Monday, May 19, 2008

Tag, I'm It


Thanks, I am Chorus, for my very first tag. I hope I can live up to the bloggers who've gone before me :)

Rules:

The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.


Each player answers the questions about himself or herself.

At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.



Ten years ago:

Ten years ago, I was about to graduate from high school and move off to the University of Georgia to be a music education/voice major. I worked 5 days a week, had senioritis, and just knew I had it all figured out. I was "wise beyond my years" (something I am still quite fond of believing, although I don't think that is cute when you enter your 30's. Perhaps it's already not cute.)

Five things on today's "to do" list:

Move out of my apartment temporarily, to include washing sheets, cleaning bathrooms, and organizing the fridge, so that big time singers can move in for 10 days.

Babysit my girlfriend's baby so she can go buy a house.

Twist hubbies arm to go eat a big salad with me at the local Italian place.

Call my mother.

Follow up emails from my recent trip to Berlin.



Things I'd do if I was a Billionaire:

Pay off Hubby's student loans.

Volunteer for non-profits to do with music, kids, etc etc.

Purchase every single expensive handbag that I have ever wanted to buy. Ok, and the shoes too.
Have an apartment in NYC, Germany, and a house in California. And Chicago, perhaps.

Travel with my mother.

Three Bad Habits:

Eating food in bed, whilst watching tv on my computer.

Leaving the caps off of soda bottles, toothpaste, and anything else that involves screwing on a top. Worse, sometimes I put the cap on to the bottle but don't turn it at all, giving the impression that the cap is screwed tightly on, when really it is just waiting for an accident to happen. All of you out there who also have this bad habit know this isn't a problem unless you live with someone else. Most often, it involves diet coke all over the kitchen floor.

Eating Subway Sandwich 4-5 times a week for lunch. I frequent this establishment for several reasons.

1. They have unlimited refills of diet coke (that, in itself, is another bad habit)

2. They have something called the "sub des tages" which includes at 6-inch sub sandwich for 2.50 euro. The sub des tages can be found as follows:

Monday Italian BMT

Tuesday Meatball, my personal favorite

Wednesday Turkey

Thursday Chicken Fajita

Friday Tuna

Saturday Turkey and Ham

Sunday Roasted Chicken Breast

The employees of Subway also never make fun of my bad German, or act like they don't understand, and greet me with a "Wie gehts?". I could swear everytimeI walk through the door, that I had presented my American passport and entered a world of entrepreneurs, free thinkers, and 'Labor Day-Biggest-Blowout-Sale-Event-of-the-Year' Land. True Paradise, all found at your local Subway Sandwich.

Five places I've lived:

Peachtree City, GA
Athens, GA

New York, NY

Germany

Jackson, Michigan



Five jobs I've had:

Secretary at the local Orthodontist, my first job
Camp Counselor at Truitt Cathy's Summer Camp. Camp Winshape.

High School Chorus Teacher


Famous, Fabulous, and often petrified hair model on Home Shopping Network

Personal Assistant/Nanny/Chauffeur/Basic slave for two children and their adorable parents

Friday, May 16, 2008

You want to hear something grand today?


Get over to the Berlin Philharmonic tonight or tomorrow and see the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Berlin Philharmonic performing the Berlioz Requiem.
Believe me, something to behold.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

If only I knew my ABC's this well...

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Cupcakes and Spray-On Tan, Nuh-uh




















I found this on the German help site this morning:

"Hi, I just moved from NYC 2 days ago. I am totally excited that I found this webpage. I am starting my new job on Monday and would like to bring some cupcakes to work. where can I find some? Also I love spraytan, instead of damaging my skin with UV rays and hope that it exists in Germany as well. Thanks for your replies. "


1. Everyone will stare at you like you are crazy when you show up to work on your first day with cupcakes (homemade cupcakes, no less). Five dollar cupcake specialty shops, like the ones found in NYC, do not exist here in Deutschland. (Germans are not that creative.) And, if you took these "cupcakes that shall not be named or found" to work, they would all scoff at you for having something too sweet and American brought in. This will all play out after you field a million questions about why you even brought the cupcakes to work...


2. Cupcakes symbolize children, hope, joy, the fun found in bringing something to share with your school mates in 2nd grade. Germans don't like kids, don't want to be bothered with kids, and will do anything they can to avoid them. On the other hand, if your 80 pound weimaraner wants to lie under the table at your favorite restuarant, and you want to feed it food from your table? THAT CAN BE ARRANGED. You may also request a bowl from the waitress, which they will kindly fill with tap water, for your thirsty monster dog to drink from. Please don't even hesitate to ask how many times I have pondered requesting one of those bowls just so I didn't get stuck with a 10 euro bill JUST for the water. Oh, and if your kid needed water, that would take 7 to 8 questions for them to finally, perhaps, give in.

3. The sunshine you have experienced is a fluke. Perhaps in your first two days of blessed Deutschland, you experienced what will be the ONLY TWO DAYS OF SUN we will have this season. No need to worry with those bad, horrible, UV Rays. Spray tan? Probably similar to the coveted mani/pedi I received twice a month at home. These items cost a bundle. We are talking 40-50 euros for just the manicure. Do the conversion. My at-home kits are holding up nicely.







4. Now that I have suffienctly rained on your Ich Liebe Deutschland motto, you will be fully prepared when you try to get on the U Bahn first thing Monday morning (with a smile on your face and a to-go latte that you will have gone to five different cafes to find) to be trampled by an elderly woman who has to be first at the door so she can make sure she is nearest to the door when it stops next. Mainly, because she wants to be the one to press the little green circle that opens the door. Your cupcakes that were balancing oh-so-carefully in your arms, are all over the floor of the subway, as well as your latte.







5. Finally, by the time your birthday rolls around and you have mastered your at-home cupcakes, you will be thrilled to know that here in Deutschland you get to pay for your own birthday party. This means, that if you want to acknowledge your birthday at work, be prepared to bring the plates, napkins, forks, prosecco, cake, water with bubbles for those that don't drink, and a crate of beer.

You understand why I stopped celebrating at 23.