dress, Tiffanys/Cindarellas shoe was a slipper, and all in all we just wore what we liked in the props room, hardly something fitted really. But we had fun and the class, classes to be exact, the Theater Tech class watched, too, said it was really funny.

Church

Austin, December 12th

After the TV church was such a flop last week, I went to a real church today. It was really good. The seats were comfortable, the girl next to me pretty (no I'm not writing about any random girl, I sat next to Lauren), the communion not with the stupid oblate and the pastor didn't cry all the time.

After service I went to Lauren. We baked Ginger bread, actually she baked. I just carried Laurens little sister Lissi while she was carrying the ingredients, then I played hide and seek with Lissi and Laurens other little sister Kathy. But they liked more to use me as a horse, all the time someone hung on my back or sat on my shoulder. Later we watched Lord of the Rings (Frodo is weak!!)

After dinner Gary and I watched Pearl Harbor. An interesting movie. I'm just still not 100% sure from whom the girl was pregnant. I think from the second guy, but he said short before he died 'No you!' when the first dude told him, that #2 will be father.

Anyway, I liked the movie, I like flying, but I'm pretty sure that I will not become a Air force pilot. Getting shot and land in cold water, trapped in his own plane is not an experience I want to make. And my eyes are pretty bad, so the Air Force, or more likely the German Luftwaffe wouldn't take me as a fighter pilot.

After the movie Loran and I went for a short workout to the gym.

Homework and Donuts

Austin, December 11th

I feel much better today, just my legs and my shoulder hurt anymore, but I can life with that. My shoulder hurt since over one year every few days, so thats really nothing new. Tip to everyone: Don't break your clavicle, it's a really annoying thing.

I did lots of school works today, mostly history. Next week are semester finals and I exempt just Spanish and English, so I have to learn for the other classes. Actually just for history.

Football class finals are, well I guess just participate in the workouts. Algebra is easy, for theater and multimedia we practically get the solutions before we write the finals. So there is just one class left.

But for this I really had to do a lot.

What a luck that we don't have those finals in Germany. The German history is much longer and complexer than the US American history.

After dinner we went to Krispy Kream and bought donuts. Than we watched Indiana Jones and ate some of them.

Austin, December 10th

What a day. You should think I sleep long and deep after two so hard workouts, but the cats were able to keep me awake almost the whole night. First one of them wanted to sleep in my bed, in the middle of the night she satets to lick my hair. I gave her some foot and went back to bed, then the other cat started to make annoying noises, I close the door and the first cat tried to come into my room again. I think she scratched at the door or did somehow else noises. So I let her in and she wanted out again. So I let the door open, for the case she wants in again, but now I couldn't fall asleep anymore. Super, everything hurt and I did hardly sleep.

So I went to school and was happy that i didn't had to do anything but relax my legs in Algebra. I have a 105 in the test, so no need to make corrections. So the teacher asked me to pick some copies up in the copy room. I walked through the whole first story of the building to find it, or a teacher who could show me where it was. But the person in that room couldn't find the copies. So I went back to class, where the teacher told me that someone brought them while I was away.

In football we run, the first drills where we learned how to run 'right' were okay, but then we had to run a whole lap as fast as possible. Terrible!

And in history we learned how to dance the charleston. A very weird kind of that dance, absolutely not how I learned it in my dance class last year.

Lightning, Thunder and other new experiences

Austin, December 9th

I'm not sure if I Thunder 5 or Lightning 3 or someone completely different am. I looked on the plan just long enough to see who my trainingspartner is and followed him. Actually I looked yesterday, and I thought I saw my name in the Thunder 5 group. But today when I run to the weight room I thought my name was under Lightning 3. But at least i know for sure that Seth is my trainingspartner in the weightroom and Cooper is my teamleader at the competition team. I'm a swoildier, or something like that. Sound almost like soldier but somewhere is a w. Those teams are to increase the competition between the players by collecting points thru work hard and make so everyone stronger.

But in the weight room everyone who has time cheers and pushes everyone. IF we have time. But most of the time everyone is doing something. It was easier than yesterday, but still hard. My back, legs and neck hurt. I'm pretty sure that I tried now every machine in the weight room, some are very weird. Actually just the one for the neck, it looks very stupid the push the pad with your neck back.

But my left shoulder kills me. After school I just lay down to relax, so sore I haven't been for ages. Two days in a row are enough for the beginning, tomorrow we are going outside.

I wished I could do in German schools as much sport as here. That would be so awesome.

