2007

Four hours to go to leave this year (yips, the news showed us all the pics, Sydney, Singapore... all done. At the moment our "Federal Chancellor" delivers a speech... haha, ole liar she is ...)

Anyhow... the sparklers I mentioned in the post before, here is the first. We had heaps of time to take a pic or two...

This is the first time, too, that we sit on our balcony!!!
Not for long, though... ack, its COLD!





What a year! Thanks flood. 13 years... and here we are, living together after all YAY!!!

Hopefully 2008 brings some routine so we can truly enjoy and get used to living together!
Hopefully as well we´ll never grow up!

OH!

Question:

Dinner for One - is this typical for Germany only to be presented on New Year´s Eve?

A Happy 2008 for you as well!!!

A difference

I just saw an interview with Jane Goodall. That woman does make a difference in this world, for sure, she is amazing, rousing, honest, reasonable and rational. Bright. Just read her Curriculum Vitae and be impressed.

Yet she is humble.

It´s not "just" about chimps. In this small time-frame I learned heaps more than in school about humans, I guess.
Ok. I wanted truly to understand and learn. And sometimes I thought,

"yep, dream on! If I was to live the way you suggest, what should I work for? Look at my world, do you know the Hartz concept? I work my ass off for nothing, whilst others refuse to work and have nearly the same "income", the same money to live from - and I can even understand them!

I ordered electricity and gas from a local provider. Costs more, is from sources I can track back and I support workplaces in my area. I didn´t choose the 'good one' though, all natural and really expensive. No pay raise in six years (and no, it´s not `cause I´m dumb!), how can I afford such?!
'Good food' - ... no pay rise..."

I could. Use a carpool again, work at times I don´t want to, hence. Loose my freedom. I could do that.

And see all those around me who could do that without forgo anything. Who just want to get more, more, more - for themselves.

Sad thing I can´t present that interview of her here. She didn´t accuse her listeners.

She brought on the facts.

Our brain versa our live-style. Maybe we act right when our backs are really plain against the wall.

That makes me feel bad. I really, really could do something. And see no sense in it. There are so, so many people who could help easily and don´t let go of any comfort - and they simply don´t care - why should I?

Fireworks - I don´t wanna know how much money is spent on this again. Whilst others suffer - humans as well as animals and environment. Ingo bought some sparklers. They are XXL, sparkle for 5 minutes.

We do live fairly. We use energy saving lamps in every place it makes sense. We heat the rooms only a bit, shower together to save water and energy, use TFT-monitors, go by bike where possible, you name it.
And you can always do more.

What I need is motivation. Show me why it´s me, explicit, to let go of comfort.

Jane Goodall made me thinking (again), you can visit her places here.

Is this OK for a Happy New Year´s-Wish?

Motivation to care?

And act?

Tinsel-Bike

Though Christmas is over I just saw this chrissy-style bike :-) - You can click to have a closer look.

Kinda cute, um? And no one touches it either, I really do like my town!

Five Bottles

"This Christmas` gift" is what I wanted to name this post.
Nah. Christmas was a lot more, certainly.

Amongst other things...
My mother bought five bottles of detergent - one liter in each! - to throw me back into my young years (nope, not me in the pic, just an ad)!



A german phenomenon. Pril-Blumen, Pril-Flowers. I loooooved them! For some time in the mid-70´s they were stickers, glued on every "Pril"- detergent. My Grandma bought this brand and my Mom said I got all flippy about them.

Yeps. My Mom doesn´t know I also own a cheap watch with that pattern, and a T-Shirt. Bought a year ago when the revivial came. I still do so love those flowers of the happy 70´s!

This is what I got for Christmas from my Mom:



And some money to make the move to the new apartment less harder, moneywise.

Pril (german) - happy 70´s!
(I gave the detergent to my brother´s girlfriend - and YIPS!!! just as a joke (I have five bottles... awww, another story! ;-)...)

Certainly. Not all of us are lucky and happy receivers of cool christmas-gifts.
Java gives us a hint here.

Am I happy for having had a very Merry Christmas with my Mom, Bro, a goose (pigs and... aw, well, you know [-Borecole was a yummy part of it as well!]) - a happy Family Time!

