Duisburg Bunnys Blog (American Expat in Germany)

Merry Christmas / Frohe Weihnachten

2009-12-24T15:49:00.000+01:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I sincerely hope 2010 is better than 2009...Here's some info about Christmas in Germany: Weihnachten (Wikipedia).

All the stores closed down around here by 1pm to 2pm today and won't reopen until next Monday. Yes, if you're outside Germany, you actually heard that right. No cough medicine, mashed potato mix or the onions you forgot to buy today. Not for 3 1/2 days. (Well, if you live in a major city you might find some little things at the main train station,but not much else is open.) We barely made it to Kaufland in time today. Wheh!

And I still can't get into the idea of putting up the Christmas Tree on Christmas Eve. To heck with that. If I'm putting that much effort into something, that baby's gonna be up for at least a week before Christmas, lol. (But we don't have one up this year anyway. Just not enough time or a place to put it amongst the unfinished mess. We've been bad, so I guess Knecht Ruprecht might come by tonight *shudder*...)

P.S. If you want to read some really crazy Scheisse, check out that link on Knecht Ruprecht. I'm glad we didn't have this in the U.S. The scariest thing was Gremlins and A Christmas Carol.

The sniffy pink stuff

2009-12-05T20:30:00.002+01:00

Not long ago, the husbunny came home from the grocery store with a new kind of toilet paper. It had pretty pink flowers on it and.... wait.... wtf?....*sniff*... it was scented.

Um, is this really necessary? I can understand the desire to keep an air freshener near your toilet, but usually you wouldn't rub the air freshener on your crotch, lolol. And for good reason. Irritating chemically-produced scents and dyes aren't something most people want to rub on their crotch... unless they're into something that I really don't want to know about.

And you know what? Now I know that I was right all along. I can only advise you to not rub air fresheners on your crotch. Even when they're disguised as toilet paper. Seriously. You've been warned. ;)

Ok, Wolf is back

2009-11-19T02:58:00.002+01:00

The Situation Room has reappeared for its usual 1 hour at midnight on CNN International as of this week.

No more 'Situation Room'?

2009-11-01T15:43:00.004+01:00

WTF? Suddenly our one hour of The Situation Room on CNN International at midnight went *poof*? It's not on anymore?! F***ers! (Ok, so I was getting extremely sick of Wolf Blitzer's annoyingly raised voice, but come on now!) At first I thought it would just be a week long hiatus until the US went back out of Daylight Savings Time, but no, it's not on after the time change in the coming week either.

So now it's just one hour of AC 360 at 4am and Larry King Live at 11am (when they don't interrupt it with 'Breaking News' because someone sneezed, which strangely happens several times a week between 11am and noon, after which CNN International is compelled to interrupt the program to talk about how they have nothing to show us about the alleged sneeze ..... for 30 effing minutes ... or however long it takes to sufficiently ruin Larry King Live on whatever day I actually find the guests interesting).

Hoppy Halloween

2009-10-31T17:45:00.002+01:00

Well, it's Halloween again. We have nothing Halloweeny going on this year. Was going to carve a jack-o-lantern and put it out on the balcony railing just to freak out the neighbors, but no pumpkins in our 'hood.

I'm surprised how each year I feel really bummed out about the lack of a real Halloween here. I always liked this day, maybe even more than Christmas (it's less stress, after all, and only inundates you for a week or two instead of months). It's costumes and candy, but it's also ghosts and goblins, creepy sound effects, Thriller, autumn leaves lighted by the spooky glow of a jack-o-lantern, the unknown and all that gives you a little shiver up your spine. And that stuff freaking rules.

I know that I could create my own little Halloween at home (boring) or try to seek out a party somewhere around here, but it's not the same is it? I'm in Germany. I mean, it's sunset right now at this very moment and it doesn't mean crap to anyone.

What is Halloween evening without little kids in costumes all over the sidewalks with hollow plastic pumpkins in their eager, candy-greedy little hands???? Nothin', I tell ya. Nothin'.

P.S. I guess someday I might actually post again like before. And someday I'll actualy restore all the colors to my blog so the text in the sidebar is visible, etc. Someday. But why mess with the color black on Halloween?

Fourth of July

2009-07-05T02:57:00.003+02:00

So, happy 4th for those of you who can celebrate it somehow... barbecues or you're back in the US or something. I really wish I could schedule a vacation back home for July sometime, but airfare is so expensive in the summer. I miss the 4th in Gasworks Park. Hopefully channel 5 will have a video of it up tomorrow, because there's no way I'll be able to be up by 7 in the morning here to watch.

I got my fireworks show yesterday. We had a wicked, slow-moving thunderstorm come through. I mean, Colorado Springs or midwest lighting. It got so dark in the mid-afternoon it looked like it was about 9pm in here. And the lighting...just flash-flash-flash, one after the other for a good hour.

