Thursday, November 12, 2009
Poor little piggy
While getting the swine flu vaccination today I noticed this cartoon hanging on the wall. So naturally I had to come home, find it on the internet, and share it with all of you.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Less than 50 days to go
Ah! Christmas! It's just around the corner. I was in the city center today and noticed that the Christmas decorations are already up. And with less than 50 days until the big day, why not!
Credit: "Vienna - Graben" by charley1965
Here are some things I hope to do between now and Christmas:
Credit: "Vienna - Graben" by charley1965
Here are some things I hope to do between now and Christmas:
- Make as many Christmas gifts as possible. I don't think all of the gifts will be handmade this year, but I hope that most of them will include something handmade.
- Bake Vanillekipferl (traditional Viennese Christmas cookies). Our neighbors gave us some last year and I decided then and there that I would make them this year.
- Visit a couple of Christmas markets. I might even buy something other than food and drinks this year.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Poor little bunny
I've been a little under the weather for the past week or two and now it looks like Brian is sick too. You know what that means.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
blah blah blah
Have you noticed my absence lately? It seems like I've run out of things to say. I know. I never thought it would happen either. There are a few random things that I've thought were blog worthy, but they never seem to come out right when I sit down at the computer. So instead of making them into individual blog posts, I'll just share them in little bits and pieces. Yeah, I know that's pretty much the same thing I was doing with the Friday Filler, but it just never seems to come together on a Friday anymore.
So here goes...
I had just about decided to not make handmade Christmas gifts this year when my sister suggested that we all make handmade gifts. She said my gifts last year were an inspiration. She didn't use the words "inspire" or "inspiration" or "coolest sister ever", but I think we all know what she meant. So I jumped on the bandwagon and am pretty excited about it. Excited enough to make a list of what I'm making for everyone, but not excited enough to actually start on the gift-making yet.
While chatting with my other sister last week we found out that all three of us were planning on making the same thing for my dad. I guess we look at the same blogs. Not to worry girls, I already have something else planned.
On a completely unrelated topic, I help a woman with her grocery shopping every week and she's always saying the funniest things. Unintentionally, of course. I can't decide which of the following is funnier.
From two weeks ago: After spotting a billboard of two dogs sitting on a park bench she told me, "If I ever get another dog, it'll be a jack daniel."
Last week: She asked me when is Halloween and I told her Saturday. She responded, "Saturday? I thought it was always the last Thursday of the month."
And on a final note: meal moths. I hate them. I think I've gotten rid of them. But I know that as soon as I click Publish and go into the kitchen I'll find another one. It's inevitable.
So here goes...
I had just about decided to not make handmade Christmas gifts this year when my sister suggested that we all make handmade gifts. She said my gifts last year were an inspiration. She didn't use the words "inspire" or "inspiration" or "coolest sister ever", but I think we all know what she meant. So I jumped on the bandwagon and am pretty excited about it. Excited enough to make a list of what I'm making for everyone, but not excited enough to actually start on the gift-making yet.
While chatting with my other sister last week we found out that all three of us were planning on making the same thing for my dad. I guess we look at the same blogs. Not to worry girls, I already have something else planned.
On a completely unrelated topic, I help a woman with her grocery shopping every week and she's always saying the funniest things. Unintentionally, of course. I can't decide which of the following is funnier.
From two weeks ago: After spotting a billboard of two dogs sitting on a park bench she told me, "If I ever get another dog, it'll be a jack daniel."
Last week: She asked me when is Halloween and I told her Saturday. She responded, "Saturday? I thought it was always the last Thursday of the month."
And on a final note: meal moths. I hate them. I think I've gotten rid of them. But I know that as soon as I click Publish and go into the kitchen I'll find another one. It's inevitable.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Ethiopia photos
I finally got around to uploading my photos from Ethiopia over the weekend. You can see all of the photos here: Alisha's Ethiopia photos on Flickr.
Most of the Ethiopians we had contact with were very eager to know what thought about Ethiopia and Addis Ababa. The thing is, we saw very little of Ethiopia except for the areas between our guest house and the orphanage. Even though our driver took many different routes, we really didn't get to see a whole lot. Once while we were riding along the driver just happened to spot his friend and pulled over to say hello. His friend happened to be a tour guide and offered his services if we wanted to see more of the city. I felt like it was quite a coincidence that the one time we were alone with the driver he ran into this tour guide buddy. (We shared the driver with another family and we were almost always together in the car.) Later the other family was in the car alone with the driver and they happened to run into the tour guide as well.
So, we didn't see a whole lot, but here are a few tidbits from our trip.
One evening we went to an Ethiopian restaurant where we had injera and wot and watched traditional dances and musicians. Injera is a spongy bread, similar to a pancake. It's used to pick up and eat wot, which is any type of stew.
Injera and wot at Yod Abyssinia.
It was pretty good, but some of it was really too spicy for my taste. The restaurant had murals of famous sites in Ethiopia. Our driver, who joined us for the meal, sat next to Brian and told him about each of the sites. And, he said, his tour guide buddy could take us to some of the sites. I really liked our driver and rather enjoyed that he was trying to help his friend's business.
There's a lot to say about the driving in Ethiopia. We only saw one traffic light the whole week and there seemed to be few driving rules. Even the lanes were subjective. The roads usually had at least faint lane markings, but they were often ignored. A road could be vary from one to four or more lanes just based on the traffic at the time. And the roads were not just for vehicles, but for pedestrians and animals as well. Here's a short video of one of our drives. There wasn't a lot of traffic on the road at this point, but there were a lot of pedestrians.
And the polution! It was unbelievable. It wasn't unbearable most of the time, but when we were on the road it was awful.
Many of the vehicles reminded me of Pig-Pen from Charlie Brown. Only it was a cloud of exhaust rather than dirt that followed them around.
The blue and white taxis became a very common site. We drove past a couple of locations where the taxis would collect to pick up passengers. The taxi vans were the most common. They had 5 rows of seating with 11 or 12 seats -- and usually 20 or more passengers -- all in about the size of a U.S. minivan. My guess is that they work similar to city buses and there are designated pick up and drop off areas rather than door to door service.
Another common site was the women cleaning the streets. They wore pink coveralls, large straw hats and a scarf cover most of the their face. The scarf, I'm pretty sure, was to keep out some of the exhaust and dirt. They worked in pairs or small groups -- one with a wheelbarrow and everyone with brooms.
Another thing of note was the construction. There were half-built buildings everywhere. Brian read that there was a big construction boom in Addis Ababa, but with the recent economic conditions many building projects were put on hold or abandoned. Some of the buildings were still being worked on, but it looked like many were just sitting there. In any case, we found the scaffolding quite impressive.
You can check out all of the photos here.
Most of the Ethiopians we had contact with were very eager to know what thought about Ethiopia and Addis Ababa. The thing is, we saw very little of Ethiopia except for the areas between our guest house and the orphanage. Even though our driver took many different routes, we really didn't get to see a whole lot. Once while we were riding along the driver just happened to spot his friend and pulled over to say hello. His friend happened to be a tour guide and offered his services if we wanted to see more of the city. I felt like it was quite a coincidence that the one time we were alone with the driver he ran into this tour guide buddy. (We shared the driver with another family and we were almost always together in the car.) Later the other family was in the car alone with the driver and they happened to run into the tour guide as well.
So, we didn't see a whole lot, but here are a few tidbits from our trip.
One evening we went to an Ethiopian restaurant where we had injera and wot and watched traditional dances and musicians. Injera is a spongy bread, similar to a pancake. It's used to pick up and eat wot, which is any type of stew.
Injera and wot at Yod Abyssinia.