Addendum: We saw a reportage today, showing great achievements the organisation People for people (german) has made. I certainly know the responsible man, Karl-Heinz Boehm, for ages. I never knew how successful he is. I finally took their motto, spend more than just sympathy and gave them some of my Christmas-Money. If I save only one girl from circumcision, it is more than a life to save, literally (Ingo also joined in, so, hopefully we helped at least a wee-bit).

Addendum to Lack

This is a gift from Ingo. He wanted to put it on some piece of wood and hang in someplace in the - no, our - apartment.
Despite me saying, apart from the 70´s lamp nothing will sit on Lack... I "allowed" this there, too:



It says: "Love is the only thing that grows when you share it".

Lack complete

Thanks to Ingo my Lack-Project is finished (you can click to enlarge):



The red "couch" looks really cool, but is totally uncomfortable, hence it sits on the wall now.
Door closed (on cold winter-evenings):



YAY, I´m happy!

 

Addendum from February 3rd, 2022: With this I join Elizabeth´s Second on the 2nd.

After 13 years of weekend-relationship we finally moved in together here in Braunschweig - or first real apartment!

The lamp is from my parent´s house, a real 70´s item as the orange ton in the background, from Ingo, I still have both, also the chair on the wall.

Our strength...

is our community. We have a "cuddly atmosphere", they say - and I learned that we have an "umbrella service" - simply rent an umbrella if it starts raining whilst you´re shopping. Sun out again, give the umbrella to some other shop. This is a free service.
You have kids, leave them in the adventure park - for free! Free bikes are available, too. Yep, I just love living here!

Lack

No, I have no lack of anything in particular at the moment (maybe of sun, warmth, a beach, the sea...) - no, I finally got IKEA´s "Lack"!!!

For weeks they had it in white only. Now they have it in my favorite color again. So, I went to IKEA with my dear brother and his huge Volvo. He - certainly - brought Lack the Hercules` way in our apartment! He then had to leave and I put Lack together all by myself - despite being real poor with tools! I also managed to put the "feet" on (they don´t belong to Lack) and turn it around all alone (wondering again how he managed to bring it upstairs all alone!!! It weighs more than it looks like...

The result - YAY (you can click to enlarge):



After looking at the same ole shelf for over 13 years (and keeping it) I deserved something new, right?

I think it will be used like this - a place to hold the lamp I grew up with.
No more.
It´s art (to me).

The "tub" in the corner to the right is a present from Ingo, he grew up with it. All real stuff from the happy 70´s :-)
And yes, I wore/wear the black clogs - and no, not from the 70´s...)

Oh, and please note the red fly swatter to the left :-) And the wishing stone I got from Freo (it was supposed to be a souvenir for a friend - but then I discovered it has a little defect and hence kept it. Like the sheep with three legs and stuff

[Ingo fixed it with a PLASTIC "cork" of a bottle of sparkling wine:



Broken stuff somehow always makes me to buy - and Ingo to fix it. I guess my wish on the stone was: Living together with Ingo!])

An addition to the scene with Lack is on it´s way, pics are to follow.

Inge

That´s how some guys call Ingo - I don´t know why and I don´t wanna know. I don´t talk about him now. This is a post about Inge Henze. I don´t know her personally (yet), but I think what she achieved is worth some words (and a pic) here:



She took part in the Olympic Games of Cheese. There were 335 participants with 717 different sorts of cheese - and she got the seventh!!!

With Mumme-Cheese - am I proud!

Mumme is a local product - that even went all the way to the Carribean in the 1390´s - I have some posts on Mumme, just use the blogger-search with "mumme" or click here (and start with this article again...).

Now I have to find out where Inge has her sales counter. Why did they forget that information???
So I haven´t tasted that cheese yet. The label "yummy" hopefully is true...

Have found her omline (german) - she´s on the market in town every Wed and Sat from 6-1 - gotta go there :-)

New citizen

Since December the 7th Ingo is officially a citizen of Braunschweig :- )
And both of us now officially live in the new apartment.

It was a tough year. In the beginning my brother came to me with huge problems. Some of them are still to be solved but the hardest part is over, I guess. It was a huge sign of confidence – and with that a big responsibility.
Still there is much to do.
But I guess that made our relationship even stronger.
I know where to turn to if I get in trouble and that is a good feeling.

In August Ingo´s apartment flooded the first time this year. Just some 5 cm but anyhow a lot of work.

In September the second flood, the big one with over 65 cm, a huge amount of work over a long time and the new situation to share 34 m² together.

