Irish A&E

Last week, I ended up in the St. James Hospital emergency room (known in Ireland/UK as the "A&E"). I had a worrying illness that wasn't going away, and since I hadn't bothered to register with a doctor (locally know as a "GP", or general practitioner), I didn't have access to the night doctor service. So it was off to the A&E for me. All I can say is that this emergency room made the old, run-down public hospital in Las Vegas look like a five star hotel. Concrete floors, flourescent lighting, beige walls - Feng Shui evidently hasn't hit the Irish medical establishment yet. And the drunks! Ambulance after ambulance drove in with drunks whose main problem was, basically, being too drunk. And they all sat next to me and tried to chat. Charming. And see, once they figured out that I wasn't dying of whatever it was I had, the made me the lowest category, which meant that I spent 7 HOURS chatting with vomitting drunks until I was finally seen. And it was darn cold!!! In all fairness, the actual care from the nurse and doctor was great. It was just that third world atmosphere...Anyway, the crumbling health care system is a big issue in the upcoming election, so I'm praying lots that whoever's elected will actually do something about this. Praying is all I can do, 'cause of course, I can't vote, I'm a bleedin' furriner!

Politics - now that's an interesting topic here. I'm still not quite sure which political party stands for what. And they all seem to have these Gaelic names. The one I do recognize, of course, is Sinn Fein. As an American, I associate this group with the IRA, Patriot Games, guns, and so on. You get the idea. They're not super popular in the Republic, only 10% of the vote it seems. But imagine my shock when I found that a friend of mine actually supports them. Evidently, the violent past is behind them, and they have quite a few socially aware policies (quite left wing, actually), but I keep hearing disturbing stories about threats and intimidation toward their enemies. Hmmmm... At least Northern Ireland now has a devolved government, and now hopefully they can focus more on practicals like schools and health, and less on killing each other.

My other peeve is the situation with Madeleine, the poor 4 year old who was abducted in Portugal. Of course, I feel horribly for her and her family, but what disturbs me is how many other children have been abducted/killed and don't get this kind of attention. I was talking to a lady at the doctors' waiting room, and we both agreed that if she wasn't a cute blond girl with upper middle class parents, would this kind of attention be applied by the media? I hope that when she's found, the family of the girl and her supporters will donate some money to helping to find other children.

Boy, I'm grim this post! Well, my birthday is coming up (21 yet again...), so I'm sure I'll have happier news of a fun party!!

Easter in Germany and a New Camera

Well, in 2 days I'm off to Germany yet again. I do quite miss it, especially fresh German bread, clean streets, and transport that runs on time (yes, I know all you Irish, this is called beating a dead horse). I'll have the immense joy of having to be at the airport at 4am to catch my 6am flight. Ryanair. Nuff said. Easter in Germany is quite fun, though. Especially the "Easter Trees", which are basically the Easter version of Christmas trees - but decorated with egg-type things instead of regular ornaments. It's a big deal, and everything consequently shuts down from Good Friday thru to Easter Monday - with a brief opening time on Saturday morning, when you can battle every housewife in the land buying stuff at the store for the Sunday dinner.

I'll be spending most of the weekend in Wolfsburg again, and I'm hoping to finally visit the Autostadt if it's open. And of course, for the short time I'm in Berlin, I'll be able to hang out with my friend Pearl and hear the latest gossip - she's the greatest at that!

Now to my camera. I have been using my mobile phone as my camera for forever, but I miss taking real pictures, so I finally forked over a large sum of money for a digital SLR camera. I love it! It takes fantastic pictures!! The only downside is that, like all SLRs, it's big. That kind of discreet quickie picture just doesn't work when you've got this great honking thing hanging around your neck. It just screams Tourist!. I want it to scream "Artistic Photographer", but I still look like too much of a dork to get away with that yet. Perhaps a beret...

That's it. No real update on life in Ireland...evidently there's an election coming up, but I can't vote because I'm an immigrant, and there doesn't seem to be much difference between the political parties. At least, their Irish names sound so similar that I never know which politician belongs to which party. As long as they keep taxes low, keep the drunks from bothering people and try not to have a health service that kills people, I'll be happy. Jeez, I sound like a grumpy old git (I'm really neither old nor a git, I can assure you, but I do sound like one).

