Birthdays!

Happy Birthday to you Markus! We all celebrate the day you were born! Yippee! Happy 29th!!

Little Poems

here's my try at a little poetry. Inspired by a yoga session.

Same Pen:

Like love and fear
hot and cold
thick and thin
straight and round
and all things that appear opposite
when they are closely examined
you discover they are written with the same pen
by the same hand
on the same page
in the same book
both part of the same
Actually two parts, making one whole
To consider your breath
the uptake, filling the belly and ribs
fully filled up
the exhale
squeezing the air out, out, out
blowing out to empty
air blowing in to fill
it is one breath
inhale
exhale
opposites make the cycle complete
all day long

The Great Escape

After days of pestering, I finally watched the Great Escape with Markus yesterday. It is quite a story of the war. If you haven't seen it, it is worth the watch.

http://www.ateal.co.uk/greatescape/

this is the real story, although the movie seems fairly accurate. These men were determined beyond belief.
I guess the interesting part also worth mentioning, is the cross cultured nature of our home, with a German and American. Markus understands the war much better than I, after all, his grandfather died at a Russian front. I cannot imagine the time or how it was that these very civilized men were taking each other prisoner. There were many levels of military, then there were the Gestapo, which I didn't really realize were different. Anyway, good to know a bit more about that history, even if I will never really understand the rules of war.

Another year...

Well, that's it folks. Christmas has passed for yet another year. Now onto the New Year...

Today is the one year anniversary of Markus and I. Thanks to you all who were part of that special day and also part of our first year. We have some wonderful people in our lives for sure.

Holiday Cheer

Well, another Christmas here. Yesterday we had a really sweet day with my parents...went on a hike to Cherokee Marsh, played cards with the neighbors, sang carols at the piano which we played badly, and put together a puzzle.

Last minute shopping!

Sadly, no takers for the top 5 list so far...how about top 5 anything you want? movies, songs, tacky celebrities of 2005? Can you believe there are people who have entire blogs about celebrities? I won't go on about this too much, but aren't you all tired of the AngelinaBradJen Saga?? That is one thing I did not miss in Germany. They don't have magazines covering the checkout lane and they don't seem to be into celeb gossip to the extent we are. There were some, but since I didn' t know anyone it was cooler.

Christmas shopping is such a nightmare. Why do we all wait until the last week when we know it's coming at the same time every year!??
So, this is my list of Christmas renewables: (gifts to get for _____ who has everything)
*deliver a dinner and a movie
*coupons for chores-this was my favorite to give as a kid
*regift the worst gift you ever got for a good laugh
*gift certificate for massage, professional or personal
*make a donation to your local food shelf in that person's name
or I think these are some cool organizations, I think my mom is getting a goat. Don't tell her yet, it's a surprise.
http://www.farmfriends.org.uk/
www.50lanterns.org
http://www.networkforgood.org/giftbasket/

Post more ideas!
May you all get your heart's desire from Santa and keep the love flowing!

Happy Solstice

I heard the most funny hippy lady call into a radio station and wish everyone a happy solstice today. She talked about how she celebrates this holiday with her dark side and the kids...amusing. Anyway, the holiday isn't just for hippies. It's the shortest day, longest night of the year.

Wish you all the best parts of day and night!

Top 5 (1-2) of 2005

Top 5 moments of 2005
in no particular order (except #1):

1) My wedding (actually Dec 26, 2004)
What started as a stomach ache turned into the most beautiful winter day. For a couple months it totally stressed me out think of planning the day. After we sat down and decided on the 26th, I realized I had three weeks to plan. It all came together perfectly, including my grandparents impromptu trip to Madison for the wedding.
The day went off without a hitch: The vows were a surprise, the cake was buttery heaven decorated with baby pink roses, the people were merry and the groom was handsome in a red tie. This was all I wanted out of the day, but there was so much more too...my grandma’s fur, the warm fireplace in the barn, the love songs I picked out, the champagne, the pink lilies. Thanks to Jana's insisting, we stayed at a lovely little inn that night with a jacuzzi hot tub and king size bed under skylights. I have to tell you without being too graphic that there is definitely something to "consummating the marriage" for the first time. It was quite magical (aka super great sex). The night was just alive with love.



