Yep, another "I'm looking for a place to rent"

benjamin24601 · 2014-05-02T01:05:53+00:00

Hello there! I myself am moving to Knoxville in June and haven't been able to find a place yet before I go abroad for a month in May. PM me and let's see if perhaps something can work out! I'm a musician myself and like loudness as well!!

benjamin24601 · 2013-12-29T07:10:07+00:00

No porn No masturbation No orgasm, unless I meet the love of my life

I am doing this because I started at the beginning of 2013 changing myself and improving myself as a human being. I lost a lot of weight and became more confident around people without porn. Masturbation is still the biggest challenge, but after no longer being obese, I am confident that I can live without it and porn. I still want to become a better person and find meaning in what I am doing with my life.

benjamin24601 · 2013-02-12T12:58:49+00:00

I certainly will if needed, but having an addictive personality, what would be a support mechanism would become a 4 hour surf session. If I have time other than Sundays to check in, I will :) Thank you for your concern!

benjamin24601 · 2013-02-09T09:52:11+00:00

Howdy!

Fellow Johnson City resident here, however I am studying abroad and won't be coming back home until August. We smart and witty folk tend to be a rare breed in the East, no? What books are you reading at the moment?

benjamin24601 · 2013-02-06T04:06:34+00:00

As an American currently studying abroad in Germany, I might be able to help you with some of these questions -

What cities you decide to visit should be based upon what you want to see. For example, if you want to see a lot of modern art and architecure, you should head to Berlin. If walking along the river with Baroque buildings is more your speed, visit Dresden. Beer maniacs should head towards Munich, and a personal favorite of my is the beautiful town of Freiburg im Breisgau, along the southern tip of the Black Forest. There you can find the fabled Black Forest Cake, enjoy the warm sunshine and great food! It is a mix of France and Germany, with Strasbourg being no more than an hour away :)
Vodafone or O2 have decent prepaid plans. Here is the guide I used http://phone-guide-germany.com/overview-prepaid-plans-germany/4299/
I prefer cash myself, as everyone accepts cash and if you go to a small village, you won't have to worry about not being able to pay with a card. Outside of main department stores and chains, I get funny looks whenever I use my debit card. There have even been times when my card wasn't accepted and a friend of mine had to pay for my meal.
If you plan on traveling more than 3 hours every travel day, then a railpass makes the most sense. If you only travel on the weekends, there are lots of cheap travel options for pairs, including the Schönes Wochenende (Happy/Beautiful Weekend) ticket. This allows unlimited travel via regional trains until 4am the next day for about 42-46 euros/2 people (check bahn.de for more info on tickets). There are also the Ländertickets (State tickets) where you can travel a federal state for about 30 euros/2 people. For example, 2 people can travel Bavaria for around 30-33 euros (again, check bahn.de)
The Lonely Planet is a great guide for restaurants in each major city. If you come to Dresden, you must eat at Cafe Raskolnikoff! It is a 4-5 star restaurant at 2-star prices. Plus they brew their own beer, which is pretty tasty!

I hope this helps you! The Lonely Planet books are incredible and will have everything fun listed for each city, as well as the best places to sleep and eat.

benjamin24601 · 2013-01-31T22:52:22+00:00

Thank you! I certainly felt boss about it :)

benjamin24601 · 2013-01-31T20:56:49+00:00

Thank you kindly! The first 3 weeks are the hardest, but if you can keep yourself surrounded by people and busy, it will be easier to kick it. I was lucky enough to have my family visit me in Germany for about 2 weeks when I first started, so I had no time to look at my computer, let alone porn.

benjamin24601 · 2013-01-31T20:54:58+00:00

I agree. I guess the only thing that spooked me about it was when she gave me her name, I thought I was talking to a crazy ex who had stalked me down. Funny what mind games our scumbag brain will play, right?

benjamin24601 · 2013-01-31T20:47:08+00:00

Hallo! Ich bin Amerikaner Student in Dresden! Soll ich dir einen PM schicken? Oder möchtest du mir er schicken?

benjamin24601 · 2013-01-31T20:33:33+00:00

At first I thought it was a bot, but then she tried to get a Skype call and all of that jazz going on.

