Speyer 11-07-08

This has been a long time in coming for one very big reason: while putting the video together in Picasa, I was trying to make sure I used the same specs I used in the last video (Rotterdam) and managed to save the new video over the old video, thereby deleting my Rotterdam video from my hard drive. I can't figure out how to get the video off of Google, so I've been so disgusted with the whole thing that I've not wanted to return to the project at all. That and I was being a bit lazy. Without further ado, however, here it is - what you've all been waiting for - the beginning of the end... Andy and I have a friend from Germany whom we met in college. We've both been to see him and stay with his family, twice for me and once for Andy. He's a nice guy and his family is wonderful and incredibly hospitable. Since we were in Europe we couldn't not take a trip to see Martin, and since I'd been to Berlin, Mannheim and Heidelberg already, we decided to take a trip to southern Bavaria to see Neuschwanstein (literally something like New Swan Castle - I don't know what stein is besides a beer mug!). The first day we were in Germany, though, we took a day trip to Speyer, a little town close to Heidelberg and Mannheim. These are photos from that part of the trip. Enjoy!

What's Shakin'

I’ve been away for quite a while now – Andy and I have returned to the States and are back in Chicago after a dreamlike month back home. Returning to Chicago at the beginning of a cold and snowy January from a warm and sunny Texas is a bit like slamming your forehead into a brick wall. At least it gives more than granite…

Now for the really exciting stuff: what’s coming up! As you’ve all seen, I’ve been a huge slacker when it comes to posting photos for the last few trips. Never fear, however! Come Monday, I’ll post the photos from Germany, then the ones from Paris, and then, most exciting of all, THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE! It turned out very nicely, and I want to do one for next year, though I have now forgotten whatever brilliant ideas I had besides using sugar cookie instead of gingerbread, since apparently the only people who like gingerbread are my mom and my husband. Who knew!

In less pleasantly wonderful news, the return to pre-European weight continues. I blame the salad. And the bizarre-o egg cravings.

Incognito

It's been a LONG while since I updated anybody one what's shaking in the Netherlands, but that's because I don't know anymore! Andy and I got home safe and sound after a long flight to Philly and a longer (it felt that way) flight to DFW on a HOT, uncomfortable, drinkless US Airways flight. I was actually sweating when we landed, so I will probably avoid flying on any of their domestic flights in the future, and probably the international ones as well. Any company that's too cheap to serve me a free soda and too cheap to turn on the AIR CONDITIONING is too cheap to deserve my patronage. Southwest has cheaper flights and still serves a free beverage and uses air conditioning (last I checked, I don't fly much).

So what have I been doing since arriving in the Lone Star State (also known as the greatest state in the Union)? I've gone Christmas shopping, started making plans for a gingerbread house for my mom (gingerbread is so nasty), bought a graduation gift for my brother, thought about buying a wedding gift for my other brother who got married last summer and otherwise made a nuisance of myself. I did also come up with some new designs for a friend's website, but I have yet to remember to ask her permission for me to blog about it, so I can't tell you much. =)

I'll update you on my culinary experiences and post photos from Germany, Belgium and Paris next week if I can convince my lazy booty to do so. That reminds me - I became fairly convinced while in Europe that I had lost a good bit of weight - most of my pants, especially my slacks, which had been a bit snug - were practically falling off. It turns out I lost 10 pounds while there. I've gained 2 of them back in 12 short days. =)

Things I'm Not Going to Miss... Much Longer

I've been MIA for a few weeks now and thought I'd put one more post up before heading back to the States.

It's been fun, it's been real, but man, I am ready to go home.

In no particular order here are the foods I can't wait to eat:

• brownies
• Andrew's [In]Famous chocolate chip cookies*
• ranger crispies
• my family's chicken fried steak
• my dad's augratten potatoes
• lasagna
• fried okra
• fried catfish
• cake (just give me real, honest to goodness cake!)
• vanilla/chocolate Blue Bell ice cream
• tamales
• ribs
• chili cheese dogs
• turkey sandwiches (who would ever have thought there aren't turkeys in Europe**!)
• Andy's breakfast burritos
• my family's hamburgers
• my dad's gumbo
• sausage (the Dutch don't know sausage)
• twice baked potatoes
• Andy's chicken alfredo pizza
• my mom's pepperoni/sausage pizza
• Andy's spinach calzones
• Andy's mushroom white sauce stuff***
• quesadillas
• pb&j sandwiches
• tuna fish crackers (with Saltines!)
• 45 Minute Cream Cheese Cake

Maybe I'll have enough time to drop a few more things I can't wait to do (like drive a car for the first time in 5 and a half months) or places I can't wait to eat or just things I can't wait for in general.

