Frühstück am Wochenende / Weekend Breakfast

Es gibt noch zwei Plätze frei! So sieht es diesen Rekordsommer aus. Ich gehe erstmal Jogging im Wald, dann frühstücken wir auf dem Balkon. Temperatur liegt schon bei so 25 Grad, also braucht man kein Hemd mehr. So langsam ist genug mit dieser Hitze! Was denkt ihr?
There are still two places available! This is what breakfast during this record heat wave looks like on the weekend. I had already been running in the forest, then we sat down to eat. The temperature was already about 80 degrees, so who needs a shirt? It's already time to sweat! Slowly I am getting my fill of the sweatbox. If I wanted this kind of weather, I'd have stayed in Texas! The temperatures are almost the same as high Summer in Texas, but here you get no relief anywhere! So, you sweat all day, drink, drink , drink water and never go to the bathroom because you sweat it all out. Well, time for me to flee to the lake for a little cooling down in the water! I wish all of you a pleasant and cool weekend and week / euch allen ein angenehmes kühles Wochenende und Woche danach.

An Evening Dinner in the Garden / Abendessen im Garten

Frank dirigiert die Vorbereitungen aufs Essen. Frank has it all in his hands.
Oben das schmücke Gartenhäuschen. Above the dreamy garden cottage.
Sylvia und ihre Mutter geniessen die Ruhe (vorm Sturm?) Sylvia and her mother enjoy the peace (before the storm?)
Gestern, Freitag, Abend war ich bei Frank und Sylvia, zwei gute Freunde in Leipzig. Wir haben uns bei ihnen im Garten getroffen, in einem Vorort von Leipzig, wo es ruhig und ländlich ist. Leider konnte ich keine guten Fotos gestern Abend machen, so greife ich auf diese drei vom letzten Sommer zurück, auf denen ihr seht, wie der Sommer oft kleidungsgemäß aussieht. Wir haben gegrillt und auf der Terasse vorm Haus gegessen, Rosé Wein getrunken, und so bis 23 Uhr geredet. Frank und Sylvia gehören zu meinen besten Freunden in Deutschland; Frank verdanke ich, dass ich gute Arbeit in Leipzig habe, denn er hat mir eine wichtige Stelle vermittelt. Beide sind treue und loyale Freunde.
Yesterday, Friday evening, I was at Frank and Sylvia’s (two good friends in Leipzig) garden in a suburb of Leipzig, where it is very quiet and bucolic. I couldn’t get any good photos yesterday evening, so I availed myself of some from last summer, when the weather conditions were a little more typical of this latitude, as you see from the clothing. We cooked out and ate on the patio in from of the cottage, and we drank rosé wine and talked until about 11 pm. Frank and Sylvia are some of my best friends in Germany; I owe it to Frank that I have one of my jobs, for he brokered it for me. Both of them are true and loyal friends who haven’t been to the USA for ten years now, so maybe some of you in the states could ask them to drop by for a visit! BTW, Frank is a pilot, so perhaps he can take you for a spin!

Putting the Heat Wave in Perspective / Die Hitzewelle in Perspektive

Above the west balcony in Winter /Oben der winterliche Westbalkon
Above the east balcony in winter /Oben der winterliche Ostbalkon
These two pictures should serve to remind us of how it looks here in Leipzig often for 2.5 months of the year! This year the snow started right at New Year's Day and it never really melted away until the end of March. So these two photos present "business as usual" during the first quarter of many a year. Let me embellish: it gets day at 8 am. and it is night by 4:30 pm. The high temperature is 25 Fahrenheit, low about 18 Fahrenheit, and snow showers come almost every day. So, look at my profile photo and compare it with the top photo here - they are both almost the same perspective! Whoever has been through this kind of winter should have a new appreciation of warmth and heat. Hier zwei Fotos von Januar, die dazu dienen, Perspektive zu der jetzigen Hitzewelle zu geben. So einen Winter kennt man im Süden der USA nicht - die Kälte, die kurzen Tage, und die Dauer - 2.5 Monate - machen es schrecklich. Mein Profilfoto under das obige Foto sind beinahe gleich - nur ein halbes Jahr auseinander! So lernen wir Hitze zu schätzen!?

