Sometimes it's the small things

Have you ever had something happen, that with the passing of time will seem very minor, but at the moment in which it happened, it was very major?

Today I had a very long day. I attended an integration seminar that is required for all company employees from overseas who are in Germany on an assignment greater than 12 months. It started at 9 and it ended at 9:30. 9:30 p.m. that is. And tomorrow, it will go from 8:30 until 5:00 p.m. And although it's nice to meet some new people, I really haven't learned anything. I should have attended last time, but I had a work scheduling conflict. Actually, I had a work conflict today, too, so I had to leave the seminar at 5:15, drive to work, have a meeting with an engineering VP and drive back to the seminar, arriving back at about 7 (in time for dinner - yep, I'm my father's daughter :).

Anyway, I was really tired as I arrived home at 10 to 10 p.m. I checked the post and almost didn't notice that there was a small white card all the way at the back of the mailbox. I pulled it out and it was a postcard from Yosemite. It was from Rene and Melissa, who are living in my house while Rene does an "internship" at C3. In January, they will return to Germany. I've never met them - they left right around the time I got here....but we've connected "virtually" and I can't wait to meet them in Michigan in December.

Getting the postcard from them was really a bright spot in my long (non-productive) day. And so, sometimes it's the small things that mean the very most.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was fun. It was all-American: turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry and us. I mean that the people were all American, too. Well, Jerry's Chinese-American, so we had chinese dumplings and something else that I can't remember the name of, but that was very delicious! It was tough, though. I have gotten so used to eating my big meal in the middle of the day. We didn't eat until around 5:00, so I was starving. And then it was hard to have all that food in my stomach in the evening, all I wanted to do was to go to sleep.


Tonight is Thanksgiving #2. This will be a lot bigger - I think there are 15 or so adults and a bunch of kids. And this will be a mixed group - 4 Americans, 1 German-American and the rest all "real" Germans. It should be really fun. The question is.........

Will my jello have set by then?

I made jello for tonight. I have to leave here in about an hour. When I checked about an hour ago, it hadn't set. So I put it in the freezer....think that will help? If it doesn't.....well, there won't be any jello tonight. (I think we'll still have enough food!) They don't have J-E-L-L-O jello here, they have this other stuff. And you have to add sugar to it, it doesn't already have sugar in the mix. But still, I don't know why it's not gelling.

The other day, an American said to me that everything's harder over here. And then I had a couple of minor things happen to me, some bigger like not being able to get into my apartment and some really minor like the jello not gelling and I started to think that maybe she's right. Certainly, not everything is easy.

But was life that easy in Michigan? For example, what did I do when my sump pump was acting up? I called my Dad. It wasn't any easier than when my mirrors fell down here. It was just that the solution was easier - calling my dad is certainly easier than having to go downstairs and tell my neighbor that I need help, again. I know I can count on my dad to help me any time, whereas I feel like I'm imposing on my neighbor every time (even though he says that I'm not). But that's true whether I live anywhere in the US not in vicinity of my family or in Europe, so that has nothing to do with being an expat.

I don't think life's harder over here. It's just not as intuitive. I have to spend more time researching where to buy something. Or I have to ask someone. And I have to adapt. There are certainly differences here, for example, there's no Target, Gap or Old Navy. There are some things I have been unable to find, like Diet Coke. But when I moved here, I knew it wasn't going to be the same as living in the States. And there's nothing that's missing here that I can't live without. So I have to be willing to be flexible enough to accept the changes that this move has brought to my life, both good and bad.

So I'm thankful. I'm thankful that I've been able to adapt (relatively well). I'm thankful for the friends that I've made here, who help me when I have problems or questions. I'm thankful for this opportunity to live in Germany. I'm thankful for what I've learned about myself through this experience, both the "good" and the "bad."

And I'm thankful for the opportunity to come to Michigan in just two and a half weeks!

What are you thankful for?

0:00

Midnight
12:00 a.m.
0:00

Whatever you call it, it's late. Especially when you have to get up at 6:30 for work (ok, maybe I usually end up getting up closer to 7).

Where was I at midnight?

Nope, not in bed.

I was outside my apartment building, sitting on some very cold little cement posts.

Why?

Not because I forgot how to get home.

But because I couldn't get into my home.

Not because I forgot my keys.

But because my key wouldn't work.

