Random Thursday. I started blogging because....

Hallo meine Lieben,

happy Random Thursday! Thanks for being a part of this and linking up with Lin, Em and me. I hope you are all doing fantastic! 

Well, I first started to only read blogs when I moved to the United States in 2011.  I started searching for expat blogs because I wanted to read what people in the same situation have to say. But I did not only look for expat blogs...I started reading all kinds of blogs about things I am interested in...veganism, books, traveling, animal rights, food, fashion....I got really into it and checked for new posts of my favorite blogs every single day. I left comments and started to get to know some of the people.

At some point just reading and commenting did not seem to be enough. I had so much to say and I wanted to share it with others. Which is kind of weird since I am a very private person. But there are so many things I care about and I felt like I needed to share.

So one day in 2012 I wrote my first blog post...nothing exciting or special but I was so nervous. I mean, I did not know if anybody would care to read it....if people would welcome me into the world of blogging. But they did. It was fantastic...I met so many fabulous people, I am happy to interact with them, I made new friends, I was able to discuss topics I care about with people I care about, I look forward to check my favorite blogs every evening. I never regretted the decision to start a blog myself. I even met people who I call my best friends now (you know who you are!) and I can talk to them about all the things I care about. I found people to talk about all things vegan which means a lot to me since I don't know any other vegans in real life. I found people to discuss books with which is so fantastic because it feels so good to be able to. You guys all rock so much!

There are still many things I need to learn (especially about blog design) and there are so many things I want to blog about (just need more time!) so I am looking forward to many more years of blogging.

Of course, sometimes you just don't find the time or have no idea what to write about. But I guess that is normal and people understand.

So thanks to all of you for making this a wonderful experience!

Please let me know: why did you start blogging?

Be cruelty-free week, a long way down and signs that your kitty loves you. {Ten On Tuesday}

Hallo meine Lieben, 

happy Tuesday! You can link up with Alyssa here! She is a real sweetheart by the way! And a cat lover!

1. Please check out this video made by The Humane Society and cruelty-free beauty bloggers. They spread a very important message which should concern all of us. Animal testing is unnecessary, horrible, outdated and nobody needs to torture another being for a beauty product, there are alternatives. So please consider this when you buy beauty products. 

mybeautybunny.com

2. By the way: it is Be Cruelty-Free Week. Please help to make every week a cruelty-free week. 

3. Here you can find an infographic about ending animal testing. Please have a look. For the animals. 

4. Yesterday I accidentally found out that they made a movie out of one my fave books, A long way down by Nick Hornby. And Breaking Bad's Jesse is in it. I really really hope that they movie will be good. I am always a bit nervous to watch the movie version of a book I love because it often is disappointing. You can watch the trailer here. I guess I will probably re-read the book before I check out the movie. I guess I don't need to say this, but I highly recommend that book.

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5. 10 signs your kitty actually loves you. Well, it looks like Lumpi and Tiger really like me. Phew. Tiger loves to lick my hair. 

6. I always put the laundry in the washing machine and then forget about it.

7. Somebody told me today that their neighbors cut out a piece of their cats' ears so that they are easier to recognize. I don't know who did this, if these people did it theirselves or the vet....I thought I have heard and seen everything so far but it seems like I was wrong. What kind of horrible idiots do that to their cats? I have even met these people before but I did not know that they did that to their cats. Well, I will definitely tell them what I think if I ever see them again. 

8. I really really really really want to see Grand Budapest Hotel. 

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9. I am really into the combination of chocolate and mint right now. 

10. I love donkeys.

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Happy Tuesday and thanks for reading!

Thought provoking question #1.

Hallo meine Lieben,

I hope you are all having a fantastic week! My friend Martha started a new series on her blog: she answers the 365 thought provoking questions and I thought it might be fun to join. And yes, I am aware of the fact that I still need to go on answering the 99 questions you should ask yourself. I haven't forgotten about them. 

So here we go, the first of the 365 questions. I am not sure if I can answer all of them but I will give it a try. 

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When was the last time you tried something new?

That is actually one thing I came to realize: I want and need to try more new things. Always doing the same stuff is boring and won't bring any progress. So I am working on this. There are many many things I want to try, many things I want to work on, change....but yeah, some of the new things I tried recently are: working out on a regular basis (I want to do some workout at least 2-3 times a week, I started running recently and want to stick to it), cutting out refined sugar from my diet was something new, I tried more new vegan recipes instead of cooking the same stuff all the time...as you can see, nothing huge yet but I want to try some new things like learning how to play piano, start kickboxing, do some more crafty things, learn a new language, adopt a special needs pet....

What about you? When was the last time you tried something new?

Five Things. Animal rights news, Six Feet Under and a fudge spread.

Hallo meine Lieben,

happy weekend! Hope you are all enjoying it! Please check out my friend Celeste's Five Things too!

1. Some animal rights news. 

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Bill H.R. 4148, the Humane Cosmetics Act, has been introduced by Congressman Jim Moran. If passed, the bill would prohibit animal testing in the US cosmetic industry. It would also eliminate the sale of cosmetics which was tested on animals in other countries. So keep your fingers crossed. You can read more about this on Logical Harmony.

