I did the one thing that makes me feel most settled in a new place this morning—I went grocery shopping. And in the same way a person who has never experienced an American Mega-Super-Jumbo market can get lost for hours amongst the brightly lit, 10 foot tall aisles full of every food imaginable, I wandered for nearly two hours around this mega-Market. Like an American grocery store, you can find nearly everything you need in one stop, but this mega-market is different in that it is a collection of separate, specialized stands—meats, cheeses, breads, sausages, fruit, vegetables, milk and eggs, and even special stands carrying only greek olives or treats for fido. I walked by one stand and examined its many chopped and ground meets, wondering to myself, I wonder if they have hamburger…and then realized as I looked around at all the customers and their respective fidos that all of this was only for dogs… ahh… another faux pas avoided. Thank goodness, or I’d be eating chopped meat doggy burgers for dinner tonight. How appealing.

But, in my two hours of wandering I did find some great things—organic fresh pesto, fresh herbed goat cheese, freshly baked bread, Emmentaler cheese straight from Switzerland, 6 newly laid eggs, fresh pressed apple juice, fresh pasts, salami, and many other delectable delights. I feel at home.

I realize it’s been quite a while since my last update, and for that, I apologize. Berlin is enveloping like nowhere else I’ve ever been. 24 hours a day there is something happening. Last night I went with Patrick to a concert/dance performance, Inori, written by one of my favorite composers, Karl Stockhausen. When we walked in and found our seats, I knew we were in for a treat—we sat just 4 or 5 feet away from where Karl Stockhausen was sitting, score in hand! It was really exciting for me! I wanted to say “Hi Mr. Stockhausen. I’ve read about you in this book and this book and this book, and I own so many of your works, and I really love Song of the Youth, and oh, by the way can I have an autograph?” But I held back. Is it uncool to ask for an autograph in a concert hall? Or how about is it uncool to ask a composer for an autograph??

After the concert, I tried to convince Pat to go to another art performance at midnight, but alas, I realize not everyone has the same taste in art as I do, so instead we went and ate sushi at a place in Kreuzberg (my new neighborhood) and then hopped around to a few Halloween parties. Unfortunately, I was not dressed up, so when people would ask me my costume, I would have to get creative—“Your next door neighbor”, “Evil Genius”, “That guy on the subway”, etc. etc. I must way I am quite happy with my new neighborhood, Kreuzberg, and especially my new apartment. It’s a HUGE step up from the oppressively small Linz hotel room or the overly noisy, but still very social hostel. I feel like a proper Berlin resident with a proper Berlin apartment. Always a good feeling…

And Monday is a big day! First of all, I am starting my intensive German course, 3 hours per day, 5 days per week! And, I have a meeting with the director of Club Transmediale, a group organizing a huge electronic music festival in Berlin each January. With this project, it is often difficult to separate what is work and what is play. Thankfully, work and play aren’t that different—attending art performances, thinking critically about them, writing music, watching VJs, etc. etc. I love the Watson foundation.

I feel like I am in exactly the right place at the right time—Berlin, right now.