The key worked fine on the front door to the building. But when I got upstairs to my apartment, the key wouldn't turn in the lock. It was 11:20 or so. Late to be bothering the neighbors. So I fiddled with it for 20 minutes or so, believing that surely it would work eventually. Then it's 11:40. But I can't get into my apartment. So I go down to the neighbor who has helped me with other household issues and I knock softly, but firmly on his door. No answer. I was not willing to ring his doorbell.

What to do?

I called my friend Nicole, who lives just a little ways away in Feuerbach and with whom I had had dinner tonight (or last night now, I guess). She looked in the Yellow Pages (yes, we have them here, too) and found the number for a locksmith who is available 24 hours a day. She called him (I had no pen to write down his number) and gave him my address and everything. And he came in 15 minutes or just shortly after midnight (by which time I really needed to go to the bathroom!). He used some wire to get the door open. (I was not crazy, the key really didn't work.)

What was wrong?

The cylinder in the lock was simply broken from overuse. He offered to install a new one, but then didn't have any new ones with him. So he turned it around (I have a lock on both sides of the door) as the (former) inside cylinder works just fine. And that was that. And that cost me 100 Euro!

Ah, the joys of apartment living......(no back door)

When Fact becomes worse than any imaginable Fiction

I check my email in the morning before work. Why? Because I live six hours ahead of most of my friends and family. So I figure that there's a good possibility that they might have written an email to me while I was sleeping. And because I'm not good at surprises or waiting, I check my email to see what might have arrived. (And really I'm hoping that there will be an email from my realtor telling me that there's an offer on my house....)

So, a couple of days ago, as I was checking my Yahoo mail, I noticed this headline: "O.J. Simpson: If I Did It."

I literally did a double take. And I promptly clicked on the article heading, only to read that Fox will be airing an interview with Simpson, in which "O.J. Simpson will describe in a televised interview how he would have committed the crime if he were the one responsible." The program is tentatively titled, "O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How It Happened."

Apparently, Mr. Simpson has decided that the world would like to know how he would have, hypothetically, killed his ex-wife, Nicole Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. And so he wrote a book about it. Then there was a publisher, who apparently agreed that this was a topic the world wanted to read about and agreed to publish the book under her name, Regan Publishing. Then, there were booksellers, who decided this book should be available worldwide and are selling it. Then, there was a TV network, Fox, which decided that the US viewing public wanted to watch Mr. Simpson detail how he would have killed Mrs. Simpson and Mr. Goldman and so they decided to air it on TV.

I'm not even going to try to guess what's going through O.J. Simpson's mind. I just have one question that I would like to ask him: Haven't your children suffered enough??? It's bad enough that the kids lost their mom and to such a violent crime. Now their Dad has written a book and will appear on TV to describe how he would have done it, "if" he had done it.

Ms. Regan, the publisher, now says that she did this because she was a victim of domestic violence and she thought that the money would be going to Simpson's children. She went on to defend her decision by stating:

"To publish does not mean 'to endorse'; it means 'to make public,'" she said.

"If you doubt that, ask the mainstream publishers who keep Adolf Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' in print to this day. ... There is historical value in such work ... for anyone who wants to gain insight into the mind of a sociopath."

Well, where to begin. I'm sorry to hear that she was a victim of domestic violence. She says she thought selfishly that having Simpson confess (which he apparently did not do, always playing the hypothetical card), would help her personally. But that's an excuse, in my book, not a reason. While I fully respect her situation as a victim of abuse, I don't find her explanation anything other than ridiculous. If we follow this logic, robbing a bank would also be defensible, "because I thought it would help me personally." Who can debate that?

And while she may not be endorsing the book, she did put her name on it. I personally wouldn't put my name to something that I didn't endorse.

And to compare Simpson with Hitler? Sorry, but Hitler had a little bit more of an impact on the world. And I think to learn from history is important, crucial even. And Hitler didn't write Mein Kampf in the hypothetical. I think if Simpson had written an account of what he had done, as much as I personally would not be interested in reading it, I would feel differently about the house that chose to publish such a work. But because he did write in the hypothetical, I just find it.....disturbing. And wrong.

