Stitching Notes

I thought about bringing my latest cross-stitch piece with me when we went to Cologne this past week, but I didn't. A. didn't take his notebook and neither one of us took a book so that we would be "forced" to spend quality time together. (ha ha)

Anyway here are some stitching-related notes...

1. I am very close to being finished with the dragonfly piece that I am working on. I hope that I will be motivated to finish it this coming week.
   
2. A couple of weeks ago I bought paint so that I can paint a couple of frames. I will then frame "Keeping the Eggs Dry" and "Precious Family."
   
3. Now that I have my sewing machine I need to buy some material so I can practice my sewing and make pillows. I have at least one cross-stitch piece ("Cat Sampler") I want to make into a pillow.
   
4. Maybe I will someday get around to making that quilt with my cross-stitch pieces now...

Bored housewives and crafts sure do go together... just like peanut butter and jelly!

Cologne/Köln

We have returned from a trip to Cologne. Here is a summary:

We left Munich about 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. We were hoping to avoid holiday and rush hour traffic. We were making really good time until we got caught for nearly three (3) hours in a 20 km (12.5 mile) traffic jam! For any American who has ever dreamed of driving on the speed limitless German Autobahn, let me tell you, even in Germany most of the time it is still a dream.

Since we were staying with the in-laws we took all three cats with us. They are well-traveled and made the trip up with no problems and only a little crying by Scooter. On the way back, Mouse had an upset tummy and managed to puke in her carrier, but it was minor in comparison to some of her hairballs.

Wednesday was hang out with the in-laws day. A.'s mother and I seem to getting along a little better every time we visit. A while back A. mentioned to her that I wanted a sewing machine, but hadn't bought one because I didn't really know too much about them. So, while I was there we began discussing sewing machines and after she gave me a crash-course with hers, she took me shopping and bought me one! I can't wait to make some pillows!

Sometime on Tuesday between loading the car and reaching our destination I cracked the face of my Fossil watch. I have had that watch for almost 5 years and damn! I really loved that watch! My mother-in-law noticed that it was cracked and while we were out shopping she also bought me a new watch... A Swatch!

At first I thought, a Swatch? Isn't that a little 80s?! But this one doesn't look like a cheesy one out of The Breakfast Club or anything. First, it is a man's watch. I only buy men's watches. I hate women's watches. They are so small I have to squint to tell the time. Second, it is black and silver, just like I like, and has a red star at the 12. My mother-in-law was teasing me about the red "commie star" and then when I examined it a little closer I discovered it is a James Bond Secret Spy Watch! It has 007 and From Russia with Love on the band! I love it! It has everything a secret spy watch should: the commie star, the date, and it even glows in the dark! :)

Thursday was our day to visit Cologne. We planned three things: a visit to the Dom, a stop at Boutique 4711 where they make the famous "Eau de Cologne," and a visit to the chocolate museum... yum! That update later....

Helen Homemaker

Today I went to see The Stepford Wives. Quick plot summary: This super-successful career woman gets fired from her job, has a nervous breakdown, and then moves to the suburbs of Connecticut with her husband and two kids. However, there is something weird about the community of Stepford.... the wives are all 1950s Helen Homemaker perfect! I won't say anything more about the movie here because I don't want to spoil it if you haven't seen it, but it got me to thinking about the whole "Helen Homemaker" persona and things I have often pondered since I got married and don't work.

As I have mentioned before, I never planned on not having to work my adult life. However, because of circumstances that I chose, I have taken a break from working and now am (if truth be told) only half-heartedly looking for a job. Presently, I don't mind not working. But that wasn't always the case. When I decided to move in with (and later marry) A., I up and quit my job with no promise of a new job on the horizon. It was a big and scary step. I was scared he would eventually resent me for not working, and I was terrified of losing my independence and identity. We talked and talked about it and finally A. convinced me that he didn't mind if I didn't work and wanted to take care of me. He also convinced me that while financially I would be dependent on him that didn't prevent me from being independent. I wrestled with the decision, but in the end I chose (excuse the sap) to take a chance on love.

