In Germany, we moved our clocks back one hour last night.  And when we are in New York next week for the marathon, we will get to do it again.  Two extra hours in one week, how awesome is that?

We arrive in New York on Tuesday afternoon, so that Daniel won’t be jet-lagged for the race on Sunday morning.  And so that we can visit with all of our friends, of course.  And the food.  Mmm, good sushi, here I come!  A trip to Gorilla Coffee (where I plan to stock up on beans and maybe pick up a couple of coffee mugs) and the Chocolate Room are also in order.

I will stock up on certain cosmetic items I haven’t been able to find suitable replacements for here, as well as on the over-the-counter drugs that I depend on (Dramamine, Claritin, Aleve), but that you have to ask a pharmacist for here (and even then, you’re likely to get the generic German brand instead).  I never thought of myself as a brand loyalist, but when a drug works for you, you don’t want to go around messing with different brands and take the chance of suffering (motion sickness, allergies, and headaches are no fun, I tell you).

It will be interesting to see how it feels to be back in New York as a visitor and not a New Yorker.  Will I be sad?  Nostalgic?  Or will it just cement the reality that I live in Europe now?  I am trying not to overthink it.  I just want to enjoy the company of some of my best friends in the world and cheer on my sweetheart while he runs the marathon.

We’ll be back on Election Day, so see you then!