Whilst working on that apartment we searched for a new one.
When we had the new one, we had to renovate there and then move over all the stuff from my apartment.
Then start „renovating“ my old one.

Whilst I tried to reorganize the chaos, the job seemed to get extra stressy.
Last Monday my heart raced like crazy. I was tired like never before, dizzy and all.

My doc said, after I told her about the tough times, „I get you outta here for two weeks!“

Man! In 6 years I have been signed sick for two days only. And yep, I had a guilty conscience to drop out for two weeks. But then I thought, ok, I can really do that! I „deserve“ that.

I slept the rest of that day and started very slowly on Tuesday. I really feel I need a „time-out“.

My room is almost done, the bed- and bathroom also. I need Ingo to hang up some shelves and I guess soon I can come up with some pics.


All this stress was worth it!

After thirteen years we finally live together!!!! Thank you, flood! Welcome, new citizen!



Now Ingo „only“ needs to find a job here. I´m afraid everyday he drives such a long distance – and it´s expensive, too.

I´m not a cook

I am a web developer. I provide my customer with content for his B2E-portal. It´s a portal that you can access from everywhere. We don´t deliver company-stuff only, like their intranet portal does, but also fun stuff.

For some reason one project suddenly got a revival – receipes!!! Most of the cutomers who join in are men. They even started asking for receipes – and others even answered.

It must be some kind of „we-feeling“ that produces that interest?

Anyway, with christmas being on the way, my customer decided, let´s make a real book!

It was tough to convince her boss but then we had a „go“ and we had to be real quick, it was chaotic!
We got 100 receipes from 100 cutomers.

We want only 5 € per copy and 100% goes to an organisation that works for kids in trouble (german).


I got the result of this last-minute-job as a gift – and it all was worth the work!



It´s of very good quality. We got 3 000 books printed and after seeing it, Ingo thinks that´s way not enough. We´ll see.

I hope next time we have a better timing, though!

In the lions´ cave - no tale

In the style of "Germany. A summer's tale", the film about German national soccer team's World Cup 2006, I saw the documentary film about the German Bowl in American Football in cinema today!

Even in XXL - it was a screen of 240 square meter, you can see the trailer here! The Braunschweig Lions´ Threepeat-Triumph was celebrated. The journey to Stuttgart, the meetings, the hopes and fears. Interviews with the players.
The game.
The new and old German Bowl Defender, it was just touching!

A good idea to spend a day like this in a cozy cinema (view from my room onto the powdery white roof - frost bites!):



Or in front of the PC with internet access back on - after a ride on the push bike through this crisp but clean and refreshing air. It´s a bit under 0 °C and maybe I´ll go to the Christmas market again tonight - the weather is just right!

On the other hand... on a Sunday night it might be really extra-full!
And I´ve been to the market already three times...



You can see more pics of the market and stuff here. In Perth I found no market like this (ok, who wants to have mulled wine when it´s around 30 °C ?!!! But I expected some kind of market, maybe with ice-cream instead...)

Spin without me

I´m off the world 'til Monday.
I fetched the last bike from the old place, left the second set of keys in the mailbox and now my whole attention is drawn to the new apartment. Where we have no internet access yet.
Which was totally normal for me just a while ago but now this feels like a long time, no internet 'til Monday...

It´ll be some hard work to make the apartment a home but we´ll see. At least I can sleep in - and I need it!

This morning it happened again. The clock woke me. I got out of the warm and cozy bed, did the morning routine, even had my boots on when I saw... it was 03:30! Again I had only dreamed the clock rang!
And Ingo said, "why didn´t you look at the clock at the ceiling?! The time is there in big numbers!"
Yep, maybe for someone who is long-sighted! ;-)

But he is right. I have to add this to my routine: Make sure it really is 05:40 BEFORE I really get up!!!

Double!

I said to my brother after we had left the old apartment for good on Thursday, "now I only need to get the bikes to the new apartment and that´s it then". He went like "???, no they are already there!"
"No, they are still here!"
"But which bikes did I bring down in the cellar of the new apartment???"

The ones from Ingo´s old apartment - have a look at the title here or see the bikes here - we have things like that twice, well in this case it´s two sets ;-)

When we came into the new apartment, my dear bro looked in amazement at the little red radio in the kitchen after saying hello to Ingo and went - "How did you get it in here so fast and when did you clean it???"

