Lame

Click on the title of this post to check out the "Mosquito Tone".
I think it's kinda lame. I'm 30 yrs. old and have spent a lot of time listening to music that is too loud for my own good. Yet, i could still hear this.
Whatever.

Glutton for ...attention?

I realized that I spent a little too much time on the 'ole "interweb" this evening when I came across the above picture. (That's what I get). There was a story that went with this picture of course, but with an image like this, what does it really matter?

I just wish someone would tell this dude to lose the nipple ring. Nipple rings just don't correlate with fat tummies.

SNL

Remember when this show used to be funny? I do. Now...not so much.

Although I did enjoy Tina Fey's recent Sarah Palin impressions. Very nice.

Boy George

Today was a nice day. Which means the skies weren't all black and it wasn't raining all day. It was the first day in a while I could spend ample time outdoors and not completely freeze my tucas off.
We took George to the Nature Park to go for a nice long walk. Surprisingly there weren't too many people there so George didn't have a lot of opportunity to bark at other dogs. But we did have one close encounter with 2 dogs and George behaved himself...until the big Labrador goosed him. That kinda ticked him off and he growled, but I don't blame him.

So after walking about 2 miles we stopped by the pet store on the way home for some tasty (and smelly) treats for George. Kevin got him a "pig's ear". I'm not sure if it really has anything to do with a pig or an ear, but I do know it stinks. Bad! It smells like a piece of really stinky French cheese. (George is from France so that's probably why he's interested in it).
Anyways we gave him that to quench his chewing fetish this evening. He gnawed on it a while and then all of the sudden he tried to bury it in the couch...and when it wouldn't cooperate he barked at it, and made some other weird noise. Then he just left it there. So something must be up with that smelly piece of rawhide. It is foul. And I do not want to touch it.

I forgot to mention that Kevin also decided to go through the car wash on the way home, with George in the car, of course. Even after I told him that would NOT be a great idea. But he did it anyway. I don't know if he was feeling especially defiant this afternoon, or if he just really wanted to see what George's reaction would be. (I was not that curious...and I know better). Needless to say the obnoxiously loud noises set him into a full blown panic attack, which involved lots of slobber and his incredibly strong claws digging into my legs.
So I'm pretty sure George thinks Kevin is a sadist now, while I was just proud of myself for not saying, "I told you so!" Instead I'll say it now: I TOLD YOU SO!
(I don't know how often Kevin actually reads this, but if he sees this post I'm sure I'll hear about it).

Right now George is taking his 3rd nap of the day. (Sometimes I wish I was a dog). I'm certain he's forgotten about the stinky piece of flesh he left embedded in the couch.
He's probably saving it for later.

Just LOVE it

I've loved this song since I was a kid and used to hear it on the oldies and classic rock radio station. Then I discovered Robert Plant's version (which is fantastic btw) However, I have to say this is my absolute favorite rendition of it. I think the simplicity of it is what makes it so nice.

Kimmy will appreciate this.

Sometimes It's OK To Play With Fire

I just posted a video of Phil Hansen...and b/c I like Jimi Hendrix (and fire) I'll post this one too.
Art and fire, awesome.

Phil and His Tricycle

A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a guy I know about art. We were talking about the "regulars" like Pollock, Picasso, Van Gogh, etc. Then he mentioned a contemporary artist named Phil Hansen. I really wasn't familiar with him, but I googled him to check him out.

Who knew a grown man on a tricycle could do amazing things?! Take 3 minutes and check this out. Feel free to mute it though, b/c the song kinda sucks.

I Want A BURRITO! Please!

Germany is NOT the place to be when you seriously crave a burrito...or good Mexican food in general. At least not in my experience. When I first moved here I wanted some Mexican food so I made the misake of ordering "Tex Mex Schnitzel"...needless to say it's a no go on that one!

I'd kill to be able to go to "Chipotle" and get a spicy barbacoa beef burrito (or taco) with extra cheese and salsa. Last time I was home in the states that's the very 1st place I went when I got off the plane. Ahh, ambrosia.

Sometimes I pull up the "Chipotle" website...just to look at the pictures.

