I think posting every second day might be my new goal. Hey, in comparison to posting once a month, it's like a 200% improvement, right? This post will be short.....today I had to get up extra early, because I had a seminar about 40 minutes from here (without traffic backups), which started at 8 am. The seminar continues again tomorrow and again starts at 8 am. So, I will be going to bed very shortly.
We have an ongoing problem here in Germany - have you heard? The locomotive drivers have been striking on and off for a month, which seems like forever now. So, I basically have to check the news every morning to find out if I can take the train today or if there is a strike again and I should take the car. And on the days when they're not striking, there is always some problem which causes the delay or complete cancellation of a train. The union cannot agree with the employer on a salary level. It looks like they'll be striking again on Thursday, but this time they won't be striking the local street trains, they'll be striking the commercial transport. Most people are hopeful that this means that companies will put more pressure on the settling of a contract. Can you imagine if there's no commercial transport of goods possible? As a substitute, trucks would probably have to be rented for transport. Which will cause more delays and jams on the highways. It's a mess. Don't misunderstand. I'm all for the right of the locomotive drivers to strike. But it's going on too long now, in my opinion. I can't say which side needs to settle, because I'm not that knowledgeable on the topic. But somebody needs to do something......
06 November 2007
04 November 2007
Keep on Tryin'
Ok, so only 3 days into November and I've already failed at NaBloPoMo. Well, it's not that big a surprise given how infrequently I post....why did I think I would be able to post every day? But nobody loves a quitter, so I'm going to keep trying. Like my Mom always told us kids "Keep on keepin' on." We'll see....
There's a really cool new website "Free Rice." It gives you a word and then a list of four other words, one of which is a synonym. You have to find the synonym. For each word you get right, 10 grains of rice are donated to the United Nations to help fight hunger. 45,760,870 grains of rice were donated yesterday alone! How cool is that? And as a side benefit, your vocabulary will be expanded. Check it out. I had some words which I had never heard before. As you get words right, it gets harder, so good luck!
Here's the verse that's running through my head on a loop today:
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29.11 (NIV)
Happy Sunday!
There's a really cool new website "Free Rice." It gives you a word and then a list of four other words, one of which is a synonym. You have to find the synonym. For each word you get right, 10 grains of rice are donated to the United Nations to help fight hunger. 45,760,870 grains of rice were donated yesterday alone! How cool is that? And as a side benefit, your vocabulary will be expanded. Check it out. I had some words which I had never heard before. As you get words right, it gets harder, so good luck!
Here's the verse that's running through my head on a loop today:
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29.11 (NIV)
Happy Sunday!
02 November 2007
2. November
I made it with one minute to go! Today I donated blood for the first time in Germany...more tomorrow. ;o)
01 November 2007
Outback
On Tuesday night, Marc and I discovered the Australian Outback without leaving our little town of Fellbach. It surprised me to discover that there is an Australian wine shop in Fellbach. And on the last Tuesday of the month, they have a Stammtisch. Unfortunately, they don't speak English at their Stammtisch (it didn't bother me, but Marc was looking forward to it). They do have wine and food. So (hold on to your seat) on Tuesday night, I ate kangaroo. That's right, the little hippity hoppity creatures that look so cuddly. And.....it wasn't bad. I wouldn't make kangaroo a regular part of my diet, but it was definitely edible. It did not, however, taste like chicken.
While eating, we heard a presentation from Otto, a German who has lived in Australia for 15 years. He gives guided tours of the Canning Stock Route. His presentation was interesting, but I don't feel like I need to jump on a plane to Australia tomorrow.
In other big news that I haven't yet posted on this blog, we're getting married! I have alluded to Marc for the last many months and now it's time to finally make it official (on the blog anyways).
It's amazing what you have to go through to get married in Germany. As a foreigner, I'm required to present an Ehefaehigkeitszeugnis, or a document which states that I am able to marry (because I'm not married to anyone else). The United States, however, doesn't provide such a document. So, I had to drive to Frankfurt and obtain an Affadavit from the American Consulate, on which I swore to my single status. Then, I had to order my birth certificate, with an Apostille. That cost a pretty penny and took a while, because it had to go to the Great Seal office in Lansing. Then, I had to give it to a translator and have it officially translated into German. Marc had it much easier, he needed his family book and his parent's marriage certificate. Because his parents' marriage and his birth took place in the same city, he only had to go to one office and it's practically around the corner (I'm not bitter, just stating the facts).
Once we had all these documents, we went to the Standesamt, or Registry Office. In Germany, you are required to be married by the "state." It's not like in the US, where pastors are allowed to perform ceremonies which are in turn recognized by the state. Here, you can choose whether or not you want a "church" wedding, but you must be married at the Standesamt.
So, the Standesamt....we signed lots of papers saying that we're not already married, that we want to get married, that I want to change my name, .... And they took all of those papers and sent them to the Appellate Court. Because, remember, I couldn't present an Ehefahigkeitszeugnis. So, the Standesamt had to make an application to the Appellate Court to waive the requirement that I present that document and let me get married anyways.
And that's where we're hanging out. Waiting for the Court.
Today's a holiday in Germany - All Saint's Day. So the company is closed. And our department is closed tomorrow, too. Yea for a four day weekend!
Tomorrow, my landlord will come over to look at the faucets in the bathroom. The renter before me had to replace them, because they had washed them with something that ended up streaking them black. So he wants to see them and he wants to look at the water damage from the previous renter. He's also going to receive notice that I'm moving out, but he doesn't know that yet. He had called about a month ago and left a message that he needed to make an appointment with me to come by. I called him back, a couple of times, but it always just rang and rang. So I check the mail on Monday and I have a letter from him that I need to give access to my apartment within the next ten days, because he's left repeated messages to which I have not responded. This is an untruth and I was very angry. So I called him and told him I had received one message from him (he did not respond to that) and had called him back. He stated that he sees the number when he has missed a call and I stated that I see the same. Well, he just moved on to "when can we come by?" So he'll be here tomorrow....
Monday night was not a fun night for the mail....I had an 800 Euro bill from the dentist, which covered three months of visits, but should please be paid in the next 20 days. I also had a 150 Euro bill from the surgeon for the removal of my toenail. Then there was the 100 Euro bill from the Dermatologist. I think they had all called one another and agreed to send their bills at the same time. And unfortunately, because my insurance is in the US, I have to send the bills over (with claim forms that I'm really not sure I completed correctly, although I used to do that as my job...). Then they have to have the bills translated, then they will consider the claim. This will take ages. I know some fellow expats who have been waiting six months now to get their money back. Yikes.
In the last update for today, Marc gave me highlights yesterday. I'm not sure if I like them. I think I need to live with them for a little while. The color is a little funky. Not blond, but not quite red. Not orange, either, though....
November is National Blog Posting Month (NaBlogPoMo), so I'm going to try to post every day. Think I can do it?
While eating, we heard a presentation from Otto, a German who has lived in Australia for 15 years. He gives guided tours of the Canning Stock Route. His presentation was interesting, but I don't feel like I need to jump on a plane to Australia tomorrow.
In other big news that I haven't yet posted on this blog, we're getting married! I have alluded to Marc for the last many months and now it's time to finally make it official (on the blog anyways).
It's amazing what you have to go through to get married in Germany. As a foreigner, I'm required to present an Ehefaehigkeitszeugnis, or a document which states that I am able to marry (because I'm not married to anyone else). The United States, however, doesn't provide such a document. So, I had to drive to Frankfurt and obtain an Affadavit from the American Consulate, on which I swore to my single status. Then, I had to order my birth certificate, with an Apostille. That cost a pretty penny and took a while, because it had to go to the Great Seal office in Lansing. Then, I had to give it to a translator and have it officially translated into German. Marc had it much easier, he needed his family book and his parent's marriage certificate. Because his parents' marriage and his birth took place in the same city, he only had to go to one office and it's practically around the corner (I'm not bitter, just stating the facts).
Once we had all these documents, we went to the Standesamt, or Registry Office. In Germany, you are required to be married by the "state." It's not like in the US, where pastors are allowed to perform ceremonies which are in turn recognized by the state. Here, you can choose whether or not you want a "church" wedding, but you must be married at the Standesamt.
So, the Standesamt....we signed lots of papers saying that we're not already married, that we want to get married, that I want to change my name, .... And they took all of those papers and sent them to the Appellate Court. Because, remember, I couldn't present an Ehefahigkeitszeugnis. So, the Standesamt had to make an application to the Appellate Court to waive the requirement that I present that document and let me get married anyways.
And that's where we're hanging out. Waiting for the Court.
Today's a holiday in Germany - All Saint's Day. So the company is closed. And our department is closed tomorrow, too. Yea for a four day weekend!
Tomorrow, my landlord will come over to look at the faucets in the bathroom. The renter before me had to replace them, because they had washed them with something that ended up streaking them black. So he wants to see them and he wants to look at the water damage from the previous renter. He's also going to receive notice that I'm moving out, but he doesn't know that yet. He had called about a month ago and left a message that he needed to make an appointment with me to come by. I called him back, a couple of times, but it always just rang and rang. So I check the mail on Monday and I have a letter from him that I need to give access to my apartment within the next ten days, because he's left repeated messages to which I have not responded. This is an untruth and I was very angry. So I called him and told him I had received one message from him (he did not respond to that) and had called him back. He stated that he sees the number when he has missed a call and I stated that I see the same. Well, he just moved on to "when can we come by?" So he'll be here tomorrow....
Monday night was not a fun night for the mail....I had an 800 Euro bill from the dentist, which covered three months of visits, but should please be paid in the next 20 days. I also had a 150 Euro bill from the surgeon for the removal of my toenail. Then there was the 100 Euro bill from the Dermatologist. I think they had all called one another and agreed to send their bills at the same time. And unfortunately, because my insurance is in the US, I have to send the bills over (with claim forms that I'm really not sure I completed correctly, although I used to do that as my job...). Then they have to have the bills translated, then they will consider the claim. This will take ages. I know some fellow expats who have been waiting six months now to get their money back. Yikes.
In the last update for today, Marc gave me highlights yesterday. I'm not sure if I like them. I think I need to live with them for a little while. The color is a little funky. Not blond, but not quite red. Not orange, either, though....
November is National Blog Posting Month (NaBlogPoMo), so I'm going to try to post every day. Think I can do it?
13 September 2007
August - where did it go?
It's almost the middle of September! I know, it's been almost a month since I posted. Somehow, I just keep forgetting to post.....
August/September was busy with three weeks of vacation.....My dad and brother came to visit! They arrived on the 20th and we took off running. We went directly from the airport in Frankfurt to Heidelberg, which is a really nice city with a castle. The next day was off to Strasbourg, France, where we saw the cathedral and ate Flammkuchen (yum, if you have the chance, try it!). Wednesday we visited Ludwigsburg. Ludwigsburg has one of the best palace tours I have been on. And the palace is surrounded by amazing gardens. The city center is also really nice and that's where we had a late lunch. That night, I dragged them along to a birthday party for one of my friends. It was really interesting, some of my friends got to test out their English skills and Dad and Andy had to test their German, because not all of my friends can speak English. (I think) A good evening was had by all! On Thursday, we checked out Stuttgart. The TV tower, which provides a good 360 view of the region from waaaay to high up, the city center (yes, they had to wait for me while I bought shoes). That evening when Marc got off of work we got in the car and drove to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Along the way, we stopped in Munich for dinner (the Hofbraeuhaus is a tourist must!) I had reserved the pension for that night online (Hotel Bavaria booked through Hostelbookers.com for 18 Euro per person!!) and we were very pleasantly suprised. As we arrived, the man who received us determined that the beds in the room we had reserved (yes, all four of us in one room!) would be too small for Andy. So, he gave us (for free, can you believe it?) a second room. The room was very clean. And the breakfast the next morning was outstanding!
Friday morning, we drove to Zugspitze and took the tram ride to the top (we went up from the Austrian side...it's less expensive). I'm afraid of heights (yes, even despite the hot air balloon ride) and this ride was quite the test....the tram was pretty swingy. But the view from up there was amazing! (I am working on uploading pictures, the upload tool is really slow.) I highly recommend the trip up there. And on the top of this mountain, you're standing on the border of Austria and Germany, which is also pretty cool.
From there, we took off for Fuessen. Along the way, we saw a fortress ruin at the top of a hill (or was it a mountain?) and thought it would be fun to go up and check it out. I think this was probably the part of the trip that my honored visitors enjoyed the least. The way was steep. The way was long. The way was not easy. But everyone powered through and we made it to the top. (Confession? The ruin wasn't that interesting. And then we found a much easier way down. Oops.) We made it to Fuessen in time to have some coffee and look around the city a little. Dinner was at a Croatian restaurant (do you know how hard it is to find an authentic German restaurant?). A little too much meat for me, but okay. We headed for the hostel. This was interesting. Not so lucky this time, but still not bad. A real backpacker hostel. Hey it was clean, there were towels and it was cheap. We all slept in bunk beds. Apparently, I was breathing too deeply, because I woke up to being hit with a T-Shirt from above....
The next day was off to Neuschwanstein, which is the castle that Disney modeled Cinderella's after. Having been there before, I recommended we not take the (unimpressive) tour. But we did walk to the top (gotta love Germany - lots and lots of walking!).
Then we headed to the Bodensee or Lake Constance. I had never been there before. It's quite lovely. We went swimming (hurray!) and then went to our hotel. Marc did good on this one...it was lovely. We went for dinner (walked there, too) at a lakeside restaurant. It was, in the words of Marc, very romantic. I have to agree that it was quite lovely. On the way back, we stopped for a while at a concert on a street corner. They were a pretty good cover band. Then it was off to bed. Marc and I got up really, really early and went for a really, really cold swim in the lake. We wanted to go to the Island Mainau, but it was so expensive, we decided not to. So we headed off for home. On the way, we stopped at the castle Hohenzollern. This was another hard trek up a mountain. Man, did we get our exercise! The tour is brief, but beautiful. Later on our way, overcome with the desire to go swimming, we stopped at another lake for a quick dip. We were so fortunate to have good weather, it didn't last too much longer. I, for one, was very tired by the time we got home on Sunday night. Monday, we went to Esslingen, which I think is such a beautiful city. (They have a really cool Middle Ages Christmas Market.) Then the boys went to the zoo and I went shopping for a few last minute things for Italy. It was home for a while, then off to one last dinner in Stuttgart. The next morning, we were on our way to the airport in Frankfurt at 6:30. I got back to Stuttgart at about 10. I packed pretty fast and it was time for Vacation part 2.
