You know it’s cold when…

You know it’s cold when… (today’s top 10 list)
10. You bundle up to walk the dog and don’t care how you look anymore – as long as you’re warm.
9. The dog looks at you like “do I have to” when you open the door.
8. You kick the dog out the door, but don’t lock it for fear that the metal lock would stick in the metal door jamb and be impossible to re-open.
7. The dog walks on the pavement, picking up each paw, shaking it (to get it warm) and then repeats for each step as he’s walking – while looking back at you like the world is coming to the end. (Remember – I have a husky – a dog designed for COLD weather!)
6. You go back inside and realize you’ve lost all feeling to your fingers, toes, nose, ears, thighs, butt, and forearms – and you’ve only been outside for 10 minutes.
5. The bus driver waits until the last possible minute to open the door and then promptly slams it behind you – closing your jacket in the rubber flap and prompting you to “fall up the stairs” as you try to pull your coat out and show him your bus pass.
4. You wish the weather would just warm up to 35 degrees so you could unthaw.
3. Drinking lukewarm tap water feels like you’re drinking something really warm (hot coffee? tea? hot chocolate?) .. and you can feel it as it goes all the way down and coats the inside of your stomach.
2. You wear tights, long johns, jeans and knee high boots to work yet feel NO requirement to de-layer yourself once in the office (because it’s only slightly less windy inside – but nearly the same temperature as outside.)
AND… *Drum Roll please*….
The Number 1 way you know it’s cold is…..
1. You realize that the fingerless gloves you have worn at the computer desk the last 3 days aren’t keeping your hands/fingers warm anymore so you consider ski gloves – and request a new keyboard so you can continue working….
Share

Happy Hannukah!

Last Night was very cool. I headed over to JTW’s much anticipated Hannukah party. How he described it is much how it was. (Well.. except for the exotic fruit.. but we’ll get into that in a moment. ) A gathering of a bunch of non-Jewish folks to have latke, drinks, listen to some klezmer music and play with a dreidel. Oh and light a menorah. (because you have to have a menorah to call it a Haunnukah party.)

Pretty much, that was it. Only, at some point, some of the guests decided to go get some gluhwine mix (and sacrificed a few bottles of wine to the hot stove) and because money was leftover – some exotic fruits. Don’t ask me what any of them are, but I wound up getting photos of us trying a few – for better or worse – hideous face or quizzical expression.

Tasty... NOT!
Cecelia and Leah trying some strange fruit that turned out to be NOT so Tasty.
Chef Niall
Niall takes a break from preparing gluhwine (hot spiced wine served around the holidays here in Germany) and digs in to a bright pink fruit that resembles an onion on the outside.

 

Oh – we also got to catch part of a Riot at Hackesher Markt – from his 7th floor windows. Couldn’t see much, but the sounds, number of cop cars, ambulences and etc were impressive. Of course, that pretty much also explains WHY at midnight pretty much no one was at Alexanderplatz or Hackesher Market when that’s normally a highly traffic area due to clubs, bars, and various eating establishments.

Let's start a RIOT... Let's start a RIOT!
Finally, in honor of the holiday, I figured we should all sing a round of Adam Sandler’s most famous song…

Meanwhile, I’m going back to some exotic fruit. (UH GUys, are you sure I’m supposed to eat this? It looks like a hairy goat’s ball that’s been cut open….)

Share

They grow up so fast… *sniff*

It’s funny to think that it’s been over a year since I’ve lived in Germany.

More amusing still to realize that KNUT the CUTE (the polar bear born in Berlin’s zoo and quickly abandoned by his momma) is now a year old. He’s gone from CUTE to well… Ginormous (full polar bear size) and subsequently the crowds have dissipated.

That was then:

My how times have changed!

Share