on the first day of Christmas...

Got an amazon.de package. I don't know to whom I owe it, because the card within only said "Don't open before 12/24 *hugs*", so I don't even know what it is, but... thank you, whoever you are! :)

Yesterday, Jörg and I visited the medieval Christmas market in Cologne and took Simone (from jûdô practice) and her husband with us. Simone had given Jörg stuff to dress up in - leather pants, a leather jerkin, and a cloak - and I gave him my chainmail coat. He looked good in that stuff, he should wear it more often...
The market was fun, and unlike the people there who were not dressed up, we didn't feel cold. Of course, wearing costumes means that you look "un-cool" anyway, so you don't worry about wearing warm stuff obscuring your beautiful figure, so you wear warm stuff, so you don't freeze. It was very nice all in all, though we didn't find much to buy there.
Afterwards, we visited Jörg's mother who had to go to hospital today for a heart check-up and catheters. Apparently, it's all less scary than it sounds, but I'm still slightly worried.

Quote of the Day:
(in Japanese class, topic: Kabuki theatre)
Blinova-san: "She did buddhistic temple dances, but she added erotic elements, and then the prostitutes began doing them too, and the authorities thought that was too indecent and then women were forbidden."
*silence*
*giggling*
*she notices*
"...women on stage!"

- - -
( und wenn das fünfte Lichtlein brennt... )

- - -

German adages that don't translate

We just bought a Christmas tree, and put it up.
I don't know whether the English language knows an equivalent saying to the German "stehen wie 'ne eins". It translates to "to stand like a one", refers to the general character of the symbol for 'one' (1), i.e. standing perfectly upright, and means that something, e.g. a Christmas tree, stands perfectly upright, balanced and is in no danger at all of falling.

The Japanese character for the number one looks like this: 一

I wonder whether that has any significance in this context.

- - -
( Steht wie 'ne Eins )

- - -