I have been teaching college freshmen since the beginning of September, which has everything to do with the abandoned state of this blog since then.  What a tremendous amount of work, as all you instructors/professors/teachers know, even when you have a relatively set curriculum.  I’ve been doing pretty much nothing else other than working and sleeping, and that’s only a slight exaggeration.  All that has also contributed to a flaring up of a pinched nerve in my neck, which made everything (especially sitting at a computer) extremely painful.  That’s still not completely gone, but I’m undergoing treatment at least.

There has been so much I’ve been dying to share here!

Like our wonderful vacation on Tenerife, where we got to lay on the beach, eat lots, go running, and even climb to the top of Pico del Teide.  I had such wonderful plans to write a detailed post, but instead I will send you over to my Flickr albums — one for Tenerife in general, and one devoted to our climb.  Also, if you’re in need of a sunny getaway (away from the tourist crowds), I wholeheartedly recommend our bed and breakfast, Villa Las Dunas near El Medano in the south of the island, which is run by the loveliest and friendliest couple I’ve ever met.  Jill and Nigel bent over backwards to make our stay comfortable, and they offer gorgeous rooms (ask for one with an ocean view!) and a delicious breakfast on the terrace at a totally reasonable rate.  We’ll definitely be back when we’re in need of warm temperatures and some rest and relaxation.

We’ve also been keeping busy setting up the apartment.  For example, we bought a beautiful old wardrobe for a song and are using it for our entranceway closet (just like in many New York apartments, there are no closets to speak of in most old apartment buildings here) — and we were finally able to unpack the last of our boxes, hurray!  We also found a lovely old desk on ebay, which will be delivered tomorrow.  Although there are still some major gaps in the apartment (e.g., a bed frame, dining chairs, a new sofa), you could say that things are really starting to come together.

And did I mention my visit to the Spreepark, an old abandoned DDR amusement park in Berlin?  Totally cool and totally photo worthy — check out the album here!

Okay, well, that’s probably enough for the moment.  Things are still rather chaotic, but kind of in a manageable way, so I hope that means that you’ll be seeing more of me around these parts.  But in the meantime, please fill me in on what you’ve been up to!  What did I miss??