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There comes a time when a new chapter unfurls; quietly at first, but then it grows louder and takes shape like a whispered secret making its way into the world. And so, in just three weeks, I will be crossing oceans and borders, and settling into a new home in Germany.

It’s not just a change of scenery—though I’m sure there will be cobblestone streets, medieval castles, and forests that whisper ancient tales—but a journey driven by a new job that awaits. Yes, a job that calls me to a place where wurst and pretzels reign supreme, and the coffee will be strong enough to fuel the next grand adventure.

This move promises more than just work, of course. There will be stories, moments to capture, and perhaps a bit of magic hidden in the day-to-day. I’ll be sharing photos and words here on the blog—snapshots of life in a new land, the curious sights I stumble upon, and the odd adventure or two.

So keep your eyes on this space, because while my bags aren’t quite packed yet, my heart is already on the road. Here’s to what comes next. Let’s see what Germany has to say.

Sometimes I see someone on the street
That I think is you
I am hit with a wave of woe
Sorrow sweeps my soul
Wanting to see you one last time
Missing you
Too late.

Drops fall from the grey
Tiny memories striking pavement
I wish you could have stayed

If/Else:

If(IsEmpty(Bed), “Cold”, “Comfort“)

If(IsEmpty(Eyes), “Defeat”, “Strength“)

If(IsEmpty(Soul), “Sorrow”, “Joy“)

If(IsEmpty(Heart), “Broken”, “Whole“)

If(IsEmpty(Love), “Grief”, “Love“)

The only thing not typical about this particular Tuesday afternoon was parking in the Yale structure so that I could get to class on time. I sat through Indian Philosophy for the requisite two-and-a-half hours, learned about various proofs for the existence of a self (Vedic teachings: ‘suck it, Buddha!’), and then walked back to my car. I was debating with myself if I wanted to go straight home or if I wanted to go do something on the way home.

I got in the car, pushed the button to start it, let the button go, and had a wave of fear wash over me. The starter did not disengage when I let go of the button. The car was running, but so was the starter motor. The frantic whirring made it sound like the Z was freaking out as badly as I was. I pressed the button again to try to turn the car off. To my dismay, the button did nothing. I couldn’t turn the car off. I tried flipping the ignition lock switch a couple times, pressing the button to try to turn off the car, still nothing.

The starter motor sounded more and more like it was on the point of failure. The stress had me sobbing and in tears. I put the car in reverse and dumped the clutch, hoping I could stall out the motor. Good thinking right? Except that the engine was revved just enough by the ever-whirring starter motor that all it did was actually back out the car. My only option was to kill it by disconnecting the battery.

I popped the hood. The starter began to smoke and whine. All I had was a pair of tiny channel locks I keep in the center console to pull the hood release… I loosened the bolt on the battery terminal through tears and sobs and curses. As I was trying to get it off, the starter burst in to flames and rattled to a halt, electrical burning filling the air. I pulled the battery terminal and started frantically looking around for a fire extinguisher, as the flames died down and the smoke dissipated.

Still full of panic and adrenaline, I called Daniel, sobbing and crying. “My car just exploded!” I blurted out (I did not feel like I was exaggerating at the time. It was a traumatic situation). Ultimately he got me calm enough to think of solutions (bless him, always saving me), and I got the car parking paid for until the next day.

Today, Cary met me at the parking lot where the Z lay motionless and dead. We inspected the area with the starter, and it looked as though the damage was contained to just it, thankfully. I watched as Cary pulled apart the ignition system of my car, trying to find the correct wires to link together to allow us to push start it. Apparently the button start module had catastrophically failed, so we could not get it to turn stay in the on setting without modification. After calling the people who published the wiring diagram for the Datsun 280 ZX series Fascists several times, we got the car set up for the hotwiring.

We dragged it to the top of the hill and pushed it down, popping the clutch and jumping the engine to life. I drove the Z home gingerly with two wires under the steering column elctrical-taped together to keep it running until I could get it in the garage and pull the wires apart. I had never driven a hot wired car before.

I would like to introduce a new feature on this blog! The talented and beautiful David will be contributing his lovely photos, and any thoughts he has as well. That makes Margarine is Murder a family effort! Additionally, we should see some further posts from  yours truly in the next few weeks, as things become calmer on the home  front. Crazy times lately, busy too.

So, new feature, more posts soon, lots of awesomeness.

Getting serious about Blog writing requires a lot of editing, including deleting old, annoying posts that no one but spam bots read. There will be new posts soon, and they will be well thought-out. There will be research, and maybe even humor. We shall hopefully refrain from using any of the over 900o internet memes for cheap jokes.

In sum, here’s an empty blog, about to get some delicious posts added to it to fill it up and make it interesting. In the meantime, have a kitten to look at.