Du bist Deutschland?

I'm a little behind the times, I know, but I just read an article in Spiegel Online about the "Du bist Deutschland" advertising campaign, and how bloggers have reacted to it. I must say, I feel sorry for the poor guys who came up with it - they're getting an awful lot of criticism for something that is, if a bit misguided, at least is quite harmless. I always thought the whole thing was a bit kitschy, and no amount of famous-football-player cajoling is going to convince a German to un-grumpy himself. But the vitriol from bloggers is amazing. Not just with this, but everything. It's a bit sad to see how the anonymity of the web makes people think that they have the right to be rude and obscene, under the umbrella of "free speech".

I also have to link to a very funny "Top 10 Reasons Why Germany has Fewer Blogs than Iran". Sorry if any Germans reading this are offended, but it is pretty funny...(hey, we Amis get bashed by you guys all the time, so if you can't take it, then don't dish it out!).

It's been super cold here this week. The cold-wave that hit Russia decided to travel west. I am just not used to this much cold! It's the kind that freezes your fingers inside their gloves, and turns your nose red in 10 seconds. It hurts! I was born in a very cold-weather city (Cleveland! Go Browns (sigh..)), but moved to the west coast as a young teen, and my body has forgotten its early cold weather training. And, of course, where am I going to escape from the cold? Why, Oslo, Norway! Where else? I'll be up there for a church conference, but I'll be sure to bring the thermals...

The New Year, DSL and other matters...

Well, happy new year! Ok, I know that January is almost over, but better late than never. A lot has happened in the past month. Christmas was uneventful, but I got to go to Scotland for new years, and that was a ton of fun. I spent time with old friends, made new friends, watched a soccer game in a real Scottish pub, and ended up in a rock club in Edinburgh - with Metallica (or some such) blasting in my ears. I also am very proud that I managed to drive on the left-hand side of the road (again) without too many traffic violations, and no one killed. I feel I've become quite the expert!

Since I've returned to Germany, I've been up to my ears in work, but I'm looking forward to a trip to Oslo in 3 weeks. There's a church conference up there, and I'll be able to see some more friends that I haven't seen in awhile. I'm just hoping that the tempurature drops by then. Oslo in winter is no joke at any time, but they've been having a cold snap.

Now, the DSL problem. I've had problems with my high-speed internet connection ever since I've got it - now it's on the fritz again, so I'm struggling along with the slower ISDN connection. Page loading speed is not so bad, but updating podcasts or downloading anything takes for ever! I spent about 2 hours on the phone today with the Telekom people, trying to get the problem fixed, but it looks like the LAN box thingy is broken. I should switch to another company, but just the thought of finding out how to switch from my current provider to another IN GERMAN is enough to put me off...

Oh yes, great news! The Super Bowl will be broadcast on a regular (that is, non-subscription) tv channel this year!! This means that I can watch it after a 2 year drought!!!! So, I'll be sitting in my chair from midnight to 4:00am watching the game. The only down side is that the commentary is in German, and geared towared people who have no clue about football, and we also don't get the cool commercials that you can see in the states. But hey, at least I can watch it!!

That's it - pretty boring post this time - but then, I'm the only one who reads it!!!