I just WANT a frickin burrito. I said please!

Personal Jesus

Sometimes when I'm going for walks in my neighborhood (or "village" as the Germans call it) I use Jesus as a point of reference. As in, "I walked down to Jesus but then I had to turn around b/c it started to rain."
No, Jesus doesn't live in my neighborhood...at least I don't think so. However way down the street is an alter or maybe it's a shrine or maybe a personal chapel...I'm not sure what you would call it. It's interesting, when I walked by it the first time I thought it was kinda strange. I have since discovered that these things are all over the place here. I'll be out riding my bike in the middle of nowhere and I'll see one. I've never seen anyone "using" one so far...they're just kinda there. But I decided that I'm going to take pictures of any that I come across...just because. So the other day I got a shot of the one down the street, and I also took a picture of something similar that I always see on one of my regular routes.

I've never seen anything like that in the states. And I lived for a long time in the "Bible Belt". Now I'm thinking those guys in the "belt" aren't very creative in their evangelism.
Amateurs.

Brighter, Later!

The other day I noticed it was a few minutes after 6pm and it was still light out! That made me very excited, so I grabbed my camera and took a picture. It's such a drag having super short days during the winter. At the height of winter the sun wasn't coming up in the morning until almost 8:30am! Then it'd get dark before 5pm.
Longer days are perfect for grilling dinner outside...now we won't have to stand out there with a flashlight trying to see if the steak is medium rare, medium well, or medium burnt.

What Is Happening Here?

Today I was walking out my front door to take George on a walk. As soon as I opened the door he started barking his head off, then I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. At first I thought it was a couple of huge dogs, sheepdogs. NO, it was actually 2 sheep! Standing right there, looking at me. What the hell? George was flipping out of course, so I drug him back in the house. All the while trying to figure out why there were 2 sheep in my driveway. It crossed my mind that maybe this was part of some weird Carneval thing going on in my neighborhood (today is the official start of Carneval). But I doubt that, seriously. I think these 2 mangy sheep decided to ditch the herd and sheep herder to go have their own adventure.
Amazingly I was able to get 2 pictures of this, albeit in black and white...but still.
Just after I snapped the one pic a couple walked by. The guy started shooing the sheep into the backyard of the little old lady across the street. Why? I don't know. I DO know for a fact that little old lady does not own sheep, so I'm certain she's gonna appreciate that.

A sidenote here: Before living here I'd never seen sheep being herded before except in the movies and stuff. So the first summer here we were bikeriding and saw a herder herding tons of sheep across this road into an open field. For some reason i got all excited about it...in fact I think I referred to it as a "miracle"! Kevin didn't really think so, but he didn't say anything. He just gave me a weird look. I get that look a lot.

Frequently there are "quirky" things happening in this village. But this sheep thing was better than the nerdy kid who moons traffic at the end of the street!

Ice Cream, You Scream....

The other day when I was walking in downtown Geilenkirchen (that's the very small town we live in) I saw that my favorite Gelato cafe, "La Gondola" is opening back up in a few weeks. I got stupidly excited about that! Ice cream is my favorite....I have super powers when it comes to eating ice cream!

As much as I really like ice cream I like Gelato even better. That's the Italian version, it's denser, and more flavorable...and I'm pretty sure it's more fattening. Luckily for me there are lots of Gelato and ice cream (eis in German)shops here in Germany. The Germans love it too.

The only bad part is that a lot of them close during the winter months. The Italians who own "La Gondola" shut down their place and go back to Sicily for the winter...I'm glad they'll be back soon.

When the weather turns nice and warm it's best to ride your bike for ice cream or Gelato. Then at least you get some exercise... and a fattening treat. So whenever we go out for one of our long bike rides and Kevin asks which way I want to go, I strategically route us in the direction of the Gelato shops!

I'm sure he's figured that out by now.

Lock Up Your Cars!

Apparently it's almost that time of year here in Germany when the Marders come out. I'm pretty sure we don't have these furry little animals in the states. I'll add a picture of one here with this posting.