Booksellers......Only $24.95 on Amazon. (I can think of hundreds of ways to spend $25 better.) And the reader tags on this book on Amazon? boycott (28), disgusting (21), shameful (17), murderer (10), pathetic (10), repulsive (8), sick (8), guilty (7), evil (6), scum (6), boycott regan books (5), liar (5), blood money (4), sociopath (4), controversial (3). And the discussion boards are running like crazy. I'm not recommending that you read them, some people are pretty twisted, like the one who titled, "I'm buying this book and excited about it!" I don't know what his post said, as Amazon has removed it, but there have been 166 posts in response. Yikes. If only people were to be so passionate about other critical issues....

And Fox. What can I say? The down-the-drains nature of TV has been bemoaned for almost as long as I can remember. But I really think this is a pretty good low. I find it even lower than Jerry Springer, because it's talking about how he would have murdered (if he had, of course). Apparently, not all the Fox affiliates will be carrying the show. I read that one affiliate will be airing a domestic violence special and a St. Jude spot instead. I applaud those affiliates. Not an easy decision, I suspect.

This whole thing just makes me sad. It makes me sad that parents lost their children, that children lost their parent, that friends lost friends. It makes me sad that there is a preponderance of evidence that justice was not done. It makes me sad that people cheered the "slow" chase. It makes me sad that he wrote such a book. It makes me sad that she published such a book. It makes me sad that they're selling such a book. It makes me said that they're airing such a TV show.

It makes me sad.

I will not buy this book. If I could, I would not watch the TV special. And I will not address this again, because there are many other more critical issues in this world that are worth my time and thoughts than this.

This German Life....

On the radio on my drive home last night: The Spice Girls. Ewwww........How can they still play this stuff?

I knew there was something else!

I almost forgot to share today's utterly ironic moment......On Sunday, I posted that I can't eat meat if I know its' source.....just one day later and the main dish at work (there are always choices, but there's one main meal, which is cheaper than all the rest) was:

Maultaschen gefuellt mit Leber und Griebe
Kartoffelbrei
Sauerkraut

Now, Maultaschen is normally one of my favorites. LEO defines it as Swabian ravioli or pockets, or better yet, pasta squares filled with meat. And yet, this definition does not do Maultaschen justice. I love Maultaschen. It's a regional specialty here and I just love it.

Kartoffelbrei is mashed potatoes, another of my favorites.

And Sauerkraut is, well it's sauerkraut and I like it too (although the version in our cafeteria isn't the tastiest I've ever had...)

So now you're probably wondering, "Well, then what's the problem? Sounds like you like all of these foods...."

And if you're quick, you've already figured it out.

The problem is the filling in the Maultaschen. Leber is liver. And I've been known to eat liver since I've arrived here in Deutschland (shocking, but true). As a matter of fact, Leberkaese (liver loaf) is a dish that I quite enjoy (reminds me of bologna). So that's not my issue. Although I still don't understand the German fascination with telling you what part of the animal you're eating.....couldn't they just say meat loaf or something instead??

No, the problem isn't the liver. It's the Griebe. Griebe is crackling or greaves or tallow refuse (again, according to my good friend LEO). Well, that might not help much, so we turn to my friend Wikipedia [Caution: if you have a sensitive stomach (Dad), do not read whilst eating!!]:

Cracklings is the American name for pork rind produced by frying or roasting, though it can be expanded to include the skin of a goose or another animal.

As a snack, cracklings is usually understood to consist of cooked pork rind that has had salt rubbed into it and that has been scored with a sharp knife. This produces a crisp, bubbly outer surface with a layer of cooked fat on the underside. Crackling is considered by some to be an essential part of joint of roast pork. However, the term in cooking also applies to a variety of fatty materials, fried to crispness, such as poultry skin or the remains of trying out for fat of a number of animal products [beef, lamb, et cetera].

Cracklins are very high in fat and cholesterol, which is to be expected considering what they are composed of and the fact that they are generally prepared by being deep-fried or skillet-fried in lard.

To put it succinctly, "In food discussions, greaves is the unmeltable residue left after animal fat has been rendered."


And tallow? Well, tallow is used in animal feed, to make soap, for cooking, as a bird food, and was once used for making candles. It can be used as a raw material for the production of biodiesel and other oleochemicals.

Umm, can you say gross???? I've already described on this blog that I've become a (relatively) adventurous eater, generally with satisfying (to my stomach) results. But a girl's got to draw the line somewhere!

