this might be me...

2006 BLOG archives

31.12.06

Old year new year.
Another one bites the dust. It's been the most eventful year of my life I think. Recap...

January....uhhh I can't remember. I was in Germany part of last December, so I was probably spending January thinking about Germany.
February....almost complete month spent in Germany. Saw some castles and started trying to move here.
March.....no clue, it probably rained in Oregon.
April....no Clue. It probably rained in Oregon.
May...probably wanted to take the top off the jeep. Sun might have come out in Oregon.
June....Came back to Germany for the month. World cup. Drunk Brits singing God save the queen...drunk Germans...Drunks Mexicans...watching some old Cuban guy make cigars on the street...bloody hot and the only place with A/C is starbucks.
July...home for a few weeks. Getting ready to go. Had to say bye to people...sell the jeep and pack stuff.
August... First month in DE. Lonely and bloody hot again. Made some German friends but they only get together once or twice a week. The rest of the time was spent alone.
September...Got a real Frankfurt apartment. Commute went up but well worth it. Have to sleep with the backdoor open cuz it gets so hot. As a result the biggest mosquitoes ever tried to eat me.
October...can't remember, but I think it finally started raining. I also think I went to Ikea.
November...Went to Denver. Decide I don't like the States at all anymore.
December...christmas market below my flat. Gluhvein and amaretto...tasty...Made lots of friends. Got angry at slow moving americans (and other tourists) on my street. You're not in American anymore...WALK FASTER!!!!

I also have to remember everyone who made this a great year for me. Adrienne for being supportive, Parents, Grandparents, the old timers at nobeltec, the new timers at Jeppesen, everyone who came to my going away party at work, Jay, Kati, Rags, Ken, Lisa, Monica, Kevin (jerk) + wife (I can't believe you married that jerk), and a bunch of other people I might be forgetting.
also Dave, Rhonda + kids, Bob, Cindy + Kids, Katie, Roger, Chelsea,

new people in Germany. Colleagues, Philipp, Sabine, Tina, Veronique, Karsten, Steffi, Stephi, Mario, Dorothee, Simone, Florian, Florian, Petra, and since I'm bad with names I'm missing a lot of people that I used to hang out with when I lived in N.I. and came here on business trips.

New people in Frankfurt a.M.: Vikki, Clinton, Matt, Kat, Jeff (pops), Phong, Vladdi, Lucky, Uncle Tony, Phil, Dennis, Anne, Ben, Jen, Ewa, Monty (not!), Cora da explora, Jess, Nadja, Rhona, and all the people whose names I can't recall.
funny, I think there are only 2 Germans in that last sentence. The rest are Euro trash or wannabe paddies (I use euro trash with all the affection in the world. I consider americans to be euro trash too - only without the roots and Indian Breeding).
oh wait I guess there's a couple ozzies in there too.

I'll probably have to edit that list later when I think about it.

30.12.06

Weird how many people I've met once or twice and will never see again. Seems to be Ozzies particularly. Must be some kind of coming of age thing where the 20 year old Ozzies travel Europe or wherever just wandering...staying with friends...working occasionally then traveling some more...why couldn't I have ever done that? What else did I miss out on in life?

Babel was quite good. One of the better  movies I saw all year, but then it's December and I can't remember what I saw in January so ignore that statement....one of the better movies I saw in the past week.

Also saw Deja Vu. which reminded me why I don't normally see movies except either in the daytime or at the late showing...too many loud people and food wrappers.
uhhh...I guess if you can buy into a storyline like that the movies was OK. Val Kilmer is fat.
Val Kilmer was in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang which is a smashing movie. OK I think I talked about it before, but that must've been one of the better movies I saw this year, even though I think it came out last year.

what is Democracy if not the tyranny of the majority?

26.12.06

Thanks to Lucky for losing Matt's keys and having to stay with me 2 nights in a row!!!! Good job son! Bloody Ozzies...Nothing like waking up to the ugliest girl ever!!!!

The Irish opens today after 2 nights closed. About time!!!

Going to see Babel this afternoon unless it's super crowded at the Englisch cinema. Kind of excited. Haven't been to the cinema in a few weeks.

25.12.06

I thought everything was going to be closed today, but I think there's more stuff open today than yesterday. It seems the Germans spend the 24th with family, and the 25 is more of a family and friends day. This is good for me.

Friends are still gone so it's a tad lonely.

an ozzie told me "Joe Squires is such an american name". Hadn't really thought about it, but I have not met anyone named joe or joseph since I've been here.

