I’m writing this from the working-at-home trenches in Hamburg.  We’re in between semesters in Bremen, so I organized a trip home to Seattle for next week, and while I was at it, scheduled in some time with mein Schatz that doesn’t require weekend commuting.  While I’m much more productive in my actual office at the university, I’m happy to be able to take advantage of the flexibility that goes along with working on my PhD.  Since I want my time with my family to be actual down-time, I’m working like crazy here now to make progress on my deadlines.

But it’s been lovely to relax in the evenings, and we’ve been getting our fill of the Oscar-nominated films in the theaters.  My favorites so far are The King’s Speech and 127 Hours (although I’m pretty squeamish and closed my eyes during a few scenes).

It’s been a year since I’ve been back to my hometown to see my family, and nearly a year since the last time I was in the U.S.  That’s an unusually long time gap for me between long-haul trips, so I’m trying to remind myself of all my little tips and tricks for comfortable flying.  Don’t worry, it’s slowly coming back to me.  I’m checking a bag this time, which I never do — my leg is still not as strong as I’d like and dragging a heavy carry-on around the airports makes things more stressful that I want to deal with.

Anyway, that’s it for now.  We’re off to a romantic evening of eating pub food and watch the Inter Milan vs. Bayern Munich game. (Try not to be jealous.)