2) Day at the Wisconsin River
This year I have had the lovely chance to meet my neighbors and for the first time (since I left my parent’s house), I feel at home where I live. These golden people are such treasures. This summer we all spent the day together at a tiny cabin on the Wisconsin River. It was a warm, sunny October day and we were all in bare feet playing on the smooth sand beach without any sign of civilization in sight. It was one of those ageless days that I could have been 6 or 16 or 26... where I felt I could cartwheel my way down the river. I was simply delighted to feel the weight of the sand on my hands and between my toes as I was buried up to my neck, to float down river in the canoe with no destination with my lover, to watch the hawk dive into the river for a dinner of fresh fish. We followed a tiny trail on the beach and found the fuzziest black and brown catapillar making his way through the weeds over mounds of sand. I watched him for awhile, imagining how in the world he would become a butterfly. And thinking that life is like that, feeling like a small catapillar on a big beach, how every footprint becomes an tedious obstacle, but how easy and satisfying it can be just to trudge along. How knowing that days like that exist and that catapillar has the potential to be a butterfly. I was with all my new friends who felt like I had known them for years and this was our reunion after not seeing each other for a decade. Together we laughed and played in the sand, and simply loved life for the day.

Top 5 of 2005

So, around this time each year I have a ritual that I write up the top 5 moments of the previous year. I am starting this today and I invite you all to do the same. I have found it a fun writing exercise, plus a good way to reflect on the year passed. I would love you to post a comment with your top 5 list to share. Click "Comments" below.

Deer Skin

The other day I helped my neighbor skin a deer in our backyard. We made a fire to help keep us warm and I watched as he carefully made the cuts to start pulling off the hide. The image seemed so old as we were transported back in time when people hunted for survival. I thought of the women who stayed home tending the fire while the men went hunting and how good they must have felt when they came home, successful after the hunt. How they must have cooked a meal of fresh venison as the deer still hung from the tree. The longer I watched him, the colder I felt, the more I remembered this scene. My ancestors survival revolved around the ritual of the seasons. This is the season to hunt. I took off my gloves and with bare fingers started pulling on the thick hide, slowly separating the fat and muscle, carefully pushing against the deer. We talked about all the ways to use the deer, to make soap or candles with the fat, to make string with the tendons, to tan the hide for leather. Back in the day, life revolved around the changing seasons. Sometimes, I long to live that life. One where my daily life is in rhythm with the land around me, and I don't have hobbies but meaningful activity that sustains my life with the land. I can imagine what that would be...especially on a lazy Monday morning when it is too early and too cold to get out of bed just yet.

Winter in WI

Look how white the world is!

So much snow

There is boat loads of snow outside. I should take a picture of the house or something. I will in a second when I get my boots on. I have been working this week and happy that now is the weekend.. Currently I am doing occupational therapy in a rehab/nursing home...in case anyone wondered. The people are mostly old and fighting the effects of gravity after many years. I help them get strong and go home, essentially. This week I treated people named Eunice, Bulah, Buford, and Pauline. Such old names aren't they? I have many stories about this although maybe not super interesting. Overall it seems like a worthwhile thing to do with my time, plus they pay me for it which is a bonus. I am contemplating a career change sometime this year...if anyone has ideas I love them. I could be anything! A firefighter, an auctioneer, an insurance agent, a chaplin...maybe not an insurance agent. Ok, I will go take that picture and be right back.

Wedding Cake

Married: Dec. 26, 2004
One year ago at this time I was planning the wedding...I still have the to-do list I used. We planned it in about 3 weeks and it ended up so lovely. I think the best part about planning something so fast is that you can't change your mind about the details or think too hard about it. So, you make it simple and go for exactly what you want. Making the invitations by hand was the only time consuming part of the planning. The cake with real baby roses and buttercream frosting was the amazing creation of my good friend Cathleen. The top is in our freezer for Dec. 26 and if Markus is lucky, I will share it with him. (it's sooo good) I would love to do all it again. (the wedding part, not the planning part). I do!

post secret

Last night we watched a movie...Me You and Everyone we Know. I think that's what it was called. Super movie...there was this child actor who was brilliant. Anyway, makes me think how we communicate, secrets we keep, about the internet and the effects on real life and how it mingles in our daily lives, exposing our selves in new ways.

