Lesen auf Deutsch

About a week ago, A. and I had a discussion about my German reading ability and I didn't much like what he said. He thought that I bordered on illiteracy in German. And let me tell you something... not only did that really rub me the wrong way me, but it got me to thinking.

I'll be honest. Since I finished German classes a year ago I haven't read too much German. I might glance at the newspaper headlines or the tele-text on TV once in a while, but that's about it. When I really started thinking about it, I realized that it is very sad that I, who claim to like reading so much, have not taken the initiative to read in the language of the country where I live.

My main reasons excuses for not reading in German are:

• I haven't found any German authors I like.
  
• Anything that sounds good to me is usually a German translation from English and why should I read something in German if I can read it in English?
  
• I don't enjoy reading in German because it requires so much concentration.
  
• Since I don't think in German, I have a hard time visualizing the story in my head.
  
• I have the reading level of a child and the reading tastes of an adult.
  
• It is just so frustrating!
  

But in addition to all that, is this: While it is true that I learned the basics of reading in English fairly quickly, the refinement of my reading skills took years. Therefore, why should I expect myself to read at the same level in German as I do in English when I only learned German two years ago? Of course, I also admit that I will never improve my German reading skills if I don't practice them. And honestly, I do want to be able to read as well in German as I do in English.

So, I decided the other day I needed to think about reading in German. Not only why I didn't want to do it, but how I could approach it so that I would want do it!

One thing I thought about was my oral comprehension: At first I had a very hard time understanding German and it wasn't until (and I am a little ashamed to admit it) that I started watching TV that I really began to understand German. But even more, it wasn't just TV watching in general that increased my ability; it was watching American movies and shows that I had already seen translated into German. I started watching Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Bold and the Beautiful, The Gilmore Girls, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Friends, The Simpsons, and a host of other shows that I was familiar with. I found that when I knew the basic plot of the show I started to understand the language... not only of the show, but also of the conversations around me.

How could I apply this to reading, I wondered. First I decided that I must discard that second excuse for not reading in German. If something sounds good to me, I can always read it in English, but I shouldn't refuse to read it in German. Second, I thought about my method for improving my oral comprehension ability and modified it to this: Why not try to read books that I am already familiar with? Since I will already know the plot and will be able to visualize it, I can focus on thinking/reading in German.

I also thought about my reading level in German and thought books written for a younger audience might be the way to go. So, I have decided to start by reading Harry Potter in German. First I need to buy them and then I can start with my experiment. Since A. is going to be away on a business trip the first part of next week and I will be home alone, I think it will be the perfect time to start!

Confessions of a Coke Addict

They say the first step in solving a problem is to admit that you have one:

So, here goes... My name is the blondelibrarian and I am addicted to Coke. How addicted I am to that sweet, bubbly, brown, cola-flavored liquid that I jokingly refer to as "Liquid Gold" I never fully realized until I decided to stop.

First let's get one thing straight: I do not now, nor have I ever been able to drink Diet Coke. It just doesn't taste like the "real thing" in my opinion. People have told me to keep drinking it because I will get used to it, but I just can't. My Diet Coke experiment lasted all of three days. I don't care what you say. It DOES NOT taste like Coke... just NutraSweet!

Second of all, while I can drink Pepsi, RC, or even a Jolt Cola in times of desperation, I choose Coke. I once did the (in)famous "Pepsi Challenge" and I chose Coke. The people doing the whole thing were so rude about it too: They wouldn't even give me the rest of the Coke when I asked for it!

I used to drink a lot of Coke. In my heyday I could easily drink at least 2 or 3 liters a day. I drank Coke for breakfast and before I went to bed. My favorite drink was Jack and Coke and a friend once gave me a cook book entitled Classic Cooking with Coca-Cola. I drank Coke when I ate chocolate, potato chips, nuts, or cookies. Everything goes with Coke!

In the last few years I have tried to reduce my Coke intake and think I have done a pretty good job. I try to limit myself to about 3/4 liter per day and usually succeed.

However, a couple of weeks ago A. decided that he was no longer going to drink Coke and encouraged me to think about it too. After all, he told me, think of the calories and money I would save. I was resistant at first, but finally agreed to give it a whirl.

For three days I didn't have so much as one sip of Coke. I drank plenty of milk, water, and even some wine, but no Coke. I had a headache, was tired for no apparent reason, and today I nearly snapped the lady's head off at the book store when I was trying to explain that though I obviously speak English, I wanted Harry Potter in German.