My multimedia project is almost finished. I recreated more of the poster than my teacher wanted. 'Marc you don't have to write all those little lines!' Well, to late, I couldn't read what the original poster sais, so I made old little jokes like: "If you can read this, you have good eyes." Or a thank you to my teacher for showing me how to use Photoshop. I just can't think of a title. She wants e to change Alpacino Scarface, but into what?

Theater class was fun. We have to edit a faitytale. My group changed Cindarella a bit. Unfortunately tries the prince to put the shoe on Cindarellas wrong foot, so it of course doesn't fit. But the gay guy one house farther fits the shoe, so the prince sees his true love in him. It was really difficult to practice when someone takes fotos. I hope that the girls with the camere weren't from the yearbook staff, but I have the feeling that they are...

After the rehearsal I let give me a massage from the new girl in our class. It felt GOOD, would have been better without Tishya in front of me who wanted a massage from me.

I had a nice, but stressful day.

How to ruin a morning:

Austin, December 8th

There are many ways to ruin a morning. One is writing a test in first period. Another one is having the most boring class as Ranger time class. But thats school stuff, school is here for ruining the morning. Something way worse is when your girlfriend 'has to talk to you'. We didn't had time for each other the last weeks and when we meet yesterday it was kinda weird. Don't know how, but somehow different. And guess why she wanted to talk.

Well, now I can enjoy being single. I've heard in this week (remember its wednesday!) three times from three different girls that I'm a huge flirt, so I will still have fun. And since we don't have a fight or something, we decided to stay friends and hang out when she will ever have time again. (She works now, thats one of the reasons why happened what happened)

The only thing what seems to make my day was the actual beginning of the off season. The training has started, and it was HARD. OMG it was incredible, we never had such a hard workout, and it was the first day, so we are just getting right into it!

English wasn't bad today. I saw my project poster hang in the class room now. The last few days it hung outside. And After hours and hours of thinking I wrote yesterday a poem about the life during the with trials of Salem  for the class today. Luckily I didn't had to read it, but i feel like it should be published, so here it is:

Hysteria

innocent die

accused by girls

unstopped by the judge

Salem

This kind of poem is called 'Elfchen'. It has nothing to do with a Elf or other fairies, but it comes from the German word for eleven. Actually it means 'little eleven' and its called that, because -surprise- it has eleven words, in a special order and every line has to be filled with a more more less given content.



free food at Schlotzkys

Austin, December 7th

Today I had a very nice, relaxed day. In football class we had yesterday and today a introducion in the off-season training. Coach Vincent talked about what it means to be a Ranger, and what we will do, and what not, all that stuff.

In Multimedia I edited the fotos I took yesterday and added it to the poster raw version. It was not very difficult, Actually I had to delece most of the picture becaue you don't see white clothes on white background very well. But it looks really cool, I'm born to be a movie star! By this way, did I tell that I had a real gun for the picture? Loran didn't let me just one minute alone with this gun and after the fotos he put it back in his safe again. Don't worry, I didn't kill anyone, I didn't even try to shoot.

Jessica sold European candy for the German club in theater class and I shared one of the cocolate bars I got yesterday. Then we watched a movie, a farytale. Thats our next topic and on thurday we have to write a script for a known farytale with a new ending. That's gonna be fun!

For dinner we went to Schlotzkys. They gave samples of their new sandwiches to VIP club member. One of the new sandwiches was really good! And the manager or waitress or whatever she was remembered us from the last time we were there!

Nikolaus

Austin, December 6th

I almost forgot that it's Nikolaus day! My favourite day in december. In Germany the children put their shoes outside and the Nikolaus, a guy who looks pretty much like Santa Claus, just with the big difference that Nikolaus REALLY existed (some hundret years ago) put candy and oranges and nuts and sometimes toys in it. Of course just if your shoes are clean.

Here of course he didn't come. Probably he can't swim over the ocean, or it was because I forgot to clean my shoes and put them out.

But I got something else: a huge package from Germany! With an Adventskarnz and Adventskalender and a little present and LOTS of chocolate!

Just in case you wonder why I wear a suit, I just felt like it.

I guess Michaels attituda influenced my. He sometimes comes veeery fancy dresed to school. Well, actually I wore it, because I need a picture of me in that for my Multimedia project. I recreate the Alpacino Scraface movie poster with me as Scarface. I I liked it so much, I stayed dressed up the rest of the day.

This Adventskranz Mama sent me, together with the

Adventskalender we have a little German christmas decoration here.  

TV church is bad!