Well ;-)

Still I don´t know what to do with all the stuff we have twice...
My vacuum cleaner broke down after I cleaned out the apartment a last time - true, no joke! But still we have two toasters, two really big cooking pots, two meat-pans, ... you name it.

The handover of the old apartment went totally smooth!
The darn rests of the ripped down wallpaper were glued to the floor and it took me ages to get it off. I wasn´t done in the room, kitchen and corridor were ok when the concierge came 15 minutes early.
I was afraid that darn mother of the boy would certainly be with him and look for any sign of defect...
But no! The concierge quickly went from room to room, said, "I wouldn´t have cleaned up so proper! Go over there just once and you´re done! They got the wallpaper ripped off for free, what else do they want?" :-)
I told him there is a problem: Ingo still has the keys. He said, "just throw them in the mailbox later ... or give it your 'nice' neighbour ;-)" - she still complains every time she sees him that we would wash Ingo´s stuff and dry it secretly on the heating... Later on the boy came - alone. No more troubles (just that today right away at 08:00 he called me to remind me to handle over the keys - I bet they´re for his mother!...)


Oh - next time we visit Perth I will get another pie for free!! Same reason:
The radio played even the same song from the Simple Minds and Ingo went again, "ohhh Billy Idol". Nope. Another Euro and a pie for me!

Hopefully bye-bye!

Yesterday we got the last bit out of the apartment (now I only have to get rid of old cardboard boxes in the cellar. There are original boxes of things I don´t even own anymore!!!).

The concierge sent someone to rip down the wallpaper in the room. My dear brother came to help me get the job done in the corridor and kitchen (I rather helped him, certainly!! Thank you, man!).

Man... I had easy walls, but my brother had one that simply wouldn´t let go of paper. And the poor guy working in the room had four walls like that! Am I glad the concierge offered that help (and for free - gotta buy a thank-you-bottle of wine in a minute).

Gotta leave work early again to get the cellar done and clean the mess up. Meet the concierge and hand the keys over - and I bet that mother of the boy will fight because the floor doesn´t look like it´s new and whatever else she finds.
She wants an apartment brandnew, I suspect. For at best no money at all. Stupid woman!

I expect some hard time, but hopefully will be out of it by three o clock - and never come back.
Really sad, that woman gave it all a bad taste. I did like that apartment very much (apart from that stupid neighbor)...

And then I go back to the chaos... ;-)

Under a full moon

... did we move into the new apartment. Plan was Saturday night, but Friday my brother called me he wants to start - like right now!
I freed the fridge, washing machine and all the other stuff in the biggest hecticness. With just driving once we managed to get almost all furniture in the new apartment.

The TV, PC with table, balcony and armchair and still lots of stuff remained. And I have to be done ASAP - the concierge has to rip down the wall paper in the room before December. I am so tired!!!!

In thew apartment we can play billiard now:



Our first dinner - Baked Beans and Corned Beef - YUM :-) And I just love that red wall!



This is the view out of our bedroom - I really found a place to park the car :-)
Sure the red one it is :-)



A bedroom - how nice that is! How comfortable! The last 14 years I had to fold back my fouton every day. No more - just close the door! No more clothes hangimg in the hallway!

At the moment though it looks as if a bomb detonated in my room. That´ll still be a lot of work!
And no internet access yet either :-(

Starved

She weighed 7.4 kg, was five years old, her name was Lea-Sophie - and she lived in Schwerin. In Germany!

I still cannot believe it.
Normal would be some 20kg. The autopsy revealed she also had signs of massive assault and battery signs.

The 23-year old mother and the 26-year old father had dogs, well fed. Dirty, but well fed. And a baby-boy. He was removed and given to another family, luckily.

You might think all this is awful, and it is. Even more awful is: They lived in an apartment building and the neighbours claimed they hadn´t realized what was going on. Want more?
A neighbour found her ... no - saw her crying on the stairway. She was too weak to get up the stairs. The father (or mother, I can´t recall that article) came and dragged her upstairs violently.
The neighbour did nothing at all. But told this the newspaper.
She is an elderly woman. Who probably has had kids herself.

The social assistance office and the youth welfare office claimed they had not seen what was going on either.
Even more unbelievable: The youth welfare office was informed about a former case of neglectation.

Only two weeks ago they had to follow a trade on this.

And they didn´t see anything???

I don´t know what had happened to poor british Maddie.

