Thursday, January 20, 2011

Station Break

I'm putting this blog on a brief hiatus while I... a.) work on a couple of other projects I have going on and b.) figure out exactly where I want this blog to go.

My goal was to be nakedly honest with every picture and post and I find that trying to keep up that level of intensity on a daily basis is just too much. At the same time, allowing myself to slip back into glib and self-congratulatory humor leads to laziness on my part, and I find myself lacking motivation to post every day. I'm leaning strongly to modifying to a once-a-week post, which will improve the quality of my pictures for sure, but I still have to come to terms with the level of candidness I thought I wanted to post here.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

This will be here until somebody knocks it down in a drunken Fasching haze.

We took the Christmas decorations down this weekend. Usually, I'm itching to take them down the day after Christmas, but we didn't have many up this year and nothing that was in the way, as a tree seems to be after the presents are put away. Also, Germans keep celebrating the Christmas season right up until Fasching in February, so there are still decorations scattered about town.

Case in point:


Found this as I walked the dog around downtown Schweinfurt today. Everything is closed on Sunday, and that makes for a nice stroll when the sun is out - which it totally was today!! To tell the truth, I'm relieved the holidays are over. Ro did a fantastic job of keeping the holiday spirit around, but I could tell she was trying extra hard because I was... uh... not trying as hard. I wouldn't go so far as to say "sulking," but definitely not feelin' it.

With the weather taking a break from the doom and gloom, and the holidays safely tucked away in their boxes in the basement, I can start focusing on 2011 and all the awesome stuff that is going to happen this year. Awesome, expensive stuff - but totally worth it!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

It's not too big!

People sometimes ask me how I maintain such a positive attitude in the face of this deployment. I usually look over my shoulder to see who the heck they're talking to, and then when I realize they mean me, respond, "I play with dolls. Voodoo dolls of every member of Congress." It's a great stress reliever!

But honestly, I have to give props to my daily walk with my dog. I don't really push myself physically - it's not like I jog or anything. But that's mainly because I have a hard time staying upright when I'm LAUGHING SO HARD.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Ma petite Cezanne

Ro asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year and I said a 26-inch waistline and a private, nekkid reading of "To A Mouse" from Gerard Butler. She gave me a look that could wither a marble statue and asked what I might like from her for Christmas. I asked for some of her artwork to put in a little frame and went to sulk about my waistline.

I'm not embarrassed to tell you that I totally cried when I opened this. Big, fat, drippy tears that dumbfounded Ro and that she will no doubt remind me of when next I tell her to stop being so dramatic.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Saucy

I wanted to have the thank you note in my in-laws' hands before I posted this picture, but since their note is still sitting on my desk waiting to be mailed, I guess that's not going to happen.

This is one of three (three!!) awesome, awesome cookbooks they sent me for Christmas. This one is 612 pages and in addition to giving a brief history of sauce making (ancient Greeks used fermented fish guts - blech), includes the hows and whys and what-with's of basically every kind of classic and modern sauce-making concoction you can think of! I'm so excited I don't even care that I ended that sentence with a preposition!

Anyway, I'm anxious to start my self-appointed lesson plan. The first class is on... lemme see here... [flipping pages] - ah, Liaisons! Oooh, sounds so illicit, doesn't it? Leave it to the French to make "thickening agent" sound dirty.

Okay, I'm off to liaison with something butter based. See you after my heart attack!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

In my defense, part of my brain is still missing.

Yesterday the mothership of all headaches crashed landed into the back of my head and search and rescue had to go looking for my brains under all the debris. It was messy. And incapacitating. Ergo, no picture.

Today, miracle of all miracles, THE SUN CAME OUT. I know! I was so excited that I packed the dog into the car and raced downtown to hang out in the sluice-ways of mud (formerly known as sidewalks) with the rest of the town. And forgot to check my camera for the memory card. But rather than drop the ball two days in a row (which makes it hard to keep track of which day I'm on) I'll just post a picture I took last week, and we'll pretend it's from today, okay? No? Not okay? Well, tough, it's my blog.


This is the head of a stone fountain in a park not far from where I live. I had to get right up on this sucker before I could figure out that was an upturned face. Pretty grotesque, really.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

75

Just squeaked this pick in today. School was cancelled due to the 4 inch sheet of ICE coating every surface outside. I found this out at 6 a.m. when I let the dog out to pee and promptly fell on my butt. Which was still in pajama pants. Stop laughing, dammit.

Anyway, I decided to make a huge batch of caramel corn and Ro and I had a movie afternoon. What good is staying home if you can't rot your teeth AND your brain at the same time?

Also, today is day 75 out of 365. It's too long. And not long enough.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Bright Spot.


This is either a new school or a new wing to the old school that it sits next door to. (He he. "Old school.") It was completed last year. I love the bright colors in the snow. Behind this building sits a couple of fields that in the summer grow wheat and it's symbiotic little sidekick, red poppies. I can't wait to see that landscape!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

It's still snowing.

And I hate it a little more EVERY DAY. Which has absolutely nothing to do with this picture, I just felt like getting that out there.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Happy New Year

I hereby renew my effort to post a picture EVERY DANG DAY!
Yes, I know I'm a day late for new year's resolutions - the irony is not lost on me, I assure you.

It's so hard when the sun has been in what seems like permanent exile - everything is gray, gray, GRAY. And photography is supposed to be about writing with light, right? NOT VERY INSPIRING, MOTHER NATURE.

I imagine this means even more reliance on my reluctant (or oblivious, as the case may be) models, Heidi and Ro.