Mason Andrew
September 28, 2006
10:34 a.m.
8 lbs. 8 oz.
22" long
Congratulations, Shannon & Andy!!! Can't wait to meet him......
30 September 2006
He's Here!!!
Mason Andrew
September 28, 2006
10:34 a.m.
8 lbs. 8 oz.
22" long
Congratulations, Shannon & Andy!!! Can't wait to meet him......
26 September 2006
It's Official.....
I'm definitely a nerd. Today I ordered the four books for my class from Amazon.de. While I was at it, I ordered four other books that I've been wanting to read. Yep, I spent a pretty penny by Amazon.de. At least the shipping was free. And even though I only ordered them about an hour ago, I can't wait for them to come! You know I'll be checking my mail daily with anticipation!!! After I ordered, I promptly found three more books that I want to read.....Ah well, there's always tomorrow. :o)
Today is my nephew's due date.....I haven't heard anything, so I guess he's still "in the oven" as they say. "Aunt Sarah" - can you believe it??? Even better....my brother is "Dad!" Mom becomes Grandma! And Dad becomes Grandpa! (Heeheehee)
Continuing the German lessons ~ today my boss said "gemerged" as in "was merged." We were in our department meeting and my colleagues all know that I find this whole adoption of English directly into German without translation very funny. So we all started laughing, which caused my boss to stop in mid-sentence and look at all of us as if we had lost it. And then he looked at me and I was writing it down (just so I wouldn't forget). He asked "What?" and I simply repeated the word. Then he got it, grinned and asked me if he needed to define the word for me.....(Funny!!) I said no, I understood and enjoyed broadening my vocabulary with the "high German" words upgedatet, braingestormt and gemerged. I think after that it took him a good minute to find his train of thought again and pick where he left off (before we so rudely interrupted him....). I've heard this called Germlish in English and I found out it's called Dinglisch in German (Deutsch+Englisch). Whatever you call it, it's good for a laugh every time.
This weekend, we have a four day weekend (I think I already mentioned that). One of the things I want to do is visit the world's largest pumpkin and gourd exhibit in Ludwigsburg (one of the neighboring cities). They call it the "Wild Pumpkin/Gourd West" because apparently Columbus brought back pumpkins/gourds from the US. More really cool pictures from this exhibit can be seen here.
Today is my nephew's due date.....I haven't heard anything, so I guess he's still "in the oven" as they say. "Aunt Sarah" - can you believe it??? Even better....my brother is "Dad!" Mom becomes Grandma! And Dad becomes Grandpa! (Heeheehee)
Continuing the German lessons ~ today my boss said "gemerged" as in "was merged." We were in our department meeting and my colleagues all know that I find this whole adoption of English directly into German without translation very funny. So we all started laughing, which caused my boss to stop in mid-sentence and look at all of us as if we had lost it. And then he looked at me and I was writing it down (just so I wouldn't forget). He asked "What?" and I simply repeated the word. Then he got it, grinned and asked me if he needed to define the word for me.....(Funny!!) I said no, I understood and enjoyed broadening my vocabulary with the "high German" words upgedatet, braingestormt and gemerged. I think after that it took him a good minute to find his train of thought again and pick where he left off (before we so rudely interrupted him....). I've heard this called Germlish in English and I found out it's called Dinglisch in German (Deutsch+Englisch). Whatever you call it, it's good for a laugh every time.
This weekend, we have a four day weekend (I think I already mentioned that). One of the things I want to do is visit the world's largest pumpkin and gourd exhibit in Ludwigsburg (one of the neighboring cities). They call it the "Wild Pumpkin/Gourd West" because apparently Columbus brought back pumpkins/gourds from the US. More really cool pictures from this exhibit can be seen here.
25 September 2006
Monday = Blogthings
Okay, I promised to try to only share a blogthings quiz once a week and it's been a week!! I think Mondays will be my regular blogthings.com quiz results day (provided that I like the results of the quiz, of course!!) So here's this week's. I am amazed at how accurate I think it is! If you don't think so, tell me why not......(The related picture freaks me out just a little, though.)
| What Your Soul Really Looks Like |
 You are a wanderer. You constantly long for a new adventure, challenge, or even a completely different life. You are a grounded person, but you also leave room for imagination and dreams. Your feet may be on the ground, but your head is in the clouds. You see yourself with pretty objective eyes. How you view yourself is almost exactly how other people view you. Your near future is still unknown, and a little scary. You'll get through wild times - and you'll textually enjoy it. For you, love is all about caring and comfort. You couldn't fall in love with someone you didn't trust. |
Inside the Room of Your Soul
And, Mom, just for you, I added a countdown clock to my trip to Michigan to the bottom of the blog, so now you can know exactly how many hours are left until you see me (in person).....
My totally awesome Community Group is going to paint the basement of my (still not sold) house this coming weekend. How cool is that?? How community is that?? (SE Rocks!!~I hear that the effort at this weekend's C3 Birthday Olympics was AWESOME! Happy 4th Birthday, C3. I miss you guys!!!!)
It's raining again. And fall is definitely coming - it's "in the air." I don't know what that means here exactly. Well, of course, I know what it means - it gets light later in the morning, the leaves turn colours and fall from the trees (hoping to get some great photos of that), etc. When I say I don't know what it means, I'm actually really referring to food and holidays. :o) In Michigan, fall means pumpkin pies, pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks (yum!), Thanksgiving......I'm excited to discover what fall means in Stuttgart (other than Oktoberfest, of course). This coming weekend, I have a whole four days off.....Monday is a vacation day and Tuesday is a holiday. I'm open to suggestions of what to do........
My totally awesome Community Group is going to paint the basement of my (still not sold) house this coming weekend. How cool is that?? How community is that?? (SE Rocks!!~I hear that the effort at this weekend's C3 Birthday Olympics was AWESOME! Happy 4th Birthday, C3. I miss you guys!!!!)
It's raining again. And fall is definitely coming - it's "in the air." I don't know what that means here exactly. Well, of course, I know what it means - it gets light later in the morning, the leaves turn colours and fall from the trees (hoping to get some great photos of that), etc. When I say I don't know what it means, I'm actually really referring to food and holidays. :o) In Michigan, fall means pumpkin pies, pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks (yum!), Thanksgiving......I'm excited to discover what fall means in Stuttgart (other than Oktoberfest, of course). This coming weekend, I have a whole four days off.....Monday is a vacation day and Tuesday is a holiday. I'm open to suggestions of what to do........
23 September 2006
21 September 2006
After at least 13 weeks.....
....I finally had a Starbucks!! (Yep, I've been in Deutschland for 13 weeks now!!)
[Author's note: As per what's becoming my usual style, this post was started on Thursday, so I think blogger is going to tell you I posted it on Thursday, too, but it's actually almost 10 on Saturday night right now.]
My language lessons on Thursdays moved from 7:30 to 15:30, so they now end at 17:00. The language school is in downtown Stuttgart and I needed a new pair of shoes (somehow I lost a chunk of the sole of my basic black shoes), so I headed into the shopping area after my lesson Thursday. I've been by Starbucks several times before, but the line was always so long that I couldn't be bothered (I wasn't craving it that bad...). But this time the line wasn't very long, so I stopped. My drink of choice was a Mocha Frappucino. Yummy.....but I forgot how expensive it was!
I also found a pair of shoes. :o)
Last night I had small group. It was at another new location (for me) and (as always) I got lost. I had to pull out the map, figure out where I was and then I made my way there. I was (only) thirty minutes late.....I can't explain why it's so hard to follow driving directions. But if you know me, you know that I'm pretty good at following directions (of all kinds, not just driving ;). I guess it's just one of those things you have to get used to (or throw in the towel and spend the money on the Navigation system).
The weather today (and for the last few days has been gorgeous!!). But today was the first official day of fall and I have definitely noticed that the leaves are starting to fall....Plus it's darker in the mornings when I get up (which makes getting up harder...). Fall is actually one of my favorite seasons, so I hope it takes it's time and doesn't rush right into winter.......
Tomorrow morning, we're going to try to go the Monet exhibit before church. The museum opens at 9 and we plan to be there about 10 minutes before it opens. Hopefully everyone else will still be sleeping and we'll be able to get in, unlike last week. Tomorrow's the last day of the exhibit, so if it doesn't work, I won't be seeing Monet in Stuttgart....
[Author's note: As per what's becoming my usual style, this post was started on Thursday, so I think blogger is going to tell you I posted it on Thursday, too, but it's actually almost 10 on Saturday night right now.]
My language lessons on Thursdays moved from 7:30 to 15:30, so they now end at 17:00. The language school is in downtown Stuttgart and I needed a new pair of shoes (somehow I lost a chunk of the sole of my basic black shoes), so I headed into the shopping area after my lesson Thursday. I've been by Starbucks several times before, but the line was always so long that I couldn't be bothered (I wasn't craving it that bad...). But this time the line wasn't very long, so I stopped. My drink of choice was a Mocha Frappucino. Yummy.....but I forgot how expensive it was!
I also found a pair of shoes. :o)
Last night I had small group. It was at another new location (for me) and (as always) I got lost. I had to pull out the map, figure out where I was and then I made my way there. I was (only) thirty minutes late.....I can't explain why it's so hard to follow driving directions. But if you know me, you know that I'm pretty good at following directions (of all kinds, not just driving ;). I guess it's just one of those things you have to get used to (or throw in the towel and spend the money on the Navigation system).
The weather today (and for the last few days has been gorgeous!!). But today was the first official day of fall and I have definitely noticed that the leaves are starting to fall....Plus it's darker in the mornings when I get up (which makes getting up harder...). Fall is actually one of my favorite seasons, so I hope it takes it's time and doesn't rush right into winter.......
Tomorrow morning, we're going to try to go the Monet exhibit before church. The museum opens at 9 and we plan to be there about 10 minutes before it opens. Hopefully everyone else will still be sleeping and we'll be able to get in, unlike last week. Tomorrow's the last day of the exhibit, so if it doesn't work, I won't be seeing Monet in Stuttgart....
20 September 2006
Briefly...
because I am so going to bed early tonight (21:30 is my goal time to be in bed, lights out)! I have been staying up way too late and I'm just plan tired!! Plus I really want to walk to work while the weather's still nice, so I want to try to get up extra early tomorrow. [Ask me tomorrow if I actually pull this off!?!?!?!?]
