If it's not Raven, it's crap...

I couldn't think of a clever opening line, so I'll just jump right in. I got laid off last week. It definitely sounds much worse than it actually is, because I was right on the verge of quitting anyway. The only thing stopping me from doing that was that it would kind of fuck up any potential unemployment benefits and I like not being homeless. Since the end of last year, things have gone (job-wise) from annoying to bad to worse to fucked up beyond belief. Up until about the end of July when I got my visa shit sorted, I was kind of just stuck. And since August, after I got my visa shit sorted, I wanted to make a new job search my priortiy. However, the new apartment search got in the way. Job troubles are one of the shittiest aspects about immigration -- 'specially if you haven't married a native -- you're pretty much at the mercy of the system and your employer. It can be a tough situation when you want to leave your job, but can't because if you quit, you lose

It's almost scary to think about how simple it is to bring a smile to my face these days. New apartment is cool, but my work situation continues to fuck me in the head (bluntly said). I had scheduled a work-related appointment for this morning, which I probably should have re-scheduled due to the fact that I'm currently off sick. But I waited too long and decided to go anyway. Blah blah blah, long story short, it has do with the company Christmas cards and the fact that we (i.e. the company where I'm currently employed) make a donation to an organization in lieu of an actual present. This year, we decided (when I say "we" I mean "my boss") to make a donation to the FABRIK. People in Hamburg know the FABRIK as a place where concerts/events of every kind are held. However, they also had youth support programs going on for about 38 years. I had gotten in contact with their PR person a few weeks ago and they invited me to come and view the premises and get

A picture painted by Zilv (aka new roomie) What HASN'T been going on? That's the question you should be asking. This is quite possibly the longest blog hiatus that I've ever taken. There are absolutely no entries for August 2009. Weird, huh? So I guess this will be my attempt to get you all up to speed. Residency / Work Permit Crap First off, there was the whole struggle with the immigration & German employment authorities (again) revolving around the extension of my residency & work permit. These types of problems can put a cramp in your style (not to mention burn a hole in your pocket) and really only serve to increase your cynicism with regards to bureaucracy and "the system" in general. After almost a six month wait, a rejection of my application based on the federal employment agency misplacing important/relevant documentation and a ca. 400€ lawyer fee, I'm now in possession of an unrestricted work permit. Frosty and I didn't have to get hitc