St. Patrick's Day!

I just celebrated my first St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland. I went to the parade in Dublin with friends, and a great time was had by all, if you could ignore the 500,000 other people who were standing in front of you, blocking the view. Now, I’m not too familiar with the St. Patrick story, evidently he brought Christianity to Ireland. Which is why, I’m sure, the Irish celebrate him by getting roaring drunk and causing havoc. Though, to be fair, most real Irish people seem to stay home and out of the way of the foreign hoards, most of whom have flown in for the weekend on Ryanair. But hey, any excuse for a holiday, and we got a day off from work, so I ain’t complainin’!

Super Bowl Shuffle

It's almost here! Sunday night, round about 11pm, the highlight of my spectacularly pathetic sporting life arrives - the Super Bowl!! Now, I got to experience the World Cup in Germany first hand last year (which I enjoyed tremendously), but nothing, absolutely nothing compares with the American Football finals. Why exactly? Couldn't tell ya. Maybe for me it has something to do with tradition. All those years sharing a fun- and chicken-wing-filled afternoon with friends and family as we all scream ourselves hoarse for whatever team...it's just a grand time, and I thoroughly miss it. Also, of course, I love the game. As any girl who grew up with a dad and brothers who watched obsessively can tell you, you can't help but get into it, try as you might not to. You might even remember my previous posts lamenting the inevitable losses of my beloved Cleveland Browns.

Since moving to Europe, I've had to give up the party aspect, but I have religiously watched the thing every year, from midnight to 4am (love the time difference), usually all by my lonesome (even my nearest and dearest run screaming in the other direction when I try and get them to stay up with me).

This year, however, I have 2 problems. One, the channel that will broadcast the thing in Ireland is not included in my current digital cable package, and I refuse to fork over 25€ per month for the privilege of watching 1 show. And two, I have to leave the house at 5am the next morning (around the time the game will be over) to catch a flight to Paris for business trip. I could, theoretically, just stay up all night and watch it, but that brings us back to problem one, and besides I need to be half-way awake for the Monday training session. So it looks like this year will be a wash. Bummer.

But a week in Paris should ease the pain. I may have a vaguely un-feminine delight in football, but I'm as happy as the next girl to hit Galeries Lafayette with a credit card!!! And after that, a dear friend from the UK will come visit, then I shall spend another weekend with friends at the end of the month. And after that, I shall sleep until summer. No more trips for me, except possibly a jaunt to Edinburgh for a recharge in one of the prettiest cities around.

And, just for the record, I'm for the Chicago Bear to win the Super Bowl. Mainly because I want to hear an updated version of the Super Bowl Shuffle.

Irish Weather

I know I'm not the first to say this, but there's a reason why Ireland is so green. Rain. Rain, rain, rain. And not just any rain. Miserable rain. You see, in winter here it doesn't get cold enough to snow. So precipitation comes down here as very cold rain. I was walking home last night from church, and it hit. High winds, cold weather and rain combined to create a very soaked me. I trudged home last night bent forward double, holding my hood on my head. Didn't bother with an umbrella because the wind whips the strongest one inside out, or you end up doing a Mary Poppins imitation. Sigh. I'm hoping to buy one of those log thingys for my fireplace tonight, but how I'm going to get it home without it being totally drenched is beyond me...

4 Months in Eire

Well, it's been awhile since my last blog. I've been in Ireland for 4 months now, and I'm learning to quite like it. The lack of any sort of sense of time (as in On Time) in the natives is still annoying - will someone pleeeease tell these people that 8 o'clock means 8 o'clock and not 8:45??? - but all in all, a cool little Island.