Better On the Other Side

2009-06-28T18:14:00.005+02:00

Michael Jackson tribute song from The Game, Chris Brown, Diddy, Polow Da Don, Mario Winans, Usher, Boyz II Men : "Better On The Other Side (Tribute To MJ)". Song available for download via MTV here (link)(Choose 'free user' then wait for countdown to end for download.)

Michael, I will love you forever.

2009-06-26T18:21:00.012+02:00

I am devastated.

I have loved Michael Jackson with all my heart since I was 12 years old. In any year since, at any time, whether it was evident at the moment or not, if you had asked me I could have told you that with each breath I have taken, my unconditional love for him was within. Always. I met my husband because of Michael Jackson. And we were going to see his beautiful eyes in person, from the seventh row, in London this August. And now he is gone. Gone far, far too soon. And I have no more words. And the tears on my keyboard can't convey anything to the world. So I end with this poem. This beautiful, horrible poem that only begins to explain the pain so many of us are feeling today...
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_a-eXIoyYA
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum,
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead, Scribbling on the sky the message 'He is Dead.'

Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;

For nothing now can ever come to any good.

-W.H. Auden

No Cash for You (if you have Visa)

2009-06-08T23:08:00.000+02:00

I recently found out about a type of boycott going on with German banks against Visa cards. It has something to do with fees and savings banks and ... well, if you're good enough with German, here's one little article I found: Sparkassen sperren ihre Automaten für Bank-Kunden .

It's some confusing thing like this...

Some banks are backed by Visa (like Citibank, ING, etc) and others not. If you take a Visa card to one of these non-Visa banks, you get a charge of less than 2 Euros for using their ATM. However, if you take an EC card to a Visa bank, you get charged almost 5 Euros for your withdrawl. So the EC banks like Sparkasse and Volksbank are pissed about the big fees being charged to their customers and therefore aren't going to let you use your Visa card to get any money out of their ATMs. (I think it's just to confuse and piss off tourists, though, lol.)

Some people have said this includes debit cards with the Visa logo. My American debit/check card has a Visa logo, so we went to Sparkasse this weekend to try it out. No problem, got the cash. So it seems to be either not all Sparkassen or only Visa credit cards that are affected.

(In some ways I'm surprised I can only find articles about this in German and not in English. After all, I don't personally know one single German with a real credit card, so why would they care? I've heard a few of them do exist, but they must be very rich world travelers. Or expats.)

Wire Transfer Probs (part 2 of sucky story)

2009-06-08T16:30:00.000+02:00

Click here for part 1 (Wire Transfers - not SO easy?)

So I could never get ahold of my actual bank branch in Seattle on Friday. It would ring, get transferred and ring again, then again, then end up on a recording that said they're soooo sorry that no associate was available to take my call. Here, let me transfer you to the main customer service number... because they can't help you (other than to give you information that will get your hopes up, only to have said hopes crushed to death at a later date).

So, a few cities away from there, my mother stopped by her branch of the same bank to speak with the manager...

The manager said that there is NO WAY TO DO THIS FROM GERMANY. PERIOD. YOU'RE SCREWED. According to them, policy (so this must be something new? or something just in WA state?) dictates that a bank officer there at the branch must physically witness you signing this effing Wire Transfer Agreement, after personally checking your identification. It can't be done via mail or phone. Only in person. "She should have had an agreement added to her account before she ever left the US." Can someone tell Customer Service this then?!

And why the hell wouldn't a bank officer at another bank (like at their partner bank here, maybe?) be good enough? Why wouldn't a frickin' NOTARIZED form be good enough? That's what a notary person (in the US or in Germany) does! They verify your identity and witness you signing the form! You can't tell me that there are NO exceptions to this! That's crazy! Are they going to make some multi-millionaire jet back to their exact branch in Seattle, all the way from Bahrain or somewhere just to sign a form? I bet not.

So, I'm going to try once again to contact my stupid podunk bank branch today. But I have to wait until 10am Pacific Time to get frustrated. Aghghghghgh!

Have any of you other expats found it hard to make calls like this in the evening or middle of the night? I know I sure do. If you have to call the bank or the credit card company or the phone company... whomever... you generally do this between the hours of 8am and 6pm. Once it's later than that, all desire to call a bank just evaporates from me. It feels too weird. It's dinnertime. Not time to take care of business. But... anyway... waiting until 7pm our time...

Wire Transfers - not SO easy?

2009-06-05T18:37:00.004+02:00

On expat message boards I've always read that it's soooo damned easy to do an international wire transfer, gee, why is this a constant topic when all you freakin' have to do is just call your bank and, tada, it's done?! So I've never been concerned about the future moment when Germany's going to want money for taxes from my US account. It's no big deal, right? Soooo easy!