Lea-Sophie is over it. Poor girl.

The news say, "youth welfare offices criticized".

Criticized???

In what kind of a world do we live in???

"Why", says the sign above. And I cannot answer this. Can you? Can anyone?


So far I found no article in english. Either you believe me or you read the german one here.
Here now is a shorter article in english from EuroNews.



"Again", says this sign. What´s wrong in Germany??? People kill their kids here.

She must have pleaded for food, water, I can not understand this.

Miss Landmine

I just stumbled over the site Miss Landmine 2008.
This project is to give those angolan women back some pride and to seek global awareness for the problem.

I went to see the canditates there. Most of them have kids and no jobs or partner. Many stumbled in the landmines not by working on the field but by fleeing from soldiers.

Am I thankful I can live this safe and rather rich life!

Freaky Wednesday

Woke up at 05:38 and thought, nooooo, only two minutes left! Had had a good night.
Went downstairs and thought, angrily, guys, stop dragging those darn ads under my windscreen wiper!!
Usually I would simply let go whilst driving, but this one looked like a note on a closer look (I parked under a lantern).

See doc above. Police department Brunswick. At 03:37 p.m. someone caused a damage at my car. What???
I quit a really crazy day at work at 02:45 and must´ve been home around 03:30 - that makes 7 minutes. I walked around the car - twice - and couldn´t see anything. Repeated that here at work - still dark, same result. Gotta go downstairs when it´s light.

Light... when I entered the office, I turned on the light switch - nothing. PC working (obvious). Had to crawl in the darkness under the unused desk beside me to free a small lamp. Kinda cozy here in my morning break!

On the way here I saw a motorbike. At speed 100 km/h - we have 0 °C!!!! I would freeze on that thing! I wanted to ask at the red light, but it was just a sec before it turned green again.

What a weird morning. I´m "curious" what the damage on the car is...

In apartment news: Still moving my stuff. How come there is so much stuff accumulated in only four years??? (Before that I was into flat sharing and had not much more than my one room)...
Saturday Hercules will come over with another strong guy to move all my bulky stuff - I have to make that clear today. I paid the gas to get here and they´ll get a big Pizza or whatever they like (well, in a reasonable range! ;-)...)
And then.
Then we live there.

Need to rip down the wall-paper on the last Thursday, `til then empty the old apartment.

This Thursday we hopefully have gas for heating and water in the new one (0 °C!!!! and something´s not working there!).

And then I will sleep, take a nap, whatever! And thank my helpers again!



BTW: I am to contact the police telephonically or personal with this document. How do I do that telephonically??? Is this a joke?

Addendum: It was a Crysler - a white Crysler, how lordly! From Peine, sure where else...
I´ll call them to say thanks for calling the police and all. My car is a company car and has to be in good condition.

Time runs

Pic "borrowed" from Knut´s blog.

Last week in the news they said Thomas Doerflein is no longer allowed to play with Knut - Knut is too dangerous now. He´s not even one year old!

Today we met my boss´s partner in the hardware store (he said, hey! another team member!" and I thought, hey, i just met my boss in another hardware store some weeks ago)...

Anyway... there was a little girl with him.
I know he has two kids, aged 8 plus. And a baby with his new girlfriend.

This was the baby!!! She is two and a half, can walk and talk!!!!

Man... when you don´t have kids, you don´t realize how time runs, really!!

I started calculating, and yep. True. This is the baby!

Bet next time she has a driving license!

Sleep over

All the years christmas was easy. I went to Ingo. Then to my family. In the night back to Ingo´s place, some 8 km away. No big deal.

I said to my brother, "darn it, how do I do it now?" - it´s some 70 km one way!

He said, "well, you can sleep in my old room."

I went, "nah. Since Ingo is here I cannot sleep alone anymore. I´d have nightmares."

Without much thinking he said, "no worries, I´ll sleep on the couch!"

Isn´t that the cutest thing in the world????

I certainly said, "and Alex (girlfriend) thinks we´re both freaks!"

Still I have no solution for the festive days...

The second name

of my brother...

We went to IKEA and bought some furniture for Ingo (what I wanted wasn´t available - again!). Ingo´s "Expedit" was flooded, he needed 2 new ones.

And man that stuff is not only bulky, but also partially really heavy!

We got it in the car, but then at home up the stairs was difficult.

The second one was the heavy one.

My brother said, "let´s let out the Hercules" and took off his coat.