My girlfriends quizzed me relentlessly when I told them this. They wanted to know if he truly didn't care one way or another whether or not I worked or if he was a traditional European man and in actuality didn't want me to work. I was amazed that they stuck this traditional European macho-man stereotype on him, when most American men I know are much more traditional in that sense than European men I have known. Since then when he grills me about what I really want to do in life and where I want to go, I have unfairly accused him of not wanting me to work. Honestly, I don't think this is true at all. He is just trying to help me with my decisions, but when he says something I don't want to hear, I guess I start grasping at straws.

Yet, when I see this movie and think about it, it is definitely I question I wonder about: Deep down inside, do men (no matter what nationality, race, age, etc.) want their woman (wife or otherwise) to stay home, look beautiful, cook, clean, and live only as an extension of them? Of course nowadays, it is very politically incorrect to even mention these things, but is it there?

One thing I do notice is that even though we are married, A. does still care about my appearance. Most days I wear comfortable clothes around the house and only wear makeup and fancy shoes when I go out. But unless we are going somewhere together, he doesn't see me then. So when he comes home on a day that I have been out and about, he always makes a comment about how nice I look. The compliments are nice, but inevitably they are always followed by, "Why don't you dress nicely more often?" I am not offended by the question and it is true... I do dress sloppily when I am not going anywhere or doing anything. I should look nice not only for him, but also myself, more often.

However, he has also acknowledged my difficulty at being a housewife. At first I tried to make him three square meals a day and keep the house spotless while looking beautiful. It was driving me mad and making me depressed. One day when it was just too much I exploded and in the end I found out he is much more concerned that I am happy and healthy than whether or not I vacuum the carpet every Wednesday.

I guess the only way I will ever be the perfect "Helen Homemaker" is if I am turned into the "Housewife Robot 2004". Luckily for me, A. doesn't want a robot for a wife. :)

Stitching Blogger's Question of the Week #1

As a way to participate in my new cross-stitching blogger's webring, I am posting my thoughts on the Question of the Week:

Would you consider yourself 'addicted to stitching'? Why or why not?

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Hmm... usually when I hear the term "addicted" I associate it with an activity that the person in question has a difficult time controlling. I like to say I am addicted to sugar. As much as I try, I just cannot control my love of sugar!

Can I control my desire to cross-stitch? Yes... so I would say that I am not addicted to cross-stitch. I control it, it doesn't control me. However, I will admit that my hobby is sometimes more like a habit that one might associate with addiction. :)

Occasionally I have been known to go through phases where I do basically nothing else but cross-stitch. Then again, some days I deliberately do not cross-stitch so that I can enjoy my progress and don't get bored with a piece and I seldom start a new piece unless the previous one is finished.

So, even though I may spend all of some days cross-stitching, start planning my next project as soon as I begin my current one, and sometimes get irritated when my stitching groove is interrupted... of course I don't have a problem! :)

12 Simple Rules

I have often said that in my next life I want to come back as a pampered indoor housecat. In order to get a jump on the situation, I decided to observe my cats and try to live my life like they do. In doing so, I have drafted...

12 Simple Rules for Living a Cat's Life:

1. You can never take too many naps.
   
2. Take time to enjoy lying in the sun.
   
3. Bathing is an art form.
   
4. Sometimes you just gotta throw up a hairball.
   
5. There is no shame in being a carnivore.
   
6. Never clean your own litter box.
   
7. Avoid unnecessary bursts of energy.
   
8. Everything needs to be inspected once a day.
   
9. Looking cute gets you a long way in life.
   
10. Protest loudly when offended or not getting your own way.
    
11. Always place yourself in the center of attention.
    
12. Always Remember: You are the Boss!
    

Waiting for the Repairman...

I am on pins and needles waiting for the dishwasher repairman to come and look at my dishwasher later today...

What will he tell us? Will he have the part that he needs and fix it right away? Will it cost so much that we can't go on vacation? Will it be cheaper to buy a new dishwasher?

And most importantly, when can I stop washing dishes?!

2:30 Update
The dishwasher repairman came and fixed my dishwasher! Yeah! If A. hadn't been standing there, I might have kissed him! (hee hee)

Robin Hood: Dialect Thief

Last week, we added Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves to our DVD Collection. Remember that movie? The one where you got a glimpse of Kevin Costner's butt and for months on end Bryan Adams' "Everything I Do (I Do It for You)" was on every time you turned on the radio? (At least it was in America!) I always liked the movie and we got a good deal on it at Wal-Mart.

