Hallo Ihr Lieben, today is a very special day!!! Taaaaaa-daaaaaa........... It is Findus' 3rd birthday!!!!!!!! Happy happy Birthday to my lovely bunny! Thank you for always making me smile, thank you for being so funny, thank you for being such a fighter, thank you for beating the stupid disease, thank you for being such an enrichment to my life! I am so happy that you are my bunny! I love you, Finnie!
My week. In brief.
|seen| a couple of Breaking Bad episodes, the season finale of Castle (finally!), Don't trust the bitch in Apartment 23, Girls, Community, Modern Family, Tschernobyl Diaries (stupid story, interesting location, completely predictable) |read| Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, university stuff |listened to| Die Drei Fragezeichen, Oasis, Suede, Kula Shaker |done| translations, university stuff, going to the bookstore, going to the movies, having dinner with my sister-in-law, grocery shopping |eaten| Quesadillas with tofu, red peppers and mushrooms, pasta, carrots, cucumber, strawberries, grapes, salad |drunk| ice tea and beer. |thought| why is it always so cold in American restaurants and movie theaters? |annoyed| the usual. bad drivers and all the bad things that happen in this world. |enjoyed| spending many hours in a book store together with a cat. |bought| lots of books, Dr. Pepper, beer, birthday present for my sister-in-law. |astonished| isn't it weird that 99% of American bikers don't wear a helmet. I have seen one guy without helmet and without shirt. Not dangerous at all. |clicked| blogs, amazon, beauty sites, animal rescue stories. You all know that I like beer. You should all check out Kari's post about Bitburger. She blogs over at Life on Madison and I immediately knew that we would be friends! She and her husband Brian love beer to and he even brews his own beer! How amazing is that? She had such a wonderful wedding, the pictures are incredible. and I really wish that I will have the chance to taste their beer someday! Kari, you are wonderful!
My song of the day is "Irish blood, English heart" by Morrissey.
I am neither Irish nor English but I would love to live on a farm in Ireland someday. With lots of animals. And the song is really really good.
1. I bought 48 cans of Dr. Pepper yesterday. I am not sure if that's much for American standards but it is definitely a lot for German standards. I mean, I never had that much Dr. Pepper in my life. I like the feeling to have lots of pop stored for bad times. I also bought some new beer. It is from Belgium and it is called Hoegaarden. It is pretty good but Bitburger is still the best beer in the world.
2. I thought about stealing a cat on Friday. David and I went to a Used Book Store (paradise for book lovers) and we bought 26 books and 2 magazines for 15 dollars. It was such an amazing feeling to walk out of a store with bags full of books. But yeah, the cat....he lives in the store and his name is Hemingway. He followed me the whole time and wanted me to pet him (what I did...that's another reason we spent hours in the store). He was so cute that I thought about grabbing him and running as fast as I can.
3. I can't watch movies in 3D. I get so sick when I try it, you can't even imagine. I don't know what's wrong with me. I am not made for 3D. In October we went to a Haunted House in Columbus and they had a 3D section....I was so terrified and I almost threw up. I still don't know how I made it out of there. Plus I am always the one who screams very loud at places like that. So I am the perfect victim.
4. I missed the Eurovision Song Contest yesterday and I am very sad about this. Nobody knows it is America but it is very popular in Europe and I usually watch it every year. It is not a contest that you can take seriously but it is very entertaining. These are the singers from Russia:
Aren't they lovely? They won second place! Sweden won. Congratulations! Germany is usually on the last place but this time we were 8th place. Not bad.
5. I always sing a happy birthday song to my pets and they always get some special treats. I want them to have a wonderful birthday too. Birthday is something not just for humans. My friend Barbara's cat Sokrates always had to wear a party hat on her birthday. She did not mind.
I hope you are all having a wonderful Sunday!
Here is the song of the day. Tattva by Kula Shaker. I love this band, they are more than just awesome. I have been to one of their concerts and it is an experience full of candles and incense sticks.
Lovely Esther from Miss Sugar Shack tagged me in her post today. I think that's so cool and exciting. I have never done this before so I can't wait to answer her 11 questions!
By the way, Esther is so great and sweet, you should all go and check out her blog!
