Ann ona Moose

New posts over at wordpress blog

2008-04-10T15:24:00.002+01:00

That address again is

http://annonamoose.wordpress.com

Maybe a Move

2008-04-07T07:34:00.002+01:00

Relax, relax - not from the apartment, that would be inconvenient for me. I am working on a switch over to wordpress because all the logging in and logging out of various google accounts is too annoying.

I've imported the blog over at http://annonamoose.wordpress.com. I am not yet 100% sold, but I will keep you informed both there and here.

For those opposed to copying and pasting here's ann on a wordpress moose.

How literally should one interpret "literally"?

2008-04-07T07:33:00.000+01:00

I was reading a description of the desired applicant at a copywriting company yesterday when I ran across the following

You do not translate Kompetenz, Kontrolle and Konditionen literally

Now what I want to know is, "What in heaven's name do they mean?" If you do the following,

Kompetenz = competence
Kontrolle = control
Konditionen = conditions

it's not literal, it's wrong! The literal translations, off the top of my head, would be expertise, checking/inspection, and terms. Do they mean they don't want these, or do they simply want people who don't fall into the most common Falsche Freunde traps?

I also ran across the words "Plus Points" on their web page. I am more familiar with this phrase in German. Do the Brits say this? In NY English, I think we would say something "is a plus".

I, Ann-ona-Moose, being of sound mind. . .

2008-03-20T12:40:00.003+01:00

Ran across this today in my brain-rot browsing

The family riff (sic), which dates back to the initial dispute over the grandfather's estate, was still raging during Heath's memorial. In fact, Mike Ledger claims 17 family member (sic) were not invited to attend services for Heath.

from MSNBC

"Riff". Is that what you have when a family "rift" and a family "tiff" have babies? Jus' checkin.

I will probably look into getting a will when we go home this summer. It's my understanding that in Germany it doesn't matter whether you die intestate or not and certain percentages of your estate are guaranteed to specific relatives regardless of your wishes (Pflichtanteil). In the States, there can be serious financial disadvantages to "going" without a will.

New and interesting tidbit: German wills must be handwritten if you want to avoid an expensive trip to the notary.

Do I really need to set up a power of attorney for the unnamed German spouse in the event of my incapacity - isn't the fact that this happens automatically a benefit of getting married?

Off to the town of the hurdled ford (Bleg)

2008-03-18T11:46:00.002+01:00

Assuming I don't have an interview (looking less and less likely), we are off to Dublin the weekend after next.

I found a Podcast tour, but if you have any words of wisdom re: tourism in Baile Átha Cliath, I would be really grateful. And if you can pronounce that properly, you are a significantly better person than I. Really, German is complicated, but I think one does a better job reading Finnish aloud than Irish and this is awful, because I have relatives in the Gaeltracht.

Worth listening to - RTE has some great radio broadcasts available as Podcasts. I've been enjoying "What If?". The Documentaries, however, are seriously depressing.

I found this rather imposing figure

2008-03-18T11:04:00.002+01:00

on my trip through the town yesterday.

I was out on the town to buy shoelaces yesterday - which leads us to our word for today Schnürsenkel. Schnüren - to fasten, to tie with string, to strap and Senkel - shoe lace, plumb bob (arch.), sinker - meaning well, you probably won't see it used in any other context.

I normally find dialect confusing - I enjoy it to no end, but rarely does it make comprehension easier for me. But just to show that the exception proes the rule.

The dialect word for shoe laces is Schuhbandle. Band meaning ribbon or tape.

Tada! A dialect word that makes more sense than the Hochdeutsch equivalent.

And because we are nothing if not thorough here in Mooseville, here is the German Wikipedia link for Schnürsenkel where you will find more than you ever had any desire to know about the wideranging world of shoe laces. The English page can be accessed through the German site.

Just wondering

2008-03-11T14:27:00.003+01:00

There seem to be so many English-language blogs and webpages with tips on thrifty living or simple living. Do any of you know any with tips for Germany (other than , there are good used book stores in Basel) ?

Photo -didbygraham some rights withheld

Being away from home, you might miss this. . .

2008-03-09T18:54:00.001+01:00

And Sweater Day is not be be missed.

If you click one link today let it be this one

2008-03-09T10:21:00.004+01:00

(click on title itself). I even gave you the English version. This is no cheap Google Translation, Ladies and Bugs, the company translated this themselves. (Ok and how weird is it that the dictionary we downloaded at Google's suggestion for web content marks "Google" as a misspelling?)

I am almost glad I didn't have the camera with me at Bauhaus last night when we went to purchase yet another wooden counter top, this time for our office desk. (The beech forests of Scandanavia are weeping and we are entirely responsible.) As as result, I visited their website, and it is worth the poorly translated trip. (For the uninitiated, Ass = ace, not to be confused with Aas = dead meat/carcase. Shorten your vowel on the first one.)

I hope at least you all see the humor involved, so I am also posting a wee photo from their web site here (and holding the fair use fig leaf aloft). They should hire me to fix this. Actually, they should leave it just the way it is.

Seriously though

2008-03-06T13:12:00.004+01:00

we headed off to Heidelberg on Saturday, to make use of our last traveling opportunity on my monthly commuter ticket. Turned out to be a great idea. It was good to head out into the world AND I got to eat Persian food for dinner, which I like lots. -Strangely enough, it was my first time back to the castle since I was there with friends 4 1/2 years ago. I miss them and the sunshine that day!

Not much in the way of sunshine on Saturday in Heidelberg. Actually, as reported here, lots of wind. Here's some supporting evidence -

And here a few more pics of the day . . .
(The Photos looked fine in the preview - hope you can see all 3 now even if the formating is
. . .ummmm interesting.)

Ein bisschen Galgenhumor muss sein. . .

2008-03-06T13:09:00.003+01:00

Because you have to allow for a bit of gallows humor.The Moose stands before the ruins of her career.

Because it feels so good when I stop

2008-03-05T10:22:00.002+01:00

So I got fired. Seriously. And it's ok. Technically, I got laid off. But that was Friday, this is Wednesday, it wasn't entirely unexpected and I have everything home now, including the commuter bike. I turned in my key to the bicycle parking garage yesterday.
(The folks who work there, btw are mostly kids who haven't been able to find jobs. I was stunned when I found this out because they were always extremely friendly and the service was great (I mean, American level service). This is a fabulous project.)

Things have been pretty bad for a while (mostly work) - I was literally hanging on day to day and really wracked with worry every time I applied for a job that paid less. Working where I was working was worse than being unemployed - much worse. All of that is gone and although I continue to be really knocked for a loop (a little uncertain as to what now) I am 70% relieved and glad to have a little bit of time to get my head back to something roughly approaching a good place.

So anyhoo - I hope to get some backlogged items up in the next few days and now that I have gotten this off my chest (I am about 25% ashamed), you'll be hearing a bit more from me.

Bad Night Part II

2008-02-21T18:09:00.003+01:00

See if you can figure out what I did from the picture. . . I'll fill in the details from home.

Etsy auf Deutsch

2008-02-17T21:30:00.005+01:00

I know some in the German / Swiss Expat community are devotees of Etsy - a sales portal for handcrafted items. A least one sells products over Etsy.

During a recent commute, I discovered the German analog (read rip off a la StudiV) DaWanda.

Edwina's insides were a rocky place where my seed could find no purchase.

2008-02-17T21:05:00.002+01:00

As part of my continuing "education" program for the nameless German Moose Spouse, we rented an iTube video. Yes, it does work if you have a US account. I tried watching it on our laptop which we can hookup to the TV, but didn't have any luck with that.

Soemthing to be said for watching movies again after many years. I identify now with Ed in ways I definitely didn't 10 years ago. And the brill cream I found so annoying in "Oh Brother, Where art Thou?" is amusing when it's a running gag.

Raising Arizona quotes at imbDB.

Who Says Germans Don't Have

2008-02-14T18:06:00.003+01:00

a sense of humor.

I dropped the hand-written note off on the desk of a known Muppets-loving co-worker.

The page it's stapled to is what I got back.

BTW: Here's the link for the Youtube video.

Bad Night Part III

2008-02-13T21:02:00.004+01:00

so finally getting of the train last night at 11 PM and getting ready to pedal home, I managed to get the laces of my trusty every day shoes snagged in the escalator at the train station. At least that's what I think happened. The next thing I know I was on my hands and knees and it hurt a lot.

Fortunately the unnamed German Moose Spouse bandaged me up and put me to bed. Here's an overview of the damage.

5 weeks in. . .

2008-01-13T14:55:00.000+01:00

and still no internet.

Ann here. Posting from the in-laws. We are hoping to be back online within the week, but I will believe it when I see it. I am very excited about setting up the meet-up, but am trying not to blog or read blogs at work (not terribly successful at no. 2).

Have a bit of a health situation State-side and a job interview coming up. So lots new. We put in the last kitchen shelves this morning.

Hope you will be willing to wait until Moose Lodge is connected to the outside world for further KA meetup details.

Happy New Year and all the best to you!

The Useful Moose

2007-12-01T08:42:00.001+01:00

Just found a directory of second-hand and free shops. There might be some useful info for you in there.

Wie neu (like new)

Back to painting!

&%$§ Telekom

2007-11-28T10:26:00.000+01:00

Now I feel German. We've had the first of our moving glitches. Telekom has turned off our phone 1 week earlier than agreed on. No phone, no internet . . . not a single luxury, like Robinso - ok you get the point.

Might be a bit scarce til this gets sorted.

We have the key and the landlord has a small list of things that need to get repaired. There is a door latch that's broken.

Day 1 of the move involved MG refilling all of the holes in the walls. I stayed with him last night while he removed all of the lightswitch and electrical socket plates.
Someone had to be there to call 911 (or whatever it is) if he stuck that screwdriver somewhere it didn't belong. He insisted the screwdriver was designed for that, but I don't believe him.

Today he is taping, taping, taping and riding over to Telekom to give them a piece of our collective minds.

The mooselet is off to gay Paree for a couple of days. The trains are running again over there which means it's back to rioting season. C'est la vie parisienne, or something.

Meet-up

2007-11-28T10:07:00.000+01:00

Anybody far enough down south that they would be interested in a local meet-up in Karlsruhe? I am thinking a low-key chance to visit one of our two new Starbucks cafes. Other suggestions are welcome. Glühwein/Kinderpunsch at the Christmas market anyone?