Marc and I drove about 7 hours to Lago de Garda in Italy, where his parents were camping. I slept in a tent for the second time in my life! We got in pretty late and pretty much went right to bed. We were there from Tuesday night until Friday morning. The first activity each morning? Yep, swimming! Then breakfast. On Wednesday, we were able to take the boat out twice. It was gorgeous (check the pictures on Flickr, if it ever finishes loading!) On Thursday, it rained. I played a game with Marc's dad, read and was just generally lazy until afternoon, when we headed to Verona. Yes, the Verona where Romeo and Juliet takes place. I even saw the balcony from the story. And in the alley which goes through to the walkway, there are tons and tons of love notes stuck all over the walls. It was quite romantic! We stopped in Sirmione for dinner on the way back. It's a really beautiful city. And the food was sooooo delicious! Friday, it rained again (but after our morning swim) and then the sun came out about the time we had to leave. For vacation part 3.
We headed to the Allgaeu, Allmannsreid to be exact (good luck finding it on a map - I think it only consists of five houses). A group from church had rented a house. It was a very nice house. Unfortunately, we had incorrectly thought that it was closer to Italy than it was....we ended up driving 9 hours to get there and didn't get in until almost midnight, which meant that our friends had to wait up for us (sorry guys!). On Saturday, we decided to go ride a Sommerrodelbahn (this is translated as toboggan run, it's like a sled which runs on tracks, so it can run year round). To get up there, we had to ride a ski lift. I've never ridden a ski lift before. Marc had a pretty good laugh, because the whole way up, I was rationalizing to myself that no one falls out of a ski lift, that the cables of ski lifts don't break (often), that 100s of people ride ski lifts and live to tell about it. The toboggan run was a blast! Marc and I rode together (he manned the breaks, I held on tight). I think I only screamed once. It was so much fun, we went back on Sunday. I should have enjoyed the ski lift more, this time we hiked to the top. It was far. But it was worth it to ride down again! Unfortunately, when we got to the top, there was about an hour wait. Marc was supposed to fly to Berlin that evening. Let's just cut to the chase and say that he missed his flight. He rebooked for the next morning, which saw us getting up at 4:30 to get him to the airport. I headed back to the house (about an hour's drive from the airport) and was supposed to write him an SMS that I found it. My phone woke me up at 8 - Marc had landed in Berlin and was worried, because I hadn't texted him....I had fallen asleep writing the SMS. We didn't have good weather for the time in Allgaeu, but it was fun nonetheless. We played games every evening, sang, ate (really well!), visited a cheese factory, went for a long hike. On Wednesday, we headed out at about lunchtime. On the way home, I was supposed to pick up Marc from the airport. As I was almost to the exit for the airport, my phone rang - Marc was calling, not a good sign, he should have been unable to call because he was on a plane! Yep, he had missed his flight again. I started laughing. He didn't find it so funny to be paying another change fee. He ended up flying into Stuttgart and I made it there just in time to pick him up. We went for Thai in the city and then stopped by his parents before heading home.
Vacation wasn't completely over yet. Thursday we went to an indoor water park. Unfortunately, I injured my toe. I had injured it two years ago when I was working in Anderson. Then in Italy, I hurt it again and it bled pretty good. In the pool, it just almost fell off, but didn't bleed, a pretty clear sign I had killed it. I got a bandaid from first aid and we went to the movies. We saw the Bourne Ultimatum, which was pretty good.
Friday morning, I visited a surgeon for the first time in my life. He was sooooooo nice. And yes, he did have to remove my toenail. The worst parts were the shots he had to give me. They were painful. But then nothing else hurt after that. I had to wear a slipper until today, because none of my shoes fit/it hurt too much to wear shoes. I was supposed to keep my foot up, so we didn't do much that day. Well, we did go to the outdoor store and I bought hiking pants. Marc bought hiking boots. We are well-outfitted and now that my toe has healed pretty well, I hope we'll manage to get in some good fall hikes.
Monday it was back to work. I forgot how tiring it is to work - or maybe it's the lack of naps that I'm noticing.....
It was a very wonderful amazing vacation. Dad and Andy, thanks for visiting, I'm so glad you came! I would recommend Italy to everyone - I would like to see more of it myself! And Allgaeu is always nice - even in the cold and rain.
Next vacation? December 17th -> Stateside!
August/September was busy with three weeks of vacation.....My dad and brother came to visit! They arrived on the 20th and we took off running. We went directly from the airport in Frankfurt to Heidelberg, which is a really nice city with a castle. The next day was off to Strasbourg, France, where we saw the cathedral and ate Flammkuchen (yum, if you have the chance, try it!). Wednesday we visited Ludwigsburg. Ludwigsburg has one of the best palace tours I have been on. And the palace is surrounded by amazing gardens. The city center is also really nice and that's where we had a late lunch. That night, I dragged them along to a birthday party for one of my friends. It was really interesting, some of my friends got to test out their English skills and Dad and Andy had to test their German, because not all of my friends can speak English. (I think) A good evening was had by all! On Thursday, we checked out Stuttgart. The TV tower, which provides a good 360 view of the region from waaaay to high up, the city center (yes, they had to wait for me while I bought shoes). That evening when Marc got off of work we got in the car and drove to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Along the way, we stopped in Munich for dinner (the Hofbraeuhaus is a tourist must!) I had reserved the pension for that night online (Hotel Bavaria booked through Hostelbookers.com for 18 Euro per person!!) and we were very pleasantly suprised. As we arrived, the man who received us determined that the beds in the room we had reserved (yes, all four of us in one room!) would be too small for Andy. So, he gave us (for free, can you believe it?) a second room. The room was very clean. And the breakfast the next morning was outstanding!
Friday morning, we drove to Zugspitze and took the tram ride to the top (we went up from the Austrian side...it's less expensive). I'm afraid of heights (yes, even despite the hot air balloon ride) and this ride was quite the test....the tram was pretty swingy. But the view from up there was amazing! (I am working on uploading pictures, the upload tool is really slow.) I highly recommend the trip up there. And on the top of this mountain, you're standing on the border of Austria and Germany, which is also pretty cool.
From there, we took off for Fuessen. Along the way, we saw a fortress ruin at the top of a hill (or was it a mountain?) and thought it would be fun to go up and check it out. I think this was probably the part of the trip that my honored visitors enjoyed the least. The way was steep. The way was long. The way was not easy. But everyone powered through and we made it to the top. (Confession? The ruin wasn't that interesting. And then we found a much easier way down. Oops.) We made it to Fuessen in time to have some coffee and look around the city a little. Dinner was at a Croatian restaurant (do you know how hard it is to find an authentic German restaurant?). A little too much meat for me, but okay. We headed for the hostel. This was interesting. Not so lucky this time, but still not bad. A real backpacker hostel. Hey it was clean, there were towels and it was cheap. We all slept in bunk beds. Apparently, I was breathing too deeply, because I woke up to being hit with a T-Shirt from above....
The next day was off to Neuschwanstein, which is the castle that Disney modeled Cinderella's after. Having been there before, I recommended we not take the (unimpressive) tour. But we did walk to the top (gotta love Germany - lots and lots of walking!).
Then we headed to the Bodensee or Lake Constance. I had never been there before. It's quite lovely. We went swimming (hurray!) and then went to our hotel. Marc did good on this one...it was lovely. We went for dinner (walked there, too) at a lakeside restaurant. It was, in the words of Marc, very romantic. I have to agree that it was quite lovely. On the way back, we stopped for a while at a concert on a street corner. They were a pretty good cover band. Then it was off to bed. Marc and I got up really, really early and went for a really, really cold swim in the lake. We wanted to go to the Island Mainau, but it was so expensive, we decided not to. So we headed off for home. On the way, we stopped at the castle Hohenzollern. This was another hard trek up a mountain. Man, did we get our exercise! The tour is brief, but beautiful. Later on our way, overcome with the desire to go swimming, we stopped at another lake for a quick dip. We were so fortunate to have good weather, it didn't last too much longer. I, for one, was very tired by the time we got home on Sunday night. Monday, we went to Esslingen, which I think is such a beautiful city. (They have a really cool Middle Ages Christmas Market.) Then the boys went to the zoo and I went shopping for a few last minute things for Italy. It was home for a while, then off to one last dinner in Stuttgart. The next morning, we were on our way to the airport in Frankfurt at 6:30. I got back to Stuttgart at about 10. I packed pretty fast and it was time for Vacation part 2.
Marc and I drove about 7 hours to Lago de Garda in Italy, where his parents were camping. I slept in a tent for the second time in my life! We got in pretty late and pretty much went right to bed. We were there from Tuesday night until Friday morning. The first activity each morning? Yep, swimming! Then breakfast. On Wednesday, we were able to take the boat out twice. It was gorgeous (check the pictures on Flickr, if it ever finishes loading!) On Thursday, it rained. I played a game with Marc's dad, read and was just generally lazy until afternoon, when we headed to Verona. Yes, the Verona where Romeo and Juliet takes place. I even saw the balcony from the story. And in the alley which goes through to the walkway, there are tons and tons of love notes stuck all over the walls. It was quite romantic! We stopped in Sirmione for dinner on the way back. It's a really beautiful city. And the food was sooooo delicious! Friday, it rained again (but after our morning swim) and then the sun came out about the time we had to leave. For vacation part 3.
We headed to the Allgaeu, Allmannsreid to be exact (good luck finding it on a map - I think it only consists of five houses). A group from church had rented a house. It was a very nice house. Unfortunately, we had incorrectly thought that it was closer to Italy than it was....we ended up driving 9 hours to get there and didn't get in until almost midnight, which meant that our friends had to wait up for us (sorry guys!). On Saturday, we decided to go ride a Sommerrodelbahn (this is translated as toboggan run, it's like a sled which runs on tracks, so it can run year round). To get up there, we had to ride a ski lift. I've never ridden a ski lift before. Marc had a pretty good laugh, because the whole way up, I was rationalizing to myself that no one falls out of a ski lift, that the cables of ski lifts don't break (often), that 100s of people ride ski lifts and live to tell about it. The toboggan run was a blast! Marc and I rode together (he manned the breaks, I held on tight). I think I only screamed once. It was so much fun, we went back on Sunday. I should have enjoyed the ski lift more, this time we hiked to the top. It was far. But it was worth it to ride down again! Unfortunately, when we got to the top, there was about an hour wait. Marc was supposed to fly to Berlin that evening. Let's just cut to the chase and say that he missed his flight. He rebooked for the next morning, which saw us getting up at 4:30 to get him to the airport. I headed back to the house (about an hour's drive from the airport) and was supposed to write him an SMS that I found it. My phone woke me up at 8 - Marc had landed in Berlin and was worried, because I hadn't texted him....I had fallen asleep writing the SMS. We didn't have good weather for the time in Allgaeu, but it was fun nonetheless. We played games every evening, sang, ate (really well!), visited a cheese factory, went for a long hike. On Wednesday, we headed out at about lunchtime. On the way home, I was supposed to pick up Marc from the airport. As I was almost to the exit for the airport, my phone rang - Marc was calling, not a good sign, he should have been unable to call because he was on a plane! Yep, he had missed his flight again. I started laughing. He didn't find it so funny to be paying another change fee. He ended up flying into Stuttgart and I made it there just in time to pick him up. We went for Thai in the city and then stopped by his parents before heading home.
Vacation wasn't completely over yet. Thursday we went to an indoor water park. Unfortunately, I injured my toe. I had injured it two years ago when I was working in Anderson. Then in Italy, I hurt it again and it bled pretty good. In the pool, it just almost fell off, but didn't bleed, a pretty clear sign I had killed it. I got a bandaid from first aid and we went to the movies. We saw the Bourne Ultimatum, which was pretty good.
Friday morning, I visited a surgeon for the first time in my life. He was sooooooo nice. And yes, he did have to remove my toenail. The worst parts were the shots he had to give me. They were painful. But then nothing else hurt after that. I had to wear a slipper until today, because none of my shoes fit/it hurt too much to wear shoes. I was supposed to keep my foot up, so we didn't do much that day. Well, we did go to the outdoor store and I bought hiking pants. Marc bought hiking boots. We are well-outfitted and now that my toe has healed pretty well, I hope we'll manage to get in some good fall hikes.
Monday it was back to work. I forgot how tiring it is to work - or maybe it's the lack of naps that I'm noticing.....
It was a very wonderful amazing vacation. Dad and Andy, thanks for visiting, I'm so glad you came! I would recommend Italy to everyone - I would like to see more of it myself! And Allgaeu is always nice - even in the cold and rain.
Next vacation? December 17th -> Stateside!
02 August 2007
Hot Air Balloons and More
I guess I'm on a once-a-month-posting pattern. I have gotten TERRIBLE at posting. And I"m not sure why, because it's not like there isn't stuff to write about. Like there was the time we jumped into the Neckar River in our clothes and it was FREEZING! But somehow, I just don't get around to posting about it.....
Last Saturday, we went to the Allgau for a hot air balloon ride. Marc made a bet that he lost and the price was that he had to pay for his buddy's portion of the hot air balloon ride. It was an amazing experience! Here's my certificate, which christens me with my balloon name: Princess Sarah the charming airborne Amazon from the Föhn clouds. (Föhn is a regional term referring to winds in the Alps.) It also says that we went as high as 1200 m (almost 4,000 feet), but the driver (hot air balloons are driven, not flown) told us that we went up about 350 m (almost 1150 feet). We have pictures, too, but they'll come later...