I thought ???? He grabbed the part, dragged it on his back and went upstairs. Alone!!!!

Kitchen

So my bro and me put in the sink today - he is sewing with only one hand here! (I did the last bit so he could pick up the heavy middle-part and I needed both hands for sewing!):



The hole:



BTW - in this pic we really do look alike, I think. So why do people always ask my brother, "is that your new girlfriend?" ???

Noses, look at our noses...
We ARE brother and sister for sure!

Boy, did I suffer as a kid! "Pig", they called me or "outlet":-(. These days the nose makes me look younger, though :-)
Caused me troubles as well at age 18 on. Truth: Two years ago I was asked if I already have a driving license!!! :-)))

When we announced being ready - Ingo was home from work - we got some decoration. We kinda claimed the kitchen as ours in Ingo´s way (flag in wall):



Ingo isn´t on the pic cause, well... my brother truly earned being presented here ;-)

Another salute to little brothers here! :-)

Sox´s-season opened

... not the Red, the colored one, hehe ;-). Since yesterday to be honest:



Ingo´s Grandma made them. It all started some 12 years ago. We lived in the house with her and she finally wanted to welcome me to the family - by knitting a pair of her good socks.

And will you believe it - the wool wasn´t enough for a pair. She took some leftovers from another pair and made the heels and toes with that. She was rather embarrassed to give me such a "crap" pair.
I loved them.
Ingo too.

Now she collects leftovers, sits on the floor (aged 88!!!) to get the right amount of wool for making pairs and is so creative, everybody wants socks like that!

You can say, oh. look, Ingo has a pair just of this wool! I´ve got one with only this! This is from his father´s socks.. - fun!

It really took a long time to make her believe me I love those socks. You cannot buy them anywhere, no one in the world has those socks of mine!

She also adds that it´s hard work - but she says it with a smile :-)

17.5 °C in the apartment today - first time for the heating.

Apartment news: The girl who was interested as well didn´t call me. So I have to get in "fight" with that rich Mom of the poor guy who wants to get the apartment. Ack. Gonna call the concierge tomorrow.



A nasty day. Cold, rainy, grey.

I forced myself on the pushbike, direction gym.
Did some weight training and read a book on the push bike inside.

I´m fit - Ingo is asleep already. He does no "sport" (but made the slatted frame for our bed today!) - is it the "fresh" city-air that makes me fit, even in this weather - or the gym-sport, the mixture or is it me and him???

Horror!

I could not watch any horror movies for a long time. Now that Ingo is here, it´s different - I watched my first "horror" in a long time and had no bad dreams.

Ingo is watching "Supernatural" and this time I could freak out by just listening to him saying, "eeek, I get goosebumps here" or "owwww!", "eehhhhhh", "oh God!".

When someone says three times "Bloody Mary".... eeek - a woman appears in the mirror. Goosebumps! Not even the fact that Gilmore Girls´ Dean plays a role can make me watch!
Can someone understand me?

Just in time

... did Ingo change my car to winter-tyres - snowy rain this morning and in the news they just said last time winter was that early - and strong! - was in 1974!

I just so hope the snow doesn´t really come to this region or my home town - Ingo has to drive there every working day.
It´s so dangerous on the roads...

In apartment news: The mother called me today. She is interested in my apartment for her son. And she wants ME to remove the wall paper.
I took off a pic today and you cannot see any difference - no defect in my eyes on that wall!
My colleague said she once helped ripping off wall paper and it´s a lot of work...

In my contract I found I have to correct any defects, so I check with the concierge tomorrow.

Another young woman came to see the apartment today - I could handle it over to her as it is, giving her the laminate, storage stuff and the ventilator in the windowless bathroom for good.
Keep your fingers crossed she wants the apartment and the landlord accepts her...

Darn it, that arrogant mother said she suggested I ripp the wall-paper off "through the flower" when she was here. I replied, in that case she should have made herself absolutely clear! I bet the husband works for Volkswagen, so it is no matter of money - the richer you get, the more grasping you get as well, I guess.

11.11. 11:11

Eeek! We´re not in Cologne, are we?! In Cologne traditionally "the" carnival starts on Novemeber the 11th at 11:11 a.m. - and now Brunswick has a "Tanzmariechen" and a "medal" (pic above) as well - the whole humbug gets serious here, every year even more.