I went back to the Vaterland for Christmas to stay with my best friend, her family and my German pseudo-mommy, Helga. It was nice to be in familiar territory, and to practise my German, and to experience the lovely efficiency of the German transport system. I know I'm going to moan about this until kingdom come, but the lack of efficiency in other countries (Dublin Bus, please note!) is dismaying in comparison. Anyway, I found that my Permanent Resident status still got me into the country without a fuss, which was nice. I had assumed the Big Brother in Berlin would have noted my absence from the country and had me in the computer system as currently a non-resident. But nope, the computer told the guard to look for my resident visa in my passport, and I blythely sailed through. Weeee!

In Berlin, I got to play the aristocrat with my British friend Pearl, as we met in the nicely snobby Wintergarten Cafe, filled with people who spent more on their winter coat than most people spend on their laptop computers. We discussed work, travel and men, not in that order. She's such fun! Then, back to economic reality as I growled about paying 6€ for a stupid keychain in the tacky tourist shops. I also got to wander up and down Unter den Linden and Friedrichstrasse, my favorite area of Berlin. I especially love the big Russian embassy that sort of glares down at you as you pass. Discovered that there is a new Guggenheim in the area, but had no time to go in - next time.

Now, back to Ireland. I'm still trying to figure out these people, but have had a hard time finding anyone who writes or thinks deeply about the Irish character. However, I have discovered that it's because the Irish are not a particularly introspective race - they don't bother with their own character or anyone else's for that matter... When faced with the deep and thoughtful, they get grumpy and turn to jokes, sarcasm and Guinness instead. Makes them much more fun, but a bit hard to understand. It's always a bit of a challange to figure out what's really going on underneath the "O, life's grand!" attitude because from the crime rate, depression and alcohol here, it's obvious that life is not always, er, grand. It is, however, a nice change from the German tendency to discuss in details their national character, current mental state, and unfortunate physical ailments in stultifying detail.

Next stop is Vegas for a week to clear some details on mom's estate. I'm thrilled to note that I am flying Maxjet, the all business class airline that has direct routes from London to Las Vegas. I got a roundtrip ticket for $1000! I have to fly Ryanair to London the day before to catch the flight, but believe me, it's worth it to avoid the usual 11 hour sardine can trip that is my usual method of trans-Atlantic travel. I'm very excited to see my friends and visit the church that I was a member of while there. And I will go play bingo in my mother's honor! I fyou haven't played bingo in a room full of aggressive senior citizens bent on winning, well, you haven't lived...

Writing therapy

Another post on the same day, after months of nothing. Well. But I don't know, I jsut felt like I had to write some things down. So, warning, this is a bit melancholy!

Tomorrow I'll have been in Dublin for 3 weeks. In those 3 weeks, I've started my new job, found an apartment, opened a bank account, registered with Immigration, set up phone, broadband and cable accounts, met new people, joined the Dublin chapter of my church, and so on and so on. But somehow it doesn't seem real. It seems like I've been on a long vacation, and that I will be flying back to Hamburg soon, to my familiar apartment and back to my familiar job, and speaking in German again, part of system that was strange 6 years ago, but now is as familiar as my hometown in the US. I'm happy to be here in Dublin, starting a new life. But it seems to emphasize that I really have no home. This is the 9th city that I've lived in in my life. In some ways, that certainly makes it easier to move around. When you're a nomad, schlepping your life around on your back seems, somehow, normal. But at some point, you've got to put down roots. I had thought that Hamburg was it, that I would build a family there, and have a cute little German house and hang white lace curtains from the kitchen window, and eventually become a little old German lady who peers out her window at the goings on of her neighbors and rides her old bike into the village for groceries and gossip (ok, it'll probably be all internet shopping by then, but one must have one's illusions...). But life has gone another direction. I prefer to believe that God has decided that I belong in Dublin. I hope so. So maybe this will be it, where I can put down roots. Minor problem is that I'm not remotely Irish - maybe just a drop of Irish blood in there somewhere. But I am half German, so I kind of belonged there. Can I belong here? Do I want to belong here? It's so different. But a good different, I think. I'll get used to it. After all, it's only been 3 weeks.

Hmmmm, this post is considereably more personal than normal. Well, next post I'll move back to pithy sarcasm. Cheers, y'all.