24.12.06

The streets outside my flat are rather deserted. At least Starbucks is open, but the newspaper stands are all closed (there are no newspaper machines here - just those news and magazine stores).

I realized while walking back that I've missed at least one of every family function ever (b-days, Thanksgivings, easter dinners) but I've never missed x-mas eve at my nanny and grandpas. First time for everything I guess. At least I managed to buy 0 gifts - not even a card...
Not sure of plans tonight...I'm sure someplace will be open for all the lonely people in Frankfurt. I guess I didn't look pathetic enough to get an invite for dinner anywhere.

So in honour of christmas here's the lyrics to the best song of the season ever. A bitter love story of Irish immigrants.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairytale_of_New_York

or

try this for same lyrics in a comic strip.

It was Christmas Eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me, won't see another one
And then he sang a song
The rare old mountain DEW
I turned my face away
And dreamed about you

Got on a lucky one
Came in eighteen to one
I've got a feeling
This year's for me and you
So happy Christmas
I love you baby
I can see a better time
When all our dreams come true

They've got cars big as bars
They've got rivers of gold
But the wind goes right through you
It's no place for the old
When you first took my hand
On a cold Christmas Eve
You promised me
Broadway was waiting for me

You were handsome
You were pretty
Queen of New York City
When the band finished playing
They howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging,
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on a corner
Then danced through the night

(chorus)
The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day

You're a bum
You're a punk
You're an old slut on junk
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
You scumbag, you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy Christmas your arse
I pray God it's our last

(chorus)

I could have been someone
Well so could anyone
You took my dreams from me
When I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone
I've built my dreams around you

(chorus)

23.12.06

So I finally got pics back from other people....Posting a million of them now....On the day the xmas fair has closed....depressing that it's all gone now...no more throngs of people below my flat....no more smell of peanut and popcorn and chocolate...and sausage.... The only street performers I saw today were a couple of 14 year olds right below my flat who weren't very good...Matt suggested I throw hot oil on them...but I had no oil to throw....

22.12.06

Way to go Jeff (Pops) for earning your new nickname "Captain Ahab". Get the bloody whale!!!!!! 500€ +20€ = physically impossible.
Call me Ishmael!

I'm thinking of taking up the spoons. Matt's suggestion...

20.12.06

Why are there candy guts all over my floor?

Thanks to Matt, Phong, Singer Phil, and Blossom for testing my 4 people in the elevator theory...The sign says only 3 people but we all know how signs are put in elevators by the man to keep us down...(literally down...on the E floor or U floor or whatever it is. Not to be confused by the stupid Americans as the 1st floor which is not the ground, but the first floor above the ground).
and a special holiday thanks to my friends for putting up with my boorish behavior....much obliged.

an interesting article for the holidays http://www.slate.com/id/2155683/

18.12.06

Ma'amchester United rocks!!! Congrats on this season which will be the biggest letdown ever!!!
Thanks to the ref for making me 3€ by carding some loser at the 94th minute.

I got laughed off the table when I asked when the playoffs start. Apparently in the Premiership there are no playoffs.

Good thing I don't have a way for people to add comments to this page.

Below with the family at the christmas market (can we get a pic where someone doesn't have middle finger extended?). That's me behind kat's hand. Others are from Jeff's Birthday (pops), and below that is the family portrait we gave pops on his birthday. He claims to have it displayed proudly in his living room.

17.12.06

It's great fun when the horn playing street performers switch between xmas carols and star wars songs...

Went again to see the same band from last night. Great time. After the show the Banjo player sat at our table and we all sat around and sang with him. It was good fun.

16.12.06

Last night went to a show of an ex Pogues guitarist (http://homeofperfect.de/).

Great show. It's quite Frankfurt to sit in an Irish pub with a Frenchie (hi Frenchie!) in Germany and listen to Irish people speak German.
had a great time...Maybe will go back tonight since he plays again...will have to bring an Aussie or Limey or something since Frenchie is busy.

Pogues...Greatest band ever!!!

Met a French midget last weekend...I so wanted to shoot her out of a cannon.

I know nobody really likes a blog with "feelings", but I'm feeling quite content and happy in Frankfurt at the moment. I have good friends, good times, good job. I don't miss the states at all.
I think a lot of my ex-pat friends are going home so I'll be alone this xmas, but oh well. I think I'll survive.
I think they will have strolling carolers or something in the Square.

13.12.06

Sick sick sick. 5 hours of sleep for about 4 weeks in a row and somehow I'm not getting any healthier...Must be Pneumonia. I think my colleagues are worried.
Good thing someone invented red bull and diet pills. ***hands shaking uncontrollably***

Drinking French wine alone.
Staying in tonight to cure myself.

still listening to Modest Mouse album. egads.