I hadn't seen it for a long time, so today I decided to watch it while I cross-stitched. (I started a new project today.)

The first thing I noticed while watching the movie with fresh eyes was that the dude that plays the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham had an uncanny resemblance to the dude that plays Professor Snape in the Harry Potter movies. So when the credits rolled I noted who the Sheriff was (Alan Rickman) and double checked in the Internet Movie Database. I was right! The Sheriff of Nottingham was played by none other than Professor Snape!

However, what really struck me was Kevin Costner and Christian Slater's (lack of) English accent.

The time period of this movie is around the time of the First Crusades (around 1100 AD). At this time, the English language was in a state of change. Old English was dying out and Middle English was becoming the standard dialect. Some scholars even think that the accent of Middle English sounded closer to that of American English than present day British English. (Whether or not this is actually true, isn't really the discussion here. I am only mentioning this so that I can eventually come to my point...)

In the movie, Alan Rickman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and most of the other actors spoke with what I would consider a British accent. However, Kevin Costner and Christian Slater didn't even TRY to adopt one.

The movie takes place in England. Today we identify the English with a particular accent/dialect, so I would have thought they could have at least hired Costner and Slater a dialect coach to give the audience the impression that they were actually English.

Or... if we go with the premise that early Middle English sounded more like American English, everyone else could have spoken like Costner and Slater. Either way, I think everyone (except Morgan Freeman who plays a Moor) should have been speaking with the same accent and in the same dialect. (Nottingham uses the word "twit" at one point, is that a Middle English word? No, according to my Oxford Dictionary of English, "twit" meaning a silly or foolish person originated in the 1930s.)

Overall, I think Costner made a decent Robin Hood and Slater an alright Will Scarlet, but their lack of an English accent really troubled me...

* * * * * * * * * *

Disclaimer:
Lest my British, English, Scottish, Irish, and/or Welsh readers be offended, I want to point out that I do know about the difference in the dialects/accents between you. However, like you might have a difficult time pointing out where in the US I come from by my accent/dialect, I have some trouble differentiating amongst your dialects/accents. I also know that Britain is made up of more than just England, so I hope in the spirit of my post you will understand that I am not trying to pigeon-hole you, just complain about the lack of consistency in this movie!

Tunnel Party!

Like all large cities, Munich is under constant construction. Its subway is no exception. Currently, I know of at least 3 new subway extensions that are being built. Two of these are on the U6 line. The U6 line is one of the longest in all of Munich and runs by many of the town hubs, including the University.

However, there are two Universities in Munich. The first is the LMU and the second is the TU (Technical University). In the past the TU was housed near the LMU, but the majority of the TU is now located north of town in Garching. Currently the only way to reach the TU is by bus or car, but one of the subway stops under construction is one that goes out to the TU. Sometime around 2006, you will be able to ride the subway all the way out to the TU.

Between the one going to the TU and the last finished one on that line, is another stop that has been under construction since before we moved to Munich in 2002. This one is almost finished. (It seems like about all that they have left to do is to lay the tracks.) As a way to celebrate the new, almost-finished subway stop, Saturday night there was a "Tunnel Party."

Curious as to what a "Tunnel Party" entailed, A. and I went to check it out. After waiting in line for about an hour, we paid our way into the new subway tunnel. The tunnel itself was decorated like a disco and there was food, drink, music, and about 500 meters of empty subway tunnel open for the enjoyment of Munich's residents. It was neat to walk through the tunnel, even though it was jam-packed with people and the music sounded awful (the tunnel didn't make for very good acoustics).

Cross-Stitch Disaster

I was hoping to have a new cross-stitch piece to display today. It was going to be a bookmark with hotair balloons.

However, I had problems with it from the beginning. I miscounted the amount of fabric I needed and I miscounted while stitching the balloons. I tried to compensate for this by adding some wording to it ("Up, Up, and Away!"). But nothing helped.

I have been struggling with it all week and today I finally got so frustrated with it I cut it into small pieces (Yes, I really did!) and threw it in the trash.

Maybe I need a cross-stitch breather...

Cross-Stitch Blog?

When I first started my blog I was actually looking at starting a "cross-stitch blog." My main goal was to use it as a showcase for my finished cross-stitch and maybe talk a little bit about why I chose to do such pieces.

