A Family That Laughs Together Stays Together

I hope everyone had an awesome weekend.

We drove through half of Germany to visit the inlaws. It turned into a small family reunion of sorts and over the course of the weekend the following conversation between hubby and his recently turned four year old nephew ensued.

Hubby looks down on himself to compare his body to the Mii character that was produced for him palying Wii fit.

Hubby: "G. am I fat?"
Nephew: "No H, you're not fat. You're just too heavy."
(in his teensy weensy voice)

You had to be there. We all cracked up laughing. He's pretty damn diplomatic for a four year old.

Xbox 360 gadgets

It's always difficult to find a gift for my better half.

Over the years we've gone from owning a Playstation, to a Wii ending with a Xbox 360 which the hubby quite enjoys. So much so that he now has his own little area in the living room, so we can still be in one room together.

Every so often I try to find something nice for his birthday or some other occasion. There's only so many gadgets for the Xbox (that I can also afford) that I can give him. What I can do however is to give him this: Xbox controller soap!


Via this Etsy shop.

He can play with it in the shower. Hopefully he won't drop it.

Have a great weekend everyone. I will now head home to take a shower ;o)

Meme Mama Momo

1) Favorite object in your room?
The very comfortable lounger (Karlskrona) from IKEA and in which I don’t sit nearly enough.

2) Do you smoke?
Nope. Only fuming when angry.

3) Do you own guns?
No and I think nobody else should own any either.

4) What flavor do you add to your drink at sonic?
Good question to which I have no answer.

5) Do you get nervous at the doctors?
Always. I go in thinking the worst and come out relieved most of the time.

6) What do you think of when you hear hot dogs?
Paris Hilton’s Chihuahua. “That’s hot”...ok not really. Thinking of this vendor near the WTC in New York who had the best hot dog I ever had.

7) Favorite song?
Can’t think of a single one right now.

8.) What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Coffee.

9) Can you do push ups?
No and I never could either. I could do two when I was younger. To this day the hubby makes fun of me because of it.

10) Can you do a chin up?
I probably could do one.

11) What’s your favorite piece of jewelry?
A bracelet the hubby gave me during our first year together and a pair of delicate earrings Melisa got me.

12) Your pet peeves are?
Too numerous to put all of them down here. People stopping dead in the middle of the aisle in the supermarket, a car blocking two spaces, people with headphones whistling, bad manners….the list is endless

13) Ever been in a car wreck?
Luckily not.

14) Do you like to work on your Birthday?
Yep, it is no different than any other day except with flowers and cake and champagne from the colleagues…

15) What’s one trait that you hate about yourself?
Character – I’d like to be a bit more decisive otherwise– I could do with less weight.

16) Are you named after anyone?
Indeed, was named after my mom’s friend Kat.

17) Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment.
I need to pee.
Shit I still gotta change the date on the presentation.
If I get home on time tonight will this be enough to hang up the laundry so it is dry tomorrow?

19) Name 3 drinks you drink regularly.
Water, coffee, and apple spritzer

20)What’s your job?
To do with computers and software.

21) Current hate right now?
The never ending winter.

23) Do your friends love you?
I’d be the wrong person to ask.

23) How did you bring in the New Year?
We threw a dinner/cocktail party with friends and picked up some new ones along the way.

24) Where would you like to be right now?
On a sun lounger on the beach or on Karlskrona (see # 1) with a good book.

25) Name three people who will complete this.
No idea.

26) Are you one of those people that thinks and talks about their life being unfair?
No, I consider myself pretty lucky. In Germany we’d call this “landing your assl into a barrel of butter”

27) What shirt are you wearing?
A petrol colored shirt from H&M.

28) Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?
No, too slippery.

29) Can you whistle?
Yes I can to the annoyance of our cats.

32) What songs do you sing in the shower?
I make up songs about the cats who watch me shower every single morning.

33) Favorite girl’s name?
Linda

34) Favorite boy’s name?
dunno

35) What’s in your pocket?
My id badge for work.

36) Last person that made you laugh?
My colleague a mere minute ago.

37) Best toy as a child?
The doll house my Dad built when I was six.

39) Do you love where you live?
LOVE it.

40) Do you give good advice?
I hope so.

