31 October 2004
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“Smoke and Mirrors” is a phrase that is used in English to denote that something is not real; that it is lacking substance, or is only there to create an illusion. The origin of this phrase comes from the fact that magicians often use smoke and mirrors to create illusions and obscure your vision as a bit of trickery. A person who is using “smoke and mirrors” is creating an illusion.
Therefore, one reason that I rarely write about politics and/or politicians is because I feel that it is all smoke and mirrors. While one side has Bruce Springsteen come to a rally, the other thumps on the Bible and proudly proclaims he is endorsed by God. These tactics merely obscure the real issues at hand and don’t really mean anything. Once you get past the smoke and mirrors it is easy to see why recent elections have always been so close: there is really no difference between the two parties or the person that has been chosen to represent the party.
However, for me this smoke and mirror act does little more than aggravate me. I am familiar with the issues. I know both sides of the issues and I have a personal opinion on them. No matter what John Kerry, George Bush, or anyone else says or does, it is highly unlikely that I will change my stance on them. It offends me to my very core when people try to change my opinion so that it conforms to their own: I don’t care if it is my neighbor, my father, or some stiff running for public office. I don’t try to change their opinion, so what gives them the right to not only try and change mine, but indicate that because mine doesn’t mesh with theirs that I am somehow deficient?
It is with these thoughts that I face November 2, 2004. Not because I hope to see George W. Bush voted out of the White House (though I do), but because I am so sick of this smoke and mirror act day in and day out, that no matter who wins I will be glad to see the whole thing subside!
P.S. Happy Halloween!
Filed under: americana, politics & society |
30 October 2004
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Some people have “Dog Days.” Well, not me. I have “Cat Days,” and today was one of them!
First of all, when we woke up this morning, we noticed that Scooter was limping… BAD. Now, Scooter is not exactly the most graceful of cats and we did hear a big crash last night about the time we went to bed, so I put two and two together and came to the conclusion he probably fell or something. I poked around his leg a little bit and he didn’t really have any reaction until I tried to straighten his elbow. He then started meowing. It wasn’t a meow like he was in excruciating pain, but obviously it was uncomfortable.
Well, I decided I would give him a little while in case he was faking it. I know it sounds silly, but one time when he tripped over something while running around, he started limping. Of course I made a huge fuss and I swear it got worse! I then ignored the situation for an hour or so, and he stopped. So, this morning, I took a shower and went about my business for about an hour, but he still kept limping.
So, we whisked him off to the vet. Turns out he damaged a nerve and currently has no feeling from his elbow down. Even though we heard this crash last night, what exactly he did is a mystery. The vet gave him a Cortisone and B12 shot and we are supposed to put an infrared light on his leg for about 10 minutes several times a day and he goes back for a check up Tuesday. I hope he gets better soon… my poor baby!
Meanwhile, we are supposed to keep him from jumping up and down on things. Have you ever tried to hinder a cat from jumping? It is damn near impossible!
After all of that was over, I tried to cross stitch so I could finish up my “Siamese Kitty.” I have done better French Knots and I think all in all the backstitching took me about three hours, but I was interrupted so many times I am not exactly sure. However, after 5 years, “Siamese Kitty” is finally finished!
Filed under: cat blogging, happy dances | Tags: scooter, siamese kitty, veterinarian
28 October 2004
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Over the weekend I finished a 15 hour rotation on “Passing Admirers.” I know I am supposed to be working on a 10 rotation system, but even though 10 hours is a long time, when it comes to stitching, it goes by quicker than one might think. Besides, I had already done about 15 hours on “Passing Admirers” and wanted to get it in sync with my rotation system. I made some good progress on it, but boy was I ready to switch to different piece! I stitched so much pink that I was really seeing the world with a “rose-tint!”
With all of the hoopla surrounding the most recent move of my blog, (This time I swear it’s for good!) I hadn’t had much time or desire to stitch until today. Today I got back into my rotation and am now working on my “Siamese Kitty.” In fact, she is almost done! I just have to the back-stitching. I think it should take 2 or 3 hours. Then I will finally finish my longest UFO ever! I started “Siamese Kitty” in September of 1999, but didn’t give up on her on purpose… I managed to misplace the pattern and just recently found it!
So, hopefully tomorrow I will have a finished picture. Meanwhile, you can check her progress in my Cross-Stitch Gallery.
Filed under: wips |
27 October 2004
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Today I went on my weekly grocery shopping expedition. Unlike many Germans, I have a freezer. So instead of the hassle of buying fresh meat daily, when we go to the store I buy enough to last us for about two weeks and then I freeze it when I get home.
Because I don’t find the beef in Germany particularly good, we eat a lot of pork. Pork chops are great: they freeze well and are quick to prepare. “Pork chop” happened to be a word that I learned in German fairly early on. Not only was I presented with it from the advertisements behind the meat counter, it was in Lesson 5 of German 1: Food, and to top it all off, it is one of those words that are very similar to English. The German word for pork chop (sometimes referred to as cutlet) is Kotelett.
At first when I wasn’t yet very comfortable with German, I would have A. order everything and do all the talking. Grocery shopping in this manner was very frustrating. A. and I would have these lengthy discussions before we went to the store about what I wanted, but then when we got there it would turn out more often than not that he didn’t know the proper word for what I wanted in German. Or, in the case of meat, they didn’t offer the same cuts of meat in Germany as in the US. So, somewhere along the way I started doing the talking.
We go to the same store about every two weeks, so the butcher there knows me. Not on first name basis or anything, but he knows that I usually get some “mixed meat,” some pork chops, some chicken, and sometimes some sausage.
However, today the lady that was doing the meat usually does the cheese. So, I asked her for my mixed meat with no problems, but when I asked for “vier Koteletten” she seemed puzzled. After a little discussion, she figured out what I wanted. Now, my pronunciation in German is not that greatest. I admit it. So, I figured that when the cheese & meat lady didn’t understand what I wanted, it was the fault of my pronunciation. I told her that though the word in English was similar to that in German I couldn’t pronounce it very well and to please forgive me. She asked me the word in English and I told her “cutlet.” She said she understood that fine and so I made a note to myself that from now on I would just pronounce “Kotelett” like “cutlet.”
On the way home, I told A. about my encounter with the cheese & meat lady and after a pause he asked me if I used the plural of Kotelett.
“Sure.” I said. “I needed four pork chops.”
“What is the plural ending for Kotelett anyway?” I asked.
” ‘S,’ I think,” he replied.
“Oh,” I said, “I used ‘N.’ When in doubt about the plural ending in German I tend to go with ‘N.’ ”
He started laughing and said “Oh, now I know why she didn’t understand you. You asked her for four sideburns!”
Note: When I got home I looked up cutlet and sideburn in my trusty English/German dictionary. Sure enough cutlet = Kotelett (-s) and sideburn = Kotelett (-en)!
Filed under: bon appetit!, expatica blog, germany |