Saturday at the Zoo /Samstagsauflug zum Zoo

Above some elephants - look, why I do believe they are having a cuddle party in the water! Oben einige Elephanten - guck mal, die machen eine Kuschelparty im Wasser!
Below the giraffe colony Unten die Giraffen


Below is the main entrance to the zoo Unten der Haupteingang
Here we are - I took the picture. Da sind wir - ich habe das Foto gemacht.
Above my friends from Pirna, Schipkau, and Elmshorn.
Yesterday I spent all afternoon with friends in the Leipzig Zoo - my first time there. It is quite impressive. I already know the Fort Worth Zoo, which is one of the best in the USA, and the Leipzig Zoo is definitely up there close to Fort Worth. It was hot and humid, so we sweated it out, but it was wonderful. Always nice to visit the relatives in the zoo and see how things are going... Gestern war Tagesauflug zum Zoo, das erste Mal für mich. Es ist beeindrückend, auf demselben Niveau wie der Zoo in Ft. Worth, der zu den besten in den USA gehört. Es war schwül, so haben wir ordentlich geschwitzt, aber alle waren begeistert. Es tut mal gut, bei der Verwandschaft im Zoo nach dem Rechten zu gucken...

Some computer woes...

I am blogging from Sebastian's computer now. I tried to update my Norton Internet Security package. All went fine until it was time to install. I must first delete all previous Norton files and applications - tried to do that, but apparantly there are at least two files that were damaged at some point, and I cannot seem to delete them - they won't leave. What should I do? Give me some advice. There is also still a file called Norton Internet Security under "programs", but if I try to delete, the computer says deleting could negatively effect other programs on the computer. Is this accurate? Sorry I am blogging so fast, but I have to leave in four minutes for an appointment and will be back this evening (German time). Vielen Dank für die Hilfe.

Sweating it out / Hitzestau in Europa

We are in the middle of a record-breaking heat wave. All of Europe is sufferring. Here in Leipzig it will be 100 Fahrenheit (38 C) today - very unusual. Here buildings are made of stone, built to store heat, not send it back into the air. This means you live and work in ovens during a heat wave here, since air conditioning is rare. How do people cope? Many guys walk around shirtless and shoeless, doing shopping, riding, everything "topless". The US rule "no shirt, no shoes, no service" apparantly doesn't apply. People often take work home and seek a cooler spot to function. To keep hydrated, best advice is to take a really big plastic water bottle with you all day, since there are no free refills on anything here, and you pay about €1,20 or more for a bottle (o.2 liters) of mineral water. Sleeping is difficult, since the rooms don't really cool off, and the lows are in the low 70s. All of you in sunny Texas or some such, enjoy your air conditioning! Hier erkläre ich meinen US Lesern wie wir versuchen, mit der großen Hitze umzugehen, da wir andere Bauweisen und kaum Klimaanlagen haben. Das, was in Texas normal ist, ist hier schon ein Rekord im Bezug auf Temperaturen.

