"I'm Baaaack"

Last week I went on vacation and I got high. Almost 10,ooo feet high, to be exact. (For those of you who were thinking of another 'high", shame on you).
Anyway, I hopped on a plane May 1st to cross the pond to fly to Denver. I was actually nervous about this trip to America, b/c according to "Fox News" there was a chance everyone would be dead because of the Swine Flu. I was relieved to see that wasn't the case!
Had a great time visiting with my Aunt and Grandfather and my sister and her beau. We spent some time exploring the Rocky Mountains and taking lots of pictures of nature and the wild life out there. I'm sure the locals were aware that we were tourists b/c we were waaay too excited about seeing roaming Elk, Antelope, and Buffalo. But when you don't see it all the time it's quite interesting.

I even invested in some real cowboy boots from Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Yeehaw!!

Vay-cay

My blog went on vacation for a little while. (I'd like to think it went to Cabo San Lucas). Apparently I was supposed to notify people of this...b/c they were wondering what happened. And I thought people didn't care about my blog! In the future I'll post a memo.

While my blog was on vay-cay I was actually busy. It's spring time now and I've been doing some spring cleaning and spending a lot of time outdoors. Last Friday I put 25 miles on my bicycle. It was fabulous. I saw parts of Germany in this area that I've never seen before. We came across a new lake, but we didn't stop...maybe next time. I can't begin to describe how much I enjoy hopping on my bike at my house and riding for miles on safe paths through the country side and into other countries (primarily Holland). It's quite exhilarating. The myriad of bike paths are one of the perks of Europe I'll miss the most. Along with feeling very safe here.

Yesterday was Kevin's birthday. (I guess I should clarify for people who read this drivel and don't know me, that Kevin is the nice guy I married and George is our wonderful puppy dog). Anyway, we went to an awesome furniture store and Kevin bought me a new leather living room set. He said it's his anniversary gift to me. Our anniversary is next Wednesday. I was stoked!

And we're taking a trip to Schwarzwald, also known as The "Black Forest", next Thursday. I'm really looking forward to that. It's beautiful down there for hiking through the country side and Germany's largest waterfalls are located there. I'm sure it'll be very picturesque. Of course George is coming with us. He loves to take walks so this trip will be right up his alley. By the time we leave Europe he will be one of the most cultured dogs I've ever known! Rad!

For now I need to quit "blogging" and go make a "Tres Leche" cake for a cook-out with friends tomorrow. Kevin keeps asking me when I'm going to make it because it's almost 10pm now. I keep telling him when I finish typing this. Then we're going to play a round of golf on the Playstation 2. It's our latest addiction.

So this is my life right now. It sound really rough, doesn't it? I know, I know!

Grrrrr....

It seems like I've been blogging about George a lot lately, but I don't have any kids so it seems appropriate. (And people with kids talk and blog about them ALL the time....so, you know). If you don't want to read another blog on George, then don't read what follows.
Anyway, we've been taking lots of walks. My favorite walk is in the evening after dinner, we usually walk behind our village and go visit the horses. There are 2 different horse farms behind us. The very first time George encountered a horse he was afraid and he barked...a lot. Of course. But now he's used to them. So much so that he actually likes horses better than he likes other dogs. But he's always been a snob about other dogs. (Which, once again we attribute to his French-ness. He can be a snooty little French man). He doesn't bark at the horses anymore he just goes up to the fence to get a good whiff of them. (Although from what I can usually smell it's NOT good).
George is also getting to be more social with people. More and more he'll walk right up to strangers to sniff them, and lick their hand. I think that's his way of saying, "Hey. S'up? I'm George."

He's also turning out to be a cool little dog. Case in point:
There's a big, black dog down the street. Anytime he sees someone walking by he snarls and barks extremely loud and obnoxiously. And naturally when I walk by with George he turns all Cujo. This dog scares us. Even though he's behind a fence it's not very tall. It's actually a green little picket fence. I'm certain if he wanted to he could jump it without any problem. I've deemed this monster dog George's arch nemesis. So the other day we're walkin by and this dog starts his tirade against us from behind the fence as usual. Apparently George had had enough because he barked at him once, then he promptly turned around and backed up on the grass and he pooped right in front of that dog. And he pooped alot! I thought the moster dog was going to lose his mind after that. (And then I really thought he was gonna jump that fence, so we beat feet and got the hell out of there)! That's the only time I wasn't a good citizen and didn't scoop up George's mess, but I wasn't taking any chances by sticking around.

I think that was George's way of telling the mean dog to "Piss off!"

That's my boy.

It's Here

Spring has finally made its presence known here in Germany. Everybody and everything has come out of hibernation mode.

It's time for long evening walks and bike rides.

Sore throat, be damned...I'm going to indulge in both this week!

"Where's The Rest Of Me?"