41) Who is your loudest friend?
My friend Kat. She talks loud a lot and her laugh is ear piercing. I ♥ her.

43) Does someone have a crush on you?
Apart from my husband (hopefully)? I don’t think anybody.

44) Favorite part about your weekend?
Looong breakfast with the hubby and cats and a paper.

45) What are you gonna do for your next birthday?
Have a few drinks with my team.

46) Favorite sports team?
Don’t have any.

48) Where is the next place you want to travel to?
Thailand. And I will in less than two weeks.

49) What were you doing 12 AM this morning?
Arguing with the hubby to return my book so I can go on reading. Didn’t work.

50) What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
Shit, it’s snowing again.

Love and Hate

Love: That I took up painting with acrylics.
Hate: That it looks more Jackson Pollock than Claude Monet.

Love: That we’ll be going on a month long holiday in just a little over two weeks.
Hate: The feeling that my planning beforehand is insufficient.

Love: That my mom gave me fitness walking poles.
Hate: I have to force myself to go out more.

Love: My camera & camera equipment.
Hate: That I’m not confident enough to drag it with me every day and shoot everything that comes in front of my lens.

Love: That we have two beautiful cats with uniquely wonderful personalities.
Hate: That they won’t fucking get along for love or money food.

Love: The feeling that we can afford to spend money on travels and hobbies.
Hate: That we cannot afford a house right now.

MIA Update

MIA again. No time to blog. Short timeline of events in past weeks?

Sick.
Recovered.
Work
FIL in hospital more often than not.
Work.
Work.
Work some more.
Fun.
Sleeeeeeeeep. Oh precious sleep.

The End

I Never Promised You a Rosegarden

Been sick since Wednesday, when I woke up with a throat so sore I couldn't utter a word. Husband was secretly delighted. It's like a man's dream come true.

In his defense I gotta say I've been taken care of and if I didn't feel so shitty I'd think I was a princess.

Hubby called last night asking what color tulips I'd prefer and then came home without them. Didn't think much of it because forgot all about it. This morning he comes in holding the flowers. They were a bit in need of a drink (then again don't we all?). Apologetic look on his face...bought them last night and left them lying in the pantry while storing the groceries.

Laughed and said it sounds familiar. Left the frozen vegetables out in the pantry when storing groceries the previous week. They never made it into the freezer.

Seems we're made for eachother.

Lapsus Linguae

Conversation between me and hubby about what we should have for dinner. We were thinking Thai Curry. Then thought better of it and said we could easily wait another five weeks to get the real deal while in Thailand.

So dreaming about all the different kind of curries, we started naming them:

Him: Green Beeef Curry
Me: Green Chicken Curry
Him: Red Pork Curry
Me: Yellow Squirrel Curry
Him: You surely mean squid. Please tell me you mean squid.

Squirrel - squid. Schmirrel - shit.

Yep please pray that this wasn't a Freudian slip. Do not want to eat squirrel though promised myself will try crickets, bugs or fried maggots next time I'm there.

Twitter Up a Notch- The Twitchhiker

At times you find yourself browsing the web and happening upon weird, funny or amazing things. I don't know about this dude yet.

Fact is that his idea is as brilliant as Kyle MacDonald's idea. He was the guy who traded one red paperclip into a house or Karyn Bosnak's idea, who after losing her job found herself with $20,000 in credit card bills and figured she would need 20,000 peeps willing to give her one dollar each and her debt would be payed off. So she started a low-budget website savekaryn.com and payed off her debt and has since donated all the money people have given to charity.

What you need is a unique idea, that will make people go 'why didn't I come up with it?' And so it was only a matter of time before someone had a crazy wonderful idea involving Twitter.

Meet Paul A Smith aka , who on 1st March started his attempt to travel as far around the world as possible in 30 days, relying solely on the goodwill of people using Twitter .

Crazy much? Certainly, but also brilliant. He literally is the @Twitchhiker (maybe I love this idea so much because The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy also happens to be one of my all time favorite books). According to his last tweet he has boarded flight AA 4419 to Chicago from Pittsburgh two hours ago - having got there via Amsterdam (twice), Frankfurt, Paris and New York, among other stops.

He has five rules to obey, like he can only accept accomodation etc. from people that are using Twitter....you can read about it on his website and see his progress on Flickr, Twitpics and Youtube.

