Cons and Pros.

So, as the Big Move (to Belfast) draws ever closer (some time in July), I'm beginning to worry about some things, and rejoice about others. There are the practical worries like "will I get into university?", "how long will The Husband's visa take?" and "how the holy jiggedy fuck are we going to move all our crap there?"

There are other worries to be taken into account as well. Like, what am I doing moving back somewhere I never thought I'd be pre-retirement age? Or at least "settling down" age. I'd be worried that that's what I'm doing, except that it's hard to settle down without a proper job, a house or the means to procure either. I am also feeling some slight trepidation about re-involving myself with a society that is somewhat less open minded than where I am now, with regard to religion, race and sexuality. Though, who knows? I've been more or less away for three years. For all I know it's like Sodom and Gomorrah on Buckfast by now. No rules, no judgment and mind the weird purple-brown puke on your way out. Here's hoping.

But yes, with cons comes pros. Lovely, lovely pros. Like the aforementioned Buckfast, and the oft-mentioned Scampi Fries. And pubs with fires and people in them who talk and laugh LOUDLY. And family, and old friends and maybe a little kitten to call our own. And a new city, and new beginnings and EXCITEMENT.

Pros ALWAYS outweigh the cons. 

Ach, Jaysus.

So all my Lenten promises came to nothing and I reverted to my usual ways in an alarmingly, but not exactly surprisingly, short space of time. My usual ways consist of spending my time drinking wine, watching Never Mind the Buzzcocks and not writing anything. Oh well, you win some you lose some.

I have also been doing other things like enjoying the FANTASTIC WEATHER this weekend by drinking by the Landwehr Kanal, which probably THE BEST thing to do in Berlin. It is also very much in keeping with the purported theme of this blog (no, not mad-woman-rants-about-strange-love-for-Katy-Perry's-single-Waking-up-in-Vegas, but rather stuff-to-do-when-broke-in-Berlin). If you're visiting Berlin* in the sunshine I cannot recommend highly enough grabbing a few cold Augustiners (green label, creepy old man face picture) or Tegenseer Hells (pretty pretty blue and white Bavarian flag label) and parking your butt by the canal. I like the bit near Prinzenstrasse U-Bahn, with the boat restaurant, swans and close proximity to the ER visitor toilets in the hospital. Very roomy and, seeing as it's a hospital, pretty fucking spotless. Useful if you're the kind of person who, without fail, pisses on their own feet when trying to pee discreetly in bushes after dark.

* If you're actually living here and you haven't already been doing this at every available opportunity what exactly have you been doing?