Ronald Reagan was once in a movie called "King's Row." His character has his legs amputated by a sadistic surgeon, and when he wakes up to see his limbs missing he screams, "Where's the rest of me?" It was a film that made him famous, and was much better than most of his movies. (Where else but America can a guy go from making B movies to leader of the most powerful nation in the world! What a great country we live in)!
Anyway, George was neutered on Wednesday and I kept thinking of Reagan screaming that line when George would look down at his sutures. When we first brought him home from the vet I felt really bad. He was still out of it from the anesthesia, he was just dead weight and his little tongue kept falling out of his mouth. He was pitiful. But by later that evening he was totally fine, and back on his feet, racing around the house.

Having your pet spayed or neutered is the responsible thing to do. You can go to the ASPCA's website to read all about that. So over time we should see some slight changes in Georgie, all for the better. But overall he's already a great dog.

Kevin's always telling me that George respects boundaries. When I see George jump up on people and ram his cold little nose in their crotch, I kinda doubt the "respecting boundaries" thing. But that's minor in the grand scheme of things.

Yesterday Kevin also swore to me that George can differentiate between his left and his right. And while I don't doubt George's intelligence, I know humans who have a rough time with the left side, right side concept.

All of this is neither here nor there. Even though Georgie has been completely emasculated, he still walks down the street all studly in his little bitchin red plaid coat.

Gesudheit

It's spring time in Germany, which means a hodge podge of weather from all seasons in the span of one day. Case in point: yesterday a.m. I was driving George to the vet, it was 36 degrees, sprinkling, and I saw some snowflakes. At mid-day the wind picked up...it was wicked wind, and blowing in about 5 different directions all at once. (Nobody warned me about the wind in Germany). Then the rain came...I would say it was a torrential down pour, except that it wasn't coming down, it was raining sideways. Around 4:30pm I was driving to the bowling alley and I went through a hail storm and the temp dropped about 6 degrees within a few minutes. By the time I got to the base and bowling alley the sun was shining. This is what March in Germany is all about.
It's also about dealing with allergy problems. Red itchy eyes, stuffed up nose, runny nose, sniffles, congested head, etc, etc. Looking like you've just put in time at a Rick James coke party is not a good look at all.
Kevin (who swore he didn't have allergy problems) was referred to an ENT specialist down in Landstuhl, which is 3 hours away. They ran tests (probably to make it look official)and then gave him a bunch of maximum super strength Sudafed. A 6 hour drive for some souped up Sudafed!
Although I'm pretty sure we have enough to start our own Meth lab down in the basement now.

Down(ey) Time

If you think that I don't have much to blog about, or I'm just tired when I post a video on here, then you'd be right...about half the time. And, yes I am sleepy now (thanks to some Benadryl) but I also think this video is worth sharing.
I could blog a lot on how much I like Robert Downey Jr. But I'll spare you. However I will say it's a shame it took this long for his talents to be catapulted into the mainstream. (They are making an "Iron Man" sequel). This guy has been around for a while...and mega talented. It's nice to see him finally getting his due, and not making headlines for scoring crack and bouncing around from swanky rehab to rehab.
But I do think the crabby old men who sit on the Academy Awards board were smoking crack when they passed him over for the Best Actor Oscar for "Chaplin."
I can watch this movie countless times and it's still as exciting to me as the first time I saw it in the theater when I was 14.
And he can sing too! Check it out.

Oui, Oui

I've really blown it with this blog the last few days. I just didn't have anything interesting to write about.
This afternoon Monsieur George is going to the vet. It'll be the first time I've taken him. He's up to date on all his shots,etc. But I need to get him established there, and make arrangements to have him neutered. (I haven't broken the news to him about that yet).
I have to take all his paperwork with me...he has a folder full of papers on him. I have more paperwork on him than I have on myself. I think I only have a birth certificate.
This visit should be interesting...we're going to a German vet (who thankfully does speak English)with a dog whose paperwork is all in French. I'm not sure how this is going to work out.

For anyone who doesn't know me and reads this stuff, I'll explain about Georgie's multi-nationalism.

George is a pure bred standard Dachshund, which is a German breed. We met his French breeder, Pierre at a dog show in Belgium. George was born on a farm in France, not far from Paris, where he lived the 1st six months of his little life. So, we always joke about him being a snooty little Frenchman. He now lives with us in Germany, and will be moving with us to America next year. Did you get all that?

I didn't think so.

Popeye eats his spinach.

Apparently the Governor prefers the other "green leaves."

Eating your veggies was never so good .

