{The Smiles Are Back}

Today I'm energized and ready to go, funny how a little sleep, some candles and Morrissey can do the trick. How are you doing today? I have been thinking a lot about decorating and how I want to start working on some projects in August as I have quite a bit of work and travel planned between now and then. But August looks good despite the flight to Germany and the anniversary party for our friends happening during that same month. Yes, August is a month in which I will start to decorate and paint and do some lovely new things in my German apartment again. So stay tuned. And have I told you? Thorsten and I will take on a larger apartment. We will start our search in August, this time to maybe buy something but if not purchase we'll simply seek out a larger rental. In Germany the rental market is very different than in the states. Most of our friends have lived in their apartments their entire life. It's common to rent over owning in Germany (in the cities) and this appeals to me. I often wonder if I'll ever own a house. Am I the owning-a-house type even? I prefer city living so perhaps a condo but do I want to bother owning a condo. I mean, who can say the tenants moving in and out all around me will always be good ones. If I own, I'm stuck. So we'll see if I will own or rent ultimately. It's not so important to me these days. I'm much more keen on simply attaining a larger property in Germany so as to have a designated home office/creative studio space and for my husband to also have his own office. Currently, my husband works at his "office" which is a desk in our bedroom and my "office" is the dining room table in our living room (in Hannover not New Hampshire, more space here). How can this work out long term? It cannot. If we both worked primarily outside of the home I can see less problem with living in a 600 square foot city apartment. New Yorkers do it all the time. But when a couple both works nearly full-time at home there is a need for ones own space. There is also a need for me to have absolute silence at times and my husband is quite chatty throughout the day. While the interruptions usually do not bother me, I do confess to his spontaneous combustions of thought, as I call them, to break my train of thought and as a writer I need to keep my eye on the ball. I'm prone to going off track by nature anyway so the less interruption the better for me. When I'm intensely focused on a project I like to lock myself in a very inspirational room that supports me emotionally and go about my work. Are you this way too? This is absolutely vital to my progress on a project or else I can lose inspiration and end up out socializing with my friends or off running errands placing my work aside to finish later. Later often means deadlines nearing their due date and me stressing out trying to complete them. As a writer, if you miss deadlines you pretty much can kiss your good reputation goodbye. Writing, especially on the web, is all about staying fresh and on top of your game at all times. So this is what's on my mind today. No more whining from me for awhile. :) Thinking about my 'next' apartment in Germany is a very happy thought. Yes, I know I just took a new apartment and gut renovated it last year, but we plan to spend much more time over there now so a larger space is on my list of must-haves. My wish list: I'm hoping for a space with a bedroom, living room, eat in kitchen, large entryway, large bathroom, balcony, and 2-3 extra rooms for our offices and a future baby. Must have cellar storage and a place to put our bikes. I will also require high ceilings and wood floors though I have no problem with replacing the flooring and installing the wood myself. I've done that a thousand times before. My list of priorities are higher than these few things, so it may take me several month. We'll see what I can find. My husband, on the other hand, is pretty content to find a 4 room apartment which in German terms, this means living room and 3 extra rooms (the kitchen does not count as a room). I, on the other hand, want a 5 room apartment because I know that if we have a child next year I will not want to give up my office for a nursery and neither will he. We simply cannot. And this will mean moving again. I do hope my husband lets me win on this one. I think, long term he'll understand why I'm pushing for this. Five rooms would be ideal. Double or triple what we pay currently for 2 rooms but I am not working full-time for nothing! Home is very important to me. Some woman desire jewelry, cruises, expensive clothes and shoes, spa days, but not me. I would rather put most of my money into my home life. It's the only place on this planet where I am 100% myself at all times, there is love in my home, should this not be the place where I put my time and energy and in the end, my cash? Why not. How are you doing today? (images livingetc)