The weather here has been terrible. It's been raining and not warm. But the weekend is supposed to be nice. I hope it stays that way!
I got the new Harry Potter book two days ago. I'm so excited to read it! It doesn't come out in German for another two months or so, so I'm really ahead of the crowd here.....
Yesterday I had a very interesting experience. I went to the Dermatologist. Now I know that's not that interesting. But she was pretty interesting.....she practices holistic Chinese medicine. I didn't mean to go to a Chinese medicine practicing dermatologist, I just found her in the internet. But it's very interesting, I'll be drinking tea and tracking my diet and going for a facial. Not your run-of-the-mill treatment plan for skin problems.....But I figure, I've been fighting with my skin for more than half of my life, so as long as she's not telling me I have to eat turtles or stand on my head, I'm willing to try what she's offering. I'm very curious to see what happens.
Last Saturday, we went to the Allgau for a hot air balloon ride. Marc made a bet that he lost and the price was that he had to pay for his buddy's portion of the hot air balloon ride. It was an amazing experience! Here's my certificate, which christens me with my balloon name: Princess Sarah the charming airborne Amazon from the Föhn clouds. (Föhn is a regional term referring to winds in the Alps.) It also says that we went as high as 1200 m (almost 4,000 feet), but the driver (hot air balloons are driven, not flown) told us that we went up about 350 m (almost 1150 feet). We have pictures, too, but they'll come later...
The weather here has been terrible. It's been raining and not warm. But the weekend is supposed to be nice. I hope it stays that way!
I got the new Harry Potter book two days ago. I'm so excited to read it! It doesn't come out in German for another two months or so, so I'm really ahead of the crowd here.....
Yesterday I had a very interesting experience. I went to the Dermatologist. Now I know that's not that interesting. But she was pretty interesting.....she practices holistic Chinese medicine. I didn't mean to go to a Chinese medicine practicing dermatologist, I just found her in the internet. But it's very interesting, I'll be drinking tea and tracking my diet and going for a facial. Not your run-of-the-mill treatment plan for skin problems.....But I figure, I've been fighting with my skin for more than half of my life, so as long as she's not telling me I have to eat turtles or stand on my head, I'm willing to try what she's offering. I'm very curious to see what happens.
08 July 2007
Who knew?
I have a very un-German last name. And despite that, there are lots of people in Germany with my last name....
From www.verwandt.de
From www.verwandt.de
Happy (Belated) Anniversary to me
Amazingly enough, I have been here in Germany for one entire year. (My actual anniversary is June 24th, but like almost always, I didn't manage to post on time.)
It seems pretty amazing that it's been an entire year. There have been some extreme highs and some deep lows. Overall, there have definitely been more highs than lows. I've been very fortunate to have made some really good friends here and they make my life here really, really great. And Stuttgart is an amazing city. There's no end to the activities here. And it's beautiful, really beautiful. My job is a challenging, but it's also pretty great. I never dreamed of having the opportunity to travel on business trips as I have in the last several months.
But I wouldn't be honest if I said it was all roses. At the beginning, it was very hard. I struggled with the language, I was totally afraid of picking up the phone at work, because I thought I wouldn't understand the person on the other end. And I spent a lot of time alone when I first moved here. And I'm very far away from my family - when you live five minutes away from family, you take them for granted. When they're not so close, it's, well, I still have homesickness some days. And then there are the days - let's call them the "foreigner days"...Most days I do feel at home here, but these foreigner days are the days when I am very aware that I am living in a "foreign" country.
I would do it all over again, though. In a heartbeat. I have learned so much about myself and about what I am capable of. I've improved my German. I've made amazing friends. I bought a car all on my own. I've lived in three different places in one year. I've been on 3 different continents in the last four months. All in all, it's been one amazing year.
It seems pretty amazing that it's been an entire year. There have been some extreme highs and some deep lows. Overall, there have definitely been more highs than lows. I've been very fortunate to have made some really good friends here and they make my life here really, really great. And Stuttgart is an amazing city. There's no end to the activities here. And it's beautiful, really beautiful. My job is a challenging, but it's also pretty great. I never dreamed of having the opportunity to travel on business trips as I have in the last several months.
But I wouldn't be honest if I said it was all roses. At the beginning, it was very hard. I struggled with the language, I was totally afraid of picking up the phone at work, because I thought I wouldn't understand the person on the other end. And I spent a lot of time alone when I first moved here. And I'm very far away from my family - when you live five minutes away from family, you take them for granted. When they're not so close, it's, well, I still have homesickness some days. And then there are the days - let's call them the "foreigner days"...Most days I do feel at home here, but these foreigner days are the days when I am very aware that I am living in a "foreign" country.
I would do it all over again, though. In a heartbeat. I have learned so much about myself and about what I am capable of. I've improved my German. I've made amazing friends. I bought a car all on my own. I've lived in three different places in one year. I've been on 3 different continents in the last four months. All in all, it's been one amazing year.
18 June 2007
Back home again....
I arrived home again on Saturday evening. I was awake for an entire 24 hours on Saturday. Quite the achievement. I'm tired now, but not terribly. I think it's so much easier to fly from east to west than from west to east.
Japan is a very interesting country. I'm really grateful that I had the opportunity to be here. At the same time, I'm really, really glad to be home again. I'll try to get the pictures uploaded soon.
I guess this will be a short post today....more about Japan to come. :o)
Japan is a very interesting country. I'm really grateful that I had the opportunity to be here. At the same time, I'm really, really glad to be home again. I'll try to get the pictures uploaded soon.
I guess this will be a short post today....more about Japan to come. :o)
10 June 2007
What to do in Japan when you can't sleep....
There's no English programming on TV, so.....
There might be more, we'll see...
| You Are Very Mature |
 Even though you may not always feel like it, you're a full fledged adult. And while everyone should be as mature as you, most people aren't! |
There might be more, we'll see...
Greetings from Japan!
Hello from Prince Kawagoe Hotel! Kawagoe is about thirty minutes from Tokyo with the fast train or two hours from the airport with a bus (in the upperish left corner of the map).I arrived in Tokyo this morning after an 11.5 hour flight from Zurich. The flight from Stuttgart to Zurich is short - less than an hour. Unfortunately, we had to sit on the tarmac for thirty minutes to wait to take-off because of traffic in Zurich. So I had to book it to make my flight to Tokyo, because the airport in Zurich is huge. I had to take an underground train from the terminal I arrived in to the terminal I departed from.
I had zero problems at customs in Tokyo, I'm happy to report (always a really happy thing to get through customs with ease!). The guy actually didn't ask me a thing. He stapled something into my passport, stuck a sticker in there and handed it back to me. Easy as that. Guess I look harmless.
I had been given instructions to take a airport transit bus from the airport to my hotel in Kawagoe. But when I went to the ticket counter, the lady told me that their buses don't go to Kawagoe. So I asked her which bus did and she pointed me to a counter further down. That lady informed me that their bus goes to Kawagoe, but only to the train station, not to the hotel directly (these buses generally make stops at each hotel). So I asked her how I could get from the train station to the hotel (it was only supposed to be 7 minutes walking or so). But she didn't know. Without other options, though, I took the bus to the Kawagoe train station. Because we took the freeway, I didn't see much of Tokyo (plus, I dozed off a lot!). My only impression is that the buildings are really, really close to one another.
When I got to the train station, I didn't see any special signs for the hotel or maps of the area. So I went to the nearest taxi, showed him the print-out from the hotel's website and asked if he knew it. He nodded, said something in Japanese and started to put my suitcases in the trunk. So I guessed that he would take me there and I got in the taxi. Well, the hotel is about 3 minutes drive from the train station. That three minutes cost 660 Yen. (The conversion rate at the airport was 156 Yen to 1 Euro. In the Internet it's $121 to 1 Yen). They have 500 Yen coins and 100,000 Yen bills!
Mom, you'll be interested to know that on the way here, I saw a 7-11! Slurpee anyone??
The hotel is a very different style. I don't have a Japanese-style room (I do have a bed and the table does have legs), but it's not typical American or European. The toilet has so many buttons, that I'm glad I could figure out how to flush it. The bathroom reminds me of a RV bathroom, only a little bigger. You have to step up into it, for reasons which are not clear to me. They have CNN on TV, but everything is translated into Japanese and you can't hear the English behind the translation. So there aren't any stations that aren't in Japanese.
Twice since I've been here, the Japanese Democratic Party has driven by, with a loudspeaker and some announcement/propoganda/??. If only I knew Japanese......
I took a nap when I got here, because I was so tired and it was raining anyways. Around 5 pm, it had cleared up, so I went to the front desk and asked for a map. At first, she tried to give me a Japanese map, because they didn't have any in English. I must have looked not too happy with that, because she asked me to wait, went running away and came back with a map in Japanese, English and German. She asked where I wanted to go and I asked where I should go. So she marked on the map where the old district is and where the shopping district is. I went walking for about two hours and took some pictures.
My camera battery ran out, so I went into a grocery store to buy a new one. If I read correctly, then an onion costs 85 Yen! 4 AA batteries cost 398 Yen. Imagine always having to have such large amounts of money available. Because the Yen is so devalued, this probably doesn't seem like a lot of money to the average Japanese, but it sure seems like a lot to me. I have to keep doing the math to convert into Euros to assure myself that I'm not giving away the farm while buying batteries.
Because I saw absolutely nothing in English at any of the restaurants, I decided to come back to the hotel for dinner. There are multiple restaurants in the hotel, including French, Chinese and Japanese. Being that I am in Japan, I chose the Japanese restaurant. I sat at the Sushi bar and told myself I would at least try everything placed in front of me. First, he brought me a menu in Japanese (I appreciate that it seems that people think you can speak Japanese, rather than assuming you can't), so I had to ask for a menu in English. He brought me one, but to be honest, it wasn't too helpful...."5 seasonal appetizers", "Salad"....not too descriptive. The cheapest menu was 3,000 Yen, the most expensive was 10,000. So by American or German standards, it's an expensive restaurant! I selected the most inexpensive Tempura menu, because I knew that meant at least part of my meal would be cooked (Tempura is lightly breaded and fried). I received a salad, a pickle dish, the Tempura (fried crab, fish, eggplant and another vegetable I couldn't identify), 5 slices of various raw fish, another bowl with shrimp, tofu, vegetables and some more fish, soup and rice. And Japanese tea, of course. I ate almost everything, including most of the raw fish, except for the soup. And all of it with chopsticks (a fork wasn't offered). I wasn't sure on the soup, are you supposed to pick up the bowl and just drink it? (No spoon on the table.) So I left it completely alone. Then came dessert. No idea what it was, but it was delicious.
Now it's a little after 8. And I noticed that Starbucks is next to my hotel. So I'm going to go get a coffee and hope that they have a Japan mug for me to add to my collection.
It's going to be a very interesting week......
30 May 2007
Lego Land
Yesterday we went to Lego Land. What an awesome place! Unfortunately, the weather didn't play along. It was about 50 degrees (Fahrenheit) and raining buckets. Even with rain jackets, we still got pretty much soaked through. The kids were troopers, though. We saw the whole park, went on almost all the rides. And they hardly complained about being soaked and cold.
I'm not a big fan of roller coasters. But I rode them anyway....hey, if a 7 year old who also dislikes roller coasters can cut it, so can I! And it was scary, but it was the fun kind of scary.....
And the Lego displays were amazing. Nearly life-sized animals in the safari area. And then displays like the airport in Munich or the harbor in Hamburg or the capital building (Reichstag) in Berlin. Absolutely astounding what can be done with Legos.....
I'm not a big fan of roller coasters. But I rode them anyway....hey, if a 7 year old who also dislikes roller coasters can cut it, so can I! And it was scary, but it was the fun kind of scary.....
And the Lego displays were amazing. Nearly life-sized animals in the safari area. And then displays like the airport in Munich or the harbor in Hamburg or the capital building (Reichstag) in Berlin. Absolutely astounding what can be done with Legos.....
27 May 2007
This and that....
I have a fabulous four day weekend this weekend. It's so great to know that tomorrow's Sunday (well, actually, today is Sunday, because it's already 1 a.m. here), but I don't have to go to work on Monday.....or on Tuesday!
The weekend started yesterday at 3:30. I decided a while ago that I really wanted to buy a bike. There are so many great places to bike here. But I hadn't gotten around to really shopping for one. So yesterday, Marc and I went to 3 different bike stores to look at bikes. But we didn't find "the one." Either the color was too ugly or it had more features than I needed or.....It was a good start, though, and gave me an idea of what I would be spending on a bike with enough features to maybe be able to do a weekend biking trip, but not one that would let me trek through the Alps.
Then, last night we went to the Opera. We also went to the Opera several weeks ago, to see a modern Opera piece. It was horrible. Absolutely awful. So, because it was so awful, it was absolutely necessary that we go to the opera again to wipe away the bad taste of the horrible piece. So we went to see La Traviata by Verdi. It's a tragic story, but absolutely beautiful. And the music was amazing. The set design was a little funky, but the music was amazing....It was wonderful. (If you've seen the movie Pretty Woman, it's the Opera that Richard Gere takes Julia Roberts to.)
