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Saturday, April 29, 2006
Games

Hasbro, the makers of the game of Monopoly are updating the landmarks featured in the game. Go here to vote for your favorite landmarks in 22 cities. You can vote for a city once a day until 12 May.
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In 41 days, the 2006 World Cup will begin play here in Germany (9 June-9 July). The games will be played in 12 cities. There will be 5 games played in the city where I live (the US team is playing a game here). Imagine the Super Bowl, the Final Four, NBA Championships and the World Series taking place at the same time. THAT is what the World Cup is like.

From the FIFA website, here is a map of the countries sending teams to the 2006 World Cup:


As with any futball game/tournament, there will be LOTS of hooligans (imagine a SUPER fan) here for the games. According to the BBC, the United Kingdom has barred over 3,000 known hooligans from even traveling to Germany for the matches. All must surrender their passports 10 days before the start of the games, and on each day that England plays, those that are barred from travelling must check in, to make sure they didn't travel to the games. The entire article is here. In defense of England, I must say that hooligans are not only from the UK.

To put it mildly, it will be crazy here.


Posted by Margaret      8:31 AM      |

Saturday, April 22, 2006
T-Ball, 10,000, and Expirement

This morning was the opening day ceremony for the T-ball/Softball/Baseball season at the World's Busiest Air Base. We were told to arrive a little early because it would be crowded. Crowded isn't the word!!

Here is P in her uniform. Nevermind the glove on her head:


There are 100 teams, and over 1200 kids, ages 5-15 playing this season. All players are affiliated with Uncle LeRoy in some way, so this is our version of Little League. Today's ceremony included a gathering of all the teams and a parade.

After the parade, P said she HAD to eat because she had no energy left for her 1200 game.


Here she is at her first at bat:


She did a good job hitting the ball, but chose to skip instead of running from base to base, and for one 'inning' while in the outfield, she spent time digging in the dirt.

At least she had fun.
****************************************************

The New No Name Car has hit a milestone. No, not it's first accident, that happened months ago. It has reached 10,000 miles:


Maybe it's not so new anymore.
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One of my friends is taking a college level ethics course and asked me to assist in an experiment. She is writing a term paper based very loosely on the Good Samaritan Act. She asked that I do something in public and keep track of how people react.

This morning, I chose to wear my shirt inside out (I chose a shirt that would be VERY obvious, a Polo shirt, with 3 buttons and a collar) to the opening day ceremony, Burger King, and P's game. I kept mental note of how many people I spoke to or spoke to me.
I really don't know why no one mentioned it to me. I know they noticed my shirt wasn't quite right, witht he buttons on the INSIDE and all the seams showing.

If you saw someone in public (stranger or acquaintance) with their shirt obviously on the wrong side, would you say something to them? Me? I would tell them.


Posted by Margaret      10:13 PM      |

Wednesday, April 19, 2006
OUCH!!!!

Yesterday, P had her first T-ball practice. Once we arrived at the park, she proclaimed
I'm just not going to play.
After a bit of bribing (I owe her a strawberry shake, a DVD, and she gets to watch a movie in the car every morning for 4 days) she joined the other kds and had a good time.

While running at the park, she fell into a bush, where she came up with a hand full of thorns. Not normal size thorns, but thorns about as wide as a piece of hair and small enough to fit on the head of a pin. I counted 31. I was able to remove about 10, but the rest had made themselves a home in her hand.

This morning when she woke, the 'thorny' area was red and swollen:


After talking to P's doctor at the World's Busiest Air Base, she asked me to bring her in. She said she was worried about it being infected. I think the Doc was going to try to remove the thorns...until she saw how small they were. She told me to keep an eye on it and to return to the clinic if it 'festers.' Personally, I hope it doesn't 'fester.'


Posted by Margaret      8:52 PM      |

Friday, April 14, 2006
Toys, Gas, and Castles

When I tell folks that I live here in Germany, I am often asked what I find to be the biggest difference between here and the US.

A picture is worth a thousand words:


The store on the right is a REAL toy store, that sells toys for children. The store on the left is a 'toy' store for the parents of the children. For the record...both stores are right across the street from a Toys R Us.

Just in case you didn't click on the picture for a up close and personal view of the store on the left:
I know you wouldn't find this set up in St. Louis!!
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A couple of weeks ago, someone asked me about the gas prices here. The New No Name Car only had a quarter tank of gas, so it was time to fill it up:


With the current exchange rate, 14.5 gallons of gas cost $92.68. That means that the current cost of gas here is over $6.30 a gallon. OUCH!!
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This weekend, the crew from the World Class Gang were here for a visit, along with 2 OGs (Oma/Grandma) who are visiting from the US.

Saturday, we went to Heidelberg, to visit the castle. I've been to the castle more times than I can count, and it has rained EVERYTIME.


As we were walking around visiting the ruins, P said 'I sure wish they would fix this place, because it's all falling down.'

Find more pictures of our adventure here.

There is a wine cellar, filled with different sizes of vats inside the castle. This is one of the smaller ones (Never mind the little person...she's had a few):

This is a sign from the largest vat:


It holds 58,124 gallons of wine, and is almost 23 feet tall.

*************************************************

T-Ball starts this week. Joy Joy!!!


Posted by Margaret      11:36 PM      |

Sunday, April 09, 2006
New Friends

While in the yard 'practicing' her T-ball skills, P found a couple of friends.