However, when I started my blog at Blogger they had no photo-uploading capabilities with free accounts. So, I just started babbling about my life.

Since the advent of "Hello" I have, on occasion, shown off my cross-stitch pieces, but up until now, I haven't really talked too much about my inspirations and such. However, I think from now on I will talk about it a little bit more.

Why? Well, first of all I joined a cross-stitch web ring and if I am a member I think I should do more than just show off my stuff. Besides, it was what I wanted to do in the first place.

However, dear readers who enjoy my "Culture Shock and the blondelibrarian" stories... Don't go any where! The cross-stitch babbling will just be an addition to my other babbling.

A Dishwasher Story

Two years ago, days after we moved into our apartment, we ordered all of the necessary appliances: a washer, a dryer, a refrigerator, and a dishwasher. The dryer gave us a small problem about a year ago, but otherwise all of them have worked perfectly for the past two years. Four days ago, our two year warranty on these appliances ran out...

Last night, when A. came home I exclaimed, "Oh, hi honey. I am SO glad you are home."

As he walked into the kitchen, he eyed me skeptically. After all, I usually say, "Hi, how was your day?" when he comes home.

"Why?" he said.

"Because I think the dishwasher is clogged." And that is how our evening began.

We spent all evening scooping water that smelled like it came from a sewer out of the dishwasher, blowing through hoses, and unscrewing parts that probably shouldn't have been unscrewed before finally coming to the conclusion that the pump is probably kaput.

This morning, A. called the repair man, who promptly told us that he can't come until NEXT Thursday! Oh the horror! He also told us that he can't tell us how much the repair will cost until AFTER he looks at the machine. Just to look at the machine will cost us 58 Euros that must be paid in cash at the time of the visit. Only at that time will the repair man be able to tell us how much it will cost to fix the damn thing. We have already discussed it may be cheaper to buy a new dishwasher.

The down side is that until then I will have to wash dishes. I HATE to wash dishes.

The up side is we will be eating out a lot in the next week! :)

4:00 Update

I just got a call from the repair man's office. They will be able to squeeze us in on Tuesday!

The "Fitness Studio"

Back in March, A. and I joined our local "fitness studio," which is one of those fancy-sounding imported English words that simply means "gym." It was our intention to go twice a week. We did really good for about a month. Then with the onset of summer we were struggling to go once week. However, after discussing how much money we spent on a year-long membership, we renewed our vow to go twice a week. For the past two weeks we have managed to keep our word.

As part of our membership, we get sessions with a trainer every 20-25 visits. They give you a fitness test, check your blood pressure, measure your weight and fat, and show you new exercises.

Last night, was my second training session (since March I have gone 23 times!). The trainer measured me and the bad news (at least in MHO) was that we found neither my weight nor fat mass had changed. (I had hoped to reduce them both) The good news was that my fitness level had gone up two-fold and my blood pressure had gone down a bit. Considering that I had been more concerned with visiting the "Solarium" (tanning bed) than doing my exercises the last couple of months, I guess it wasn't all that bad. In all honesty, I had been getting bored with my exercises anyway, so it is a good thing the trainer showed me some new ones. As of today, I am motivated again. How long it will last I don't know...

Firefox

I first heard about it from JingleLady. Then I read it about it on Wired. Last night, A. downloaded Firefox on his computer. After playing around with it a little bit, I decided to download it on mine too.

I experimented with it most of the afternoon and by adding on the desired extentions, I find it to be extremely flexible. We will see how I like it in the coming days, but I think it looks pretty promising...

Of course, after examining my various web pages with it, I realized I need to do some tweaking so they look as good in Firefox as they do in IE. Luckily though, this blog looks good in both. (Even though I have been kicking around the idea of redesigning my blog template...)

1200 Years!

Today, in the cold and rain, along with our neighbor lady, A. and I went to a parade that opened week-long festivites celebrating the 1200th (yes, one thousand two hundred!) anniversary of our little village.

The parade was fun. I got to see all sorts of townspeople dressed up in traditional Bavarian clothing. Many of the floats highlighted the things in the town's history. For example: There was a float celebrating the first school house and one celebrating the church. There were also lots people celebrating different jobs: the farmers, the fishermen, the peat workers, and the seamstresses.