Speaking of weather, we had the MOST beautiful sunset tonight:
Today, I actually talked to my neighbors! It was like this: I got this paper in my mailbox with the hot and cold water and heating readings for the whole building, broken down by apartment. Hot and cold water looked good for my apartment, but heat was like 100 times as high as my neighbors....huh??? I didn't really understand. I was walking up the outside stairs really slowly as I read it and the lady came out of the apartment that has it's own entrance (and not a shared one like the rest of it). I thought, "what the heck?" So I asked her, in the very polite formal address, if she could perhaps explain it to me. She was so nice and told me what it all meant. Then her husband came out (he's the one who signed for my router) and added a few pieces of information. I thanked them a lot and then (gasp!), the conversation actually continued because he asked me if I was American. Then he asked me if I was with the Army. :o) Then they told me their son is in NY for six months at a customer, we talked about how difficult it is to communicate with people in the US because of time difference, we talked about my German language ability. And at the end, he reminded me to check my thermostat to see if it was set wrong and told me if I have any questions, I should let him know and he'll come up and check things out. How nice is that???? I think it's even nicer than signing for my modem!!
Just for fun, a couple of sleepy, lazy cats:
And in case you were wondering what the infamous splitter looks like:
By the way, T-Com took last month's (over)charges out of my bank account twice! That should be fun to rectify with them. But I got my next bill today and I have a negative balance with them, because they gave me a credit for the monthly hardware charges they had charged for on the last bill, which I couldn't even use, and an 86 Euro credit, apparently for my troubles. Just so I would know, though, it says right on the bill that it's [loose translation] a goodwill credit, to which I had no actual legal right (can you imagine a utility provider in the States writing something like that? They'd probably get sued for just being aggravating.....)
And then I had to photograph this:
What's she looking for under there? Then Cheese joined her in "looking" and I thought "uh-oh, what if there's a mouse under there?" But why would I have mice on the third floor and with three cats? And you can't be a 'fraidy cat when you've got no one else to look under there, so I got my flashlight, laid down on the floor (kinda like Jemma) and looked under there. And I found....................the cats' toy foam ball. WHEW!
In other Jemma news, she's still favoring the baby sock over the butterfly and still eating the plants. Oh well.
Today I heard my German colleague use the word "braingestormt." I laughed really, really, really hard. If you know any German, you recognize that she was conjugating the verb brainstorm into the past tense, German style. It's like this: I live and I have lived are "ich lebe" and "ich habe gelebt" from the verb leben. Following that same logic: I brainstorm, I have brainstormed are ich brainstorme, ich habe braingestormt. Makes perfect Germlish (German-English) sense!!
Okay, it's 22:01, because Blogger is soooooo slow about loading photos, so Good Night!!
Speaking of weather, we had the MOST beautiful sunset tonight:
Today, I actually talked to my neighbors! It was like this: I got this paper in my mailbox with the hot and cold water and heating readings for the whole building, broken down by apartment. Hot and cold water looked good for my apartment, but heat was like 100 times as high as my neighbors....huh??? I didn't really understand. I was walking up the outside stairs really slowly as I read it and the lady came out of the apartment that has it's own entrance (and not a shared one like the rest of it). I thought, "what the heck?" So I asked her, in the very polite formal address, if she could perhaps explain it to me. She was so nice and told me what it all meant. Then her husband came out (he's the one who signed for my router) and added a few pieces of information. I thanked them a lot and then (gasp!), the conversation actually continued because he asked me if I was American. Then he asked me if I was with the Army. :o) Then they told me their son is in NY for six months at a customer, we talked about how difficult it is to communicate with people in the US because of time difference, we talked about my German language ability. And at the end, he reminded me to check my thermostat to see if it was set wrong and told me if I have any questions, I should let him know and he'll come up and check things out. How nice is that???? I think it's even nicer than signing for my modem!!
Just for fun, a couple of sleepy, lazy cats:
And in case you were wondering what the infamous splitter looks like:
By the way, T-Com took last month's (over)charges out of my bank account twice! That should be fun to rectify with them. But I got my next bill today and I have a negative balance with them, because they gave me a credit for the monthly hardware charges they had charged for on the last bill, which I couldn't even use, and an 86 Euro credit, apparently for my troubles. Just so I would know, though, it says right on the bill that it's [loose translation] a goodwill credit, to which I had no actual legal right (can you imagine a utility provider in the States writing something like that? They'd probably get sued for just being aggravating.....)And then I had to photograph this:
What's she looking for under there? Then Cheese joined her in "looking" and I thought "uh-oh, what if there's a mouse under there?" But why would I have mice on the third floor and with three cats? And you can't be a 'fraidy cat when you've got no one else to look under there, so I got my flashlight, laid down on the floor (kinda like Jemma) and looked under there. And I found....................the cats' toy foam ball. WHEW!
In other Jemma news, she's still favoring the baby sock over the butterfly and still eating the plants. Oh well.
Today I heard my German colleague use the word "braingestormt." I laughed really, really, really hard. If you know any German, you recognize that she was conjugating the verb brainstorm into the past tense, German style. It's like this: I live and I have lived are "ich lebe" and "ich habe gelebt" from the verb leben. Following that same logic: I brainstorm, I have brainstormed are ich brainstorme, ich habe braingestormt. Makes perfect Germlish (German-English) sense!!
Okay, it's 22:01, because Blogger is soooooo slow about loading photos, so Good Night!!
19 September 2006
Random...
First, hooray for post #40!!
I think I might be addicted to the quizzes at Blogthings.com. I now know that I'm only 12% slacker (whew, thought it was a lot higher than that), of the Sesame Street characters, I'm officially Burt (not so delighted about that - he's kinda odd, but at least I'm not Oscar the Grouch!!!) and I'm so naive that it scares Blogthings.....But I'll try not to bore you with too many results from said quizzes.....maybe once a week??
I'm back in school! Yep, I've officially registered for the Capstone class to my program. Don't know yet how exactly I'll complete the class or what the requirements will be, but the Prof (who is totally awesome, probably the best - or maybe tied for the best - prof I've had in my grad program and I'm not saying that to get a better grade, because he has no idea I have a blog and so I can almost guarantee he'll never read this.......) promised that he'll find some way to give me a grade. And I still have to finish that paper by December for my other "class." As of December 22nd, I should only have one elective left to complete and if I can figure out how to swing it, my program director has agreed to let me take it while in Germany. My goal is to have my Master's completed by December 2007 (giving myself time but committing to a date!!).
Tonight I'm going to a dinner hosted by the International Women's Group Stuttgart. They're an english-speaking group of women who meet regularly for dinner (notice I did not say American, because the only requirement is that you speak English....). I want to integrate here, but I also just want to meet people, so I figured I'd check it out. It's also right here in Feuerbach this month, so I don't have to go far. Now I'm just trying to decide whether I should be "German" and walk downtown to the restaurant or be "American" and drive.....Ask me tomorrow what I decided to do.
Oh, and I got the best compliment today! My boss said that he doesn't know any other American who can speak German as well as I can (and having lived in the states, he knows quite a few....). Was that nice or what???? Made my day just a little....
You should read this absolutely amazing story! Can you imagine? I can't........What a happy ending, though.
Okay, gotta go!
I think I might be addicted to the quizzes at Blogthings.com. I now know that I'm only 12% slacker (whew, thought it was a lot higher than that), of the Sesame Street characters, I'm officially Burt (not so delighted about that - he's kinda odd, but at least I'm not Oscar the Grouch!!!) and I'm so naive that it scares Blogthings.....But I'll try not to bore you with too many results from said quizzes.....maybe once a week??
I'm back in school! Yep, I've officially registered for the Capstone class to my program. Don't know yet how exactly I'll complete the class or what the requirements will be, but the Prof (who is totally awesome, probably the best - or maybe tied for the best - prof I've had in my grad program and I'm not saying that to get a better grade, because he has no idea I have a blog and so I can almost guarantee he'll never read this.......) promised that he'll find some way to give me a grade. And I still have to finish that paper by December for my other "class." As of December 22nd, I should only have one elective left to complete and if I can figure out how to swing it, my program director has agreed to let me take it while in Germany. My goal is to have my Master's completed by December 2007 (giving myself time but committing to a date!!).
Tonight I'm going to a dinner hosted by the International Women's Group Stuttgart. They're an english-speaking group of women who meet regularly for dinner (notice I did not say American, because the only requirement is that you speak English....). I want to integrate here, but I also just want to meet people, so I figured I'd check it out. It's also right here in Feuerbach this month, so I don't have to go far. Now I'm just trying to decide whether I should be "German" and walk downtown to the restaurant or be "American" and drive.....Ask me tomorrow what I decided to do.
Oh, and I got the best compliment today! My boss said that he doesn't know any other American who can speak German as well as I can (and having lived in the states, he knows quite a few....). Was that nice or what???? Made my day just a little....
You should read this absolutely amazing story! Can you imagine? I can't........What a happy ending, though.
Okay, gotta go!
18 September 2006
That helped.
Do you ever find writing to be cathartic? I do. I'm not one to spill my soul to just anyone, so it was kind of funny to me that in that last post I bared my emotions so publicly. But I really feel better now. And then I read this article and I'm actually laughing. (Don't worry Mom, I didn't go looking for an article on "Hunting for Herren." I just stumbled across it, was intrigued by the title and had to read on....No concrete plans there, I promise!!)
I also enjoyed this one about "The Germanic Staredown." (Been there, done that!!!)
On the final note for the evening.....why do my cats like to eat my plants?????? (Just to reiterate, they're the non-poisonous variety!!)
I also enjoyed this one about "The Germanic Staredown." (Been there, done that!!!)
On the final note for the evening.....why do my cats like to eat my plants?????? (Just to reiterate, they're the non-poisonous variety!!)
Just me.....
I'm feeling kind of punky today. You know those kind of days, where it starts with putting off getting out of bed, the sun isn't out and it looks like rain, it would be nice to stay in bed. Then you look at the clock and realize you can't put it off any longer. Then you rush around to make up for the extra time you spent in bed. Then you get to work and punch your time card on the wrong side, so that it looks like you worked on a Sunday two weeks ago. Then you tell the department assistant that the time clock seems to be malfunctioning, to which she points out that you simply need to turn your time card around. And then you know the day just isn't yours. And you think you should probably go home and go back to bed, but you can't, because, well.....you just can't. You're a grown-up now, whether you feel like one or not. And grown-ups can't go home to bed whenever they feel like it. So you stay at work, but as you feared, the day is indeed not yours and most of it is spent feeling irritated at.....well, at yourself for being in such a funk. And you try not to be irritated at others, so you just don't talk much. Then you go home and you think about going to bed then, but who goes to bed at 5:30? So you go to the computer and start reading through your blogroll, which is becoming quite lengthy. And you read today's post on the Johnson Family's blog and you realize that compared to what their little munchkin is going through, whether or not today is your day, your life is pretty blessed and you don't have much to complain about.
“Clouds may come, but clouds must go, and they all have a silver lining. For behind each cloud you know, the sun, or moon, is shining.”