I have one definite, but she is returning from a tour of the Americas :) at the start of the year. Molly, my faithful commenter, has also expressed interest. I walked up to a random English speaking stranger on the street yesterday, poor thing, and gave her my number. Maybe she will call and I have to harrass the neice of an aquaintance of my mothers - who just happens to live about 500 m from here.

The long and short of it is, I am up for a local( KA) or semi-local (Heidelberg-ish) meetup or both. I don't pull a whole lot of traffic here, but if you are interested too, drop me a line, or even better post on it, and hopefully, we could get a group together for an afternoon some time.

Forgetting your English?

2007-11-25T14:05:00.000+01:00

Here's a chance to get those synapses firing again and to do a good thing simultaneously.

Short but sweet - vocabulary game, 10 grains of rice to the poor for each right answer.

I can't get above a 44. Apparantly to be supersmart, you have to get to 48. All in the FAQ, kiddies.

HT: Eve Tushnet

Bonanza of Minutia

2007-11-25T09:32:00.000+01:00

Despite well-meanng advice, I haven't made much of an attempt to find a new job. I have continued to learn, and there is no doubt I know significantly more than I did at the start. I have made a few phone calls recently that I wouldn't have made earlier, and have sent out a few faxes and emails that didn't need so much correction, but for the most part my writing still requires heavy reworking. I am still not at a point where I have skills that would make me truly marketable.

The week before last we had a madatory celebratory dinner that ran til 11:30 PM (read: I got to bed at 1 AM) in a week where I was overloaded. I still am furious, but I just had 1,5 extra days off and I am OK for the moment. My scheduling this week is going to be tight because of the vacation days, but perhaps I can rack up a little comp time for the move. Last week, I wound up back in the office Thanksgiving morning, which I was supposed to have off - doing recalculations for a project I thought I had finished weeks ago. The higher up who had signed off on the project was speeding away to Switzerland, but his failure to process my "It won't work like this" meant I was in the office wanting to scream "Happy $%&$ Thanksgiving" under my breath from 7:30 to noon Thursday.

But then I was swept off to little America by my sister mg or the Mooslet and MG and all was right with the world . . .

Everyone else at the office is a bit swamped, too. We've been offered "too many" projects, and the normal down-time of the year (sauere Gurken Zeit) is going to be anything but - apparantly it was last year as well, and that was one of the reasons I got hired. So here we are.

But we are in good health, my parents and in-laws are in good health, my sister is here, and we are moving. There are things I want (even more than better kitchen tiles) that we haven't gotten yet - but for the next 15 minutes, I have a bit of space from it and a little peace.

off to write some Christmas cards in my 15 minutes - take care ya'll

Lincoln can't be outdone. . .

2007-11-22T06:00:00.000+01:00

so I will merely offer the following.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.

"It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union."

To all my fellow sojourners and my fellow Americans and to everyone - Happy Thanksgiving.

So not true, but whatever . . .

2007-11-17T10:49:00.000+01:00

"whatever . . ." ought to get me back to highschool level. Personally, I think it was the use of "aprapo" that put me over the top.

Seven Random things about the Moose

2007-11-17T09:51:00.000+01:00

Thanks to the American in Bad Homburg for tagging me. . .off we go

I have a scar on my chin. In the town baby pool (depth 1 ft.) my sister (not the one that comments here) rammed me in the face with a plastic boat. No stitches, but it was the first time
since my birth I was to the hospital for care.

I may very well write in Steven Cobert for President. But being that the postage for a ballot costs a fortune, maybe not.

Earlier in my life, I was a very poor keeper of secrets. I am much improved.

I used to be able to connect large portions of the history of the monarchs of England through books and films.

I love the ocean, especially in Autumn and I love the mountains. I have lived in both and now live in neither. There is a distressing dearth of lighthouses in Baden.

My father read to us as children. The first book was Heidi and we read Sunday mornings. Later, we had to do the dishes every night and he read to us then. Twain, Dumas, Longfellow, Alcott, Morely, Caroll - what a gift. I can't imagine my life without them.

God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next. (For those not in on the "joke" - trust me, this says volumes.)

I tag

Dixie Peach
In Search of Dessert
Stepping Stones

Here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 3 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs

I have added a few more names to the blog roll on the right. I have much more in my google reader, and even that needs updating. Some people (you may or may not know who you are) aren't listed cause the occaisional post is too graphic, or too hardcore Catholic (Paul :) ) - I am an equal opportunity discrimator. I hope to add more soon, but I just spent an hour adding stuff to the reader this morning so it is going to have to wait.

No snow here - but it's cooooold. (i know, i know, waaaah).

I am not a shoe kind of a girl,

2007-11-10T10:19:00.000+01:00

But these sure are purdy.

Say Hello to my Little Friend!

2007-11-10T09:49:00.000+01:00

Mausi's not the only one with a new washing machine. I am betting that her German didn't push the drain pipe back into the machine, though. Mine thought "What a great idea! I can store the extra hose inside the machine!" The problem was, that that put the hose too close to the motor and we had water all over the floor 4 days after we got the machine. Thank God for forgiving service men, who are willing to turn a blind eye to customer error. (Although, if the hose must stay positioned exactly as it is, there should be a piece holding it in place - imho.)

Why we went to Vienna.

2007-11-04T00:02:00.000+01:00

Nothing cute this entry. We went to Vienna because I had the opportunity to be at the funeral of someone who I knew only fleetingly, but who was ready to welcome me into her life and into her home. Whether that had anything to do with me at all, or only out of love for her nephew, I will never know, but she was a force unto herself and I always connect her in my mind with the pleasure she found in the good things in life - good food and good music. I had wanted to get back to Vienna to say good-bye, but did not imagine it would be this way or so soon.

I can only hope that these pictures give some impression of the way I remember her. Laughing and enjoying life.

Touchy Topic or "Buße und Moose"

2007-11-03T23:19:00.000+01:00

Hunting around for a Mass time on the webpage on the Stadtdekanat in Mannheim, I stumbled across this notice.

Der Bußgottesdienst anlässlich des Gedenktages zur Reichspogromnacht 1938 findet in diesem Jahr in der Citykirche am Markt St. Sebastian statt. Die Feier beginnt am Freitag, 9. November, um 16 Uhr und trägt den Titel „Das Geschenk der Versöhnung kosten“. Mitwirkende sind unter anderen OB Peter Kurz sowie die Pfarrer Andrea Knauber und Lukas Glocker.

The Penance Service on the occaision of the Day of Remebrance for the Reichspogromnacht 1938 (Kristalnacht) will take place this year in the City Church on the Market, St. Sebastian. The service begins Friday, November 9th at 14 PM and is being called "Taste the Gift of Forgiveness". Participants include, among others, Mayor Peter Kurz, as well as clergy members Andrea Knauber and Lukas Glocker.

Let me start off by saying that I agree that acts of public reparation by institutional leaders (i.e. the Mayor, Bundeskanzler, pope, President, etc.) can be acceptable and serve a purpose. Nor do I have anything against the event as it is being advertised in Karlsruhe (a service in remembrance/ and as a warning to the living). I am just wondering how they are intending to work in the penance service part.

Post-modern Germany has pretty much rejected personal sin (social sin, they still have - we are always being reminded that someone, somewhere else, is doing something wrong).
The prayers at church run something like this . . . "Oh Lord, for the times when we have not opened ourselves fully to your love like the beautiful, delicate flowers we are, and thereby failed to experience total fullfillment and have high self esteem every waking moment, we ask your forgiveness."

I don't think they are actually going to be calling anyone to personal change - or even to acts of personal penance (which would be very Catholic, actually, but is as likely as a cold day in Hell, see last paragraph). Is there really a purpose to this? Part of me thinks I might be using my time more effectively to think about currently occurring injustices?

Am I way off here?

Aprapo of Nothing

2007-10-31T06:32:00.000+01:00

I was listening to a documentary podcast from RTE (imagine an acute accent over the E) over the weekend which discussed shanos dancing in Ireland. An internet search revealed that that is actually sean-nos (old-style) and boy is it nifty.

Looser than the Irish dancing I grew up seeing. I got the link and lots of other good info from this site.

The documentary was called "Heel Up" and available here or at Itunes.

It's all in the fine print. . .

2007-10-24T17:03:00.001+01:00

A very busy (seriously) restaurant.

The serve bunnies here and they slaughter them themselves.

Which evangelische evangelikalische witch is which?

2007-10-18T16:53:00.000+01:00

Lots to upset the observant reader at MSNBC today. Let's start off with the witches. I have no energy to debate the figures. No -my objection de jour is to the lazy translation that as the first commenter points out is terribly confusing to the modern English speaker.

False friends time, Freunde

What we in the US would refer to as Mainline Protestant denominations in the States are referred to as the "evangelische Kirche" in German. There are lots of exceptions - the Methodists for instance are a Freikirche. (I am not going to speak for Switzerland here.)

Historically you got shoehorned into whatever religion the guy who ruled your neck of the woods decided was most profitable for him in year X (treaty of westphalia??). If he felt his ties to Austria or Rome or whatever were useful to him, you stayed Catholic. If he had his eye on some monastery property you were free to reform if you were doing it yourself and if not a reformer could be imported.

Prior to that, some poor slobs had made up their own minds, but territory went back and forth (some towns near where MG comes switched back and forth between some flavor of Reformed Chritianity and Catholicism 7 times. Seven times!!) But anyway, after year X, your leader decided and you could like it or lump it. He was free to switch after that. You, peasant farmer in the town of XYZ-heim, not so much.

There were lots of Reformers though, and once having made the decision to split off from the Western Church, they continued to split (e.g. Christianity in the U.S.). Soon there were many varieties of the new Reformed Christianity. Unlike the US, though, the government's big ol' mits were stearing this process the whole time, and because religious freedom brought so much chaos, you weren't even allowed free to be the particular flavor of Protestant that you wanted. In the North - way Calvinist, middle Germany Lutheran, down by us, some kind of mish-mash. The point being in each location there was only ONE Protestant church with the locally acceptable seasoning - and they joined together to form (drum roll please) the evangelsiche (Gospel) Kirche (church) after the collapse of the monarchy.

This has absolutely nothing to do with modern Evangelical Christians.

