snow to slush: berlin

ive been fighting a mystery illness. ive experienced a number of seemingly uncorrelated symptoms ranging from a sore throat and headaches to extreme fatigue and nausea. dont worry, im not pregnant.

i am, however, currently babysitting for some friends kids while the parents attend world mandate, the missions conference. the boys are precious. they are incredibly sweet and good boys. kegan, 2 years, was the perfect host. he would not be satisfied until he was sure i ate something. aidan and i made tiger masks. his was quote, "gooder" but they were also quote, "the exact same." you look at the photo and tell me if you think they are "the exact same." it was cute. theyre sleeping peacefully right now. probably the easiest ive ever put children to bed. well raised.

today was an ugly day in berlin. it rain/snowed wetness all day. its been precipitating for a good 3 days now. yesterday it was all ice. today it is all slush. its fairly difficult to walk in this weather. you know how its harder to run on sand? i feel the same challenge when i must walk on either ice or slush, both present different yet difficult challenges to walking. my quads are getting a work out. im sure a good pair of boots would help. im sure the converse are not the ideal shoe for such weather. i know, instead of walking i can just get someone to pull me around on a sled, a very practical method of transport here. it works better in the snow/ice. slush is a bit more treacherous. pros and cons.

so. ive found a new and profoundly good song. "you are the blood" by sufjan stevens. it. is. so. good. both musically and lyrically. everyone should listen to it. now. here are the lyrics:

"You are the blood flowing through my fingers
all through the soil and up in those trees
You are electricity and You're light
You are sound itself and You are flight...

You are the blood that i may see You, that i may see You
You are the blood in me

You are the earth on which i travel, on which i travel
You are the earth under my feet
that i may travel, that i may travel with You
You are the earth on which i write the circumstances
You say what You want from me
You are the solitude that goes against me, that goes against me
You are the choir in which i dream
in which i sleep in which I wander"