Hoping the sun's out tomorrow,
Sarah
“Clouds may come, but clouds must go, and they all have a silver lining. For behind each cloud you know, the sun, or moon, is shining.”
Hoping the sun's out tomorrow,
Sarah
16 September 2006
The splitter is here, the splitter is here!!!!
Yep, believe it or not, Splitter #2 arrived on Friday (still no idea where #1 went to). I came home from work and was thinking very unlovely thoughts about T-Online after not finding a package from them in my mailbox. But then, I got to my front door and what was laying in front of it? A small box from T-Online. YAHOO!!!!!!!
This morning, I saw a couple that lives in my building by the mailboxes and he said that he had signed for it and then brought it up to my door. Wasn't that nice???? What if he had refused to sign for it...So I thanked him profusely.
I have successfully set up the internet, but somehow, I can't get it to work with the wireless router. I need one of the techie geniuses I know (you know who you are...) to help me with this, I think. So at the moment I'm not wireless, which I don't like, because I LOVE to use my laptop while laying in bed..... :o( Oh well, one step at a time.
I did buy a webcam! So if you call me on Skype, I might even turn it on. :o)
I found this funny......
Although they say the closest match is Rachel Hunter (aren't they generous, matching me with a model at 73%!!), I think I actually look more like the Anuar Zain guy (in a brother, sister sorta way, of course). I had no idea who he was, so I looked him up....he's a singer from Malaysia.
This morning, I saw a couple that lives in my building by the mailboxes and he said that he had signed for it and then brought it up to my door. Wasn't that nice???? What if he had refused to sign for it...So I thanked him profusely.
I have successfully set up the internet, but somehow, I can't get it to work with the wireless router. I need one of the techie geniuses I know (you know who you are...) to help me with this, I think. So at the moment I'm not wireless, which I don't like, because I LOVE to use my laptop while laying in bed..... :o( Oh well, one step at a time.
I did buy a webcam! So if you call me on Skype, I might even turn it on. :o)
I found this funny......
Although they say the closest match is Rachel Hunter (aren't they generous, matching me with a model at 73%!!), I think I actually look more like the Anuar Zain guy (in a brother, sister sorta way, of course). I had no idea who he was, so I looked him up....he's a singer from Malaysia.
14 September 2006
And another thing....
This article made me laugh out loud! More than once!! It's makes me I feel so very, very glad that I actually understand about 98% of what is said to me in German!!!!!! (via Blythe)
Happy Birthday, Mom!
Today's post is dedicated to my Mama, who was born in 19xx (I'm not getting myself in trouble here, okay??).
In college, she studied Social Work at Michigan State University. Although my Dad went there, too, they didn't meet there. They actually met at her parents' house. It's a good story, ask her about it sometime.
She and my Dad got married in 1977 and bought the cutest little bungalow in Pleasant Ridge. And then 15 months later they had me!
My Mom's quite the trooper. As a mentioned in Andy's birthday post, we first three kids are 19 and 22 months apart, respectively. [You're thinking, "wow, that's a lot of work," right?] Then, when we were 13, 11 and 9, Seth was born. [Mom, please notice that I did not mention your age there, either.] So even today, some 22 years after her first parent-teacher conference, my Mom is still going to them.
Later, when we were approximately 20, 19, 17 and 7 (or around those ages), we were all living at home again and my Mom LOVED that, well at least that we were all there. Don't know if she loved the mountains of laundry, the cleaning up after us, etc. [You're really starting to feel awe for Mom, right?] Then, not to make it easy on her or anything, a little over two years ago, we three oldest moved out within the span of approximately 5 months or so - Josh to live with friends, Andy got married and I bought a house. [Now you're feeling sympathy for Mom, aren't you....]
Besides raising all of us, my Mom [and my Dad, too, of course] did foster care. I don't know exactly, but I think we had more than 40 kids come through our house from when I was about 5 until I was 19 or so.
And she worked. Before I was born, she worked at as a social worker at Children's Aid. She has some pretty horrific stories about those days. Then, when I was little, she worked at Nutri Foods. Those were the days when we ate Carob instead of Chocolate, fruit roll-ups with actual fruit (not the kind you buy at the "regular" grocery store), natural peanut butter (I still find Jiffy Peanut Butter with all it's sugar to be a treat, this many years later!!) and took lots of vitamins. I didn't know what an Oreo was until I went to Kindergarten!! Eventually, we were able to corrupt my Mom and she started buying us "normal" desserts.
Later, she went back to the Social Work profession, this time helping families with the homestudy (documentation) required for adoption. She still does that today, for Christian Family Services. She has an amazing reputation in the business and people call her all the time, because they've heard so many good things about her!
Of course, my Mom has also worked as a taxi driver, driving us to ballet (me), T-Ball (all), Garden Club (all--hehehehe), the pool, friend's houses, school, etc. I guess that's why, when I was in about 4th grade, we moved to a house right behind our school - so Mom and Dad didn't have to drive us anymore [good move, guys!].
She was also (and even is still) a referee, moderating various disputes over the years; chef; and, of course, disciplinarian.
I'm proud to say that my Mom is also my friend. She's been there for me through thick and thin. The little things like scraped knees, growing pains, the stomach flu, wisdom teeth (hey, a girl can still need her mom when she has her wisdom teeth out at 25!), but also in the big life-changing decisions. And she supports me no matter what. [I can assure you that she doesn't enjoy having me so far away, but she's handled the whole thing like a champ!!]
I've learned invaluable lessons from my Mom. Lessons on faith, lessons on family, lessons on friendship, lessons on life in general. [Too bad the knitting lessons didn't take, but hey, at least I picked up cross stitch, right??] So much of who I am today is because of who my parents are.
So, as you so like to say, "You done good" Mom, "you done good!" For all you've done for me and continue to do, thanks! Here's a poem that I found fitting:
Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you.
In college, she studied Social Work at Michigan State University. Although my Dad went there, too, they didn't meet there. They actually met at her parents' house. It's a good story, ask her about it sometime.
She and my Dad got married in 1977 and bought the cutest little bungalow in Pleasant Ridge. And then 15 months later they had me!My Mom's quite the trooper. As a mentioned in Andy's birthday post, we first three kids are 19 and 22 months apart, respectively. [You're thinking, "wow, that's a lot of work," right?] Then, when we were 13, 11 and 9, Seth was born. [Mom, please notice that I did not mention your age there, either.] So even today, some 22 years after her first parent-teacher conference, my Mom is still going to them.
Later, when we were approximately 20, 19, 17 and 7 (or around those ages), we were all living at home again and my Mom LOVED that, well at least that we were all there. Don't know if she loved the mountains of laundry, the cleaning up after us, etc. [You're really starting to feel awe for Mom, right?] Then, not to make it easy on her or anything, a little over two years ago, we three oldest moved out within the span of approximately 5 months or so - Josh to live with friends, Andy got married and I bought a house. [Now you're feeling sympathy for Mom, aren't you....]
Besides raising all of us, my Mom [and my Dad, too, of course] did foster care. I don't know exactly, but I think we had more than 40 kids come through our house from when I was about 5 until I was 19 or so.
And she worked. Before I was born, she worked at as a social worker at Children's Aid. She has some pretty horrific stories about those days. Then, when I was little, she worked at Nutri Foods. Those were the days when we ate Carob instead of Chocolate, fruit roll-ups with actual fruit (not the kind you buy at the "regular" grocery store), natural peanut butter (I still find Jiffy Peanut Butter with all it's sugar to be a treat, this many years later!!) and took lots of vitamins. I didn't know what an Oreo was until I went to Kindergarten!! Eventually, we were able to corrupt my Mom and she started buying us "normal" desserts.
Later, she went back to the Social Work profession, this time helping families with the homestudy (documentation) required for adoption. She still does that today, for Christian Family Services. She has an amazing reputation in the business and people call her all the time, because they've heard so many good things about her!
Of course, my Mom has also worked as a taxi driver, driving us to ballet (me), T-Ball (all), Garden Club (all--hehehehe), the pool, friend's houses, school, etc. I guess that's why, when I was in about 4th grade, we moved to a house right behind our school - so Mom and Dad didn't have to drive us anymore [good move, guys!].
She was also (and even is still) a referee, moderating various disputes over the years; chef; and, of course, disciplinarian.
I'm proud to say that my Mom is also my friend. She's been there for me through thick and thin. The little things like scraped knees, growing pains, the stomach flu, wisdom teeth (hey, a girl can still need her mom when she has her wisdom teeth out at 25!), but also in the big life-changing decisions. And she supports me no matter what. [I can assure you that she doesn't enjoy having me so far away, but she's handled the whole thing like a champ!!]I've learned invaluable lessons from my Mom. Lessons on faith, lessons on family, lessons on friendship, lessons on life in general. [Too bad the knitting lessons didn't take, but hey, at least I picked up cross stitch, right??] So much of who I am today is because of who my parents are.
Always Mom
You were my fairy tale princess,
So much larger than life.
You were my angel and my witness
Through all my pain and strife.
At times you made me angry,
Great words I would proclaim
How someday you'd be sorry.
You were the one to blame.
But when I needed comforting
You alway found the time.
Your words were more soothing
Than days of childhood sublime.
Now the distance holds us apart,
I'll hold the memories in my heart.
You're my mother, my best friend.
You were my fairy tale princess,
So much larger than life.
You were my angel and my witness
Through all my pain and strife.
At times you made me angry,
Great words I would proclaim
How someday you'd be sorry.
You were the one to blame.
But when I needed comforting
You alway found the time.
Your words were more soothing
Than days of childhood sublime.
Now the distance holds us apart,
I'll hold the memories in my heart.
You're my mother, my best friend.
Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you.
13 September 2006
Among other things.....
T-Punkt, as I neglected to mention in my diatribe (thanks, Aunt B.), is defined by T-Com (http://212.184.6.43/tpunkte/index.html) as: "erleben Sie moderne Telekommunikation, Computer und Multimedia live. Wir bieten überzeugende Komplettlösungen inklusive einer kompetenten, freundlichen Beratung, die sich an Ihren Wünschen orientiert." or ~you experience modern Telecommunication, Computer and Multimedia live. [You could probably figure out most of that sentence on your own....amazing how many English words have been simply adopted into the German language. Today I heard someone say "upgedatet", which is taken from the English "update" and the Germans use frequently in reference to receiving information - I've been updated - or to documents - the document has been updated. Makes me laugh every time I hear it. But the only use it in past tense, interestingly enough. Anyway....] We offer convincingly complete solutions including competent, friendly advice, which is oriented to your wishes/desires ~
And here we've found my problem!! Instead of calling and emailing, I should have visited my local T-Punkt! But, where is that again???? (I checked online, it's just doors away from my bank, I'll have to pay better attention next time I'm at the bank.)
By the way, I have not received Splitter #1 or #2 yet....