It was pretty good, but some of it was really too spicy for my taste. The restaurant had murals of famous sites in Ethiopia. Our driver, who joined us for the meal, sat next to Brian and told him about each of the sites. And, he said, his tour guide buddy could take us to some of the sites. I really liked our driver and rather enjoyed that he was trying to help his friend's business.
There's a lot to say about the driving in Ethiopia. We only saw one traffic light the whole week and there seemed to be few driving rules. Even the lanes were subjective. The roads usually had at least faint lane markings, but they were often ignored. A road could be vary from one to four or more lanes just based on the traffic at the time. And the roads were not just for vehicles, but for pedestrians and animals as well. Here's a short video of one of our drives. There wasn't a lot of traffic on the road at this point, but there were a lot of pedestrians.
And the polution! It was unbelievable. It wasn't unbearable most of the time, but when we were on the road it was awful.
Many of the vehicles reminded me of Pig-Pen from Charlie Brown. Only it was a cloud of exhaust rather than dirt that followed them around.
The blue and white taxis became a very common site. We drove past a couple of locations where the taxis would collect to pick up passengers. The taxi vans were the most common. They had 5 rows of seating with 11 or 12 seats -- and usually 20 or more passengers -- all in about the size of a U.S. minivan. My guess is that they work similar to city buses and there are designated pick up and drop off areas rather than door to door service.
Another common site was the women cleaning the streets. They wore pink coveralls, large straw hats and a scarf cover most of the their face. The scarf, I'm pretty sure, was to keep out some of the exhaust and dirt. They worked in pairs or small groups -- one with a wheelbarrow and everyone with brooms.
Another thing of note was the construction. There were half-built buildings everywhere. Brian read that there was a big construction boom in Addis Ababa, but with the recent economic conditions many building projects were put on hold or abandoned. Some of the buildings were still being worked on, but it looked like many were just sitting there. In any case, we found the scaffolding quite impressive.
You can check out all of the photos here.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Not just for witches
Do you know how to tell if eggs are still good? See if they float.
After being away for two weeks I wasn't so sure I should eat the eggs in the fridge. After a few moments on the interwebs I found a simple way to test them. Here's what I found at http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/EggsFloat.htm:
I also learned that eggs typically stay fresh for 4 to 5 weeks. Who knew. I thought they'd only last a couple of weeks. After testing my eggs, I found that most were still good, but at least one was spoiled.
By the way, I have some photos to share from my recent trip to Ethiopia, but I haven't had the energy to blog this week. So maybe next week.
After being away for two weeks I wasn't so sure I should eat the eggs in the fridge. After a few moments on the interwebs I found a simple way to test them. Here's what I found at http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/EggsFloat.htm:
Carefully lower your eggs into fresh cold water (do not use salted water) using a spoon:
If the egg stay at the bottom - it is fresh.
If the egg is at an angle on the bottom - it is still fresh and good to eat.
If the egg stands on its pointed end at the bottom - it is still safe to eat but best used for baking and making hard-cooked eggs.
If the egg float - they're stale and best discarded.
I also learned that eggs typically stay fresh for 4 to 5 weeks. Who knew. I thought they'd only last a couple of weeks. After testing my eggs, I found that most were still good, but at least one was spoiled.
By the way, I have some photos to share from my recent trip to Ethiopia, but I haven't had the energy to blog this week. So maybe next week.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
A quick hello
I'm back from the women's retreat in Filzmoos and should probably be packing for the next trip, but decided to drop in and share a few photos from the week.
We stayed at the same place as last year, which was a little up the mountain overlooking the town of Filzmoos. It seems like it was pretty foggy most mornings and it was really cool to watch the fog lift.
It's such a nice town. There are cows with bells...
And cows without bells...
And other farm animals like baby goats and tiny ponies and a donkey. But I didn't take any photos of those animals. I did however take a photo of the coffee and cake.
In addition to the food and the farm animals, the rest of the retreat was great as well.
And now I'm off for another week.
We stayed at the same place as last year, which was a little up the mountain overlooking the town of Filzmoos. It seems like it was pretty foggy most mornings and it was really cool to watch the fog lift.
It's such a nice town. There are cows with bells...
"Guess what? I got a fever! And the only prescription.. is more cowbell!"
And cows without bells...
And other farm animals like baby goats and tiny ponies and a donkey. But I didn't take any photos of those animals. I did however take a photo of the coffee and cake.
In addition to the food and the farm animals, the rest of the retreat was great as well.
And now I'm off for another week.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Friday Filler
I can't believe how quickly the days fly these day. I had so much I wanted to get done this week and it seems like I've done about half of it. I guess the week's not quite over yet.
If you build it, they will come
When we moved into our apartment a couple of years ago there was a big, empty field nearby that our neighbors told us would one day be a shopping center. For more than two years, nothing happened. Then two months or so ago the land was cleared. And several weeks ago, construction finally started. I'm skeptical about it being a shopping center. The building site is at a subway station and there is a mall only three stops away. But still, I'm kind of hoping it's a mall. How great would it be to have a mall within a five to ten minute walk from the apartment.
Brian suggested maybe it's going to be an apartment building, but I'm not buying that either. The area on the other side of the subway station has also been cleared and a building or two has been torn down, so I'm pretty sure the construction will continue on the other side. I don't see an apartment building straddling the subway tracks.
What do you think? A shopping center? Parking garage? Apartment building?
Play things
As a soon-to-be mother, I'm trying desperately not to buy every cute little outfit and toy that I run across. It's hard. There's one toy in particular that I'm very eager to buy: a Laufrad. I don't think there's an English word for this, but it's basically a bicycle without pedals. I've been asking around and several parents have started their kid on a Laufrad at the age of 2. Hopefully I'll be able to snap one up from a second hand shop in the spring.
And I'm off...
This blog will fall even more silent that usual for the next couple of weeks. I'm leaving on Sunday for a retreat in Filzmoos, Austria and when I return I'll pretty much turn around and leave for Africa. So there probably won't be any Friday Fillers for at least two weeks. I may post some photos of Filzmoos and will definitely post when I return from Africa.
If you build it, they will come
When we moved into our apartment a couple of years ago there was a big, empty field nearby that our neighbors told us would one day be a shopping center. For more than two years, nothing happened. Then two months or so ago the land was cleared. And several weeks ago, construction finally started. I'm skeptical about it being a shopping center. The building site is at a subway station and there is a mall only three stops away. But still, I'm kind of hoping it's a mall. How great would it be to have a mall within a five to ten minute walk from the apartment.
Brian suggested maybe it's going to be an apartment building, but I'm not buying that either. The area on the other side of the subway station has also been cleared and a building or two has been torn down, so I'm pretty sure the construction will continue on the other side. I don't see an apartment building straddling the subway tracks.
What do you think? A shopping center? Parking garage? Apartment building?
Play things
As a soon-to-be mother, I'm trying desperately not to buy every cute little outfit and toy that I run across. It's hard. There's one toy in particular that I'm very eager to buy: a Laufrad. I don't think there's an English word for this, but it's basically a bicycle without pedals. I've been asking around and several parents have started their kid on a Laufrad at the age of 2. Hopefully I'll be able to snap one up from a second hand shop in the spring.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/axels_bilder/2293885069/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/axels_bilder/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
http://www.flickr.com/photos/axels_bilder/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
And I'm off...
This blog will fall even more silent that usual for the next couple of weeks. I'm leaving on Sunday for a retreat in Filzmoos, Austria and when I return I'll pretty much turn around and leave for Africa. So there probably won't be any Friday Fillers for at least two weeks. I may post some photos of Filzmoos and will definitely post when I return from Africa.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Saturday Filler
It doesn't have quite the same ring to it as "Friday Filler", but oh well.
Lesson learned
Last weekend some friends from Hungary stopped by for a quick visit. They arrived late Saturday night and left Monday morning to visit some other people in town before heading home that evening. The husband had visited Vienna once for a few hours over 10 years ago and the wife was making her first trip to Vienna. I learned an important message: One day is not enough time to see Vienna for the first (or second) time. We had a good time hitting the highlights, but I was beat by the time we got home!