So if you folks wanna help out or cheer him on, go ahead. He will need it.

Day in Tweets

• Husband forcing me to watch the Fantastic Four RIse of the Silver Crap...yuck #
• Currently reading a book that is screamingly funny. #

There's more but that's another story. To follow me on Twitter see right sidebar. Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Day in Tweets

• Haven't even time to go to the loo. WTF? #
• Meeting time. Again. Wondering how productive I'd actually be without having to attend meetings? #
• Unexptected. That was quite possibly the fastest meeting ever. #
• Tiredness reaching an all time high. Need caffeine drip. Coffemaker still running. Hurry up!!! #
• Heck, trouble getting reservation for this year's Oktoberfest. Most tents are already booked & booking hasn't really started yet. WTF? #
• Sláinte! Not a Friday without worries about project management or a glass of bubbly. Cheers. #
• And it is head ripping time again. FOOOOKING EEJITS! #
• Just saw a truly hilarious Mercedes commercial. No sooner than the car manufacturers are in trouble they start making great commercials. #
• Adopted brother on his way here. Gotta stuff the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and hide the evidence of the one hour pig-out. #

There's more but that's another story. To follow me on Twitter see right sidebar. Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Technology

Technology. Can't live with it, can't live without it.

Major drama recently as our Tivo-like PVR started to get the hickups. Suddenly it would freeze. You could no longer record anything and suddenly all odd numbers on the remote became unusable etc. Sent this thing in, they tested it, said they found no error and sent it back.

In the meantime we're paying for cable channels we can't watch. Still ongoing feud with the company. German law says you have to grant the company three opportunities to fix the issue then it's a new model or money back. So far no luck but that's a different story.

To be hassle free and not wanting to waste any more money by subscribing to cable channels we can't watch, we bought a new PVR that's working great (so far).

What I noticed is, whenever I record something, I hardly ever watch it. Similar to dropping the newspaper as if it was a hot potato after midnight because then it's "old news, you konw? I record something but when there's a slow evening with nothing on, I still can't bring myself to watch something I recorded on a previous day. What's up with that? It is as if I live in constant fear to miss out on something.

Anybody else feel like this or do you get to always catch up with reading your paper and watching your stuff on Tivo?

The Day in Tweets

• 23:18 Off to bed now. Can't wait to continue with the book currently on my nightstand. @RossOCK This could be your book for all I know :) #
• 09:49 Waking up with a headache. No fun. Good morning tweeps. #
• 11:08 Nothing like working from home when your internet connection decides to desert you. #
• 13:16 Wow, I might be getting the signed copy from my favorite author after all. They were quick in replying. #
• 20:14 Germany's next Topmodel time. Let the bitching begin. #

There's more but that's another story. To follow me on Twitter see right sidebar. Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Twittermagic Whatchamacallit

Over the years I’ve been on everything IRC, ICQ, MSN messenger, MySpace, Facebook and its German equivalent Studivz, Flickr, Blogger, Twitter…. You name it I’ve been there. Few things lasted.

MySpace? Boring. Facebook? Fun for a while. After the initial curiosity has been satisfied? Back to being bored. Flickr? Still use it to update people that I can’t see regularly. Blog? Love it. Started in 2005 to update friends and family on my Ireland adventures. Then stopped, as a few people read the blog I didn’t want on there. Deleted all old posts and started over in 2007. For a while there it was THE thing and I am still into it. Twitter is however the hype at the moment and I wonder how long it will last.

Twitter is awesome. Easy to use, fast and news spread faster than a wildfire. If the trend continues Twitter could even move onto Google’s turf as some kind of real-time news search engine. Application such as Tweetdeck already give you the opportunity to check what is being twittered about right now and search.twitter.com is great for finding tweets on things of interest.

Twitter is great. I ♥ it. In today's fast paced world it is perfect for news junkies and folks with "ADD" and the attention span of a goldfish. Not always reliable but then again, what is? In the end it is entertaining. No wonder paper and magazine sales are plummeting.

So tell me what of the above you’re using and what you enjoy the most.