Ummm... I don't know who everyone else banks through, but WTF? I have an account through a MAJOR (like bigtime major, all over the US, you've heard of them a hundred million times, they have partner banks all over the world) bank. I called Cust Service a while back to find out how to do a wire transfer into our account here in Germany. I was given a special number to call to set it up and told they can do it easy, just give them a call when I need to do the transfer. Okidoki.

So today I gather all the codes and info and stuff to do it and then wait until 8am Pacific Time so I can call the special number (the Wire Transfers Department) and get it all going, because, um, it's gotta be going NOW. NOW now. Um, WAY now.

The conversation went like this:

Me: "Hello. I have an account with you guys. Right now I live in Germany and I need to do a wire transfer from my [Bank's Name] account into my account here in Germany. I need the money transferred as soon as possible. I was told you guys could do this for me."

Them: "Ok. (type type) There isn't a wire transfer agreement on your account. We can't do it without an agreement on the account. Haven't you set that up yet?"

Me: "Uhhh....What? They told me to call you guys to set up wire transfers."

Them: "Us? No, no. You have to have a wire transfer agreement first. Then you could call us to initiate the wire transfer. You can't do a transfer without the agreement being added to your account first. We can't set that up, though. That has to be done at your local branch."

Me: "So can I just call the main customer service number again? They're the ones who told me to call you in the first place to set up a wire transfer."

Them: "They told you to call us? No. You have to contact your BRANCH first."

Me: "Ummm... you mean the actual, physical branch where my account was opened?!"

Them: "Yep. Only the branch where the account actually is can do all the necessary paperwork. Not us, Customer Service or any other branch. Once all the forms are completed and approved by them, they are then sent to us, well to one of our departments here, who actually sets the agreement up and adds it to your account. Once that's done, then you can call this number again to initiate an actual transfer. We can't do anything without the agreement being on your account first, though."

Me: "........." (Thinking: WTF?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).....
"And so how long does it take to get this agreement set up?"

Them: "Several weeks, usually."

Me: "Several WEEKS? W.. .w... w..... WEEKS?! You mean like July or August?! I need to transfer money now, this week. I have to pay things here in Germany. Customer Service said to just call you and it could be done right away."

Them: "Well... the agreement would probably be complete by the end of July, then you could do a wire transfer at that point."

Wow, that was f*ckin' EASY. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. (WTF does one do now? Transfer huge sums with PayPal or something?!) And what kind of accounts and what banks do other people use?! This is a MAJOR bank and a standard checking/savings account. No one ever said a word about setting sh*t up weeks in advance. WTF?!!!

So, my branch back home is not a main branch, but a little pansy branch that is only open after 10am and closed on Saturdays. So now I have to wait until it's 10am there to try this. Why do I expect it to be a pain in the ass, too?

EVERYTHING that has had ANYTHING to do with MONEY (and I mean just about EVERYTHING, from bank accounts to taxes to simple credit card transactions) for the past few months has just been one constant nightmare. Can't anyone get me correct information that isn't in direct conflict with what the other guy said?! Can't anyone, in any country, get me to people who actually KNOW what the f*ck is going on?!!!! Can anyone on any continent get me info about what ACTUALLY to do in a TIMELY fashion instead of it dragging out for weeks or months?! Good Lord!!!!! AGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. This seems to be a disease the past few years in large companies (let's not even talk about government agencies... in any country). No one knows what the hell is going on, who does what or where to send the customers. It was the same with the last place I worked in the US. We'd been bought by another major company and pretty soon there wasn't even anyone to go to for information. No one knew anything. I worked on things involving major corporate accounts (one of our customers was... tada... the damned bank I'm dealing with, lol) and they'd be pissed because of something "we" had screwed up and then I'd get just as pissed with my own company because no one knew how to fix the screw-up! Agh!

EU Vote-O-Meter: Find your German party

2009-06-04T14:26:00.001+02:00

If you're not a citizen you can't vote anyway, but have you ever wondered which party you'd align yourself with if you could? The quiz at the link below lets you see how you feel about the EU and which German political party fits to your feeling. And the best part is... it's in English =:-)

Once you answer agree or disagree for 38 questions, you'll have the chance to compare your answers with tons of German parties, even some of the weirder ones. Like, I was surprised that the Pirates came in fairly high on my list. (Hehe... yes, there's a party called the Pirates. That's all good, but I want to start one called the Bunny Party. We'll probably be able to get Schnuffel onboard, which will totally rock. Someday we may even join forces with the Pirates, who knows. Who would you vote for in the end? The CDU or the BUNNY PIRATES? See? Not so bad an idea after all.)

So, start your European political journey at the

Wahl-O-Mat for European Parliament

If the link doesn't work, try http://www.wahl-o-mat.de/europa. The yellow rectangular button at the upper left changes it to the English version.

Sotomayor - First Hispanic & Type 1 Diabetic?

2009-05-27T17:38:00.002+02:00

I don't know that much about Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor yet. I just know the press has made a big deal about her being a woman and Hispanic. The more diverse the Supreme Court, the better, in my opinion (obviously taking into account who's qualified and who's not).