*These were once a Calvert House specialty. Alas the baker took a job working for some fancy shmancy NYC law firm, and now the only thing I have recourse to are my own unworthy version of his recipe.

**Yes, yes, I know [knew] there aren't turkeys in Europe, but I never thought about it meaning no more turkey sandwiches. I actually gave up eating sandwiches, because I couldn't take it anymore.

***It's amazingly good and the original recipe (now modified by Andy) was from Wolfgang Puck.

The Process II

It's been a while since I last posted on said topic, but we finally got our BSS numbers, and the bank account. The first time we went in, Andy accidentally mentioned that the UChicago department address wasn't our home address. They didn't like that and informed us we would need to provide them with a utility bill (A UTILITY BILL!) with our home address on it. Fortunately, since the California mail fiasco*, I have one of the utility companies send me an email with our bill as a pdf (not so tech savvy), and Andy could print this out at work. When we next went into the bank, Andy avoided mentioning the information regarding said address, and we got the account setup without further difficulties.

As for the envelope my mom sent us, we don't know where it went, but it took FOUR weeks to get to us. Priority mail my bootay. In the meantime we probably received a half dozen letters from Andy's mom, each within about 3 days of the postmark. Priority mail must get routed through Chicago... Fortunately, we didn't need that to get the BSS numbers, just to register as citizens and get our special I-live-in-Europe cards, which we didn't really care about anyways, though maybe if they knew we didn't have them after 90 days they'd kick us out. Who knows.

Once we got the original documents we went back to the Gementee office (I guess that means government or that other word I'm thinking of, but I can't remember what it is and it starts with a c**) and registrated*** our marriage. A couple weeks later, Andy received a letter stating that he need to present himself in Rijskwijk to pick up his citizenship card thingy. We walk into a long room with little offices along each wall. You had to be buzzed into the offices, which, if I remember correctly, had windows facing into the bigger room. It was very strange and somewhat creepy. So Andy walked in, showed them his passport, received the card and we went home. Why why why?

I still don't have my card. I was somewhat hoping it would be important, I would be caught without it, and then I would get to go home early courtesy the Dutch government. No such luck. ;)

So that's it for the process. I've since learned that it's a bit ridiculous in every country, but I still don't understand why we had to go to THREE different offices to accomplish this task. I can sort of understand Den Haag and the local office, but Rijkswijk??? Did they just elect the right guy who pulled the right strings to get them the important office of temporary-citizenship-card-thingy issuers? And why weren't the photocopied documents that were acceptable to the national government acceptable to the local government? These are questions of lasting importance to the well being of the world, and they must be answered!

*The California mail fiasco was initiated when Andy and I spent a summer in California. We had our mail temporarily forwarded there, and now a good chunk of our mail still goes to California. I haven't seen certain utility bills since we left California, while we were still in Chicago, I had my insurance company mail me at work, and I don't even want to know what I don't know didn't arrive at our Chicago address.

**Actually, the word does NOT start with a c. It in fact starts with an m and is municipal. ;)

***What in blue blazes is registrated anyways? Is this a word the British use instead of registered and the poor, unfortunate Dutch picked it up from them thinking it was proper English? ;) Or is it a Dutchified version of registered? The world may never know...

Rotterdam Zoo 10-04-08

Andy and I went to Rotterdam a couple weeks ago to visit the zoo and had a pretty good time even though it was pretty cold for visiting the zoo. I was surprised at how many animals were still outside, but even if they'd been inside, many of the exhibits had indoor visitors areas. I was disappointed by the size of the exhibits, most notably the rhinoceros exhibit which seemed pretty small for such a large animal. For a small zoo, however, it had quite a variety of animals. I made a movie of the photos since there were so many, but as always, you can check them out individually below. Have fun!

*Red vs Blue is a super funny web series based in Halo, the exceedingly popular first person shooter. As a warning, they have potty mouths.

**Prairie dogs have long been the bane of cattle and horse ranchers, as they are suspected of both eating all the grass and digging holes into which unsuspecting animals (particularly horses) step, breaking their legs (possibly throwing a rider, who then may also injure himself). Said animals are usually killed as the expense and unlikelihood of properly repairing the injury outweigh the animal's value.*** Some wildlife experts believe this long held belief to be highly suspect.

***It's somewhat ironic to note that we've begun doing this to humans...