Can I just say a brief word, and I promise to keep it brief, about living in an apartment with cats? Okay, it's gonna be a few words, not just one, but I'll keep it brief nonetheless. I was SPOILED with a basement (and here I'm referring to the location of the litter box). I'll leave it at that and the rest can be up to you to work out. See, I promised to keep it brief! Let me just add that by virtue of now living in an apartment, said litter box receives WAY more frequent cleaning AND is NOT in the guest room, where you will be staying when you come to visit (When is that again? Email me your dates, please, I seem to have misplaced them.) If you live in an apartment and have creative ideas, let me know!!
Could my neighbors actually never want to meet me because I don't let my cats outside?? I promise, they roll down their Rollladen as early as possible and they seem to make every effort to avoid ever, ever seeing me. I feel slightly distressed about this, but have no idea how to fix it, because the cats are not going outside. Period. (And now you're asking what Rollladen are, right? They're like metal "shutters" but they roll down instead of coming from the sides. Awesome if you like sleeping in complete darkness!! Here....)
I booked my flight for Christmas. The outbound flight is direct Frankfurt-Detroit. But on the return flight, they offered me only Detroit-Amsterdam-Frankfurt. So I thought, if I have to have a layover anyway, I might as well check into flying back into Stuttgart (there aren't any direct Detroit-Stuttgart flights). So I did the multi-city thing and it ended up being cheaper to fly out of Frankfurt, but into Stuttgart. Weird, huh? In a country with public transportation, this odd flight plan is totally doable. Now I have to find a place to board the cats for the duration and I have to do that sort of soon, because I think the whole country goes on vacation twice a year, not just in August, but in December too.....
I've been slacking off on my Stuttgart weather reports....since the beginning of September, we've mostly had sun and upper 70s or low 80s nearly every day. It's been beautiful!!!!
I spilled cat food all over the floor tonight. And I really, really don't feel like cleaning it up. Do they care if they eat off the floor rather than out of a bowl? It's like a little experiment....Poor things, I'm going to switch their food again (no worries, I'll transition them properly). The food I've been giving them is just way too expensive and they go through it way too fast. So I spent like a half hour at the pet store the other night, trying to pick out a new one, where cheaper does not equal junkier (I cannot believe how much filler and fat some cat foods have!!) I found one where the nutritional content is fairly similar and it's about half the price. Hope they like it!
What do you think (about cat food, about utilities, about cleaning, about vacation, about litter boxes, about customer service, about unfriendly neighbors, about.....)? I realized that in the approximately the last month, I have had one comment. One single, solitary, lonely comment (thanks Andrew!!). Just making an observation....................
Speaking of readership, my Germany stats jumped significantly as soon as I posted the T-Com saga. Odd, huh? And I've officially had a reader from Spain and one from Canada!! SarahMovestoGermany is going even more international!!!! :o) Let's just hope Sarah herself gets to go more international.
(Yuck, did I just write about myself in the third person?? Must be time to go to call it a night!)
Mom, less than 24 hours to go!!!!!!!!!!
One last thing....blogspot offers Webdings as a font. WHY?????? It's gibberish!! Someone please explain.
And here we've found my problem!! Instead of calling and emailing, I should have visited my local T-Punkt! But, where is that again???? (I checked online, it's just doors away from my bank, I'll have to pay better attention next time I'm at the bank.)
By the way, I have not received Splitter #1 or #2 yet....
Can I just say a brief word, and I promise to keep it brief, about living in an apartment with cats? Okay, it's gonna be a few words, not just one, but I'll keep it brief nonetheless. I was SPOILED with a basement (and here I'm referring to the location of the litter box). I'll leave it at that and the rest can be up to you to work out. See, I promised to keep it brief! Let me just add that by virtue of now living in an apartment, said litter box receives WAY more frequent cleaning AND is NOT in the guest room, where you will be staying when you come to visit (When is that again? Email me your dates, please, I seem to have misplaced them.) If you live in an apartment and have creative ideas, let me know!!
Could my neighbors actually never want to meet me because I don't let my cats outside?? I promise, they roll down their Rollladen as early as possible and they seem to make every effort to avoid ever, ever seeing me. I feel slightly distressed about this, but have no idea how to fix it, because the cats are not going outside. Period. (And now you're asking what Rollladen are, right? They're like metal "shutters" but they roll down instead of coming from the sides. Awesome if you like sleeping in complete darkness!! Here....)
I booked my flight for Christmas. The outbound flight is direct Frankfurt-Detroit. But on the return flight, they offered me only Detroit-Amsterdam-Frankfurt. So I thought, if I have to have a layover anyway, I might as well check into flying back into Stuttgart (there aren't any direct Detroit-Stuttgart flights). So I did the multi-city thing and it ended up being cheaper to fly out of Frankfurt, but into Stuttgart. Weird, huh? In a country with public transportation, this odd flight plan is totally doable. Now I have to find a place to board the cats for the duration and I have to do that sort of soon, because I think the whole country goes on vacation twice a year, not just in August, but in December too.....
I've been slacking off on my Stuttgart weather reports....since the beginning of September, we've mostly had sun and upper 70s or low 80s nearly every day. It's been beautiful!!!!
I spilled cat food all over the floor tonight. And I really, really don't feel like cleaning it up. Do they care if they eat off the floor rather than out of a bowl? It's like a little experiment....Poor things, I'm going to switch their food again (no worries, I'll transition them properly). The food I've been giving them is just way too expensive and they go through it way too fast. So I spent like a half hour at the pet store the other night, trying to pick out a new one, where cheaper does not equal junkier (I cannot believe how much filler and fat some cat foods have!!) I found one where the nutritional content is fairly similar and it's about half the price. Hope they like it!
What do you think (about cat food, about utilities, about cleaning, about vacation, about litter boxes, about customer service, about unfriendly neighbors, about.....)? I realized that in the approximately the last month, I have had one comment. One single, solitary, lonely comment (thanks Andrew!!). Just making an observation....................
Speaking of readership, my Germany stats jumped significantly as soon as I posted the T-Com saga. Odd, huh? And I've officially had a reader from Spain and one from Canada!! SarahMovestoGermany is going even more international!!!! :o) Let's just hope Sarah herself gets to go more international.
(Yuck, did I just write about myself in the third person?? Must be time to go to call it a night!)
Mom, less than 24 hours to go!!!!!!!!!!
One last thing....blogspot offers Webdings as a font. WHY?????? It's gibberish!! Someone please explain.
12 September 2006
The saga....
[author's note: prepare for a written tirade of gigantic proportions. No worries, there's some fun stuff at the end, if you can make it all the way through.]
with T-Com continues.
(Turbo writes, "Tip to novice bloggers: Using people's names in your blog posts often helps draw their attention to them." Not sure how much using T-Com's name will help, but being a novice blogger, I'll give it a try!!)
I've mentioned T-Com already - they're the largest provider of landline phone services here in Germany. I've also mentioned that I've struggled with getting my internet set up through their T-Online branch. To summarize: I was signed up by my relocation consultant at the end of July. To be exact, the paperwork I (eventually) received was dated July 28th. The first problem was that I only received a form with my phone number and nothing else. So my relo consultant called T-Com and was told that everything else had been returned by the Post because my name wasn't on the mailbox. She told them that she personally had seen my name on the mailbox and asked them to resend everything. So the next thing I got was a box of hardware (modem, cables) and a CD. That was on August 19th. But when I plugged it in, the DSL connection indicator light was red. Hmm. So I emailed my relo consultant and asked her to check in with T-Com again. Well, she was on vacation (like the rest of the country) so I ended up (yes, after procrastinating for a few days - hey, you know how fun it is to deal with utility companies in your mother tongue....try doing it in a foreign language!) calling T-Com myself. I requested that they send me my original contract (which I had never received, although they had managed to send me a bill by this time - for services which I, to this point, couldn't even use!). The representative agreed to send me the contract, but said she couldn't help me with T-Online, I would have to call them directly. So I called the one other number I could find on my paperwork (to this point, I hadn't actually received anything from T-Online, everything came from T-Com). But that turned out to be the department that ships stuff out. She offered to provide the number to T-Online, but when I called it, it was actually the T-Com number (again). So, I had to wait until I came home to look up T-Online's number. While doing so, I noticed that you can email them and get a response 24/7. Fantastic, right? (Avoid mistake-laden telephone conversation!!) So I did. And the guy wrote me back something about signing up for Internet access. So I thought I must have explained myself poorly in the email - I didn't want to sign up, I wanted to get my user name and password to access the internet that I was already signed up for. So I wrote him back, telling him something along those lines. He wrote back that, no, I was signed up with T-Com for a landline, but I wasn't signed up with T-Online for internet access (something's missing here, because I actually exchanged three sets of emails with them, but you get the idea). What? So then I decided I really needed to consult my relo consultant, because it can't be that she had signed me up for DSL without internet access (isn't that even possible?? Apparently so with T-Online!). She said she had in fact requested internet access (why else would I need the stupid hardware?). So she came by my office and we called T-Com together. And then they told us to call T-Online. But then we pressed some wrong key in the utterly confusing menu and ended up back at T-Com, where the Rep told us to call T-Online. So we called T-Online again. And sure enough, whoever had processed the order had not requested internet access (how clever!). They apologized, very, very briefly, and offered to sign me up for internet access at a reduced rate from what they had originally offered at the end of July (note that they're now offering the reduced rate as standard in the month of September). Then they said we had to call T-Rechnung (Billing - how many subsets can they have??) to get the bill adjusted as I'm paying monthly for hardward that I'm unable to use. We called there and she said she would credit my bill - to which my relo consultant replied "Your words to God's ear," which she later said was very unpolite of her by German standards, but she was almost as frustrated as I am. T-Online said it would take 3-5 business days to process the request. Hmm again. I subsequently received a bunch of mail from them, one being a letter which said that my internet would be turned on as of September 12th (the calls we made were on September 5th, so nothing like pushing the 3-5 days to the outer limit!!). So, today being September 12th and finally having received my access information, I turned on the modem. But the DSL light is still red. So, I reread the installation instructions. And it turns out, I'm missing a piece of hardware. It's called a Splitter (in both German and English). I don't know what it does, but apparently it's required (I didn't need one in Michigan). But it's not in the box of hardware. Okay, I thought, you must have to buy it at the store. So I went to Media Markt (think Best Buy). And walked up and down the aisle(s) a couple of times. And found.....no splitters. So I asked, which I HATE doing (even in the States). And the guy was like, "Lady, that has to come from T-Online." And I was like "Guy, it didn't." And he was like "Well, I don't have any splitters here." And I was like "I have only had problems with T-Com/Online/whatever. I'm so done with them." And he was like "[Oh, poor distressed female foreigner], there is a guy here in our store who works for them" Me: "Where???" (Side note: this conversation was much more polite than I've written it, because we were both using the formal address as we were speaking and I've definitely dramatized the interaction.) So he takes me to the T-Com guy and tells the guy that I didn't get a splitter, to which the T-Com guy asks me a bazillion questions, tells me that pretty much can't be that I didn't get it and when I reiterate that it is in fact true (sad, but true nonetheless), he says I have to talk to T-Online (are we seeing a theme here??). And so the guy says I should go to my local T-Punkt (T-Point). Me: Where is that?