Nuts

One of the things I do enjoy about living in Germany is that I always feel relatively safe here. Especially in my neighborhood. I feel so safe in my 'hood that I frequently go on walks in the dark, just George and I, and I never feel afraid.
Well, except the one time we were walking in the dark and came across a fox. But knowing that foxes (is the plural foxes or fox)aren't aggressive towards people, unless they're provoked, I wasn't worried about getting attacked or anything. However I was a little worried about how I was going to run (very fast) back to the house without spilling my glass of wine. (Don't ask why I was out walking with wine, it's a long story. But I will say that is completely acceptable behavior here).

I just asked Google about the plural of fox. Apparently both foxes or fox is acceptable. (That answer leads me to believe they don't really know either).

Anyway, I always feel safe here overall. Violent crimes just don't happen here with the frequency that they happen back in the states. Wackos have a difficult time getting their hands on assault weapons b/c of the stringent gun laws.
Maybe there just aren't as many nuts in Germany...I don't know. But when you compare an evening news broadcast from here to one in the states, the differences in crime are striking.
I'd been thinking about all this a lot the last few days, and then yesterday morning the first news item I read, ironically, was this:


Police: German gunman singled out women
The teenaged gunman who killed 15 people in Germany targeted young women on his shooting spree, methodically shooting them in the head, police have said. Most of the victims at gunman Tim Kretschmer's former school were female -- including eight female students and three female teachers.

Granted, things like this are isolated incidents here...but still, it was disheartening. The crazy thing is when this happens in America everyone shakes their heads and says how terrible it is, yet I think we're getting desensitized to a lot of it. That's so messed up.
I still feel very safe in this small town we live in (Geilenkirchen) and safe enough to walk at night by myself.
But sometimes lately I think the whole world is going nuts!!

Blame Willie

It's that time of year again...Daylight Saving time! I know a lot of people gripe about turning the clocks ahead and losing an hour of sleep. Wusses.
If you feel the need to blame someone, blame William Willet. He tirelessly advocated the idea (though he died before it became a law). If it really annoys you, you could just move to Hawaii or Arizona.
Here in the "Olde Country" we don't spring forward until March 29th (b/c we suck). I'm so ready for longer days! Although Sunday evening it felt like it was about 7pm, but in reality it was already 10pm. I can't explain that, it was weird.
Here's a useless piece of information: William Willett is Chris Martin's (lead singer of Coldplay and husband of Gwynnie)great-great Grandfather.

Smells Like Bacon

In a rare occurrence, it's a Saturday night and Kevin is out and I'm at home. But not to worry, he's not out having an awesome time without me, or anything. He's at an awards banquet for his job.
The thought of getting dressed up, making idle chitchat, listening to speeches, and politely clapping didn't appeal to me. Instead I'd rather stay in, watch movies, and take care of some clothes that have been in laundry limbo for the last couple of days.
So George and I had dinner. I made sure to include some crispy bacon with mine. In my opinion bacon goes with everything. I like it that when I cook bacon, the kitchen still smells like it the next day. I think "Yankee Candle" should sell a bacon scented candle. That would be amazing.

I'm in the mood to watch a DVD...probably b/c there isn't jack on any of the 12 channels of fabulous AFN. Imagine that!
After dinner I took George for a walk and it was still light out. When George walks he keeps his nose very,very close to the ground and he walks really fast. How he does this without ever stubbing his nose, I'll never know. It definitely takes some skill.
You know what? This story sucks because I'm totally not paying attention. I put "Moonstruck" in the DVD player, and this movie captivates me. I think I've reached the maximum threshold of boring even myself. I suck, I know...sorry. This entire posting has become a disjointed mess.

I think i'll go find something to deep fry in the new "Fry Daddy", it'll be rad.

Holy Jeans, Batman

I'm in the midst of a jeans crisis....I need some new ones. I've never shopped for jeans in Europe until today. And it sucked! Two of my favorite pairs finally broke down with a little too many holes. Though I have been wearing them, they're so comfortable and broken in. But I realize it's not appropriate to wear them to all public places. And when it's cold my kneecaps get all frozen. Another pair I own appear to be too short for me now. I know I haven't grown any taller so this truly mystifies me. Maybe my opinion in pants length and how long or short they should be has changed. Or maybe I'm just bored with them...I don't really know.

Anyway, back in the states I could go to one of my favorite stores, try on maybe 2 pairs to see what fit best, and walk out of the store happy with new jeans in under 30 minutes. Not here.
The first thing to mess up my shopping excursion was the discrepancy in sizes. Back home I deal with sizes of 2, 4, and sixes. Here it's 34, 36, and 38s. And after trying on (literally) 7 different pairs of jean, I still don't know what the hell size I am here. Plus most of the jeans I tried on appeared to be "crotch huggers" and that just doesn't feel very nice. I don't know who thought that'd be a good style. It's a definite no go on the "crotch huggers." That blows. I think I'll shop on-line for some. That has to be a whole lot easier. Needless to say after that waste of time in the dressing room I was feeling sour about the jeans situation and shopping, etc.