1. If you could chose to be immortal (as the only person on earth), would you do it?
Uh, that's a tricky question for the start. I really don't know. I mean, I tend to say yes because it would be great to be able to do all kinds of stupid things without dying...but on the other hand it would be so sad when all the people you love die and you end up being completely alone. So yeah...I really don't know. Maybe I would be able to find a way to make all other people immortal too...I have enough time for that. Ah, that's so complicated....next question. Please. (Wow, I start with not having an answer for the first question. Nice.)
2. What was your make-up sin as a teenager?
Hmm, I did not wear much make-up as a teenager. I'd say: Trying to hide a pimple under too much concealer. Haha. And I also had very colorful hair as a teenager but I would not say that's a sin. I liked it. I had orange, red, blue, green, purple and yellow hair. Sometimes more than one color at a time.
Never tried that one. Looks kind of cool.
3. Were you the nerd at school or the person in the last row?
I always sat in the last row at school. Although I was never able to read what the teacher wrote on the board. My eyes are really bad. But I would say that I was neither the nerd nor the school "mayhem". My grades were good and I never had any big conflicts.
4. Which 3 make-up products would you save from your burning cosmetic cabinet?
Haha, I like that question. Probably my hand cream from Lush (see here) and one of my mom's old lipsticks that I still own (and don't use). And maybe a perfume.
5. To which beauty rituals do you have to force yourself?
Eyebrow tweezing! I hate it so much! It hurts so badly and I always have to cry so much. Really, I just can't stand it and I am scared every time I have to do it. It is the worst beauty ritual ever. Even waxing my legs is lots of fun compared to this. Maybe I should get a new tweezer. I have heard that these babies should be really good. Any experiences?
6. What meal wakes up child hoood memories in you?
Griesssuppe mit Knoblauch und Croutons! Semolina soup with garlic and croutons! Best soup ever!! My mom always made it for me when I was sick. And every other day. I just loved that soup. I don't know the recipe so I haven't eaten it for 10 years which is kind of sad. I should try to cook it myself someday.
7. Lake or open-air swimming pool?
Neither. I just don't like water. Only in my bathtub or the shower. All other water is too deep for me. But I love to spend a day at a lake, grilling, making a bonfire, drinking, reading etc. That's my thing.
8. Frozen Yogurt or regular ice-cream? What flavor?
I have never tried frozen yogurt. Is that supposed to be a healthier ice-cream version? I am not sure. Does it have much taste? Best ice-cream I have tried in the last months is this one:
Lupinesse ice-cream with chocolate flavor. So delicious. I would love to make my own ice-cream! I wish I had an ice-cream machine!
9. Is there anything in your life that you would do in a different way if you'd have the chance?
Sure. I wish I'd known before that some of my relatives came directly from hell to make other people's life really miserable.
10. Do you wear comfortable or fancy clothes at home?
(To be honest, I have no idea how to translate this question. Esther's questions are in German and the German word is "Gammelklamotten"...clothes you wear at home which are comfortable but don't look that great.)
I try not to look too shabby but I do wear my "ugly pants" (that's how we call them) at home. Sweatpants in black or grey combined with a shirt, sweater or tanktop. I would say it is not too bad. The clothes are always clean and smell good and have no holes. I would say: Fancy Gammelklamotten.
10. What do you eat as a snack in front of the TV?
Pretzels (Bretzeln in German). I like them a lot. I also like chips. The weird thing is that I like chips with onion flavor but I NEVER EVER eat onions. I hate them, they are the worst thing ever. But hey, the chips are good. I also like to eat healthy stuff like carrots, strawberries, grapes etc.
And this is my song of the day:
Oasis "Supersonic".
I love that band. I went to a concert when I was seventeen and passed out in the front row. So embarrassing. But I had good timing. I passed out before Oasis even started to play so I did not miss anything. The guy who rescued me said: Congratulations, you are the first one tonight. I did not get a medal but I got some coca cola and the order not to come back.
I hope you guys are having a fabulous weekend! Esther, thank you again for tagging me!!! You rock!
Today I want to introduce you to a fabulous book I read a couple of years ago. "Set this house in order - a romance of souls" by Matt Ruff.
I read this book in German. The title is "Ich und die anderen", which means " Me and the rest" which is another proof that Germans always change the original title into something weird. This is the cover of the German book.
So yeah, the German edition looks more like a book for children but it isn't. Actually it is really really hard to talk about this book. I can't describe why, you just have to read it. It is so complex and hard to put into words.