In English they're called "Pine Martens" and they can wreak havoc on your cars. They get up under your car and start chewing and shredding stuff up.

Maybe they're pissed about Global Warming so they choose to take it out on our gas guzzling cars...or maybe they just like to chew on warm rubber and plastic. I'm not really sure. But I do know they're the reason we keep the car in the garage during the Spring and Summer. You can actually go to an auto mechanic and have them install some kind of "Anti-Marder" system under your hood, but so far keeping the car in the garage works well for us.

Luckily the furry little bastards can't pick locks.

Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

see Sarah Palin pictures
And if we needed any more evidence that Rush is tacky....he chose to wear THIS tie.
Ugh.

Shhhhh.....

George is sleeping!!!

Winter...yuck

I don't like winter. And I especially don't like winter in Germany. It sucks! Besides the cold, it rains...alot. I start to forget what a sunny day feels like.
I know England has a rainy reputation, Germany is just as bad, if not worse.
After having days and days of doom and gloom, when the sun does comes out I have stopped whatever I was doing just to text Kevin excitedly to tell him I just saw the sunshine! It's a big deal. Seriously.
When I was out in the annoying mist today I thought, "Last winter didn't seem this long and terrible!" Then it dawned on me that last winter I spent a large chunk of it back in the states on the east coast...I decided that was a smart move on my part.
I'm counting down the days until spring. I won't complain when summer hits and it gets really warm. (Even though we don't have air conditioning. None of the German houses have AC). I think everyone should pick just 1 season to bitch and gripe about. You can't whine about the winter, and then turn around and whine about how hot and humid the summer time is. I choose to bitch about winter time!

Totally off subject: I get worried when Kevin cooks dinner and right before we eat he pulls this out, "This was an experiment." Well, he did that tonite...however, kudos to him b/c the chicken he made was very good!
I just hope he remembers what he did so we can have it again sometime.
I still hate winter!
BTW the picture above I took looking out from my back patio the other day. Just thought you should know that.

Too Tired

I'm too tired tonight to actually write anything (halfway) interesting, and I was listening to Phil Collins.
He hits those drums quite nicely!!

Happy Presidents Day!

see Sarah Palin pictures

Teveren Naturpark

It was a beautiful sunny day today, which made me down right giddy. In the winter we don't get too many of these, so it was a treat. After a lazy morning we decided to take George to the Teveren Naturpark. (I didn't misspell that, that's how the Germans spell it).
There are lots of different trails to walk along, ride your bike on, or horseback ride on. And it wasn't too busy while we were there which was even better.
Oh, yeah and George got gang-banged by 2 black French Poodles with foo foo haircuts. They came running at him at top speed and they had that look in their eyes. I didn't think those prissy little dogs had it in them. George wasn't too impressed by them. In fact he got a little pissy about the whole thing. I don't blame him though, these dogs were a little too enthusiastic. And as I recall their owners just stood there watching...they didn't bother to call them off or anything. I'm sure they were thoroughly entertained by all this. But that completely ticked me off. I hate it when dog owners aren't courteous enough to leash their dogs in public places. Bastards!
Even still, it was a real nice time. I'll include a couple pictures I took while we were there. The one of Georgie was taken right after his encounter with the poodles.

Just in case you want to marry a "Local National"

I griped in a prior blog about the AFN commercials we're subjected to over here. (Taping grenades). I actually found some on Youtube...so now you can be subjected to the horror too!
This stupid propaganda actually makes me yearn for the commercials back in the states.

Finally...

I finally finished watching "Gran Torino" with Clint Eastwood, it took me 2 tries, but it was totally worth it. It's a really good movie (obviously, or I wouldn't be blogging about it)but what really struck me is that Clint Eastwood is old now, I mean really old! He even walks like my Grandfather(Papa)did.
His character in this movie is sort of how I imagined "Dirty Harry" would've ended up...this really, salty old guy confronting gang-banger wannabees. And he drives a really bitchin car, hence the title "Gran Torino." So if you like Clint Eastwood (and who doesn't)and you want to watch a good movie, check it out!
Ironically right before I finished watching this another one of Clint's movies was on tv, "The Bridges of Madison County" Guess that movie is all right....if you're into Iowa and infidelity.