11.12.06

Watched Monty Python (Grail). Classic...at Matt's flat.
If you own the DVD watch the scenes that were translated into Japanese then shown with subtitles...I know it sounds weird, but it's hilarious.

Also off work today so listened to the last modest Mouse album about 3 times.

8.12.06

I am not afraid of clowns...I am not afraid of clowns...I am not afraid of clowns...

04.12.06

The brits are gone...
My friends Vikki and Clinton came from London. I took over my flat from Vikki and so we kept in touch and now they came to visit again. Since we had such a great time on their last night here. I think there was some drinking involved. Clinton got sick cuz he's weak...
So this weekend we went to the xmas fair, the Irish Pub, the Irish pub and the Irish Pub. At least the barkeeps were different each time.
I'm sure they defended the Queen and stuff...Limeys...
i jest, but they are good people and food friends. Clinton can dance and I can't play pool.

Tonight it was newcomers Network. The places for non Germans to hang out and "mingle". We didn't Mingle

. Who likes them people? The same group of us from the Irish pub sit and make fun of everyone else...
We like strangers. I hate Americans.

Matt's a wussy boy!

Modest Mouse Rules!!!

We saw Borat today (second time for me). I still didn't see the "Throw the Jew down the well" scene again that all the critics talked about. Did they edit it from the German version of the film?
Do they have censors in Germany?

The story of the ex-KGB guy who was poisoned in the UK is quite an interesting story. I wonder how it's covered in the States.

24.11.06

Got back from Denver Tuesday. Denver is my least favorite city EVER!!!
The Gnarls Barkley album is one of the better I've heard all year.
The christmas fair started yesterday. It smells of chocolate and roasted nuts. It takes me 5 times longer to walk from Hauptwache (U-Bahn/Underground/Subway station) to my flat because it's so crowded.

09.11.06

Going to Denver for a week. Not excited to go to Denver. However am excited for Mexican food and used clothing warehouses.

Denver is one of my least favorite cities, but it's the first place I ever saw two starbucks across the street from each other. When that's the highlight of your city...

07.11.06

I never knew what a plastic paddy was until Matt explained to me that's it someone like him.

Matt rhymes with Kat.

what's on yer face?

25.10.06

I've decided that Oprah is the fat, black George Bush...no wait, that's racist. George Bush is the skinny white Oprah Winfrey...Neither one is necessarily a bad person but they're only president (or famous) because there's a lot of stupid people in this world. people who like celebrities because they're celebrities are stupider.

08.10.06

Sunday night. Saw the Black Dahlia today. It was OK I guess. The ending got a little weird. Not as weird as Perfume, so compared to Perfume the ending makes perfect sense. My fault for being confused.

Listening to Son House. I find myself listening to strange music now that I'm here. I guess it's my own fault for being selective about what CD's I brought over with me. I left a bunch behind, but I grabbed some weird stuff I hadn't listened to for years and years.

07.11.06

Yesterday I bought some DVD's. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was one of them. I rather enjoyed it. I heard it was good and it was very excellent.

There's a car show in the Zeil near here. Lots of old cars. Many of them I've never heard of before, and even some models of American cars I've never seen before. It was neat-o.

07.10.06

Last night I went to some sort of Australian sports pub?!? I guess that's what it's supposed to be. It's tiny, but I ordered a bagel sandwich. It was chicken lettuce tomato and "peanut sauce". I read that and was imagining something like you find on a Thai pizza. A sort of sweet n spicy sauce. Sounds good right? I ate it and was trying to figure out what this strange taste was...and it's PEANUT BUTTER!!!
It's a little funny, but it actually didn't taste half bad. I enjoyed it.

Apparently there's a custom here where a soon to be bride goes out with friends and tries to sell "stuff". I guess it's to raise money and make her embarrassed. Last night there was one of those and I managed to invite myself to the wedding. I have a handwritten invitation with an address and time, and while I was gung ho to go last night I don't think I will.

I couldn't show up without a gift, and I don't have a suit or anything, so oh well.

I woke up with a puddle of water on the floor. I couldn't figure out where it came from, but after about 8 hours I did. It was from the wall. weird. oh well.

04.10.06

Weird how you don't notice something until you notice it.

I noticed today that there really aren't any overhead powerlines anywhere in Germany except on the streetcar tracks. I guess they're all underground, cuz I have power most of the time.