Andy Gage was born in 1965 and murdered not long after by his stepfather. . . . It was no ordinary murder. Though the torture and abuse that killed him were real, Andy Gage's death wasn't. Only his soul actually died, and when it died, it broke in pieces. Then the pieces became souls in their own right, coinheritors of Andy Gage's life. . . . While Andy deals with the outside world, more than a hundred other souls share an imaginary house inside Andy's head, struggling to maintain an orderly coexistence: Aaron, the father figure; Adam, the mischievous teenager; Jake, the frightened little boy; Aunt Sam, the artist; Seferis, the defender; and Gideon, who wants to get rid of Andy and the others and run things on his own. Andy's new coworker, Penny Driver, is also a multiple personality, a fact that Penny is only partially aware of. When several of Penny's other souls ask Andy for help, Andy reluctantly agrees, setting in motion a chain of events that threatens to destroy the stability of the house. Now Andy and Penny must work together to uncover a terrible secret that Andy has been keeping . . . from himself. The book is absolutely remarkable and breath-taking. I think I read it in one day. At first it was hard not to get confused because of all the different characters, all the different souls...but then you get a feeling for all the souls that live in Andy's house...you start to build a connection to them, you start to understand what exactly happened to Andy, you identify with him, you feel sorry for him when he discovers that he is not as stable as he thought he would be, you laugh with him, you cry with him....it ends up being a story of self-discovery. Even for you. I can't help myself...describing the plot doesn't do any justice to the book. Not at all. I really can't describe it, you have to find out yourself. Have a wonderful Friday! Oh, before I forget it: here is another song of the day. "Can't get enough" by Suede. Suede is an English "alternative rock" band and they were one of my favorite bands when I was a teenager. Every couple of months I start to listen to all their albums again. Yesterday was one of these days. "Can't get enough" is one of my most favorite songs but I never know what to think about the video. I am not sure if I like it or not.
Hallo Ihr Lieben, I have to say that I love reading beauty blogs. I love to see the pictures, I love to discover new things and I love to get some inspiration. So I thought it would be a nice idea to show you my favorite beauty products at the moment. 1. Tangle Teezer
My hair and I are not very good friends. It can be so painful to brush it and it never looks the way I want it to. So I never looked forward to brushing my hair after I had washed it. Then I heard and read about the Tangle Teezer and I have to say that I was more than sceptical. I mean, it is just a weird looking piece of plastic plus it is not the cheapest brush you can imagine. In Germany you have to pay 14,95 Euro (almost 19$) for that pink little bit of plastic, in America you can get it for 9,95 $ (8 Euros). But hey, I have tried it and now I don't have to cry anymore when I brush my hair. I don't know how it works but it does work. I have to say that I have never tried it with dry hair but it works fine with wet hair. So I can only recommend it, especially when you have terrible hair like me. 2. Lush Herbalism
I know, I have said it before but I love Lush products. Some people don't like the smell but I can't get enough of it. I love the way you already smell the store from a hundred meters away. Herbalism is a facial cleanser and it is made of rice vinegar, almonds, rosemary, chamomile, nettle and kaolin (China clay). It has a peeling effect and is completely vegan. I use it every night to clean my skin and my skin feels like a baby's butt after using it. 3. Alverde Feuchtigkeitskur Aloe Vera & Hibiskus
This is a product from Germany, you can buy it at "dm Drogeriemarkt" which is the most famous drug store there. It is a treatment for dry hair and I use it every second time after I have washed my hair and used conditioner. It contains Aloe Vera and hibiscus and is from "alverde" which is the natural cosmetics line from dm. It is pretty cheap, only 1,45 Euros I think and it is absolutely great. My hair feels so much better and it gives it a lot of moisture. It is also completely vegan (and smells soooo good!) 4. Lush Handy Gurugu
Another Lush product! Yay! Okay, I have dry hair AND skin and especially the skin on my hands is always terribly dry so I need a really really really good hand cream. I have tried a lot but I recently discovered this one and now I don't want to use anything else. It smells wonderful and makes your skin so soft. It contains shea butter, pumpkin seed butter, almond butter and cashew butter. So lots of butter. But don't worry, it does not feel like butter on your hands. It is also vegan and did I say that it smells really good?