My lunch consisted of: mashed potatoes, sauerkraut and a salad. Needless to say, no maultaschen filled with crackling or greaves or tallow residue came anywhere near my lips! For which I was especially thankful when my colleague, who did eat the Maultaschen, had a stomachache for the rest of the afternoon.

The extreme darkness of.....well, darkness.....

I'm having a tough time. It gets dark so unbelievably early! Reality check, please, Michiganders....is it getting dark there at 5 p.m. or slightly before right now? I seriously want to jump on a plane and fly to where it is light....and warm, warm would be good. That whole "at least it's light when I get up" line just isn't cutting it for me. I have no desire to do anything besides go to bed when I get home from work (I'm writing from there as we speak...). I'm even considering going tanning (yes, there are tanning places here in Germany....there's one in my little town, as a matter of fact) just to try and get some feeling of sunlight and what's the stuff that the sun gives that we miss in the winter, besides the bad stuff that causes skin cancer? - Well anyways, I want some of that. I have been told, by someone here who lived in Michigan, that while we often have those really cold, crisp days where at least the sun is out, here in Germany they tend to have more overcast days during the winter. Super! Cold and cloudy for the next four months or so.

In other news, the brownies turned out well. I thought they were a little too chewy, but I only came home with three teensy, tiny little squares, so I guess that the Germans enjoyed them!

Speaking of food, I am celebrating Thanksgiving twice! We now made plans for a German-American Thanksgiving on the Saturday following the actual holiday. Should be fun. And multicultural, kind of like the first Thanksgiving. :o)


















And continuing on the happy note, the bed squeak is gone!! And here's how it went away.....the cat - which my friend David says is the fattest cat he's ever seen in his whole, entire life...no really...no seriously.....he promises......that cat is fat!.......(and yet, I call him my friend....hmm...gotta love that German directness) - jumped onto the bed the other day. And there was this funny noise, like the frame was falling apart or something (but it didn't - he's fat, but not that fat) and then the mattress dropped a tiny bit. And the squeak was gone. So I guess the mattress wasn't properly in the frame and that's why it was squeaking. I don't know exactly and I really don't care, I'm just happy that the squeak is gone. And I'm thrilled that my cat was able to accomplish such a feat. ;o)

And now I'm going to make a shameless pitch for visitors.....to my lovely, wonderful family and friends: my recent acquaintances here ask me often when you all are coming to visit. And as I cannot yet answer the question, given that no plans exist at this time, I defer to you for an answer. When will you be coming to visit? You know, just so I can let them know......since they asked......

[Wow, can you tell from this post that I love ellipses???]

Sarah's Screw-ups Continued

I don't share much about work, because I don't think it's something that I need to write about here and because I've now read enough stories about people being dooced (fired for what they've written on their blog regarding their workplace) that I think it's a better idea to stay away from that.

But Friday ended on a pretty funny note, which I think is worth sharing. My colleague and I had a mid-afternoon meeting at our headquarters, which is about a 20-25 minute drive from the plant. He drove, because he has a parking spot much closer to our building (he's at a higher level than I am). His spot has been moved, however, because of construction. So as we returned, I suggested that we park in my boss' spot, which is much closer to the building, because he was at a conference and would presumably not be returning to the office that day, as it was already 4. We had another meeting from 4-5 and I was just shutting down my computer at about 5:30, when my boss came into the office. Hmmm, can we say "oops!" As he came through to greet us (typical here - greet everyone in the office individually upon arrival), I said to him, "Mr. H. (we're on formal terms), your parking space is occupied." And he replied, "Yes and now so is the one from Mr. V" (a colleague in another department). To which, my colleague, to whom the car belongs, spoke up and said that I had recommended that we park there as we didn't expect our boss to return to the office that day. [Whilst that is true, I would like to point out here that it's his car, he was driving and he parked it there.] Mildly mortified and in full blush, I replied by thanking him very much for sharing that tidbit. To which my boss replied, in English: "Yep, he's a really nice guy, isn't he?" Which had the whole office laughing. A good way to end the workweek.


Although, I momentarily felt like doing this:
My cats like to sleep under the covers.
Or cuddled up together.

And one last photo. Recently, we had a really amazingly beautiful sky....