Surf's Up?!

Last night Kevin told me he wants to go to a surf camp in France. Now, I'm not sure if this is what all 39 yr. old guys want...or if it's just my husband. Guess he wants to ride some gnarly waves, or something. I'm not sure what I think of this yet, but I'm pretty sure next time he brings it up I'll have an opinion.

In looking for an image to go with this post I did come across an advertisement for an Online Surfing School. The ad says this, in part: "OnlineSurfingSchool.com is a one year long online surfing school where you can learn how to surf from a professional right in the comfort of your own home."
After reading that I am even more confused about life.

Bare with me while I exalt the talents of Genesis for one more posting on here. When I was a kid I watched MTV quite often and the music video for Genesis's "Land of Confusion" was my absolute favorite. This video was (and is) epic!

Sidenote: What the hell happened to MTV? What is the reason for it existing anymore? Over the last few years when I've stopped by that channel there's always some sordid reality tv show on. (And I really don't feel the need to know how Ashlee Simpson's boyfriend screwed up her Valentine's Day)I think MTV has outlived its usefulness...really!

Some may argue the video looks a little outdated now. I mean it does feature Ron and Nancy Reagan in puppet form....but I think that's one of the reasons why it's so fun to watch. And the song isn't too shabby either. (Who knew Genesis could rock without Peter Gabriel)!

One more sidenote: This song was used by Vice-President Joe Biden when he ran for president back in '87. I REALLY don't get that!

I've been listening to a lot of Genesis lately. I almost forgot how much i really like their stuff. But sometimes when i listen to them I get kinda bummed out b/c it makes me realize that a lot of contemporary artists and groups pretty much suck.
"Follow You, Follow me" is one of my favorites by them and at the risk of sounding too schmaltzy (and dramatic) I hafta say I think it's one of the best modern love songs out there.
The added bonus to this video is that it's not totally warped. Personally, I think everyone could use a little more Genesis in their life!

Thank Hugh

I completely nerded out today and spent too much time perusing the Internet. But the house is clean, the laundry is done, and I have no prior obligations so I don't feel too guilty.
Somehow reading one article lead to another, and another (each increasingly becoming more pointless)and I eventually wound up reading something about Divine Brown. In case anyone forgot, she's the prostitute Hugh Grant (that whiny British actor)got busted with in '95. What was kinda amusing in the article was that they referred to Ms. Brown as an "American Sex Worker." WHAT? I admit I have never heard anyone use that term before...and I read a lot of (random) stuff. But apparently I'm reading all the wrong stuff since I missed that little token piece of info.
Anyhow later I was chatting with my sister and told her that hookers are now called "sex workers." I thought it'd be a tiny piece of trivia she wouldn't know. When I told her she said, "Yeah, I already knew that, saw it on the news." And she said it all nonchalantly. I asked her, "How did I not know this?" She replied, "Because you don't much care about being PC towards hookers." Okay.
My sister and I have some pretty profound conversations...I know! Guess you had to be there.
A side note here: I know you're all wondering what came of Ms. Divine Brown "All American Sex Worker." She said she took the money she made from that tawdry incident with Hugh Grant and put her kids thru private school and bought a 4 bedroom house.
Thank Hugh very much!

Love Those "Mom Jeans"

I probably spend too much time on Youtube. But it's totally worth it when you find a gem like this, "Mom Jeans!" I was actually lookin for something else and then I stumbled onto this. In the privacy of my living room I snickered and laughed like a 10 yr old girl. You probably will too...enjoy!

I'm not a big fan of Dick Cheney. Ok maybe that's an understatement...I think Dick Cheney IS the darkness.(And here I'm compelled to rip a quote from one of my favorite movies, "Like how can anyone possibly know that?"). Anyways, when i was watching the Inauguration coverage last month all I could think was that he looked like Mr. Potter from "It's A Wonderful life." Or a villain in one of the "Batman" movies. Choose either image, whichever one works for you. Obviously someone else out there on the interweb thought the same thing,(the Batman villain one) thus the image included here.