The Day in Tweets

• 10:29 Terrible day ahead. Can already feel it. #
• 10:46 Coffee tastes disgusting today. More in the mood for tea now. What I would give for a cup of Barrys or Lions tea. #
• 12:33 Look, look...this gleaming ball of bright light and warmth. This.. whatchamacallit...Oh yeah they call it "sun". It's out! Yay sun! #
• 13:24 Public speaking. Loathe it. Somebody want to trade places? #
• 15:42 Phew...survived presenting my project. Thanks @melisalw for wanting to help out. That would've been much more fun. #
• 16:49 Seems like there's a trip to the US on the horizon in July but psssssst. Gotta keep schtum or I'll jinx it. #
• 20:14 Him: 3 minutes till Desperate Housewives. Can zap back to soccer. Me: Being with me must be horrible. Him: ? Me: You hesitated. Bastid! #
• 20:18 Husband massaging feet while I'm watching DH. Could life be any sweeter? #
• 22:12 FUCK. Just checked an old email account and realized that I won a signed copy of my favorite author's new book back in November. #
• 22:12 Said to allow 28 days for shipping, still haven't received book. Send out email. Hope they ship from Ireland to Germany. #
• 22:48 Cat clearly annoyed that we're still awake and hogging the couch. #

There's more but that's another story. To follow me on Twitter see right sidebar. Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Space For My Stash

One of the reasons why hubby introduced a monthly budget for books is that not only that it is a really expensive habit but that we run out of space to stash all books.

This might come in handy. The Bibliochaise



I wants one.

Shopping Hell

Two things I hate while shopping:

1. Shopping itself
2. Being talked to while shopping

The latter is unforgivable. It is okay to approach and ask if I need help. I will politely decline and be on my way. You should retreat quietly.

Under no circumstances am I interested in your opinion on the item under scrutiny. It's not so much that I don't give a flying fuck about it but rather that I am all grown up and have been dressing myself for years. Successfullytoo.

Yes, I'm interested in whatever it is I am looking at or else I would not be looking at it in the first place (unless it was out of sheer disbelief because it is the most hideous piece of fashion). Not interested however in how many of these you've sold nor to whom.

If I bring my item of choice to the checkout, don't comment on its size, cut or its color. I picked this size because it fits. In no way do I want to purchase something that makes me look like a microwaved sausage nor am I buying a tent that makes my ass look the size of a small country. Same goes for the cut. It will most likely be flattering (see previous line) and yes, the color is great. Why would I buy this in light blue if I could have it in puke green?

That being said, please don't tell me it is lovely.

Lovely in shopping terms is the equivalent to "interesting" (slow head nod) in a boring conversation or "nice" (encouraging head nod) used to describe someone you can't stand.

In the context of shopping lovely is a non-word. Mmmkay?

So there you go. Rant over.

I Write Sins Not Tragedies

RULES:

1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
4. Tag 5 friends (make me #6 so I can see your results).
5. Everyone tagged has to do the same thing.
6. Have Fun!

IF SOMEONE SAYS ‘ARE YOU OKAY’ YOU SAY?
Chope Suey! - System of a Down

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Lightning Crashes - Live

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Hotel California (Spanish Mix) - Gipsy Kings

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Wake Up Call – Maroon 5

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Mercy-Duffy

WHAT’S YOUR MOTTO?
Denkmal- Wir sind Helden (Which is funny because it is true. Apart from the coffee motto this is my second favourite: Denkmal ist für mich ein lebenslanger Imperativ. Only funny in German though)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Beverly Hills - Weezer

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Where Did You Sleep Last Night - Nirvana Unplugged (Haha – they never had to ask that question, good girl that I was)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Einfach sein (Simply be) – Fanta 4

WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Crazy – Unplugged Gnarls Barkley

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Breakdown – Jack Johnson

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Given Up – Linkin’ Park (not sure I like that and sure hope it isn’t true)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
I saw – Matt Nathanson

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Cold Shoulder – Adele (this couldn’t be funnier if I tried)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
This is the Life – Amy MacDonald

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
I’m Yours - Jason Mraz

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Another Way to Die – Jack White and Alicia Keys

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
A Little Respect - Wheatus

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Overload - Sugababes

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
Foxtrott Uniform Charly Kilo – Bloodhound Gang

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
You’re Gonna Go Far Kid- The Offspring

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
I Write Sins Not Tragedies – Panic! At the Disco