Well, today I ran across something else that I'm sure will come up in the confirmation process: she's got Type 1 Diabetes! As much as I don't wish this stupid disease on others, I always secretly wish for more high profile Type 1's. There's so much misinformation out there about this disease and having more intelligent, open, famous folks speaking up about it can only serve to correct some misconceptions. I look forward (at least now I do...hopefully that won't change later) to what's to come.

I'll start off with the process. Here are some notes that need to be added to the Time article (Sotomayor's Diabetes: Will It Be a Handicap?) I just read:

"Once known as juvenile diabetes, Type 1 diabetes typically begins in childhood - Sotomayor was diagnosed at age 8 - eventually causing the body to slow production of insulin, the hormone necessary to break down sugars found in food."

Eventually causing the body to slow production of insulin? Do they mean before you're diagnosed or what? Type 1 is usually diagnosed when 90% or more of the beta cells in the pancreas have already been destroyed by the immune system. Most of us by then have virtually no insulin production whatsoever. It's not a slowing down. It's a complete or near-complete stopping. An absolute, life-threatening deficiency that results in coma and/or death if not caught in time. "Eventually" makes it sound like you get the disease and then some years later your insulin production winds down. Shah, I wish.

Type 1 diabetes patients must rely on an artificial source (of insulin); some patients wear insulin pumps, which are permanently inserted under the skin...

Fail. Popular misconception. Even the anesthesiologist at the knee surgery clinic had no clue about my pump, thinking it was implanted or something. There's nothing permament about today's insulin pumps. The insulin is delivered via an "infusion set", through a tube connected to a tiny canula inserted just under the skin, held in place by an adhesive patch. Nothing near permanent. You must do a whole new infusion set (new insulin reservoir, new canula, new location under the skin) every 2 to 3 days. Now, to continue...

...permanently inserted under the skin to deliver a dose of the hormone after each meal or snack...

We don't just have to take insulin after a meal or snack. Another very common misconception that I'd just like to mention here. It's actually all the time that we need insulin. All people (you, too!) have to have insulin in the body 24/7, whether you eat or not. This is called "basal insulin" and your body needs it constantly. Insulin pumps deliver small doses of insulin every minute of the day, according to personalized patterns (like you usually need more insulin in the morning than in the afternoon, so you might set your pump to give you less after 1pm). Then we give ourselves more insulin (a "bolus") when we eat or otherwise need to due to stress, illness, whatever.

People on insulin shots also have to give themselves basal insulin. Newer analogs like Lantus and Levemir allow them to take 1 shot of basal insulin per day that will then slowly absorb at a fairly constant rate under the skin over about 20 to 24 hours (as opposed to the older basal insulins which were given twice a day). Then they must take an additional shot of a different faster-acting insulin for meals, etc. So they use two different insulins. (Or older mix insulins like 70/30, but I'm just trying to make things simple, lol.)

One synthetic product called pramlintide, which was recently approved by the FDA, appears to control blood-sugar levels more naturally, without the huge dips in glucose that can occur when the body receives too much insulin at one time.

Controls it more naturally than what??? Insulin?? You still have to take insulin like always! Pramlintide (brand name Symlin) is the synthetic version of another hormone (amylin) that is made by the pancreas at the same time insulin is. That's right.. Type 1 Diabetics don't make insulin, amylin or c-peptide. Thrice screwed. Amylin mainly controls the speed at which the stomach empties into the small intestine and it reduces the nutrient-stimulated sugar release that the liver would do in its absence (along with some other less-researched things like affecting bone breakdown rates, brain chemicals, etc). By adding amylin shots in addition to insulin, the body functions a little more normally, yes... meaning the stomach empties at a more normal rate so the blood sugar doesn't rise as quickly, giving the insulin shot/bolus more time to get into the bloodstream before the food's glucose does. But you're actually MORE likely to have "dips in glucose" on amylin because often the insulin will hit before the food does. It takes extra care to figure out how to adjust your insulin (with a pump is easier) for a later time. Hypoglycemia is one of the side effects. Man, oh man. Guess they should have read the brochure on the Symlin website... (Btw: This product isn't available in Europe. And it was approved "recently" in America if that means a few years ago. I was using Symlin back in America in 2005.)

"In the days leading up to this nomination, there were several media reports suggesting that Judge Sotomayor should not be considered for this position simply because she has Type 1 diabetes," said Dr. R. Paul Robertson, president of the American Diabetes Association... "The advancements in the management of Type 1 diabetes have been just amazing over the last two decades, and the ability of people to manage their diabetes successfully has been proven. People with diabetes can function and live a long and healthy life."