Him: Well, there must be one in your area, where do you live?
Me: Feuerbach (Media Markt is also in Feuerbach).
Him: Hmm, well don't you know where your local T-Punkt is?
Dude, I'm glad I know how to get to work, where my bank is and where to buy food and where to buy supplies for the cats. I even know where to buy aspirin for the headache this drama is giving me. But I have NO idea where my local T-Punkt is. Well, he doesn't know (even though he works for them), because he only moved here from Munich two weeks ago.
Me: (Felt like saying "and you're point is what? Isn't it your job to know?", but instead said) I'm from America.
Well, I guess that won the whole "I came here from farther away than you contest", because he forgave me for not knowing where my T-Punkt is (or he just gave up on trying to force me to admit that I wasn't serious, of course I knew where my T-Punkt is, because everyone knows where their local T-Punkt is - NOT!!). And then he proceeds to ask the guy who works for Media Markt selling phone service of all kinds. And I have to repeatedly assure guy #2 that I have received the router already, the access data already (finally!) and the Splitter is the only thing missing. The general conclusion is that this is just not possible, but I'll have to visit my T-Punkt to resolve it.
Me: (Okay, fine) WHERE is that?
By this time, the T-Com guy (not a German) has patted my arm like a million times, which was driving me insane (touching doesn't help and I just don't appreciate having my personal space invaded). They still don't answer, but somehow guy #2 brings up that T-Com has fabulous service. I reply that I can't comment on their internet service, as I still haven't been able to access the internet, but that they have terrible customer service based on my experience. Well, that fired him right up. And so he said "I shouldn't do this, because it's really your task, but I'm going to call them for you..."
Excuse me, it's my task? And who asked you to call them? Not me! I just asked for you to tell me the location of "my" T-Punkt. But hey, whatever floats your boat....So he calls and get's someone like almost right away (average wait time is 4 minutes by T-Com guy's own admission). He tells them that he has an American customer standing here telling him how horrible and awful T-Com is and he wants to show her that they're not (he literally said that!!). He tells them my name - pronouncing it as an American would, to which the T-Com guy said in German "Oh, you can speak American!!" :o)
Well, it turns out they send the splitter separately when they sign you up for internet access (which they did on September 5th), but somehow they never told me that (but I felt slightly vindicated that guy #1 and guy #2 now knew that I hadn't just overlooked it in the box of hardware of something). The splitter was sent out on the 8th and so I should have received it by now and it hasn't come back to them. But just to appease me, they'll request that a second one be sent and it should go out tomorrow, so I'll probably end up with two. Guy #2 gets off the phone and is like "See how easy that was?" And the T-Com guy (#1) starts singing the praises of telephone guy (#2) whilst patting my arm: "See how wonderfully the Spanish guy can solve the American woman's problem?" I was thinking "Huh??????" and "Yikes!!!!!!" at the same time (I'm not sure if he was really Spanish...his German wasn't accented at all!!). So I said thanks and left (running). Sure, it's easy to make a phone call. But this is the eighth phone call, no, ninth phone call that has been placed to T-whatever to establish my landline and DSL. When is enough enough? And when will I actually be connected? And why am I not receiving my mail??
That last question is perhaps the most concerning one. Why am I getting some mail and not other mail? Today I was at the bank, because after requesting a new card to replace my demagnetized ATM card on August 28th, the new one still hasn't arrived. The bank guy confirmed that it was sent out and I should have had it at least a week ago. And it hasn't been returned to them as undeliverable, nor has the pin #. YIKES!! I checked my bank balance and it's correct, but.....So he cancelled the card and requested that a new one be sent to them, at which point they will call me to pick it up.
I should probably call my car insurance company tomorrow and see if the lack of mail from them is also due to a problem with the post, huh? Because if I get pulled over by the policeman and still don't have an insurance card to show him, he might not accept the "Sorry, my mailman doesn't like to deliver my mail to me" excuse, right?
A piece of mail I did receive was a letter from the government of my wonderful host country, requesting that I register my radios and TV. Yep, that's right, you have to register your radios and TVs here, including your car radio. And you have to pay a monthly fee for them. So, one TV, one radio alarm clock and one car radio are going to cost me a total of 28 Euro per month (or about $35) not based on volume of usage, but simply because I own them. Super, huh?
[author's note: end of said tirade. thanks for reading.]
(On a lighter note) the attempted replacement of the baby socks was not completely successful. The butterfly has become a played-with toy, but the baby socks are still carried from room to room. (Mac couldn't really care less about toys overall and Cheese is currently playing with a perfectly normal sponge ball. At least I hope it's a ball, 'cause it's moving, but I am NOT going to check......)
Speaking of my cats, I've created a monster, who's name is Jemma. Background: She likes people food and cat treats. (The boys don't.) And since she's so little, I don't feel bad giving it to her. Well, she LOVES my cereal (which, by the way, I eat for dinner as well as breakfast on a regular basis). So, I occasionally give her pieces of cereal. Well, now she thinks that whenever I'm eating, she should be able to have some of whatever it is. She stands on her back legs with her front paws on my leg. When I don't immediately provide her with a morsel, she prods my arm with one of her paws. I tell her repeatedly that she's not getting any and eventually she'll wander off.....Maybe she's actually a dog in a cat's body??
Well, that's that for tonight.
Oh, except, fair warning, Mom, the birthday posting will be occurring in approximately 45 hours from this very moment.....
with T-Com continues.
(Turbo writes, "Tip to novice bloggers: Using people's names in your blog posts often helps draw their attention to them." Not sure how much using T-Com's name will help, but being a novice blogger, I'll give it a try!!)
I've mentioned T-Com already - they're the largest provider of landline phone services here in Germany. I've also mentioned that I've struggled with getting my internet set up through their T-Online branch. To summarize: I was signed up by my relocation consultant at the end of July. To be exact, the paperwork I (eventually) received was dated July 28th. The first problem was that I only received a form with my phone number and nothing else. So my relo consultant called T-Com and was told that everything else had been returned by the Post because my name wasn't on the mailbox. She told them that she personally had seen my name on the mailbox and asked them to resend everything. So the next thing I got was a box of hardware (modem, cables) and a CD. That was on August 19th. But when I plugged it in, the DSL connection indicator light was red. Hmm. So I emailed my relo consultant and asked her to check in with T-Com again. Well, she was on vacation (like the rest of the country) so I ended up (yes, after procrastinating for a few days - hey, you know how fun it is to deal with utility companies in your mother tongue....try doing it in a foreign language!) calling T-Com myself. I requested that they send me my original contract (which I had never received, although they had managed to send me a bill by this time - for services which I, to this point, couldn't even use!). The representative agreed to send me the contract, but said she couldn't help me with T-Online, I would have to call them directly. So I called the one other number I could find on my paperwork (to this point, I hadn't actually received anything from T-Online, everything came from T-Com). But that turned out to be the department that ships stuff out. She offered to provide the number to T-Online, but when I called it, it was actually the T-Com number (again). So, I had to wait until I came home to look up T-Online's number. While doing so, I noticed that you can email them and get a response 24/7. Fantastic, right? (Avoid mistake-laden telephone conversation!!) So I did. And the guy wrote me back something about signing up for Internet access. So I thought I must have explained myself poorly in the email - I didn't want to sign up, I wanted to get my user name and password to access the internet that I was already signed up for. So I wrote him back, telling him something along those lines. He wrote back that, no, I was signed up with T-Com for a landline, but I wasn't signed up with T-Online for internet access (something's missing here, because I actually exchanged three sets of emails with them, but you get the idea). What? So then I decided I really needed to consult my relo consultant, because it can't be that she had signed me up for DSL without internet access (isn't that even possible?? Apparently so with T-Online!). She said she had in fact requested internet access (why else would I need the stupid hardware?). So she came by my office and we called T-Com together. And then they told us to call T-Online. But then we pressed some wrong key in the utterly confusing menu and ended up back at T-Com, where the Rep told us to call T-Online. So we called T-Online again. And sure enough, whoever had processed the order had not requested internet access (how clever!). They apologized, very, very briefly, and offered to sign me up for internet access at a reduced rate from what they had originally offered at the end of July (note that they're now offering the reduced rate as standard in the month of September). Then they said we had to call T-Rechnung (Billing - how many subsets can they have??) to get the bill adjusted as I'm paying monthly for hardward that I'm unable to use. We called there and she said she would credit my bill - to which my relo consultant replied "Your words to God's ear," which she later said was very unpolite of her by German standards, but she was almost as frustrated as I am. T-Online said it would take 3-5 business days to process the request. Hmm again. I subsequently received a bunch of mail from them, one being a letter which said that my internet would be turned on as of September 12th (the calls we made were on September 5th, so nothing like pushing the 3-5 days to the outer limit!!). So, today being September 12th and finally having received my access information, I turned on the modem. But the DSL light is still red. So, I reread the installation instructions. And it turns out, I'm missing a piece of hardware. It's called a Splitter (in both German and English). I don't know what it does, but apparently it's required (I didn't need one in Michigan). But it's not in the box of hardware. Okay, I thought, you must have to buy it at the store. So I went to Media Markt (think Best Buy). And walked up and down the aisle(s) a couple of times. And found.....no splitters. So I asked, which I HATE doing (even in the States). And the guy was like, "Lady, that has to come from T-Online." And I was like "Guy, it didn't." And he was like "Well, I don't have any splitters here." And I was like "I have only had problems with T-Com/Online/whatever. I'm so done with them." And he was like "[Oh, poor distressed female foreigner], there is a guy here in our store who works for them" Me: "Where???" (Side note: this conversation was much more polite than I've written it, because we were both using the formal address as we were speaking and I've definitely dramatized the interaction.) So he takes me to the T-Com guy and tells the guy that I didn't get a splitter, to which the T-Com guy asks me a bazillion questions, tells me that pretty much can't be that I didn't get it and when I reiterate that it is in fact true (sad, but true nonetheless), he says I have to talk to T-Online (are we seeing a theme here??). And so the guy says I should go to my local T-Punkt (T-Point). Me: Where is that?
Him: Well, there must be one in your area, where do you live?
Me: Feuerbach (Media Markt is also in Feuerbach).