Best wishes, Dick!

Yaay for Glam Rock

I couldn't resist....I LOVE this song! I listen to it quite often. In fact around the holidays this past yr. in between all my Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra Christmas songs I'd play this. Then Kevin would look all confused. It was pretty great.
Unfortunately the group broke up, and that's a shame. Oh, what could have been?! Anyhow, take a couple minutes, have a listen...it'll make you happy!(And if it doesn't, well it's not my fault).

I just decided that Carneval is creepy. (If you're not familiar with carneval or Karneval refer to an earlier post of mine). Apparently clowns factor into the whole carneval equation a lot. I didn't know this b/c last year I wasn't here for it, I was back in the states. Anyways, in preparation for the festivities the Germans and Dutch have plastered pictures of clowns all over. Clowns are kinda creepy. I always think of that scary movie,"It" or John Wayne Gacy...and nothing good came of that!
Then last night when I was walking Georgie I saw a clown mannequin inside someones foyer. You couldn't help but see it. It was very big, and all lit up....it was Bozo on crack! These people wanted you to see their clown. (I hope they don't have kids). This thing was crazy scary. If I didn't think I'd look like a total weirdo I would've taken a picture of it from out on the sidewalk. I probably should have.
Consequently none of this will stop me from sitting in front of my house, with a beer, in the cold to watch the Carneval parade march by my house.

I Love Germany.

"I Want Candy" NOT

I've seen some weird stuff here in Europe the past year and a half. That sentence probably isn't PC enough, so I'll re-phrase: I've seen some "different stuff" here. And I thought this "different stuff" was post worthy.
When I got home this evening Kevin pointed out the above image to me. It's a pair of panties and a bra made out of candy. This ad was in a flyer for the grocery store in the Sunday newspaper. Now I could kinda understand it if it was in a flyer for some silly novelty shop like "Spencer's" or something, but in the Sunday paper?! I mean this is a flyer old ladies look through to see what groceries are on sale! What kind of people buy this stuff and walk around the store with it in their shopping cart, then whip it out at the check-out counter?!
Weird....totally weird.

"Look of Love"

Now that I know how to insert images, thought I'd try throwing a video up here. (Everything in baby steps). So I'll try a music video of a song I've been listening to a lot lately. I enjoy all types of music, literally a little of everything. Well, except country. God knows, I've tried and it's just not happening. Although I do like Johnny Cash, surprisingly. But how can you not like a country singer who did a "Nine Inch Nails" song and managed to make it all his own. More about that another time though.

I've been feeling nostalgic for the 80's lately. Let me be clear: for 80's music, NOT the terrible fashion statements or crappy Reagan policies. Just the songs, and I've been listening to this one by the ABC's. In fact I've listened to it 4 times this a.m already. Feel free to ignore the premise of the video....I'm pretty sure no one knows what the heck is happenening there, but anyways. The song, as I heard someone say recently, is "pretty rad!

"

"Leave the gun, take the cannoli."

I woke up to gunfire this morning. IN MY LIVING ROOM! Kevin was playing the "Godfather" game on the Sony Playstation, and for some reason he has to turn the volume waaay up. Just in case our neighbors can't hear it, ya know.
Oh, and I'm officially a dork now!I got all excited b/c people left comments on my blog. And I enjoyed reading them...so keep commenting (and I'll keep reading). This is a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I'd like to add more pictures, and possibly some links to things I happen upon on the "interweb". I feel obligated to keep this thing interesting now that I know people are reading it. Oh, the pressure!

Kevin just announced very excitedly that he's getting promoted to a Mafia Don. I think I need to leave the living room now.

Huh?

Thanks to AFN I now know that I shouldn't tape grenades. (Who the heck thought THAT was a good idea in the first place)! Anyway, I'll try to remember that for future reference.

Yeah, this blog was kinda lame, but it's late and I'm sleepy. And it's my blog...so there!