Similar experience with freckles. I saw someone with freckles a few weeks ago and it dawned on me that I hadn't noticed freckles on anyone else up to that point.

03.10.06

Last night was preview night at the English theatre. They don’t tell you what movie is playing, but it’s one that hasn’t been released here. I’ve never gone, but it was a full rowdy crowd (and no 20 minutes of commercials before it started). They showed Talladega nights with will ferrel. It was OK. There were a few laughs in it. Sacha Cohen was great in it as a Gay French NASCAR Driver.

Then after they have an all you can eat late night buffet at the Ozzie place. It’s only 4€ for salad and meatballs and rice and such. Pretty decent food for the price. Since I have tomorrow off I’ll probably go back tonight.

Today it’s pouring again, and most places are closed (reunification day - Viva la Deutschland), but they have an flea market in the Zeil. Lots of cool stuff, but pretty expensive I thought. They did have a candy booth where they were roasting nuts and making candy in a big tub. It smelled really good. They also had an outdoor meat grilling station. I went to Burger king instead.

02.10.06

Wow, every entry has a different font. I should fix that.
I can't believe it's October already. It's finally cooling off the last couple weeks. We did have a few days approaching 80F last week, but it's cloudy now and I can start wearing sweatshirts.

They apparently serve a mcFalafel at McDonalds in Egypt. Thank you International Tribune.
English Newspapers are expensive here. There are about 5 from the U.K. and one that's an international version of the NY Times (my favourite paper in the states), but the version here isn't as good and costs more than twice as much. Oh well. I do have a newfound fondness for British papers. They're not afraid to put down the people they're writing about. It's amusing. Bit more of a cross between gossip papers and impartial journalism.

I have 3 days off this week since I have 2.5 weeks to use before the end of December. By then I'll have worked in this country for 5 months (Aug - Dec) and for that I get 13 days off. Did I mention that this country is great. actually tomorrow is Reunification Day. Strange that I can remember watching news when the wall was opened. That was a long time ago.

I went to Ikea last weekend. I mostly bought plants and vases. I just need some color for my walls. It's all white in here.

In the last couple weeks I've seen "Thank you for Smoking", "Parfum", "Crank", and "Miami Vice". There's an english cinema close by so a few weeks/months after a movie is released in the States they show up here. The selection now is obviously not that great, but it can only get better from here.
I do have to recommend "thank you for Smoking" and possibly Perfume (or is it Parfum). Not for everyone, but I'm still thinking about it after 2 weeks. Even if it seemed a little slow most of the time. It was interesting.
There was a mouse in the English theatre. It didn't crawl on me though so I don't really mind. It was probably just looking for popcorn on the floor.

uhhhhh. I guess I'm off to kill the next 3 days with shopping and drinking coffee.

02.09.06

Moved into my new flat today (link). There is currently accordion music coming through my window. How perfect is that?
the view on the deck is great. I sat outside today and life was good.

27.08.06

I did find that Tortillas are available in most stores, but they are rally expensive compared to the states, which is funny cuz food here is super cheap. I think most people go to the grocery store every day after work. It seems the pre made foods aren't quite so common here. I think most people have a real sit down dinner most evenings. If they have a family at least...

I think I have found an apartment starting next weekend. If everything goes according to plan I will, but in Germany everything seems slightly more complicated than it should be.

July 31 2006

Registered at govt agency and opened a bank account. Doing laundry.

walked through the grocery store to see what the food situation looks like. Most of the grocery stores here are very small compared to stores in the states. Essentials and good selection of meats, cheeses, and breads. I was hoping for tortillas, but the best I could find was Pita bread. I don't have a frying pan or pot. They do have a tiny selection of pans (3) at the grocery store I was at.

I find that most German restaurants also have a very small selection. Many American menu's have pages and pages on a menu, but the more traditional German restaurants have only a two sided menu. One side is usually drinks, and the other side has Schnitzel and sausage (a few other things of course).

July 30 2006

First day of my new life in Germany. I arrived yesterday, but that doesn't really count does it?

I had a one day layover in London, but because O'Hare is the worst airport ever I got to London late (4 hours on the runway at Rockford Ill. airport) and I was too tired to do anything fun in London so that was a wasted day and night. If it was a 2 night layover it would have been much better.

I haven't had a good nights sleep in a long time. I've had enough coffee to keep me awake a bit later today. That should help with the jet lag if I can stay up late.

tomorrow I have to register at the registration office (anytime you move in Germany you have to register your location with the authorities), and open a bank account.

July 9 2006

I need to update this more often.

I'm moving to Germany!!!

I start August 1st.