Him: Hmm, well don't you know where your local T-Punkt is?
Dude, I'm glad I know how to get to work, where my bank is and where to buy food and where to buy supplies for the cats. I even know where to buy aspirin for the headache this drama is giving me. But I have NO idea where my local T-Punkt is. Well, he doesn't know (even though he works for them), because he only moved here from Munich two weeks ago.
Me: (Felt like saying "and you're point is what? Isn't it your job to know?", but instead said) I'm from America.
Well, I guess that won the whole "I came here from farther away than you contest", because he forgave me for not knowing where my T-Punkt is (or he just gave up on trying to force me to admit that I wasn't serious, of course I knew where my T-Punkt is, because everyone knows where their local T-Punkt is - NOT!!). And then he proceeds to ask the guy who works for Media Markt selling phone service of all kinds. And I have to repeatedly assure guy #2 that I have received the router already, the access data already (finally!) and the Splitter is the only thing missing. The general conclusion is that this is just not possible, but I'll have to visit my T-Punkt to resolve it.
Me: (Okay, fine) WHERE is that?
By this time, the T-Com guy (not a German) has patted my arm like a million times, which was driving me insane (touching doesn't help and I just don't appreciate having my personal space invaded). They still don't answer, but somehow guy #2 brings up that T-Com has fabulous service. I reply that I can't comment on their internet service, as I still haven't been able to access the internet, but that they have terrible customer service based on my experience. Well, that fired him right up. And so he said "I shouldn't do this, because it's really your task, but I'm going to call them for you..."
Excuse me, it's my task? And who asked you to call them? Not me! I just asked for you to tell me the location of "my" T-Punkt. But hey, whatever floats your boat....So he calls and get's someone like almost right away (average wait time is 4 minutes by T-Com guy's own admission). He tells them that he has an American customer standing here telling him how horrible and awful T-Com is and he wants to show her that they're not (he literally said that!!). He tells them my name - pronouncing it as an American would, to which the T-Com guy said in German "Oh, you can speak American!!" :o)
Well, it turns out they send the splitter separately when they sign you up for internet access (which they did on September 5th), but somehow they never told me that (but I felt slightly vindicated that guy #1 and guy #2 now knew that I hadn't just overlooked it in the box of hardware of something). The splitter was sent out on the 8th and so I should have received it by now and it hasn't come back to them. But just to appease me, they'll request that a second one be sent and it should go out tomorrow, so I'll probably end up with two. Guy #2 gets off the phone and is like "See how easy that was?" And the T-Com guy (#1) starts singing the praises of telephone guy (#2) whilst patting my arm: "See how wonderfully the Spanish guy can solve the American woman's problem?" I was thinking "Huh??????" and "Yikes!!!!!!" at the same time (I'm not sure if he was really Spanish...his German wasn't accented at all!!). So I said thanks and left (running). Sure, it's easy to make a phone call. But this is the eighth phone call, no, ninth phone call that has been placed to T-whatever to establish my landline and DSL. When is enough enough? And when will I actually be connected? And why am I not receiving my mail??
That last question is perhaps the most concerning one. Why am I getting some mail and not other mail? Today I was at the bank, because after requesting a new card to replace my demagnetized ATM card on August 28th, the new one still hasn't arrived. The bank guy confirmed that it was sent out and I should have had it at least a week ago. And it hasn't been returned to them as undeliverable, nor has the pin #. YIKES!! I checked my bank balance and it's correct, but.....So he cancelled the card and requested that a new one be sent to them, at which point they will call me to pick it up.
I should probably call my car insurance company tomorrow and see if the lack of mail from them is also due to a problem with the post, huh? Because if I get pulled over by the policeman and still don't have an insurance card to show him, he might not accept the "Sorry, my mailman doesn't like to deliver my mail to me" excuse, right?
A piece of mail I did receive was a letter from the government of my wonderful host country, requesting that I register my radios and TV. Yep, that's right, you have to register your radios and TVs here, including your car radio. And you have to pay a monthly fee for them. So, one TV, one radio alarm clock and one car radio are going to cost me a total of 28 Euro per month (or about $35) not based on volume of usage, but simply because I own them. Super, huh?
[author's note: end of said tirade. thanks for reading.]
(On a lighter note) the attempted replacement of the baby socks was not completely successful. The butterfly has become a played-with toy, but the baby socks are still carried from room to room. (Mac couldn't really care less about toys overall and Cheese is currently playing with a perfectly normal sponge ball. At least I hope it's a ball, 'cause it's moving, but I am NOT going to check......)
Speaking of my cats, I've created a monster, who's name is Jemma. Background: She likes people food and cat treats. (The boys don't.) And since she's so little, I don't feel bad giving it to her. Well, she LOVES my cereal (which, by the way, I eat for dinner as well as breakfast on a regular basis). So, I occasionally give her pieces of cereal. Well, now she thinks that whenever I'm eating, she should be able to have some of whatever it is. She stands on her back legs with her front paws on my leg. When I don't immediately provide her with a morsel, she prods my arm with one of her paws. I tell her repeatedly that she's not getting any and eventually she'll wander off.....Maybe she's actually a dog in a cat's body??
Well, that's that for tonight.
Oh, except, fair warning, Mom, the birthday posting will be occurring in approximately 45 hours from this very moment.....
11 September 2006
I Remember.....
Today's headlines:CNN.com: "Behind the staggering number of deaths are the individuals, each of whom left behind family, friends and co-workers who feel the national tragedy on a personal level."
Spiegel.de: Commemoration - A Country Mourns.
MSNBC.com: "We Stand Together" & "World Remembers"
And then, something I really didn't realize at all, a heart-wrenching headline from ABC News: "The missing - The search for loved ones continues even five years after the attacks."
What does it mean to "remember?" The dictionary definitions:
re‧mem‧ber –verb (used with object)
| 1. | to recall to the mind by an act or effort of memory; think of again |
| 2. | to retain in the memory; keep in mind; remain aware of |
| 3. | to have (something) come into the mind again |
| 4. | to bear (a person) in mind as deserving a gift, reward, or fee |
| 5. | to give a tip, donation, or gift to |
| 6. | to mention (a person) to another as sending kindly greetings |
| 7. | (of an appliance, computer, etc.) to perform (a programmed activity) at a later time or according to a preset schedule |
| 8. | Archaic. to remind. |
| 9. | to possess or exercise the faculty of memory. |
| 10. | to have recollection (sometimes fol. by of) |
[Origin: 1300–50; ME remembren < OF remembrer < LL rememorārī, equiv. to re- re- + L memor mindful (see memory) + -ārī inf. suffix] (Source: Dictionary.com)
The definitions I find most fitting: think of again, remain aware of, to have a recollection. I think these definitions say that it doesn't take a lot of effort to remember.
I don't have to think very long to remember where I was on September 11, 2001, when I found out about the first plane crashing into the World Trade Center. I easily recollect that we thought it must be a a pilot's or air traffic controller's error of drastic proportions. But then the question - couldn't he (the pilot) see the building coming far enough in advance to avoid it? It must be a media prank. It can't be a reality. But then, I don't have to exercise the faculty of memory very hard to remember watching the other crashes and events unfold with total disbelief and crushing sadness. It was in fact a reality, America was indeed under attack and people were actually dying as we watched.
And yet it still seemed so unreal, didn't it? It seemed like something that could never, ever, ever happen on American soil. But why not? Why did I think that we were invulnerable? I don't know exactly, I can't explain. Americans commit crimes against Americans daily. The level of violence in Detroit alone is staggering. But somehow, an event of this magnitude, crafted with such animosity, hatred and basic disregard for innocent human lives, seemed completely impossible.
And then it happened.
And a nation, no a world, mourned with the families of 2,973 people killed in the attacks.
And then we woke up to a changed world on September 12th. A world where "terror" was an international term, no longer relegated to describing events in geographically distant places. A world in which you sometimes have to allow yourself to be subjected to very personal searches to board a plane. A world where you can't ride the trains in London or Spain without worrying. A world in which Turkish vacation resorts experience a string of bombings. A world in which planes are turned around on what seems to be a regular basis. A world in which bombs are found in German train stations, sparking a debate about invading the coveted privacy of this nation by installing security cameras in public locations. A world in which you can't take any carry-ons on the plane with you if flying out of London and no liquids whatsoever if flying into the United States from anywhere else.
And on September 12, 2001, our nation went to war.
And then the outpouring of international support changed. Our international "allies" didn't support the decision (Although I did hear that Freedom Fries are back to being called French Fries in the US. And the camaraderie between President Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during his visit in July was a huge news story here and probably at least made the press in the US). And those who did support the US were widely criticized in their own countries. I don't want to comment on the war, others have done so enough and you can read about all that somewhere else.
But I do question if violence can be used to stop violence? Can democracy be a successful form of government for every country? I don't have the answers and I wouldn't begin to pretend that I do. I don't think that many people can answer these questions and those who think they can, generally can't....Regarding the war on terror (as it's come to be known), Angela Merkel said something I find worth repeating: „Wir müssen hier angemessene Antworten finden, wie wir den Terroristen begegnen, ohne unsere fundamentalen Prinzipien und Grundwerte in Frage zu stellen“, sagte die CDU-Chefin (Source: www.welt.de/data/2006/09/09/1030381.html). In my (not professional) translation: ~Here we must find suitable answers as to how we confront the terrorists, without bringing our fundamental principles and basic values into question.~
I have my own opinions on President Bush, which I'm also not going to post, because I just don't think it would add any benefit (and you can find every shape, shade and manner of opinion elsewhere on the web). Suffice it to say that no matter what I think of his Presidency, I think he has the toughest job in the US. I can't imagine directing an entire country. I can't imagine asking so many men and women to go into potentially deadly situations. I can't imagine having my every move, my every decision, nearly my every breath so closely scrutinized by an entire planet. Can you imagine waking up on nearly a daily basis to newspaper headlines which rake you over the coals? Can you imagine carrying so much weight on your shoulders? How would you sleep, eat, vacation, laugh...?
You might tell me that he signed up for it, that he asked for it. You might tell me that he has an army of staffers to support him. You might tell me that he doesn't take it so personally. You might even tell me that he's not even making the decisions. And I know some would tell me that he's not doing a good job of it.
I've heard it before. But the fact is that he has the job. And I know that when, in the course of my job, I make my small-scale decisions which affect others in any way at all, I carry that decision with me personally. And so I have to believe that each time a soldier's life is lost, President Bush feels some burden of responsibility for having deployed the soldier in the first place.
Am I naive? Maybe. Do I want to generally believe the best of everyone? Absolutely. Is that what makes me who I am? Definitely.
