For those of you who like looking for inspiration on the internet - decor, gardening, fashion, photography, cooking, and so on - I would recommend giving the site Pinterest a try. Years ago I used to like collecting images from magazines and newspapers and making collages based on a theme. As I got older (and lazier) I would usually just stockpile the magazines themselves with no real organization. Then along came the internet and it gradually replaced the print media I loved. I would scour websites for hours looking for the best ideas how to decorate my apartment or for fashions and shoes that might be fun for a big night out. Much faster and easier, not to mention cheaper, than buying magazines. However, I was always kind of dissatisfied with collecting a bunch of links to online catalogs and photos.
I first heard about Pinterest from No Apathy Allowed's blog back in March and wrote her to ask for an invite to use the site.
I've been giving it a try for the last month or so and, well, I love it. Once you have an account you can create 'Boards', which are virtual idea boards where you can capture and post photos from anywhere on the internet to (with credit given back to the site where the photo came from). The first board I made was to brainstorm ideas for Pea's nursery. I could send it to my mom and sis and the Saffa to show off what I had in mind and see what they thought. Much easier than trying to explain in words!
I have started a few more boards to brainstorm some ideas around a photo shoot a friend has offered to do for me and the Saffa - a maternity shoot. I don't think it will be long before I also start with some food photography inspiration boards as that has become one of my favorite hobbies.
Like all things internet based, there is always the option to share ideas and I have found that various people have 'borrowed' my internet finds and I have started doing likewise.
If you want to have an idea of what a 'board' looks like, here is an example of a board 'Food for the Soul'. I'm not sure if the site still requires an existing member to send an invite but if you are interested send me an email with your email address and I will invite you. It's fun!
Posted from Munich
Showing posts with label miscellaneous. Show all posts
Showing posts with label miscellaneous. Show all posts
4.6.11
25.3.11
Tidbits
Just some random tidbits this time:
- I was home for a long weekend in CT and brought the Saffa along to meet the parents. Some more on that in an upcoming post!
- I am down to my last days on my work contract and will be starting the new job on Friday, April 1st. I have to wonder if that is some kind of omen? April Fool's Day! I will kick off the organization I will be responsible for building with the first of my team members on Thursday and feel energized to take on the new challenge but know it will be a challenging transition.
- The Saffa and I kicked off the 2011 BBQ season on Wednesday night. The weather has been gorgeous in Munich all week and we couldn't resist. Steaks, sausages, onions, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini - all tossed on the grill - and a Bavarian potato salad. Unfortunately looks like rain ahead this weekend and chillier temperatures.
- The situation in Japan has been on my mind a lot. I love the ocean but there is something that I find especially horrific about mass death by tsunami or hurricane. In part, I think because I used to have a recurring dream about happy, peaceful times at the ocean being suddenly transformed into something much more sinister - waterspouts, tidal waves or swimming and being sucked out to sea in an overpowering current. As for similar catastrophes in the past, I felt compelled to make a donation and selected GlobalGiving to donate through. For those of you on Toytown, there is a member who is running a fundraiser for Japan by selling homemade card sets. Her offer can also be found on Facebook. Any little bit helps...
- For those of you in Munich, I wanted to recommend a little neighborhood haunt of mine, a restaurant called Osteria da Antonio. It's a cozy but often rowdy Italian restaurant serving fresh-made pasta specials and delicious thin, crispy crust pizzas. One of my favorites is the 'Contadina' - topped with eggplant, ricotta, tomatoes, and olives. And I am completely addicted to their 'Pizzabrot' - a think crust pizza with a light tomato sauce, garlic and olive oil topping. Try it!
- Wish you all a Happy Weekend!
Posted from Munich
29.1.11
Sanity
A friend of mine passed this along and I chuckled more than once. Enjoy!
Ways to Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity.
1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.
2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice.
3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, Ask If They Want Fries with that.
4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label It "In."
5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.
6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write "For Smuggling Diamonds"
7. Finish All Your sentences with "In Accordance With The Prophecy."
8. Don't use any punctuation
9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk.
10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.
11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go."
12. Sing Along At The Opera.
13. Go To A Poetry Recital And Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme?
14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area And Play tropical Sounds all Day.
15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In The Mood.
16. Have Your Co-workers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom.
17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream "I Won!, I Won!"
