Falling through the cracks …

Another busy week.

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I’m awfully sorry, but for the first time in two years and some change, I’ve totally neglected to write Jeremy’s Journal this week. I haven’t even given it a second thought (well, I didn’t actually get around to the first thought, either). I’ll give you a quick life update before I crash into my new, second-hand bed and snuggle up with the duvet I’m borrowing from my girlfriend’s sister and brother in law.

So, I’ll run you though the last week. Saturday was my move. I picked up my whole life and moved it some eight kilometres across Berlin. Despite moving here with but one suitcase and a backpack (admittedly quite a large one) to my name, I had a shocking amount of things to move! I managed to fill two suitcases, two fairly large cardboard boxes and a backpack. Plus I had my guitar and a handful of scrap wood I couldn’t part with, neither of which fit into any on the bags. My girlfriend helped my lug all of that. Then, she and two friends helped me get a bunch of furniture from the grandparents of the children I au paired. The furniture move went much smoother than I had planned, and by Sunday, I had a new home.

Well, house. I still feel a bit funny in my new place. I’m haring a house with four other people, and I have to figure out where I fit. I’m a little nervous to make a mess in the kitchen, for example. I don’t want anyone to walk in mid-cook and see onion peels and potato skins and wonder if I’ll pull my weight with the cleaning. I’ve shoved all of my things into random cupboards to get the toothpaste and summer clothes out of my (now much smaller) room. I still have to organise the my items in the bathroom drawers and in my shelves in the fridge.

My room is nice, but not quite comfortable, yet. I haven’t got a laundry basket, all of my dirty clothing was lying in a pile on the floor for most of the week until my girlfriend cleverly moved some things around so that I could use an old shopping bag. I’m hanging my jacket over my bedpost. My desk is a mess. The ceiling light works, but is terribly harsh. In the evenings, once I get back from work, I can either choose to brood in complete darkness or be interrogated about my whereabouts last Tuesday night at eight o’clock.

I’ve started my new job, too. That was on Tuesday. It’s going well, I think. I’m the photographer for a small company selling refurbished vintage furniture. Our goal is to work towards social media campaigns and cool, new branding for the company. Right now, though, the focus is to photograph various pieces of furniture they have in their warehouse and post everything online. At the moment, they’ve only got about one third of their stock online. More digital ads, more sales, simple as that. I’m happy to be doing something straightforward in the beginning, especially considering my two bosses haven’t got the strongest understanding of branding. I’ve got to try and slow down their decision making so that every visual touchpoint we create (Instagram posts, business cards, Facebook ads) is consistent. I need to communicate that slowing down in order to do this is worth the time, money and risk, despite doing it for the first time outside of university. Oh, and everything is in German, too, which doesn’t help. I also managed to recommend that we buy a camera for the company (which I did with one of my bosses on Tuesday) that isn’t compatible with our lighting system. I then had to ask them to spend more money on an adapter. Whoops.

The time I spend at work is great, but the amount of time I spend at work is shocking me a bit. I leave home at twenty past eight in the morning and get home at half past six. When do I shop? Or cook or clean or eat? Perhaps it’s the fact that it’s dark before I’m home every day that makes it feel so late. Maybe it’ll be easier in summer.

After all of that, I’ve also caught a cold. I’ve got a wonderfully loud and fabulously frequent cough, which is lovingly joined by a stuffy nose and constant headache. A terrific addition to the week! Next week, I’ll try to organise my cupboards, eat a little better, socialise with my co-workers and not write Jeremy’s Journal at half-past eight on Friday night. ‘Til then!

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My girlfriend has truly been a pillar of strength for me in this flinging, flopping, fandangling week! I love her immensely. If you enjoyed this journal, please subscribe.