I will post a few links:
http://postsecrets.com

http://triptronix.net/ishbadiddle/archives/2005/04/11/22.59.00/
http://www.apologyproject.com/samplecalls.htm
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/default.cfm?cam=LP2


These links are secrets that people have posted for the world to see.

Sled Away

Look at us! We were sledding and biking today in the snow....I hit a jump and something cracked in my neck. My friend Abby is here with me. Don't we look warm? Sledding is all fun and games until someone gets runover at the bottom...we helped a little girl who was totally swept off her feet and hit the ground hard. She got a bloody nose and bruised cheek, but said that she felt OK after a bit. Her parents weren't there. I felt bad for her. Anyway, like I said...sledding is dangerous! Look up and look often!

Sunday mornings...

It's Sunday morning. Woke up to the cat scratching to crawl under the covers and warm up. It has continued to snow a little every day I have been home. The world is white and clean as Joan Baez sings in my kitchen. Markus is shoveling the sidewalk while I make breakfast of Mexican eggs...one of my favorites. Friday night I went out with Jana for a super fun time. We ran into a bunch of new characters and ended up laughing most of the night, I suppose we had a few drinks. We tried out the new bar in town...The Old Fashioned. It's supposed to be classic-ly Wisconsin. We ate cheese curds and drank a local brew. The curds were deliciously cheesy. Overall, the place has some potential, even if it is a bit generic-ly wood. Last night I went to a couple art openings in the neighborhood and sewed a Christmas ornament at my neighbors and then we watched a movie. It was really nice. I have a super sweet life.

HOME!

Oh sweet home! After a full day of flying, I am home at last. My wonderful parents picked me up and I am slowing unloading the rock collection I carried home. I will post a picture of the chocolate. It is unbelievable. I wasn't kidding.
What I noticed:
My house is so bright! I have not seen the sun for a week or so.
My cat has a new winter coat!
My parents cleaned!
My bed will be sooo good!
I am not sure I remember how to drive it's been so long.
My plants are all alive!
All is good here.

Almost home

(Pretending I wrote this yesterday)

Hold the welcome wagon! I am stuck at Schipol again! I think there are a bunch of stoners running the airport here. I will go to a hotel for the night and get up for an 8 o'clock flight. Although I would rather be home, I feel a good sense of humor about it. It's nice to not feel super stressed out. I think the experience on the flight here prepared me for this.

Bis Morgan!!
(see you tomorrow!!)

Warning: Heavy Luggage

Packing is such a drag. Not only does it mean the end of a trip, but is a really bad reminder of all the stuff I own and bought. It's a bit ridiculous how much stuff I will carry home. Just the chocolate alone is an amazing quantity. If the plane goes down and I get stuck on a desert island, I hope I find my suitcase first. I am sure I could survive at least 2 months on German chocolate. Hint hint to all my friends/family back home, if I don't go down in the plane you all will share in the chocolate feast. Jana's mouth is watering as she reads this...I know it.

So, back to the packing dilemma. No matter how I try, I always tend to overpack. For example, I never once wore my workout clothes or a pair of shoes I brought. I just carried them across the ocean to sit in a suitcase for 5 weeks. My vow next time is to underpack. I will wear the same clothes for 5 weeks. I could do it. Just ask my mom--one time I worethe same pair of jeans for 2 weeks until she made me wash them. 5 may be pushing it.