57 Channels and....

First (and this has nothing to do with todays title), I had my first humiliating experience in Dublin. I walzed into Starbucks, stuck my ipod into my pocket and bought my morning coffee. On the way out, I realized that the ipod was no longer in my pocket! I must have amused several people by the way I hunched over and scoured the floor of the coffee shop, but, glory hallelujah, I found it under a promotional sign. So - I bent over to pick it up, and sent my newly bought and piping hot coffee, well, everywhere. Whole place stops dead and stares. Counter people come and clean up. And I slink out with a bruised ego and a nasty burn on my hand. I am sitting here right now with a nasty yellowish goo on said hand that numbs the excruciating pain (yes, I'm plying for sympathy here...)

Anyway, on to the "57 channels" thing. I have digitial cable!!! Now before I get marked as the world's biggest loser, I have to say that I'm excited about this because I spent the last 6 years of my life confronted with German TV and American TV dubbed into German. Yikes. Now, suddenly I have access to English-language TV heaven. And even better, I get cool British shows! As all Americans know, even the most snobbish of US elites admit to watching BBC America and old episodes of "Are You Being Served". So I can tell my US friends that I watched East Enders and "Ladettes to Ladies", and instead of being reviled as a chav, I am seen as uber cool, avant garde and a charter member of the intelligentsia...though anyone from Ireland or the UK will know that it's the intellectual equivalent of watching professional wrestling...

Right now, I'm thinking guiltily of all my friends who will say "oh how nice. You know, I never, watch TV, too busy with friends, family, work, studies, truly intellectual pursuits, etc..." All I can say is - yes you do. I know you, and I've seen the twitching when you know you'll miss the next American Idol. Don't even.

Boy, I'm in a snarly mood today. Must be the burn on the hand (with said yellow goo...). I'll be nicer next post, I promise.

Welcome To Ireland, the land of, well, Irish people...

This is a mini-post, because I don't really have time to write an long exposition about my move - but, yes, I have yet again packed up from one country and moved to another. I am living in Dublin, Ireland. Heaven help us all. Those of you residing in Germany may now rejoice that I will no longer be complaining about Germany. In fact, everything that I spent 6 years grumbling about I now really, really miss. Typical. But now I will regale you all with musings on Ireland, which I'm sure will entertain the one person who has actually ever read this blog. Cheers, y'all!

In Praise of the German Health System and Edinburgh

Wow, it's been a long time since my last post! Several months, in fact. What's happened? I've traveled twice to Ireland, once to the US, and once more to Scotland. But I've also found something really positive to say about Germany, which will please my German friends who have read my blog and complained that all I do is, well, complain...Anyway, I went through a bout of hypochondria, wherein I was absolutely convinced that I was dying of something. What, I wasn't quite sure, but something. So off I went to the doctor - several times, for headaches, tummy aches, you name it. I even got sent to specialists. Turns out I'm perfectly fine, but I must say that I was impressed that I could get so much health care so cheaply! And all my doctors were fantantasic and very helpful, and even understanding of my somewhat wacky mental state.

On a totally different topic, I just got back from Edinburgh, where I attended the wedding of my dear friend Wendy. She got married in an ancient castle, with a bagpiper and everyone (at least the men) wearing kilts. I think ALL men should wear kilts!! My big adventure was helping Roisin, the girl I was staying with, collect ivy to decorate the room in said castle. Now, I'm a bit of a city girl, so battling nettles and little flying beasties while yanking reluctant ivy away from it's mooring was a bit of a challenge, but I think I acquitted myself well with only a minumum (ok, a lot) of complaining. Aaaaaand, the wedding coincided with the beginning the the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I got to see a few street shows, so now I can say proudly that I have been the Edinburgh Fringe (cool factor, ya know?). I also got to see a production of the musical Oliver with my friend JohnT and got to wander aimlessly around Edinburgh, seeing more sights. It's a great city!

There's actually a lot more going on in my life, but because a lot of it is job related, I will say "nada" until it's all settled!

Tornado hits Hamburg!