If I meant "evangelikal", I would have said "evangelikal".

Tiles, Yey or Yech ***

2007-10-17T20:48:00.001+01:00

The Kitchen tiles - I know, I know - they're not soooo bad, but what to do with random fruit? Ehhhhh brown tiles with ehhhh Birch-finish. I am considering the darkest wood countertop that ikea has. (We are not talking about forever in this apartment, so it's ok if they eventually stain and treating with oil a few times a year is also acceptable.)

*** (German) Igit (eee-git)

2007-10-17T19:53:00.000+01:00

arrrrgh blogger is again refusing to let me load a photo, so ya'll still can't see our future kitchen tiles.

So I guess I will have to start off our new moosie series -The Cheapskate's Guide.

We were pretty disgusted with our travel guide in Vienna, and we felt that there must be some sort of guidance for travelers on a tight budget. We certainly don't know it all, but our travel guide was crap. So I will offer up a few measly tips here.

Looking for a great little bar (studentenkneipe) with reasonable prices, Czech Budweiser Beer and brick oven-baked "fladenbrot" (imagine a pita like bread) with a wide variety of fillings? Not much for the vegan here, I am afraid, most contain cream or cheese.

All of this in the 1rst Bezirk and it all hidden in a tiny alley that will have you feeling like a true insider. Oh and have I mentioned that the prices are reasonable? It's smokey; it's a keller (cellar); and the music is loud, but it's a cheap evening out. Here's the menu at Kolar.
It's in the tiny Kleeblattgasse.

For Jodi

2007-10-14T09:55:00.000+01:00

Weak proof that there are vegetarians in Vienna. Even weaker because this vegetarian store had closed. But up until recently there was vegan ice cream to be had. And hopefully Ms J. will be pleased to hear that the fallafel restaurant made a real impression on MG - cheap and super tasty! The tahini was soooo good. I thought back fondly on Sunday Veggie Cooking at the unviersity. We don't have much middle eastern food around here (one of the things I most miss from the States.)

Here's the web address for Maschu-Maschu. And because I like torturing myself with memories of dinners past.

The good stuff

2007-10-14T09:44:00.000+01:00

You might be a German Redneck if. . .

2007-10-02T17:51:00.000+01:00

This is in your Schrebergarten or among your Streuobst.

Moose Round Up

2007-09-30T08:39:00.001+01:00

Lots has been going on in the past few weeks. Many good things and a challenge or two. It was a good week, and there is a holiday coming up next week - all of it leaving me more optimistic. There were some ugly moments last week, but with the coming week split in two and busy, I am back to trying.

We have signed a lease for an apartment and move in December. The apartment isn't my altbau traum, but it falls into the 70-80% range in all categories instead of being 100% in some and 40% in others, AND the landlady wanted us, or at least allowed herself to be convinced by relatives to take us over the other applicants. The location is good. It's on a major street, but the street is especially wide (read: cars much further from our window than they now are) and the streetcar doesn't turn (a huge factor in the noise) and there are little balconies out the front and back. There are 4 Rooms, giving us flexibility for the future should we need it. Everything in the bathroom is in acceptable condition. The basement is huge (We are so happy about this). Parking isn't quite as tight as in other locations in the city. It's on the 1 OG - only 1 flight of steps (Yey!) which reduces our anxiety about moving and for the future.

So now we are giving thought to decoration. The kitchen is an issue. The one that is there is pretty oogly and we can't change the tiles.

Blogger won't let me load photos - so the rest of the post will have to wait

Do you read home design blogs ? Anything you want to recommend? thanks

Giving "Get off your fanny" a whole new meaning

2007-09-11T06:02:00.000+01:00

What I lack in speed, I hope to make up in additional useless trivia. Here is the long awaited answer to the fanny conundrum (drumroll please).

From the Wikipedia entry on "fanny"

Fanny as slang may refer to the:
buttocks (in the US)
vagina (in the UK, Australia and other places)

Abbreviations:

FANY, (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry) pronounced "Fanny" were female army nurses in Britain from 1907 onwards, and may be the link between the word and the slang usage.

This newer potential source might explain why there was no problem with the nickname for Frances historically. Aparently there is even rhyming slang for "the f word" now.

Here's a page from IrelandLogue

Fanny - A very rude word for a woman’s private parts.
Seriously.

Never use this word in polite company as it does NOT mean your gluteus maximus out here. In Ireland, “fanny” is so rudely specific, it’s pretty much treated like a curse word.

Poor, oblivious US tourists come to Ireland every day and refer to the “fanny pack” they’re wearing unknowingly causing the Irish people around them to blush and/or giggle every time they hear it said. The anglicization of “fanny pack” is “bum bag,” by the way.

When an Irish friend came to visit me in the bay area he could not get enough photos of the exterior of a restaurant featuring an enormous statue of a woman holding a plate of hamburgers. The California hamburger chain was called, of course, Fat Fanny’s. Hee hee hee.

2007-09-05T20:45:00.001+01:00

We were lucky enough to attend a wedding in Rüdesheim a few weeks back. Here the lovely bride and groom in their

cable car. The guests got to follow them up the hill with this view. Yes, the Rhein was in flood.

I don't care what the guide books say, the town itself is a tourist trap but the region is lovely, and the wall paintings in the kloster are really impressive. We have relatives who stayed with young boys at the Jugendherberge in Bacharach. The boys loved it, telling me excitedly about their time in a Ritterburg.

It was a wee bit weird because we know that one member of the pair went through the whole thing reluctantly, at least initially. Not the relationship or the committment, but the wedding. This is hardly a secret, it was mentioned in the wedding invitation and again during the ceremony. I just couldn't get as into it as I might otherwise would. How worked up can you get about someone improving their tax situation? But the guests were lovely and I got to talk way too much with an incredibly kind British couple.

Hint - don't ever say "fanny pack" in the UK

Genitalities

2007-09-05T20:25:00.000+01:00

We were talking about this post from Mausi, and My German, surprised that I might have any objection to naked (somewhat older) children running around, said

You don't want to know the genitalities of your son?!

(I was trying to explain that there was a difference between boxers and buck naked.)

Strangely enough, genitalities were mentioned over at Claire's today too.

Not dead yet

2007-09-05T06:27:00.001+01:00

Still among the land of the living, but here are my excuses for not having blogged recently:

illness (but that only lasted 3 or 4 days) and for most that's an opportunity to blog
the apartment search has taken a number of distressing turns recently. It's my life, but it's to depressing to write about, let alone read
travel
trying to behave myself at work

Trying with mixed success to keep my life on an even keel has taken up most of my energy, but that doesn't mean I don't have some photos.

Yey.

2007-08-16T10:51:00.000+01:00

No apartment stuff, but this.

More Dads making use of the opportunity to take parental leave with the new Elterngeld.

8,5% up from 3,5% in one year. How cool is that?!

I won't go into all of the reasons that this is fabulous, but I do want to add that it has strengthened the resolve of some fathers we know to take time off, and one father I know is splitting the time 50/50. He loves it.

On a much, much sadder note, I am waiting for an email from Lima to find out if a friend and his family are all ok.

Scattered but good.

2007-08-15T14:44:00.000+01:00

Lawdy. I do not want this blog to turn into some kind of emotional Twitter.

Things are not any better than they were, and my German and I find ourselves older, wiser and back at square one, but I am strangely relieved to face it all (the housing search) with a clean slate. I am headed to Paris for the first time in two days - how sad can a girl allow herself to be?

MG left his wallet at a wedding on Saturday and it was safely recovered by S., the most organized bride ever. Even the weather bent itself to her overwhelming planning powers. (There will be pictures when we get the camera back!!) We spent Sunday afternoon with more amazing folks in little America-in-Germany. We had our rental car searched with mirrors and I touched all of the couple's American major appliances. They fed us and spoke English and once in a while, I noticed a big word coming out of my mouth. I didn't know words like that were still in there somewhere. Tonight I am headed off to yoga class with a young lady of superior courage and wit. And the weather is gorgeous.

Clearing my aborted blog posts, here is my jotting from yesterday:

Reading this my be nearly as depressing as having it happen to you. My apologies. We didn't get the apartment, but thank you for being so kind and wishing us well.

All quiet on the Wohnung front

2007-08-13T09:41:00.000+01:00

We are still waiting to receive word on the apartment. I didn't leave the interview with a particularly positive view of our chances, but I felt a great deal better once the interview was behind us. The landlady was quite pleasant, but I didn't get the sense that she was in any way convinced by us.

keep holding those thumbs, and thank you!

You, press me your thumbs. . .

2007-08-09T11:10:00.000+01:00

and I will try to keep my ears stiff.

We are going to chat with a land-lady tonight who has an apartment we'd really like to rent. We're the last ones, so we have no right to the place and although I think we would be a fabulous addition to their building (what with my objectivity and all), she may not agree.

I feel better just have written that. Nervous panic abated, I will return to the task at hand. Stay dry all you folks in the West - it is a wet one out there.

2007-08-01T08:47:00.000+01:00

No worries folks. We're off to Paris for a few days in two weeks and in 1 week, I get to see a friend from the States whom I haven't seen in 4 years, so it's gonna be alright.

Just Say "No" to Crack

2007-08-01T08:32:00.000+01:00

This post could have had so many alternative titles.

Eating Mohnstreusseslschnecken to Dull the Pain
RIP Traumhaus
What Happens to a Moose Lodge Delayed?
Back to Square 1
etc., etc.

In our last stages of deciding about the apartments we wanted to buy, My German contacted neighbors from the surrounding buildings to obtain their approval for the modest deck/dachterrasse we wanted to put in off our kitchen. Monday morning he sent a fax out to one of them with some drawings. Last evening at 18:30 he got a call back from the owner of a neighboring property who lives in Offenburg saying that there had been a 6cm-crack in the shared bearing wall at some point in the past. The crack had been repaired only with difficulty and, furthermore, at that time their construction engineer (statiker) told them that no further weight should be applied to the wall. Why he couldn't have told us this on Saturday, when we spoke to him by phone is unclear to us, but there it is.

So ixnay on the achterrasseday.

From day 1, the dachterrasse was non-negotiable for us. The garden is extremely small and quite shady and I would never have appropriately managed my jealousy of the downstairs neighbors with theirs if we couldn't have one. On the day I finally decided we should go ahead and do it, we found out we won't be getting the apartment after all.