Sweat and Swim

This is the local swimming pool, public and super nice. We go as often as we can. The pool outside (in picture) is super warm and salty, open all year. Because of the high salt content, I can float without hardly trying...it is so beautiful to look up at the sky with the steam pouring off the water, the lights in the pool sparkling blue...tonight it was 34 degrees outside, and the water was 96 degrees. There are also many saunas, both indoor and outdoor. Tonight we were there for the FKK (Frei Korper Kulture--free body culture (full nude)). It is so lovely and civil to swim and sweat and shower in the nude with everyone else. In the warm pool, it is such a luxury to float around with the one you love. So easy to get lost floating around. The saunas are super hot and all smell different, some like vanilla or menthol. There are so many places to lounge around and just do nothing; including a fireplace or a foot bath...How wonderful the world is sometimes.

Great Heights

Great Heights

Fairytale castles and gingerbread houses. From such great heights, these are the places where dreams are made and swirled into the world on wind that spins up the stone walls and carries geese into the sun. Climbing, breathless to the top I am bathed in sun and wind and tiny pieces of land surrounding the stone walls. Playhouses and winding streams mark the land as far as the eye can see. Miniture world below, great big sky above and I am forever in this place-- inbetween, standing at the top of a great castle above the tiny earth.

Once upon a time...

Hattingen is so lovely! Look at these old wood frame buildings. Many of them look about to topple over. The cobblestone, the colors, the smells, the unusual angles of the whole place transports you to a time long ago.

Markus the Engineer

Today we visited an interesting place in a kind of industrial park. Markus is learning a lot about renewable energy, especially these panals in the picture. They are called evacuated tube collectors that use sun's energy to heat water that passes through the top of the tubes. From there the possibilities are endless! With these collectors and a few other bits of machinery, it is possible to make hot water to use for showers, to heat a house, to cool a house, or even make ice. The place we visited also had a natural gas turbine that generates power and uses the heat from the exhaust to keep the office building warm (combined heat and power generation). For the next year tri-generation is planed using the process heat for cooling. It is all complicated for me to understand...(How in the world do you make ice from hot water??) but I am slowly beginning to understand. I also understand sometimes it is not so important to understand, but just to know that it can be done. It's OK if I don't know exactly how.

Markus is learning a lot about this process and all the possibilites with these hot water collectors. It is fun to see his brain ticking. The collectors are very popular in Eastern Europe and as the cost of energy goes up in the states, I think they will catch on there too. It is a very efficiant way to heat water without natural gas. There are so many ways to heat and cool without fossil fuels. The magical sun has much to offer.

Parking lots...

This pic is interesting for two reasons.
First and most obvious: the shoes...They are super.
Second, the parking lot I stand on. These blocks are so clever because they are easy to drive and park on, yet grass can grow inbetween, thus making it prettier with less runoff and more environmentally friendly than tar!

Someday this will be our driveway.

Sun!

The sun is out!!

I'll be sure to get a picture to prove it to all of you...

Books I have read on my trip:
*Adrian Mole and Weapons of Mass Destruction
(British and SO annoying, supposed to be funny, OK-maybe a little funny)
*The Feast of Love
(a good narrative of many people's love stories)
*The Inner Circle
(about Kinsey and sex research in the 20-40's super interesting and risk-y)
*Crampton Hodnet
(about New England tea parties and spinsters, cracked me up)
*Bell Canto
(really enjoyed it all around, even if a bit sad)

Now I am nearly out of reading!!

I am curious what you all are reading?? Post a comment and do share! I need some ideas...

Venlo (pronounced Fenlo)

These pics are from yesterday in Venlo. Holland had some really nice veggies, also the flowers were super nice. Check out that bag of leeks...cheap too. I thought of this summer and our week of nothing but leeks...

my two front teeth and a...

All I want for Christmas is a 4500 euro cellphone!! (This is over 5,000 dollars) What a deal!!
This is the Gluhwein shop. I think I should open one on State St. It would be a hit!

Münster ist schön!