I walked home grouchy and when I got home I was very thirsty. I looked in the fridge with every intention of drinking water, but the Coke was there looking so cold and refreshing... I just couldn't take it anymore! I nearly ripped off the lid and in one long, swift drink drained half the bottle! And let me tell you something, never had a Coke tasted so good and I feel better now than I have in days. Yes, it is true. I admit it: I am addicted to Coke and you know what? I don't care!

A Day Late

It seems to me someone is giving me a little bit of crap about my choice of posts yesterday.

After all, yesterday was... you know. I thought about writing something concerning that particular date, but the thing is September 11, 2001 has very different memories for me than it does for most Americans.

See I was on my first vacation with my husband-to-be. We were in New Orleans and we got up around 10:30 am. The first thing we did was turn on the Weather Channel to see if it was going to rain because we were planning a swamp tour that afternoon.

I remember the first thing the weather dude said was, "I repeat, all airports in the United States are closed until further notice."

And my reaction was "What the fuck?!"

We turned over to CNN and that's when we found out. But we were in New Orleans and felt as if we were in another world. The bars on Bourbon Street were still open, the swamp tours were still going, and we were still on vacation. So we continued with our plans and we had a good time.

And so when the anniversary of that day comes along, I tend to keep quiet about my personal memories of that day because I know that it changed the lives of lots of people and I don't want to belittle their feelings of that day with my own pleasant memories.

Stitching Diary

I started " Passing Admirers" the other day, but didn't really seriously begin stitching on it until today.

Summary:

"Passing Admirers" will be stitched on Zweigart ® 32 count Cream 100% Linen Evenweave Fabric

This is my very first project on Linen!

For the first time ever I sewed the edges of my fabric down to prevent it from unraveling.

The chart, and therefore the design, is divided into 6 sections.

My goal is to work a section at a time, starting with Section 2 (the middle).

After each 7 hours of stitching time, I will post a progress scan in my cross stitch gallery.

Completed Stitch Time: 5 hours 15 minutes

Busy as a Bee

This afternoon I decided to play Gertrude Gardener. A couple of days ago I bought some pansies at the flower shop and decided I needed to plant them.

Unfortunately for the sweet little pansies, the "Curse of the Black Thumb" very nearly struck again. When I went outside two of the three flowers were visibly wilted. I watered them the other day, but forgot to do so yesterday. I was afraid that I had killed them already.

So, instead of planting them in the window box as I had planned, I planted the one that still looked OK in a little pot. I watered the other two and put them in the shade. I think that by tomorrow they will either perk back up (if so, I will replant them) or be dead (in which case I will get rid of them). I did that about three hours ago and now as I glance at them I have strong hopes that they will survive.

As I was fiddling with the pansies, I also decided to empty the pots that had my geraniums in them. I didn't do so hot with my geranium experiment. I didn't out and out kill them, but a bad storm whipped them around pretty bad a while back and hurt the stems. They never really recovered from that. In addition, I hadn't been watering them and taking care of them the last month or so as I should have been because it was hot.

In fact, around mid July I had a flower epiphany: I came to the conclusion that I am a spring and fall flower girl. I love to play with flowers in the spring and fall when it is cool outside, but once it gets hot... I don't want to be outside and always manage to not water them enough. I don't do it on purpose, but I guess subconsciously I am trying to kill them so I don't have to be outside.

So, since the geranium pots were empty, I then decided to repot this tree that I have. I think I have mentioned my tree before. It is about 2 feet high and in addition to leaves, it has these fuzzy red fronds. I bought it about 2 years ago from the local florist. At the time she told me what it was, but I didn't understand enough German then to figure out what she was saying. Since it looks like it belongs on another world, we just call it my "Alien Tree."

A. had told me not to repot it because it will just grow, but I couldn't resist. I know it will get bigger now, but I told myself that this will be its last pot (hmm... we'll see about that!) Here is a picture of it in its new pot. No, it doesn't have two stems... there is a stick holding it up because it is too tall for its skinny trunk.

photo by blondelibrarian

By the way, if anyone knows what the heck this thing is, could you please let me know? :)

Lily White vs. Golden Brown

Since May I have been using the tanning bed at our local gym once a week for ten minutes at a time. Since I am naturally blonde, I don't want to be too tan. I not only think that it looks fake, but I honestly don't think my fair skin could handle it. However, I feel that I look healthier with a hint of a tan.