It's official! Well, not really.
Fall is here! I'm excited to pull out my long sleeve shirts and don a light jacket. I know fall doesn't start until the 22nd, but I'm calling it now. It's fall. To celebrate, I made some sweet potato bread. I would have preferred pumpkin bread, but since you can't buy pumpkin puree here, I would have to make. Which takes a lot of baking and scraping and pureeing. And that's before you can even start making the pumpkin bread. So I make sweet potato bread instead. Which still requires peeling and boiling and pureeing, but somehow I've convinced myself it's simpler. And even though it's not pumpkin, it's still fallish and it satisfies my need for fall foods. I also broke out the creamy white chili with cornbread this week and plan to make beans and cornbread next week. I love fall.
My own private Vienna
Today, in an odd twist of circumstances, I found myself wandering through the city center around 7:30 this morning. It was so nice and quiet. I learned some interesting things wandering around so early. For example, I was surprised to see that the ice cream salon Zanoni & Zanoni was open and there were probably at least a dozen customers there. But then I noticed that they were serving breakfast, not ice cream. (Hey, you never know! Several months ago I was at the mall at 9:30 in the morning when I spotted 4 retired men enjoying their morning beer at one of the cafes.) I also learned that the area near Stephansplatz where all of the horses and carriages line up still smells like horse poop even when the horses aren't around.
This is the horse and carriage area when there are actually horses around -- not at 7:30 on a Saturday morning. Stanley photobombed me!
Lesson learned
Last weekend some friends from Hungary stopped by for a quick visit. They arrived late Saturday night and left Monday morning to visit some other people in town before heading home that evening. The husband had visited Vienna once for a few hours over 10 years ago and the wife was making her first trip to Vienna. I learned an important message: One day is not enough time to see Vienna for the first (or second) time. We had a good time hitting the highlights, but I was beat by the time we got home!
It's official! Well, not really.
Fall is here! I'm excited to pull out my long sleeve shirts and don a light jacket. I know fall doesn't start until the 22nd, but I'm calling it now. It's fall. To celebrate, I made some sweet potato bread. I would have preferred pumpkin bread, but since you can't buy pumpkin puree here, I would have to make. Which takes a lot of baking and scraping and pureeing. And that's before you can even start making the pumpkin bread. So I make sweet potato bread instead. Which still requires peeling and boiling and pureeing, but somehow I've convinced myself it's simpler. And even though it's not pumpkin, it's still fallish and it satisfies my need for fall foods. I also broke out the creamy white chili with cornbread this week and plan to make beans and cornbread next week. I love fall.
My own private Vienna
Today, in an odd twist of circumstances, I found myself wandering through the city center around 7:30 this morning. It was so nice and quiet. I learned some interesting things wandering around so early. For example, I was surprised to see that the ice cream salon Zanoni & Zanoni was open and there were probably at least a dozen customers there. But then I noticed that they were serving breakfast, not ice cream. (Hey, you never know! Several months ago I was at the mall at 9:30 in the morning when I spotted 4 retired men enjoying their morning beer at one of the cafes.) I also learned that the area near Stephansplatz where all of the horses and carriages line up still smells like horse poop even when the horses aren't around.
This is the horse and carriage area when there are actually horses around -- not at 7:30 on a Saturday morning. Stanley photobombed me!
Monday, September 14, 2009
The last word
Earlier today Brian was reading something in German and commented that he always had to look up the word regelmäßig. I asked him what it meant and he read out the list of English words.
Regelmäßig: constant; continuous; measured; periodic.
I complained that I didn't like words that could have two opposite meanings. How could a word mean both "constant" and "periodic". So I looked up "periodic" to make sure I wasn't using it incorrectly.
Periodic: recurring at intervals of time; occurring at regular intervals; repeated at irregular intervals.
I didn't like it that periodic could sometimes mean occurring at regular intervals and sometimes mean occurring at irregular intervals? That's when Brian brought up semi-annual and bi-annual and how both mean occurring twice a year. Which is confusing enough, but add to it that bi-annual can also mean occurring every two years and then things get really confusing.
As I continued to complain about words that had two opposite meanings, Brian said that you can tell the meaning based on context. A bi-annual sale would most likely occur twice a year while a bi-annual sports event would occur every two years. What about a bi-annual family reunion, I asked. Every two years, Brian answered. What if it wasn't really a family reunion but really just a get together but someone called it a reunion because words often have more than one meaning, I asked. Every two years, Brian answered. And then someone got mad -- but I don't really remember who.
It may have been me.
I took the computer so I could look up words. And Brian asked me what I was going to try to prove. And I said maybe I wasn't going to prove anything. I was just going to write a blog post.
Regelmäßig: constant; continuous; measured; periodic.
I complained that I didn't like words that could have two opposite meanings. How could a word mean both "constant" and "periodic". So I looked up "periodic" to make sure I wasn't using it incorrectly.
Periodic: recurring at intervals of time; occurring at regular intervals; repeated at irregular intervals.
I didn't like it that periodic could sometimes mean occurring at regular intervals and sometimes mean occurring at irregular intervals? That's when Brian brought up semi-annual and bi-annual and how both mean occurring twice a year. Which is confusing enough, but add to it that bi-annual can also mean occurring every two years and then things get really confusing.
As I continued to complain about words that had two opposite meanings, Brian said that you can tell the meaning based on context. A bi-annual sale would most likely occur twice a year while a bi-annual sports event would occur every two years. What about a bi-annual family reunion, I asked. Every two years, Brian answered. What if it wasn't really a family reunion but really just a get together but someone called it a reunion because words often have more than one meaning, I asked. Every two years, Brian answered. And then someone got mad -- but I don't really remember who.
It may have been me.
I took the computer so I could look up words. And Brian asked me what I was going to try to prove. And I said maybe I wasn't going to prove anything. I was just going to write a blog post.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Friday Filler
Around this time yesterday Brian commented on how I hadn't posted the Friday Filler yet. I told him I had completely forgotten it was Friday. Then I realized it was Thursday. It's been a bit of a crazy week.
The Draft Party
Last year I decided to join Brian in playing fantasy football. I didn't win, but I had a good time, so I'm playing again this year. I don't really know anything about football, but I think I have a pretty good method for choosing my players. I pick the players with fun names. Brian said that despite my unorthodox drafting method, I ended up with a pretty good team.
The last two years Jake has hosted a draft party, but he's in the U.S. right now (and completely forgot about the draft), so Brian and I had our own little draft party.
Our Latest Visitor
We have a visitor staying with us and he is really quite a dear. His name is Stanley and I don't think we've ever had such a quiet, easy-going visitor. Earlier this week we took him out of the town to see the sites. We also visited our favorite burrito place. Perhaps we should have taken him out for schnitzel or something a little more traditional. He'll spend a few more days with us before continuing his trip to Japan.
The Draft Party
Last year I decided to join Brian in playing fantasy football. I didn't win, but I had a good time, so I'm playing again this year. I don't really know anything about football, but I think I have a pretty good method for choosing my players. I pick the players with fun names. Brian said that despite my unorthodox drafting method, I ended up with a pretty good team.
The last two years Jake has hosted a draft party, but he's in the U.S. right now (and completely forgot about the draft), so Brian and I had our own little draft party.
Our Latest Visitor
We have a visitor staying with us and he is really quite a dear. His name is Stanley and I don't think we've ever had such a quiet, easy-going visitor. Earlier this week we took him out of the town to see the sites. We also visited our favorite burrito place. Perhaps we should have taken him out for schnitzel or something a little more traditional. He'll spend a few more days with us before continuing his trip to Japan.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
It's not what you think
I've been taking notice of the strollers lately as I'm trying to figure out which kind I want to buy. I especially pay attention when I see people get on the tram or subway with a stroller to see how well it maneuvers. But this is the first time I've ever taken a photo of a stroller.