18. When Leaving The Zoo, Start Running Towards The Parking lot, Yelling "Run For Your Lives, They're Loose!!"
19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner. "Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go."
20. And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity......
Send This E-mail To Someone To Make Them Smile.
Its Called..... therapy.
Posted from Munich
Ways to Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity.
1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.
2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice.
3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, Ask If They Want Fries with that.
4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label It "In."
5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.
6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write "For Smuggling Diamonds"
7. Finish All Your sentences with "In Accordance With The Prophecy."
8. Don't use any punctuation
9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk.
10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.
11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go."
12. Sing Along At The Opera.
13. Go To A Poetry Recital And Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme?
14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area And Play tropical Sounds all Day.
15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In The Mood.
16. Have Your Co-workers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom.
17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream "I Won!, I Won!"
18. When Leaving The Zoo, Start Running Towards The Parking lot, Yelling "Run For Your Lives, They're Loose!!"
19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner. "Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go."
20. And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity......
Send This E-mail To Someone To Make Them Smile.
Its Called..... therapy.
Posted from Munich
6.10.09
To Print
November 10th will mark the four year anniversary of this blog and over 400 posts in the last four years. So I have decided to do something that I have been thinking about for awhile. I want to make a hard copy of this blog for myself. A limited edition (1 copy only) Jeweled Concrete 2005-2009 book.
From the first post The Leap until present day, my life has changed in ways I could never have foreseen and no matter what happens next I am glad I have this little journal of these years of my life.
While I can always access the full history on line there are two reasons I want to make my own hardcopy. One is that technology changes and is imperfect and in the long run I don't want to risk losing all these posts even though the world would probably still go on. Yes I joke. The other is that I like how paper smells. It's just not the same clicking through internet as it is flipping through a book and seeing and smelling the pages.
I plan to try this software and publishing site called blurb. Before I do though, I wanted to see if anyone has tried it or any other sites for making their own books? Any recommendations welcome!
Posted from Ashford Kent
From the first post The Leap until present day, my life has changed in ways I could never have foreseen and no matter what happens next I am glad I have this little journal of these years of my life.
While I can always access the full history on line there are two reasons I want to make my own hardcopy. One is that technology changes and is imperfect and in the long run I don't want to risk losing all these posts even though the world would probably still go on. Yes I joke. The other is that I like how paper smells. It's just not the same clicking through internet as it is flipping through a book and seeing and smelling the pages.
I plan to try this software and publishing site called blurb. Before I do though, I wanted to see if anyone has tried it or any other sites for making their own books? Any recommendations welcome!
Posted from Ashford Kent
25.9.09
Yes, Exactly
Life is not how you survive the storm, but how you dance in the rain...
Posted from Ashford Kent
Posted from Ashford Kent
25.8.09
Bookworms
Lately I haven't been reading as much but am hoping to rekindle the passion a bit. I have a half-read book graveyard around my bed. It is unlike me not to finish even a terrible book but seems the older I get the less I am willing to invest in something if it doesn't spark my interest.
Anyone read anything good lately they can recommend?
I am borrowing the idea below from G in Berlin's blog post. Books I have read are marked in blue. Seems I still have a few books left to read!
The BBC list of the most beloved books:
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller (in the book graveyard)
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier (my favorite Hitchcock movie)
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett (lost on airplane partially read, book graveyard)
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac (left in the seat back pocket of an airplane, book graveyard)
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
Anyone read anything good lately they can recommend?
I am borrowing the idea below from G in Berlin's blog post. Books I have read are marked in blue. Seems I still have a few books left to read!
The BBC list of the most beloved books:
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller (in the book graveyard)
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier (my favorite Hitchcock movie)
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett (lost on airplane partially read, book graveyard)
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac (left in the seat back pocket of an airplane, book graveyard)
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
8.1.09
Ruminations
I have been chewing the proverbial cud over the last few weeks, aimlessly and without conclusion. I may have even managed to imitate a perfect cow face – complete with vacant and peaceful cow eyes, while slowly munching on Christmas cookies, watching the world go by, thinking. Sometimes it’s nice to be more passive and let the tide carry you where it will. In all my running from point A to B, I sometimes forget why I even started running to begin with.
