As long as you don't get a rash from the mattress the Gästehaus is not as good as my old furnished room in a dorm here in Münster. I guess the smell is compulsory for university accommodation.

Juliane

This is going to be my second night on this bed.
Have your experience with sheets and blankets that cause a rash?

Beta testers wanted

Dear all,

I am about to release a newer version of this site. There are three features that stand out:
- First of all, the new site is mostly HTML. Some Flash is still used for editing the comments (spam prevention) and showing movies.
- There will be a new About section
- A site-wide search is added

Since this new release is a complete rebuild, I would love some of you testing the site. It can be found on:
http://html.54nd3r.com

Please mail any issues you encounter to sander@arnongrunberg.com

I expect the site to go live in a few days. Thanks!

This one looks very sober.

Arnon

In 2007 I had a furnished room in a dorm here in Münster managed by the Studentenwerk (unlike the Catholic one I live in now, without being a Catholic). Everyday I would be greeted by "Scheiße Deutsche" which had been scratched in to the lift door . Needless to say I felt completely at home from the first moment. The first thing a friend said to her boyfriend after having left me there for the first night was "Oh come on. We can't let her sleep here. Look at the furniture. It's not retro, it's originally from the 60s!" Apparently it was, because the foam mattress gave me an annoying rash after a while. Through the bedsheets which I consider quite an achievement on the part of the residentiary microorganisms. When I moved out I discovered that it was forbidden to clean either the mattress or the cover of it (you don't want to know how it looked underneath). The bathroom was worth a look, as well. It looked like one of those you find in caravans, must have been a lighter color than beige sometime in the past and was so tiny you could shower your knees while sitting on the toilet . After all I think that the Studentenwerk must have had the aim to reduce the number of students which would account for the large windows.

I quite like this setting. It's very clean and to the point. And I like my rooms to be either crisp and clean or messy and bombastic.

In 13 minutes I'm having a job interview at my home. That's quite weird; people coming to your house to employ you.

Juliane

You have a romantic past.

An old fashioned German restaurant - those gigantic dishes ! -.in the province is as melancholic as the Kölner karneval (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy-nSJ8ENJI)

I don't know about the smell, but I find the soberness of this room very appealing.

Arnon

it looks like a prison cel a little bit. Arnon, did you ever slept in a prison cel?

Arnon

I have to make do with what I get for lack of more exciting experiences. This one might be considered a stroke of luck, I guess.

Juliane

You could actively search for exciting experiences.

Arnon

Easier said than done. I'm not thinking for myself only . Moreover the other person I have to bear in mind in all my decisions is very easily hurt which leads to discussions that end in a nasty feeling of dissolving reality and tremendous confusion my part.

Juliane

There is a significant other in your life?

Arnon

Yes, there is. Since February 2001. And he is not exactly the healthiest thing in my life, I'm afraid. Growing up in a relationship in which the other is devastated by every little thing that changes is neither an easy nor a pleasant process. It's like playing adults and discovering after some time that there might be a few things you can't handle.

Juliane

If he is not the healthiest thing in your life remove him.

Arnon

If you live together with someone for over seven years (that's nearly one third of my life) , especially with someone clutching at you like someone drowning, you don't just remove him. It's not that I don't have any feelings for him even though I'm not sure about their nature. It might be tenderness, pity and/or just the need to make sure that he's getting along in life. At the end of the day it amounts to some diffuse kind of love, I suppose.
Have your relationships always been so easy that you could remove your partner?

Juliane

I prefer to be removed.

Arnon

Being removed might be better, yes. At least if the outcome involves suffering (the kind that makes you throw up etc.) and not indifference. At least most people seem to prefer being the 'good one' after a break-up. But I don' t really know what to make of 'prefer'. Are you caught in your habits which lead to your partners breaking up with you or do you cause it willingly, even?

It requires a lot of courage and strength to end an unhealthy relationship. You can loose a lot by being the 'bad guy'. From experience I found that it can be worth while loosing friends and love to regain yourself eventhough when it happens it seems too hard to do.