Today I followed the tracks by bike to the place I'd seen by the S-Bahn, a big open field not far from Siemens. Auspiciously I was going to scope it for possible frisbee playing. But when I got there I realized that basically all I wanted to do was visit a big open field. In general no space goes wasted here, every last cubic meter is utilized, and I miss the wide open spaces.
As a kid I always wanted to ride my bike no-handed. I used to hear stories about my Dad in grad school riding home no-handed from the grocery store, a sack of groceries under each arm, and getting his picture taken by some of the neighbors. I learned how to do it the other day, and now I can feel cool cruising down the street with my hands in my pockets, although there really is nothing cool about the ancient bronze-colored bike I'm riding (the "infertilizer").
So I've reached a juncture. I can continue withdrawing into myself, into this weblog, and into programming, into books, or I can undertake learning German in order to socialize with my housemates. Work is fine, I can communicate well enough with the people around me to get the job done, but my housemates are starting to leave me alone, and I speak with them less and less. This life of solitude is great though. It's great to be able to sit down and see a project straight through without any interruptions. It's great to hone my skills, to flex my brain muscles. But will it last? I think that in the end I may regret keeping to myself while I'm over here. So my next big quest, the sequel to the quest for the adapter, is the quest for the "learn German" book.
I've been here before, in this exact same position, trying to decide whether or not to become a hermit for the summer. Last time around I turned hermit. But for some reason now, perhaps because I really could be incommunicado here, the decision stands out in high relief.
I thought about it today and made up my mind. It will be a new quest.
Posted by Alan at April 26, 2002 11:45 PM