5.28.2009

to Slovakia for Swedish Meatballs!

IKEA! Swedish Meetballs!

Just kidding. I am off to Slovakia for the weekend in about 30 minutes. But not for Swedish meatballs. I had those at the local IKEA earlier this week (please see the above picture). Yes yes, Bratislava. This will be my second trip past *gasp* The Iron Curtain. . Should be fun. I'll be staying with a friend and her family. I've just got to get to the appropriate place on time. Don't worry, I made sure to put my big-girl pants on this morning.

Have a good weekend, all.

5.27.2009

everyone speaks english!

I managed to get out of the flat today to do a walkabout of the town I'm in. I went off in search of the market, not knowing whether or not today was, in fact, the second market day of the week. After wandering too far down, making some course corrections, and a few leaps of faith, I found the market! Woohoo! Despite my indirect course, I think I could find my way back without too much difficulty. I've also learned a fairly obvious lesson: just because someone says, "oh, they all speak english... you'd be surprised." does not make it so. No problem. I managed to get the veggies I was after without much difficulty. The cheese, however, was something else altogether. I ended up buying 13 euro (pronounced oy-row)worth of goat cheese. Now, it is a delicious cheese. But that's a lot of money for a hunk of cheese.

On my way back I encountered an old man walking down the street. I had been looking in the storefront windows, etc. and didn't see him coming. By the time I looked up, we were heading directly for each other and thus started the whole stutter-step-I'll-go-this-way-you-go-that-way-wait-I'll-go-that-way-no-I-was-going-to-go-that-way dance. It was a good time. We laughed. I smiled. He said, "English?" I said, "yes." And he nodded his head in understanding. It was a good-natured understanding.

Now the vegetables are roasting in the oven and I've got some spargel in some water in the fridge. Most excellent.

5.25.2009

in the moment

look!  the Alps!

Went to the Alps this weekend. You know. As you do. I struggled back and forth between sitting (or hiking) and just taking everything in or reaching for my camera. I like to tell myself I struck a nice balance, but I think it depended on the day. The short trip, however, allowed for both. Living in the moment is something I'm trying to work on... and I found myself exclaiming some interesting things because of it: "Holy Shit, that's pretty!"; "Seriously?" (because half of it looks like it cannot possibly be real); and of course ... "Beautiful. Gorgeous. Wish you were here." So, what did I see? I saw cows with bells around their necks. I'm here to tell you that you can hear them up while hiking, even if you can't see them. I saw lots of men in lederhosen and women in dirndls. I heard accordion music (did not purchase the dude's albums). Drank lots of beer. Ate some excellent wurst. Wrap your mind around the deliciousness of SpƤtzle with sourkraut and bacon. Had a migraine (not beer related), but who cares when you're in the Alps (okay, I did a little). And finally, I laughed a lot with some fantastic people. I cannot complain about anything for a long time.

PROST!

5.22.2009

to the Alps!

I like to say "To the Alps!" like I say, "To the Batcave!" More of an exclamation with a finger thrust into the air.... And I'm still with the jet lag, so I can't tell if that's really as entertaining as I think it is or if I'm just punchy from the lack of sleep. Anyway, we shall depart to the Alps here shortly, to Garmisch-Partenkirchen if you're at all curious. There promises to be good German food, a trailer, beautiful mountains, picturesque lakes, and relaxing hikes. Most excellent.

Got a holiday?
Good Sir, Drive On! To the Alps!
Watch out for the goats.

5.20.2009

in deutschland

I arrived safe and sound at my friend's house yesterday. We promptly left her flat, took her dog for a walk, and then got a beer. With the dog. On the restaurant's patio. Because Germans love dogs. Most excellent.

As I sit here at the kitchen table there's a nice thunderstorm rolling on through. We've seen some lightening, heard the thunder, and now the pooch is hanging out by my side. I'll have some pictures soon enough.

Anyway, in the spirit of KFR's last post, here's a haiku I put together before I left on Tuesday for my homies at work:

Say "bitte ein Bit"
And squint your eyes a little;
An Alpenhorn blows

5.13.2009

quick visits and travel

it's just what you do with leopard print robes

Apologies for the lack of blogging. I'm currently in travel mode, even though I'm now at home. Last week was an amazing combination of 730 miles driven and a flight from Seattle to San Jose and then back again. I don't know what those miles are, but rest assured it was enough. But the travel was good. Very good. I was able to visit the fabulous A. and then KFR and Beetlegirl ventured over the hill to see me. There was some hanging out in my hotel room complete with leopard print robes. Really, they came to see the robes. If only we'd had a bubble pipe or two.

Anyway, I'm still in travel mode because I'm getting all my crap lined up and ready to go for Germany. One month away means I better not leave any fruit on the counter or milk in the fridge. That and I'm one of those crazies who cleans like mad before they go on a trip. So yeah, have much of what I need packed, but I've also got an expanding list of things to take care of before I go. I don't mind, though. Because if you look at the picture below, that's where I hope to be over Memorial Day weekend. Woot!

tadpole lake

5.01.2009

for anyone contemplating a job change

A friend of mine from work sent me this and I just have to share it. I think we could wind up in a situation where certain bands of superheroes start fighting with eachother... like those that prefer Star Trek to Star Wars, D & D people vs LARPers, etc etc etc. Anyway, watch the video. You won't be sorry. I promise.