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Well, I can honestly say this was one of the most fun birthdays I've had in a while!

A fairly standard day at work - apart from my managing to email people in the US and Australia to invite them out by not paying attention to the autocomplete on our email system - and we also got our keys, addresses and a checklist of what our apartments did and did not have. I should have internet by the weekend and curtains in two weeks. I'm on the far side of the estate that most of the UK team is already in, and it's a short walk to get a tram, then either go through the a station where I can connect to the U-bahn lines I need or else change earlier, get the S-bahn for one stop and then the U-bahn a little further along the line. Although the latter option has more changes, it can be faster as the trams get stuck in traffic so the underground S and U-bahns win out.

A few people had dropped out so I invited a German translator on my team who I've become quite friendly with - she didn't show, which I thought was odd... but I managed to get my mobile phone number wrong (yet again) so she wasn't able to contact me. We had dinner at a ramen restaurant no-one had been to and it was fantastic. Glad to have put a new place on the list. The staff figured out - probably when I was handed an enormous Lush bag containing the overwhelming Think Pink hat box - that I was the birthday girl, and when the bill came around my meal was free!

Then someone broached the idea of karaoke and we headed out just past the new flats to Star Room, where we had a fantastic time until they had to kick us out at midnight. Highlight for me was singing Hungry like the Wolf with my esteemed Welsh colleague, and listening to others singing tunes from Rocky Horror Picture show and I'm a Barbie Girl. I still have Duran Duran on the brain, and also Two-Mix's Just Wild Beat Communication after we speculated on anime songs old enough to be in the catalogue.

The tram was still running so those of us who didn't live in the area headed back to the main train station where we split up. I walked back and had a Life conversation with one of the recently returned translators, which was slightly spoiled when I managed in my tiredness to not step up enough onto a curb and fall. Skinned part of my right hand and whacked my knee. Got home while he very kindly carried my bag and hat box of Lush products. I estimate a bruise the size of Luxembourg.

After getting to bed at 1:30am, I decided to set my alarm for 8:00 and get in a little later than usual. I used the Ring of Roses shower stuff and it's very nice, although it doesn't feel as immediately moisturising as what I was using. Headed into work, swang past the Apotheke to get some arnica for the bruise and antiseptic cream for my hand (got the tar-like stuff I've only seen in hospital) and struggled to stay awake. Then there was another slice of the proverbial Chinese 'interesting life' - I had given my mobile number and a list of times when I could move, basically mornings or evenings after Tuesday, not during work hours as I have things to do. So, of course, I was given 40 minutes notice to move at 2:00pm.

Much swearing later, and with both project managers out, I asked the testers to tell my colleague where I'd gone and rushed back to the flat to stuff and close the one box I had, followed by throwing the contents of my wardrobes and all my books into a suitcase. Of course, this was the day the stairs get washed, so I had wet floors and circular staircase to contend with, as well as putting a cardboard box down on a wet surface!

I was all ready and standing by the door and just gone quarter past. But there was no-one else there... called the guy with the van. On the phone. Texted my colleague. Mr. Van and my neighbour were nowhere to be found. They finally showed at quarter to three, and were surprised to see me - as they'd been waiting for me in the lobby at 2:00. Well, if anyone had mentioned a lobby I would have been there too. Anyway.

The very silver lining in all this was that as I was standing by the door watching my neighbour's things being loaded in the people-carrier, a courier van pulled up and a man got out and came to our door. And rang my bell. He had a signed-for delivery for me, at a time when I would normally be chained to my desk. My birthday card from my parents! It was pass-the-parcel with the courier's rubber envelope, followed by An Post's and finally the real envelope. Thanks Mom and Dad!

We picked up a third person's things, headed out to his flat and then ours - my neighbour is not far from me in the new area. I will take some shots over the weekend, but it looks quite nice. The gardens were being maintained when we were there, and I'm on the third floor. I just dumped my stuff and turned around, so haven't had a good look around, but it's all white and newly painted and far larger than what I have at the moment. My bed is a sofabed which isn't so great, but I can live with it for a month! I will go back tomorrow and poke around.

I got back to work and went up through the supermarket to grab a sandwich for lunch. And realised I didn't have my swipe card. I had definitely had it when I left, as I swiped out. Somewhere between leaving the office, taking the U-bahn, packing at my place, getting out at the other guy's old flat, then at his new flat, then my neighbour's new flat and then mine... it had gone. I had to be very, very nice to HR and one of the senior translators to not get sent home to find it. In another minor miracle, I found it outside my front door at the old place when I got back. Phew.

So... going to have a quick bath with one of my pressies, and then finishing throwing the last few things into bags and hopefully will be able to take it all to the new place tomorrow. Via another birthday celebration!