Today we visited Münster with the train...it took about an hour; such a civilized way to travel.
The Christmas market was so nice there. They actually had stuff worth buying. I had 2 glasses of Gluhwein and that does wonders to keep warm. Yesterday we must have visited 35 shoe stores looking for a pair of brown boots. We went to Venlo (Holland) shopping and then to Oberhausen to a mall. Venlo was a cute little town with a nice downtown shopping area. Seriously though, it was tough shopping. Between the sales people, Markus' mother, and Markus all watching me....it was one of those trips where no one would stop until we found a pair. I wanted to give up. I may be just extremely picky and it is so terrible shopping with so many choices (hundreds) and none of them suitable. I didn't want to spend too much money, I didn't want a heel, brown not black, fur or not, but real fur not fake fur, preferrably leather but not the kind that scratches, round or square toe but not too square or pointy. See?!!? It is all so trivial when I think too hard about it. I don't really need the boots. Why spend so much energy to get something you don't really need?? Anyway, to cut to the chase, I found a pair. Brown leather, squarish toe, a bit of rabbit fur...only 70 euro. Good for me. That was yesterday. Today, I found some nice gifts. Münster is a super nice place, really beautiful. I would like to go there in the summer for a couple nights...stroll around, sit at little cafes outside...you can only stroll in short bursts in the winter, then you must duck into a shop for warmth...or have another Gluhwein...

Solar Powered

The Ruhr (area in Germany) is very progressive with renewable energy. This is a local solar panal factory. Today we went to an exhibit that explained all the different projects going on in the area....they have a couple biodiesel plants, there are wind farms with turbines, there are numerous offices and homes with solar panals on the roof, and also they have these cool solar collectors that heat water to use in the shower, or even heat the house. The technology is very creative. Markus is super excited about renewable energy. So far we've come up with many ideas about how to use this technology. It's fun stuff.

Call 112 for a Fire

I felt like a schoolgirl yesterday, visiting the local fire station...

The building is entirely concrete, fireproof, new and enormous.

This is the ladder truck, a beautiful shiny red Mercedes.

I thought of my grandpa and two uncles who all are firemen in the states...I used to spent some time there in Minneapolis playing volleyball and eating spaghetti...
These are all containers that can be transported to a fire. I cannot imagine what is in them, but they are each for a special circumstance. For example, one is for a toxic spill, or a chemical fire that cannot be put out with water, another is for decontamination of any kind. One has showers for people to use...it's amazing what people have thought up.

Of course, they have a firepole. This is a no brainer.

7 day countdown

I will fly home in one week...excited in some ways, sad in some ways, nervous in other ways...It went so fast!

Rollerskate away!

Check out the rollerskates! Starlight Express has been running for 17 years now in Bochum...it was a fun show. All in German of course. I was able to catch some of it, but it doesn't matter what people are saying when they are flying around the theater on rollerskates wearing little skirts. Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote this in 1984 and since then has updated it with some new music (a rap number) and also some new trains. (The show is all about different trains, and the ICE is the newest fastest train in Germany). What a crazy job this would be...I think they perform the show 7 days a week. They make dancing and singing while rollerskating look as easy as pie. Good times.

more snow...

Despite the snow, we made it to the market...we settled for Essen, the trains to Munster were so delayed. On the news, they reported that people had to stay the night in old bunkers (from the war) because the trains were not running.

Still snowing!

It has snowed and snowed all night and still now at noon...It is all beautiful and white. Markus' father says he cannot remember the last time it snowed like this. The forecast is for another 6 inches to fall....there must be at least a foot already.

Unfortunately it seems to be popular to push over snowmen. Ours has been knocked over by hoodlums twice now. I give up. Down the street I saw a snowman with a little break your heart sign that read: Bitte, nicht kaputt machen! (Please don't destroy this)! It was still standing tall. I wonder if the vandals actually have a heart. I think they just haven't seen it yet...

Evidently, the trains are broken and they had to close the Autoban to fix the powerlines. The snow has closed the airport in Dusseldorf, so it's a stay at home sort of day. We may be able to take a train to Munster...we'll see.

I forgot to tell about our Autoban adventure last week...Markus was driving the new Passat home from his uncles and we topped out the odometer at 115 MPH. We were flying but it didn't feel so fast...plus we were getting passed by other cars...crazy.

Schnee!