On another blog, I read a request to the media to stop playing and replaying the footage of the events of September 11th as if it were reruns of a drama. I'm not there, so I don't know what's being shown stateside on television, although from the last 4 anniversaries, I think I have a pretty good idea. At first, I agreed. Why aggravate the sadness of the families by replaying the images?
But then I wondered - how quickly would we forget if fell out of the media spotlight? What do you remember about Oklahoma City? What do you remember about Columbine? What do you remember about the Space Shuttle Columbia? How often do you think about these (or other) national tragedies? This is not to say that I think about them any more than you do. It's only my thought on how easily events are lost into the recesses of our memories.
So I come back to my first question: what does it mean to remember? I think it's defined pretty well above. So I add to that a second: what's the importance of remembering?
I read somewhere that with remembering, we show the younger generation how the world as it is today was created - remembering provides the historical context. I also read that remembering explains the inheritance received by the generations that follow. I read that it hurts more not to remember. I read that by finding answers to the questions of the past, we might be able to build a better future.
The first one strikes me - if I don't learn about the past, how can I understand the present? Doesn't knowing about what my grandfather lived through help me to understand my world better?
Explaining our inheritance - don't you want to know why we do what we do? This is a good reason as well.
I think that last one resonates with me the most. How can we make the world a better place tomorrow if we don't understand why it is the way it is today or why it was as it was yesterday?
And mostly, if we don't remember, aren't we bound to repetition?
So, with a heart heavy with sadness, I, along with so many others, remember......
Photo: Peter Morgan/Reuters, Source: http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040910/
040910_sept11_02.standard.jpg
The definitions I find most fitting: think of again, remain aware of, to have a recollection. I think these definitions say that it doesn't take a lot of effort to remember.
I don't have to think very long to remember where I was on September 11, 2001, when I found out about the first plane crashing into the World Trade Center. I easily recollect that we thought it must be a a pilot's or air traffic controller's error of drastic proportions. But then the question - couldn't he (the pilot) see the building coming far enough in advance to avoid it? It must be a media prank. It can't be a reality. But then, I don't have to exercise the faculty of memory very hard to remember watching the other crashes and events unfold with total disbelief and crushing sadness. It was in fact a reality, America was indeed under attack and people were actually dying as we watched.
And yet it still seemed so unreal, didn't it? It seemed like something that could never, ever, ever happen on American soil. But why not? Why did I think that we were invulnerable? I don't know exactly, I can't explain. Americans commit crimes against Americans daily. The level of violence in Detroit alone is staggering. But somehow, an event of this magnitude, crafted with such animosity, hatred and basic disregard for innocent human lives, seemed completely impossible.
And then it happened.
And a nation, no a world, mourned with the families of 2,973 people killed in the attacks.
And then we woke up to a changed world on September 12th. A world where "terror" was an international term, no longer relegated to describing events in geographically distant places. A world in which you sometimes have to allow yourself to be subjected to very personal searches to board a plane. A world where you can't ride the trains in London or Spain without worrying. A world in which Turkish vacation resorts experience a string of bombings. A world in which planes are turned around on what seems to be a regular basis. A world in which bombs are found in German train stations, sparking a debate about invading the coveted privacy of this nation by installing security cameras in public locations. A world in which you can't take any carry-ons on the plane with you if flying out of London and no liquids whatsoever if flying into the United States from anywhere else.
And on September 12, 2001, our nation went to war.
And then the outpouring of international support changed. Our international "allies" didn't support the decision (Although I did hear that Freedom Fries are back to being called French Fries in the US. And the camaraderie between President Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during his visit in July was a huge news story here and probably at least made the press in the US). And those who did support the US were widely criticized in their own countries. I don't want to comment on the war, others have done so enough and you can read about all that somewhere else.
But I do question if violence can be used to stop violence? Can democracy be a successful form of government for every country? I don't have the answers and I wouldn't begin to pretend that I do. I don't think that many people can answer these questions and those who think they can, generally can't....Regarding the war on terror (as it's come to be known), Angela Merkel said something I find worth repeating: „Wir müssen hier angemessene Antworten finden, wie wir den Terroristen begegnen, ohne unsere fundamentalen Prinzipien und Grundwerte in Frage zu stellen“, sagte die CDU-Chefin (Source: www.welt.de/data/2006/09/09/1030381.html). In my (not professional) translation: ~Here we must find suitable answers as to how we confront the terrorists, without bringing our fundamental principles and basic values into question.~
I have my own opinions on President Bush, which I'm also not going to post, because I just don't think it would add any benefit (and you can find every shape, shade and manner of opinion elsewhere on the web). Suffice it to say that no matter what I think of his Presidency, I think he has the toughest job in the US. I can't imagine directing an entire country. I can't imagine asking so many men and women to go into potentially deadly situations. I can't imagine having my every move, my every decision, nearly my every breath so closely scrutinized by an entire planet. Can you imagine waking up on nearly a daily basis to newspaper headlines which rake you over the coals? Can you imagine carrying so much weight on your shoulders? How would you sleep, eat, vacation, laugh...?
You might tell me that he signed up for it, that he asked for it. You might tell me that he has an army of staffers to support him. You might tell me that he doesn't take it so personally. You might even tell me that he's not even making the decisions. And I know some would tell me that he's not doing a good job of it.
I've heard it before. But the fact is that he has the job. And I know that when, in the course of my job, I make my small-scale decisions which affect others in any way at all, I carry that decision with me personally. And so I have to believe that each time a soldier's life is lost, President Bush feels some burden of responsibility for having deployed the soldier in the first place.
Am I naive? Maybe. Do I want to generally believe the best of everyone? Absolutely. Is that what makes me who I am? Definitely.
On another blog, I read a request to the media to stop playing and replaying the footage of the events of September 11th as if it were reruns of a drama. I'm not there, so I don't know what's being shown stateside on television, although from the last 4 anniversaries, I think I have a pretty good idea. At first, I agreed. Why aggravate the sadness of the families by replaying the images?
But then I wondered - how quickly would we forget if fell out of the media spotlight? What do you remember about Oklahoma City? What do you remember about Columbine? What do you remember about the Space Shuttle Columbia? How often do you think about these (or other) national tragedies? This is not to say that I think about them any more than you do. It's only my thought on how easily events are lost into the recesses of our memories.
So I come back to my first question: what does it mean to remember? I think it's defined pretty well above. So I add to that a second: what's the importance of remembering?
I read somewhere that with remembering, we show the younger generation how the world as it is today was created - remembering provides the historical context. I also read that remembering explains the inheritance received by the generations that follow. I read that it hurts more not to remember. I read that by finding answers to the questions of the past, we might be able to build a better future.
The first one strikes me - if I don't learn about the past, how can I understand the present? Doesn't knowing about what my grandfather lived through help me to understand my world better?
Explaining our inheritance - don't you want to know why we do what we do? This is a good reason as well.
I think that last one resonates with me the most. How can we make the world a better place tomorrow if we don't understand why it is the way it is today or why it was as it was yesterday?
And mostly, if we don't remember, aren't we bound to repetition?
So, with a heart heavy with sadness, I, along with so many others, remember......
Photo: Peter Morgan/Reuters, Source: http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040910/040910_sept11_02.standard.jpg
02 September 2006
Another Saturday come and gone....
We've gone two whole days without rain! It was a nice day today, although it looked like rain as the afternoon progressed, so I wouldn't be surprised if we're still in for some tonight. Today I did a little shopping - little being the key word, because my ATM card is broken (well, I guess broken isn't really the right word, but the magnet strip stopped working), so I actually have to go into the bank during working hours to obtain money, which means that my spending ability is very limited at the moment, as I'm not interested in carrying around massive amounts of cash and because it's hard to get to the bank during the week.
I bought this cute little....hmm, don't have a name for it exactly, but I bought it to hold my jewelry (I layed the hairbrush in front of it for size context :)
Isn't it cute? Even in Michigan, I had my jewelry in a ziploc bag (whereby you can tell I don't own anything valuable), which meant that I pretty much didn't wear more than two pairs of earrings. This way, they'll all be accessible.
I now have a dishwasher. And since I don't want to run it when it's not very full, I never seem to have enough clean dishes. So, I decided that I would buy another set and I found a set of these on sale for only 15 Euro.....4 plates, 4 bowls, 4 dessert plates, 4 mugs and I think it's adorable!
For the same reason, I needed more silverware, so I also went to Ikea today to purchase more of the same silverware that I have. I also bought Jemma this cute little butterfly toy, in hopes that I can switch her from the baby socks to an actual cat toy. We'll see how successful that is.
And here I'd just like to add that in traveling around to various locations today, I did NOT once get lost!! That's a super-huge achievement!
Then, just for fun, because I had my camera in the kitchen to photograph the dishes when I took my dinner out of the oven, I took a picture of that too:
It looks like pizza, but it's actually Pflammkuechen. It's delicious, it's enough for at least two meals and when you come to visit you can try it too!
My saga with T-Com continues. I mentioned that I haven't been able to properly set up the Internet, because I haven't received my password from them yet, which I attributed to my difficulties with the mail when I first moved into my apartment. So I wrote them an email asking them to resend me my Internet access data. They wrote back that I have phone service, but that I'm not signed up for internet service with them. I wrote back that I had just paid a bill for a DSL installation fee and my first monthly charge for DSL and asked them to please explain what I am paying for if I'm not signed up for internet. We'll see what the response is....
{It's now raining, just as I predicted it would....I really do have a promising future in weather, don't I??}
My cousin finally got his website up and running. He, like my brother, is a computer genius. So while I love the title of his first post (so clever, Matt!!), I have no idea what he's talking about in the third paragraph! If you can answer his question, then you earn one million billion kudos points (not the candy bar, the congratulations). Make sure you click on the tabs at the top of his page (About, Contact, Features), because the little commentary is sure to make you laugh! I personally am really, really looking forward to the photo gallery!!!!
Tomorrow I'll be at the FeG Stuttgart (hopefully, I won't get lost trying to find it!!). I've now been officially invited by 4 separate people, so I feel very warmly welcomed and I haven't even been there yet!! :o) I'm looking forward to meeting these people!! And then in the afternoon, I don't know, maybe the art museum (I didn't make it to the art museum or the zoo today, I was simply too lazy (or "faul" in German). And it's actually a Monet exhibit, not Renoir, but interesting all the same!
I bought this cute little....hmm, don't have a name for it exactly, but I bought it to hold my jewelry (I layed the hairbrush in front of it for size context :)
Isn't it cute? Even in Michigan, I had my jewelry in a ziploc bag (whereby you can tell I don't own anything valuable), which meant that I pretty much didn't wear more than two pairs of earrings. This way, they'll all be accessible.I now have a dishwasher. And since I don't want to run it when it's not very full, I never seem to have enough clean dishes. So, I decided that I would buy another set and I found a set of these on sale for only 15 Euro.....4 plates, 4 bowls, 4 dessert plates, 4 mugs and I think it's adorable!
