Hate to seem too random
but I am, at this very moment, sitting across from someone who is eating tomatoes like apples.
« Januar 2008 | Main | März 2008 »
Sorry gang, not much new going on these days in the Old World. I am therefore writing absolute crap as filler until something meaningful does happen. Plus there's that my main commenter is currently on vacation somewhere warm for the next week and a half or so. Can't say I don't envy that at the moment. We have had a week-long break in the dreariness of winter with sunny skies. Of course, I was advised very early on that typical winter is grey overcast unless it is very, very cold.
Travel blitz for the year begins around the end of this month with Copenhagen, continues when Bill gets here in May to Berlin, goes skiing the weekend after in Austria, and then waits until the end of May for Memorial Day in Florida. I think August will finally force me to make the obligatory trip to Amsterdam. I'll put up a couple of pictures of the artwork from Copenhagen after it heals...
I did have a bit of an odd thing last week. I got a compliment on my watch at work. Any idea what it takes to get a compliment on anything over here, much less a time piece?
As read from an AOL blog: doucheocity
Enjoy.
Two hours left to go in the office. It's been an active week so far. Everyone seems to be over their holiday return-to-Germany culture shock and some of us have also crossed a one year hurdle that is both a milestone and a sad reminder.
My new friend Jason spent his 4 week vacation over Christmas in his home town, Cape Town, South Africa. It was complete with visits to parents and sun burned friends who didn't listen to sun block advisories. He's been here right at one year, just recently started his own business, and after four weeks of sun wasn't quite ready to face down the January winter weather. On the up side, they just ran a feature article of him in the paper and he is actually having to turn people away rather than sit bored at the shop.
This winter thing is getting to be a bit dreary. I don't mind being surprised but I have no expectations of a real break in the weather until at least the middle of May.
This week was also a supplier visit for me. First one entirely in German where I had to introduce myself and give a brief desciption of my job, plus participate in the discussion. I felt like an absolute idiot through the whole thing but it seemed to work out in the end. Also engaging in small talk here in the office for what feels like the first time ever. I can finally talk about a little more than the weather, which seems to run the same most days anyway.
Work has kind of turned into a mother to deal with as well. They've decided I understand German well enough to pile on work. In reality, not much seems to have changed but I feel like it's taken me a year to re-learn a job I already did well. Now I feel like time is running out to actually accomplish something.
I've been informed than winning the "medium" difficulty guitar battle with Lou will unlock Free Bird. Odd, but I'm actually looking forward to that.
I'm sure most of you have heard of Syracuse, NY. Why, you're not quite sure because it really is a somewhat small, crappy little town. I visited there once on business.
What you may not know is that it is the home of lengendary author Frank Baum (incidentally, an extraordinarily German name). He wrote the Wizard of Oz. The sidewalks of Syracuse were all painted yellow - many years ago apparently. They also have an annual parade commemorating the Wizard of Oz movie that is attended by many of the surviving munchkins. It's more than a bit creepy eating in a cafe with pictures of 90 year old munchkins on the wall.
At any rate, turns out Syracuse truly is a town divided as shown by this very articel:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080207/ap_on_el_pr/clinton_obama_tie;_ylt=Amf2gJ5UQaJrCbY5qVy.5z2yFz4D
Please wish Bill a belated Happy Birthday in case you got so absorbed in the Super Bowl that you forgot there were other special things happening on Sunday.
I partook of my first Bavarian breakfast this Sunday. I have previously seen it in Bavaria but didn't give it too much thought and I have tried the various components at different times as well. Frank decided to bring it all together this weekend for the real thing.
A Bavarian breakfast is really more of a brunch and consists of soft pretzels, weißwurst (white sausage), sweet mustard, and hefeweißen (wheat beer). I think everyone knows the pretzels and beer. The sausage is white because it's veal-based (reference previous comments on why I'm willing to eat German veal and not American) and comes in a natural casing which must be cut and peeled prior to eating. You can see a few demonstrational videos on youtube if you look. The main point seems to be that the sausage not survive to see twelve noon.
Breakfast was followed by a round of Guitar Hero, which summarily addicted all males present on the game.