Today was the Day O' Shopping. First, we went to Ikea and had breakfast (1.50 Euro for two rolls, jelly, cold cuts and cheese and unlimited coffee....!!!). Then, we bought stuff....I bought a new bench for my apartment, which I'm really excited about. We left Ikea and realized we had forgotten something. So we tested how long it takes to buy a shower curtain at Ikea from the time you switch off the motor in the car to when you switch it back on.....our result: 15 minutes. (I think it should be an event on the next Amazing Race - it's really not as easy as it sounds!) And then we went to another bike shop....this is cool - Marc looked in the internet to see which bike shops were around the Ikea. He picked one randomly and we went there. The guy was totally helpful (which, in the customer service desert that Germany is, is not always to be expected) and they had a bike, which was perfect for what I needed, a good price and a good brand. And it's a lower bar than the trapezoid frame, so it's way better for short persons like me! So I bought a bike. Another cool thing happened....we were driving along and Marc's mom called to say that she wanted Asparagus and if we passed a stand, could we please buy some. As he was still on the phone with her, we passed a stand. So we stopped and bought fresh asparagus and strawberries. We promptly ate tons of the strawberries....they were delicious! Then we wanted to go to another city, but took, for some reason, the surface streets and not the Autobahn. The view was fabulous and then another great thing happened....we drove past the Ritter Sport Factory......Do you know Ritter Sport? Well, it's chocolate. Do you know me? Well, I love chocolate. So Marc had to turn around and go to the Ritter Sport Factory. We bought a bunch of chocolate (some of it will be gifts). It was great! Then we went to a furniture store and Marc bought a new dining room table. It's absolutely gorgeous, real solid wood, made in India. And I bought cushions for my bench. It was a very Shop-O-Rama day.
Tonight we watched Stuttgart play for another title (they won the German championships last weekend). Unfortunately, they lost tonight. But it's not really so tragic and watching the game was really fun!
And now I'm going to bed....shopping is exhausting!!
The weekend started yesterday at 3:30. I decided a while ago that I really wanted to buy a bike. There are so many great places to bike here. But I hadn't gotten around to really shopping for one. So yesterday, Marc and I went to 3 different bike stores to look at bikes. But we didn't find "the one." Either the color was too ugly or it had more features than I needed or.....It was a good start, though, and gave me an idea of what I would be spending on a bike with enough features to maybe be able to do a weekend biking trip, but not one that would let me trek through the Alps.
Then, last night we went to the Opera. We also went to the Opera several weeks ago, to see a modern Opera piece. It was horrible. Absolutely awful. So, because it was so awful, it was absolutely necessary that we go to the opera again to wipe away the bad taste of the horrible piece. So we went to see La Traviata by Verdi. It's a tragic story, but absolutely beautiful. And the music was amazing. The set design was a little funky, but the music was amazing....It was wonderful. (If you've seen the movie Pretty Woman, it's the Opera that Richard Gere takes Julia Roberts to.)
Today was the Day O' Shopping. First, we went to Ikea and had breakfast (1.50 Euro for two rolls, jelly, cold cuts and cheese and unlimited coffee....!!!). Then, we bought stuff....I bought a new bench for my apartment, which I'm really excited about. We left Ikea and realized we had forgotten something. So we tested how long it takes to buy a shower curtain at Ikea from the time you switch off the motor in the car to when you switch it back on.....our result: 15 minutes. (I think it should be an event on the next Amazing Race - it's really not as easy as it sounds!) And then we went to another bike shop....this is cool - Marc looked in the internet to see which bike shops were around the Ikea. He picked one randomly and we went there. The guy was totally helpful (which, in the customer service desert that Germany is, is not always to be expected) and they had a bike, which was perfect for what I needed, a good price and a good brand. And it's a lower bar than the trapezoid frame, so it's way better for short persons like me! So I bought a bike. Another cool thing happened....we were driving along and Marc's mom called to say that she wanted Asparagus and if we passed a stand, could we please buy some. As he was still on the phone with her, we passed a stand. So we stopped and bought fresh asparagus and strawberries. We promptly ate tons of the strawberries....they were delicious! Then we wanted to go to another city, but took, for some reason, the surface streets and not the Autobahn. The view was fabulous and then another great thing happened....we drove past the Ritter Sport Factory......Do you know Ritter Sport? Well, it's chocolate. Do you know me? Well, I love chocolate. So Marc had to turn around and go to the Ritter Sport Factory. We bought a bunch of chocolate (some of it will be gifts). It was great! Then we went to a furniture store and Marc bought a new dining room table. It's absolutely gorgeous, real solid wood, made in India. And I bought cushions for my bench. It was a very Shop-O-Rama day.
Tonight we watched Stuttgart play for another title (they won the German championships last weekend). Unfortunately, they lost tonight. But it's not really so tragic and watching the game was really fun!
And now I'm going to bed....shopping is exhausting!!
22 May 2007
Exhale
So, it's almost the end of May. It's also almost the end of a conference here in Stuttgart that I was responsible for organizing. I purposely avoid work issues on my blog, but this is nothing negative, definitely very positive and I will intentionally write generically......we have an annual conference where the colleagues from all over the world gather in one location. Last year was in Vienna directly after my move to Germany. I had to pay really close attention, knowing that the responsibility for the conference would be transferred to me. So this year it was my turn. And I was so nervous that something would go terribly wrong or that I forgot to think about something. All of the preparations have been totally stressing me out for the last couple of weeks. Well, the conference started on Sunday and it will end tomorrow morning. And with the exception of the problem of the beamer going out during the presentation of a senior engineering VP, it has run extremely well. There have been very good discussions. And the dinners have also gone very well. Yesterday we toured a winery and then had a wine tasting. And tonight we had dinner at a cafe in the middle of a big park in Stuttgart. It's been really nice. So I'm happy to report that barring any totally unforeseeable dramatic events in tomorrow morning's 1.5 hour session, the conference has been a success! Tomorrow afternoon, it's back to the normal workday. But only for a couple of days, because Monday is a holiday and Tuesday I have the day off to go to Lego Land with the Dressler clan. Should be really, really fun, especially because the adult to child ratio is 1:1. :o)
Also, if it didn't make the international news, the soccer team in Stuttgart won the German Championship (Meister) on Saturday. I have never seen anything like it.....they put up a big screen in the middle of Stuttgart on the square in front of the castle (Schlossplatz). So Melissa, Rene, David and I wanted to take the train to the city to meet Marc and watch the game. Melissa and Rene live a few stops further out from the city than I do and Melissa called to say that there were about 400 people at the train station and she didn't think they would make the train. As I was standing at the train station in my town and talking to her, another train drove through without stopping, because it was so full. So they got in the car and drove to David and I. We drove together into the city (we had to park pretty far away - actually not in the city center (Mitte), but in the West) and went to the Schlossplatz. But it was so full, they had already closed it, 1 hour before the game even started. We looked for a place to watch the game (on TV, it was only being shown on a premium channel or satellite, which we don't have), but everything was so full. I have never seen Stuttgart such a mess - bottles laying everywhere. And another "odd" thing, the police were filming the crowd, so that if anything happened, they would have record of it. Anyways, we ended up driving to a whole other part of Stuttgart (Bad Canstatt) and saw only about the last 7 minutes of the game. (Live and learn. Next time we'll go 3-4 hours beforehand to the Schlossplatz.) But anyway, they won and the whole city celebrated until the wee hours of the morning (I was in bed by 12, no worries....). On Sunday, we were in the city again and it was absolutely disgusting....McDonald's bags everywhere, broken glass from bottles. (I bet the rats had a field day! Yuck....) But they won, which no one was expecting at all at the beginning of the season, so I guess it was worth the clean up.
In other news, I got my first ticket ever. No points, but I was caught by one of the "Blitzers", going 15 over the speed limit. A blitzer is a radar detector, which takes your picture when you are over the speed limit. So, I got to pay the city of Stuttgart 25 Euro for speeding. First time in my life that I got a speeding ticket.....
Also, if it didn't make the international news, the soccer team in Stuttgart won the German Championship (Meister) on Saturday. I have never seen anything like it.....they put up a big screen in the middle of Stuttgart on the square in front of the castle (Schlossplatz). So Melissa, Rene, David and I wanted to take the train to the city to meet Marc and watch the game. Melissa and Rene live a few stops further out from the city than I do and Melissa called to say that there were about 400 people at the train station and she didn't think they would make the train. As I was standing at the train station in my town and talking to her, another train drove through without stopping, because it was so full. So they got in the car and drove to David and I. We drove together into the city (we had to park pretty far away - actually not in the city center (Mitte), but in the West) and went to the Schlossplatz. But it was so full, they had already closed it, 1 hour before the game even started. We looked for a place to watch the game (on TV, it was only being shown on a premium channel or satellite, which we don't have), but everything was so full. I have never seen Stuttgart such a mess - bottles laying everywhere. And another "odd" thing, the police were filming the crowd, so that if anything happened, they would have record of it. Anyways, we ended up driving to a whole other part of Stuttgart (Bad Canstatt) and saw only about the last 7 minutes of the game. (Live and learn. Next time we'll go 3-4 hours beforehand to the Schlossplatz.) But anyway, they won and the whole city celebrated until the wee hours of the morning (I was in bed by 12, no worries....). On Sunday, we were in the city again and it was absolutely disgusting....McDonald's bags everywhere, broken glass from bottles. (I bet the rats had a field day! Yuck....) But they won, which no one was expecting at all at the beginning of the season, so I guess it was worth the clean up.
In other news, I got my first ticket ever. No points, but I was caught by one of the "Blitzers", going 15 over the speed limit. A blitzer is a radar detector, which takes your picture when you are over the speed limit. So, I got to pay the city of Stuttgart 25 Euro for speeding. First time in my life that I got a speeding ticket.....
13 May 2007
Happy Birthday, Buddy
15 years and nine months ago, we were a family of 5. And had been for 10 years. And then there was a suprise. A surprise named Seth. And while the addition of Seth to our family was a suprise, it was a surprise only in the best sense.
When my Mom said that she was going to have a baby, I hardly could believe it. When she gave my Dad the positive test wrapped in a gift box, I think he could hardly believe it. It was all so exciting...another baby....would it be a boy or a girl? (I have to admit that already having two brothers, I was pretty much hoping for a little sister....but Seth, I wouldn't trade you for any sister in the world.) When the ultrasound said you were a boy, the debate over names started and was only made more difficult by the fact that the siblings wanted a say, too. Mom wanted to name you Eli. But that seemed waaaay too old-fashioned. (Now I think it's a great name.) I think Seth was Mom's idea, too. I have to admit that I wasn't thrilled with it, because the only Seth I knew was a boy in my class who ate the core of his apples and was a real nerd. But it's a great name, a strong name, which means "placed" or "appointed" in Hebrew. And that you are, you're placed by God in our family.
I remember the day you were born. Mom had a scheduled C-section and we three kids got sent to school. I could hardly concentrate - I just kept staring at the clock, waiting for them to call my name to the school office to tell me that you had been born (Mom promised that someone would call school to let us know). And then finally, FINALLY, they called Andy and I to the office (Josh was in the other building in elementary school) and told us that you and Mom were both fine.
You were the most adorable baby I had ever seen. And you were good. You'll have to ask Mom, but I really don't remember you crying very much. I do remember cuddling with you. Especially when you were sick, you liked to cuddle. So that time you had the stomach flu, I had the pleasure of wearing the contents of your stomach....But I didn't mind, because I was so happy that you wanted me to hold you and nobody else. One of Andy's favorite stories also has to do with bodily fluids....the first time he babysat for you, you had it "coming out both ends" as Mom says. You even threw up in his shoe. I'll let him tell the rest to you....it's too gross for this blog.
For a long time, we thought you wouldn't talk at all. You just pointed at whatever you wanted, said "uh" and someone got it for you. Too many older siblings, I guess. But then once you started talking, well, you hardly stopped. I don't know which parent that comes from, but you and Josh definitely have that in common. And once you started talking, we had to be careful of what we said in front of you.....I found it pretty funny when Mom told me that she was driving with you and you were talking to the drivers of the other cars - "What are you thinking, driving like that?", "Yeah, nice cut us off..." and so on. She couldn't figure out where you had learned that. And then I had to confess that you had learned that from driving with me.....Boy, was I glad that I hadn't used any bad words!
I see all three of us "big kids" in you. You and I share a major love of reading. Andy was always the sportier one and you like to play football. You and Andy also look very much alike. And your sense of humor reminds me of Josh. But you're also very much your own person, too.
You're your own person on your way to being an adult. But I have to tell you that no matter how old you get or how far away from me you are, you're always going to be my baby. (I won't embarass you (further) by using my nickname for you, but you always be that to me, too.) I'm so proud of you, of who you are and I'm very excited to see who you'll become.
I love you very, very much. Happy, happy birthday!!
Sis
When my Mom said that she was going to have a baby, I hardly could believe it. When she gave my Dad the positive test wrapped in a gift box, I think he could hardly believe it. It was all so exciting...another baby....would it be a boy or a girl? (I have to admit that already having two brothers, I was pretty much hoping for a little sister....but Seth, I wouldn't trade you for any sister in the world.) When the ultrasound said you were a boy, the debate over names started and was only made more difficult by the fact that the siblings wanted a say, too. Mom wanted to name you Eli. But that seemed waaaay too old-fashioned. (Now I think it's a great name.) I think Seth was Mom's idea, too. I have to admit that I wasn't thrilled with it, because the only Seth I knew was a boy in my class who ate the core of his apples and was a real nerd. But it's a great name, a strong name, which means "placed" or "appointed" in Hebrew. And that you are, you're placed by God in our family.
I remember the day you were born. Mom had a scheduled C-section and we three kids got sent to school. I could hardly concentrate - I just kept staring at the clock, waiting for them to call my name to the school office to tell me that you had been born (Mom promised that someone would call school to let us know). And then finally, FINALLY, they called Andy and I to the office (Josh was in the other building in elementary school) and told us that you and Mom were both fine.
You were the most adorable baby I had ever seen. And you were good. You'll have to ask Mom, but I really don't remember you crying very much. I do remember cuddling with you. Especially when you were sick, you liked to cuddle. So that time you had the stomach flu, I had the pleasure of wearing the contents of your stomach....But I didn't mind, because I was so happy that you wanted me to hold you and nobody else. One of Andy's favorite stories also has to do with bodily fluids....the first time he babysat for you, you had it "coming out both ends" as Mom says. You even threw up in his shoe. I'll let him tell the rest to you....it's too gross for this blog.