5. Lush Rockstar soap
LUSH! What a surprise! But this is the best smelling soap I have ever used and it is pink! It smells like vanilla and contains some glitter. So I would say it is the perfect soap. And here is something I really really really wish for my birthday....a Lime Crime lipstick. The color is so cute and I just love the packaging. Hehe. (Hello husband!)
And here is my song of the day: Penguins and polarbears by Millencolin.
What are your favorite beauty products? Any recommendations? Have a wonderful Thursday!
okay, I have seen this list so many times now and I am sure everybody is really sick of it by now so that means it is time to make mine. Haha. But yeah, I could not resist. I love making lists (okay I did not make this) so it was a lot of fun to work on this one. 1. Started your own blog - yeah, I guess you can see it. 2. Slept under the stars - when I was a child I loved to sleep in the backyard. Does sleeping in a tent count too? 3. Played in a band - haha. Well, I really played in a band. I played bass and the name of our band was "ausverkauft" (sold out). Very clever, right? 4. Visited Hawaii - no, not yet but I would like to. 5. Watched a meteor shower - sounds interesting. 6. Given more than you can afford to charity - I always give money to homeless people with dogs but I have never given more than I own. I guess I am a bad person. 7. Been to Disneyland - I have been to Europapark in Germany. That's almost the same. 8. Climbed a mountain - I have been on a mountain but I did not climb it. Damn. 9. Held a praying mantis - No, actually I have never seen one in reality. How sad. 10. Sang a solo - trust me. Nobody wants to hear that. I sing in the car when I am alone or when I play Singstar Take That with my friends. That's enough. 11. Bungee jumped - No, thank you. Maybe I would try skydiving but I am not really interested in Bungee Jumping. 12. Visited Paris - Yeah, it is not that far away from my hometown. You can drive there in a couple of hours. Like that city a lot. 13. Watched a lightening storm - I guess everybody has done that at least once. 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - Hmm, I like to paint and draw so I just say that counts. 15. Adopted a child - Do animals count? I adopted my bunnies and cats. 16. Had food poisoning - Oh yeah, when I was a child I ate some paella and got food poisoning. That was the first sign that told me to stop eating things like that. 18. Grown your own vegetables - I love doing it. I have tried salad, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, beans, etc. 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France Yes, but only once. I have been on a class trip to Paris with my art class. 20. Slept on an overnight train - No, but I am sure it would be better than sleeping in a plane. 21. Had a pillow fight - Sure, that's what you do when you are a child. 22. Hitch hiked - No, my parents told me not to. But one time my Mom and me stopped for a hitch hiker because we thought we know him. We were wrong but we still gave him a ride. 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill The bunnies were sick so I had no other choice. 24. Built a snow fort - as a child. 25. Held a lamb - yes, one of my friends in Grundschule lived on a farm. 26. Gone skinny dipping - No, I don't like cold water. 27. Run a Marathon - Would be interesting. 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice - Yes and I thought I'd die because I am so scared of deep water.
29. Seen a total eclipse - In 2000 the sun was completely covered by the moon. It was so cool because it got dark in the afternoon. 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset - I guess it is complicated to avoid this. 31. Hit a home run - Baseball? Don't even understand the rules. 32. Been on a cruise - No, but I like to watch Das Traumschiff. 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person - Hopefully I can see it someday. 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors - I would like to see the place my Grandma grew up. She is from Czech Republic. 35. Seen an Amish community - I see Amish people at the grocery store all the time but I have never seen where they live. 36. Taught yourself a new language - I don't know. I mean, I have learned some at school but I have also taught myself a lot. So I don't know. 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - No, come on. Haha. I need more. 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person - From far away but that still counts. 39. Gone rock climbing - I would like to. 40. Seen Michelangelo’s David Yeah, my best friend Julia lived in Florence for a while. 41. Sung karaoke Yes, lots of times. I am really bad. 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt - No, but it would be great. I also want to see the geysers in Iceland. 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant - Hmm, not in a restaurant but I bought food for a homeless person. Does that count? 44. Visited Africa - Someday... 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight at the North Sea. 46. Been transported in an ambulance - Surprisingly not. 47. Had your portrait painted - In Paris. When I was 13. My Dad still has it in his house. 48. Gone deep sea fishing - No and I never will. 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person - No, but I really want to travel to Rome. 