I didn't take a photo of it because I was interested in getting this type of stroller. It looks pretty basic and not at all what I'm looking for. The woman pushing the stroller got off the tram at the same stop as me, so I snapped another photo as she was walking through the station.
Notice anything strange? Apparently, this isn't a Kinderwagen, it's a Hundewagen -- a stroller for dogs. Even though Vienna is an extremely dog-friendly city, I've never seen anything like this.
I continued on my way, happy to have my covert photos and expecting that I'd never see something like this again. I got on the subway to head home, and what do you know, when I got off the subway this lady and her dogs were there! We ended up waiting for the elevator together, so I asked her about the stroller and if I could take a photo.
The dogs seemed to be enjoying the ride. I bet one of these things would have come in very handy for Brian a couple of weeks ago when he had to carry Sharkdog home from the vet. But I'm not so sure Brian would be willing to push his dog around in a stroller.
I didn't take a photo of it because I was interested in getting this type of stroller. It looks pretty basic and not at all what I'm looking for. The woman pushing the stroller got off the tram at the same stop as me, so I snapped another photo as she was walking through the station.
Notice anything strange? Apparently, this isn't a Kinderwagen, it's a Hundewagen -- a stroller for dogs. Even though Vienna is an extremely dog-friendly city, I've never seen anything like this.
I continued on my way, happy to have my covert photos and expecting that I'd never see something like this again. I got on the subway to head home, and what do you know, when I got off the subway this lady and her dogs were there! We ended up waiting for the elevator together, so I asked her about the stroller and if I could take a photo.
The dogs seemed to be enjoying the ride. I bet one of these things would have come in very handy for Brian a couple of weeks ago when he had to carry Sharkdog home from the vet. But I'm not so sure Brian would be willing to push his dog around in a stroller.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
The good kind
Well, Sharkdog is a free man. This morning we took him to the vet to have his stitches removed and boy, he did not like it. I don't know how many stitches he had, but there's a mighty long scar. I would post a photo, but it's right by his private bits and I don't need to be showing that online. Let's let the dog retain a least a little bit of his dignity.
I tried to capture Sharkdog's joy at his new found freedom, but this was the most joyous photo I captured.
And in the name of full disclosure, I admit that bribes were used during this photo session.
This is how I found him when I entered the room, but I didn't think this photo truly expressed Sharkdog's happiness to get rid of the cone.
But he perked right up when he saw I had crackers with me. He sat, lied down, and even attempted to roll over. I was just trying to get him to sit, but when there are treats involved, sometimes he automatically starts going through his whole repertoire. Even though he was happy to get the treats, I think he was still a little emotionally scarred from having the stitches removed.
We know, Sharkdog, we know. After removing the stitches the doctor gave us the good news. The mole didn't show any signs of cancer. It was the good kind, he told us.
I tried to capture Sharkdog's joy at his new found freedom, but this was the most joyous photo I captured.
He may looked perplexed, but his tail is wagging.
And in the name of full disclosure, I admit that bribes were used during this photo session.
Ah ha! I have his attention now!
This is how I found him when I entered the room, but I didn't think this photo truly expressed Sharkdog's happiness to get rid of the cone.
While this photo doesn't do a good job of displaying Sharkdog's happiness, it does show his excellent Eeyore impersonation.
But he perked right up when he saw I had crackers with me. He sat, lied down, and even attempted to roll over. I was just trying to get him to sit, but when there are treats involved, sometimes he automatically starts going through his whole repertoire. Even though he was happy to get the treats, I think he was still a little emotionally scarred from having the stitches removed.
You would not believe what they did to me! It makes a dog nervous to have someone snipping around with cold scissors down there!
We know, Sharkdog, we know. After removing the stitches the doctor gave us the good news. The mole didn't show any signs of cancer. It was the good kind, he told us.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Friday Filler - Sharkdog edition
Tomorrow's the big day Sharkdog goes back to the vet to have the stitches removed. And he'll finally get to take off the Elizabethan collar. The Elizabethan collar we had in the U.S. simply snapped on and off, so we could remove it occasionally without any problems. But this one is much more complicated, so we haven't been able to remove it at all during the past week.
Sharkdog is pretty used to the collar by now, but it does cause a few problems.
He occasionally runs into something (or someone) because he forgets his head needs extra clearance. He also isn't able to get under the covers because his head gets stuck.
He can't eat out of dog bowl, but he is able to eat his food from a towel on the ground. However, he doesn't like to eat alone, so sometimes he'll whine and prance around until someone will join him in the hallway. Other times he'll take a few pieces in his mouth and carry it into the room where Brian and I are sitting. But this doesn't really have anything to do with the collar -- he's always like that.
However, he hasn't let us leave the house without him all week. When it looks like we're both going to leave, he makes sure he is constantly following one of us. It's a good thing Vienna is so dog friendly.
Probably the worst part for Sharky is that he can't scratch behind his ears. He tries and he tries, but he just hits the cone.
Fortunately for him, someone is always around to lend him a hand.
Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with the news from the vet. And perhaps some photos of Sharkdog sans collar.
Sharkdog is pretty used to the collar by now, but it does cause a few problems.
He occasionally runs into something (or someone) because he forgets his head needs extra clearance. He also isn't able to get under the covers because his head gets stuck.
He can't eat out of dog bowl, but he is able to eat his food from a towel on the ground. However, he doesn't like to eat alone, so sometimes he'll whine and prance around until someone will join him in the hallway. Other times he'll take a few pieces in his mouth and carry it into the room where Brian and I are sitting. But this doesn't really have anything to do with the collar -- he's always like that.
However, he hasn't let us leave the house without him all week. When it looks like we're both going to leave, he makes sure he is constantly following one of us. It's a good thing Vienna is so dog friendly.
Probably the worst part for Sharky is that he can't scratch behind his ears. He tries and he tries, but he just hits the cone.
I scratch and scratch, but just can't reach the itch!
Fortunately for him, someone is always around to lend him a hand.
Tell you what Brian, you scratch behind my ear and I'll lick your arm and we'll call it even.
Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with the news from the vet. And perhaps some photos of Sharkdog sans collar.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Friday Filler
Street legal fail
I learned an important lesson this week: I really should carry my camera around with me more often. To get to the subway station, we usually take a shortcut through a grocery store parking lot. Earlier this week while cutting through the parking lot Brian pointed out a woman in the left turn lane -- driving a motorized scooter. The scooter did have turn signals, but definitely was not street legal. Later the same day we saw a man driving a fork lift down the street.
Summer vacation
Sometimes I feel like Brian and I are the only people not vacation right now. We went to a burrito place earlier this week and they were closed for summer vacation. And it's not like we could just go to another burrito place since this is the only one in the city. And when Brian tried to make an appointment for Sharkdog with his vet, the vet was gone on vacation. (Probably the same vacation he was on weeks ago when we tried to make an appointment.) My doctor is also on vacation, but at least she has another doctor filling in for her. Which makes me wonder -- what does this fill-in doctor normally do? Does she take vacation from her own practice to fill in for another doctor? Or are there some doctors who only fill in for other doctors? These are the questions that keep me awake at night.
The pitiful look just makes him more adorable
Yesterday Sharkdog had surgery to remove a suspicious mole. When Brian took him to the vet (not his normal vet, who is on vacation), we didn't really think much of it. But the vet wanted to remove the mole. Sharkdog was pretty out of it after the surgery and Brian had to carry his limp-noodle body the almost mile back to the apartment. Sharkdog was a little sluggish the rest of the evening, but he's back to his normal self today. Except he has to wear one of those Elizabethian collars for the next week.