Life

I have one word to say about the Delirious? concert: Awesome. Just awesome. Well, actually maybe I have another: Loud. Am I getting old? (Don't answer that, Andy!) It was really, really loud. But, I left without any broken toes and while I had no personal space whatsoever, really couldn't see anything happening on stage and smelled more body odors (none of which were my own, thank you!) than I would have preferred, it was still really, really awesome.

And in other small victories on the German front: I found eggs at the grocery yesterday. They were tucked away in the very back corner of the store (they're not refrigerated here). And as I was walking away with my little carton of eggs, I noticed that I had received the wonderful added gift of a chicken feather (yuck!). While I am not vegetarian in that I eat meat and animal byproducts (eggs, cheese, etc.), I quickly become a vegetarian when the source of my food becomes identifiable. This led to an enjoyable pastime for my brothers of discussing, during dinner, the source of our particular meal. Something like....."I wonder if this meat loaf came from a big cow or a small cow" or "What part of the cow does this cut of meat come from?" It was just lovely and something for which I will be forever grateful to them. (I think you don't even have to read between the lines there to detect the sarcasm.)

So last night I made brownies with the eggs....my Mom sent some mixes (yep, guilty of not making brownies from scratch) and we have a get-together later this afternoon to which I was asked to bring something....."maybe brownies?" (Question came from an American, although it's a German get-together.) I hope, I hope, I hope that they taste good. My oven here is different. It's a circulating air oven (literal translation from the German). So it bakes differently. They look okay, but a little flat. So we'll see how they turned out.

I just have to share that I'm currently drinking black licorice tea and it's absolutely delicious!! I was skeptical, but it's yummy. Just thought I'd let you know. :o)

Last Sunday, we went for a walk in the vineyards on the mountain. It was pretty cold, but we were well-bundled and it was so beautiful, because the leaves on the grape vines are changing color. And because we haven't had major frost, the grapes on the vine were still edible. David said that once the grapes have been harvested (which they already have), anything that's left can be picked by passers-by (normally you are not allowed to pick the grapes, unless you own the vine). He even said that they intentionally leave grapes on the vine, following the Biblical principle of leaving part of the crop for the widows and the poor to harvest themselves. I'm not sure if I believe that part, but he seemed pretty sincere about it. So we ate quite a few grapes during our walk, a really nice afternoon snack. Here are some pictures:

No prose for me today.

I'm tired. I'm not feeling very wordy or witty or inspired or anything. I don't feel like commenting on the elections. I don't feel like discussing Brittany Spears' petition for divorce. I only feel capable of thinking in short, concise, shallow sentences. Like this: I made french fries for my dinner. They didn't taste good. (I know, how can french fries not taste good? But they didn't.) (Or are they still being called Freedom Fries in the Land of the Free?)

Strange, because it's only 8:30, so I shouldn't be so tired. And I haven't posted since Sunday, so I should have more to say.

But I don't. Well, except to say that Jemma is making little holes in my blanket, because she pounces on my feet every time I move them under the blanket, grabs the blanket with her teeth and thereby makes holes. Fortunately, this is an inexpensive foam blanket from Target (an old friend which I will be visiting in a matter of weeks ;), so I don't care too much.

Oh, I do have a "fun" (read: embarrassing) story....I parked in my garage last night. But I parked right against the edge of the lift. So the hubcap was touching the metal side of the lift. And apparently, I didn't put the lift all the way up last night. So this morning, shortly before 6, my neighbor was leaving. She noticed that the lift wasn't all the way up, which is good, because if she tried to back out when the lift was not all the way up, she would damage her car. So she put the lift the rest of the way up. Apparently, because the car was in contact with the lift, putting the lift up shook the car significantly, causing the alarm to go off. At 6. In the morning.

Oops.

So how did I awaken? To my doorbell ringing and my neighbor telling me that my alarm was going off. [Fortunately, the sound part of it only went off briefly and by the time I got there (in my pajamas, slippers and winter coat - it was freeeezing!), only the lights were blinking.] I'm sure my neighbor is tired of this dumb American girl who can't seem to properly use the garage.

Have I mentioned that I HATE my garage?


My Christmas wish list:
-an elevator
-a new garage/different parking system
-balcony neighbors that like me or at least pretend to be friendly
-a sun that does not set at 5 p.m.

What?? Are you doubting St. Nicholas' ability to deliver on these wishes??

