guten tag. made it to germany, enjoying berlin. going to check out a part of the wall and the east side gallery.

off to germany

Benedict XVI. the new pope starts his tenure as the head of the church. it was nice to see that it interupted class a bit yesterday when the announcement was made.

i'm off to chicago this week for training. i'll get back on friday and leave for germany the next day. it's been a while since i've done so much time zone crossing.

i had been clenching my teeth for several weeks. i had to consciously keep myself from doing it; i realized it when i started giving myself headaches. then, i started getting a twitch in my jaw too, which felt really odd. it seems to be gone for the mostpart. maybe it was the nice time i got to spend in the sunshine in the brooklyn botanical gardens and central park this weekend.

friday night i met a friend for dinner at lexington and 60th. it's amazing the difference is neighborhoods within ny. i spend so much time in the lower east side that i forgot there are so many rich old people in the city. we were probably at least 20 years younger than the average age of the patrons. i can't remember the last time i was stared at so much just because of my age. these little trips remind me why i want to stay in lower manhattan.

it is a dark, stormy, windy day the day after pope john paull II dies. an amazing man and spiritual leader. many people will be waiting to see who the successor will be, including me.