We know that we are lucky for finding this out now, and all that was due to the hard work of my dear, dear German. 75% of my little heart-break at the moment is for him. He is so disappointed. We had our (Ikea) kithcen planned! We know what we are mourning is the dream and not the reality of the house. We know we are fortunate in eachother, and that we still have what matters, but we are going to have to work through our disappointment for a few days.

Re: work
I have sent out two apps for positions at the university, but generally we have decided to stick it out where I am for the moment because maternity leave will play a role in our future IF (when, when - it just feels like if) we can ever find a place to live. Give us a few days to get emotionally back on track, and we'll get back to looking, maybe this time for an apartment to rent. I worry there about not being able to rent anything in 7 or 8 years because a lot of landlords refuse to rent to people with children, but today's struggles are enough to busy me for today.

. . .doesn't kill you .. .stronger
darkest. . .dawn
humor best medicine
At least we have our health. . .

They may all be true, but I am going to eat some more Mohnstreusselschnecke.

Fußless Moose

2007-07-31T11:15:00.001+01:00

I wrote this post some weeks back. Notebook lets me get some thoughts onto paper that I can bring to you later through the glories of cut and paste. It does, however, mean that posts don't necessarily reflect how I am feeling this instant, which is shockingly enough, ok. Subject to change with about 4,5 seconds notice.

Well some people gave me a great deal to chew on over the past few days. One, because it sounds like she's got some things sorted out and is happier for it - and that is fabulous, and I wish her much continued success. Another, because she pointed out that despite a great partner and tremendous talents, this expat cosa nostra is a hard, hard row to hoe even after many, many years.

We just celebrated our first legal anniversary. Beating the German state into acknowledging you on any level is an achievement - so it's worth celebrating. My guy is great. I got such a deal, but work has continued to be unspeakable. It probably isn't as bad as I am making it out to be, but my job went from the monster that at my evenings and weekends to a place where there is nothing to do. I envision the axe over my head and the replacements lined up for hire, although this may not be a reflection of reality.

I left the best job ever - a job with its problems, like any other job, but I job I was really proud of, and I came to Germany for some other guy, who though still my friend, decided that I wasn't all that and a bag of chips. I still won't hear anyone talk smack about him, but I have come to believe he was right and been glad that he was brave enough to make an unpleasant decision. He also hung around long enough for me to get my life in order, for which I am also eternally greatful.

But here I am with a job I can't be proud of and can't enjoy. At least if I worked in a cafe, I could enjoy it. And people who love me advising me to leave the career I worked so hard for so long and tutor or something and I feel completely at sea and I wonder when I will get my footing again (Fuß fassen).

The thing to do is to get up off my proverbial you-know-what and face the pain of potential rejection by finding some more companies to apply to. Why can't I wake up as Pollyanna?

Haustier Peeves

2007-07-23T11:55:00.000+01:00

* I have things I love, too, but we'll get to that later.

What is it with Germans and bathroom doors? They never, I mean -never- knock first. Of course, I always lock the bathroom door now, but have often had the experience in public restrooms where even the locked door is viewed more or less strictly as a suggestion, and repeated, ever more forcible attempts are made to open the door. I am usually too shocked to respond in a timely manner - "WTF??!!" being the only thought running through my mind as I cower on the other side of the door.

By the by

2007-07-23T10:01:00.000+01:00

(This note is not a criticim of someone with furniture in the basement. You've got to store it somewhere. I have less patience with organizations spending millions of tax-payer euros putting some of their most sensitive systems in the one location most likely to get wet.)

A little advice for the world (as if they drop by to read it). If you build/redesign your facility in a flood zone, would you please, please stop putting all kinds of crap you care about in the basement. Ya know, like the expensive stuff. Like your hvac unit, or your computer server, or your security system, or your state of the art kitchen, or your laboratory. Or, for instance, priceless art treasures that have to be painfully and expensively dragged hither, thither and yon every time it looks like it might rain too much.

'Cause, there was like no one who knew that there was a potential for this, or this, or this when all ya'll decided to install all of that below the floodwater line. The stone marker on the front of your building with the historical highwater might just be helpful in determining just where that is.

Thank you for your attention.

Today* we are 33

2007-07-22T14:18:00.000+01:00

* Date written, not date posted.

While I would like to offer some profound reflection on aging and becoming an age which I once considered impossibly old, my thoughts today are altbau thoughts and architect thoughts and thoughts of getting together tonight with a new friend and an old friend and a bottle of wine, but we'll see if we get the details ironed out over the course of the day.

We went, laser measuring devices in hand, to remeasure the apartments last night. Most of our pencil calculations were correct, but there was a big difference in one room which made up for most of the missing quadratmeter (square meters). The rooms are the right size (3 m difference is within the acceptable range). The apartment on the first floor is low tech to be sure, but better than I had thought it to be. The tiny WC actually has a proper wall and door, it's not just an open cabinet in the kitchen.

So now, we have to clear out conerns in areas where we are not in a position to judge ourselves. Can we put in the rooftop terrace? Is it technically feasable to put in balconies? (Both important for me, because the garden is so small).

The big questions -

The beams - are the spongy or ok?
Can we put in a staircase to connect the two apartments. (Raumspartreppe)
Does inspection of the basement point to any problems?
Are the walls ok?

And then, there are the questions no one can answer for you:

Is this what we want for the rest of our lives?
Is this bad neighborhood what we want for the kids we might have? Are the chances too high that they would fall in with the wrong crowd in the grundschule and ruin their lives? (School post still pending.)
Will the drunk people and grafiti get me down?
Are we actually exposing ourselves to higher levels of crime? - We don't know.
Are we crazy becoming landlords?

I am at a point where I can't think logically about it any more. I thought about putting in a woodstove and it was over for me. I imagine myself and my bookcase, my coffee, and the fire in the woodstove on a winter Saturday afternoon with kids playing (They're not fighting; this is where you know it bears no relation to reality, right?)

Mr. Moose is excited that there is a zoo nearby (500 m). He has fond memories of going there as a child and is thrilled by the prospect of annual membership and taking his kids there every weekend.

World. fast. spinning. {wretching noises}

2007-07-16T15:59:00.000+01:00

Positive - Mr. Moose and I do oodles of talking every night about what we want out of our lives, and I have a feeling we are going to look back on this time very fondly. M.G. is fab.

This following points all re: 1880's house 4apts in not the greatest part of town.

Negative - So the apartments aren't 90qm. They're 78 qm. AND the owner hasn't been paying his house dues for the past 6 months. We're furious with the realtor. We knew he was slimey, but really. This is huge because it meant that the already ridiculously low rent has to be lowered 12%! Argh.

Postive - Downstairs neighbors have made heaven on earth out of their apartment and seem to be lovely people.

Negative - Our potential balcony would darken their kitchen - no go. Putting in a terrace for us might be complicated. Umm, and they seemed to be under the impression we would be overtaking all of Mr. X's unpaid house dues. Not happening. We'd be taking on our undesirably high percentage of it and that's that.

Positive - some of the estimates the "neighbors" had gotten from contracters were lower than we had planned with.

Negative - very cool couple are going to hate us for raising the rent of "our" tenants and kicking the one lady out. It's unsozial - and to be honest, I have thought a bit about the moral implications of it all.

Positive - "neighbors" have good relationships with other tenants of building

Negative - story about garden becoming property of studio apartment - bogus, but we can't go back an make an offer for just the two apartments in which we were originally interested because then Mr. X is still in the game and not making payments towards the facade and roof repairs which we all want to see done soon (2 or 3 years).

Sooooo - What does it say next to "You are here" dot in my life?

Wait for a counter offer from evil-bank/realtor/owner, Wait for response on offer from couple re: cute little apartment. Do not pass go. Do not spend X00,000 Euros.

How much progress can one Moose take?

2007-07-16T15:47:00.000+01:00

When we last left the adventures of Yours Truly in Southern Germany, I was lamenting our lack of house/apartment/rental property aquisition. And so it remained, until some time the week before last.

The world has started spinning very fast.

First, we stumbled back across a smaller apartment that we had decided not to look at earlier because it would be a less than 10 year deal. It would be very tight with two small children and should there be a third, you would have to be out before you were out of the small children phase.

The apartment is darling and what we would be looking to take off the asking price is not unreasonable (edited, ok maybe it is). Negatives: streetcar noise, garage rental a must, front facade needs work, 4th story walkup, bathoroom in need of a makeover and a new water heater, bathoroom vents only through terrace access (lots of cold air in the winter). Positives, (mostly) bright airy rooms, several with wooden flooring (yey), a floorplan that works, cute building garden, access and view over huge complex garden, good transportation connection for us both, generous basement. Mixed blessings: discussion of re-doing back facade expanding balcony, no installed kitchen.

But we would definitely _have_ to move out in the plannable future and we worry about being able to find space for a family. Would we be able to sell? We're not sure. We could rent, but having your capital locked up is not so nice. Plus real estate just doesn't seem to appreciate much around here, and Mr. Moose has already started in on the - "Do we really want to renovate X, if we're going to have to move out in Y years?" We wouldn't make our new home perfect because by the time we were throught, it would be time to go and we couldn't recoup what we had invested.

Then came Mr. Moose's dream. An old building (nothing wrong in principle with an alt-bau - preferable, actually) with 4 apartments for sale. We wanted the two apartments directly on top of eachother. One to live in, one to rent out until we need it. Here, the list of negatives. Get a cup of coffee; it's looooong.

I will do a separate post on the school district. There are private school alternatives.

Across the street from Sozial Wohnungen. Group of drunk people/drinkers hang out across the street in front of the Plus store. (The are good natured enough- we don't percieve them as a threat.)
Major, major facade work.
Can't move in for 9 months.
Needs at least

new windows
new floors - although these you can live with for the time being
new heating system to replace the single gas ovens - opportunity to do Fußboden-heizung.
roof terrace - would require a building permit
balcony

Garden is tiny and in shadow
No parking

Good points-

price
lots of space
option to move into studio apartment for parents or for us when steps get to be too much
train connection is good for me
we could do a lot to raise the value of the apartment. some hope of getting some money back out.
could put in dream things (fancy bath or wood oven) becasue one is staying
street in front is quiet
bathroom WC together, but big

We made and offer for 3 or 4 apartments, and the bank counter-offered 5k more than we had offered for all 4 apartments. The fourth aparment is worth practically nothing. The third we would need to guarantee access to the little garden, although we would rent out the studio apartment right next to the garden.