Well, in that case, I'll share my material desires of the moment (although I refuse to decorate for Christmas until we have celebrated Thanksgiving - which we are going to do here, by the way - I'm bringing cranberry [thanks, Mom!!] and salad):

-a new camera....this one was recommended to me by my hmm.....he's my.......well, let's see, my dad's uncle is my great uncle. My great uncle's daughter would be my second cousin, right? Yes, that must be right, because she is my dad's cousin. And so her husband is my second-cousin-in-law? Or my second cousin's husband (whatevah, I said I was too tired). And I think his recommendation is worth taking, because he takes awesome pictures!! It's a beauty (the camera I mean). But do I need this many features?? No, I don't mean "need." I mean, if I have this many features on my camera, will I learn how to use them??










-a machine that makes fizzy water. Yep, I'm addicted to bubbly water. Just don't like flat water that much any more. But I hate having to buy cases of water and haul them upstairs. So they have this machine...you use tap water and inject the fizz (it's Carbon Monoxide, right?) into the water. I should just buy it, because it's offered on Ebay for 1 Euro plus 6 Euro shipping and handling for the whole kit and caboodle.















That's pretty much it. It's really not a long list this year. I'd like to find a couch, too, but I can't very well add that to my list, can I?

WAIT! How did I almost forget my biggest Christmas wish of ever and all time??? Which is:

That my HOUSE sells!!!!!!!!!!

Judgement

Today, Saddam Hussein was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging for the deaths of 148 people in a massacre in 1982. (All references are from the Yahoo article, which can be found here.) As I read the opening line of the article, my heart tightened and I felt sudden, very unexpected compassion for the former dictator. I can't imagine being sentenced to death. Even worse, being sentenced to death by hanging. How horrible. I think that I believe in the death penalty. I thought that I was certain that I believed in the death penalty. But now, I think that I believe in it. Somehow, the prospect of lethal injection "softens" the severity of the death penalty for me. Somehow, when I'm confronted by the fact that in some places the death penalty is administered by hanging, I have trouble with it. I think this tells me that I am not immune to violence, to suffering, that I do not wish pain inflicted on others. For that I am glad.

And then I read on. And I felt some kind of twisted respect for Saddam, when he suggested that because he alone was in charge, he alone should be tried. I don't agree with that, but I can almost find it admirable that he tried to save his co-defendants. Who is this man? This man who committed such atrocities, but would sacrifice himself to save the others. This man who divided a nation along religious lines, but according to his defense attorney, "called on Iraqis to reject sectarian violence and refrain from revenge against U.S. forces." This man, who, if his appeal is lost, will hang within thirty days after losing the appeal.

Don't misunderstand. I don't think that Saddam is innocent. I don't think that he shouldn't be punished. He and his regime committed acts of violence, horrible atrocities that I cannot imagine. Against people. Against living, breathing, fellow human creatures. Against their neighbors. Based on the documentation of his own government, he is clearly guilty of crimes against humanity. And I am not saying that I think the verdict of death is wrong. I'm just not sure that it's necessary. Is it? If Saddam were sentenced to life in prison, what, from the perspective of justice being carried out, would be "worse" about it? Yes, it would cost more to house him, feed him, clothe him, provide him with medical care and so on. But he would have to live his life in a cage. He would have to live the rest of his life in a cage thinking about the crimes that put him there. That is not my idea of a good life. That, to me, is punishment. But is it "enough"?

Then, I read on. And I read that in 1982, "Some of those hanged were children." Who could hang a child? And I know, I'm aware, that children often become part of the fighting forces in warfare. I'm recognize that children are capable of unfathomable acts of violence - the school shootings in the US are an easy example to cite. But to hang a child? To place a noose around the neck of a child, to look into their eyes, knowing that you are going to end their life and then to go through with it? It's incomprehensible to me. It's absolutely incomprehensible.

But I return again to the question of what's right....."an eye for an eye..." is Old Testament law. And we don't live under the old law anymore, by the Grace of God. So should we continue to follow it? Or should we move beyond that? Should the punishment "match" the crime or should the punishment fit the crime...should the punishers show more grace, more control, more justice than the criminals? But then, is the death penalty unjust?