For a long time, we thought you wouldn't talk at all. You just pointed at whatever you wanted, said "uh" and someone got it for you. Too many older siblings, I guess. But then once you started talking, well, you hardly stopped. I don't know which parent that comes from, but you and Josh definitely have that in common. And once you started talking, we had to be careful of what we said in front of you.....I found it pretty funny when Mom told me that she was driving with you and you were talking to the drivers of the other cars - "What are you thinking, driving like that?", "Yeah, nice cut us off..." and so on. She couldn't figure out where you had learned that. And then I had to confess that you had learned that from driving with me.....Boy, was I glad that I hadn't used any bad words!
I see all three of us "big kids" in you. You and I share a major love of reading. Andy was always the sportier one and you like to play football. You and Andy also look very much alike. And your sense of humor reminds me of Josh. But you're also very much your own person, too.
You're your own person on your way to being an adult. But I have to tell you that no matter how old you get or how far away from me you are, you're always going to be my baby. (I won't embarass you (further) by using my nickname for you, but you always be that to me, too.) I'm so proud of you, of who you are and I'm very excited to see who you'll become.
I love you very, very much. Happy, happy birthday!!
Sis
03 May 2007
My New Apartment
Hello again from Turkey! For the second time within three weeks, my work travels have brought me to the lovely city of Bursa. Since I have some time (and since the hotel has free wireless internet), I thought I would post some pictures of my new apartment.
Here's my living room. You can see the doorwall and the windows, it's really bright and sunny. The balcony starts just outside this door, continues in the direction of the windows, past the bedroom and wraps around the corner. It's narrow, but really long. Since I took this picture, I hung sheer curtains as well, so I'll have to get some new pictures. I can't tell you how happy I was to have my couch! And I really like the terracotta accent wall. The floor is also really nice, it's some kind of biological wood, so it shifts a bit, and my landlord is really attached to it, so I worry about it getting scratched, but....
Standing in front of the couch, here's looking into the dining "room" (more like the dining corner). Here's another doorwall, but there's no balcony, it just looks out over the street. But I get a really good cross breeze with all of these windows. You can see from the picture leaning against the wall and the coat tree in the middle of the room that I'm not finished moving in yet, but in the last few weeks, I have come much farther than I ever did in Feuerbach. At least the coat tree is now in the basement. If you continue past the picture to the left, there is the kitchen:
I have no idea why this picture is sideways and I can't seem to turn it. The kitchen is basically a perfect square. It's not huge, but it's sufficient. (And blue!) I didn't photograph the bathroom, which is just to the left of the kitchen. My washing machine is in the bathroom and I also have a bathtub, which I didn't have in Feuerbach. To the left of the bathroom is the front door to the apartment.
And the last room then is my bedroom. You can see the door to the balcony (the shutter-like window cover is down). The bedroom door is to the right of the ladder shelf which is to the right of the couch in the living room. At the foot of the bed is also a window, so the apartment really is very bright (which is great. As you face the bed at the angle, behind you is the Kleiderschrank, which ended up fitting with room to spare in the corner for the vaccuum cleaner, ironing board and stepladder (if you remember, I was worried that the bed and the Kleiderschrank wouldn't fit....they do). You can see in this picture also that I'm not all unpacked.
And since I had a bunch of hair cut off, I thought a picture of me with short hair might be good:
Here's my living room. You can see the doorwall and the windows, it's really bright and sunny. The balcony starts just outside this door, continues in the direction of the windows, past the bedroom and wraps around the corner. It's narrow, but really long. Since I took this picture, I hung sheer curtains as well, so I'll have to get some new pictures. I can't tell you how happy I was to have my couch! And I really like the terracotta accent wall. The floor is also really nice, it's some kind of biological wood, so it shifts a bit, and my landlord is really attached to it, so I worry about it getting scratched, but....
Standing in front of the couch, here's looking into the dining "room" (more like the dining corner). Here's another doorwall, but there's no balcony, it just looks out over the street. But I get a really good cross breeze with all of these windows. You can see from the picture leaning against the wall and the coat tree in the middle of the room that I'm not finished moving in yet, but in the last few weeks, I have come much farther than I ever did in Feuerbach. At least the coat tree is now in the basement. If you continue past the picture to the left, there is the kitchen:
I have no idea why this picture is sideways and I can't seem to turn it. The kitchen is basically a perfect square. It's not huge, but it's sufficient. (And blue!) I didn't photograph the bathroom, which is just to the left of the kitchen. My washing machine is in the bathroom and I also have a bathtub, which I didn't have in Feuerbach. To the left of the bathroom is the front door to the apartment.
And the last room then is my bedroom. You can see the door to the balcony (the shutter-like window cover is down). The bedroom door is to the right of the ladder shelf which is to the right of the couch in the living room. At the foot of the bed is also a window, so the apartment really is very bright (which is great. As you face the bed at the angle, behind you is the Kleiderschrank, which ended up fitting with room to spare in the corner for the vaccuum cleaner, ironing board and stepladder (if you remember, I was worried that the bed and the Kleiderschrank wouldn't fit....they do). You can see in this picture also that I'm not all unpacked.
And since I had a bunch of hair cut off, I thought a picture of me with short hair might be good:
20 April 2007
Hello from Turkey!
This week my work travels have taken me to Bursa, Turkey. Therefore, everything on my screen right now (except for this text) is displayed in Turkish. Hmm, good thing I know blogger pretty well. The best thing is that the hotel in which we are staying has free wireless internet! That's not true in very many hotels.
The hotel is a very old building which has been renovated. The room was absolutely gorgeous. I took a picture, which I will upload when I get back to Germany. It's located on the edge of the botanical garden, so each morning we (my colleague and I) have been getting up extra early to go walking in the garden. It's cold here, but it's been sunny in the mornings, so it's a nice way to wake up.
Unfortunately, as is typical with work travel, I have not seen very much of Bursa. I have seen, from a distance, the mountains. But there is a lot of smog here, so the view of them is not very good. I have seen a couple of restaurants. The first night, I ate octopus (it was already cut up on a plate and didn't look like octupus at all). It tasted good. I let my Turkish colleague order for me, because he knows the food here better and could make a recommendation. So, the main course was fish and my fish was delivered in full body style, meaning that it still had it's head. I am proud to say that I ate it anyway (not the head of course, but a few years it ago, it would have been unthinkable for me to even touch a fish with it's head still on).
Yesterday, we ate a lot of various dishes, a lot of kebap. The meal was delicious! This afternoon, we will head back to Istanbul, about a four hour drive. Then tomorrow morning we plan to do some sight-seeing before flying back to Germany.
In Germany, it's nice and warm. In the 70s in April! We've already been to a beer garden.....
I have pictures of the new apartment, which I will also upload when I'm back. And in other news, I got a pretty major hair cut. My hair was below my collarbone and is now just below my jaw line. It's a little bit too short, but I remembered why I like it better short - less drying time in the morning!!
I just saw our driver pull up......more when I'm back in Germany......hopefully with pictures from Istanbul!!
The hotel is a very old building which has been renovated. The room was absolutely gorgeous. I took a picture, which I will upload when I get back to Germany. It's located on the edge of the botanical garden, so each morning we (my colleague and I) have been getting up extra early to go walking in the garden. It's cold here, but it's been sunny in the mornings, so it's a nice way to wake up.
Unfortunately, as is typical with work travel, I have not seen very much of Bursa. I have seen, from a distance, the mountains. But there is a lot of smog here, so the view of them is not very good. I have seen a couple of restaurants. The first night, I ate octopus (it was already cut up on a plate and didn't look like octupus at all). It tasted good. I let my Turkish colleague order for me, because he knows the food here better and could make a recommendation. So, the main course was fish and my fish was delivered in full body style, meaning that it still had it's head. I am proud to say that I ate it anyway (not the head of course, but a few years it ago, it would have been unthinkable for me to even touch a fish with it's head still on).
Yesterday, we ate a lot of various dishes, a lot of kebap. The meal was delicious! This afternoon, we will head back to Istanbul, about a four hour drive. Then tomorrow morning we plan to do some sight-seeing before flying back to Germany.
In Germany, it's nice and warm. In the 70s in April! We've already been to a beer garden.....
I have pictures of the new apartment, which I will also upload when I'm back. And in other news, I got a pretty major hair cut. My hair was below my collarbone and is now just below my jaw line. It's a little bit too short, but I remembered why I like it better short - less drying time in the morning!!
I just saw our driver pull up......more when I'm back in Germany......hopefully with pictures from Istanbul!!
02 April 2007
By the way....
I tried out the new garage yesterday - absolutely lovely! I no longer fear parking in my own garage. :o) It's good.....
And there's an elevator from the (underground) garage all the way up to the fourth floor!!!!! No more carrying impossibly heavy things up 99 stairs. Imagine that...........
And there's an elevator from the (underground) garage all the way up to the fourth floor!!!!! No more carrying impossibly heavy things up 99 stairs. Imagine that...........
Moving Day!
Who would have thought that after only 8 months in my apartment, that I'd be writing that phrase already?....Wow and that means that I've already been in Germany for 9 months - I think that time really does fly!
Anyways, today is the big day. The cats already moved on Saturday and Jemma is totally freaked out in the new apartment, because she can't find any place to hide herself. It was so pitiful, when we went in yesterday, she was standing in the corner trying to make herself invisible. So I stacked some boxes on the kitchen counter and put her behind them, which made her happy until my friend starting drilling into the ceiling to make holes for the light fixture. Then she decided that the bathroom sink would be a good place. It was so cute.
So thanks to a very productive friend, all of the light fixtures were removed from the Feuerbach apartment yesterday and installed in the Fellbach apartment, along with a couple others that I bought at Ikea. (The old place already had some fixtures, the new place didn't have any, so I was short a few.) It's looking good. The whole time we were there, I kept expecting the neighbors to ring the doorbell and complain about the fact that we were drilling on a Sunday and until 9 p.m.!! But they didn't. They probably just sat there and thought evil thoughts about this new inconsiderate neighbor....Seriously, I think two or three drill bits were flattened by the ceiling, which apparently is made out of concrete or something similar.
Here in Feuerbach, almost everything is packed and what isn't will be in the next few hours. (Thank goodness for friends and a week of vacation!!) The infamous Kleiderschrank was disassembled yesterday and I think that (if I measured correctly) it should fit just perfectly into the Fellbach apartment. (If it doesn't, you'll be able to hear the grief I get from my "Engineer" friends all the way in Michigan.) (And I think I might cry if it doesn't fit.)
Yesterday we painted over a few spots in Fellbach, too, so the new place is looking pretty spiffy. Pictures are coming, I promise. The batteries in my camera are dead (if you looked at all the pictures I uploaded to Flickr, you can see why - overusage!). Plus it will look better/more interesting with furniture in it anyways. I have to get in touch with the moving guy today to see about getting my couch delivered out of storage. (yippeeeeee!!)
(I have to say how glad I will be when moving is over - so much to do, I am exhausted and the really hard work is coming this evening...)
Anyways, today is the big day. The cats already moved on Saturday and Jemma is totally freaked out in the new apartment, because she can't find any place to hide herself. It was so pitiful, when we went in yesterday, she was standing in the corner trying to make herself invisible. So I stacked some boxes on the kitchen counter and put her behind them, which made her happy until my friend starting drilling into the ceiling to make holes for the light fixture. Then she decided that the bathroom sink would be a good place. It was so cute.
So thanks to a very productive friend, all of the light fixtures were removed from the Feuerbach apartment yesterday and installed in the Fellbach apartment, along with a couple others that I bought at Ikea. (The old place already had some fixtures, the new place didn't have any, so I was short a few.) It's looking good. The whole time we were there, I kept expecting the neighbors to ring the doorbell and complain about the fact that we were drilling on a Sunday and until 9 p.m.!! But they didn't. They probably just sat there and thought evil thoughts about this new inconsiderate neighbor....Seriously, I think two or three drill bits were flattened by the ceiling, which apparently is made out of concrete or something similar.
Here in Feuerbach, almost everything is packed and what isn't will be in the next few hours. (Thank goodness for friends and a week of vacation!!) The infamous Kleiderschrank was disassembled yesterday and I think that (if I measured correctly) it should fit just perfectly into the Fellbach apartment. (If it doesn't, you'll be able to hear the grief I get from my "Engineer" friends all the way in Michigan.) (And I think I might cry if it doesn't fit.)
Yesterday we painted over a few spots in Fellbach, too, so the new place is looking pretty spiffy. Pictures are coming, I promise. The batteries in my camera are dead (if you looked at all the pictures I uploaded to Flickr, you can see why - overusage!). Plus it will look better/more interesting with furniture in it anyways. I have to get in touch with the moving guy today to see about getting my couch delivered out of storage. (yippeeeeee!!)
(I have to say how glad I will be when moving is over - so much to do, I am exhausted and the really hard work is coming this evening...)
27 March 2007
To Brazil and back....
Okay, here's the deal. There's a lot of stuff that I don't blog about. Why? Because I don't want the whole world to know everything about me. So when something's stressing me out or bothering me, but it's something that I won't blog about, then I just don't blog at all. And the past few weeks were pretty stressful. On top of that, I had the worst cold I have had in a really long time. On top of that, I flew to Brazil for a week for work.
Last time I posted, I promised pictures of Dresden would be forthcoming. I've finally uploaded the pictures from Dresden to Flickr. I also uploaded pictures from the trip down the Romantic Road a couple of weeks ago. There's really nothing that romantic about the Road in my opinion. And then, we got lost. It's a pretty weird feeling when you're driving along and you suddenly see a sign "Welcome to Austria!" Ooooops, how did that happen?? And then, you have no idea where you are, cause you're in the middle of the boonies and all you can think about is how you're probably going to run out of gas before the next station and you'll freeze and starve before someone finds you. But other than that, Austria was really beautiful. It was so funny, it was really snowy (as you can see in the Neuschwanstein photos) up in the mountains. But as soon as we got into the city (in the valley) it was sunny and beautiful. Neuschwanstein is pretty (it's the castle after which Disney modeled Cinderella's castle). But I personally preferred Schloss Ludwigsburg, which was actually lived in, had a much better tour and is much closer to home!