Facade will be pretty when completed.

A lot to think about.

There were bells on the hills. . .

2007-07-05T16:21:00.000+01:00

but I never heard them ringing, no I never heard them at all, til ...

Nach Hamburg wollen in den nächsten Wochen Niedersachsen und Baden-Württemberg ihre Gesetze verabschieden. Dort soll die Gastronomie sogar schon am 1. August rauchfrei werden. Das Hamburger Gesetz tritt erst in der kommenden Silvesternacht in Kraft - wie in den meisten anderen Ländern. Dort wurden die Gesetze ebenfalls schon von den Regierungen abgesegnet. Jetzt müssen nur noch die Landtage darüber abstimmen.

Following Hamburg, authorities in Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg want to pass their [anti-smoking] laws in the coming weeks. It is expected that restaurants and bars there will be smoke-free as early as August 1rst.

All that and the Motu Proprio in one week. Pretty cool. The article has a lot of the usual blah blah "The reactionaries are coming; the reactionaries are coming!" to it. For purposes of disclosure, I am not a huge fan of the Traditional Mass in practise, but I have lived plenty of places where there was demand for it and the bishop thought that once a month on Thursday night was "generous" permission. I also have friends I'd like to see more clearly at home in Rome and this might help. And isn't there something ironic about the bishops being circumvented because there was a problem complaining. If he thought you were correct in your assessment of the situation Your Eminance, there wouldn't be a motu proprio to issue in the first place, so put a sock in it.

This I didn't know and will have to look into:

An indult was granted in 1971 by Pope Paul VI after a group of English luminaries - including Graham Greene, Kingsley Amis, Agatha Christie, Kenneth Clark, William Rees-Mogg, Malcolm Muggeridge, Ralph Richardson, C Day Lewis and Iris Murdoch - complained to him about the loss to civilisation and culture that the suppression represented.

** The Agatha Christie Indult - Huh,who knew? The kids at The Shrine, no doubt, but really, wow. Your religon may have cool meditation techniques (not that Catholicism doesn't), or encourage a healthier diet, or do Liturgy better (high church Anglicans), but until you've got an Agatha Christie Indult, you are missin' out.

It is pouring AGAIN. Not that it's better in the States. My sisters chat status = "humidity". She cracks me up.

2007-06-30T10:40:00.000+01:00

One more thing I learned while in Italy last weekend (and in honor of languages week). We didn't sing the last line - for us it was just filled with la la's so I can't tell you what they are singing.

Constant Craving

2007-06-30T09:18:00.000+01:00

ok - maybe only yesterday.

Bacon, egg and cheese on a toasted everything bagel, with a hazelnut coffee.
Mmmmmmm.

Solidarity Delayed

2007-06-20T09:30:00.000+01:00

A long, long time ago - June 14th to be exact - International Webbloggers Day was celebrated. (HT: J at Germany Doesn't Suck.) I knew then what I wanted to post, but I was too concentrated on giving a presentaiton in German in front of 90 people. I was just glad to be alive after it was over - but less satisfied with my performance than I had hoped to be. I went to dinner with M.G. and all was right enough with the world again.

There was, however, something I have been meaning to get up here for a while. It has nothing to do with Germany or Expat life, but living over here, one certainly gets plenty of people telling you that your country is crap.*²,³ We are all overweight, poorly educated and beligerant. (Funny how the overweight thing didn''t happen to me til I moved here.) We suck, we suck, we suck (the post-modern mea culpa) now can we please change the subject?

One of the people fond of telling us how horrible we are just did something that I am very proud to say, you cannot do in my country. Well I supposed you could, but you would get a slap-down post haste, even, and I dare say, especially from the supreme court justices whom the majority of people reading this page loathe.

So the next time we head off to a Michael Moore blockbuster documentary, we can remember to be grateful we aren't living in the Bolivarian Republic.

* Not everyone's experience (Heather has an interesting story)
2 I got a copy of this as a wedding present. (Here for the english only folks.)
3 I have had 1 experience in 4 years where someone told me that I was fortunate that my ancestors emmigrated.

Backblog Part I - House Hunting Links

2007-06-17T14:44:00.000+01:00

A great deal going on here, without a whole lot of forward movement. How can that be?

We are looking to

buy a "Bleibe" (house or apartment, not yet decided)
replace my Dell which is just a few final boot-ups from paperweight city
buy a car
perhaps move somewhere else while continuing to rent

I have been really inspired by Christina G.'s recent post on American food, and will try to add links to useful sites we are using in to resolve problems 1-4.

It's a lot to do and Mr. Moose, a.k.a. My German, spends a lot of time with his nose tucked into ImmobilienScout and the newspaper, the BNN.

The local classifieds listings can be read in a weekly paper called Sperrmüll, but all the hip kids know that the listings can be accessed from your (for a fee) by computer at Quoka.de.

I have also run across Kijiji, but can't offer an evaluation. There wasn't much there that was helpful for us, but this is true of Craigslist as well.

Here is a web site on which houses are sold without a makler - but the geography is wrong for us.

Here is a nifty apartment we found, but the distribution of the rooms wouldn't work for us and the street is not terribly desirable. . . but it's so cute!!

The Search for Moose Lodge

2007-06-05T12:53:00.000+01:00

First off, it got mentioned at Girly Weekend, (Jen's new page) that the "joke" in the blog name wasn't clear to everyone. I am writing this all "semi-anonymously", hence Ann on a Moose. It's a stretch, but I once worked for a federal agency with a connection to the great outdoors, so there's that link as well. I do not, did not, will not ride on or advocate the riding oon of meece.

We have started the great hunt for our new "zu hause". On the one hand, exciting, on the other terrifying. What to look for, what to avoid. This will probably be a recurring topic (hope this won't bore you all out of your trees, particularly those of you who already have roofes over your heads.) Some observations to date:

Germans do not appear to sell their houses privately with any frequency. (Is the realtor fielding a few phone calls really worth 10k to you? (And then another 10k to me btw.)) And if they have more than one realtor, you could get stuck paying it twice. Haven't quite figured out how that works yet.
I think I could get a lawyer in the states to review the sales contract for a hell of a lot less than 1,5 % of the sales price. My normally mild-mannered German said, "Anwalte - die kriegen so-wie-wo für jeden Scheiss ein Arschvoll Geld." Shocked the britches off me.
People advertising apartments are sneaky with the living area. Always make sure you get a good look at the size of the place according to the DIN. It's much smaller.
We hear that prefab houses from the 50's are/can be crap (hell-hörig, schlecht gedämmt).
We want to avoid buying near a Hauptschule - although it's not a dealbreaker because the days of the Hauptschule may be numbered anyway.

My Ipod Boyfriend

2007-06-01T06:01:00.000+01:00

I have an audio crush and his name is David Noon. It's alright I've confessed this to my husband and btw, you can find Dr. Noon's non-loading picture off the link from this page.

There's not much going on in his history class that's new to me, but anyone who can talk about an 19th century assasin wanting to "bust a cap" in anyone's anything or a tenament family being SOL when the place burns down or discusses the virtues of "Opposite Day" before lecture can share my commute with me anyday.

And that's all we have time for this morning!

Apparently he also has his own blog. Plenty of stuff to make Christopher Hitchens happy there, but then, that will make most of my readership happy, too, so there ya go. Should the poor man be reading this, really no worries dude, you are just a coherent, confident speaker - a rare breed, indeed.

Indiefeed

2007-05-28T16:33:00.000+01:00

Looking for some new music? I can only recommend Indiefeed, another one of the freebie treats I am enjoying with my Ipod.

I encourage you to check out "Ikea" (the text in the box is "reissue-jona") for a little lift and Dntl's "Dumb Luck" for quite the opposite. I really dig the song from "Soular", too.

2007-05-28T10:06:00.000+01:00

Last Sunday, we rode again to the in-laws. This is how I see my "wahl-heimat" in my mind's eye, even when it rains non-stop (see Pfingstwochenende 2007).

Moose on a Bandwagon

2007-05-20T21:27:00.000+01:00

The Karlsruhe soccer team finished in the first position in the second league, meaning they move up to the first league. Tickets will become more expensive and they are going to lose quite a bit next year. A mixed blessing, even for fans.

I vote "Hell yes" too.

2007-05-19T12:41:00.001+01:00

I was for a rare evening out during the Eurovision song contest this year, and I think it's generally been covered around the ex-pat blog community, but some of you not keeping up on catty celebrity critique might have missed out on this over at Go Fug Yourself.

They have it from Variety.

We are starting to think about moving - how much we've got, how much we can spend, what's available and it scares the living bejeezes out of me. I have no idea how anything works here and what I seem to be being told is that you're not that much better off buying here. (It's been browbeaten into me that one is foolish not to buy if one can manage it in the States.)

I need someone to tell me what to do. There seem to be some many guides in America which explain the steps. First get your credit card debt under control (ok - not an issue). Then make sure that you have your emergency account set up (yes, but how much here etc.) All that sort of thing. Does any one know any good resources they could recommend for a financial ignorant like me?

Oh, and the pictures. Good friends from college in DE and NYC. Did you know that there is a §$%! ferris wheel inside Toys R Us in Manhattan?

2007-05-13T13:25:00.000+01:00

Friday night found us at the dissolution of a church Jugendkreis that my German attended in his teens. Some of the folks had continued to meet until recently - while a new, younger youth group had been established and the official end to what had become the "Young Seniors" was celebrated Friday.

There were photos and plenty of video. Their first talent show included clips of my German both playing guitar and juggling and all that with a great haircut and perfectly acceptable shirt. I hadn't known that he went through a cute phase in the middle of two awkward phases (hair too short, hair too long). Yes, even then, he did those weird mouth things while playing the guitar that children do while drawing with concentration - but what a cutey patooty! Unfortunately, even after we get a DVD with the films, I don't see myself getting it formated to post here any time soon.

And so I offer the following nuggets from my German -

Is that a rooster on the weazerwane? (Try "weathervane" with your German soon!)
MG: Do you get cranky before you get the, how you say, regulation? Me: Honey - that's "crampy" and the word is "period".