German Fashion / Mode in Deutschland

Some of my readers - especially from Austin, TX - are afficiandos of fashion. This article is just for you, as well as all interested in attracting that special second look. Here in Europe men carry bags, or pursues, as yankees call them. This gentleman sports a trendy side strap with colourful wrappings and neclaces. Much is different here with the fashion mode. Here men wear dark socks with shorts. It seems white socks are only for sporting activities. And jeans can be rolled up to the knee if it is warm, so voilà, you have shorts in no time. Shaving is always optional here, as a three-day beard seems to be very sexy. Finally, one note for our N.Z. constituency - this is your eye candy for the week, but do not swallow until you have licked it down to size.
Einige Leser - besonders aus Austin, TX - sind Modeliebhaber. Dieser Beitrag ist für euch und auch für alle, die 2mal angeguckt werden wollen. In Europa tragen Männer Taschen. Dieser Herr befördert eine modische Seitentasche und hat auch farbenfrohe Wrappings an mit diversen Halsketten. (Sonst bespreche ich hier Modeunterschiede: In USA trägt man immer weisse Socken mit kurzen Hosen- dunkle Socken sehen bescheuert aus. Un den USA würde man eine Jeans nie hochkrempeln, um sie in eine kurze Hose umzustylen. Es besteht keine Rasierpflicht hierzulande, denn ein Dreitagebart sieht ja sexy aus. Zum Schluß eine Bemerkung für die Leser aus Neuseeland - hier habt ihr euer Eye Candy der Woche, aber bitte nicht schlucken bevor ihr sie kleingelutscht habt!
Have a fabulous fashion day! Einen tollen Modetag wünscht euch

euer / your
Euromark

The Love Parade

Here you see ravers in front of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church /vor der Gedächtniskirche
This past Saturday the annual Love Parade took place in Berlin. Here is an article talking about the history and current dilemma surrounding this hippy-style event. It was originally a techno-love parade with millions of dancing, throbbing scantily-clad ravers taking over central Berlin. I remember seeing a video clip about five years ago of some guys and girls on a float. The girls were topless, and the guys were wearing mesh see-through orange pants with no underwear on. And this was on normal television. Well, I missed the parade by one day - I was in Berlin on Friday, and the parade was on Saturday. Oh well, maybe some of you can go with me next year? But bring fashionable appropriate attire...
Wer kommt mit mir zum Love Parade nächstes Jahr? Ich hab's verpasst- war nur Freitag in Berlin. Mir gefiel die Aufzeichnung im Fernsehen vor so 5 Jahren - da waren Jungs in orangen durchsichtigen Hosen ohne Unterhosen und Mädels oben ohne, und alle zappelten wie verrückt... So sieht in Berlin einmal im Jahr die Liebe aus...

Row Row Row Your Boat...

A little Venice in Leipzig.... ein bisschen Venedig in Leipzig
Steve sagt seiner Mutter, wie man es richtig macht /Steve says the right way to row
Breakfast on Sunday on the Balcony/Sonntagsfrühstück auf dem Balkon
Prost Tequila Sunrise /Cheers!
Steve's Favorite /Steves Lieblingsauto
This weekend my good friends Steve and Marita (son and mother) visited us. They live just to the south of Dresden. On Saturday there was a car pimping fair about a mile south of my apartment, so we went to it – Steve really likings vamped up cars. This orange car was his favorite of all the cars on display. For me I just need something that makes it through inspection. This fair also featured a “sexy strip wash” (it was written in English). The washing area was blocked off, so you could not take a peek. I don’t see anything sexy about stripping the wax off a car, so I am sure they were thinking that some fresh young vegetables (i.e. pretty young girls) would do some under the hood cleaning and check out the rotors, if the car could take that excitement… The passengers would just sit in the car and seek diversion…
Saturday evening we ate at a Cuban restaurant in the Barfußgässchen – the most well-known restaurant row in Leipzig. Then we had a cocktail evening Saturday – see the dark picture. Steve was the bartender. He did a fine job. Sunday afternoon we went boating on the rivers of Leipzig and even saw a family of little duckies. We were on the water for two hours. Good views of a surprisingly watery city, exercise, and even some tanning to boot.
Steve und Marita – Sohn und Mutter – besuchten uns vergangenes Wochenende. Sie kommen aus dem Dresdner Raum. Sa. waren wir beim Tuning Messe – Steve fährt auf so was ab. Die orange Kiste war sein Lieblingsauto. Hier wurde auch ein „sexy strip wash“ angeboten. Die Washanlage war durch Müllsäcke (igit) abgeschirmt, so konnte man keinen Blick erhaschen. Geil finde ich das nicht, dass man mir den Wax vom Auto abstrippt, so dachten sie sicher an was anderes: frisches junges Gemüse macht die Motorhaube auf und pflegt den Motor, wenn der Wagen die Aufregung aushält… Die Passagiere suchen währendessen irgendeine Ablenkung…
Sa. abend assen wir beim Kubaner im Barfußgässchen, und Steve mixte als Bartender Cocktails für uns auf dem Balkon (siehe Foto). So. Nachmittag mieteten wir Boote für die Wasserwege Leipzigs. Wir haben auch eine Entenfamilie freundlich begrüßt. Zwei Stunden auf dem Wasser – gute Ansichten auf eine erstaunlich „nasse“ Stadt, körperliche Betätigung, und ein bisschen Bräune dazu.