I have often thought that in the skin department I live in the wrong century. If I would have lived in the 18th or 19th centuries, I would have had the skin that all of the damsels envied. When I have no tan, my skin is so white that you can clearly see the blue veins underneath. Many European Aristocrats and Southern Belles spent hours soaking their skin in buttermilk, carefully shading their faces under mammoth hats, and dusting themselves with rice powder for the skin that comes to me naturally.

But alas, I live in the 21st century and even with a tan I have to choose the lightest shade of foundation at the makeup counter and it is still too dark. I told a friend of mine about a month ago that I had been tanning. Until I showed her my visible tan line, she didn't believe a word of it. But I know. I see it when I notice that the blue lines on my shoulders aren't nearly as visible anymore. I enjoy it when I am able to be outside all day in the sun with just a minimum of sun protection.

One day while I was surfing the Web I quite accidentally came across a very interesting article concerning skin tone in the earlier centuries versus today. (Sorry, I read this long ago so I no longer have any idea where the article was located) The article discussed how western society's ideas of the beautiful shade of skin have changed in the past hundred (or so) years.

Once it was fashionable to have lily white skin because it was a sign of wealth and leisure. During that time it was the working class who had to be (i.e., work) outside and, as a result, ended up with tanned bodies. Obviously, for a person of leisure the thought of having to work outside was highly undesirable. Therefore, any sign that he or she did so (like tanned skin) was also unwelcome. Consequently, fair white skin was an indication that the person did not have to be outside or work.

Fast forward to the last half of 20th century. Suddenly working people had to spend the majority of their time indoors. Everyone* developed white skin per default. People wanted to be outside surfing, gardening, swimming, or a thousand other things that would, unsurprisingly, result in a tan during their hard-earned free-time. This shift to favoring a golden brown tan over lily white skin indicated not only that being outside was a good thing, but also communicated that the person in question had time and money to spend outside enjoying these things. And what better way to prove that you can spend time relaxing on the beach or smelling your well-groomed roses than with a tan?

Today we all know the dangers of skin cancer and some listen more carefully than others, but it still doesn't prevent a large majority of people from thinking that a person with a slight tan looks healthier than someone with lily white legs poking out from underneath his or her shorts.

* = Allow my indulgence here for the sake of argument.

Viva Cactus!

Tonight is Mexican night at our house. The reason is two-fold:

First, last weekend we were in the mood to eat out and thought Mexican sounded good. So, we went to the pitiful excuse for a Mexican restaurant (called Viva with a cactus mascot, hence the title of the post) in our little town and ordered margaritas and chimichangas that left much to be desired. This is the third time we have tried Mexican in the Munich area and the third time we were disappointed. We came to the conclusion that though I am from the Midwestern United States, at least I have been to Mexico and lived in Texas; therefore I should have a good idea of what Mexican is supposed to taste like and am probably a better Mexican cook than your average German. (Hint: Carrots DO NOT belong in Fajitas!)

Second, we have a lonely bottle of tequila that is just screaming to be drunk, so yesterday when we were at the grocery store I got everything I need to make margaritas, chicken nachos, and homemade salsa. Aahreeba, Aahreeba!

I just finished the salsa and will start on the nachos in a couple of hours. However, if you are interested, here is the recipe for

blondelibrarian Hot and Spicy Salsa

2-6 coarsely chopped tomatoes

Though I love things made from tomatoes, I am not a big whole tomato fan, therefore I use the bare minimum of tomatoes... if you like tomatoes, I would suggest the full number.

1 3/4 cup tomato sauce

6-9 minced garlic cloves

However, I love garlic, so I use the maximum amount... you might choose otherwise.

2 small jalapeño chilies, seeded finely chopped

¼ cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup dry white wine or unsweetened apple juice

I have used both and prefer the wine

¼ cup lemon juice

½ - 1 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

The hotter you want it, the more pepper you add. :)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Cilantro is also called Coriander leaves.

In medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except cilantro. Bring to a boil over hight heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in cilantro. Ladle mixture into clean jars and cover with tight-fitting lids.

Keeps up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

That's all there is to it! Enjoy!

* * * * * * * * * *

9:30 Update
Hmm... my margaritas didn't really have the desired effect... after drinking approximately 4 of them A. is out like a light!