After returning home from the Romantic Road, I noticed that there was water creeping up my walls in the hallway. I didn't upload those pictures, but I now have these lovely yellow water stains on my walls. I called my Landlord, who said "ach du gruene neune!" which Leo translates as Gorblimey! (Who knows, something British.) I had no idea what he meant, so I repeated it out loud and asked what it meant, which had my colleagues all laughing out loud at me. He asked my neighbor to have a look. My neighbor decided that it happened because the floor of the shower wasn't caulked completely. So he caulked and it should be all better. (Can you tell that I'm thinking that's not what caused it? It's an awful lot of water for some little holes in the caulk.) I'm pretty sure there's water under the floor and in the walls. Lovely.
Not because of that, but that's just another good reason, I've decided to move. For many reasons. (Hopefully my landlord doesn't read my blog.....I haven't told him yet.) I'm moving out of Stuttgart to Fellbach. I'll sign the contract tomorrow. I think I have the absolute best new address: Bahnhofstrasse 123....."Train station street 123." It's in the middle of the city and 5 minutes from the train station (on foot). There's an underground garage (yea, no more hating my garage!!) and an elevator (yea, no more lugging suitcases and cats up and down 99 steps - although I might have to join a gym since I won't have the 99 steps any more).
In Germany, you have to give three months notice. So instead of paying three months on two apartments, I'm going to look for someone to rent the Stuttgart apartment myself. Basically, if I find someone, my landlord pretty much has to take them and let me out of the notice period. Hopefully I'll be successful!!
Last Sunday, I flew to Brazil. I was so sick. And Saturday night was the Long Night of the Museums. So we (five friends and I) had dinner at my apartment (my first dinner party here!! :o) and headed to the museums. We didn't see much, because we had to wait in line a long time. It was really fun anyways. But I was really dragging by the time I got home. I got about 4 hours of sleep and took a taxi to the airport. I flew from Stuttgart to Frankfurt and then from Frankfurt to Sao Paulo (11.5 hours!). When I got to Sao Paulo, I stood in line at passport control. Then I stood in line at baggage control. Then I stood in line at the check-in counter (I totally associate Sao Paulo with standing in line). The ticket agent told me to hurry to the gate, my flight would be boarding soon. I stood in line for security check. I got to the gate and no one was boarding. So I sat down. An older Italian gentleman leaned over and asked if I knew that the flight had been delayed. Delayed for 5 hours until 1 am (local time - or 5 am in Germany)!!!! Nope, didn't know. I was so tired. I had been traveling for 18 hours. I went to the counter and asked if there was another flight to Curitiba - nope. I told the guy that there was no way I could stay in the airport for 5 hours, I wanted to be put in a hotel. He said that was fine, but I had to go all the way out to the ticket counter, find one specific lady and tell her that he said I should get a hotel. I thought about it, but it seemed harder to do all of that, then to lay down in the waiting area and sleep for a few hours. So I did. I've never slept in an airport before. But I was soooo tired. About 12:30, they let us board. I checked into my hotel at 2:30 a.m. on Monday, a full 23.5 hours after I had left my apartment on the previous day.
The week was full of meetings, but was very successful. I'm only disappointed that I didn't get to see more of the city. It's a really interesting place. Security is a serious issue - everything has gates or fences or barbed wire. And the difference between rich and poor is really noticeable. They don't have many garbage trucks, because there are people who pull these wire carts around the city collecting garbage. And apparently there's a whole hierarchy behind that and if you work your way up high enough, you can buy a horse to pull the cart. The weather was beautiful - 25 degrees celsius every day. Meanwhile, it snowed in Germany! I would like to go back to Brazil someday.
On the trip back, the plane left Curitiba late, but that was no problem, because the next plane left Sao Paulo late. I slept for 7 hours straight on the flight (after watching the new James Bond movie). Can I just tell you how much I love business class??? You can make the seat into a bed! I've never slept so well on a plane before. Because the plane was late leaving Sao Paulo, I got into Frankfurt only 20 minutes before my train left for Stuttgart. I pretty much counted on the fact that my bag wouldn't make it. It didn't. So I asked the lady at the train station to call me when it came, instead of sending a taxi, so that I didn't have to worry about being home. But then there was a shift change and the new lady didn't get the message. So when I stopped by that evening on my way to a housewarming party, the bag had been sent to the airport (which is much farther from me) for delivery by a taxi. So they sent it away to bring it back. Because I knew I wouldn't be home, I asked them to bring it back to the train station and call me when it got there (sound familiar?). So I ended up getting my bag on Sunday.
This morning, I went to the Turkish Consulate to get my visa for my trip in three weeks. It was just pure luck that it was a Tuesday, because they only issue visas on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which I really didn't know. My passport is filling up fast - German work permit, visa for Brazil, visa for Turkey, stamps from Poland, Brazil, Germany.....I'm worried that I'll run out of pages and have to get a new passport. Or I heard that they'll tape extra pages in for you, but it apparently looks really hillbilly.
My cold's much better, but still not gone. And I'm looking at everything I have to pack and wondering why I wanted to move? Because there's no move from Bosch this time. Fortunately, I have a bunch of really good friends who have promised to help. And just think, I'll get to have my couch back!
Next week I have vacation, which is perfect timing. I can pack and move day and night. And then on Friday, 10 Americans are flying together to Lisbon, Portugal for the weekend. It should be really fun! And I learned some Portugese in Brazil to use in Portugal - obrigada is thank you.
My house in MI still hasn't sold. So I think it's going to go up for rent in the next week or two. If you know anyone who wants to rent it, send them my way!! It's a cute house!
That's what's going on here.....pictures of the new place to follow. :o)
Last time I posted, I promised pictures of Dresden would be forthcoming. I've finally uploaded the pictures from Dresden to Flickr. I also uploaded pictures from the trip down the Romantic Road a couple of weeks ago. There's really nothing that romantic about the Road in my opinion. And then, we got lost. It's a pretty weird feeling when you're driving along and you suddenly see a sign "Welcome to Austria!" Ooooops, how did that happen?? And then, you have no idea where you are, cause you're in the middle of the boonies and all you can think about is how you're probably going to run out of gas before the next station and you'll freeze and starve before someone finds you. But other than that, Austria was really beautiful. It was so funny, it was really snowy (as you can see in the Neuschwanstein photos) up in the mountains. But as soon as we got into the city (in the valley) it was sunny and beautiful. Neuschwanstein is pretty (it's the castle after which Disney modeled Cinderella's castle). But I personally preferred Schloss Ludwigsburg, which was actually lived in, had a much better tour and is much closer to home!
After returning home from the Romantic Road, I noticed that there was water creeping up my walls in the hallway. I didn't upload those pictures, but I now have these lovely yellow water stains on my walls. I called my Landlord, who said "ach du gruene neune!" which Leo translates as Gorblimey! (Who knows, something British.) I had no idea what he meant, so I repeated it out loud and asked what it meant, which had my colleagues all laughing out loud at me. He asked my neighbor to have a look. My neighbor decided that it happened because the floor of the shower wasn't caulked completely. So he caulked and it should be all better. (Can you tell that I'm thinking that's not what caused it? It's an awful lot of water for some little holes in the caulk.) I'm pretty sure there's water under the floor and in the walls. Lovely.
Not because of that, but that's just another good reason, I've decided to move. For many reasons. (Hopefully my landlord doesn't read my blog.....I haven't told him yet.) I'm moving out of Stuttgart to Fellbach. I'll sign the contract tomorrow. I think I have the absolute best new address: Bahnhofstrasse 123....."Train station street 123." It's in the middle of the city and 5 minutes from the train station (on foot). There's an underground garage (yea, no more hating my garage!!) and an elevator (yea, no more lugging suitcases and cats up and down 99 steps - although I might have to join a gym since I won't have the 99 steps any more).
In Germany, you have to give three months notice. So instead of paying three months on two apartments, I'm going to look for someone to rent the Stuttgart apartment myself. Basically, if I find someone, my landlord pretty much has to take them and let me out of the notice period. Hopefully I'll be successful!!
Last Sunday, I flew to Brazil. I was so sick. And Saturday night was the Long Night of the Museums. So we (five friends and I) had dinner at my apartment (my first dinner party here!! :o) and headed to the museums. We didn't see much, because we had to wait in line a long time. It was really fun anyways. But I was really dragging by the time I got home. I got about 4 hours of sleep and took a taxi to the airport. I flew from Stuttgart to Frankfurt and then from Frankfurt to Sao Paulo (11.5 hours!). When I got to Sao Paulo, I stood in line at passport control. Then I stood in line at baggage control. Then I stood in line at the check-in counter (I totally associate Sao Paulo with standing in line). The ticket agent told me to hurry to the gate, my flight would be boarding soon. I stood in line for security check. I got to the gate and no one was boarding. So I sat down. An older Italian gentleman leaned over and asked if I knew that the flight had been delayed. Delayed for 5 hours until 1 am (local time - or 5 am in Germany)!!!! Nope, didn't know. I was so tired. I had been traveling for 18 hours. I went to the counter and asked if there was another flight to Curitiba - nope. I told the guy that there was no way I could stay in the airport for 5 hours, I wanted to be put in a hotel. He said that was fine, but I had to go all the way out to the ticket counter, find one specific lady and tell her that he said I should get a hotel. I thought about it, but it seemed harder to do all of that, then to lay down in the waiting area and sleep for a few hours. So I did. I've never slept in an airport before. But I was soooo tired. About 12:30, they let us board. I checked into my hotel at 2:30 a.m. on Monday, a full 23.5 hours after I had left my apartment on the previous day.
The week was full of meetings, but was very successful. I'm only disappointed that I didn't get to see more of the city. It's a really interesting place. Security is a serious issue - everything has gates or fences or barbed wire. And the difference between rich and poor is really noticeable. They don't have many garbage trucks, because there are people who pull these wire carts around the city collecting garbage. And apparently there's a whole hierarchy behind that and if you work your way up high enough, you can buy a horse to pull the cart. The weather was beautiful - 25 degrees celsius every day. Meanwhile, it snowed in Germany! I would like to go back to Brazil someday.
On the trip back, the plane left Curitiba late, but that was no problem, because the next plane left Sao Paulo late. I slept for 7 hours straight on the flight (after watching the new James Bond movie). Can I just tell you how much I love business class??? You can make the seat into a bed! I've never slept so well on a plane before. Because the plane was late leaving Sao Paulo, I got into Frankfurt only 20 minutes before my train left for Stuttgart. I pretty much counted on the fact that my bag wouldn't make it. It didn't. So I asked the lady at the train station to call me when it came, instead of sending a taxi, so that I didn't have to worry about being home. But then there was a shift change and the new lady didn't get the message. So when I stopped by that evening on my way to a housewarming party, the bag had been sent to the airport (which is much farther from me) for delivery by a taxi. So they sent it away to bring it back. Because I knew I wouldn't be home, I asked them to bring it back to the train station and call me when it got there (sound familiar?). So I ended up getting my bag on Sunday.
This morning, I went to the Turkish Consulate to get my visa for my trip in three weeks. It was just pure luck that it was a Tuesday, because they only issue visas on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which I really didn't know. My passport is filling up fast - German work permit, visa for Brazil, visa for Turkey, stamps from Poland, Brazil, Germany.....I'm worried that I'll run out of pages and have to get a new passport. Or I heard that they'll tape extra pages in for you, but it apparently looks really hillbilly.
My cold's much better, but still not gone. And I'm looking at everything I have to pack and wondering why I wanted to move? Because there's no move from Bosch this time. Fortunately, I have a bunch of really good friends who have promised to help. And just think, I'll get to have my couch back!
Next week I have vacation, which is perfect timing. I can pack and move day and night. And then on Friday, 10 Americans are flying together to Lisbon, Portugal for the weekend. It should be really fun! And I learned some Portugese in Brazil to use in Portugal - obrigada is thank you.
My house in MI still hasn't sold. So I think it's going to go up for rent in the next week or two. If you know anyone who wants to rent it, send them my way!! It's a cute house!
That's what's going on here.....pictures of the new place to follow. :o)
04 March 2007
Man, these things are good.....
| You Are a Mac |
 You are creative, stylish, and super trendy. You demand the best - even if it costs an arm and a leg. |
I LOVE my Mac!!!!!!!
No surprise here....
If you know me, you will not be shocked to know that:
| You Are a Chocolate Cake |
 Fun, comforting, and friendly. You are a true classic, and while you're not super cutting edge, you're high quality. People love your company - and have even been known to get addicted to you. |
03 March 2007
Still here
I kind of fell off the face of the earth.....I know. It's been a busy, stressful and emotional time here of late. And I just haven't had the energy to post. Thanks for the emails and comments asking where I am....that's really nice.
So what's been going on in the last couple of months?
Among other things, I've taken weekend trips to Poland, Dresden and Cologne. I have pictures, but I haven't uploaded them. I'll work on that.
I've worked a million, billion hours. There's a lot going on at work right now. I leave for Brazil two weeks from today for a week. I'm looking forward to it, but there's a lot to be done before then.
This upcoming weekend, my friend S. is coming from the States. I'm also looking forward to that. We're going to check out the Romantic Road here in Germany, including stops at Rothenburg o.d.T. and Neuschwanstein, the castle that Walt Disney modeled Cinderella's castle after.
Then, in the first week of April, about 8 Americans are going together to Lisbon, Portugal for four days. A friend and I are also considering going to Prague during that week as well.