I took loads of pictures and will be uploading them into my photo gallery eventually. During a small break because of the rain, the float that had the seamstresses on it stopped right in front of me, so I got a pretty good picture of this little old lady sitting at an old-fashioned pedal sewing machine.

The following text is in Bavarian and obviously has something to do with sewing. If there is anybody out there who knows Bavarian, what the heck does this say anyway? (The complete text is from another photo I took, but isn't quite so clear.)

photo by blondelibrarian

"Die Näherin ist auf da "Stear" heut do in da Stubn fangt sie scho s'zuaschneidn o da Muadda nähts a Kirchagwand de Kinda brauchan allerhand do warn no a paar schöne Fleckerl des wird fürs Dirndl no a Röckerl ja s'Geld is knapp es leid net (lost word) a Hosn braucht da Bua für d' (lost word) an Schawa griagt da Vadda (lost word) und die Näherin 4 Mark Tageslohn.

Beyond the obvious that I know I understand, I also understand (I think) the following words: Die Näherin - the seamstress; Muadda - mother?; Vadda - father?; zuaschneidn - to cut?; Kinda - children; brauchan - to need; Hosn - pants; 4 Mark Tageslohn - 4 Marks day's wage

Impulse Shopping

Oh, the joys of IKEA!

The other day we went to IKEA to find me some type of new container to put my cross-stitching supplies in as I had outgrown my old milk crate. We found a very nice wicker basket that has a lid with buckles.

However, as anyone who has ever been to IKEA knows, in order to get to the check-out you are forced to walk through the entire store. This gives you plenty of time to browse through all of the other things you don't really need, but will buy just because... Talk about impulse shopping!

Well, we succumbed to it. There was a display of cookbooks and since A. is always encouraging me to try new recipes, we stopped a moment to look at them. First we looked at "Recipes from your Grandmother's Kitchen," which included a recipe for dandelion salad. (I could have sworn that dandelions were poisonous...) We also looked at a cookbook with Austrian recipes, one for pasta, and one for the wok (I don't have a wok).

As I have mentioned before, A. and I like food with flavor and are very fond of Mediterranean, Mid-Eastern, and Indian-style cooking. So when we happened upon a Turkish cookbook and then an Arabian cookbook, we just HAD to get them.

I am looking forward to trying out some of these recipes. As luck would have it, there is a Turkish market very near my apartment so I might actually be able to get some of the ingredients that are called for.

Going Away

My friend Susie and her husband are moving back to the US in about a month. I will really miss her. Just when I finally made a good friend here in Germany that I can go to lunch, shopping, or to a museum with she has to leave.

But I guess that is just the way it goes. However, due to the miracle of the email and blogging we will still be able to keep in touch. The good part is now I have someone besides my mom to send me all of those little things from back home that I miss...

Anyway, I cross-stitched her a bookmark for a going-away present. Since I have gave it to her today, I can post it here and show it to everyone else.

© blondelibrarian

On a Lighter Note...

I always enjoy looking at my blog stats. Seeing that people actually read my blog gives me some sort of perverse satisfaction.

I also like seeing the keywords that land people here. Normally they include some variation of "blonde," "culture shock," "Germany," and "America." However, the other day someone got here by searching for "cats throwing up shock." HA! HA!

While it is true that I have three cats, two of which being long-haired and prone to throwing up hairballs, I don't recall ever writing about that. Afterall, not everyone sees the humor in cat puke that I do...

Patriotism vs. Nationalism

In my last post I wrote, "While patriotism simply means the love of one's county, I think these days in America it has much more to do with feelings of superiority."

However, it has come to my attention that with this comment I was perhaps blending two distinct concepts, patriotism and nationalism, together and sending a confusing message. What I was trying to highlight with this comment is that these days I believe many Americans are taking their feelings of superiority, or perhaps more precisely nationalism, and unfairly slapping the term patriotism on them.

Patriotism means the love of one's country and of course one can be patriotic without feeling superior. Every 4th of July Americans celebrate not only their independence, but the love of their country and their pride at being American. People cry during the National Anthem not only because it is a song with a beautiful melody, but because it has a powerful message.