No, I will not join this tomorrow, no way. I never get the "jokes" and I hate to masquerade, always did. And I don´t get it why they do it at this time of the year?!

10 cm of new snow in the region my family lives. We went there today to

• clean out Ingo´s apartment for good (FINALLY!!! BYE, BYE dark ole "apartment"!)


• get winter-tyres on my car

And I wonder, is carnival also popular elsewhere?
You can read the article in german here.

The Wall

So. Today, 18 years ago the Berlin Wall fell.

I remember, next day at school Trabbis were everywhere, the smell was rather terrible.

People, so many people waving out of their cars or making the sign for victory.

Later that year our class went to visit the former DDR. Awful! The roads were in a very bad condition, as were the houses and everything.

Now everything is in a very good condition. Two of my colleagues are from "over there" and sometimes when they tell me about the "old" times I'm not sure if they are kidding.
I am thankful I grew up in "West Germany", or the BRD.

I wonder how these news were taken in other countries, were they mentioned at all? Do people assume we are really reunited?

Meme & stuff

At rizlablue´s blog I found this meme - a fun way to learn about history:

1) Go to Wikipedia

2) In the search box, type your birth month and day but not the year

3) List three events that happened on your birthday

4) List two important birthdays and one death

5) One holiday or observance (if any)

My birthday: January 19

Events

1883 - The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey.

1915 - George Claude patents the neon discharge tube for use in advertising.

1977 - Snow falls in Miami, Florida. This is the only time in the history of the city that snowfall has occurred. It also fell in the Bahamas.

Birthdays

1736 - James Watt, Scottish inventor (d. 1819)
1980 - Jenson Button, English Formula One driver

Deaths

1869 - Carl Reichenbach, German chemist and philosopher (b. 1788)

Holiday/observance

Confederate Heroes Day in Texas.


Stuff

Yesterday was so not effective. Both, my brother and me, were so darn tired and exhausted from the day before. we didn´t achieve much. The rack I wanted from IKEA wasn´t available. The town was so crowded, it took us ages to get there - for nothing.

We brought the unused laminate back to one hardware store and bought a sink and other small stuff in another. It was terrible. I had headaches nearly all day, we couldn´t concentrate.
And we had to stop working early since it was the last time this year we could go to the PTB for a guided tour.

I still am very tired and my eyes hurt.

Smallest in the world!

Scientists at the technical University in Braunschweig forged the smallest work-part in the world! The Nano-part is thousand times smaller than a grain of salt!!!

It works like in the Middle Ages - more or less ;-)
You find a hammer, an ambos and a work-part.
The ambos is a plate of silicon on which the work-part is put via a pin made out of wolfram. And certainly you need a microscope as well.

Small, very small - 1 nanometer is 1 part in a billion meter - unbelievable, is it?

You can read the article here (german).

Day off part I

After brunch my brother and me went to the new apartment yesterday and started renovating. Was a lot of fun and hard work.

Eeek, can you believe this??? The tenant before us had carpet over this:



The systems for laminate get better and better - after we understood how it works:



it didn´t take long and we had finished the bedroom!



(The curtain will be removed today!)

And, despite having lunch and dinner, a tour to the supermarket and to the hardware store, we even started - and finished!!! Ingo´s room!



So, today we only have to prepare the kitchen and then we can move in already!

At first I wanted to stay in this apartment 'til the very last day. But now I´m eager to move on.

Last Thursday my stupid neighbour drove me mad again. We sat in the kitchen, my brother at the window. I saw the neighbour on the access balcony again.

She wanted to look inside.
Ingo put on some special foil so that you can look out but not in - unless you come real close. Which she did. When her eyes where 1 cm apart from the window, my brother hit the window exactly there.
She bounced her head back, then hit with both hands against the window again and again and screamed she calls the police.
Sure, good thought. They can give her something to clean the mess up!

This will be no more soon!

So, now I´m waiting for another guy who wants to see the apartment, then my brother will be here and we go and make a kitchen!

Mumme - a whole mile

Last Sunday we went to join the Mumme-Meile (german). There was live-music with Radio 21, classic rock, and stuff around Mumme (german).

Mumme once was a strong beer that was exported all the way to the Caribbean in the Middle Ages - a local product! Now it comes without alcohol, just as a malt-extract.



You can mix it with beer or milk (we tried - don´t do that) and on Sunday we had baked ham with Mumme - So Yum!