damn computers

LOL We are online, but only on Jess' computer. Mine doesn't have XP, so am having problems. Then bought a wireless router yesterday and blew out the power adapter using it on German electricity. GRRRRRRRRR... have to bring that back and also going to thrift store to look for hub and or cheaper router. i don't even care about wireless anymore, just want MY computer online.

internet

We now have broadband internet at home!!!!!!!! Yessir.....
I will now be online with Aim or Yahoo or MSN Messenger at times where you are either sleeping or in the evenings after you work. LOL

Off to work..........

Stuff

It's 9:30 in the morning here in Hanau and i have been awake for the last hour. Almost unheard of in my world to be up this early, but I had to give Jess a ride to work, then I stopped at the US mailboxes to check mine, I am waiting for a couple of movies to come in from Netflix. I was walking from my car to the Post Office and thought how weird it is to be in Europe yet be surrounded be in a US Army post. My life is a strange concoction of US and European lifestyle that is not always pleasant. A large part of the reason I left the US was because of the people. Not all of them obviously, but the general population. And now I find myself spending a good portion of my day working with them, Mind you, I am so grateful for the work here that allows me to stay in Europe, yet having to deal with them can be very wearing.
For example yesterday (Monday). I don't usually work Monday and Tuesday, they are the slowest days of the week and therefore I usually have them off, but the restaurant was short a closer, and since closing is what I do best (5 of 7 days) I was asked to come in. The people who visit the restaurant on weekends are in a vastly different mood than the Monday people. Maybe it is because, obviously, it is the weekend. But yesterday the people I served were so rude, I had a difficult time even putting on a smile after a while. They were, to me, typical rude Americans. They wanted what they wanted NOW, and their looks of disgust made them very unattractive. Everything they ordered had 16 modifications, etc. The men, especially the young soldiers, never seem to be the problem. They are always smiling, joking, polite, ma'am is used etc. It is the wives who are PAINS IN THE ASS. Rude, condescending, impatient. I thought it was funny at first to be looked down upon. I mean, I CHOSE to leave a very comfortable lifestyle to come work at this dinky Taco Bell in the middle of Germany. OK, so I didn't exactly CHOOSE this part, but I chose to take the chance that I might end up at a job like this. And I don't mind at all helping the soldiers, regardless of what I think about the war, America etc, these are the guys who are coming and going from Iraq that I am helping, and I am very proud of that.
OK, I have sort of drifted off the main subject that I wanted to write about, but hey, that's the fun of having a blog (where no one can comment), I get to wander in any verbal direction I want to and no one can complain. Read it, or go away. LOL.

Anyway, what I started out wanted to write about was the weirdest of being caught between two different, VERY different cultures. Especially when one is the military.
I find it fun and different to have one half of my life lived out on an Army post, without actually having enlisted in the Army! You have the typical army type buildings, vehicles etc. Shoppettes, post offices, PXs, dining halls, laundry facilities, libraries etc. Even a thrift store where we have managed to come away with some pretty neat free things, including my daughter's 19 inch color TV with remote. ( she wanted a TV of her own so badly but could not afford even a used one in the thrift shop), then one day we walked in and they were giving one away ( too many TVs for sale) what a deal. LOL.

Anyway, so we come to work, show our civilian Department of Defense IDs to the German guards in uniform outside the post, go and do our jobs with Americans, then leave post and drive home to our apartment in the middle of a German town. Weird, but interesting. I really do try to stay away from buying things on post, especially food, but sometimes you need things not available on the economy (off post).

I have probably taking way too many words to say what I wanted, but again, it is so early in the morning. I don't usually get up until at least noon.

I work til at least 10:30 pm, and have been known to be there until 2 am, helping out my supervisor until 11 or midnight, then standing out in the parking lot talking for a couple of hours. In our parking lot at night there are always at least one or two deer walking around. Midget deer, at first I thought they were fawns, but they are actually full sized deer. There are also always bunnies hopping around in the grass by the dumpsters. Being the weird person I am, I always say “Bunny, bunny, bunny!” to them, knowing damn well they have no clue what I am saying, that I should probably be calling out the German word for bunny, which of course they would still not understand. LOL

Annnnyway... Next week we are FINALLY taking our first road trip to......... (cue drum roll) ..... Amsterdam! Yeah, party on Garth..... We intend to have a hell of a time. Jess and I are driving up with a woman who works at the bowling ally on post, where Jess' Subway (where she works) is located. It is Amber's birthday, and she wanted to go up, so we said lets go! Yes, I intend to smoke the reefer and do any other slightly illegal thing possible to do in Amsterdam, damn right!

We are driving up Monday morning, coming back Tuesday sometime. It is I think a 4 hour drive away, and with the three of us sharing expenses, shouldn't cost too much. AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands.. YES SIR! Should be a lot of fun. Just hoping I don't land in jail or anything.. (just kidding mom..)