This is our Snowman. We were out of carrots. Personally, I like the rose better. He will always smell roses!

It hasn't snowed like this in a few years here...we were the only people out playing in the snow. It is incredibly sticky and light....perfect for snowmen.

Christmas in Deutschland

Weihnachsmarkt (Christmas Market)...in Dusseldorf. I have had the infamous Gluhwein and it was good to me...this is a hot, sweet red wine. The weather here is unbelieveably windy with rain slapping against the house tonight. We are staying in.

Last day of school...

I have my suitcase all packed and I finish the last class today. It is somewhat sad...my classmates have proved to be so likeable and going to class is such a pleasure. This morning I woke up to snow with a bit of a hangover...we all went out last night to Stammtisch. This is some German tradition that always falls on Thursday. I think. Actually I don't know what it is, just that we all meet at the bar and people drink many beers. I chatted with a guy from Poland about American cars. I have never met anyone so infatuated with 'Motorization' as he calls it. He has been to Detroit to the car museum and is especially in love with the Dodge Charger. I didn't feel like breaking his heart by telling him the truth when he asked me if I thought American cars were reliable and beautiful. It was cute.

There was also a slide show of the group. I have been to some of the events, but there is a group that has definitely developed a clique, even with a few new loves. They were all kissy kissy in the pics... It's kind of funny to me, sort of cute and sort of disturbing at the same time. Oh well.

I will go to Gelsenkirchen now to stay for the remainder of my trip.

Books for Birds

Every day I see pigeons. Many of them actually make it into the train station and become part of the morning foot traffic. I have seen them browsing the book store in the station...they seem to flock for the romance novels.

Cock-a-doodle-doo

So, on the train ride home from the brewery, everyone was happy with a few beers and it was a quite jovial group. Somehow I was trying to describe the Wisconsin country side, but since I don't know the word for cow, I mooed like one. From there, we all got started with this....comparing the different animal sounds from our respective countries. Mexico, the USA, Bulgaria, Korea and France were all represented. It is so hilarious how different they all are. ribbit-ribbit, oink-oink, bow wow, meow, cock-a-doodle-doo... Everyone loved the rooster, they made me do it three times. I found myself a bit embarassed for this sound, blushing while cockadoodledoing on a train. They all loved it and with a few beers it is hard to stay embarassed. I find this so interesting! It's not like the rooster speaks english, roosters around the world sound the same, but everyone hears it so different. I can't even begin to spell the Korean words, but they seemed to have a lot of Gr sounds. American dogs would be able to communicate with Bulgarian dogs, both having the bow-wow in common.

Diebels Live

This is the brewery where they produce more beer than I have ever seen in one place. For over 100 years, Diebels has been producing beer. We toured the brewery, and then had beer and dinner. The machine where they clean the returnable bottles was amazing. The multiple machines take the bottles through the process of being cleaned, filled, capped, and packaged. It was quite an assembly line.
I was not sure how to eat this fried hunk of flesh. I managed to get a few good bites. There were 17 of us at one table. Imagine the table with 17 of these plates. The sourkraut was good but I did not care for the potato pasta buried under it.
This is one of my classmates. Her German is super and she speaks with more playfulness than I have heard. She is amusing. I only met her once. By the way, I believe Woodman's in WI sells Diebels beer if anyone is interested...

One more gray day

The weather here is stubborn and gray. It will not budge. I am starting to understand the classic German winter that Markus speaks of. I think it would be more difficult than winter in Wisconsin. It is warmer yes, but incredibly gray. We have sun and cold, take your pick.

It is my last week of school. One month is officially too short. I am starting to be more comfortable but I now realize I have so much more to learn. I will have to come back again.

I left Markus in bed this morning and took the train to school. He is suffering from jet lag and went to bed at 4 in the morning. I hope he will catch up. Last night, we visited his uncle and cousin. His cousin has a built a new house and it was interesting to see new construction in Germany, they build with bricks and plaster walls mostly. They rarely use wood to frame the house like we do in the USA. They heat with a small wood stove inside and it was so nice and warm. They also have heated tile floors. I would love to have both of these at my house.