Sharkdog took it easy for several hours following his surgery.
I learned an important lesson this week: I really should carry my camera around with me more often. To get to the subway station, we usually take a shortcut through a grocery store parking lot. Earlier this week while cutting through the parking lot Brian pointed out a woman in the left turn lane -- driving a motorized scooter. The scooter did have turn signals, but definitely was not street legal. Later the same day we saw a man driving a fork lift down the street.
Summer vacation
Sometimes I feel like Brian and I are the only people not vacation right now. We went to a burrito place earlier this week and they were closed for summer vacation. And it's not like we could just go to another burrito place since this is the only one in the city. And when Brian tried to make an appointment for Sharkdog with his vet, the vet was gone on vacation. (Probably the same vacation he was on weeks ago when we tried to make an appointment.) My doctor is also on vacation, but at least she has another doctor filling in for her. Which makes me wonder -- what does this fill-in doctor normally do? Does she take vacation from her own practice to fill in for another doctor? Or are there some doctors who only fill in for other doctors? These are the questions that keep me awake at night.
The pitiful look just makes him more adorable
Yesterday Sharkdog had surgery to remove a suspicious mole. When Brian took him to the vet (not his normal vet, who is on vacation), we didn't really think much of it. But the vet wanted to remove the mole. Sharkdog was pretty out of it after the surgery and Brian had to carry his limp-noodle body the almost mile back to the apartment. Sharkdog was a little sluggish the rest of the evening, but he's back to his normal self today. Except he has to wear one of those Elizabethian collars for the next week.
Sharkdog took it easy for several hours following his surgery.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
The mysterious case of the disappearing moon
You're probably tired of seeing photos of the sunset or the moon that I've taken from my balcony or kitchen window. The thing is, I just don't take my camera out with me as often as I used to. So my blog material suffers.
Oh well. This one is a little different. It's a mystery. You see, the other night as I was walking from the living room to the bedroom I noticed the crescent moon against the sky that was still lit up from the sunset. So of course I had to take a few photos. This was my favorite.
Now this photo was taken at approximately 8:13 p.m. About half an hour later (or 25 minutes later) it was much darker so I decided to see what the moon looked like. And here's where the mystery comes in -- I couldn't find it. The sky was clear, but the moon was gone. Or so I thought. Dun-dun-dunnn! (I'm trying to add a little drama to the mystery.)
See it there? You can just barely see the tip of it peaking out from behind the mountain. So I did a little research and discovered that on this particular day (August 23rd), the moon rose at 9:55 a.m. and set at 8:46 p.m. I never realized that the moon set so early on some days. I found the moonrise and moonset times here.
And now that I know where I can look to find out when the moon will be full or when it will coincide with the sunset, be prepared for more moon photos.
Oh well. This one is a little different. It's a mystery. You see, the other night as I was walking from the living room to the bedroom I noticed the crescent moon against the sky that was still lit up from the sunset. So of course I had to take a few photos. This was my favorite.
Now this photo was taken at approximately 8:13 p.m. About half an hour later (or 25 minutes later) it was much darker so I decided to see what the moon looked like. And here's where the mystery comes in -- I couldn't find it. The sky was clear, but the moon was gone. Or so I thought. Dun-dun-dunnn! (I'm trying to add a little drama to the mystery.)
See it there? You can just barely see the tip of it peaking out from behind the mountain. So I did a little research and discovered that on this particular day (August 23rd), the moon rose at 9:55 a.m. and set at 8:46 p.m. I never realized that the moon set so early on some days. I found the moonrise and moonset times here.
And now that I know where I can look to find out when the moon will be full or when it will coincide with the sunset, be prepared for more moon photos.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Friday Filler
It's official. I'm ready for fall. The summer heat just keeps dragging on and it makes me really unmotivated to do anything. I'm looking forward to school starting at the university where Brian and I volunteer because it will help give my week a bit of a standard schedule. I'm much more productive when I have a schedule.
So here's my filler for the week...
Vaccinated!
Brian and I went for our second round of vaccines earlier this week. We thought we'd have to go for two more booster shots in a couple of weeks, but we got them all taken care of this week. We are now vaccinated and ready to go. Apparently, based on where you're traveling the doctor has to discuss certain vaccines. I already had a list of the vaccines we wanted and we added one more the doctor recommended. However, there were a couple of vaccines which we decided not to take. One was the rabies vaccine which consisted of 4 shots on three different visits. When she told us that the vaccine worked as well after being bitten (within a certain time frame), it was easy to pass up. She also asked us if we wanted the cholera vaccine. She said it would help prevent diarrhea, but was really only necessary if we commonly had this problem. But the thing was that she hesitated and smiled a bit every time she said the word "diarrhea". I think maybe she wasn't sure how to pronounce the word in English and not that she had the sense of humor of a 10 year old boy. But who knows. Maybe she finds the word "diarrhea" really funny. I prefer the German word "Durchfall". It comes from the German words "durch" which means "through" and "fallen" which means "to fall or drop".
In Other Words
Sometimes I love how well a German word fits its meaning -- like with Durchfall. It just sounds so much nicer than the English word. The German word for slug is another great example. "Slug" just sounds disgusting. But the German word "Nacktschnecke" is a combination of the German words "naked" and "snail". Naked snail makes you feel kind of sorry for the thing instead of making you want to pour salt on it. {Just for the record, I would never pour salt on a slug.} But it doesn't always work out that way with the German words. We have a bottle of Listernine sitting in the bathroom that says it provides "Zahn- und Zahnfleisch Schutz", which means tooth and gum protection. But "Zahnfleisch" -- it's a combination of the words "tooth" and "flesh". And every time I see the label I can't help but think "tooth flesh" instead of "gums". Tooth flesh. The word makes my skin crawl.
So here's my filler for the week...
Vaccinated!
Brian and I went for our second round of vaccines earlier this week. We thought we'd have to go for two more booster shots in a couple of weeks, but we got them all taken care of this week. We are now vaccinated and ready to go. Apparently, based on where you're traveling the doctor has to discuss certain vaccines. I already had a list of the vaccines we wanted and we added one more the doctor recommended. However, there were a couple of vaccines which we decided not to take. One was the rabies vaccine which consisted of 4 shots on three different visits. When she told us that the vaccine worked as well after being bitten (within a certain time frame), it was easy to pass up. She also asked us if we wanted the cholera vaccine. She said it would help prevent diarrhea, but was really only necessary if we commonly had this problem. But the thing was that she hesitated and smiled a bit every time she said the word "diarrhea". I think maybe she wasn't sure how to pronounce the word in English and not that she had the sense of humor of a 10 year old boy. But who knows. Maybe she finds the word "diarrhea" really funny. I prefer the German word "Durchfall". It comes from the German words "durch" which means "through" and "fallen" which means "to fall or drop".
In Other Words
Sometimes I love how well a German word fits its meaning -- like with Durchfall. It just sounds so much nicer than the English word. The German word for slug is another great example. "Slug" just sounds disgusting. But the German word "Nacktschnecke" is a combination of the German words "naked" and "snail". Naked snail makes you feel kind of sorry for the thing instead of making you want to pour salt on it. {Just for the record, I would never pour salt on a slug.} But it doesn't always work out that way with the German words. We have a bottle of Listernine sitting in the bathroom that says it provides "Zahn- und Zahnfleisch Schutz", which means tooth and gum protection. But "Zahnfleisch" -- it's a combination of the words "tooth" and "flesh". And every time I see the label I can't help but think "tooth flesh" instead of "gums". Tooth flesh. The word makes my skin crawl.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Friday already?
This week has been so dull I don't even have anything to post for Friday Filler. So instead, here are a couple of photos from last week.