Her new lady bug friend, Lucy (yes, she named it):

She also found this little critter:

Just in case you didn't click on the picture to see what she was holding, I introduce you to Michael:


Lucy flew away, and P placed Michael in Oma's garden, so no new additions to the family. This week.


Posted by Margaret      7:34 PM      |

Friday, April 07, 2006
A Walk and the Park

Since the sun was shining today after work, P convinced me to take both her and Crazy Dog for a walk in our village. We went for a walk on the bike trail that runs for MANY kilometers, connecting many villages. One of the families that live near the bike trail set up a little house and they sell drinks and ice icecream. They also have tables with umbrellas and animals.

The opa (grandpa) installed this all weather sled apparatus on the hill next to the donkey and goat pen:

After riding it a few times, P informed me that she wants one for Christmas. I'd get her a turtle first.

This is P sharing her apple with the donkey there are also 4 goats in the pen, but the greedy donkey kept scaring them off so he could have all the apples:


Usually we take something to play with at the park, and this time, P decided to take her golf clubs. Check out her form in this picture:


Did you notice that she TOTALLY missed the ball? At least she IS looking in the direction where she wants the ball to go. Who cares what they say, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FORM!


Posted by Margaret      9:44 PM      |

Wednesday, April 05, 2006
P and the Flu

P is sick. It all started Saturday evening when she had a low fever. Sunday the fever was still with us. Monday while at the Place that I Pay so She can Play All Day, she used an entire box of tissue because her nose was 'draining.'

Tuesday morning about 0230 (2:30am for you civilians) I noticed she was very hot, and her temperature was 102.8. After issuing her a dose of Tylenol, she went back to sleep. When she woke at 0800 (8am for you civilians) she ate breakfast (fever or no fever, she will NOT miss a meal) and in an hour, she was back in bed, to sleep for about 6 hours. In 3 days, her temperature had not gone below 101.6

I called her doctor at the World's Busiest Air Base, but there were no more appointments available for the day. After making an appointment for today, the nurse said it sounded like P had either an ear infection or the flu. Joy. Joy.

Today, we went to the Clinic, where she was diagnosed with the downside of the flu. We left with 2 prescriptions, one for the runny nose, and another for her cough. Including with these two, she's taking a total of 4 medications at one time.

If temperature stays down tonight, P's allowed to return to the Place that I Pay so She can Play All Day.

My fingers are crossed because she informed me today that she 'just don't like staying home all day.'


Posted by Margaret      8:52 PM      |

Monday, April 03, 2006
A Festival of Photos

This past weekend, P and I (sans Crazy Dog) went to Geilenkirchen to visit my friend who is in the World's Biggest Gang. Both her sisters are here visiting from the US. It's always nice to be around first time visitors to Europe. They want to do and see EVERYTHING, and find the most mundane things facinating.

Sidenote: Although my friend lives in Germany, you can literally walk to the Netherlands from her house (the boarder is less than .5 miles away).

Saturday morning, we went to the market in town (in the Netherlands), where I saw this cute skinny house, one of MANY 'Heineken Houses' in the Netherlands (the off-white house is actually a restaurant on the ground level and an apartment on the upper floors):
This is a picture of the cheese truck, selling wonderful cheese at the market:

After we left the market, we walked to the department store, where they had these beautiful pastries for sale:


After buying $40 worth of socks for P (why is it SOOO hard to find knee socks for her?), we went to the walkplatz, where we did a little shopping. We went to one of the coolest stores...called The Soap Store. They had different kinds of hand made soap:

This soap smelled like chocolate and orange.DEEEELISH!!:



Saturday, after our shopping excursion, we drove 1.5 hours to the Second Busiest Air Base in Europe, where there was a bazaar going on, which means a lot of vendors, selling everything from pottery to wine.

I try to stay away from the bazaars because they are so addictive.

Sunday morning after checking out of the hotel, we went BACK to the bazaar (the visitors are already addicted). After the 'bazaar run', we drove to Viaden, Luxembourg to visit this castle:

The visitors were thoroughly impressed with the castle. As soon as P got out of the car, she took one look at the castle and proclaimed, 'Yep, it looks just like the other ones!' I think she's seen one too many castles in her 5 years.

We arrived back home Sunday evening. Tired. Very tired.
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P is addicted to puzzles. I guess there are worse things to be addicted to. Like crack. Here is a picture of her feeding her addiction:


Today, WE GOT CROCS!!! I ordered them from the website last week. They sure are comfy. Everyone should have a pair in their life.

P's tiny Crocs (of course, she wanted pink):


Big and little Crocs:


**************************************

Last week, P had to get a physical just in case she gets on a T-ball team. When the tech asked her to read a certain line on the eye chart, P told her, 'You know, I just can't see it.' P's doctor told me that her eyesight is 20/25 in one eye and 20/35 in the other. She referred P to the same opthalmalogist that diagnosed her with an astigmatism over a year ago.

Her appointment is next Monday, and there is a good chance that she'll need glasses again.
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One more thing...do any of you readers have any Boxtops for Education that you don't need? If so, can I have them for my niece in NC? I'll reimburse the postage you pay to send them to me. I promise. Email me and I'll send you my address.


Posted by Margaret      8:16 PM      |



Name: Margaret
Location: Kaiserslautern, Germany by way of St. Louis, MO

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