Suddenly Berlin! Auf einmal Berlin!

Above is the statue of Fredrick the Great, located in the middle of the famous street Unter den Linden. My own Prussian heritage makes me soft for anything reminding me of that...
This is my favorite place in Berlin, the Gendarmenmarkt, where Prussian pomp and French noble restraint battle it out in the architecture...
This, the Berlin Cathedral, is Prussian pomp at its best. It was accross the street from the castle where the Kaisers, the Hohenzollerns, lived.
Thursday I went to the foreign office to pick up the next extension of my residence permit. All was paid when the lady discovered I had no pages left in my passport for the new permit, so she could not officially issue it. I had to go to the US Embassy as quickly as possible to get more pages pasted in. Since my current permit would expire on the 20th of this month, I had to move quickly. That meant Friday at 6:42 am. I was sitting in the ICE train on my way to Berlin. At 8:45 am. I was in the embassy and by 9:45 am. I had the extra pages inserted (at no charge), and I had the rest of the day to spend in Berlin. So, I visited the places you see in these three photos and many more - KaDeWe - one of the largest department stores in Europe, Postdam Square, the Hackischen Höfe, and I just walked all day. I love Berlin, so any reason to go is fine, but I had to move quickly. By the way, the picture of the Gendarmenmarkt was taken from my seat in a restaurant, where I ate a lunch with a salad, main course (fish) with noodles and sauce and dessert all for €5,50 - not bad at all. I hope you enjoy these photos, and above all, breathe a sigh of relief with me, that the US Embassy does things at no charge for Americans - this is not the case in other countries.

My Life in Psychiatry / Mein Leben in der Psychiatrie

I spend 20 hours a week in psychiatry - I work there, that is. These people in the photo are my colleagues at work. I translate papers and lectures for scholarly journals and conventions from German into English. I interface a lot with professors and medical doctors. Beginning in August I will be doing this work on a freelance basis to give me more room for other teaching jobs, such as about 15 hours per week at the Leipzig airport. Ihr wisst schon, was ich hier mache in der Psychiatrie - brauche ich für euch nicht alles zu erzählen.

Me and My ITBS / ich und mein ITBS

You probably know I am a runner. I was running 60 minutes three times a week in the forest near my apartment - until the Wednesday before Pentecost. During that run a pain began in my right hip. Bad weather and the following weekend in Berlin prevented me from running for days, but in Berlin I was still dealing with the annoying pain. The next Wednesday I tried running again - a mistake. I have searched the internet and found I probably have ITBS, or maybe the very similar hip bursitis, both typical runner's injuries. So, I have not run for five weeks now, but there is still a small bit of pain. Yesterday evening I had to sprint to get the tram - oh for about 20 seconds - and I noticed that there was still a little pain. I exercise by swimming at the nearby lake (see Lady of the Lake post), which gives low impact movement. About once a year something happens - a pulled calf muscle, a blister on a foot, or this - to make me sit out a few weeks from running. But really, I could have used this in January, for example, when the only light comes from several feet of snow lying outside. There really isn't anything you can do about this injury, except rest from running until the pain is gone, and do a lot of stretching before running. Any of you have any experience with such sports injuries?