Tonight I will go to Diebels brewery for a tour and to sample the beer of course. I think it will be a good time.

Fog

This church in downtown Gelsenkirchen, we wandered around there yesterday....it isn't big but still it's nice. There has been amazing fog here. It is a nice addition to the gray sky and it sometimes lasts all day.

Bikes and more bikes!

You have to love a bike store where you can browse at bikes on a bike! They had some very cool models, all the commuter bikes with fenders and lights and cheap! We may buy one to bring home. They are just too cool.
This is the Dutch style...all enclosed. They are super fun to drive.
Markus in motion....

Ballet

Last night I attended this Ballet in Gelsenkirchen. I got this pictures off the internet. It was quite a production with as many as 25 people all dressed in these see through fishnet costumes everyone with a thong. One could easily imagine them dancing in a fetish night somewhere in a dark club. The audience sat captivated and clapped for a full 10 minutes at the end. The end was a bit funny to me, perhaps it has been ages since I was at a ballet performance, but the troop must have bowed 40 times or more. First all together 5 times, then in pairs, then again all together. Then they repeated the whole thing again. There was one woman wearing a real ballerina type dress. It was quite something....more tool than I have ever seen one person wear. She could hardly keep on the ground, she looked as if she would just float away on a pile of tool. I usually don't think of myself as prude, but I have to admit that it took a half hour or so to get past all the bare butts dancing on stage. They all had amazing bodies and the costumes sure showed them off.

Markus is here!

I am now in Gelsenkirchen for the weekend with my honey. It is very nice to see him. He is quite smiley also, so I suspect he missed me.

Perhaps, I may go to a ballet tonight. I said I would go as long as it is not the Nutcracker. That will just put me to sleep.

French Fries

This is one of the many art museums. I have seen the Henri Matisse exhibit twice here.
This is the house next door. This Mini is always parked here. It is adorable. One time I was on the bus and I think I saw it out...it was gone when I got home. What a small world! I went out with a boy from class for French Fries. There are multiple places that sell nothing but French Fries. The sauce is a sweet curry sauce, mayo and onions. Vincent loves this. He lives in S. Korea and his dad is some sort of weaponry scientist and owns a company with 3000 employees. We ate our fries and chatted in broken Geman mixed with broken English. He is 17 and here to study for high school. He is quite entertaining in a 17 year old way. He told me in total seriousness that he wants to be the president of S. Korea and work for peace. I asked how his dad felt about peace, since it would seem that with peace (we may not need guns) he would not be affluent with houses around the world. As Vincent is gesturing with a fake gun in the air (neither of us know "weapons" in a common language), he tells me his dad thinks there must be guns to have peace. I suppose this is one way to peace. We also talked about how S. Koreans feel about N. Korea. It was very interesting and totally timely since that day George W. was in S. Korea trying to make nice with them. Evidently, Bush doesn't help with his rhetoric about how barbaric N. Korea is. Vincent says there is a clear distinction between the government and the people there. The government is bad and the people are nice. It is always a chore to attempt a conversation like this, even with someone that speaks your language. I have to say I don't know much about the history with N. an S. Korea, but it seems that maybe George knows less.

Yesterday I was reading about American Democracy in the New Yorker...I didn't know that Webster (the dictionary guy) was so extreme! He was not Thomas Jefferson, that's for sure. Webster fought against the people that wanted to amend the voting laws for everyone to get a vote. He felt that one had to earn the right to vote with an education and by owning property. I can't help but feel for him. I remember feeling so bummed out that I only got one vote in the last election despite all the news I read and how educated I was about it. My one educated vote equaled the one totally ignorant vote, of the guy who thought Kerry had a big nose. Good old American Democracy. That was quite a tangent.

Shopping!

How much is that doggie in the window? The one decked out with Rhinestone collars??
Even headless models look good here.

This is boot heaven. Unfortunately my accountant has advised me not to frequent these shops. My friend went here and took a picture for me (yea right)...I may have to partake in a nice shiny brown pair...