Until...we went to "Blokker." That's a store in Holland that is similar to probably a 'Bed, Bath, And Beyond" I guess. They have some good kitchen stuff there. We bought a deep fryer. Now we're not the type of people who eat disgustingly unhealthy and/or feel the need to deep fry everything (although i did grow up in the south, and I've seen what that can do to you. It's not pretty). However, on occasion we like to throw fish in some "Uncle Buck's Spicy Fish Fry" and fry it up. It is rad! And occasionally we'll make spicy french fries or spicy onion straws.
Basically a Fry Daddy makes everything better! Trust me.

The Good 'Ole Days

more lol celebs!

Kneecap her!

So apparently Tonya Harding can still garner an interview...and apparently she's still trailer trash. It's crazy what you'll come across aimlessly wandering Youtube.

She's mad at President Obama. What she should be mad about is her bangs situation. Sweet Jesus!

And she says she's still getting jobs...who does she work for?!
I'll leave that one alone.

P-U

How come the farmers around here always choose the absolute most frickin WINDY days to fling their smelly, manure laden compost on their fields?!!

Crazy

I read and watch the news a lot. And with MSNBC, Fox "Noise", and CNN it's really easy to stay informed all the time. But sometimes I get a little obsessed... I think i'm afraid something big will happen and I won't get to watch it as "breaking news." If I see it and it's re-hashed news that happened a few hours ago, I feel kinda cheated or something. I blame Ted Turner for this.

Sometimes I regret that I feel so compelled to know what's going on all the time. Like when all the news channels take a story and run it into the ground 24/7 (which they do a whole lot). But when it's something like this Crazy Baby Lady aka Nadya Suleman, it's especially irritating. After I watch a news segment on her I just feel all ticked off.

Everyone is speculating this insane woman wants to be like Angelina Jolie, and that's very plausible. It occurred to me this is one of those cases that illustrates perfectly: If you have money (and sometimes fame) you're merely eccentric. But if you don't have the money, then you're just crazy.
We all know Crazy Baby Lady doesn't have any money, and she's clearly psychotic. But Angelina Jolie has the money, so she's considered eccentric as she collects spawn to add to her growing "baby army."
I can almost guarantee you if Angelina Jolie didn't have millions (and fame) she would've been locked up for evaluation a long time ago. As I recall when she was married to Billy Bob Thornton she used to carry a vial of his blood around her neck. Who the hell does that? That's frickin weird.
Whatever.

Now that I've gone off on this tangent I can't remember what my original point was. So I better stop typing this drivel and go do grown up stuff now.

And check CNN, of course.

tech⋅nol⋅o⋅gy-the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, blah, blah, blah

I really, really like technology. I enjoy having my I-Pod w/ thousands of songs, some movies and "30 Rock" programmed onto it, I enjoy my laptop, desktop comp., CD players, DVD players, camcorder, and digital camera. I can be thoroughly entertained in some capacity 24/7 (and I must need to be or I wouldn't have all this junk). I can't imagine life without all this.

Although I haven't completely dispensed with some of the "old school" ways. I have a collection of vinyl that I don't want to part with. And we have 2 turntables. I don't know if that ratchets up the nerd factor in this house, but if it does, so be it. (But my collection isn't as large as Kevin's collection which consists of crates of albums collecting dust in the basement). In fact I add to my collection if I find something really good. A couple of weeks ago we were at RD-4 (it's like a thrift store but with cooler stuff)in their little music section debating how great Billy Ocean may or may not have been back in the day. When out of the corner of my eye I spotted a Simon and Garfunkel album that I had to have...it's really good btw.

Anyway, technology is good. And all these nifty gadgets make up for the fact that we don't all have flying Deloreans. (And we probably shouldn't hold our breath on that one). BUT sometimes it can be really aggravating, like when I pick up the phone to call for some customer assistance.
More often than not I usually end up talking with a robot! That's what happened last week. All I really want is to talk to a human being!

Apparently they're trying to make these automated voices on the phone more personal. The one I "talked" with even introduced herself with a common name like "Holly". At one point I thought "Holly" was gonna ask me to hang out or go catch a movie or something. It was just plain ridiculous. If they seriously want to make it a more personal experience they should give the automated voices a smoker's hack or something like that. Then the whole conversation could be punctuated with "Holly" stopping to hack her head off.

THAT would be amazing!

more lol celebs!

How can you NOT love Foghorn Leghorn?!

Classic

Out of curiosity I looked up what the number 1 song was the week I was born. (October22-28th,1978). I know Disco was the rage...but some of that stuff was pretty crappy. So I was pleased to see it was this song by Nick Gilder, "Hot Child in The City".
I love this song!
I was shamelessly excited when it was used in one of my favorite episodes of "Sex and The City". You can't go wrong with a classic.
I wonder if my parents remember listening to this?!