Hi Sunflower! / Hallo Sonnenblume!

What a beautiful work of art, thanks to the creator of the universe! My first sunflower of the season on my east balcony, photo taken today at 12 noon. I bought the seeds in Texas during my last visit. The variety is called "Lemon Queen." I planted them in mid-April, and here you have the results. Please join me in hailing the first Lemon Queen from Texas in Leipzig! Das ist hervorragend - so ein Kunstwerk, dank dem Schöpfer des Weltalls! Meine erste Sonnenblume dieses Jahres auf dem Ostbalkon, Foto heute um 12:00 Uhr gemacht. Die Samen habe ich während des letzten Besuches in Texas gekauft, die Sorte is die "Zitronenkönigin". Mitte April eingepflanzt hat die Mühe dieses Ergebnis. Heisst die erste Zitronenkönigin aus Texas Willkommen in Leipzig!

Spanish Protest/ Protestieren à la Espana

If you think Germans are liberal about attire, check this to see how the Spanish protest - looks painful, if you ask me. They were protesting at the occasion of the Pope's visit in Valencia. Check this to see the Spanish PETA organization protesting against the bull run in Pamplona; hundreds were marching through the streets - looks like a lot of .... bull..... to me.... Nein, wir führen hier nicht die Nackerten des Tages ein. Es handelt sich um eine reine Koinzidenz. Was können wir schließlich dafür, dass sich zuerst in Pamplona Tierschützer die Sachen vom Leibe reißen, und nun - wenige Tage später - Demonstranten bei einer Protest-Fahrradfahrt gegen den Papstbesuch in Valencia es ihnen gleich tun? Aber jetzt reicht es erst einmal. Keine Nackerten hier mehr in den nächsten Tagen. Versprochen. Dann gab es den Protest in Pamplona. Mit einem Nackt-Lauf - oder sagen wir, Semi-Nackt-Lauf - protestieren Mitglieder der Tierschutz-Organisation Peta gegen das bevorstehende Stiertreiben von Pamplona und Stierkämpfe überhaupt. Etliche hundert Teilnehmer zogen sich zuerst aus und dann durch die Straßen der Stadt. Aren't the Spanish so macho?

Lecko Mio! Licko Mio!

Here is the world champion Italian soccer team. In Friday's magazine of the Süddeutsch Zeitung the cover showed a sexy Italian man in sun glasses with the title "Lecko Mio", or "lick me" with Italian ending. So, we see German sentiments towards many things Italian at the moment. Italy has become expensive for tourists, you can forget puctuality there, and many were angered by the bloody injury an Italian player gave to an American a few weeks ago. Do you belong to the "licko mio" group? Hier die Fußballweltmeister in aller Herrlichkeit. Die Süddeutsche hat in der Freitagsausgabe des Magazins als Cover einen Italiener mit der Überschrift "Lecko Mio" dargestellt. So ist wohl zum größten Teil die jetzige deutsche Einstellung zu Italien..?... Ein teures Land für Touristen, unpünktlich, und dann der Ärger über die blutige Verletzung des amerikanischen Spielers vor ein paar Wochen... Gehörts du zu der Gruppe "lecko mio"?

Grassi Museum Complex / Grassimuseum Komplex

Here is the main entrance to the Grassi Museum, which houses several collections. Among these is the Music Instrument Museum, one of the best and most comprehensive in the world. Concerts also take place in this museum located in central Leipzig. As you see from the portal, the architecture is art deco. When you first enter the collection, you are greeted by two parallel rows of holograms of various instruments that seem to leap out at you in various colours. Hier der Haupteingang zum Grassimuseum, das verschiedene Sammlungen unterbringt. Unter denen ist das Musikinstrumentenmuseum, das zu den besten und umfangreichsten der Welt gehört. Konzerte finden auch hier statt. Der Haupteingang weist auf den Baustil - Art Deco - hin. Bei Eintreten in die Sammlung wird der Besucher von zwei sich parallel erstreckenden Reihen von Hologramen begrüßt, bei denen verschiedene in Farben glänzende Musikinstrumente scheinbar hervorspringen.

