Home Sweet Home

Well, I finally made it back to the US and to work.
What a wonderful visit it was. I wish I could have stayed longer (or forever). I finally got to meet my brother's girlfriend. Their little baby boy will be here soon. I hope it won't take years for me to finally get to see him.
I saw a bunch of old friends of mine and found out that another one is working where my dad works and they talked to each other before but never realized who they were actually talking to. So, I got in contact with her and will try to see her the next time I am over there.
Other than that I am just tired and hurting, but luckily the weekend isn't too far away. It is kind of nice getting back home and sleeping in your own bed again but it is such a pain to unpack everything and put everything away. I think I need a vacation.

One more time...

I figured I'd better post one more time before this year is over. Tomorrow I will be on my way to beautiful Germany...FINALLY!!!!
I can't wait. But there is still so much to do. But packing is not that big of a deal to me since I just pack everything!
Anyways, I hope you have Wonderful Holidays and a Happy New Year!!!!

15 years later.....

So yesterday was the 15th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. Just one month and three days after I left East Germany with my family. I remember thinking how much it sucked since we just went through all this trouble of leaving and now everybody could just leave (I was just 10 years old), but looking back on it I think we still made a good decision.
This article says it all. Having family on both sides of the "wall" I can see the sentiments of people and what their thoughts are. Even I can still see differences in the people, but after only 15 years that is to be expected since most of the people remember how it was before and still have the mind set of that time, which is not a bad thing.
I think it is sad that those differences still exist, especially because they cause resentment, but you have to consider the circumstances. Things like that don't change over night and apparently not in 15 years. We'll see how long it takes...

He died....Again

Ok, so is it true now????
I don't know, but if you ask me it's all a big conspiracy and he has been dead for years.......

-via The Drudge Report

Update: or NOT

GO!

Tomorrow is election day and all of you out there better go vote. I wish I could go vote and it bugs me that I can't but at least I can make sure that people who have the privilege to vote here go and fulfill their democratic duty because that is what it is. You have to vote.
So, go to bed early get up at 6 and be at the polls at 7 or whenever they open in your neighborhood. Thanks.

Court allows political asylum from Germany / Afghan fled Soviets first, then neo-Nazis

What a bunch of bullshit.
So, this lady claims that the German government wasn't protecting her from the neo-Nazis in Germany and that is why and court in the US granted her asylum.
So, could I actually apply for asylum in the US as well since our apartment was broken into and I was attacked by groups of people before as well? But now that I think of it, that mainly happened in areas of Hamburg like Bergedorf. It is an area with a very high unemployment rate, something you could compare to the projects in the US. So, if this Zakia Mashiri is going to move into some kind of bad neighborhood in the US and gets threatened where is she going to go then?
I like the comment I heard on the radio from some official in Hamburg (sorry, I am bad with names). Germany is going to appeal and will try to get the asylum revoked in which case she needs to move back to Germany and then, since she is not a citizen her asylum status will be reconsidered and since things are better in Afghanistan she can go back to where she came from.
BTW, her husband is under investigation of social security fraud in Germany. Great.

15 years

My mom reminded me today that 15 years ago we left East Germany. I always thought it was during the summer but I guess I was wrong. So, it was October 6th 1989 and only a month and three days later the wall came down on November 9th. By then we had made out way from Giessen where they had a huge refugee camp, up north to Hamburg where we lived on a boat, functioning as a refugee camp....Do you call them camps???? There was a TV room downstairs and that is where we together with about 50 other East Germans watched as they tore down the wall. A few months later, towards the middle of January 1990 we finally moved into an apartment (all too ourselves). My parents started out with nothing...Well, except for the 100 Marks they gave you. Just 8 years later they bought a house, which is so impressive to me. Anybody can do it. You just have to believe in it.......
Anyways, 15 years doesn't sound very long but it is everything to me. I don't even want to think about where I would be,considering which part of Berlin we lived in.

Prost

Guess where I am going tonight????
Even though the food sucks the beer is OK and so it won't be that bad to sit out there and enjoy the wonderful German music (NOT). At least the weather is better than it was the last couple of years. I remember last year I had to wear my winter coat already.

So, if you have nothing better to do why not go to the Oktoberfest at Ft. Belvoir??? It'll be going on until Sunday.

The Animal

Hopefully today I will be getting a new vacuum cleaner!!! I think I'll get the Dyson Animal, but I want to see it first. Kind of exciting. Our old one broke last night, but we had it for five years so I think it has done its job well. Since we will be going to Target I might also be able to get some new sheets!!!! How exciting...it's like Christmas!!!!!!

Windy

I bet those people in Florida are happy once the hurricane season is over...
My mother in law was evacuated last week and since schools are closed this week too (she is a teacher) she decided to have a vacation....Not bad. I hope though that she will be able to get back home soon. She doesn't even know yet if and how much her home was damaged.
I am glad I don't live there.

-via CNN

German (small) Change

I had to giggle when I read this. That is so German.....Pay with exact change. I used to try to pay the exact amount when I came to the US but I felt so bad having people wait behind me while I am digging in my purse for pennies. That's why I love Coinstar. It's perfect.

Happy September!!!!

Did you ever notice how fast time goes by the older you get???? I remember when summers where endlessly long and now they just pass. But luckily in this climate we get to enjoy the nice temperatures a little bit longer.
September is going to be busy. A long weekend is coming up and we're going to King's Dominion!!!
But the most important thing is that now it's just three months until I go to Germany.....

Why Not?

This makes perfect sense to me...

-via Ananova

Enough

I have had enough for today. It's been a way too long day and all I want is to go home have a nice cool glass of wine and enjoy the rest of the day.

Stapling

I think I am too stupid to staple things together. After about one and a half years I am now at my third stapler. At some point it just won't staple anymore. They don't go through...I have no idea what I am doing wrong but it must be something I am doing wrong....So, because I am too embarrassed to ask for a new one I snatched one from somebody else's desk since they left. I hope I don't break this one. It's heavier so now my wrist hurts. Can you tell I'm blond?

Garlic

On Saturday I made dinner and used a bunch of garlic and to this day (Monday) my hands still smell like garlic. I know there are certain ways of getting that smell off you but I haven't found it yet. I usually love garlic and how it smells but I have had enough of it....Nothing like waking up at 5:30 in the morning and instead of fresh coffee you smell garlic.

CNN.com - Seven Texas children found in Nigeria orphanage

That is just sick. How could you do that to children?
It makes me sick when I hear stuff like that. Couldn't they make her live this way for the rest of her life? That would be just.

Bad

Today was bad. I am tired but I slept enough and then again I am cold. Just a typical Monday.
Ciao.

Vacation

I booked our flights to Germany this weekend. We'll be there for Christmas and New Years!!!! I am so excited. I hate it when it comes to buying the tickets though. Because we first make the plans and try to figure out the schedule and I start looking at prices. I usually find cheap ones and then I need to save money and then once I saved enough the tickets are more. I had luck this time though. The tickets cost as much hey did two months ago which was pretty surprising. But maybe it's because it is still 4 months out.
....only 4 months???? Cool!!!!

WEEKEND!!!!!!

Isn't it wonderful? I can't wait. I am going to get my Spa-treatment tomorrow. It'll be great.
Have a nice weekend.
Ciao.