That's right, but it takes work and you never get a vacation from it. Although this disease does mean some more dangerous jobs may not be allowed in some countries (pilots, divers, firefighters, military, etc), there's no reason I can see why being a Supreme Court Justice would be a problem. If Sotomayor takes care of herself (she'll have health insurance, so that's a big obstacle for many that she won't have to deal with), there's no reason she couldn't be sharp as a tack and sitting on the bench at 80 years old.

Coffee-Flavored Coffee

2009-05-27T13:44:00.009+02:00

One of my best friends likes to say that "Denis Leary is God". Well, I'm not so sure about that, but this (clip below) still absolutely cracks me up. It's one of my favorite segments from his best HBO special (imo) 'Lock & Load', so put it all in the context of the mid-90's, the rise of Starbucks and the dot-com address, etc. And if you don't like lots of swearing and angry, sarcastic humor, ummm... again, I must wonder why you're reading my blog =;-> and... you probably better not watch this clip. I'm serious... you were warned... (but you'd be missing out... such a shame...)

Denis Leary, on Coffee...

[Vid link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQxgv4QtKM8]

ROFL at the 27 inches of underwear and at 6:00 to 6:20...

Missing a big, bitey turtle, by chance?

2009-05-26T19:00:00.013+02:00

Because if you are, I think I have a pretty good idea where it might be...

Schnappschildkröte beißt um sich und geht auf Passanten los

Rough translation and summary: An aggressive 12-Kilo (that's about 26 pound) Central American snapping turtle wreaked havoc in Duisburg on Tuesday, attacking pedestrians and the folks who were trying to catch it. Police say that they're pretty sure they can identify the owner from the bite wounds alone. It's been illegal to sell, import or breed animals like this here since 1999.

You know, maybe he was just sick and tired of Germans. Maybe he just wanted to go home.

(^That was a sarcastic joke, btw. It's sad to seemingly need to explain things like this to adults.)

Hand Sanitizer!

2009-05-20T16:41:00.013+02:00

As promised, here's my pic of Wick Erste Abwehr, an actual hand sanitizer that one can find in Germany! I know! Shocking! We got ours at an Apotheke near the Hauptbahnhof in Duisburg. A lot of online pharmacies seem to carry it as well. It's a foam and comes in a little pump can about 6-7 inches tall, perfect size for purse or backpack. (Although, in my opinion, the smell of the foam leaves something to be desired. Hey, as long as it works.)

The same thing is also sold as Vick's First Defence in the UK.

Some have said there is also something called "SOS" in Germany that's a hand sanitizer, but I haven't personally seen it. The only thing called like that I could find was a Nivea cream for dry skin. Hmmm. Anyway, so now there's a choice, a substitute for Purell and handy wipes when you're out and about, can't conveniently wash your hands and don't feel like rubbing all the U-Bahn dreck into your eyeball or onto your Brötchen.

Update: Anja let me know that it's called "Händedesinfektionsmittel", and she likes Bode's Sterilium Händedesinfektion. Thanks!

------------

While searching for some more info about this product in English, I happened across this commercial for the nasal gel sold in New Zealand. It's really funny =:-) Just watch...

LOLOL! That's great.

[vid url: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxXIhM9nd2o]

This is really it...

2009-05-19T14:24:00.003+02:00

LOL, this absolutely cracks me up. I've been stuck singing "I'll be.... I'll be performing the songs..." for like two days now, rofl. Also, below that, check out the infomercial guy in the Slap Chop remix (perhaps you folks in America will recognise him). I don't, but it's not a prerequisite for enjoyment. Wow, Steve Porter, you rule =;-) These are so great. Can't wait for more!

[vid url: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVhPcc9gaEY]

[vid url: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWRyj5cHIQA]

P.S. Any Michael Jackson-bashing comments will get deleted. (I'm totally serious. This is really it.)

And it's Norway!

2009-05-17T00:33:00.015+02:00

After 30+ years of consistently choosing the losers, Bunny is happy now that he finally chose the winner last night, lol.

WINNER: NORWAY

COUNTRY NAME LINKS GO DIRECTLY TO YOUTUBE VIDS: And as usual, Germany came in somewhere in the lower third (deservedly so, this year - OMG - the performance just ruined any chance the song would have had). I personally understand Norway winning (they did it with the biggest number of votes ever received by one country in over 50 years of the Eurovision Song Contest, lol). 'Fairytale' is catchy and unique. I like it. What I didn't get were the others in the top five. Iceland at number two... ok, it was alright. Azerbaijan at third... ok, but third? It just sounds like stereotypical Euro dance music to me... yuck, yuck. I really thought Turkey would be second or third, if for nothing other than the beat. And that UK song... eeehhh. Andrew Lloyd Webber or not... eeeehhh...

Well, in the end, barely any of the songs outright sucked. Most of them were surprisingly pretty decent for Eurovision. Definitely an improvement over the crap from last year. Last year I couldn't even bring myself to vote until Bunny forced me to, lol. This year I believe we voted for Norway (yay!), Estonia (great song), Lithuania (hey, this was a decent song - what does everyone have against poor little Lithuania?) and Malta.