2. THIS.

Love Bean

This is the Lovebean Original Coconut Superfood Fudge Spread and I want to eat a whole jar of it. Right now.

3. This show. 

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I feel the desperate need to re-watch it because it is one of my favorite shows ever. I just wish I would find some time to watch all five seasons in a week. Sounds like a good vacation for me. 

4. Adopt a pet.

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I really feel like I need to adopt another pet. I hope this can happen anytime soon. I wish I could adopt them all. 

5. This tattoo. 

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I do not have a tattoo but this is pretty fantastic. If I will ever get a tattoo then it will be a vegan inspired theme. Do you have any tattoos?

Happy weekend!

PS. Liam Neeson is an idiot. Never realized that before. You can watch his interview at the Daily show....OMG. He is so stupid. Yes, I am sure it is totally fulfilling for horses to be in the middle of crazy NY traffic. Very romantic. 

Random Thursday. My favorite swear word is....

Hallo meine Lieben,

welcome to another Random Thursday with Lin, Em and me. Hope you are all having a fantastic week! Thanks for reading and being a part of this!

I think I prefer to swear in German since it sounds more natural to me. Also people don't understand me when I am only surrounded by English-speaking humans. Which can be a plus. When I meet people who want to learn German then they usually want to know about the swear words first. I guess it is the most important thing to know because you need to be aware when people say something bad about you. 

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So I would say my favorite swear word is....

"Heilige Scheiße"

Which means "holy shit". I know it is not a really bad one but I like the sound of it. I guess I also say "damn it " or "fuck" here and there. 

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So now please let me know: what is your favorite swear word? Either in English or in your mother language if you are not from an English speaking country. I would love to hear some new ones (no matter how bad they are). 

Have a great Thursday!

Chocolate is salad, an almost disgusting addiction and an afterlife full of books. {Ten On Tuesday}

Hallo meine Lieben,

happy Tuesday! You can link up and join the fun with Alyssa here.

1. If you love goats and want to smile then you should totally check out this video. Goats are such fantastic animals! But hey, I say that about every animal...but it is true. 

2. I probably repeat myself but I would really love to live in a haunted castle with lots of goats, donkeys, cows, pigs, cats, dogs, bunnies, chicken....

3. When I can't fall asleep then I listen to Die Drei Fragezeichen ("The Three Investigators), a mystery radio play. I think it is made for children but I know lots of grown-ups who love it. I think there are 167 so far and I started listening to them when I was a still. It definitely has something comforting to be in bed and listen to some plays from your childhood. Oh, and Hitchcock is a part of it so that makes it even better.

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4. I went to the bookstore a couple of days ago and discovered countless books which I want to read. I have no idea when I will ever find time to read all these books. I need at least 5 more lives. I mean, I don't know what happens after I die but I do hope it involves books. I could haunt a book store for example. 

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5. I got a new running shirt today but I am still searching for a running jacket. I am really getting into that whole running thing. 

6. Did you know that onions are really dangerous for cats? I would say that onions are never a good idea because they are evil. That's why I never use them for anything so the cats don't have to be scared of onion poisoning. Here are the 10 most dangerous people foods for cats.

7. It is almost disgusting how much I love Brussel sprouts right now. Almost. I don't know how common it is to eat them every single day but I enjoy every bit of it. You could talk about an addiction though. 

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8. I have not seen much about the Oscars but here are my thoughts: Jared Leto does not look like 42 at all. I blame it on the vegan diet. White suits on men can look good. I need to catch up on some Oscar movies.  I don't know anything about Ellen DeGeneres. 

9. You don't really need an excuse to eat chocolate but here is one. 

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10. Caffeine has no effect on me. 

Have a happy Tuesday!

Five Things. A dancing armadillo, my protein intake and a neck pillow cat bed.

Hallo meine Lieben,

happy Sunday! I hope you are all having a wonderful time. I am currently sitting on the couch with Lumpi and a hot cup of coffee which is always a good thing to do...no matter which animal keeps me company. 
Please check out my friend Celeste's Five Things as well. 

1. My neck pillow cat bed. 

I recently bought a special neck pillow because I am having some trouble with neck pain. I had to realize that the pillow makes a much better cat bed. You need to set your priorities. 

2. This dancing armadillo.

Cute Overload

I am not exaggerating when I say that I watched this short video at least 25 times but it still makes me laugh out loud. It is just hilarious to watch this little guy gathering leaves. You should definitely invest 15 seconds of your time to check this out. It makes me happy to watch it so hopefully you will feel the same way. 

3. True story.

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4. These shoes.

Beyond Skin

I recently discovered Beyond Skin and I immediately fell in love, as far as you can fall in love with shoes. The company says that "No humans, animals or small children were harmed in the making of our vegan shoes" which is think is great. And come on, the combination of pink and purple is just way too fantastic. Unfortunately they are sold out in my size...me feet are never lucky. 

5. This shirt.

Herbivore Clothing

I want to own this shirt from Herbivore Clothing in seven different colors and then wear a different one each day of the week. Because every day is "Be kind to animals day". At least in my opinion. Plus foxes are always good. Unfortunately also sold out in my size. Same as the Bacon Had a Mom shirt.

Have a fantastic Sunday!