What else? Well, the weather's generally been awesome. Considering that it's cold and snowing in Michigan, sun and 50-degree weather in Stuttgart has been a treat. Even if it has rained a lot as well. Of course, this mild weather is making the Germans nuts, because "it's just not right" and it's a sign that the world is coming to an end.....well, that's dramatizing it, but it really does make them upset. The general consensus seems to be that if the Americans stopped driving their big SUVs and started recycling more, this wouldn't be happening. You'll all get right on
that, right? Oh and to do "our part better," we're going to be getting these delightful little stickers for our cars. They look like this:
They are color-differentiated to indicate the emissions that the car releases - red, yellow, green and none. Some specific cities in Germany will start with a pilot and one of those is.....you guessed it.....Stuttgart. So when you enter into the city, you'll see a sign that looks like this, which says environmental zone and by the little
color circles underneath, you'll know if you're allowed into that city's limits or not. I guess this officially became effective March 1st, but I haven't seen any cars with the sticker yet and I don't have one yet. Maybe I'd better get going on that. In principle, I have no problem with this system and I certainly think that the idea behind it is noble. My problem is....what are you supposed to do if you get up one morning and hear on the radio that no "3"s are allowed in Stuttgart today and you drive a "3." I don't live near a bus stop or a train stop, so I would have to walk a good distance to work if I wasn't allowed to drive. Which is just a little crazy, isn't it? Because it's not like you can call in - "Hi, I can't come to work today, because I'm not allowed to drive my car within the city limits." Well, we'll see.....
So, that's what's happening here......I'm going to try to be better about blogging and I'll be uploading pictures shortly - maybe today.....
So what's been going on in the last couple of months?
Among other things, I've taken weekend trips to Poland, Dresden and Cologne. I have pictures, but I haven't uploaded them. I'll work on that.
I've worked a million, billion hours. There's a lot going on at work right now. I leave for Brazil two weeks from today for a week. I'm looking forward to it, but there's a lot to be done before then.
This upcoming weekend, my friend S. is coming from the States. I'm also looking forward to that. We're going to check out the Romantic Road here in Germany, including stops at Rothenburg o.d.T. and Neuschwanstein, the castle that Walt Disney modeled Cinderella's castle after.
Then, in the first week of April, about 8 Americans are going together to Lisbon, Portugal for four days. A friend and I are also considering going to Prague during that week as well.
What else? Well, the weather's generally been awesome. Considering that it's cold and snowing in Michigan, sun and 50-degree weather in Stuttgart has been a treat. Even if it has rained a lot as well. Of course, this mild weather is making the Germans nuts, because "it's just not right" and it's a sign that the world is coming to an end.....well, that's dramatizing it, but it really does make them upset. The general consensus seems to be that if the Americans stopped driving their big SUVs and started recycling more, this wouldn't be happening. You'll all get right on
that, right? Oh and to do "our part better," we're going to be getting these delightful little stickers for our cars. They look like this:They are color-differentiated to indicate the emissions that the car releases - red, yellow, green and none. Some specific cities in Germany will start with a pilot and one of those is.....you guessed it.....Stuttgart. So when you enter into the city, you'll see a sign that looks like this, which says environmental zone and by the little
color circles underneath, you'll know if you're allowed into that city's limits or not. I guess this officially became effective March 1st, but I haven't seen any cars with the sticker yet and I don't have one yet. Maybe I'd better get going on that. In principle, I have no problem with this system and I certainly think that the idea behind it is noble. My problem is....what are you supposed to do if you get up one morning and hear on the radio that no "3"s are allowed in Stuttgart today and you drive a "3." I don't live near a bus stop or a train stop, so I would have to walk a good distance to work if I wasn't allowed to drive. Which is just a little crazy, isn't it? Because it's not like you can call in - "Hi, I can't come to work today, because I'm not allowed to drive my car within the city limits." Well, we'll see.....So, that's what's happening here......I'm going to try to be better about blogging and I'll be uploading pictures shortly - maybe today.....
25 January 2007
Now this is funny.
If you haven't yet seen this video from the White House Correspondents' Dinner, you have to watch it!
24 January 2007
Run-down
Okay, I've been totally deliquent about posting. Almost seems like that's becoming the theme of this blog, doesn't it?
My weekend went like this: on Friday night, we celebrated my friend Ira's birthday.
On Saturday, I painted at Rene and Melissa's new apartment. The lady that lived there before them must have never cleaned - the walls were filthy, with cobwebs and dirt everywhere. We painted the kitchen white and it looks much better! Their building is really old and the apartment needs a lot of work, but when they're done, I think it's going to be really nice.
On Saturday night, we celebrated their return to Germany with a fondue night. We had 8 different kinds of fondue, including 2 chocolate fondues. It was delicious! And really, really fun. On Sunday, I was so tired from all of that, that I came home from church and went to bed. Later I went to Ira and David's to meet some other friends of theirs. We went walking (typical Sunday activity), even though it was quite windy and cold.
Monday after work, I went back to Rene and Melissa's and helped take down wallpaper. It was not particularly fun, but the company was good.
Yesterday afternoon it started snowing. So after work, I came out to a car covered in snow. And no snow brush. Oops. So on my way home, I stopped at the home improvement store and bought a snow brush and an ice scraper. It continued to snow all night long and all day today. I don't know how much snow we have, but it must be close to a foot. This morning, after backing out of the garage, I got stuck in the snow. Fortunately, two people from the next building over decided to be really helpful and they came over and pushed out the car. And then on my way into work, this guy offered to share his umbrella with me. Somehow, people were just very helpful today!
Traffic was a mess. One of my colleagues didn't make it into work at all and another need four hours to get there. I'm really glad I bought those winter tires now!
It was funny to come home today, because my windows that are on an angle in the roof are all covered with snow, so I can't see out of them at all. Fortunately, I have a few "regular" windows, so I can still see some things.
Today, I also started filling out my tax organizer. Now, I have to admit that I have the "luxury" of having a tax advisor, who will be completing my taxes for me. But it's amazing what I have to report: how much I spent in utilities in Germany, how big my apartment is, how long my bank accounts have been opened, what the balance is, what the highest balance in 2006 was. It's soooo much and it takes a long time to look up. And of course, I'm finding out that not all of this information is available online. For example, the bank that I use only provides statements back six months. Which means that I had to write and ask them questions. Good thing my info isn't due until March!
My weekend went like this: on Friday night, we celebrated my friend Ira's birthday.
On Saturday, I painted at Rene and Melissa's new apartment. The lady that lived there before them must have never cleaned - the walls were filthy, with cobwebs and dirt everywhere. We painted the kitchen white and it looks much better! Their building is really old and the apartment needs a lot of work, but when they're done, I think it's going to be really nice.
On Saturday night, we celebrated their return to Germany with a fondue night. We had 8 different kinds of fondue, including 2 chocolate fondues. It was delicious! And really, really fun. On Sunday, I was so tired from all of that, that I came home from church and went to bed. Later I went to Ira and David's to meet some other friends of theirs. We went walking (typical Sunday activity), even though it was quite windy and cold.
Monday after work, I went back to Rene and Melissa's and helped take down wallpaper. It was not particularly fun, but the company was good.
Yesterday afternoon it started snowing. So after work, I came out to a car covered in snow. And no snow brush. Oops. So on my way home, I stopped at the home improvement store and bought a snow brush and an ice scraper. It continued to snow all night long and all day today. I don't know how much snow we have, but it must be close to a foot. This morning, after backing out of the garage, I got stuck in the snow. Fortunately, two people from the next building over decided to be really helpful and they came over and pushed out the car. And then on my way into work, this guy offered to share his umbrella with me. Somehow, people were just very helpful today!
Traffic was a mess. One of my colleagues didn't make it into work at all and another need four hours to get there. I'm really glad I bought those winter tires now!
It was funny to come home today, because my windows that are on an angle in the roof are all covered with snow, so I can't see out of them at all. Fortunately, I have a few "regular" windows, so I can still see some things.
Today, I also started filling out my tax organizer. Now, I have to admit that I have the "luxury" of having a tax advisor, who will be completing my taxes for me. But it's amazing what I have to report: how much I spent in utilities in Germany, how big my apartment is, how long my bank accounts have been opened, what the balance is, what the highest balance in 2006 was. It's soooo much and it takes a long time to look up. And of course, I'm finding out that not all of this information is available online. For example, the bank that I use only provides statements back six months. Which means that I had to write and ask them questions. Good thing my info isn't due until March!
18 January 2007
Happy Birthday, Dad!
January 19, 19xx......that was the day on which my Dad was born. He's the sandwich kid...one older brother, one younger sister. My Grandpa owned several different businesses and I'm pretty sure my dad worked there....a laundromat and a car wash, at least I think. My dad was lucky enough to grow up on the west side of Michigan. I say lucky, because visiting my grandparents was one of my most favorite things in the whole world when I was little. To me, their house and the area they lived in were perfect. You'll have to ask my dad if he actually liked growing up there.
After college, he headed to MSU (since this post is in honor of him and because I have no particular college affiliation) - Go Spartans! What's your degree in again, Dad? Latin American Studies? No matter what it's in, my Dad has always worked in insurance, at least as long as I've known him. He's never been one to stay in one place for long, though. Fortunately, that didn't mean that we ever had to move out of the Metro Detroit Area....although there was that one time he talked about us moving to St. Joe. (I'm sure glad we didn't! - No offense to Bill & Rhonda.)
My Dad's always taken care of us. My mom's mostly always worked, too, but it has always been pretty clear in our family that my Dad is the primary breadwinner. And he's done a good job of it. Being the provider didn't come without it's share of sacrifices, including working as a janitor at our school/church, so that we could have a tuition break on some pretty hefty private school tuition. My Dad hasn't only provided for us financially, though. He's been a spiritual and emotional provider as well. And a provider of Red Wings tickets, trips to Boblo Island and lots of other fun things that I won't ever forget.
My Dad's always been kinda last-minute. One of my Aunt's favorite stories to tell is how every week, the whole family would sit on the couch waiting for him so that they could go to church. That trend has continued to date. I was pretty proud, though, because in 2006 he managed not to buy my Mom's Christmas present on Christmas Eve...I think he bought it on the 23rd instead!
But the good thing about being sorta a slow-poke....you get to enjoy life as it comes, because you're not racing through it. And that's something I've learned from my Dad. I've learned that if I slow down and enjoy, it's much nicer. And I've learned that you don't have to let the little things get you all worked up. My Dad doesn't get upset too easily. He's pretty calm. And that's an attribute I really admire. I've not been bitten by the adventure bug that my dad has. I have no desire to go mountain biking on trails that might send me flying over my bike handles or result in me landing in piles of mud. But maybe I did get some of that from him with the whole traveling thing. (I also got his calves. But sadly, I didn't get his teeth...how does that whole genetics thing work, anyway??)
My Dad never flinched at holding back my hair when I had the stomach flu. He's got a restaurant story for every occasion. He's an all-around handyman (he can replace a toilet!) And he always has advice to give on......well, pretty much anything you might need.
My Dad's over the hill, as the saying goes, in life years. But in Spirit, I think my Dad might be younger than me. Maybe that's something I can still inherit......
Happy Birthday, Dad! I love you.
(Sorry there's no pictures....Blogger's returning errors every time I try to upload.)
After college, he headed to MSU (since this post is in honor of him and because I have no particular college affiliation) - Go Spartans! What's your degree in again, Dad? Latin American Studies? No matter what it's in, my Dad has always worked in insurance, at least as long as I've known him. He's never been one to stay in one place for long, though. Fortunately, that didn't mean that we ever had to move out of the Metro Detroit Area....although there was that one time he talked about us moving to St. Joe. (I'm sure glad we didn't! - No offense to Bill & Rhonda.)
My Dad's always taken care of us. My mom's mostly always worked, too, but it has always been pretty clear in our family that my Dad is the primary breadwinner. And he's done a good job of it. Being the provider didn't come without it's share of sacrifices, including working as a janitor at our school/church, so that we could have a tuition break on some pretty hefty private school tuition. My Dad hasn't only provided for us financially, though. He's been a spiritual and emotional provider as well. And a provider of Red Wings tickets, trips to Boblo Island and lots of other fun things that I won't ever forget.
My Dad's always been kinda last-minute. One of my Aunt's favorite stories to tell is how every week, the whole family would sit on the couch waiting for him so that they could go to church. That trend has continued to date. I was pretty proud, though, because in 2006 he managed not to buy my Mom's Christmas present on Christmas Eve...I think he bought it on the 23rd instead!
But the good thing about being sorta a slow-poke....you get to enjoy life as it comes, because you're not racing through it. And that's something I've learned from my Dad. I've learned that if I slow down and enjoy, it's much nicer. And I've learned that you don't have to let the little things get you all worked up. My Dad doesn't get upset too easily. He's pretty calm. And that's an attribute I really admire. I've not been bitten by the adventure bug that my dad has. I have no desire to go mountain biking on trails that might send me flying over my bike handles or result in me landing in piles of mud. But maybe I did get some of that from him with the whole traveling thing. (I also got his calves. But sadly, I didn't get his teeth...how does that whole genetics thing work, anyway??)
My Dad never flinched at holding back my hair when I had the stomach flu. He's got a restaurant story for every occasion. He's an all-around handyman (he can replace a toilet!) And he always has advice to give on......well, pretty much anything you might need.
My Dad's over the hill, as the saying goes, in life years. But in Spirit, I think my Dad might be younger than me. Maybe that's something I can still inherit......
Happy Birthday, Dad! I love you.
(Sorry there's no pictures....Blogger's returning errors every time I try to upload.)
16 January 2007
I'm better!
Thanks for the emails and the comments. When I woke up this morning, I felt 100% better. I know it doesn't always work that way, but it was a good reminder that I need to pay attention to my health and when everything's saying slow down, slowing down might be a good idea.
Today I was back to work as normal. After work, I had an appointment for the cats to get their annual shots. I put Jemma and Cheese in one crate together, so I only had to make two trips down the stairs. I found the vet with no problem, it's really close, right in my town. Parking was the issue. Little did I know there was a parking lot behind the building. I parked down the street - a city block, maybe. Do you know how heavy those cats are? But there was no way I was making two trips that far, so I hauled them both. I really got in my workout today.