There's one more thing I have to post at the moment, just because it's one of the weirdest damned things I've seen. WTF is up with this? The song is ok, but then there's this turquoise-green Grasshopper Man with two short guys dressed up like the Joker dancing around the ballerina chick? I wonder if someone from Albania has some kind of explanation. I hope so. Like maybe these are characters from some Albanian fairytale? Otherwise... man, no excuse, lololol...

P.S. For those of you new to Europe, this song contest is one of the most watched live events in the world. See Wikipedia link here for further explanation.

Sieben, Sieben! It's BACK!

2009-05-16T16:21:00.008+02:00

Eurovision Tonight!
Tonight at 9pm German time... yes, it's that time of year again! I'm betting on Norway at the moment in tonight's hellish euro-spectacle, even though their lyrics sound kinda stupid in English. Don't forget to watch! You might want to wear earmuffs and goggles, though, as a first layer of defense. [See Eurovision Song Contest for explanation.]

Hand Sanitizer!
Did I say "defense"? That reminds me. Bunny found some funky-smelling hand sanitizer that comes out as a foam. They have it at a pharmacy across from the Duisburg Hbf and who knows where all else. It's called "Erste Abwehr" (First Defense), made by Wick (known better by us as Vick's =;-). So now you at least know something to ask for, in lieu of Purell. I'll post a pic of it at some point.

Health Update
And now the exciting health update. Blood tests slightly better, but still totally not normal. Abdominal ultrasound revealed nothing, defying the odds with no gallstones. Have more appointments next week...

Resident Permit Renewal
And lastly, my residence permit (the first 3-year one) expires soon. I know we should have gone to the Ausländeramt sooner, but gee, between health problems, closing a business and dealing with a tax nightmare, it hasn't exactly been foremost on our minds. I figured that since we got the first one within a week, going there a month early would be good enough. (Ummmm. Nope. Let this be a warning to you!)

We went on Thursday only to find out they're only open for ONE HOUR (8 to 9am) Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Yeah, seriously. WTF??? How incredibly German. Always making things more complicated. And so convenient for people who work, for example.

So we went back on Friday, promptly at 8am and gave them all the paperwork they wanted for renewal, which includes things like a bank statement showing how much rent is, 'paycheck' stubs, copy of my health insurance card, etc. They then said thanks, it will be UP TO FOUR MONTHS before I get the permit!

FOUR MONTHS?! Holy crap! Mine expires in like 3 weeks, lol. F*ck. We are going to the UK in August (rain or shine, walking or not, healthy or dying... for a very, very, very important purpose that I will reveal in due time), so the Germans will give me some paper that tells the German passport control folks to let me back in the country. Hopefully British immigration (notorious for often grilling innocent vacationers about every detail of their lives) won't get an attitude about that. Please hurry, Ausländeramt! I'm so pitifully non-threatening, even when I talk sh*t about the things I hate about your country, lolol. And I already have more than enough stress in my life without having to worry about this as well. Please?

P.S. 'Sieben, Sieben!' refers to my first Eurovision, 2007, when THIS SONG FROM UKRAINE cam in at number 2. LOL. It would have won if not for 'Molitva' from Serbia. Still love this one - I still listen to it. Great song.

No Surgery

2009-05-07T20:30:00.002+02:00

So, apparently there's some seriously screwed up things wrong with my blood, so the surgery yesterday was tentatively rescheduled for today... pending re-testing.

The new testing came back today and... results are even worse than yesterday. So surgery is indefinitely postponed. They can't operate on someone with these blood test results when said patient already has multiple effed up risk factors.

Among several other things out of range (which are quite weird and have no known cause), it also looks like I have some kind of super massive infection or inflammation. However, I have no fever, no pain, nothing inflamed (that I know of) and no recent illness. I really feel ok. Weird. WTF? Everything was pretty much fine just a few months ago!

So, I must go to see my Hausartzt (GP/family doc) as soon as humanly possible to try to figure out what the hell is going on before I keel over. We're calling them tomorrow, hopefully for an appointment Monday. I expect more blood tests and likely a referral to a specialist.

God only knows when and if I'll ever be able to get my knee surgery now. They said they won't operate until this gets resolved.

There's always something else wrong.

Maybe I'm allergic to Germans.

Surgery next week

2009-04-27T17:22:00.006+02:00

Ok, so an update... if things go right, I'll be having knee surgery next week. It's usually not a big deal, but I'm high risk, so it's a big deal in my case. (And I'm kind of freaked out about it.) But I can't stand for more than 20 minutes and I can't do simple things like go shopping downtown, get stuck standing on a streetcar or bus (hell no), exercise (a big deal for me!), etc. So, crap, no real choice in the end.

