As an expat, there are a few consistent questions people from “back home” tend to always ask. When you first move somewhere new, it’s easy to understand where they’re coming from, and I cheerily answered in the first few years I lived in Germany. At some point though, some switch flipped, and my mental eye … Read More →
“Guck mal! Eine Rakete! Das wünsche ich mir. Wie cool ist das! Eine Abschlepper mit Flugzeug! Das wünsche ich mir auch. Oh! Ein riesiges Schiff! Ja, ja, das wünsche mir so super sehr. Hej, was dann? Warum ist der Polizei so böse gegen der Fluchtling da? Das wünsche ich mir gar nicht.” These are the … Read More →
If you went skiing with me in the last decade you know one of the things I am equally super terrified of and sucky at is navigating the chairlift. In fact, I am still shit-scared of chairlifts (not these guys) (yes, this guy). But, every now and again I force myself to get on one to … Read More →
When I was eleven, I thought I was pretty grown-up. I spent my free time geeking out on Prodigy message boards, writing proposals to the mayor, and working out what I could make that turtle do. When I finished reading every Agatha Christie, Poe and Bradbury, I devoured psychological thrillers and biographies about people who … Read More →
Do you ever get that animal-in-a-cage-about-to-go-wild-and-eat-the-zookeepers-hand feeling? My friends Kanye and Paul, et al (sidenote: have you seen how many people get authorship credit for that song?!) totally connect with that sentiment. Luckily I’ve found a few constructive ways to effectively handle it, namely traveling or learning something new. Sometimes it takes both. And, if you’re … Read More →
“Setback is never a bad experience, just a learning curve.” Sir Richard Branson Righteo lovers, I had a fair share of learning experiences this week. It’s become clear I will not hit a sub-45 10K next weekend because I did not stick to my training plan and so have aggravated my right knee again. A project I … Read More →
I’ve plunged head-first into becoming a born-again developer. Much has changed since I bought my first copy of SAMS Teach Yourself HTML in 24 Hours. It was the 90s, and back then I was geeking out with VBA in Excel and Access, mostly for fun, but also to help build a vocational education management system. … Read More →
If Mr. Whipple were still around, he’d be frantically ordering the rabid Garmin Forerunner users complaining about all the Garmin Express/Garmin Connect/ANT issues to stop squeezing their Garmins. No matter how many cool new features they have, for goodness sake, don’t use them! In January I switched from running with the Forerunner 10 to the … Read More →
Some days I’m just moving in the shadows. That’s both the beauty and the bother of being an expat. I pinch myself to make sure I’m still real. Still a human being. Growing up in a smallish Midwest city meant I enjoyed an endless stream of lasagna jokes every time some clown who couldn’t read … Read More →
Hallo, hallo lovers! Remember when I promised the new series “Unclaimed Letters?” Well, ze moment has arrived. Jump up and down! I said jump! Higher! I can see you on your webcam and you’re not jumping! Okay, okay, you silly cats. This edition’s letter comes from a woman clearly in need of a massage and maybe … Read More →