david miller troyer

that’s me, according to myers-briggs. read about me here. I’ve been spending a lot of time lately trying to understand myself better, and apparently have a long way to go.

well, kind of. january constitutes an interesting work month. I’ll work one stretch of 18/19 days, and 12 days in a row. not an overall record at the t-ho, but I think it will go down as a personal one. here’s the description of my next placement:

You will be living with the Dettweiler’s and their two children (8 and 4). Their grandparents and brother’s family also live on the farm. Together, they own vineyard and pigs (500 or so if I remember correctly). On the weekends they have a bed and breakfast (I think this is off-season while I’m there, might be wrong). Your responsibilities will involve farm work, yard work, some childcare and household chores. The Dettweilers attend the Mennonite Church in Ibersheim. The next largest city is Worms.

So, a change. woohoo, I’m definitely looking forward to it. The name of the town is Wintersheim, but I’ve been told that regrettably not, winter does not make it’s home there. Our mid-term conference is mid-february, and then I leave for the Dettweilers. Early february I have a 7 day vacation.

That is where I need help. Where should I go? I have plenty of options, and basically have the rest of the year mapped out as far as vacation goes… but I need some ideas for this little stint. I’m thinking maybe south to Zürich, as I would really like to visit the city and it might be my chance to travel south again. I’m also considering north to belgium, with a layover to visit the Dettweilers and possibly tour the Leica factory. Any words? To help you help me, I have a couple lists here…

Where I have been:

• Basel
• Heidelberg
• Black Forest (Freiberg, Triberg)
• Munich
• Bavarian Alps (Füssen)
• Stuttgart

Where I’m thinking of going later this year:

• Northern Germany (Berlin, North Sea, etc)
• Dresden, Leipzig
• London, Oxford
• Southern Spain

so, for the past couple weeks I’ve been watching a big pile of 4×6’s and sub-flooring wait in the basement. welp, this week’s the week. we are building a raised floor in the basement so I guess whoever uses that room doesn’t have to go down 2 apparently dreadful steps anymore.

anyhow, at first it was a delight to be simply working with wood again. it quickly evolved into a bit of comical frustration. the only measuring tools available are wooden meter sticks and a reel like you might use to measure a football field. the saws given are also motley… one dove tail saw, and two hack saw varieties meant to cut down trees… so much for “german accuracy”. after making enough fuss about the saws, my boss brought an electric buck saw… meant for trim work (won’t even cut through a full 4×6). oh well, it’s something. but seriously, this is germany, BOSCH has a plant just down the street… where’s a skill saw when you need one. oh, and the board on the floor of this basement room isn’t pressure-treated, either… hope it never floods because there isn’t a drain.

ahh well, enough whining… in the end it really is a joy. I’m reminded how much I love to use my hands. maybe I’ve only been spoiled by the availability of tools when I did construction or when I tinker at home.

finally, I think I’m getting sick… I was patting myself on the back for weathering quite a bit of illness ’round these parts lately, but my sinuses are screaming and my fever has me open the window. (the woodwork and sawdust in an unventilated basement hole probably doesn’t help, either). anyhow, just thought I’d try to do a better job at giving a glimpse of my work here. have a great 2005.

going back to bed after staying up (most of) the night only to be at work again at 07:00. let me know how your breaks treated you.

addendum: did I mention germans absolutely love fireworks? they can only buy them 4 days leading up to new years, and are only allowed to set them off on new year’s eve. talk about craziness, apparently they spent €97 million on ‘em last year.