A rare thing happened 2 days ago: A tornado hit in the southern part of Hamburg. That was really weird for me, coming as I do from "Tornado Alley" in the US. I grew up in Ohio, where tornado watches and warnings were a part of life, and we even had tornado drills in school, just like we had fire drills. And, quite frankly, I've always been terrified of tornados. Earthquakes, fine (I was in the 1989 quake in San Francisco). Blizzards, no problem. Hurricanes - well, I've never been in one, but at least you get warned days in advance! But for some reason, tornados really freak me out. So I spent yesterday staring intently at the sky outside my apartment, looking for tell-tale tornado weather signs.

I was amused, however, at the indignant German response to the poor meteorologists: "why didn't we get a warning!", they all cried. Well, good people of Hamburg, you can't predict these things! You can give an alert if it looks like conditions are right for tornado development, but that's about all you can do. Even with the sophisticated technology we have in the US, we can't really predict when and where a tornado will happen. At least it looks like it was only a T1 or T2 tornado - not a very strong one.

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!!!

Frische Luft

"Frische Luft" is German for, get this, Fresh Air. But it has so much more meaning here in Germany. That's because most Germans have a die-hard belief that opening a window to let in the air is essential to good health. In summer, this is fine. But somehow, no one ever told the Germans that opening a window in December in the middle of an ice storm is not quite as healthy...In my own home, this is understood. Anyone who even thinks about cracking a window when it's cold out gets a frying pan over the head. Very effective. But in my office, I have no such freedom to punish. I share an office with 3 other people (lovely people, for the most part), but occasionally, the urge for Frische Luft overtakes them, and they fling the window wide open. Ignoring my pleas, protests, and the hint of my putting my coat, scarf and hat on, they blissfully say "oh, just for a few minutes". Sigh.

On the political front, I'm very please with Kanzlerin Angie. She seems to have single-handedly whipped the EU leaders into shape, and convinced them to get the budget thingy done. And she's become the most popular politician in Germany, astounding those who thought that the botched election totally ruined her chances for success. Take that!

I'll be spending a quiet Christmas here in Germany. I need to make sure all the shopping is done, because everything will be shut from Friday night till Tuesday morning. I keep forgetting that they have this 2nd Christmas Day (the 26th), because we don't have that in the states. Anyway, I'm also getting ready for my next trip to Scotland - for New Years, or "hogmanay", as they call it. I have no idea what this entails, and I'm a bit nervous to find out...but hey.

And last, but not least, I have to have a politcal rant against Bill OReilly (or whatever his name is), and the whole "war on Christmas" thing. Sorry, he's just an embarassment to anyone who calls themselves a Christian. I don't know how God feels about "Happy Holidays", but I can imagine that there are a few other things in the world right now that concern him more. Look, if you prefer "Merry Christmas", fine. But back it up by actually acting like a Christian. Donate time and or money to charity. Help your neighbor. Pray for your enemy (there's a new concept - oh, wait, it's in the Bible...). Don't lie, cheat or steal (that's in the Bible too, folks). Mr. OReilly, I get the distinct feeling that, in spite or your religious polemics, you are not really living the life of a disciple of Jesus. When you start, then maybe I'll listen. Ok, rant over. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Fröhliches Fest!

There and Back Again

I just got back from my conference in San Francisco. On the way over, I did get to fly business class, but didn't have enough miles for the return trip, so ended up in economy "plus" (that's where you get 5 more inches of leg room). Anyway, business class on a 12 hour flight was lovely. Great service, but more than anything, the roominess!! I could stand up right in front of my seat and stretch, without disturbing anyone. Fantastic! The only down-side: the woman next to me was a total racist. I was shocked, because she was from SF, and I've never met anyone from there who wasn't totally tolerant of other cultures. SF is a huge melting pot, after all, which is why I love it! But this woman kept talking about horrible "foreigners" in the US, and how she like to go to Scandinavia because they were "uncontaminated". I was so disgusted. I managed to shut her up by mentioning my various non-caucasian former boyfriends, and the fact that I was half Jewish, etc...