I'm sure the moon would have turned out better if I had a tripod, but I didn't want to bother with setting it up. So I just balanced the camera on the railing of the balcony. The pointy thingy in the bottom right corner is Stephansdom and the vertical line of lights to the left is UNO-City (where the UN is located. I'm not sure about the other lights.
This photo was taken the same night and is a much clearer view of the moon. Either photo was enhanced except for cropping.
And here's a photo of the my first quilt. A friend gave me some fabric and asked if I could use it to make something for her son, so I figured it was a good time to make a quilt. It's not perfect, but I'm pretty pleased with the results. And my friend's son loves it. So I think it's a win.
I'm sure the moon would have turned out better if I had a tripod, but I didn't want to bother with setting it up. So I just balanced the camera on the railing of the balcony. The pointy thingy in the bottom right corner is Stephansdom and the vertical line of lights to the left is UNO-City (where the UN is located. I'm not sure about the other lights.
This photo was taken the same night and is a much clearer view of the moon. Either photo was enhanced except for cropping.
And here's a photo of the my first quilt. A friend gave me some fabric and asked if I could use it to make something for her son, so I figured it was a good time to make a quilt. It's not perfect, but I'm pretty pleased with the results. And my friend's son loves it. So I think it's a win.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Friday Filler
It's that time of the week again. Here are just a few snippets from my week.
Ouch!
On Wednesday Brian and I got our first round of vaccinations for travel later this year. As far as I can tell, there aren't any required vaccinations for Ethiopia, but there are quite a few recommendations. We decided to get six vaccinations, but only received three this week. We have two more appointments over the next 4 weeks for the remaining shots. The doctor had the strangest technique for giving the shots. She stuck all three needles into my arm at once, then injected each vaccine one at a time, then removed all three needles. I think I preferred that over three individual shots. So far, neither one of us have become sick from the vaccines. But both of us had a sore arm for a while.
Oops!
Periodically I'll check out the kids DVDs because they're nice to have on hand when babysitting. So a few weeks ago when I saw a cartoon about a guy and his lion and their trip to Africa for about 2 euros, I decided to buy it. The tagline for the movie is something about it being a great adventure for the whole family. Today I decided to watch it with a little boy we were babysitting, but we only watched about five minutes before I decided to turn it off -- due to profanity.
A healthier me
This past week Brian and I have made some pretty major changes to our diet. We were both tired of eating too many convenience and/or processed foods and we were ready for a change. I'm really quite impressed with us. :) Not only have we changed what we eat, but we've changed how we eat. I want to give it a few more weeks before I write much about it, but I'm really excited about what we're doing.
Photo credit:
Ouch!
On Wednesday Brian and I got our first round of vaccinations for travel later this year. As far as I can tell, there aren't any required vaccinations for Ethiopia, but there are quite a few recommendations. We decided to get six vaccinations, but only received three this week. We have two more appointments over the next 4 weeks for the remaining shots. The doctor had the strangest technique for giving the shots. She stuck all three needles into my arm at once, then injected each vaccine one at a time, then removed all three needles. I think I preferred that over three individual shots. So far, neither one of us have become sick from the vaccines. But both of us had a sore arm for a while.Oops!
Periodically I'll check out the kids DVDs because they're nice to have on hand when babysitting. So a few weeks ago when I saw a cartoon about a guy and his lion and their trip to Africa for about 2 euros, I decided to buy it. The tagline for the movie is something about it being a great adventure for the whole family. Today I decided to watch it with a little boy we were babysitting, but we only watched about five minutes before I decided to turn it off -- due to profanity.
A healthier me
This past week Brian and I have made some pretty major changes to our diet. We were both tired of eating too many convenience and/or processed foods and we were ready for a change. I'm really quite impressed with us. :) Not only have we changed what we eat, but we've changed how we eat. I want to give it a few more weeks before I write much about it, but I'm really excited about what we're doing.
Photo credit:
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
At least you won't burn your bum
A couple of weeks ago I was babysitting a little girl and we decided to go to the park to play. Before we left, she insisted that I take my camera. "Just in case," she said.
And it's a good thing she insisted on the camera because I've been meaning to take a photo of this crazy playground. This is the main piece of equipment at the playground:
I've noticed that most of the playgrounds around here are quite heavy on the climbing apparatuses and this piece is no different. But what really gets me is the slide. There's nothing to sit on! You just wrap your legs around the two bars and slide down. Something tells me that playground equipment like this would never make it at the U.S. playground.
And it's a good thing she insisted on the camera because I've been meaning to take a photo of this crazy playground. This is the main piece of equipment at the playground:
I've noticed that most of the playgrounds around here are quite heavy on the climbing apparatuses and this piece is no different. But what really gets me is the slide. There's nothing to sit on! You just wrap your legs around the two bars and slide down. Something tells me that playground equipment like this would never make it at the U.S. playground.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Friday Filler
Have you noticed it's been a little sparse here of late? I just don't have a lot of blog-worthy material these days. So I'm going to borrow an idea from some other blogs and each Friday I'll post a collection of random thoughts/observations/happenings. Hopefully it won't be too dull. Here goes:
Wake Up Call
Wednesday our mailman delivered a package to us -- at 6:45 in the morning! On the one hand, I was glad he actually brought the package to our door. Sometimes he just leaves a slip in our mailbox and we have to retrieve the package from the post office. But on the other hand, it was 6:45 in the morning. Now I know some of you are awake at that hour, but I generally am not. I wonder what time this guy starts his shift. Hopefully we were the first delivery of the morning.
Paging Alisha
Last week I was at the doctor's office and noticed the strangest things. Periodically, someone in the waiting room would just stand up and walk into the exam room. After the second or third person did this, I realized that the receptionist was calling the next patient. But she was using exactly the same tone and volume she used when talking to someone at the receptionist desk. And she was behind a wall and with her back turned to her, so it was almost impossible to hear her! When I knew it was almost my turn, I moved to the closest chair (which was still not in the line of sight of the receptionist's desk). I thought I was listening carefully until I noticed several people looking around. That's when I realized I had heard my name and it just didn't register. Hopefully I didn't look too foolish jumping up and rushing into the exam room.
And the winner is...
Several days ago I entered a giveaway to win a lovely quilt. Before I left a comment, I checked to make sure the contest was still running so I didn't look like an idiot entering a contest that was already over. The contest was still running, so I entered. But a few minutes after leaving a comment I got an email back saying that the contest had already ended -- and quite some time ago. It was from July 2008, not July 2009.
Wake Up Call
Wednesday our mailman delivered a package to us -- at 6:45 in the morning! On the one hand, I was glad he actually brought the package to our door. Sometimes he just leaves a slip in our mailbox and we have to retrieve the package from the post office. But on the other hand, it was 6:45 in the morning. Now I know some of you are awake at that hour, but I generally am not. I wonder what time this guy starts his shift. Hopefully we were the first delivery of the morning.
Paging Alisha
Last week I was at the doctor's office and noticed the strangest things. Periodically, someone in the waiting room would just stand up and walk into the exam room. After the second or third person did this, I realized that the receptionist was calling the next patient. But she was using exactly the same tone and volume she used when talking to someone at the receptionist desk. And she was behind a wall and with her back turned to her, so it was almost impossible to hear her! When I knew it was almost my turn, I moved to the closest chair (which was still not in the line of sight of the receptionist's desk). I thought I was listening carefully until I noticed several people looking around. That's when I realized I had heard my name and it just didn't register. Hopefully I didn't look too foolish jumping up and rushing into the exam room.
And the winner is...
Several days ago I entered a giveaway to win a lovely quilt. Before I left a comment, I checked to make sure the contest was still running so I didn't look like an idiot entering a contest that was already over. The contest was still running, so I entered. But a few minutes after leaving a comment I got an email back saying that the contest had already ended -- and quite some time ago. It was from July 2008, not July 2009.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The other night
I took these photos from my kitchen window last Saturday around 9:15. I love this time of evening.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Auntie Alisha has a nephew
Welcome Samuel Scott, Jr!