As he was sentenced, the article states that he was trembling and defiant, as he shouted "God is great." His statement is not false. But in light of his actions, of his regime, of the life he lived and of his statement "Long live the people and death to their enemies. Long live the glorious nation, and death to its enemies," the premise of his initial statement, his belief system on which his statement is based, certainly is. But the trembling, I have to come back to the trembling. When confronted with his own mortality, with the very real reality of his own practically imminent death, I have to believe that the trembling came from fear. Fear. Because within the monster is a man. A human. And that, the fact that above all else, beyond all crimes, is the fact that I, for one, cannot overlook. Call me naive, call me overly compassionate, call me what you will. No matter what you call me, you cannot dispute that Saddam Hussein is a human being and that with the execution of his sentence, the life of a human being will be taken.

Is it right? Is it justice?

I don't know. That's how I have to conclude. I just don't know. Do you?

"'The verdict placed on the heads of the former regime does not represent a verdict for any one person. It is a verdict on a whole dark era that has was unmatched in Iraq's history,' Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's Shiite prime minister.

Shopping Saturday

Today I....
Purchased 1 standing fan, 1 coffee machine and 1 coffee grinder from expats relocating back to the States. Total cost was a mere 20 Euro - I LOVE the expat exchange!! They gave me filters and coffee as a bonus gift.

Went to the tire store to purchase winter tires and have them put on, but the wait was 4 hours!!! 4 hours!! 4 hours! Yes, I was that suprised. I had no book with me, I had many other errands to run before the stores closed, I was not waiting 4 hours. I will be returning this week....

Then I went to Stuttgart Mitte and.....
Purchased 1 2007 kitchen calendar (have to keep track of the Gelbe Sack pick-ups somewhere...I think I already explained the Gelbe Sack, but if you don't know what it is, ask and I'll explain again.) and 1 2007 pocket calendar for my purse.

At Galeria Kaufhaus, I finally found jeans that aren't too long. They were ridiculously expensive, but given that the pair I am currently wearing are just too big, I bought them anyway. I can't wait to go shopping when I'm in Michigan at Christmas. Target, Old Navy, TJ Maxx, Kohl's - those places where you can buy basic, inexpensive clothes.....

At Zero, I bought a really, really cute blazer. I might just take a picture of it for you, if you ask nicely.

At this really expensive kitchen store, I bought the two most inexpensive items....a canister for the coffee that I now have. :o) And two door-stops, because until now, I have been using a piece of the stuff the neighbor used to patch the wall to hold one door open and a big rock from the fish tank that used to be in my apartment (they left all the rocks/stones from the tank on the balcony) to hold the other door open.

I wanted a coffee from Starbucks, but the line was too long. :o(

At the inexpensive deco store, I bought a teapot "oven." It's a little ceramic thing that holds a tealight candle and then you put your teapot on top of it to keep the tea warm. It looks like what goes under a potpurri pot. The one I bought was 2.95 Euro. (The one I did not buy at the super-expensive store was 29.95 Euro.)

I might as well have purchased a parking spot in the parking deck, too. I spent 3.5 hours in the city and paid 8 Euro in parking fees!

From there, I went to the Drink Market and returned the empties and bought new.

Then I went to pet store for cat litter and I bought this really cool thing for the cats. It's a metal frame that hangs on the heat register and has a nice soft material covering. It's practically a kitty hammock. How nice am I to my cats? (Of course, they haven't figured it out yet and they got all freaked out when I put them on it, but I have confidence that once they figure it out, they'll LOVE it.)

Then I went to Obi, because I need a new bathmat and the ones that I looked at downtown were just too expensive. But I thought they were expensive at Obi, too, and I didn't really like any of them, so I didn't buy one. Gotta keep looking.....

Last, but not least, I went to the grocery store. Cereal, soy milk (plain and chocolate), bread, cheese, meat, the basics, nothing too exciting. But, I couldn't find eggs. I need eggs to make the brownies from the mix that my Mom sent. I couldn't find them anywhere, but I felt too ridiculous to ask if they had eggs. Because if they did, I should have found them. And if they didn't, I should probably know where to buy them, other than the grocery store (can you tell that I haven't made any eggs in the last 4 months?). I guess I have to ask where one is supposed to purchase eggs when I'm at church tomorrow or at work on Monday (unless my favorite German reads this post soon and advises me where to purchase eggs....;o)

Then, I made two roundtrips up and down the stairs to bring everything in. The fan is still in the car, but that'll just have to wait until tomorrow to go into the basement.