Now I'm finally back in Germany, and am not going anywhere (thank goodness!) until New Years, when I shall go to Scotland again and brave driving on the left-hand side of the road. No real German news to speak of - Merkel seems to be handling life as chancellor well. It's cold, but then it's December, so one would expect that, wouldn't one? Ah, I have an issue...Heating!! See, I have these grate-type heaters in my apartment, which means that it takes forever to heat up the whole room. I seem to spend my life at home curled up around hot water bottles. Where is central heating in this country???

Well, central heating or no, Christmas time in Deutschland is very cool. You know, Christmas markets and all that. But I'll save that for the next blog, because I'm still massively jet lagged, and I'm going to sleep :-)

Long Haul Flights (and Happy Thanksgiving)

I just got back from a lovely visit to my family in the western USA. Great trip. The only downside is the 22-odd hours I have to spend in airplanes/airports to travel from Hamburg to Las Vegas. We all know the drill - having to get to the airport 3 hours early, going through a dozen security checks (why I still wear shoes that are hard to remove is beyond me...), fighting over overhead bin space. But the absolute worst is being crammed into economy class seats for hours and hours. I know all sorts of "airplane pilates" exercises that really do help. But the problem is that they all look ridiculous. Pride versus comfort. Pride always seems to win (same concept for wearing 3-inch spike heels). And then there are the bathrooms. Usually 4 of them for, what, 200+ passengers? Let's just say that after 9 hours, those places are hazardous waste areas.

The reason I'm still dwelling on these long flights is that I'm off AGAIN to the US - California this time - for a business trip. Found out very suddenly, and am quite happy to attend the conference. But, like most companys do these days, I got booked economy. At least the heads of my company also fly economy, but that's little comfort during the 12 hour stretch from Frankfurt to San Francisco. BUT, I have about 40,000 frequent flyer miles, so I applied for an upgrade to business class. I'm "waitlisted". Which means that I probably won't get it, but I might! Just might! Oh, the joy of being able to stretch out a little bit, and to use the "forbidden" business class bathrooms!!!

German news: Angie is Frau Chancellor!!!! This makes me very happy.

Happy Thanksgiving, all! It's the holiday that I miss most over here. Meeting with family, eating turkey, watching 2 football games...and then getting a good nights sleep to prepare onesself for Black Friday, the first official day of the holiday shopping season. If you've never lined up at Best Buy at 5:00 in the morning, you haven't lived. Sigh...and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is starting as I write this!

Long-Term Resident of Germany

I did it!I was able to get my Nierderlassungserlaubnis last Tuesday. That's basically my permanent residence status. I'm actually eligible for citizenship, but it seems to legal ramifications of proving that my German father was really my father (sigh) are too complicated for me at the moment. So I've gone this route. What do I get out of this? Well, I can't be kicked out of Germany, unless I commit a major felony. Also, I can now work anywhere in Germany without having to get a separate work permit. And, thanks to some new EU regulations, I can work anywhere in the EU (except, sadly, the UK, Ireland and Denmark).

Going to the Auslaenderamt was actually relatively painless. The only down note was the receptionist. My appointment was at 8:00 sharp, and the office don't open til 8:00 - but I thought I could go to the waiting room. No. Evidently, all of us undesirables are kept waiting in the drafty and cold lobby until exactly 8:00. The receptionist took an untoward amount of glee at barking "Nein! Acht Uhr! Acht Uhr!" to all of us hopefuls. When, oh when, will these people learn to say "please"? Luckily, the clerk processing my request was quite nice. And I bonded with a lady from Ghana who was having trouble filling out her paperwork (I'm an old pro). The only other surprise was the 85€ fee for the permit, but now I think back on it, that's not bad.

Why should it be so important for me to stay in Germany? I'm trying to figure that one out myself. Will keep you posted.

I fly back to America on Saturday, for two weeks. Am looking forward to seeing my old friends and spending time with my family and visiting the sister church to the one I go to here in Hamburg. Oh, and seeing Harry Potter IV, since it comes out while I'm in the states!

The Auslaenderamt cometh...