The vet was fine, but boy did I get lectured. I got lectured for the three-year rabies, because it's not valid in the whole European Union (my cats don't travel, it doesn't matter, as long as it's valid in Germany....which it is). I got lectured for having them declawed (it's illegal in Germany, you know - hey, they're American cats). I got lectured for not changing out of my work clothes (we ask the owners to hold their pets.....dude, cat hair is a regular occurrence on my clothing. It's removable, if you didn't know.) I got lectured for being late on their shots. (That one I'll take.) I got lectured on how fat Mac is (ummm, do they make kitty treadmills, cause otherwise....). I got lectured for not parking in the parking lot (nobody told me!). By the time I left, I felt sufficiently reamed out for the day. Really, she wasn't mean, but she was pretty harsh somehow. And I waited for a very long time. My appointment was at 6:15, but I was early and I didn't go in until 6:40 and I didn't leave until after 7:15. What happened to German punctuality??
Mac weighs a whopping 17.63 pounds! Holy cat, Batman! But even the vet admitted that he's very sturdily built - like we'd say about a person being big-boned. And at least he hasn't gained any since we were at the vet in May. Cheese did better having weighed in at only 13 pounds, down from 15 in May, and Jemma is, of course as always, the smallest with 8 pounds. And now they have these nifty little passports with all of their info in them.
After bringing the cats back home and lugging them upstairs (I really am going to buy harnesses and leashes so that they have to walk up), I went to a Thai restaurant in Stuttgart East for dinner for a meeting of the International Women's Club - Stuttgart. We sat at two tables and of the six women at my table, five of us are here because of my company (the husbands of the four others work there). But I hadn't met three of the other women before, so it was really nice. And I had a lovely curry dish, which I enjoyed immensely.
And now I'm going to bed.
Today I was back to work as normal. After work, I had an appointment for the cats to get their annual shots. I put Jemma and Cheese in one crate together, so I only had to make two trips down the stairs. I found the vet with no problem, it's really close, right in my town. Parking was the issue. Little did I know there was a parking lot behind the building. I parked down the street - a city block, maybe. Do you know how heavy those cats are? But there was no way I was making two trips that far, so I hauled them both. I really got in my workout today.
The vet was fine, but boy did I get lectured. I got lectured for the three-year rabies, because it's not valid in the whole European Union (my cats don't travel, it doesn't matter, as long as it's valid in Germany....which it is). I got lectured for having them declawed (it's illegal in Germany, you know - hey, they're American cats). I got lectured for not changing out of my work clothes (we ask the owners to hold their pets.....dude, cat hair is a regular occurrence on my clothing. It's removable, if you didn't know.) I got lectured for being late on their shots. (That one I'll take.) I got lectured on how fat Mac is (ummm, do they make kitty treadmills, cause otherwise....). I got lectured for not parking in the parking lot (nobody told me!). By the time I left, I felt sufficiently reamed out for the day. Really, she wasn't mean, but she was pretty harsh somehow. And I waited for a very long time. My appointment was at 6:15, but I was early and I didn't go in until 6:40 and I didn't leave until after 7:15. What happened to German punctuality??
Mac weighs a whopping 17.63 pounds! Holy cat, Batman! But even the vet admitted that he's very sturdily built - like we'd say about a person being big-boned. And at least he hasn't gained any since we were at the vet in May. Cheese did better having weighed in at only 13 pounds, down from 15 in May, and Jemma is, of course as always, the smallest with 8 pounds. And now they have these nifty little passports with all of their info in them.
After bringing the cats back home and lugging them upstairs (I really am going to buy harnesses and leashes so that they have to walk up), I went to a Thai restaurant in Stuttgart East for dinner for a meeting of the International Women's Club - Stuttgart. We sat at two tables and of the six women at my table, five of us are here because of my company (the husbands of the four others work there). But I hadn't met three of the other women before, so it was really nice. And I had a lovely curry dish, which I enjoyed immensely.
And now I'm going to bed.
15 January 2007
I'm sick
No, not in the head, but physically sick. It's not bad, really. It's that kind of sick where your head hurts, you're exhausted, your stomach is all out of sorts and you just can't think straight. I've been much sicker before. I've had strep or a sinus infection or an ear infection (yep, as an adult...). I'm sick enough that I came home from work. At least I made the effort of going into work. But I just couldn't stick it out.....why risk making anyone else sick and why not just go home and rest in order to get better. So that's what I did. But now I'm bored. Since I have no couch, I don't have anywhere to lay in the living room and watch TV. And I don't feel like sitting in a chair to watch TV. I've read all my emails, I've read all my usual blogs, I've updated my own blog (do you like the new template?), I've registered my new camera......
So.....I'm downloading Season 1 of Lost from iTunes. I hope it's as good as everyone says.......'cause I am really bored.
So.....I'm downloading Season 1 of Lost from iTunes. I hope it's as good as everyone says.......'cause I am really bored.
Excuses, excuses....
I said there would be pictures and stories.
And there aren't. But I have a good excuse.
Jet Lag and Reintegration.
Yes, that's right, my excuse is Jet Lag. And here's why. I got home around 10 a.m. (local time) on Sunday (12/31). Then I had to go pick up the cats and so I crawled into bed for a nap around 1 p.m. Which is 5 a.m. in Michigan. Then I got up at 4:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. in MI). Then I celebrated New Year's into the wee hours of the morning, or about the time I would have gone to bed had I still been in Michigan (are you figuring out the problem???) I didn't get up on New Year's Day until 12:30 p.m., which would have been early to get up in MI (6:30), but would still be morning. Monday, I got home around 8 p.m. and just didn't feel tired at all. Around midnight, I tried to go to sleep anyway. But I didn't. Literally. I did not sleep for even one minute of Monday night. And the rest of that whole week, my sleeping patterns were really messed up. Then last week was busy with work and friends and trying to unpack and clean and and and.......(Reintegration).
But I have to post now because my brother yelled at me for not posting. And because I found a great article this morning! Researchers have found that bilinigualism delays the onset of dementia. Is that good news or is that good news?? Having two grandmothers who suffer from dementia, I find this to be a very positive thing. The only thing I wonder is...how do they come up with these research topics?
So to what's happened in life.....I had an awesome trip to Michigan. And to celebrate my birthday, my fantastic friend Tim gave us access to a suite at the Joe. And to further celebrate my birthday, the Wings won. Now, I'm a hockey nut and I've been going a little nuts not being able to watch any hockey, so this was a great gift (thanks again, Tim!!). And because my Christmas wishes came true, I had my amazing new camera with me. When you look at these photos, keep in mind that we were in a suite, so in the upper ring of the Joe.....yep, my camera has that much zoom! (Thanks to Matthias for taking many of these photos.) Okay, Blogger is not cooperating with me, so I've uploaded the pictures from the game here to Flickr instead.
Speaking of the Red Wings, did you know that Governor Granholm declared January 13th to officially be Steve Yzerman Day?
New Year's Eve will have to be a separate post, I think..
And there aren't. But I have a good excuse.
Jet Lag and Reintegration.
Yes, that's right, my excuse is Jet Lag. And here's why. I got home around 10 a.m. (local time) on Sunday (12/31). Then I had to go pick up the cats and so I crawled into bed for a nap around 1 p.m. Which is 5 a.m. in Michigan. Then I got up at 4:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. in MI). Then I celebrated New Year's into the wee hours of the morning, or about the time I would have gone to bed had I still been in Michigan (are you figuring out the problem???) I didn't get up on New Year's Day until 12:30 p.m., which would have been early to get up in MI (6:30), but would still be morning. Monday, I got home around 8 p.m. and just didn't feel tired at all. Around midnight, I tried to go to sleep anyway. But I didn't. Literally. I did not sleep for even one minute of Monday night. And the rest of that whole week, my sleeping patterns were really messed up. Then last week was busy with work and friends and trying to unpack and clean and and and.......(Reintegration).
But I have to post now because my brother yelled at me for not posting. And because I found a great article this morning! Researchers have found that bilinigualism delays the onset of dementia. Is that good news or is that good news?? Having two grandmothers who suffer from dementia, I find this to be a very positive thing. The only thing I wonder is...how do they come up with these research topics?
So to what's happened in life.....I had an awesome trip to Michigan. And to celebrate my birthday, my fantastic friend Tim gave us access to a suite at the Joe. And to further celebrate my birthday, the Wings won. Now, I'm a hockey nut and I've been going a little nuts not being able to watch any hockey, so this was a great gift (thanks again, Tim!!). And because my Christmas wishes came true, I had my amazing new camera with me. When you look at these photos, keep in mind that we were in a suite, so in the upper ring of the Joe.....yep, my camera has that much zoom! (Thanks to Matthias for taking many of these photos.) Okay, Blogger is not cooperating with me, so I've uploaded the pictures from the game here to Flickr instead.
Speaking of the Red Wings, did you know that Governor Granholm declared January 13th to officially be Steve Yzerman Day?
New Year's Eve will have to be a separate post, I think..
14 January 2007
In the meantime
I'm working on a "proper" post, but until then I give you.......
My GOOD side.....
You are Superman
and my BAD side....
You are Lex Luthor
Click here to take the "Which Super Villain am I?" quiz...
My GOOD side.....
You are Superman
Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz... |
and my BAD side....
You are Lex Luthor
A brilliant businessman on a quest for world domination and the self-proclaimed greatest criminal mind of our time! |
Click here to take the "Which Super Villain am I?" quiz...
01 January 2007
Hello 2007!
As the first day of this new year is about to end, I thought I would look back at 2006 (still being jet-lagged, I'm not feeling nearly as tired as I should right now).
2006 was a pretty big year in my life (if you missed that, check the archives ;o). Thank you to my family and "far-away" friends, who have been supportive through these major changes and have been so good about keeping up with my blog, emailing and even downloading Skype to call....I love you all and I was soooooo happy to see (most of) you while I was in MI. I can't wait to hear about your plans to travel to Germany in 2007 (hint, hint)!! And thank you to my (newish) "near" friends, who have been hospitable above and beyond my expectations, extended friendship so readily and become my family away from family (like home away from home).
I am so thankful for you all, near and far, and I hope that 2007 will be a wonderful year for you!
My "firsts" in 2006:
May: I put a house up for sale for the first time (I hope that I'll be able to very soon say that I sold a house for the first time....).
June:
-I started a blog for the first time.
-I moved out of Michigan, out of the US and to a foreign country for the first time.
-I traveled with cats for the first time.
-I rented an apartment for the first time.
July:
-I started working in an office where the official language is something other than English for the first time.
-I went alone to buy a car for the first time (and while speaking in German!).
-I bought my first Mercedes (hopefully not my only ;o)!
August: I made my first official work presentation in German.
September: I became an Aunt for the first time.
November: I celebrated my first Thanksgiving away from my family (and felt really, really lucky to have such awesome friends to celebrate with in absence of my family).
December:
-I flew to Michigan "on vacation" for the first time.
-I met my nephew for the first time.
-I turned 28 for the first (and only) time.
-I celebrated New Year's Eve in Germany for the first time.
There were lots and lots more firsts.....if you've been reading for a while, you know about most of them.
I haven't made any grandiose resolutions for 2007. And I like it better that way......
Tomorrow, when I'm hopefully over my jet lag and motivated to learn how to upload photos from my new camera, I will write about and post some photos from the festivities yesterday.....or should I say today, since they continued until the wee hours of the morning?
Although I am not tired, I will now try to sleep. So, I leave you with a German tradition, the film Dinner for One (in English!), which is watched by many on New Year's Eve. (We didn't watch it last night, but it was quoted frequently.) I hope you appreciate British humor. (If not, it's only 11 minutes!)
Happy New Year!
----If you're wondering about this film, Wikipedia has a good entry about it here. I don't know, I guess it's just one of those things...
2006 was a pretty big year in my life (if you missed that, check the archives ;o). Thank you to my family and "far-away" friends, who have been supportive through these major changes and have been so good about keeping up with my blog, emailing and even downloading Skype to call....I love you all and I was soooooo happy to see (most of) you while I was in MI. I can't wait to hear about your plans to travel to Germany in 2007 (hint, hint)!! And thank you to my (newish) "near" friends, who have been hospitable above and beyond my expectations, extended friendship so readily and become my family away from family (like home away from home).
I am so thankful for you all, near and far, and I hope that 2007 will be a wonderful year for you!
My "firsts" in 2006:
May: I put a house up for sale for the first time (I hope that I'll be able to very soon say that I sold a house for the first time....).
June:
-I started a blog for the first time.
-I moved out of Michigan, out of the US and to a foreign country for the first time.
-I traveled with cats for the first time.
-I rented an apartment for the first time.
July:
-I started working in an office where the official language is something other than English for the first time.
-I went alone to buy a car for the first time (and while speaking in German!).
-I bought my first Mercedes (hopefully not my only ;o)!
August: I made my first official work presentation in German.
September: I became an Aunt for the first time.
November: I celebrated my first Thanksgiving away from my family (and felt really, really lucky to have such awesome friends to celebrate with in absence of my family).
December:
-I flew to Michigan "on vacation" for the first time.
-I met my nephew for the first time.
-I turned 28 for the first (and only) time.
-I celebrated New Year's Eve in Germany for the first time.
There were lots and lots more firsts.....if you've been reading for a while, you know about most of them.
I haven't made any grandiose resolutions for 2007. And I like it better that way......
Tomorrow, when I'm hopefully over my jet lag and motivated to learn how to upload photos from my new camera, I will write about and post some photos from the festivities yesterday.....or should I say today, since they continued until the wee hours of the morning?
Although I am not tired, I will now try to sleep. So, I leave you with a German tradition, the film Dinner for One (in English!), which is watched by many on New Year's Eve. (We didn't watch it last night, but it was quoted frequently.) I hope you appreciate British humor. (If not, it's only 11 minutes!)
Happy New Year!
----If you're wondering about this film, Wikipedia has a good entry about it here. I don't know, I guess it's just one of those things...
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About Me
- Sarah
- Stuttgart, Germany
- I'm an American, a Michigander, to be exact (or is it Michiganian??), living in Germany. I moved here on a three-year assignment with an automotive company, fell in love, got married and am now here to stay.
Us
The Bean
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Noah Luke