Internation Bach Competition in Leipzig in July

Above is a monument to Bach near the St. Thomas Church, and below is the interior of the St. Thomas Church, where Johann Sebastian Bach was Choir Master of the St. Thomas Boys' Choir for the last 27 years of his life.

Every year the Internation J.S. Bach Competition for Violin, Harpsicord, and Cello takes place in Leipzig. This Saturday the Winner will perform, and I plan to sit in the audience. Here is more info about the Bach Archives in Leipzig and the competition. Here, when you attend a Bach concert, they perform with a vitality to make you think the work is being premíèred today. Jedes Jahr findet das Internationale J.S. Bach Wettbewerb für Violine, Cembalo, und Cello in Leipzig statt. Am kommenden Samstag tritt der Preisträger mit dem Neuen Bachischen Kollegium Leipzig auf, und ich habe vor, im Publikum zu sitzen. Kommst du mit?

Freud Anyone? / S. Freud läßt Grüßen...

According to Freud, conflict is essential for generating neuroses. A conflict may exist between instinctual drives and external reality, or it may be between internal agencies such as the id and the superego or the id and the ego. These conflicts are unconscious, since the drives or wishes that seek fulfilment have been expelled from consciousness through repression or another defence mechanism. .... What have you expelled through repression or defence mechanisms? (Deutsch Leser: wenn ihr Freud verstehen könnt, könnt ihr sicher schon den Englischen Text ohne Übersetzung verstehen, oder...?) Excerpts from my translation work today ... Auszüge aus meiner Arbeit heute...

An Exposé of German Culture

Here is an article giving some explanation to questions on my post about the Lady of the Lake and German "attire" at lakes, parks, beaches, etc. Der Link führt zur Englischen Seite des Spiegels, auf der ein Artikel über die Deutschen Vorlieben zur Nacktheit beschrieben werden - schwer zu begreifen für manche Amerikaner. Mein Post über den Wolfwinkler See hat Fragen aufgeworfen, auf die ich mit dieser Post eingehe.

CD Review /CD Bewertung

The Penitential Psalms of David by Orlando di Lasso
Yesterday I bought this package of two CDs for only €25,99 - a good deal here. It is a moving recording of a watershed work of choral music. If you close your eyes, you can imagine yourself in Munich in the 1500s, where Orlando di Lasso premièred this work. You can read about it here and also listen to samples, or you can go to my audio clip to hear the choir I sang in in their recording - the audio clip gives you the last minute of the entire 2 hours and 20 minutes of these Psalms. Absolutely heavenly a capella choral music in which time stands still - something we need in this age of multi-tasking. Gestern habe ich diese CD gekauft. www.harmoniamundi.com gibt Zugang auf Deutsch zu diesen Seiten oben für die Englischsprechenden. Eine bewegende CD von einem Werk, das eine Wasserscheide der Choralmusik ist. Mein Audioclip gibt die Darbietung von dem Chor, in dem ich mitgesungen habe - der Clip besteht aus der letzten Minute von den 2 Stunden und 20 Minuten von diesem Werk. Absolut himmlische a capella Choralmusik, bei der die Zeit stehenbleibt.

German 50s Country Band Texas Lightning...

Texas Lightning is a group from North Germany that propounds to make country music with a 50s sound. Many of my friends and acquaintances have made reference to them. I have heard them on the radio. Texas is establishing a beachhead in Germany. I will search for some clips, or maybe you will be quicker and send me some clips... Texas Lightning, eine Band aus Norddeutschland, behauptet, Country im 50s Sound zu spielen. Freunde und Bekannte von mir haben sie oft erwähnt, und ich habe die Band mal im Radio gehört. Texas hat also eine Angriffsfläche in Deutschland erobert. Ich suche nach Clips, oder du bist vielleicht schneller und schickst sie mir...