Austin, December 5th

Today I wanted to try something completely new for me, watch church service on TV! But -OH MY GOD!- I couldn't do it. I really tried 3 defferent channels. But once they sung so bad that I changed, there was the minister, well, incredible. He cried a lot, then he made stupid jokes, then he cried more and talked about sins. He said, if our grandfather was a sinner, then was our father a sinner too, and so are we. Our grandfathers sin is our sin too, blablabla... What is he talking about? Why should my grandpas sin be mine too? And then he talked about sins. I absolutely don't agree with what he thinks what everything a sin is. Even when he says the same thing five times, it wont make me believe what he says. And then he started to cry again and I switched channels. I don't need a stranger talking bad about my grandpa (probably I missed the beginning of his speech and he talked about something else too, but what I heard was more "Mist" than I can handle with before lunch). The next terrible choir. I changed channels to something funny.

I used to know my minister, the last few in Germany I met sometimes in private, and the one from the Cowboy church I al least talked to once, but a TV minister is to unpersonal for me. That's why I like going to little churches for service and big churches just to look at.

Homework

Austin, December 4th

Another week over! And the semester is soon over too, so I have lots of work to do, especially US History, I didn't do much of my notebook stuff the last weeks. But today I had plenty of time for that.

Donuts!

Austin, December 3rd

In Spanish I turned finally the homeworks from almost a month ago in, at that day was the Exchange student breakfast and so I wasn't in Spanish class.

In football we did our last baseline test. Two different kinds of weight lifting, the coach told me that the bar weighs 45 pounds. Now I understand how I had 245lbs with just a little more then 4 times 45pound weights.

In multimedia I decided that I will creat the Scarface poster.

And in my last class, theater, we watched movies. And I watched Jessi putting her makeup on, I just watched, this time I didn't put it on my face. I was a good boy this time, I didn't even wore Sallys cat-cap for a long time, it was to warm, so I put it on Tiffanies head. In the end Alex wore it, it looked really 'sexy'.

Later I made dinner, meat loaf, Gary told me what to do and I cooked. Then Loran and i went to the gym. And after a long good workout I bought a dozen donuts at Dunkin Donuts. I heard a lot about Dunkins, but I think I like Krispy Kremes better. But better than nothing, I feel like I haven't had donuts for months!

Second day

Austin, December 2nd

Baseline test part two. Squats and bench pressing. I have my new personel record for squats, 245 lbs! I don't know how they count the weight, because I had just 4 45 pound weights and some smaller weights. 4 times 45 equals 180 pounds and the rest wasn't so much, but maybe I read the numbers on the weights wrong, who knows?

In English I presented my poster, it looks really great, everyone said that. I was happy that I didn't really had to say something, the teacher just wanted me to show the poster and to say who the people are, no questions from her or a long talk about why I did what.  

Then we wrote a little test about 'the Crucible' (I didn't read it!) and watched then a part of the movie, the part with the most answer to the quest.

Base line

Austin, December 1st

We started to test our base line tests for our off-season training today. The coaches want to know how fast we are, how agile, how strong and compare then in a few weeks how much better we got.

We started with 40 yards running and shuffle run. I'm not the best of the team, but by far not the worst. Actually I think with under 5 seconds for shuffle I'm pretty good. And the 40 yards in under 6 seconds, but I want to get that under 5 too. 

In multimedia we had to decide for two poster and until friday we have to decide which of those two we will create in the next two weeks. I really want to do the Star Wars poster, but I dont know any little boys here, who could pose for Anakin Skywalker. My second poster is Scarface, this one looks pretty cool too.

In theater we played. That what Alex, Jessi and I rehearsed was a bit short, so we added short before we played much new stuff. So we had to improv again, improv theater is really fun. Alex was a surgeon who don't really care about surgery, Jessi was a surgeon who don't speaks English and I was the smart guy. t wasn't our choice, the characters were given, we just choose that we want to be surgeons. And right before we started we asked Tiffany if she wants to be our victim 'Arnold Schwarzenegger'. Maybe a bit weird that a girl plays Schwarzenegger, but it should be fun for us, and we really had fun. Jessi had so many ideas what she could misunderstood that I hardly could sto her from doing mistakes and realize at the same time that Alex cuts Arnold-Tiffanies eye out to look if it's really red like in the Terminator movie. I came to late, somehow he lost the eye and Jessi stood on it, and -smart as my character is- I run away, I really don't want to see Schwarzenegger angry because one of his eyes is missing.
Yea, we had really fun on the stage.
Most of the day I spent with doing to English project. It was a lot of work, but but the result looks great, in my Version of the Crucible play Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley the main characters John Proctor and Abigail Williams. I looked hours for pictures I could use, but in the end I used just two of them. Gary wanted to help me and he changed most of my desogn, but his looks better, or better, the design we found in the Internet. He helped me to draw the poster, I would never be able to draw a knot so good as he drew it.