Probably the worse thing about living so far from family is missing out on days like Tuesday when my sister Amber gave birth to her third child. But fortunately the hospital had WI-FI and my mom had her laptop, so I was able to watch my niece dance around the waiting room and was able to see Sammy soon after he was born. Not quite the same as being there, but it was pretty nice.
Sammy's first experience with Skype.
For more photos, check out Amber's blog.
Probably the worse thing about living so far from family is missing out on days like Tuesday when my sister Amber gave birth to her third child. But fortunately the hospital had WI-FI and my mom had her laptop, so I was able to watch my niece dance around the waiting room and was able to see Sammy soon after he was born. Not quite the same as being there, but it was pretty nice.
Sammy's first experience with Skype.
For more photos, check out Amber's blog.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
So what's the deal with milk
Milk is so crazy here in Austria. In the States you have three, maybe four options. But here I can buy fat free, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, or 3.9%. Come on, 3.9%? Let's just call it 4%. And recently I discovered something new. EXTRA whole milk, which is 4.5% fat!
I normally buy the light milk (which is 0.5% to 1.5%, depending on the brand), but I'll buy whole milk a couple of times a year. So, of course, I had to try the extra whole milk. And what do you know, it's extra yummy.
This doesn't have anything to do with milk, but I can't hear "So what's the deal with..." without thinking of my favorite Seinfeld opener. Just my luck, I found it on YouTube.
I normally buy the light milk (which is 0.5% to 1.5%, depending on the brand), but I'll buy whole milk a couple of times a year. So, of course, I had to try the extra whole milk. And what do you know, it's extra yummy.
This doesn't have anything to do with milk, but I can't hear "So what's the deal with..." without thinking of my favorite Seinfeld opener. Just my luck, I found it on YouTube.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Continuing ed
Last night I participated in a scrapbooking class at a local continuing education center. I picked scrapbooking because I figured it would be easier to understand a subject I was already familiar with -- but it didn't matter much since the teacher spoke to me in English the entire night. Oh well. I didn't get to practice German, but I did get to make a lovely page for a scrapbook.
I still need to add a title. I couldn't decide between "Man's Best Friend" or "Happiness is..." I think I'm going to go with "Happiness is..." because I listed some of the things that we love about Sharkdog.
Now I just have to find something other than Sharkdog to scrapbook about.
I still need to add a title. I couldn't decide between "Man's Best Friend" or "Happiness is..." I think I'm going to go with "Happiness is..." because I listed some of the things that we love about Sharkdog.
Now I just have to find something other than Sharkdog to scrapbook about.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
A quick fix
I've been meaning to post a link to this tutorial on hemming jeans for months, but I'm just now getting around to it.My jeans are always too long, so they always get raggedy on the bottom. But I've never hemmed them because it just doesn't look the same as the original hem. But then I found this method of hemming jeans that kept the original hem. And it's so simple! The whole thing took about 10 minutes.
So, without further ado, here's the post: How to Hem Jeans.
Photo used by permission under the Creative Commons license.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Rockin' it with The Boss
Before we moved to Vienna I had this crazy idea that Brian and I would get to see some amazing shows while we lived here. And two years after moving here, we finally attended our first concert. And it was pretty amazing.
I think one of my favorite parts was when Bruce did his preacher-man speech about building a house -- mainly because it seemed to really confuse the crowd. Maybe it was the whole language issue. It went something like this:
Other high points of the show included when Bruce collected signs with song requests from the people in the crowd. One of the signs read "Should I Stay or Should I Go," to which Bruce responded, "I've never even heard of that one." Then during the encore, a girl removed her shirt which contained her request of Jersey Girl. Apparently, that was a first for Springsteen. He hung the shirt on the mic stand and then returned it to her after the song.
If you like Bruce Springsteen or just want a little taste of the action, here's a 10-minute video that covers the 3-hour concert.
I think one of my favorite parts was when Bruce did his preacher-man speech about building a house -- mainly because it seemed to really confuse the crowd. Maybe it was the whole language issue. It went something like this:
Bruce: Tonight we have come all this way to the land of musicians to fulfill a solemn vow.I couldn't find the speech for the Vienna show, but this is basically the same thing from a show in London.
Crowd: Wooo!
Bruce: We've come here to rock the house!
Crowd: Woooooo!
Bruce: And we're gonna ROCK THE HOUSE!
Crowd: WOOOOOO!
Bruce: But we're not just gonna rock the house. We're gonna BUILD a house!
Crowd: Wha?
Other high points of the show included when Bruce collected signs with song requests from the people in the crowd. One of the signs read "Should I Stay or Should I Go," to which Bruce responded, "I've never even heard of that one." Then during the encore, a girl removed her shirt which contained her request of Jersey Girl. Apparently, that was a first for Springsteen. He hung the shirt on the mic stand and then returned it to her after the song.
If you like Bruce Springsteen or just want a little taste of the action, here's a 10-minute video that covers the 3-hour concert.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Turns out, I was right
I've always known that I'm a winner, but it's nice to get some validation from someone else once in a while. A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Sew, Mama, Sew! saying that I had won some needles during their sewing machine month. I didn't even know they were giving away needles.
Nifty gifties.
Now, sewing needles may not seem like a good prize to some of you, but I'm very excited about them. There are a few twin needles that I'm looking forward to trying out. I just hope they work with my machine. And leather needles. Now I can finally make those leather pants I've been wanting. Not really. But I have thought about making some leather-soled baby shoes. Or those leather needles may just sit in the drawer for a long while. We'll just have to see what happens.
Nifty gifties.
Now, sewing needles may not seem like a good prize to some of you, but I'm very excited about them. There are a few twin needles that I'm looking forward to trying out. I just hope they work with my machine. And leather needles. Now I can finally make those leather pants I've been wanting. Not really. But I have thought about making some leather-soled baby shoes. Or those leather needles may just sit in the drawer for a long while. We'll just have to see what happens.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Refashioned
Last year I bought a shirt that I really liked until I saw myself wearing it in a photo. Not flattering. While it looked fine when i was standing in front of a mirror -- you know, standing straight and tall and trying to make it look good -- out in the real world it looked awful. So every since I saw that photo the shirt has stayed in my closet.
Until just recently. I've become very interested in the idea of refashioning clothing, so I decided to try my hand with this shirt. I was never going to wear the shirt again anyway, and if it didn't work out I could use the fabric for something else.
Against my better judgment, I'll include one of the photos that made me decide to never wear the shirt again. It's a photo my mother-in-law took while visiting last year. Obviously I had no idea she had her camera pointed my way or I would have stood up a bit straighter. :) But this is what refashioning is all about. You have to see the before to appreciate the after. So here are both a before and after photo.
before -- quite unflattering
after -- much better
I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do when I started, so I tried a few different options. I ended up removing the front seam under the bust, cutting that panel and sewing it back with an opening. I also removed the elastic from the back so the front seam was a little loser and shortened it by a few inches. Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. Of course, I haven't seen myself wearing it in any candid photos yet.
Stay tuned for some t-shirt reconstructions in the coming weeks (if they turn out wearable!).
Until just recently. I've become very interested in the idea of refashioning clothing, so I decided to try my hand with this shirt. I was never going to wear the shirt again anyway, and if it didn't work out I could use the fabric for something else.
Against my better judgment, I'll include one of the photos that made me decide to never wear the shirt again. It's a photo my mother-in-law took while visiting last year. Obviously I had no idea she had her camera pointed my way or I would have stood up a bit straighter. :) But this is what refashioning is all about. You have to see the before to appreciate the after. So here are both a before and after photo.
before -- quite unflattering
after -- much better
I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do when I started, so I tried a few different options. I ended up removing the front seam under the bust, cutting that panel and sewing it back with an opening. I also removed the elastic from the back so the front seam was a little loser and shortened it by a few inches. Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. Of course, I haven't seen myself wearing it in any candid photos yet.
