A pinch of this and a sprinkle of that

My attention is currently too short to write an entry on just one topic. Therefore, I give you a list of a few things that are on my mind.

1) Black, brown, and gray are definitely the "it" colors this season. That or no one likes color here. Never thought I would think that my wardrobe is too colorful.

2) Even the Germans have tired of Obama. When I visited downtown Karlsruhe back in May, I noticed the 'Yes We Can' hamburger restaurant. Now, not even six months later, this restaurant has already been replace by a chinese place...or something like that. Maybe it was put out of business by the Hooters that has opened across the street.

3) Nothing moves at a quick pace here. I now expect everything to take longer than expected and longer than told.

4) You get used to the cold. It's not so bad. Hot tea has never looked so good.

5) Sunday really is a day of rest here. You can't even toss glass into the recycle containers or drill holes. Too loud.

6) You can learn English here by reading Crime stories. Englisch lernen mit krimis. My father-in-law reads stories like "Roses don't bleed" and "A Painting to Die for" to improve his English. When I took Latin back in high school I had to read Caesar, Ovid, and stupid stories about annoying Roman kids traveling to Britian who got stuck in a ditch. Not fair. Although I can't complain about Ovid.

7) Wine tasting here is a lot of fun. You can bring your dog, stay for as long as you want, and afterwords go for a hike to a ruined castle. Not to mention you can buy a case of wine for the price of two drinks at a jazz club on Bourbon St.

8) Pointing and saying "das" will get you far when buying produce and cheese (kase) at the market.

Just a few random thoughts....more soon