My Beautiful Deck / Mein Schöner Balkon

This picture below is my balcony on the east side facing the busy main street I live on- I am on the fourth floor. Hier der Ostbalkon zur Straßenseite - ich wohne im dritten Stock. This picture below is the west balcony - the quiet side. Today Sebastian and I ate lunch on the balcony, as we do with all meals when the weather allows. Hier der ruhige Westbalkon. Heute haben wir hier zu Mittag gegessen, wie wir mit allen Mahlzeiten machen, soweit das Wetter es erlaubt.

Check my (new as of today) profile picture for another angle on the west balcony. It's been hot for several weeks now, so clothing and habits are geared towards staying cool. See my entry on the Lady of the Lake... Guck mal mein neues Profilfoto an - so siehst du den Westbalkon aus anderer Sicht. Seit Wochen ist es heiss, so dienen Kleidung und Gewohnheiten dem Ziel, möglichst kühl zu bleiben.

The Lady of the Lake...

This sunny summer Sunday afternoon I went to my lake for three hours - one of my favorite places in Leipzig.
Go ahead, enlarge the fotos and find you hunches confirmed...

Here is the lake where I go swimming and relax. It is only a 10 minute bike ride from my apartment. I whiz through forests and past streams to get to this oasis. Last summer I was swimming in it when something wrapped around my ankle and didn't let go. I was a little scared. Friends said it was a water nymph, so I call her "the Lady of the Lake." She hasn't grabbed me yet this summer, and I've been there often, so I hope she isn't mad at me. As you see from two of these pictures, the attire is not like at a Texas lake. This is typical east Germany - this way you drop all class distinctions and have the proletariat on equal "ground", if you know what I mean. Typically I swim two or three rounds in the lake, read the paper or a book, snack on some fruit, and soak up sun for two to four hours about three times a week. This lake has a name: Wolfswinkler See, or "der Lauerbad." Nur 10 Min. von meiner Wohnung enfernt, radle ich durch Wald und an Flüsschen vorbei, um an dieser Oase zu sonnen und baden. Letzten Sommer schwamm ich als etwas mein Fußgelenk anfasste und nicht loslassen wollte. Freunde lachten, das sei eine Wassernymphe, die ich in die "Lady of the Lake" umbenannte. Diesen Sommer hat sie noch nicht zugeschlagen, vielleicht ist sie böse auf mich. 2 Fotos zeigen hier typische FKK Gewohnheiten im Osten - so zeigt man hier Solidarität und lässt Klassenunterschiede "fallen"...

May I present... Darf ich vorstellen...

Sebastian, who is my apartment mate. This photo was taken on Pentecost weekend, while we were in Berlin, here standing in front of the Brandenburg gate. Sebastian and I have been sharing the current apartment for almost three years. He is a true and loyal friend, and a fan of America. Sebastian is finishing his studies in journalism and politica science, and he plays the guitar and is a big fan of American football and all sports. He is very tall - over six feet - and very thin, so he comes in handy when I can't reach far enough. Sebastian und ich sind Mitbewohner seit beinahe drei Jahre. Bild kommt vom Pfingstwochenende vor dem Brandenburger Tor. Sebastian ist ein treuer und loyaler Freund und ein Amerikafan. Er studiert Journalismus und politische Wissenschaft, spielt Gitarre, und verfolgt American Football leidenschaftlich. Er ist sehr groß - über 1.89 - und schlank, so ergänzen wir einander gut.

Leipzig Lions Lost / Leipzig Lions haben verloren!

24:23 was the final score. The top picture shows the Lions making a touchdown. The middle picture presents you a bleacher shot of Germans watching football - many were smoking and drinking beer and eating Bratwurst, but I missed the cheese nachos! The bottom picture shows a band (the Fists) providing live pregame music. What things in this bottom picture tell you that it is not in the USA? The Leipzig Lions played the Frankfurt-Oder Red Cocks - someone needs to tell them of the multiple ways of understanding their name. The game was fair - the first half was boring with no touch-downs, but the second half livened up a bit. Für uns Amerikaner ist es ungewohnt, dass Leute rauchen und trinken Bier beim Football Spiel, und die Bratwurst ist auch was neues. Der Name des Gegners kann als Gockel oder als männliches Glied ausgelegt werden - das Team wollte das sicher nicht!