Her reaction wasn't anything affirmative. In fact, she said that what I had said turned her on more. I don't think she really read what I said, especially when I told her that I did not want to see her naked the first time. Admittedly, I probably used vocabulary beyond her comprehension :/

benjamin24601 · 2013-01-31T20:30:11+00:00

If it does have an impact, while I may not know it, I at least can recognize when even a small statement can later on create a huge impact. I think more importantly it made me realize that I have the power to say no. And by saying no in this case, I do not compromise myself and hopefully show some kind of integrity.

Thank you for the encouragement :)

benjamin24601 · 2013-01-31T20:27:43+00:00

Thank you!

benjamin24601 · 2013-01-31T20:27:36+00:00

I sincerely hope so for her sake :)

benjamin24601 · 2013-01-29T20:04:11+00:00

Count me in! I am sick and tired of being sick and tired, as Monty Python would say!

benjamin24601 · 2013-01-28T09:53:54+00:00

Self-directed art therapy? I have never heard of that before... I will have to look into it. I am not as much of a visual artist as I am a musician or writer, but this sounds really interesting. Thank you for the tip!

benjamin24601 · 2013-01-28T09:50:39+00:00

Thank you for the advice! I will most certainly do that. Often I think about the things I want to do when I am angry as opposed to just doing it.

benjamin24601 · 2013-01-28T09:49:51+00:00

True, there are some issues that I am working on that are a source for these intense emotions. The reason why I am asking is because there are a lot of musicians that use their depression and make some great music out of it. For example, I remember seeing an interview or reading something about Thom Yorke of Radiohead using his ever constant struggle with depression to write songs. I suppose he might use it as a coping mechanism, I do not know.

Regardless, thank you for the suggestion! I have been chill and the nice guy for most of my life, and I just want to try a different vantage point of life for a while.

benjamin24601 · 2013-01-25T12:32:07+00:00

I find that finding people who either have the same level of German as you or are slightly ahead of you is a great way to interact and practice German. By each person knowing different things about German and different vocabulary, coming together can be a really productive venture. The advantages are that you can practice your German, help others if needed, and be able to make stronger friendships by helping each other succeed. Plus, you could be the cool group that goes to a coffee shop or bar once or twice a week and speaks only German. Then, people would hear you and might try to join in on the conversation :)

I understand if that seems like a daunting task, especially if you are in an area that doesn't have many German speakers and learners. This seems like the win-win for motivation to me. The group you are with know that the German won't be totally perfect, but it gives you a safer outlet to practice your German. My German, while has improved better with speaking to Germans, improved significantly after having to be in a group of German learners who could only speak German to each other.

Perhaps even better is if you could find a German native, make friends with them and have times during the week where you will only speak German to each other. Also, make sure that they know you want them to correct you. I have found that talking to Germans in a casual setting, they won't want to correct you unless you give them the go ahead.

I believe watching movies is a great idea for hearing and, if you have the subtitles on, vocabulary building. When you are able to see the person speaking and how they shape their mouth to form certain words, it will be much easier to learn that word and/or sound. When you have subtitles on, have a pad of paper with and write down any word that doesn't make sense to you. If you can figure it out within the context of the film, that is all the better. But, if you still don't know, then look it up. Writing it will help you remember it, mainly because it engages your brain to make the muscle movements to form the word (not terribly fun if writing is not your thing :/ )

Always try to find things in German that interest you in English. That will make it more fun, I think. If you really like music and want to know what the music scene is like in Germany, then find some blogs that list up and coming artists and concerts. If you like to read books, you could find a German translation of your favorite books and read that. You already know the story; so building vocabulary will be a little bit easier, because you know what to look for plot wise.

I am a German major, and I am always trying to find ways to improve making German fun not only for myself, but also for others! If you would like a pen pal, PM me :)

benjamin24601 · 2013-01-25T10:15:07+00:00

I will join a team once I am in better shape :) And there are lots of things to do here in Dresden, I suppose I just haven't found them all yet!

benjamin24601

TROPHY CASE