In two days, I have to make the scary journey to the Auslaenderamt (foreigners office) to get my residence permit renewed. This actually should be pretty straightforward, but I'm totally terrified that 1) I will forget some vitally important document or 2) the the "beamter" (civil server) processing my request will be in a bad mood. Both of these things could jeopardize the whole process! Normally, this wouldn't be such a big deal, but I'm flying to the US on Saturday, and I NEED that permit to get back into the country!

And, argh, argh, argh! My team, the Cleveland Browns, just lost to the WORST team in the national football league! They are now 2-5. Sorrow reigns in the Dawg Pound (if you're from Cleveland, you understand me...)

And ah, yes, the time change. Since Hamburg is so doggone far north, with the time change, it gets dark here at 5:00pm now. It'll be closer to 4:00pm at around mid-winter. Time for solarium breaks to get some much needed vitamin D, since I won't really see the sun until March.

And, ummm, let's see, I need to start making my packing list for my trip. Lots of chocolate for all my friends and relatives. Clothes. Ipod and cell phone chargers. The biggest headache is packing for the, oh, 20 hour journey between my door in Hamburg, and my mom's door in Las Vegas. Books, noise-cancelling headphones, makeup (so I don't frighten people when I get off the plane), eye mask, inflatable neck pillow (looks ridiculous, but aids in getting some sleep), snacks for the US-leg of the journey, where they don't provide any food...Ah, nothing like transatlantic economy class.

That's it. Sorry, I'm still really grumpy about Cleveland losing...Ta

US Consulate Conquered!

..by me, that is. I managed to get into fortress US Consulate in Hamburg this morning, to get extra pages added to my passport. It was a feat, let me tell you. First, I went by yesterday evening to scope out the land. The whole building is surrounded by barriers and gates, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get to the front entrance. It seemed that there was no opening in the barriers at all. But, after a good, strong cup of coffee this morning, and a prayer, I headed back to try to get in. I found that during opening hours, some of the barriers are moved, so I saw a clear path to the armed guards. Trying to look as little like a terrorist as possible, I walked up to them. Showed my passport, explained my business - and the Uzi holders let me through. Whew! Then, of course, one trots about 400 meters to a enclosed security screening center. There, you go through an exact replica of airport security: the bag and coat had to go through the x-ray machine, and I had to take my shoes off, because they set off the alarm. Plus, I had to turn in my mobile phone, because it had a camera. So...walked into the actual consulate, found the correct room, and in 5 minutes, my passport had extra pages. I cheerfully saluted the picture of GWBush hanging in the foyer, got my phone back, smiled and waved to the guards, and sauntered off to work. Mission accomplished!

I must say, though, the whole thing reflects the broader picture of trying to get into the US itself - really irritating, with lots of overkill, but once you're in, everyone is nice! At the consulate, it was a pleasure dealing with people who understand customer service. It was even 5 minutes before the actual opening time of the passport office, but people were smiling and ready to help anyway. This does not happen in German Aemter (official offices). I make my trek to the Auslaenderbehoerde (immigration office) get my residence permit extended on November 1. Will let everyone know how that goes!

American Football (Go Browns!)

I just have to write a quick post about this. It's Sunday night here in Germany, and I'm doing my usual, glancing at the live NFL scoreboard online, as I go about my business. This always makes me a bit sad, because I LOVE American Football, and not being able to watch live games is one of the hardest things for me! See, even though I'm a girl, and a girly girl at that, I've been hooked on the sport as long as I can remember. I think it comes from being born in Cleveland, Ohio (ergo, Cleveland Browns!). Everyone from Cleveland, old or young, male or female, is a football fan. I've heard it comes from drinking the water there...

Actually, I do have recourse to live football - the Armed Forces Network, which is the US army in Europe's radio station, broadcasts the games on AM 870. Unfortunately, the reception isn't very good, and also the time difference is a problem. Games start at either 13:00 or 16:00 eastern time, which is 19:00 and 22:00, respectively. The earlier games are ok, but the later games can go till 02:00. If I stay up and listen, then I'm tired and grumpy at work the next day - not good.

Aargh, and right now, it's Baltimore Ravens 16, Cleveland Browns 3! Yikes, it's the final score! Waaaaaahhhh! Ok, there's always next week...