So here are some of my undigested thoughts…
…chickens and eggs. Which really did come first? And cause and effect - I don’t always know which is which in my life. Am I a byproduct of what is happening to me or do I make things in my life happen because of who I am? I think about these things in relation to a number of specific situations but the same theme is always there, always unanswered. This leads to the inevitable, ‘how did I get here’ question. Another favorite to ponder. Am I really 35, living nowhere and everywhere and not sure which direction to go next? What if I had turned right at a few of the forks in the road of life instead of left (since I always say, when in doubt, go left – remarkably it works around 50% of the time)? Can you or should you ever go back? Are you ever ‘there’ or do you only reach the end? Just in case, I try to make the most of each moment, however good or bad, and whatever took me there...
…cold and flu cures from around the world. I spent 2 days in a small apartment with 1 bathroom and 5 people originally from India, Poland, France, Norway and the US who all had various combinations of cold or stomach flu. The recommended treatments were all we could manage to discuss, at best contradictory and at worst just flat out disgusting: hot whiskey and honey, warm milk cooked with garlic and honey, alcohol allowed, avoid alcohol, only drink warm water, open the window, close the window, hot tea, cool tea, exercise, sleep, aspirin, warm beer, jello, ginger ale, coke, chicken soup, pretzels, among other suggestions. In the end I think none of these ‘cures’ do anything except provide a comforting feeling of familiarity and a reminder of being nurtured by our parents. And that’s good enough for me. Well, that and my blanket and teddy bear…
…international experience. On the first leg of my return trip to Zurich, I was surrounded by a bunch of young men on their way to Marine Corps boot camp. Most had never been out of New England, let alone on a plane before. Normally I hate talking to people on the plane but the one sitting next to me turned to me when he boarded, introduced himself with a smile and handshake and started fidgeting nervously in his seat. The flight attendant announced the special passengers and pointed out their lack of flight experience. My neighbor seemed quite nervous, so we chatted to take his mind off things. I had two thoughts the whole time. How young he was and how different his first international experience would be from mine. Some maternal instinct in me wanted to protect him and I can’t even imagine how his real mother must have been feeling as he left 4 days after Christmas…
…a very strange dream where I had ceased to exist. I hesitate to use the word die because I was still there. I was walking around and had the sense that I was wearing a mask but could not see how I looked. My observations of life were very much like watching scenes shot from a hand held camera, jittery, after the fact and I had no ability to influence anything as it was all in the past anyway. In the moment before waking, the footage showed the camera approaching a mirror and I realized with excitement and nervousness that I was finally going to see myself. With a glance in the mirror, I was astonished to find I no longer looked like me even if I felt the same on the inside. I had a completely different face…
Now after all that verbal diarrhea, we go back to our regularly schedule programming. Some posts to come of what I have been up to, what’s next and of course, pictures!
Oh yes...and today is my 3 year life as a European Anniversary! Woohoo!
Posted from Köln
So here are some of my undigested thoughts…
…chickens and eggs. Which really did come first? And cause and effect - I don’t always know which is which in my life. Am I a byproduct of what is happening to me or do I make things in my life happen because of who I am? I think about these things in relation to a number of specific situations but the same theme is always there, always unanswered. This leads to the inevitable, ‘how did I get here’ question. Another favorite to ponder. Am I really 35, living nowhere and everywhere and not sure which direction to go next? What if I had turned right at a few of the forks in the road of life instead of left (since I always say, when in doubt, go left – remarkably it works around 50% of the time)? Can you or should you ever go back? Are you ever ‘there’ or do you only reach the end? Just in case, I try to make the most of each moment, however good or bad, and whatever took me there...