Samstagfrühstück/Saturday Breakfast

Above the table is set for breakfast in central Europe: fresh blueberries, strawberries, apricots, and fresh baked muli-grain bread, boiled eggs from free-ranging hens from a friend's stall, marmalade, camembert cheese, and organic Assam tea. The tomatos are also waiting their turn... (here we have fresh young veggies but NO saggy old fruit...) This afternoon I'm going to my first American football game ever in Leipzig, so I need a good breakfast! I'll have more on the game later... (Hier ein übliches Frühstück für uns, aber in den USA fällt es schon auf, so habe ich es thematisiert für meine Freunde in Amerika.)

meine helle farbenfrohe Wohnung (my apartment)

Top left is the entry and hallway - welcome...
Here, to the left, is the kitchen, where I cook and eat with friends and guests.

To the left is the living room - here I sit and email and blog.

At the top right is my bedroom painted in warm yellow. This a beautifully renovated fin de siècle house that is under Denkmalschutz (monument protection).

Ein schön topsaniertes Wohnhaus vom Anfang des 20.Jh. unter Denkmalschutz. Oben links Flur - seid Willkommen! Oben rechts mein Schlafzimmer. Unten links die internationale Küche (Tischdecke aus Indien, z.B.). Hier unten rechts das Wohnzimmer, wo ich sitze, emaile, und sonstwie meine Zeit im Internet verbringe...

Important Soccer Game Saturday Evening/kleines Finale für Deutschland Sa. 21 Uhr

Nicht vergessen - Sa. Abend findet in Stuttgart das kleine Finale statt. Germany's chance to at least get third place will be Sat. evening, or at 2 pm. Central Daylight Time. The German team plays Portugal. Then, on Sunday evening France and Italy will battle it out for the World Championship. Danach haben wir endlich Ruhe! Then we will finally have peace. Who do you think will win these two games?

Fresh Veggies and Saggy Old Fruit/Frisches Gemüse und Altes Obst

Hier macht man Komisches mit Obst und Gemüse - Here in Germany they do funny things with fresh produce - in their language, at least. "Fresh young vegetables (frisches junges Gemüse)" also means a young, fit, sexy looking girl. "Old fruit (altes Obst)" applies to someone who sags and is not physically attractive anymore. So, how did this dichotomy happen? Why are veggies sexy, and fruit works like saltpeter?? I though a banana was the perfect phallic symbol bar none! But wait, it gets more interesting....If you have nothing productive to do here, you are "cucumbering around (rumgurken)". And, if you have a phase in your income in which you don't earn much money, it is a "cucumber time (Gurkenzeit)". So, don't even think about starting anything positive with a cucumber over here!! If you can't hear well, you must have "beans in your ears". Nothing positive so far, when you look at produce individually. But wait...If a guy gets a compliment from a girl, he has "pulled a cherry onto land (eine Kirsche ans Land gezogen)." So what? I think the bottom line is, we all need a balanced diet - in our mouths and in our minds - of saggy fruit and fresh veggies. Für uns Amerikaner ist das echt lustig - wir benutzen eher Tiere als Sinnbilder für Menschen und den Umgang miteinander. "Er ist ein Stud (Hengst) oder she's a chick (Kücke) z.B. Warum vegetarisch in Deutschland und Fleisch in den USA? Hat jemand eine Idee?

Sweating in Saxony...

You are experiencing something unique: my first blog ever, so please, pop the cork or the beer and raise the glass in honour of my blog, at least. I should be translating an article on statistical models for psychiatric surveys at the moment, so I will let you savour this moment as I return to work.