And yesterday's of Eurovision Song Contest reminded me of Stermann und Grissemann, who used to do a simulcast in audio that made the competition truly worth watching. Worth watching as well is this contribution to Dorfers Donnerstalk. . .

WashPost Article on Latino Catholics

2007-05-08T16:12:00.000+01:00

This article is a decent jumping off point for one of my most serious gripes about our time in Costa Rica. My friends were begging and pleading with me not to blog this, but this blog is all about cultural differences (well, once in a while) and they don't read my blog anyway.

I was really looking forward to going to Mass during Holy Week in CR, because of my other experiences with Mass in Spanish. Yes, the music is always awful, and by that I usually mean that they sing the same 5 songs ever time and the music is led by some woman with a strangly high, slightly off-key, drony voice, but I am often really touched by the piety I have seen among members of the Latino community. (I, according to the linked article, have apparantly also only been to the "old-fashioned" Spanish Mass.)

And Holy Thursday was that way. The homily was very, very long, but it was good. I knew the songs - as I said, it's the same 5 ones. Altough it's the one night of the year we are supposed to get to sing in Latin - no dice. Why is it that I know so many more English speakers comfortable with Latin than Spanish speakers. (They have higher literacy rates in Latin America and a much smaller step from Spanish to Latin than from English. Why is this so difficult?)

But then there was the Easter Vigil. I have no problem (ok - less problem) with exhuberance in music. I went to prayer group with BAC friends in college. Praise music is fine I have no problem even with clapping or quite honestly with the charasmatic movement - it's just not my box of cookies, but I want to notice the difference between the music in church and what they are playing in the bar, and when they are both backed by a cheesy synth salsa beat, I can't. And "This is our culture." isn't going to cut it with me if 1/3 of the pieces are rewritten (does one say - African American (?)) Spirituals or ($%&§!) the Our Father set to "The Sound of Silence". As all of those were composed by people from my country, it's far more my heritage than theirs.

end Rant part I

Coming in Part II "Animators" and why they have no place at a Mass which runs 2 hours even without them.

Part III - more Animator reflections - "Does injuring people who push the length of the Mass to 3.5 hours unneccisarily constitute a corporal work of mercy?"

A few photos from Costa Rica

2007-05-01T18:30:00.000+01:00

I will fix them later - sorry!! Gotta work.

Mercurial Moose

2007-04-30T17:04:00.000+01:00

I was planning to blog yesterday. Yesterday was good. Yesterday was great. It was like the story of the man who asked why he was banging his head against a wall replied, "Because it feels so good when I stop." Well, yesterday, I got to stop for a whole 26 hours, and it felt so good.

On a wave of euphoria - tomorrow is a holiday after all - I returned to the office. The cleaning folks had been in during my one day absence (yes, I worked Sat. again), another good thing. Discussed the project with the boss and settled in to make the last graphs for our 1 o'clock, only to discover a mistake I had made which invalidates everything I spent Saturday doing. Fixing it produces a system from which I can no longer get results, so now I am fiddling again with the meeting getting ever closer.

But back to lovely yesterday . . .
I was bound and determined to get out and about before the never-ending rain that I am quite convinced is coming sets in. So we biked 20 km through the woods to the in-laws instead of taking the train. We made the trip in a little over an hour and fifteen, down 45 minutes from our trip last year. A chance to revel in biking skills regained, to earn the pile of divine potato salad to which I greedily helped myself at lunch. Forty km later, I had a little pain in my knee and rear and a very sleepy husband. Not a bad day's work, that.

Whiplash to the present moment. . .
Well our appointment dude is coming 2 hours late and after that, I am supposed to aquaint myself with a new piece of software, so that I can fix "the problem".

There go my plans of getting out of here in time to buy food, and activity that didn't make it onto the schedule on Saturday and of which there is no chance tomorrow. Also visions of disappearing Workers holiday.

Not to worry; the software is lost. It must be sent from an office in another city. Whew! No way it can get here before Wednesday.

Horrors! The software can be sent via email!

So it's Saturday . . .

2007-04-21T10:16:00.000+01:00

and I am at work, but that is OK, 'cause I knew in advance I would be here and made sure that D. and I went out for dinner last night (and got a little tipsy on a Spanish wine I like). Other reasons, it's not so bad to be working:
1) One roadblock in my insane mini-project got cleared last night - and I found one of the solutions myself (yey me!)
2) Glorious weather and my office window overlooks the garden of the next building.
3) No one else here. No phones, no construction noise.
4) I slept a whole two hours late today.
5) D. is working today anyway (It's training, not school, but attendance is mandatory.)
6) I don't have to be here tomorrow. (A huge relief.)

My commute - bike 15 min, switch to train 5 min, train 23 min, switch to bike 10 min, bike 10-15 min is so pleasant - invigourating, relaxing - when the weather is fabulous.

Random -"I won't ever fit in here entirely" (Not that there's anything wrong with that!) thoughts of the day :

1) I will not be putting one of those little triangular neckerchiefs that scream "I am a German" on any future child of mine.

2) Germans go jogging in soccer sneakers - ow!

And I discovered something amazing this morning -

The folks over at Hope is Emo are geniouses. I only listened to the audio today in the train (new ipod, love it love it, love it).

Becuase I can't leave that ugly post sitting there. . .

2007-04-15T22:41:00.000+01:00

A Photo

Farmers market in Freiburg some months ago. The olives were awesome.

Something in the water

2007-04-15T22:14:00.000+01:00

We knew it was coming; my sister-in-law is expecting. I am surprised how much of a loop we've been thrown for. So many little monsters rearing their heads - my job, moving, etc. stand in the way for us and the clock ticks away in the background. I considered not having kids for the first time today - I honestly don't know how we would manage it. In all likelihood, it's just a bad reaction to other people appearing to have their lives in order (well paying permanent jobs from which they will not get fired and at which they are entitled to part-time work).

And the loud, demanding, and somehow endearing cat of Christmas planning fame has was euthanized after animal medicine ran out of answers for him while we were on vacation. I cried and felt silly for crying about an animal I barely knew and didn't much like, but perhaps I was lucky that there was an acceptable outlet for tears in light of all the unacceptable reasons for tears (see paragraph 1).

Things are a wee bit out of whack here at chez Moose and I am too down in the dumps to critically assess what I would have to do to be happy. Everything on my "what i need to do to be happy" list is impossible because of work, and because all my other applications resulted in rejection letters, I am not feeling fired up to go find another job - it would also further delay other things (see paragraph 1). So ends another weekend spent, largely in bed, recovering from or dreading the return to work.

My guy is great, but even saints have their limits plus he's not without his own paragraph 1 issues himself.

On a lighter note, we watched a French movie "Tanguy" last night - what a giggle! Two hoofs up!

2007-04-14T21:37:00.000+01:00

shout-outs (shouts-out?) to Micah, who will always be my Lord of the Peeps.

I would explain, but how do you explain a peep torture contest that culminates in an iron maiden designed for peeps and consisting of the core of a toilet paper roll, industrial staples and electrical tape? It would seem that there are others with this unhealthy obsession with Easter candy -
the evidence (Hat tip - Ironic Catholic).

And from Micah -

Sorry there's not German "translation".

Ack! ack! . . . ack!

2007-04-11T00:26:00.000+01:00

How can we be back? How can I have to get up for work in 4 hours .. . . for a job that pays me less than what a scholarship student gets after taxes?

But do I deserve your sympathy? The photos to the left would seem to indicate that a "no" is in order. (In fairness, we spent only 45 minutes at that pool.) CR was beautiful, but not without its prickles. More on that later. Much more, much later.

Give me 1 hour in the office tomorrow and I will be planning what I want to pack for a return to the States. Not making my stopover in New York into my final destination was extremely difficult. My city of residence in Germany has always made me so happy until now, but today - despite sun and a nearly empty streetcar, there was nothin.

I only have to do this for a year - and that must be managable.

2007-03-29T13:56:00.000+01:00

We're on our last day in the "mothership" - so much left undone and that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomache although I know that tomorrow at lunch I will be with good friends I haven't seen for months. My hair is softer, my skin is clearer - is it the chlorine, the soft water, the Dail soap, or is it just home?

The NJ DMV is populated by at least a few idiots. How many of you know what to do with an umlaut in English? Mueller - anyone? That's not what the fine folks at Motor Vehicle Services thought. My marriage certificate (already in English) would have to be translated by the consulate. I explained that they do not, nor have they in the recent past offered translation services, but she was not to be moved. So we called New York. U umlaut to UE is common sense and everyone knows that - there is nothing we can do for you.

So we were sneaky and evil and went to another office. No problem. She squinted, she asked her supervisor and she issued me my new license.

vici, vici, vici

2007-03-22T07:30:00.000+01:00

Life has been so hectic. I am sorry for not blogging and not responding, but here I am taking the last train in this morning and I have to leave early this afternoon to buy Manhattan eye shadow at DM, which apparently isn't available in Costa Rica. :) It's ok, Laura.

The girlie weekend was great. I think I will be chewing on some stuff for a long time. And now, I will be disappearing again til I am back on the other side of the pond.

take care - bis bald!

O brave new world, that has such people in it!

2007-03-15T19:48:00.000+01:00

I saw some Hasidic Jews (sp?) in the train tonight - they weren't speaking English but my initial reaction was the same as I have often had with African-American looking people here (who then turned out not to be African American).

I think --- ooooh someone like me! I feel like I am home when I see them. My only conversation I ever had with actual Americans here outside of the University didn't go well. They were really jerky to me (and not members of the aforementioned groups). Sometimes a girl just gets a little homesick.

And then the guy in the seat in front of me was carrying a backpack from teh 6th annual international conference for toxic cyanobacteria.

Perhaps diversity isn't only to be found at home.

*** I am sure this offended someone, and that isn't my intent. I realize the ridiculousness of the feeling and that's why I am even mentioning it. Even if the gentlemen I saw in the train were from NYC, I doubt they would appreciate my enthusiasm. I've seen more people here with turbans than I have with unshaved side-burns.

Beware the Ides of . . .Oops, too late!

2007-03-15T19:34:00.000+01:00

Actually, everything was ok. The worst thing I did today was not be able to understand someone's name on the phone. After having asked him to repeat the company name, I just gave up. Unfortunately, the person for whom the call was intended decided he would call back and it wasn't who he thought it was (right company, wrong guy). Situation, ultimately resolved, but I cannot understand a thing people say at the start of a telephone call - yes, that part of the call where they announce themselves and generally mention everything I need to be writing down in all of 0,35 s.