Valuable lessons learned:
1. Do not procrastinate in purchasing winter tires.
2. Take a book to the tire store.
3. Take the train downtown, do not drive.
4. If you need to get by someone when you're shopping, you have to make your way through - no one is going to stand aside for you to get by. And if you stand aside for other people to get by, you might be there all day.
5. If you need help when you're shopping, with the other shoe of the pair, for example, you have to approach the staff, not wait for them to approach you.
6. Do not go into H&M when they are having a sale. IT'S JUST NOT WORTH RISKING INJURY!

I'm sure it's probably the same in the States, but Christmas stuff is EVERYWHERE already. The ice rink and a few of the Christmas Market huts are already set up downtown. But even though Thanksgiving is not a holiday here, I can't bring myself to buy anything Christmas or start decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving. I am, however, very much looking forward to the Christmas Markets!

Gotta go, Jemma's playing with something she shouldn't be........

Mug Shot

I have a German driver's license! The picture is not attractive, but it's not as bad as the picture on my Michigan license.

Tomorrow's task: Winter tires.

It wasn't funny in the first place.....

Kerry’s prepared vs. actual statement
AP

What Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said about Iraq: “You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”

What his spokesperson, Amy Brundage, said Kerry’s prepared text called for him to say: “Do you know where you end up if you don’t study, if you aren’t smart, if you’re intellectually lazy? You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush.” (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13018908/)

Are middle-schoolers running for political office these days? Or am I the only one who thinks that the "prepared text" sounds like something one middle-schooler would say to insult another? Yikes.... And how did he apologize?

Earlier in the day, appearing on the radio program “Imus in the Morning,” the Massachusetts senator said he was “sorry about a botched joke” about President Bush. He heaped praise on the troops, adamantly accused Republicans of twisting his words and said it was the commander in chief and his aides who “owe America an apology for this disaster in Iraq.”
(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13018908/)

Sorry, but what was there to twist? The words that came out of the man's mouth were so twisted, they needed no spin.

And yes, this even made it into the German news. A subtitle on another article is notable: "Der US-Wahlkampf verkommt zur schlimmsten Schlammschlacht seit Jahrzehnten. Vor allem die Republikaner scheuen vor fiesen Tricks nicht zurück. Die Demokraten schießen sich lieber selbst ins Bein - wie jetzt John Kerry." -(approximate translation) The US election campaign degenerates into the worst mud-wrestling in decades. Most notably, the Republicans don't shy away from nasty tricks. The Democrats prefer to shoot themselves in the leg - like John Kerry now. - Nice picture of the American political system being presented, isn't it?

In complete and total contrast, please read the October 31st post on Matt's blog. (Of course, you can feel free to read his other posts, too, but this one really struck me.) Reading stories like this restores my sense of patriotism. Wouldn't it be nice if this was one of the headlines in the paper, instead of the above?

You can tell I'm working really hard on my paper, right??

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 4,732 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

My buddy....

How cute is this guy?? See the countdown at the bottom of my blog to find out how much longer I have until I see him again.....If I remember correctly, this photo was taken a day or two before I left for Germany. In the summer, back when it was, you know, warm.....And now it's cold. And raining. And windy. And it gets dark at 5 p.m......ah the joys of winter. My mom pointed out to me today that it won't be winter until January. And then promptly told me that there will be significant snow in the U.P. (Upper Peninsula of Michigan, that is) tonight......I don't care what the calendar says about when winter starts, for me it starts when it gets cold. When I have to wear a sweater and a coat and a scarf to walk into town for breakfast, it's winter for me.

Which is what I did today, actually. I wore a sweater, a coat and a scarf and walked into town for breakfast with two people who were much colder than I was (they're both from Charleston, SC and so they haven't been conditioned for the cold....). It was fun. I love that we can walk into town. I love that we have bakeries in town and have our pick. I love that the pastry cost 1 Euro and not $3.50 like at Starbucks stateside. And my Schoko Croissant was tasty. The coffee was good, too. And no, I wasn't skipping work, today is All Saints' Day. And so we had the day off. Did I work on my paper? Ha. What do you think? My parents' should have given me the middle name of Procrastinator. Because that, my friends, is what I am. Indeed.