Nationalism means devotion to national interests, unity, and independence and by stating that, it is obvious that nationalism can have both positive and negative connotations. Nationalism keeps America united and helps give Americans their identity. However, nationalism can also give people a selfish view of the world and foster feelings of superiority. When hidden under the disguise of patriotism, it is this mind-set that sometimes makes me reluctant to admit that I am an American.

When I read about the Supreme Court upholding the First Amendment, I am proud to be an American. I love my country for the belief that in America with enough determination you can be anything you want to be. I am so thankful that I grew up in a country where women have the right to vote and girls have the right to an education and a career. Hearing the National Anthem makes me reflect on these things and if tears come to my eyes I guess it is because in that moment I am feeling patriotic.

An American Identity

Since today is the 4th of July, I believe it is the perfect opportunity to reflect a little bit on the following questions: How does one define "American Identity?" and What does it mean to have an "American Identity?"

The American Heritage Dictionary has approximately six definitions for the word "identity." Of those, two are useful when attempting to describe the "American Identity:" 1.) The collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing is definitively recognizable or known. 2.) The set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group.

I would use the first definition to identify things as American. If I see something that is red, white, and blue and covered in stars and stripes, I identify that as "American." Today many products and brands are identified as American because that is where they were developed. If foreigners are asked to describe America, they might say things like McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Nike, and Britney Spears. Of course, there are many other things to America, but these are the media giants and what foreigners are exposed to. Unfortunately, together with foreign policy it is these things that outsiders use to characterize America.

The second definition is how people are classified as "American." For example, when Americans travel overseas their loud voices can immediately give them away. Americans may also be seen abroad as materialistic, flag-waving, church-going, Chevrolet-driving, monolingual morons that have no concept of the world beyond their borders. However, by the same token, many Americans would identity themselves the same way only putting a different spin on things. They would say they are hard-working, patriotic, moralistic, domestic car-driving, English speakers that know that there is no world beyond their borders. Either way, these people can be, without a doubt, identified as Americans.

I was born and lived most of my life in America. I possess an American passport and dearly love my Coca-Cola. I still prefer to watch American sitcoms (even though they are dubbed in German) and don't know diddley squat about soccer. Obviously all of these things identify me as an American.

Although my cultural experiences would classify me as American, I am not sure how many of my behavioral or personal characteristics would still define me as American. Taking the above example, hard work doesn't really do anything for me. I would rather laze about relaxing and reading than worrying about the next project deadline. While patriotism simply means the love of one's county, I think these days in America it has much more to do with feelings of superiority. There are many people in that country that I love, but I am not really all that attached to the land itself and I am definitely not under the impression that America is greater than any other country. I believe that I am a moral person in the sense that I know the difference between right and wrong. However, as an agnostic, the association of morality with the church and its so-called "family values" are nothing but a thorn in my side. Unlike a true American, I no longer drive everywhere. If I need to go to the local grocery store for milk, I now walk. I take public transportation into town, and between my husband and me we only have one car, which he drives to work. Even before moving to Germany I had learned another language and now living in a land that is English-aware but not English-speaking in order to make my way I have learned yet another language. Simply living across the Atlantic makes me conscious that there is a world beyond America, but beyond that I feel I have a much larger global perspective than that average American.

So, what of my own personal American identity? On paper, I am an American, but otherwise I would like to be able to identify myself as a "Global Citizen."

Johannesfeuer

Last Saturday night, our little town celebrated Johannesfeuer with a bonfire. Interestingly enough, many other places in the northern hemisphere were celebrating the summer solstice the same weekend.

Seeing that the Catholic Youth League in town was sponsoring the bonfire, I came to the conclusion that Johannesfeuer must not have just been a summer solstice celebration, but one with Catholic overtones. After a little research, I discovered that my hunch was right. Like many other Catholic festivals, this one is celebrated during a time that pagans also find significant.

One thing that has always bugged me about Catholicism (and Christianity in general) is their habit to take festivals that were/are significant to pagans and with a little "creative accounting" make them their own. I suppose in the past this was a semi-effective way to "convert" the masses. Since the masses were celebrating anyway I guess it was a perfect opportunity for the Church to tell them that what they thought they were celebrating was in actuality something else.

Since I am not religious the bonfire had absolutely no significance to me other than it was a pretty spectacle.

photo by blondelibrarian