But really, that's not that bad. No, it's not my job to answer the telephone, but everyone is supposed to if the secretary is busy, and at the moment, she's not busy, she's recovering from a car accident.

On to Caesery-like thinks. . .
The Ides of March is about the only thing I am superstitious about. We read a heap of Shakespeare in highschool and a long time ago in college, the comedy theater group ran a fundraiser where you could donate and "betray" a friend on the Ides of March. Fill in the "Name of the Betrayed" and the appropriate lecture and lecturer and if permission was obtained a group in togas entered your lecture, announced that you had been betrayed and proceeded to "stab" you with plastic forks. Someone in my class betrayed our unsuspecting prof. Dr. Otto, not that you will ever read this, but you are a good sport.

I proceeded to get into a serious car accident on the Ides of March that year, for which I was responsible and in which, thankfully I was the only person hurt and not seriously. I had too many people at the hospital to take me home and I still have the stuffed bunny my friend Micah gave me. It is one of my most prized possessions - a reminder that there are people who will still love me, no matter what kind of mistakes I make. (and it was a mistake - inexperience and a badly designed intersection which has subsequently been completely realigned).

2007-03-14T21:24:00.000+01:00

Not much new in Moose-land. The weekend was full of driving. Autobahn and city driving on Saturday- more starting on a hill on Sunday. I managed to stall out down town, but this time my hysterics were all on the inside. This is important :).

Work is better and worse. Despite my many revisions and D's revisions, nothing remains of the report I wrote. The report was entirely re-written by the boss. The aren't acting like they are going to fire me - they wouldn't be spending this much time with me if they didn't feel it was still possible for it to work out.

Even thinking worst case scenario - Reasons to stay as long as I can there
1.) I can view it as a short course, I am learning so much, plus I will get a little money out of it.
2.) I need it for my resume.
3.) If it gets really bad, we can adjust our life planning - but not until I've stuck it out a while.
4.) It is better now than it was the first few days.

Not enough sleep and D. is out of town. I am taking my first night off in a while and indulging in a little DSG9, the silliest show in German TV.

In other news:
I saw a man in full-on Lederhose this morning in the train station. I don't live in Bavaria-it was the equivalent of seeing someone dressed like Big Bird walking through the train station.

I shared my commute with a friend this morning who was on his way to the airport. Lucky surprise that I took a later train.

Does anyone know of anything fun to do half-way between Philly and DC? (Something my vegetarian friends can do - so a crab restaurant is out.)

2007-03-08T20:02:00.000+01:00

It's all about being ready to drive someone else's standard shift car from a red light on a hill. I haven't entirely got the two feet, two hands, hand-brake thing down. Fortunately, I err on the careful side and stall instead of rolling backwards.

Work was really bad the past few days. (Almost fell in the bedroom last night trying to get around the drying rack - I regained my balance and didn't knock my head against a drawer. I was sorry I couldn't get myself krankgeschriben. Now that's a bit messed up.) Today was not as bad and I feel nearly euphoric. Wacky, huh? We found a binder that had been missing.

Again - today was alright. We will see. So on to some other stuff.

Why are things for little girls marketed in the exact same color of pepto bismol pink all over the world?

Does champions league soccer really matter to anyone?

I met my husband for the first time two years ago tomorrow. :)

and to wrap it up
International Frauentag, Schmauentag

2007-03-06T21:53:00.000+01:00

On the autobahn as a driver for the first time ans lived to tell the tale. . . well at least to report it here. Spent some time the past two days with farmers - wow, is that an dialect to deal with. Some strange goings on with a colleague as well. Does he keep directing me inappropriately because he doesn't know himself? Boy, I sure hope so.

Practiced driving for 2.5 hours tonight. I still stall out when I have to use the hand brake starting on a hill. Otherwise, it is generally going well.

2007-03-04T21:35:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, slept a lot, went grocery shopping. Today slept late again, went to lunch at the in-laws, practised driving (got to get used to the whole manual transmission thing), and now I am spending a couple of hours working on translation tasks. As my week nights now consist of showering and laying out clothes and lunch for the following day before going to bed, I had better wrap up what I can and announce the end of my availability for this kind of work.

Re water contained in tall structures and towns containing such structures.
I have no idea what the place is like. It's only day 2, but I may get to know the place well. I may well be spending 12 hours a day there.

sorry so stressed, but i gotta go

2007-03-01T22:40:00.000+01:00

So I am not fired yet. Everyone was really nice, but I knew that already. What remains to be seen is whether I am up to the tasks that will be mine. I came home and cried, a lot, but I am feeling a bit better now. Tomorrow is Friday, after all, so there is a lower limit even if I am going to start working on my first report. First day, two projects and no clue.

On the way home, I walked around a bit. There was a symbol of the city I was in that was illuminated and the wet pavement around it shone in the light and it was also clear that this job just one part of life and even if it lasts a few years, it won't be forever. As long as I am happy with where I am going at the end of the day, and I am than I can keep slogging, at least for the moment.

It's a bird! It's a plane! But this being Germany,

2007-02-27T22:04:00.001+01:00

it's not Superman! That's right folks, it's

1 More Day

2007-02-27T21:28:00.000+01:00

of unemployment, of vacation, of being my own boss. I have filled the past few weeks with tasks I had been putting off for another day - the visit to the Frauenartzt, tomorrow's visit to the dentist, travel vaccinations, a visit to a friend living out of town, and translation, translation, translation. Today, I headed off my former place of work to have lunch with my former colleagues, do a bit of (who'da thunk it) translation work and say "good-bye". Good-bye because every one of my now preciously limited vacations days are now spoken for for the rest of the calendar year and I don't know when I will see them again.

D. obviously thinks that my stress level isn't high enough - we're now watching die Weisse Hai - i.e. Jaws. I was going to make a snarky comment about bad German movie title translations, but we decided that "Kiefern" wouldn't have made much of a movie.

Here are two views from yesterday, a grey day in BW and friends on the way to a baby-bubbles class.

2007-02-22T11:36:00.001+01:00

Is it me . . .

2007-02-22T10:44:00.000+01:00

or do Americans not care at all about the Bernstein Zimmer? It seems to come up as a topic of "unsolved mysteries"-type shows here and I had never heard of this in the States.

Bist Du narrisch!!

2007-02-21T16:44:00.000+01:00

For those of you who don't read Margaret Marks' excellent "Transblawg" from which I have gotten some excellent pointers, swing on by for a tale of library books, the Fall of the Wall and a story that most would only believe if the protagonists are Germans.

There was an episode of Tatort on last night on SWR. Der Biensle und schäbische/allemanische Fasnet - it rocked, but was I paying attention? Nooo. Uncle Sam and I had a date with Forms 2555 (x2) and W7 and 1040 and schedules A and B (lions and tigers and bears, oh my!). The lovely, lovely State in which I am domiciled allows me to file as a non-resident and to use a different filing status than the federal filing status, so it appears that there is light at the end of the tunnel, after all, but I have no idea how immigrants wade through the paperwork when I find it challenging to understand exactly what has to go in box X.

Our own Fasching adventures were anything but, so I am posting a photo from our trip to Weil am Rhein last year. It was amazing and significantly less lame than endless cartloads of Gardetänzerinnen who don't dance and throw candy to Schlagermusik.

Yes, yes, they are talented young athletes, but I want a spectacle if you are going to expect me to stand on the street and try to avoid loosing an eye as hard candy sails through the air. Give me Guggenmusik any old day. And chocolate.

You can try as hard as you want. . .

2007-02-19T13:36:00.000+01:00

but no one is going to convince me that this was a Good Idea. I am well aware that it is perfectly acceptable German, but in this day and age where nearly everyone under 30 speaks English, you would think one would avoid names like this.

What we are watching

2007-02-18T23:55:00.000+01:00

or what I am watching. "Muxmäuschenstill" or "werry, werry quiet" - the tale of a modern-day vigilante in Berlin who pursues his law and rule-breaking citizens, imposing his own penalties. I am sure it's all going to end tragically; we've already seen one of his escapades result in the death of a grafitti "artist".

Herr Quixote has already found his Dulcinea, but she is young and beautiful, and her lack of interest isn't going to lead anywhere good.

We are trying to get life organized before everything changes. We've cleaned a bit and D. did our German taxes. I still have to figure out what our State taxes look like before I can do our US taxes. It's nice to have a deadline for a lot of the smaller organizational items that had remained. The pressure allows me to make decisions - e.g. pick out presents for the neices and stick with the decision rather than continuing to search in the hope of finding something better later.

I went to my first yoga class last week. It was pretty low-key, but my muscles made me aware of their presence the next day.

All in all, not much to report.

See Fairness, in the Spirit of

2007-02-14T13:34:00.000+01:00

Just so everyone is aware, I make really embarrassing mistakes in German. "Oskar the Geschlechtsteil" is nothing compared to some of my doozies.

E.g. Recent conversation with my German while lolling around.

AOM: Honey, what's the difference between "decken" and "bedecken"?
DOM: Well, "dich 'dekcen' lassen" is probably what I want you to want and "dich 'bedecken' lassen" is probably what you want.

For all of you non-experts. "Decken" is what studs do (dogs, horses, etc.). "Bedecken" / "Zudecken" is to cover something - in my case, me, with a blanket.

There are a couple of comments to which I hope to reply, please be patient.

**(Well, no one said we were great conversationalists, and nothing happened. Hope ya'll weren't too offeneded.) And it occurred to me that the piggies do make the whole thing worse than it ought to be, but they came up when I googled "blanket" and I think they are cute.

While I wasn't Sleeping

2007-02-14T12:42:00.000+01:00

A lot has happened since Friday, namely a second interview on Monday and a job starting the beginning of March.

I should be thrilled out of my little gourd, no? But I have had two largely sleepless nights with a lot of compensatory daytime sleeping which is No Good What-so-ever.