…cold and flu cures from around the world. I spent 2 days in a small apartment with 1 bathroom and 5 people originally from India, Poland, France, Norway and the US who all had various combinations of cold or stomach flu. The recommended treatments were all we could manage to discuss, at best contradictory and at worst just flat out disgusting: hot whiskey and honey, warm milk cooked with garlic and honey, alcohol allowed, avoid alcohol, only drink warm water, open the window, close the window, hot tea, cool tea, exercise, sleep, aspirin, warm beer, jello, ginger ale, coke, chicken soup, pretzels, among other suggestions. In the end I think none of these ‘cures’ do anything except provide a comforting feeling of familiarity and a reminder of being nurtured by our parents. And that’s good enough for me. Well, that and my blanket and teddy bear…
…international experience. On the first leg of my return trip to Zurich, I was surrounded by a bunch of young men on their way to Marine Corps boot camp. Most had never been out of New England, let alone on a plane before. Normally I hate talking to people on the plane but the one sitting next to me turned to me when he boarded, introduced himself with a smile and handshake and started fidgeting nervously in his seat. The flight attendant announced the special passengers and pointed out their lack of flight experience. My neighbor seemed quite nervous, so we chatted to take his mind off things. I had two thoughts the whole time. How young he was and how different his first international experience would be from mine. Some maternal instinct in me wanted to protect him and I can’t even imagine how his real mother must have been feeling as he left 4 days after Christmas…
…a very strange dream where I had ceased to exist. I hesitate to use the word die because I was still there. I was walking around and had the sense that I was wearing a mask but could not see how I looked. My observations of life were very much like watching scenes shot from a hand held camera, jittery, after the fact and I had no ability to influence anything as it was all in the past anyway. In the moment before waking, the footage showed the camera approaching a mirror and I realized with excitement and nervousness that I was finally going to see myself. With a glance in the mirror, I was astonished to find I no longer looked like me even if I felt the same on the inside. I had a completely different face…
Now after all that verbal diarrhea, we go back to our regularly schedule programming. Some posts to come of what I have been up to, what’s next and of course, pictures!
Oh yes...and today is my 3 year life as a European Anniversary! Woohoo!
Posted from Köln
4.2.08
Miscellaneous
A few random thoughts on a Sunday night before I head to bed (with little dots to show the stream of consciousness)...
...Superbowl coverage just started. It's in German. Something just isn't right about that. No one here cares about it anyway and I would have easily forgotten if I wasn't clicking through the channels. Buffalo wings would be good right now though. Mmm. Buffalo wings...
...The next major vacation is booked. M. and I are going with both sets of parents, M.'s sister and daughter for a week in Provence. We rented a house and plan to traverse the Provencal countryside drinking wine and eating cheese and saying Oooh La La to everything we see on the way. At the end we will go to Paris for a couple of days so, finally, I get my first trip to Paris after two years here. Yay!...
...I was in Frankfurt Thursday night and Friday. The last time I was there I had been dating M. for 4 months (3 years ago) and was visiting him there for a long weekend. We parted ways completely depressed about the outlook of our future and weren't even sure when we would see each other again. I still don't like that city. It feels so soulless..
...The purpose of the trip to Frankfurt was to do some business development work - my first stab at it. Everyone always asks why do I keep doing my crazy job. One of the reasons is that just when I think I know it all (haha), I realize I have a lot more to learn. Friday was one of those days. Greenhorn!..
...I spent a lot of time on the train this weekend. 3.5 hours Basel to Frankfurt, 4.5 hours Frankfurt to Munich, 6 hours Munich to Basel. I love traveling by train. It just feels more sane than all the other modes of transport. I read a whole book, Atonement, finishing 15 minutes before the final stop tonight...
...It's off to Asia this spring - I make my first trip to Singapore in April and have a couple more planned after that. I'm looking forward to seeing something new but at the same time realize M. and I give way too much to work. We both are wondering if it is really worth it. I saw him for only a few hours of my already short weekend home since he was on-call and now I'm back in Basel already and miss him!...
...Tom Brady looks green on my TV. Go Giants...
...Good night and good week...
Posted from Basel
...Superbowl coverage just started. It's in German. Something just isn't right about that. No one here cares about it anyway and I would have easily forgotten if I wasn't clicking through the channels. Buffalo wings would be good right now though. Mmm. Buffalo wings...
...The next major vacation is booked. M. and I are going with both sets of parents, M.'s sister and daughter for a week in Provence. We rented a house and plan to traverse the Provencal countryside drinking wine and eating cheese and saying Oooh La La to everything we see on the way. At the end we will go to Paris for a couple of days so, finally, I get my first trip to Paris after two years here. Yay!...
...I was in Frankfurt Thursday night and Friday. The last time I was there I had been dating M. for 4 months (3 years ago) and was visiting him there for a long weekend. We parted ways completely depressed about the outlook of our future and weren't even sure when we would see each other again. I still don't like that city. It feels so soulless..
...The purpose of the trip to Frankfurt was to do some business development work - my first stab at it. Everyone always asks why do I keep doing my crazy job. One of the reasons is that just when I think I know it all (haha), I realize I have a lot more to learn. Friday was one of those days. Greenhorn!..