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - I have been to Paris a couple of time but I have never been on the Eiffel Tower. 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - I am scared of deep water. 52. Kissed in the rain - I am sure we did. 53. Played in the mud - Yeah, all the time as a child. I loved it. 54. Gone to a drive-in theater - No, there aren't that many in Germany. 55. Been in a movie - No, but my stuffed animal was in the newspaper once. 56. Visited the Great Wall of China - I would like to. 57. Started a business - Maybe someday. Would be cool. 58. Taken a martial arts class - Jiu Jitsu as a child. 59. Visited Russia - Not yet. 60. Served at a soup kitchen - No. I am a bad person. 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies - No Girl Scouts in Germany. 62. Gone whale watching - I have watched Whale Wars. 63. Got flowers for no reason - There is always a reason to get flowers. What about decoration? 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma - I almost passes out but I did. 65. Gone sky diving - I probably would. 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp - I am German. So yes. 67. Bounced a check - I have never used a check. 68. Flown in a helicopter - Not but I would like to. 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy - Sure, I still have my first stuffed animal. 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial - Not yet. 71. Eaten Caviar - NO. And I never will. 72. Pieced a quilt - No, but sounds interesting. 73. Stood in Times Square - Hopefully will someday. 74. Toured the Everglades - No, but I have seen lots of places in Europe. :) 75. Been fired from a job - Haha. No. 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London - Not yet. 77. Broken a bone - I always had some stupid injuries as a child but I never had a broken bone. Toi toi toi. 78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle - It was a little scary at first but then very cool. 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person - Would like to. 80. Published a book - That would be a dream! 81. Visited the Vatican - Someday. 82. Bought a brand new car - No, just used cars. 83. Walked in Jerusalem - Not yet. 84. Had your picture in the newspaper I just say that counts: My stuffed animal was in the newspaper and I hid somewhere. 85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve - Haha. No. 86. Visited the White House - No, but I visited the German Bundestag. 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - NO! Never ever. 88. Had chickenpox - As a child. 89. Saved someone’s life I saved the lives of animals. I'd say that counts. 90. Sat on a jury - not yet. 91. Met someone famous - I have "met" people from German TV shows. 92. Joined a book club - I'd say that a blog book club counts. 93. Got a tattoo - No, maybe someday. 94. Had a baby - No. 95. Seen the Alamo in person - No. 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake - No, deep water! 97. Been involved in a law suit - Hell yeah. 98. Owned a cell phone - Yeah. Wow. 99. Been stung by a bee - Yes. 37 out of 99. That's not too bad. And I mean, there are things on this list that I will NEVER ever do. I would never kill an animal. That's for sure. But there are lots of places in this world that I want to travel to so we will see how many things I have done of this list in a couple of years. My song of the day: Belle & Sebastian, "Funny little frog"
I am linking up with Lin from Linny's Vault! Hi Lin!
1. I have met my neighbors Linda and John yesterday for the first time. David and I were outside in the backyard cutting his hair (I have to say that I did a pretty good job and I am very proud of myself) when an older guy with a gold tooth came over to offer his wife's hairstylist equipment. Very nice. Later I brought went to their house to give them their stuff and they offered me a seat, an ice-cold coke and cooked dinner for me. They always invited us to play cards with them and John wants to take David fishing. Americans are really nice people.
2. Famous German beer drinking song. Everybody starts to sing it after 5 Mass Bier.
Yes, I do realize that this is not a good song. And yes, I do realize that I talk a lot about beer. But when you are in a Bierzelt and you already had 5 beer then you have no choice.
3. I have watched a little bit of "Dancing with the stars" yesterday and I have to admit that i never knew who was the star and who was the professional dancer. Are all these people famous? I mean, in Germany the "stars" in that show are not really famous so maybe it is the same here.
4. I started to watch Breaking Bad yesterday. Yeah, I am late. But I have to say that this show is pretty good and I have no idea why I haven't watched it earlier.
5. I still need to watch the season finale of Castle. But on the other hand I don't want to watch it because then I have to wait so long to watch a new episode. So sad.
6. I have no idea why they did not kill off Meredith in the season finale of Grey's Anatomy. That woman is so annoying.
7. I like gum that tastes like apple. And lip balm that tastes like vanilla.
8. One time I passed out in church because of all the incense smell.
9. I am dangerous. Don't mess with me.
10. I buy things just because I like the packaging.