We finally decided to get landline and Internet at the apartment. The phone is up and running, but we have to get a DSL modem from the company today to get the Internet going. OH MY GOD, one of life's luxuries back again, Internet at my actual home. I mean, I will be able to be on the internet any time day or night. WOW! LOL... Been almost a year without it. Been almost a year since this whole adventure started. I think I gave my notice at work on April 18th, a year ago. Seems like forever.

The anniversary of my sister's death was just a couple of days ago. NINE YEARS she has been gone. I still think of her every day. Funny how that is, and strange how she will never age or be old in our minds. Eternally young, as she should be remembered.

Well, I have to get up in two hours to return something to the thrift shop, we tried getting a used DSL modem there, but it is not working. So I need to get back to bed so that I can wake up in two hours. (note – later found out that DSL: will not be up and running until tomorrow (WED))

I am guessing you will be seeing way more rambling blogs once we are connected at home. I am not sure if that will be good or bad, but will certainly be a fact of life. Later......

pictures

no time to write,late for work. I decided to actually move into a bedroom like i was going to stay for awhile. pics below.

Picture time!

OK, going to post some pictures. I am sacrificing my dignity and putting two of myself on here also. Hope you can tell I lost 50 pounds, I did not however, get any more photogenic. *LOL* Here goes.

Our apartment when we first moved in. When they say unfurnished, they mean nothing on the walls and floor, no light fixtures, NOTHING! Luckily after a month they installed a kitchen, that is unusual. We have done nothing to the floors and walls yet until we decide if we are staying in Hanau or going elsewhere. We are leaning towards the staying in Hanau.

Same view, a bit better with our obligatory cat climber we made.


Shot of the plants I have gotten.They will probably be dead in a month or two.I try so hard, but cannot keep a plant alive. *sigh*

Bammy on the cat thing. Even though she doesn't look it, she is much happier since having 6 teeth pulled last month.

Miss Kitty sleeping

Karnival in Hanu. (coincides(sp)with Mardi Grasin the States)

The view down the street from my window.


Me,50 pounds lighter. I didn't realize my new pants were already baggy again. YEAH!


Closer view(for my mom) to show her my hair, etc...

That's it! Nothing much else new....... Later!

The car

Yeah, yeah. i know, who wants to hear more about the car..LOL Too bad...
Actually not much to say, we have gone through a lot of gas, Germany is SUCH a pain to get around, well at least the city of Hanau. We end up going in circles forever to find NY PLACE, SHEESH. So we have gone through 3/4 of my $35 of gas in just 3 or so days. We did drive about an hour away to Wiesbaden, but of course got lost. What should have been a 57 km drive ended up as 135 km. *g* We also ended up eating at a Persian restaurant and i finally got a chance to smoke a hooka(spelling??) We had melon flarvor, they were out of orange, and apple didn't sound very good. Even JESS smoked it after a bit of prodding!!!!!!

Anyway, it is really wonderful to have a car. We are parking at the very ends of lots so that we have to keep walking. Also, if we go into the marktplatz area of town to shop, you can't park there, so we leave the car at home and walk. I am doing my best to make sure I stay at this weight, as well as loose more.

Well, Jess is sitting at the computer next to me, staring at me, she wants to go, we both work this afternoon, so I am gone. Take care!!

FINALLY got the car in my name

Woo-hoo! 1987 Audi 100, is BIG for cars here, holds a whopping 80 liters of gas, which I THINK is only 20 gallons. Thank god I get a gas ration card so that I can buy on post at 68 cents a liter vs $4 a liter on the economy.

Well, am paying big bucks for this time online, on on post, the computers at the library are down. We are going to take a hour drive to the Wiesbaden Amry post after Jess gets off work at 4 today. There is a big bookstore there she wanted to go to, so SINCE WE HAVE A CAR we can go... A permit to park on the street in front of our apt only costs 25 euro a year, so that was great. The car also needs an oil change badly and a new air filter. I have a feeling it might also need brakes, but there is a man who works at the shoppette which is connected to Taco bell that says he is a certified mechanic. (He also likes me, so that might be of help too) *g*

Ok, will write more when I get onto a computer that is free or WAY cheaper. Take care.

Driving times

I did a bit of checking online today for driving times from Hanau, Germany. (If the car can make it long distances.) A couple of places it would be better to fly, but below are the results. Amazing the places you can drive to with gas bought with the money you made at Taco Bell. LOL

less than 4 hours driving time to Brussels, Belgium
6 hours to Paris, France.
6 hours to Vienna, Austria
9 hours to London, UK
3.5 hours to Holland, Netherlands.
8 hours to Venice, Italy
16 hours to Madrid, Spain
4 hours to Amsterdam, Netherlands
4 hours to Zurich, Switzerland
3 hours to Luxembourg
3.5 hours to Munich, Germany
5 hours to Berlin, Germany
5 hours to Prague, Czheck(sp) Republic
15 hours to Dublin, Ireland
9 hours to Monaco (French Riviera)
A whopping 24 hours to Athens, Greece
24 hours to Lisbon, Portugal
15 hours to Stockholm, Sweden.

That is all I have to say today.. :-)