A day of rest

It sunny and clear this morning so I started out for a bike ride, but it has gotten colder and my hands were freezing without any gloves. It isn't really that cold however. I just checked online and it is at or just a degree below freezing (I average the Kiel and Lübeck temperatures), but the 18 km/hr wind on a moving bike makes a difference. So I turned back and used this time to update my blog, do some reading and fight the urge to go to work. It's probably for the best. The clouds are rolling in now and the wind seems to have picked up.

As my work schedule becomes more efficient and a routine develops, there is less down time for other things. Plus there is a tremendous amount to do to get things started in my new job and finish up projects in my old one, so I haven't had as much time to post here on the blog and update entries lately. This may have to turn into weekly or biweekly postings, but I do want to keep the blog going if I can. It is amazing the changes that have happened in just one week. Now, crocus and snowdrop flowers are coming up everywhere, some lawns are carpeted with them and the days "feel" like they are getting longer from when I arrived two weeks ago, but this may just be wishful thinking. The grocery stores have put up racks of seed packets for people to plant in the spring. One thing that is noticeably missing are hot pepper seeds. German food tends not to be spicy-hot at all. I like using peppers in some of my cooking and I may eventually try growing some peppers of my own, but I may have to import the seeds from the US?

During this last week I received more mail from Deutsch Bank, containing my account cards and information and a letter from the local government containing my tax registration certificate, which I turned in to my employer. It contains information about my income tax rate to be charged. Later when V and the kids arrive and we move to the apartment I have to reregister at the Rathaus and will get another certificate that has updated information for my dependents to turn in as well. I also picked a medical insurance company. I had to do this within two weeks of working and need to pay retroactively to my start date, Feb 1st. Here in Germany insurance is required, you have no choice not to pay for insurance. If you make over a certain amount for the last three years (even if it is outside of Germany) you have to buy the more expensive private insurance. Underneath this cutoff you can choose from many different "public" insurance providers. The cost is a percentage of your paycheck, usually around 13%, and is split with your employer, so you pay around 6% of your income for insurance. It is tightly controlled by the government and I am told there is very little real difference between the providers. Also, here in Germany they have a very radical system compared to US insurance--you're allowed to see doctors and the insurance pays for medical expenses!