AUFGESTIEGEN!

Markus Babbel pulled it off, and thanks to Ramos' goal at 27', in a game that was extremely boring otherwise, we've got 68 points and 7 points over 2nd place and 12 over third, and we're going back to the 1. Bundesliga this summer! Three matches left, and it's impossible not to go up.

It was an away game, but there were 2500 fans who'd traveled, and after the match, the boys celebrated with them, threw Babbel and Preetz in the air, and poured beer and champagne on pretty much everybody.

I'm so very jealous of kiwirazzi, who was there in person. If I'd had any doubts before yesterday that Hertha was my team, the tears of joy when Ramos scored and during Sky's coverage of the celebration with the fans would have put them to rest. It was beautiful.

My Goethe-pal Joey is going back to Berlin this week for another Goethe course, and he has a ticket for the sold-out final match vs Augsburg (currently second place). SO JEALOUS. I asked him to pick me up a Stadionheft; he said to remind him later. ♥ He's also going fan-gear shopping for me, because shipping from Germany is ridiculous (the online shop charges 30 Euro for anything up to 100 Euro!)

I hope Preetz and Babbel have a good plan to stay in the 1. Liga next year and afterward while managing the major debts (including a good bit to the city of Berlin for rent on the Olympic Stadium, deferred for this year because Mayor Wowi is a Hertha fan, which caused some grumbling over in Union territory...). We get to keep Ebert, Lell, and Niemeyer, though we have to pay Werder Bremen 700,000 Euro for Niemeyer. They're looking for 4 players (1 goalie, 1 defense, 1 midfield, 1 striker) that I've heard talk of in papers so far, and lots of names are being batted around, but nothing concrete yet. This season officially ends 5/31, as I understand it, so we'll know by June 1, I believe. Folks more familiar with the BuLi, correct me if I'm wrong.

Progress report: 80000

I broke 80,000 today! +246, 80,106, 66 days left.

I feel like I can do this, y'all. I'd like to get through more than one scene a day, but now I'm getting to the longer scenes where a lot of stuff happens, so it's harder. Or I'm just justifying my laziness. Whatever.

I should be able to get more work done the rest of this week. Tuesdays always throw me off, since I exercise in the morning, and that wreaks havoc on my schedule.