Wow, I've only published one entry and I already have a subscriber. Greetings, new person! I initially planned on writing again sooner, but I guess I need some time to get into the habit. I'll summarize what happened over the past week:

A group of Norwegian students came to visit my town for a few days. I tend to be anxious around new people, but I also get really excited about meeting people from other countries. I wanted to ask them tons of questions and maybe even get some music recommendations from them, but I was so worried I would be annoying that I didn't get to talk to them much. It didn't help that the Norwegian students weren't very talkative either. Oh well, there'll be a next time, hopefully. Eventually I'll visit a foreign country myself, then I'd have to talk to people.

More recently, I managed to order an autographed tour poster from one of my favorite bands as an early birthday present. I can't wait for it to ship in! I also ordered my first chest binder so I can try it and see how I feel. I've made a deal with myself that I can't open either item until I've cleaned my house properly. Hopefully that will motivate me to stop being a slob for a while.

I went to the dentist, which is one of my greatest fears. Dental appointments have always made me feel nervous ever since my first (and only) cavity filling. The good news is that the dentist didn't have to do much, my teeth are healthy this time around. My mouth still aches from the poking and prodding, though.

In terms of mental health, I've been down lately. Not quite sad, more like stuck. It's hard to feel like doing much of anything, really, even things I usually enjoy. I'm missing important deadlines and leaving several messages from friends unanswered. It's hard to do anything about this, because I'm mentally slamming on a gas pedal that's disconnected from the engine. I'm trying desperately, but no progress is being made. I'm constantly overwhelmed with a sense of tranquil panic, as contradictory as that sounds. Meanwhile, time and opportunity seem to be racing away without me.

Hopefully I will feel better the next time I get the energy to write. Maybe soon I'll even come up with something more interesting than a summary of the previous days. I hope you will soon overcome your own struggles, dear reader, especially if you feel as stuck as I do. With that, auf Wiedersehen.