The other night I was reading a book in the living room, Kevin was using my laptop, and the tv was on in the background. He looks at me and asks, "What's this on tv?" I told him it was some movie about John McCain (it is AFN after all). Then he went back to the laptop. Not EVEN a minute later he looks up at me and says, "Oh this is that movie about John McCain."
YES...that really happened.

Sweet! The picture thing worked, and it only took me a minute to figure it out. Now that I know how, I can add pertinent images to whatever I may be blogging about. Sometimes you just need a picture when words fail to describe.

I'm going to attempt to insert a picture into one of my blogs. I haven't tried this yet, so this is totally experimental. Hope it works.

"30 Rock" rocks!

Originally I thought I'd just blog about my experiences of living in Europe. But then I thought "Why limit myself?" And since this blog is mainly to amuse myself so i don't die from boredom (and I needed a new project)I've decided to blog about anything and everything.
Anyhow,on to what I was going to blog about. I normally don't follow tv shows (except for "The Soprano's" and "Sex and The City")it feels too demanding (yes, demanding). Then if I miss an episode or 2 it just ruins the whole thing and I can't get back on track. And the fact that a lot of television shows have gone downhill or turned into reality tv probably had something to do with it also. But, I now follow "30 Rock" I love this show! It's one of the better sitcom shows I've seen in a long while. I literally laugh out loud watching this show. The writing is exceptional and the cast is superb. I bought the 2nd season on DVD b/c AFN (Armed Forces Network tv)is always a season behind...at best. However when I sit down to watch it on DVD I can't get anything else done. And thankfully I've been able to views most of this seasons episodes so far...no thanks to AFN. It is my guilty pleasure at the moment. You should check it out!

George

"Someone" suggested I write a blog about George. Actually she didn't suggest, she told me to. But since I thoroughly enjoy my little Georgie I had to comply.
I'd been wanting a puppy for a while, ever since we've been here in Germany. So in November '08 we went to a dog show in Belgium and met a Dachshund breeder. We were able to see a couple of his dogs up close...and he breeds beautifuls dogs. Pierre, the breeder, is French and lives close to Paris and he's a great guy. He truly loves his dogs! To make a long story short, we got George. He's a standard black and tan Dappled Dachshund. He's quite striking looking. As one of my friends said, "He's very unique looking." He has one very blue eye and the other one is brown. A German lady at the pet store by my house said he was beautiful. I must say he's quite handsome...but I am biased.
It's quite a change havin the little guy around. There are toys strewn around the living room, he leaves little paw prints on the floor, he hogs the bed, he makes funny noises, he barks, he licks my face, he slobbers when he drinks....and yet I wouldn't trade him for anything. There's nothing like coming home and having him there to greet you. I leave the room for 10 minutes and when I return he runs to me like he hasn't seen me for days. You can't beat that with a stick.
He keeps me busy. And now I need to put my 4 layers of clothing on so I can take him for a walk down the street...in the dark...and it's really cold. Yes, I love my Georgie!

Carnival or Karneval

Here in Germany it's almost Carnival. Carnival are the huge parties the Germans throw before Lent. So in a way it's kinda like our Mardi Gras....that's how someone explained it to me. That sounds about right.
In this region they have parades and costume balls and everything. And of course, beer. Lots and lots of beer, this is Germany after all. All the villages usually have their own celebrations with marching bands, etc too. I should add that there have been many times throughout the year I'll see a large marching band parading down the street...right in front of my house. And I really couldn't tell you why! Probably some celebration or another small festival. I swear the Europeans will find any excuse to have a party and celebrate. Of course I do NOT have a problem with that.

My First

I decided to blog. A few of my friends have blogs and I enjoy reading them, so then I started reading lots of other random blogs. I was surprised how entertaining that could be. And now that I have time on my hands I thought, "Why not?" I'm sure the writing part will be easy, but I need to figure out this posting thing. I'll learn as I go (with a lot of help probably).
Being an American living in Europe temporarily will give me some interesting things to write about, I'm sure. But still... I don't promise anything too cosmic or enlightening. Just observations, (random)thoughts, and a few opinions.
Well, that's all I have for this one. I don't want to over-do it after all.

I KNOW after I hit the publish button I'll think of lots more to write...