Rain check

I was most grateful for my new USB memory stick on Thursday, as I didn't have anything to do other than edit my Translator's Introduction and read the instructions for my practice presentation until about 2pm. Then the terminology checking was finally available with Japanese, and it's going to take another 2-3 days to finish. It's the kind of thing that leaves you completely cross-eyed, dazed and unable to spot your own name in a list. But anyway.

There was a notice on Thursday morning for going out to see the Luminale, a festival of light that is on for a week every year in Frankfurt and surrounds. I hadn't realised it was on... even if I walk into town, I'm on the near side of the main shopping area and so didn't go past any of the museum or riverside installations. I passed on it on Thursday, thinking I'd get a decent night's sleep and go on Friday instead with the camera.

I spent Friday - the last day of the Luminale - looking at rain. The temperature had dropped drastically and I reluctantly decided that there was no way I was taking the camera out. (I'm sure getting rain in the lens doesn't harm it, but it makes me nervous... You can see some pictures of the festival here.)

Instead I met up with Z and G and we went to Iroha, a very nice Japanese restaurant near Eschenheimer Tor (aka the Disney Tower). M, an Italian translator joined us and after G headed home we went to an Italian bar-restaurant near our building. It was, without a doubt, the liveliest place we've been to since we got to Frankfurt. The decor is great, there was a buzz from the crowd and the food looked lovely (we will go there another time to eat).

M was giving out about Z not drinking (religious reasons) - I thought he was going to drop when I told him I didn't either. He complained vociferously about it with the Italian owner, who looked equally unimpressed. He had been planning to treat me to a glass of Zaccagnini, which is made near his home town. (If anyone manages to try some please let me know what it was like!)

After a chat we headed home - it's great when you find somewhere nice within a few minutes walk - and I stayed up watching some anime. Saturday morning is for sleeping in after all.

I headed out around midday, walking up to a bookshop near G's where I'd seen something I wanted to buy as a present - but that was several weeks ago and it was gone. Damn. The sun was out and I had to stop to take off my jumper, even with just a t-shirt under my coat I was nearly too hot. I headed into town, and was walking past a guy in his late twenties or early thirties when two cyclists came towards us (cycling on the pavement is de rigeur here, in or out of the cycle lane and regardless of whether or not there is actually enough room). I passed him quickly and moved over in front of him to let the cyclists through.

The reason why I mention that is that it was the only thing I could think of that might have pissed him off. A moment later he stepped on the heel of my shoe, and when I looked back he said something to me that obviously wasn't an apology. I said sorry, I don't speak German, to which he replied 'Speak German?' and then went off in German again. He spoke quite a bit before saying a pointed 'goodbye' in English. I slowed down and let him get ahead of me, trying to figure out what it was all about.

He stopped, turned around and watched me coming as if waiting for me. I walked to the nearest crossing and stood next to some people, using looking for traffic as an excuse to see where he was. I lost sight of him, but after I crossed I could see that he had stayed on that side of the road and I dropped even further back on the other, feeling more like the stranger in the strange land than ever. After wandering around and not concentrating on what I'd come in for, I got some t-shirts and a set of hand weights for my pilates and went home via the supermarket. Nothing like a ham and cheese sandwich to make you feel better.

This afternoon I've mainly been failing to make a huge amount of progress on my Sheffield work, some of which is due in next Friday and some more the Friday after. I also need to do some washing, but when I walked downstairs to the washing machine (down four stories, then outside and into the basement) someone was using it, so I had to walk back up - I'll try again later. Here's hoping things get back into sync.