If you've been reading, you know this has been a long, drawn-out bunch of crap stemming from an injury clear back in early October. Because of my particular health problems, there was a big delay getting an MRI at first, then I got sent to an orthopedic surgeon in another city, waited for several weeks for the appointment only for him to tell me that he can't do surgery on high risk patients. Agh! I was then referred to a specialized clinic in yet another city and had to wait six more weeks just to get in to see them. Then, again because I'm high risk (growl), they couldn't say for sure until I saw them a second time for an anesthesiology check-up. So I've been cleared for surgery (yay... I hope 'yay' is appropriate... eek) and it's scheduled for next week.

Oink Oink

2009-04-27T17:16:00.002+02:00

"The EU's health commissioner calls on people to avoid traveling to Mexico and the United States..."

So, the plague has arrived.

I was a total 'disaster junkie' back in the 90's, spurred on partly by my weird dreams of future catastrophes and all the horrific prophecies set to culminate in the 1998 to 2012 timeframe. You better believe I went to the theater for '12 Monkeys', 'Dante's Peak', 'Outbreak', 'Independence Day', 'Volcano', etc. (Ok, so I still love apocalyptic movies. Give me 'War of the Worlds' or 'I Am Legend' any day.)

[Update: Just found this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I2pLJ_hPbU . 2012. Ooooo! Yeah, baby! One thing about living over here is... you never know a damned thing about movies until everyone in America does, lol. Or is that just me?...]

I read 'The Coming Plague' by Laurie Garrett in its entirety. Go ahead, ask me something about ebola or the 1918 flu virus that killed 50 million+ people (in a world with much less population and significantly less international travel). I've even done C.E.R.T. training. I've got my trusty hard hat still and I know how to turn off the gas after a quake, how to successfully put out small fires and how to do basic triage in a disaster. (Not that my certificate means shit in Germany, but I have it.)

So, there's a confirmed case now of Swine Flu in Spain and suspected cases in Scotland. Doesn't take long to get overseas these days. I guess we're lucky that summer's about here. The question now is if this is another SARS & Bird Flu situation, where the media and gov't agencies will scare the shit out of us for months for (almost) nothing (not that 100 people dead is nothing), or if this is... it. If so, ouch, is this fall and winter going to SUCK.

It could turn out to just be overblown scare tactics, but the fact is that this is sounding similar (even H1N1) to the 1918 flu. (Hmm, and just where did it come from? Conspiracy theories come to mind, ahem.) I saw a good documentary some years back about 1918 and I'll tell you... that's scary. There were so many people dead in the US even that everything was closed down and bodies were piling up faster than morgues could handle.

And no, Tamiflu won't save your butt. It could help, yes. Maybe. But it's not a cure, for certain. IF you get started on it soon enough, it could help REDUCE the length of time you're sick. But it won't save you.

Nor will those cute little surgical masks. That is, unless you get the really good kind (US standard N95 or EU standard EN 149 FFP2), it fits correctly with no gaps, you also cover your eyes completely and you disinfect yourself before going into your home, throwing out the mask and sanitizing your clothes, shopping bag & contents, goggles and scrubbing yourself down with Purell. And then there are your windows. Conceivably, you could stay at home with no contact to the outside world, but the coughing folks outside would spew their aerosol flu droplets into the air, which would be carried in through tiny gaps along the edge of your window. Bam, you've got it. Sucks, huh? (Ok, wearing an N95 mask and goggles outdoors and scrubbing your hands well should help significantly, but it will never be a guarantee.) I guess in this case the survivalist nuts will have one up on all of us. A year's supply of food and water in their underground bunker with super purified air =;-)

So, if this turns out to really be a big deal and not just undue panic, besides hoping they pull a vaccine out of their butts really freakin' soon, here are some websites of interest to check out. It's also wise to eat plenty of fruits, veggies and lean protein, get regular exercise (but don't overdue it even once, because that can do you in) and get enough sleep every night.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1918_flu

http://www.n-95mask.com/avian_flu_mask.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_4933231_stay-healthy-avoid-swine-flu.html

P.S. If anyone actually knows where to find real hand sanitizer (like alcohol gel/Purell) in Germany, by all means share. We asked for it, explained what it was, etc, at several pharmacies last year and they looked at us like we were crazy. I like to clean my hands anytime I've been in doc's office or we're about to eat something & a bathroom isn't convenient. We found some sanitizer wipes (like handy wipes) at Kaufland before. If all else fails, there's Sagrotan wipes (by cleaning supplies in drug stores & at some pharmacies). They're supposedly just for wiping surfaces, but the main ingredient is ethanol, so I don't see why you couldn't use it on your hands with some lotion once or twice a day to keep them from drying out.