...I spent a lot of time on the train this weekend. 3.5 hours Basel to Frankfurt, 4.5 hours Frankfurt to Munich, 6 hours Munich to Basel. I love traveling by train. It just feels more sane than all the other modes of transport. I read a whole book, Atonement, finishing 15 minutes before the final stop tonight...
...It's off to Asia this spring - I make my first trip to Singapore in April and have a couple more planned after that. I'm looking forward to seeing something new but at the same time realize M. and I give way too much to work. We both are wondering if it is really worth it. I saw him for only a few hours of my already short weekend home since he was on-call and now I'm back in Basel already and miss him!...
...Tom Brady looks green on my TV. Go Giants...
...Good night and good week...
Posted from Basel
25.10.07
Pantyhose
I decided to address the pantyhose pile in my hamper. For some reason I keep buying more, wearing them and tossing them in the hamper. I guess its easier than washing the old ones.
I counted 15 pairs of black (2 of which are stockings rather than pantyhose) and 6 pairs of nude. Of all those 7 had snags requiring tossing. The remainder are washed and hanging all over the bathroom drying.
My life is just too damn exciting.
Posted from Basel
I counted 15 pairs of black (2 of which are stockings rather than pantyhose) and 6 pairs of nude. Of all those 7 had snags requiring tossing. The remainder are washed and hanging all over the bathroom drying.
My life is just too damn exciting.
Posted from Basel
15.10.07
Cranky
Not sure if it is the shorter and shorter days, the Monday after a really nice weekend or hormonal imbalances but my temper downright inflammatory today. At least I am old enough to know how to damage control in this situation.
I sent an email to the Munich consulate to ask what the heck happened to my passport replacement that I had sent on September 8. They confirmed they had never received it. Ater imagining all kinds of scenarios as to what happened to my old passport, which still had a good 7 years left on it and getting aggravated at what extra steps I would need to fix the situation and get my passport back, a little dim light bulb went off in my head. I recalled the US had charged $67 for said passport's processing fee. I fired off another email and voila! Yes, we called you on Sept 19. Your passport is ready but you did not include a 1 euro 45 self addressed envelope for us to return it in. GRRRR!
Then I spent about an hour emailing back and forth trying to figure out why my company can't figure out what I made for the last 7 years in the US without an official documented certified someting or another from the US HR. Also after two weeks of kicking back and forth with HR, I still am not properly accounted for in 'the system'. No email, no access to anything. If one more person comes by my office asking what is my company email address I will scream. Maybe I don't even work for anybody anymore and should go on a long vacation.
Nuisance and annoyances piled up all day. I silently repeated to myself, 'smile at the fool, lay low and don't say something you will regret. In a day or two you will be your sunny self again.'
Here's to a better tomorrow.
Posted from Basel
I sent an email to the Munich consulate to ask what the heck happened to my passport replacement that I had sent on September 8. They confirmed they had never received it. Ater imagining all kinds of scenarios as to what happened to my old passport, which still had a good 7 years left on it and getting aggravated at what extra steps I would need to fix the situation and get my passport back, a little dim light bulb went off in my head. I recalled the US had charged $67 for said passport's processing fee. I fired off another email and voila! Yes, we called you on Sept 19. Your passport is ready but you did not include a 1 euro 45 self addressed envelope for us to return it in. GRRRR!
Then I spent about an hour emailing back and forth trying to figure out why my company can't figure out what I made for the last 7 years in the US without an official documented certified someting or another from the US HR. Also after two weeks of kicking back and forth with HR, I still am not properly accounted for in 'the system'. No email, no access to anything. If one more person comes by my office asking what is my company email address I will scream. Maybe I don't even work for anybody anymore and should go on a long vacation.
Nuisance and annoyances piled up all day. I silently repeated to myself, 'smile at the fool, lay low and don't say something you will regret. In a day or two you will be your sunny self again.'
Here's to a better tomorrow.
Posted from Basel
21.2.07
New Yawker
I love driving around in my rental car with New York tags in Connecticut and being unreasonably nice to others. Much confusion ensues as all stereotypes are bucked. One lady's eyes almost bugged out of her head as she looked at my license plate as I approached and then I stopped to let her cross in the cross walk.
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