The bad news:

We will have to get a car, which will be a huge money-sucking hole. I feel as though I would be working to finance the thing. D. insists that this isn't the case, but we will see.
There is a lot to learn and I have no idea if I will meet their expectations and get picked up at the end of the 6 month trial period.
Repeat point 2 about 100x
If I get booted at 6 months, I will have a hell of time getting some other company to hire me.
It's a small company, so there is effectively no Mutterschutz down the road. I will lose my job in ca. 3 years if all goes according to plan.
Given that 4. is a nearly forgone conclusion, can we really move any further forward towards buying an apartment or home?
If we buy, will we buy Money-Pit like structure that will drag us to financial ruin?
If we don't buy, will we be able to support ourselves in our dottage based on our current savings?

Pretty much every chain of night time thought ends with us under a bridge eating dogfood. I don't seem to recall having this level of existential angst in the States.

The good news:

The position as defined is a mix of two of my areas of interest, the one I applied for there and another one that interests me. (I didn't directly address it in my application there because it's in another department.)
Whatever I learn will qualify me further for the next job.
Even if I come out making nothing in the end, the German social security system doesn't see it that way and this is very good, indeed.
This is step 1 to a career here, and that would make me slightly less vulnerable should anything, God forbid, happen to D.
They are letting me take my planned trip to visit my family and friends before Easter.

This is what I get for making fun of my husband.

2007-02-09T12:45:00.000+01:00

Thanks to those who offered advice before my trip to the Frauenartzt. It was different than I expected (got poked somewhere I wasn't expecting). The problem with having a German sig. ot. is that you can't just say that and leave it at that, because he has no idea what you are talking about. One has to go into painful detail. But we, as native speakers can leave it there, no? Apparently Harbor tours aren't just for men. ugggh. Also - you can get the hpv vaccine in Germany even if you are considerably older than 20. I don't think you can in the States.

There was no seperate top and bottom treatment, but I came prepped. No gowns, no problem. Button-down blouse and long skirt. I think she was a bit miffed, but tough bagels, sweetie. She, an article-dropping Eastern European, also had the nerve to criticize my accent, which isn't perfect, but is far from painful. I also don't buy into anyone whose ear isn't good enough to fix their own speech being able to distinguish among different native English speakers whose accents aren't glaring. All she really means is that I don't sound like the ice-hockey coaches on tv. So her German is better than Vladimir Putin's. . . and?

I think what she did is the equivalent of calling a darker complected person articulate. Which seems to be a hot topic at home at the moment. I've done it - also done it with Sylvester Stalone, though, and last I check he was white under all that self-tanner. It does, convey surprise, but when I use the word with anyone, I also mean that the people speaking expressed themselves so well that I consider their skill-level enviable. (Literally - Wow, I wish I could do that.) When one considers what African Americans your average suburb-dweller hears, they are rappers and athletes, or actors reading text (for which they aren't responsible and could very well have been dumbed down - see Crash) - we are programmed to be surprised when someone from that community speaks well because educated successful Blacks so rarely get the spotlight. That, in my eyes, is the underlying problem - not that someone (a not particularly articulate someone - heh) was trying to pay Senator Obama a compliment.

** correction - Apparently, Vladimir Putin speaks excellent German. I will have to find another example.

My so-called post-Turkey life

2007-02-05T14:19:00.000+01:00

Well Friday night was like running into a brick wall. Three rejection emails, one after another. These were all initiative-applications, mind you, but I allowed myself to become disheartened. I have yet to hear word one from any app I have sent in response to an advertised opening. Despite all that we got through "Thanksgiving" for 13 on Saturday. 1.5x the side-dish recipes would have done it (instead of 2x) but we have lived and learned, and the people who were secretly whining that they wanted to bring spaghetti out of concern they might not like anything served seemed to be content with what we served. (Am I forgiven for being a wee bit insulted, still. How can we Americans all be so fat if the food isn't edible. Please! Pick one stereotype and stick to it.) Practically nothing remained of our 4 kilo friend. Mr. Gobbles, we barely knew ya.

I received an email on Saturday from a temp agency, which had advertised looking for professionals in my field. Evil, evil temp agencies. We'll see if they have any use for me and how much they would be willing to pay me. Yes, we know that the answer is - not very much - but my education level should put me into the highest tarif-klasse, but they could try to wiggle. Let's see if they have a job in mind first.

Ran into a friend that I hadn't seen in months at church on Sunday and I stayed up til 4 chatting with my sister (and a friend now in Peru) and watching the Super Bowl (Thank you ORF!) and drinking a white russian or two (yes, two). A pleasant day of winding down.

So a new week has begun and I have a personal victory item to report. I scheduled an appointment with the Frauenartzt. I may already have my nerves in a bunch for nothing. The appointment is a mere two days from now and I am concerned that they may have somehow confused me with a patient with private insurance. We will see. (Often publicly insured patients have to wait longer for appointments.)

And to keep it lively . . .
Think yóur expat experience is bad?? This will disabuse you of that notion right quick.

From the front lines. . .

2007-01-30T09:56:00.000+01:00

of international relationships. Or "Things the German thought he heard".

If you take it from D., a new monster has entered the Sesame Street panoply (drum roll)
Oscar the Crotch.

2007-01-29T10:23:00.000+01:00

I do have to say "thank you" again to those who stop by here. I started blogging here, not as so many do, because it simplifies communicating with family and friends, but because I wanted to express a thought or two that I might not necessarily want to share with my family or because they are sick of hearing it.

In the movie "Shadowlands", C.S. Lewis has a conversation with a young teacher where they discuss a saying of the teachers's father, "I read to know I am not alone." I definitely read your blogs to know I am not alone, but writing helps, too. When I got back from my interview lat week, I had two comments (thanks ladies) and instant messages waiting from my sister and a new friend in town. It's moments like that when you know, that 1) you bitch too much about your worries in public and 2) you communicate with some truly decent people, so life can't be that bad.

Last night said new friend with her husband and I had a lovely evening - we ate cookies and picked on our poor Germans a bit, but they seemed to get along as well, which was really nice since D. is shy. Sometimes, it's a blessing to appreciate good moments along the way even when one isn't sure how life's great questions/challenges are going to be sorted out. It isn't the solution - had a mini panic attack last night before going to sleep - but I woke up feeling pretty good this morning so I am going to enjoy it while it lasts.

My German and I enjoyed reading (even while wincing for the author) Megan's account of her housing struggles. Naturally, I wish her the best of luck (important post-related German tip from one who has messed it up - bestechen = bribe, erstechen = stab to death), but I have been pained in recent weeks by the number of "American-friendly" environmental consulting firms there are in the München area and the number of ex-pats, while I am uhhh. . . elsewhere. Her post was a gentle reminder that there are downsides to living at the center of the universe - no offense to all of you Berlin/Frankfurt-dwellers. The post is amusing and extremely informative. If you live outside of Munich, I would encourage you to stop by for your daily dose of Schadenfreude.

2007-01-27T23:26:00.000+01:00

Confession time . . . I have become something of a Kommissar Beck fan. The series is anything but an advertisement for Sweden, red houses and all. I find the scenery very depressing and they don't seem to film anything in the summer. Perhaps that's because there isn't much of one to begin with.

I am a huge mystery fan generally, having grown up with BBC rebroadcasts of "Mystery!" on PBS - I still remember hurrying to shower and wash my hair before the show started and watching with my sister and my parents, something of a family ritual.

The German is baking; he is darling (invoking the 6 month rule). My parents did quite a bit to whipe our wedding wish list clean and we now have the super-duper mixer of our dreams that will accomapany us for many years of happy baking. We've had it a little more than a week and we've already had toll house cookies, a cake and now oodles and oodles of German Christmas cookies. This losing weight thing isn't going to procede very far if he keeps this up.+

Tatort on Sunday (almost this evening) will be from our neck of the woods - Karlsruhe/Mannheim/Ludwigshafen!

So . . .How was it?

2007-01-26T00:36:00.000+01:00

Not so great, I am afraid. Ich fühlte mich verarscht! (I felt like the fates were out to get me.)

Actually, the interview was fine. They were really freindly, put up with me when I forgot a German word (a technical term) and they very cooly could also only think of the the English for another technical term. The project on which they are interested in working is extremely closely related to my thesis project. Now comes the but. They would prefer to have someone in a location to which I can't get. It's completely depressing, because the fellow in that office has done a bunch of neat projects and I think I would like working for him. I went into the interview knowing that this was a possibility, so it's quite alright.

Apparantly (apparent-LEE for all of you Coupling fans) I also have a mortal enemy among the Thanksgiving Turkey gods.

I was headed off to another city for the interview, so I figured that I should check out one of the larger stores in that city in the hope they would have a frozen turkey. We are having trouble drumming one up for our little delayed Thanksgiving celebration. So after the interview, I went to Kaufland. Naturally, I had called the day before and been assured that they had frozen whole turkeys. They did, in fact, have a turkey, but it was too small and the package was open with the contents damaged. So, I left. I was really irritated, but whaddya going to do in Germany? Complaining won't improve anything. I treated myself to a double espresso at the train station instead.

Flugzeuge im Bauch

2007-01-22T10:46:00.000+01:00

Today it'll just be a mish-mash folks, because that is the only thing that would accurately reflect the contents of my poor cranium.

The only interview I've managed to drum up in the past few weeks is tomorrow and I am a nervous wreck. I am talking to the mirror a lot today in the hope that my answers to the few questions I know will come up tomorrow come out sounding somewhat reasonable. It's supposed to snow/rain here today and tomorrow and the thought of navigating through that in heels and stockings isn't thrilling me.

The weekend was very busy as we are preparing for our big Thanksgiving smash-up with my former co-workers. I've done T-day for 10, but this time it's 15 and we are distributing the recipes. Unlike the last time I distributed recipes, no one has measuring cups and I won't be around to answer questions, so we've - read D. has - gone to a lot of trouble to translate and measure (thanks to our excellent new Soehnle kitchen scale). I put together a quick and dirty translation. Translating ingredients and prepared a general conversion table, but not D. He is using gorgeous formatting, etc.

The turkey itself has eluded us. In Stuttgart there used to be frozen turkeys, but I don't know if that was just in the Fall. One also can't find a butternut squash here for love or money, so it's going to be pumpkin soup instead.

I found an apple pie recipe that sounds good, though. D. translated the whole thing. Working on a serious translation project at the moment, I was willing to make the pie rather than translate the recipe.

From our irregular wacky word(s) of the day series:
trespassing = hausfriedensbruch
savory = bohnenkraut
emsig = active, assiduous, diligent