ALSO... a creepy dream I had in 2007:
My husbunny was sick or something and couldn't leave the house at all and I HAD to get some medicine for him. Everything in Germany was closing down when I left to take the Straßenbahn down south to the doctor's office. There weren't many people outside, and those that were were wearing surgical masks and looking panicky. I knew there was some type of pandemic going on, but I didn't have a choice but to be out. I reached the clinic/hospital and managed to catch the doctor just as he was leaving. Even they were shutting down. Everyone was scared, wearing masks and trying to avoid contact with others. I got the medicine and got back home, but I was terrified I'd possibly contracted the disease and was now bringing it home for the both of us.

Superstar!

2009-04-10T15:24:00.003+02:00

Today's Good Friday, which means Germany (all or most?) is shut down for a holiday. Also, like with Christmas, there are two Easter Days, Sunday and Monday with everything closed down.

In the spirit of the weekend I brought back out my CD of the original London cast recording of Jesus Christ Superstar (link). Oh! I just wanted to say that this is still, every darn time I hear it, one of the best albums in history, lol. It's just great. Murray Head as Judas and Ian Gillan from Deep Purple as Jesus. It's a great musical/opera anyway, but this recording is amazing, blows all others out of the water. Bunny's never heard it so I loaded it on his MP3 player and I'm forcing him to listen to it today while he works around the house, lol.

If he doesn't like it I might have to wonder why I married him... hmmm... =;-) I think, though, that it might be one of those things that's hard to take in the first time, but gets better with repeat listenings.

What the hell is up with ebay? (rant)

2009-04-09T18:47:00.003+02:00

A nice thing about ebay is that if you have an account in the US (or wherever) you can log into all of ebay's different country versions with the same login, purchase things from them, whatever.

Well, I don't know if something changed now as of April or WTF, but today I went to buy a little something from ebay.de to be shipped here within Germany. I bought something from ebay just a few weeks ago and didn't have a problem. Have never had a problem, whether the seller ships to Germany only or worldwide, makes no difference. Today I click "kaufen" and I get this message, paraphrased from German, "You are not allowed to buy this because the seller doesn't ship to your country." WTF??? The seller only ships to Germany and Austria and so since my ebay account was from the US, before even wanting to know where it was to be shipped (in the same country, asswads!), it's just flat out denied. So I guess that means that if you have an ebay account from the US but live in Europe and you want to buy something from someone on ebay.co.uk who only ships to Europe, up yours now??! What complete bullsh*t.

You know, PayPal already did that crap where they won't allow you to use an international address AT ALL, not even for a gift address anymore. The only address you can choose is one that's in the same country as your bank account. No exceptions (at least if your account is in the US - not sure about German ones, but I'd guess it's the same). I've complained to them several times about this, but there's no way around it. I understand this is for security reasons, blah, blah, but if I personally add a freakin' address three weeks before a purchase, what's the big damned deal?! Why can't they just make a waiting period before you can use a new address that's outside your bank's country? Tada, that type of fraud virtually eliminated. But NoOooOOoOO, like everything else financial lately, they have to make everything more effing difficult.

Everything financial feels like it's getting tighter and tighter controls placed on it, probably thanks in part to ... here comes the conspiracy theory .... the powers that be who want to have total control over what we do with our money (where it comes from, how we use it, where we use it, etc), and, of course, thanks to the identity theft pieces of sh*t out there. Before long you won't be allowed to use a credit card outside your home zip code without it being stuck on a fraud watch. It's getting ridiculous. You'll have to report to the government that you want to use PayPal to buy a DVD in Germany and wait for approval before you're allowed to take that $10 out of your account. (You know you already have to report to the US if your name is on any foreign bank account that for any moment hit $10,000 worth in the year, right? I'm serious. There's a form for it. Now, that's not something I have to worry about with our incomes, lol, but I still find it bullsh*t. I can understand a million or something, but $10,000 just feels like Big Brother.)

Well, if anyone else runs into this problem with ebay, here's what to do. Go into your main account settings, to addresses and then to change the anmeldung/registered address. You'll have to change the country, then enter the address. There's a warning about how VAT would now apply if you're a seller, and then you're good to go. But then I guess you're screwed in the future if you want to buy something as a gift for someone back home and that seller doesn't ship to Germany. You'd have to go back into the addresses, change your account back to an American one, then make your purchase. See? Complete bullsh*t. Just making everything more of a pain in the ass than it already is to be an expat.

Anyone tried out Obama's fingers?

2009-03-16T20:22:00.005+01:00

Oh, make that just "Obama Fingers". WTF? Saw this article today. Man, there are some weird people in this world. It seems that capitalizing on Obama would have worked better a few months ago than today, but what does a little non-chicken-fingers-producer like me know. So if you try them out, let us know if they're any good, lol. One thing I wonder is... why curry? Seems like barbecue would make a lot more sense.

A German frozen food company hopes to raise sales with a new product: Obama fingers. The tender, fried chicken bits come with a tasty curry sauce. The company says it was unaware of the possible racist overtones of the product. http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,612684,00.html