For the same reason, I needed more silverware, so I also went to Ikea today to purchase more of the same silverware that I have. I also bought Jemma this cute little butterfly toy, in hopes that I can switch her from the baby socks to an actual cat toy. We'll see how successful that is. And here I'd just like to add that in traveling around to various locations today, I did NOT once get lost!! That's a super-huge achievement!
Then, just for fun, because I had my camera in the kitchen to photograph the dishes when I took my dinner out of the oven, I took a picture of that too:
It looks like pizza, but it's actually Pflammkuechen. It's delicious, it's enough for at least two meals and when you come to visit you can try it too!My saga with T-Com continues. I mentioned that I haven't been able to properly set up the Internet, because I haven't received my password from them yet, which I attributed to my difficulties with the mail when I first moved into my apartment. So I wrote them an email asking them to resend me my Internet access data. They wrote back that I have phone service, but that I'm not signed up for internet service with them. I wrote back that I had just paid a bill for a DSL installation fee and my first monthly charge for DSL and asked them to please explain what I am paying for if I'm not signed up for internet. We'll see what the response is....
{It's now raining, just as I predicted it would....I really do have a promising future in weather, don't I??}
My cousin finally got his website up and running. He, like my brother, is a computer genius. So while I love the title of his first post (so clever, Matt!!), I have no idea what he's talking about in the third paragraph! If you can answer his question, then you earn one million billion kudos points (not the candy bar, the congratulations). Make sure you click on the tabs at the top of his page (About, Contact, Features), because the little commentary is sure to make you laugh! I personally am really, really looking forward to the photo gallery!!!!
Tomorrow I'll be at the FeG Stuttgart (hopefully, I won't get lost trying to find it!!). I've now been officially invited by 4 separate people, so I feel very warmly welcomed and I haven't even been there yet!! :o) I'm looking forward to meeting these people!! And then in the afternoon, I don't know, maybe the art museum (I didn't make it to the art museum or the zoo today, I was simply too lazy (or "faul" in German). And it's actually a Monet exhibit, not Renoir, but interesting all the same!
01 September 2006
Have you seen Mr. Mom?
It's a movie from the 80s with Michael Keaton and Teri Garr. He loses his job, so she goes to work and he stays home with the kids. It's pretty funny, if you haven't seen it, you really should rent it (for those of you who know her, I first saw this movie with Jena at her house, so I think of her everytime I think about/see this movie). Anyway, I was thinking about Mr. Mom because of the "Woobie." In the movie one of the kids has this blanket that he calls "Woobie." I can't remember much more than that he carries it around all the time and his dad almost vaccuums it up with the vaccuum cleaner. Cassie, my parents' dog, who now lives with my brother in Chicago, had this stuffed toy that she would carry around everywhere. So I started calling it her Woobie. {Are you keeping up with my train of thought here? I'm coming to the point eventually...} Well, I think Jemma (my little cat) now has a Woobie also. Her Woobie is a baby sock. Hmmm, {you wonder} how did Jemma get a hold of a baby sock?
Well....after Mac & Cheese were declawed, it didn't go so well. It was between Christmas 2004 and New Year's 2005. I wasn't having the best week (and it only got worse), because I got the stomach flu around 11 p.m. on Christmas night. I still wasn't feeling great two days later when I picked them up from their declawing (my mom had taken them because I was so sick). For some reason, the glue they used wasn't sticking, so their paws were bleeding a bit. I called the vet, who said to wrap their paws with gauze and see if the bleeding stopped (eventually they had to go back in to get "reglued"). Well, I didn't have any gauze, so I went to the drugstore and bought some. No sooner had I wrapped their paws then they were pulling the gauze off. What could I do to make it stay on? Aha, thought my illness-influenced brain, I'll go to Target (boy, do I miss Target....Target and Diet Coke!) and buy some baby socks to put on their paws over the gauze and that will keep it on. (Man, when I write this out, it seems really stupid, but at the time, it seemed like such a good idea!) Well, {I was going to write as fate would have it, but I don't believe in fate, so...} as it turned out, it was when I was coming home from Target with the baby socks that I was rear-ended by a pickup truck and my car was totaled. So that really, really was not the best idea I ever had. Anyways, after the policeman brought me home (that can be a story for another time), I tried to put the socks on the cats. Yes, you can laugh now, if you're not already. Needless to say, it didn't work. Cat's paws and baby's feet are not the same and the socks intended for baby don't work for cat. So the socks got tossed in the linen cupboard and because the movers move EVERYTHING (seriously, if you don't empty your garbage cans, the trash is goin' with you!), the socks came to Germany with me. And I don't even know where they were, but Jemma found them (she finds everything!). And now she is carrying them around the apartment in her mouth (I promise I give my cats regular cat toys, but no, she likes hair bands and twist ties and baby socks). All that to say, Jemma has a Woobie. If I can manage to get a photo of it, I will share it with you.
I did more laundry yesterday and it's become apparent, I'm definitely going to have to iron. Everything just comes out pretty wrinkled. If you know me well, you know that I hate to iron. I'm just lazy when it comes to ironing. And I'm really not that good at it. I always find wrinkles after I iron, once I put on the article of clothing that I have ironed. (One time, I saw a wrinkle on the shoulder of my shirt after I put it on. I couldn't be bothered to take it off and iron out the wrinkle and since I had already unplugged the iron, I thought it couldn't be that hot anymore. So I tried to iron out the wrinkle while wearing the shirt. Well, I burned myself. And at that time, I was working in the doctor's office. So imagine how it was to go into work and ask for treatment for this burn where my neck meets my shoulder. Of course I had to tell what I had done. So that became a big joke around the office. One of the nurses very shortly thereafter received an email with a list of warnings on products that seem so self-explanatory that they shouldn't even be necessary. What was one of those products? An iron. What was the warning? Do not iron clothes while wearing.)
~Wow, this particular post does not leave you with the impression that I'm very intelligent, does it??~
Just so you're keeping up with the weather here in Stuttgart, today was gorgeous! Sunny, high of 75 degrees, not a cloud in the sky - just beautiful! Tomorrow will be in the mid-60s, but it's supposed to rain. I thought I would go to the zoo tomorrow, but maybe I'll go to the Renoir exhibit at the art museum instead. We'll see....Sunday should be nice, again in the 70s, Monday in the low 80s (!!) and then back to the low 70s as we progress through the week. It's a lovely start to the month of September! (Hmmm, maybe if I ever need a new career, instead of a test engineer, I could be a weather girl! ;o)
And now, because I had nothing better to do and because my little brother is so curious about the layout of my apartment, I present you with.....my floor plan:
It's totally not to scale!! (Obviously, my bed isn't actually as big as my bathroom, though it's probably pretty close! And it only took me like an hour to put it together....) But it gives you a pretty good idea of where I live. And where you'll sleep when you come to visit. :o)
Have a fantastic weekend!!
Well....after Mac & Cheese were declawed, it didn't go so well. It was between Christmas 2004 and New Year's 2005. I wasn't having the best week (and it only got worse), because I got the stomach flu around 11 p.m. on Christmas night. I still wasn't feeling great two days later when I picked them up from their declawing (my mom had taken them because I was so sick). For some reason, the glue they used wasn't sticking, so their paws were bleeding a bit. I called the vet, who said to wrap their paws with gauze and see if the bleeding stopped (eventually they had to go back in to get "reglued"). Well, I didn't have any gauze, so I went to the drugstore and bought some. No sooner had I wrapped their paws then they were pulling the gauze off. What could I do to make it stay on? Aha, thought my illness-influenced brain, I'll go to Target (boy, do I miss Target....Target and Diet Coke!) and buy some baby socks to put on their paws over the gauze and that will keep it on. (Man, when I write this out, it seems really stupid, but at the time, it seemed like such a good idea!) Well, {I was going to write as fate would have it, but I don't believe in fate, so...} as it turned out, it was when I was coming home from Target with the baby socks that I was rear-ended by a pickup truck and my car was totaled. So that really, really was not the best idea I ever had. Anyways, after the policeman brought me home (that can be a story for another time), I tried to put the socks on the cats. Yes, you can laugh now, if you're not already. Needless to say, it didn't work. Cat's paws and baby's feet are not the same and the socks intended for baby don't work for cat. So the socks got tossed in the linen cupboard and because the movers move EVERYTHING (seriously, if you don't empty your garbage cans, the trash is goin' with you!), the socks came to Germany with me. And I don't even know where they were, but Jemma found them (she finds everything!). And now she is carrying them around the apartment in her mouth (I promise I give my cats regular cat toys, but no, she likes hair bands and twist ties and baby socks). All that to say, Jemma has a Woobie. If I can manage to get a photo of it, I will share it with you.
I did more laundry yesterday and it's become apparent, I'm definitely going to have to iron. Everything just comes out pretty wrinkled. If you know me well, you know that I hate to iron. I'm just lazy when it comes to ironing. And I'm really not that good at it. I always find wrinkles after I iron, once I put on the article of clothing that I have ironed. (One time, I saw a wrinkle on the shoulder of my shirt after I put it on. I couldn't be bothered to take it off and iron out the wrinkle and since I had already unplugged the iron, I thought it couldn't be that hot anymore. So I tried to iron out the wrinkle while wearing the shirt. Well, I burned myself. And at that time, I was working in the doctor's office. So imagine how it was to go into work and ask for treatment for this burn where my neck meets my shoulder. Of course I had to tell what I had done. So that became a big joke around the office. One of the nurses very shortly thereafter received an email with a list of warnings on products that seem so self-explanatory that they shouldn't even be necessary. What was one of those products? An iron. What was the warning? Do not iron clothes while wearing.)
~Wow, this particular post does not leave you with the impression that I'm very intelligent, does it??~
Just so you're keeping up with the weather here in Stuttgart, today was gorgeous! Sunny, high of 75 degrees, not a cloud in the sky - just beautiful! Tomorrow will be in the mid-60s, but it's supposed to rain. I thought I would go to the zoo tomorrow, but maybe I'll go to the Renoir exhibit at the art museum instead. We'll see....Sunday should be nice, again in the 70s, Monday in the low 80s (!!) and then back to the low 70s as we progress through the week. It's a lovely start to the month of September! (Hmmm, maybe if I ever need a new career, instead of a test engineer, I could be a weather girl! ;o)
And now, because I had nothing better to do and because my little brother is so curious about the layout of my apartment, I present you with.....my floor plan:
It's totally not to scale!! (Obviously, my bed isn't actually as big as my bathroom, though it's probably pretty close! And it only took me like an hour to put it together....) But it gives you a pretty good idea of where I live. And where you'll sleep when you come to visit. :o)Have a fantastic weekend!!
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