Linden's Pensieve

Today was very productive. We got all of our American Christmas shopping done, and I finished LindenAMueller.com! Until just a few minutes ago, if you visited LindenAMueller.com, you’d see a diversion. But you should go look at it right now… It’s purty.

Whaddya think? I really like it, and even though it only houses my curriculum vitae, a page of my favorite links, a link to this blog, and a contact form, it’s a significant start.

We spent the evening with some friends, and I am constantly reminded of how blessed I am. I have so many dear friends, and I never forget how special that is. Many of my best friends I have known for years and years, but some are relatively new. But it doesn’t matter, because each one of them has changed me and made me a better person, helped make me the woman I am today, and probably in ways that neither of us is fully aware of.

This summer was hard: I was depressed. It wasn’t as deep as I’ve been before, but it was worse than it’s been in a long time. I wasn’t sure what was wrong at first, but slowly, I think I figured it out. Plus, I understand that, just like diabetics need insulin to keep their bodies running normally, sometimes I need pills to get the happy brain chemicals flowing correctly. I understand that, and it helps me deal.

And my husband understands too. You can hide a lot of You from a lot of people,

Rob and I spent this weekend in Berlin celebrating his mother’s 50th birthday and enjoying our birthday gift from his family (Blue Man Group tickets), and every time we’re here, I’m reminded why I love it so much. I had never been before last August after my interview, but I had always wanted to go. That desire intensified when I met and subsequently fell in love with Rob. He grew up here and absolutely loves this city. Now I know why.

NaBloPoMo? I know exactly what you are thinking: “What the heck does that mean?” It’s National Blog Posting Month and it means that for the month of November, I will be posting one blog post a day. Dr. Cadle (the blogosphere queen, in my book) is doing it, and so is Daily Adventures in a Semi-Boring Life, and it seems like everyone has their own reasons for attempting such a feat, so here are 5 reasons I decided to join in.

I got some birthday money and decided to finally buy my own domain, lindenamueller.com. Right now, it is only hosting my new fancy schmancy Wordpress blog (finally made the switch from Blogger), but in the near future

Two weeks ago today, I became a marathoner, but what’s next? I was pretty sure that I would like running this type of race, but now I know that I do. However, I have a different type of marathon that I have to run right now, The Dissertation marathon (“The Diss”). Once I’ve crossed that finish line, I’ll be returning to the 26.2-mile variety. Maybe in the meantime, I can do some relays: Who’s with me?!

Let me explain my problem, and then I’ll let you offer your suggestions. I have a long and sordid history with the drug, caffeine. I’ve tried over and over to cut the habit, but I get withdrawal headaches. Plus, even if I have managed to climb on the wagon, soda and coffee is all around me. Especially in America, in the land of free refills, it is very hard for me to say no. (Here, it is a little easier. I just drink beer instead. It costs the same and is perhaps a bit healthier than pop.)

We are safely back in Germany, and we’ve got my dad and step-mom with us! We met them at the Frankfurt airport this afternoon, and we’ll be leaving for Berlin tomorrow! But on to the subject of this post…

You might remember that I dyed my hair black last November.

Today is September 15, and I am two weeks away from the starting line. Before I started running, I had always heard that runners are really friendly people, and I have found that that is more than true. The runners I have met both in person and online are always more than willing to help out,