Stay tuned for some t-shirt reconstructions in the coming weeks (if they turn out wearable!).
Saturday, June 27, 2009
I get by with a little help from my friends
Today I received an email that made me smile. This isn't the first time I've received the email -- a similar message comes every month. And every time it makes me smile. The email is a notice from Kiva that another portion of the microloan I made a few months ago has been repaid.
Photo from Kiva.
This is Hawa Afia. She's 60, a widow and lives in Ghana. She's a fishmonger and sells used clothing from a shed in the local market to help support her family and send her children to school. With the microloan she received from me and about 20 other people, she'll be able to expand her business and buy more fish from the wholesaler.
I was familiar with Kiva for a long time before I decided to make a loan. I don't know what was holding me back. If you've been considering it (or even if you've never heard of Kiva until now!), I encourage you to just do it. It's easy to create an account and you can loan as little as $25. Once the loan has been repaid, you can loan the money to someone else. And every month you'll receive an email with an update on your loan repayment. :)
Photo from Kiva.This is Hawa Afia. She's 60, a widow and lives in Ghana. She's a fishmonger and sells used clothing from a shed in the local market to help support her family and send her children to school. With the microloan she received from me and about 20 other people, she'll be able to expand her business and buy more fish from the wholesaler.
I was familiar with Kiva for a long time before I decided to make a loan. I don't know what was holding me back. If you've been considering it (or even if you've never heard of Kiva until now!), I encourage you to just do it. It's easy to create an account and you can loan as little as $25. Once the loan has been repaid, you can loan the money to someone else. And every month you'll receive an email with an update on your loan repayment. :)
Friday, June 26, 2009
Michael Jackson remembered in Vienna
I was chatting with my sister earlier today and she asked me whether everyone was going crazy about Michael Jackson in Vienna like they were in the U.S. I said that there was a mass moonwalk planned in the city this evening. So if that's what she meant by going crazy, then yes. He was an icon and made a huge impact on music, so it's really no wonder that the world is reacting to the surprise of his death.
I think I would have gone into the city to check out the mass moonwalk for myself had I not had other plans. But thanks to YouTube, I can still see a bit of it. I don't know if there was much moonwalking going on, but it looks like Thriller was a hit.
I think I would have gone into the city to check out the mass moonwalk for myself had I not had other plans. But thanks to YouTube, I can still see a bit of it. I don't know if there was much moonwalking going on, but it looks like Thriller was a hit.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
On socialized medicine
I know that health care reform has been a hot topic in the U.S. for a while. While I know that a lot of people are a bit terrified of the thought of social healthcare, as someone with a chronic illness I have to say that private insurance in the U.S. only works for people who are healthy. When it came time to find private insurance, there wasn't a single option open to me. Even plans that covered diabetics were unavailable because I have Type I diabetes. My options in the U.S. are to work for a company that provides health insurance or to go without health insurance.
Since March, I've been on the socialized health insurance in Austria. (Prior to that I had traveler's health insurance, which met the insurance requirement to get residency in Austria, but didn't really provide me with an benefits.) Since I'm considered self-employed, I have to opt-in by paying a (rather large, in my opinion) monthly fee. Here are the benefits I've taken advantage of since March:
So, that's my experience thus far with social heath care. I'm very grateful for it because I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing if it weren't available.
Since March, I've been on the socialized health insurance in Austria. (Prior to that I had traveler's health insurance, which met the insurance requirement to get residency in Austria, but didn't really provide me with an benefits.) Since I'm considered self-employed, I have to opt-in by paying a (rather large, in my opinion) monthly fee. Here are the benefits I've taken advantage of since March:
- Visit to my endocrinologist (diabetes care doctor) = 100 euros. Oops, he's a private doctor, so he doesn't accept health insurance. However, he gave me the information for a clinic that he and a colleague run at the hospital were I should go in the future to receive the same care for free.
- Visit to the family doctor = free.
- Test strips used to test blood sugar = free.
- Supplies for insulin pump = free.
- Insulin = $10-$15 co-pay for a three-months supply
So, that's my experience thus far with social heath care. I'm very grateful for it because I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing if it weren't available.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
On Father's Day
Earlier today I looked through my photos to pull out a few of my favorites of me and my dad from my childhood. But I couldn't find a single photo of my dad from before about 2000. I'm not sure how these photos didn't make it to Austria with me, but I hope I have them stashed away somewhere in the U.S.
Had I found the photos, I would included a picture of me showing off the fish I had just caught on one of the many times my dad took me fishing. And I probably would have included the photo of my soccer team that my dad helped coach. And I don't think I could have left out the photo of my dad and me sitting in the bluebonnets. What child who grew up in Texas doesn't have at least one photo sitting in the bluebonnets? But instead I will just include this photo from my parents' visit to Vienna earlier this year.
I've always been a daddy's girl. We have many of the same interests and the same taste in movies and music. One of my favorite memories is when we went to see Paul McCartney in concert together for my 22nd birthday. I love it that we like so many of the same things.
Happy Father's Day, Pops!
Had I found the photos, I would included a picture of me showing off the fish I had just caught on one of the many times my dad took me fishing. And I probably would have included the photo of my soccer team that my dad helped coach. And I don't think I could have left out the photo of my dad and me sitting in the bluebonnets. What child who grew up in Texas doesn't have at least one photo sitting in the bluebonnets? But instead I will just include this photo from my parents' visit to Vienna earlier this year.
I've always been a daddy's girl. We have many of the same interests and the same taste in movies and music. One of my favorite memories is when we went to see Paul McCartney in concert together for my 22nd birthday. I love it that we like so many of the same things.
Happy Father's Day, Pops!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
A taste of summer
About a week ago, I decided to give up diet coke for the rest of the month. This is pretty crazy for me since I practically live on diet coke. But it's been a week and I've resisted the overwhelming temptation to give up on this little exercise. A friend suggested adding lemon or lime to the water to give a little flavor and I've really enjoyed that. I've also tried adding others like a couple of cherries or a splash of orange juice. I like it because it just taste like summer.
I've also been trying to eat more fresh foods this season. This is something I put together last week which is likely to become a favorite summertime lunch. A piece of naan, brushed with a little olive oil, topped with sliced tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Pop it in the oven for a few minutes then add a splash of balsamic vinegar. Yum.
Naan pizza before it goes into the oven.
I think I have tried naan in the past at an Indian restaurant, but I've never searched it out. I was planning on buying pita bread to make little pizzas, but when I spied the naan I decided to go with it instead. If I decided to use pita bread I would add some herbs, but the naan already has herbs in it.
Out of the oven, before adding the balsamic vinegar.
I've also tried it without the balsamic vinegar and it's good. But it's so much better with the vinegar. Just trust me on this one. It's also a little messier, but it's worth the trouble.
I've also been trying to eat more fresh foods this season. This is something I put together last week which is likely to become a favorite summertime lunch. A piece of naan, brushed with a little olive oil, topped with sliced tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Pop it in the oven for a few minutes then add a splash of balsamic vinegar. Yum.
Naan pizza before it goes into the oven.
I think I have tried naan in the past at an Indian restaurant, but I've never searched it out. I was planning on buying pita bread to make little pizzas, but when I spied the naan I decided to go with it instead. If I decided to use pita bread I would add some herbs, but the naan already has herbs in it.
Out of the oven, before adding the balsamic vinegar.
I've also tried it without the balsamic vinegar and it's good. But it's so much better with the vinegar. Just trust me on this one. It's also a little messier, but it's worth the trouble.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
