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end of the summer break

exactly one year ago today, on the second of November 2009, began my stay in Utah, and thus the triggering event for the creation of this blog. Reason enough, the month-long to stop criminal neglect of the blog. In the meantime a lot has happened: Since the first of May this year, I find myself back on German soil. Here I finished writing my thesis, it (on time) given, then (not as in time) finally find my grading, and now I'm just waiting for my certificate so I can explain my study officially signed for.

The future of the blog is still open (just like the way my own future, but that's another topic). In other words, if I will continue the blog in the longer term and, if so, what form I do not know. In any case, I renamed it in the meantime before: For Me and The U Me and The Usual Life was:

The blog's logo. Links: Original Version (Winter 2009/10), right: new version (Fall 2010).

Some have wondered how important The U in the original name of the blog had (and if I remember correctly, I've been to remain silent, too). The explanation is simple: With The U of U or even shorter The U the called University of Utah in Salt Lake City , so the place of my work last winter. The logo of my blog should echoing be one of the many logo forms the university, although was a copyright-related slight modification of the so distinctive U-shape, which you escape from everyday life in Salt Lake City barely, even if you wanted:

"The U" in different variants. From left to right:
first Series: shuttle stop sign, tower of Rice-Eccles Stadium ; lamppost in the downtown area.
second Series: Sweatshirt, document folder; bowling in the building of the University Union .
third Series: Hill in the north-east of the city, space on campus, key chain that doubles as a discount card at the supermarket.

So now the everyday The Usual Life , instead of the university, The U . Although one would use in English rather "everyday life" for "daily life", but remain some way related to the old name of the blog should in my opinion just yet, if only the initial of "Usual". Over the next Weeks I'm planning under this title include the following topics (not necessarily in the order given) in a series of further blog posts put:

• have What writing tools I wrote my thesis (typesetting program, reference management, fonts, graphing, etc. .)
• what tools and tricks I have served me to write with passable English skills a work that is before the eyes of my critical proofreader in Utah and not least of which could consist of my English co-supervisor
• which are the obstacles, if tries, a snowboard from the U.S. to send to Germany
• What es mit der gebrochenen Schrift und dem langen "s" auf der Verpackung der German Black Forest Truffles nun wirklich auf sich hat.

Nicht zuletzt habe ich auch noch ein paar Reiseberichte und etliche zugehörige Fotos nachzureichen, was natürlich ebenfalls nicht zu kurz kommen soll. Außerdem werde ich möglicherweise über einige Themen schreiben, die mit meinem Aufenthalt in Utah auf den ersten – und auch auf den zweiten – Blick überhaupt nichts zu tun haben, die stattdessen einfach – im weitesten Sinne – einen Bezug zu meinem Alltag haben ("The Usual Life", wir erinnern uns). Falls es Vorschläge oder Wünsche für weitere Blogeinträge gibt, Just let us know.

What happened then with the blog, as I said, still open. But now I wish, have fun in the following series of articles!