A truly English play on words

I saw a McDonald's billboard shortly after landing in London.

Gherkin or

Gherkout?

It had a white background and to the right of the words was a photo of some sort of burger. That was it.

It took me about a year over here (Europe) to figure out a gherkin was in fact a pickle. Even knowing that doesn't help me to make sense of the ad.

tram-night-life

The Kid had her renaissance choral performance this weekend - it went well. They provided the choral interludes and some comedic songs for Shakespearean scenes and some short morality plays. After the closing performance she joined me at a dinner and then we took the tram home.

She had a new experience, or rather encounter, with something I took for granted, sporadic in my exposure but definitely not unheard of. The tram jam. It happens on metros too, but the trams are pretty cool. Last night when the tram pulled it there was a group of young-ish guys with their instruments out just playing away and dancing up a storm for all the passengers - they had out an accordion , hand drums and a recorder that I could see and had brought good humor and joy with them as well. Unfortunately they got off as we went to get on, but it made the kid laugh - she'd never encountered that before. I have a few times on the metro and the tram.... one of the best was some music students got on with their instruments and all of a sudden the guy with the upright bass started plucking away and then the rest joined it - they played for a few stops then got off and went inside their school. Another time it was a bunch of much older men with their guitars and their voices - they must have been old songs as so many people joined in... it was great. I love moments like that here as it breaks through the isolation and brings people together for a moment - you can look around and people make eye contact and laugh and smile. It's lovely.

more things from home

I still wish had remembered to bring back a clear shower curtain liner with the magnets in the bottom. I hate it when the shower curtain doesn't stay put.

And a large bottle of Tylenol. And lots of jelly bellies. I know the Kid wishes we had Henry Weinhardt's Root Beer.

And guacamole seasonings.

And my family.

Oh Eddy St. Scone Works - how you've stuck with me!

One morning, many years ago, I went for a walk with a boyfriend down the Eddy St. hill heading towards Van Ness (San Francisco, CA). We stopped at this tiny little whole in the wall for some food and coffee. It was one of those places where the hours and days don't always make sense and by the time you get to the counter they've usually run out of most of what they were selling. It's a treasure. Scone Works. Can't recommend it enough - freshly baked scones and muffins in a little store front shop run by the baker. You are lucky to be graced by her tasty goodness.

The best scone I have ever tasted - one of the best flavor combinations I've ever encountered - was delivered to my mouth from her shop - still warm from the oven the flavors combined to form an ever lasting impression. I've been searching for another Banana Pistachio scone ever since.

I have never encountered it again.

Tonight - for the first time ever, we made Banana Pistachio bread. Not quite the same as the scone but still, the flavors didn't let me down. I wish, one of the few times I'll wish for corporate spread, but I do wish the Scone Works I experienced so many years ago, and on the other side of the world, was a franchise. I wish I could walk in and get a fresh hot scone and a cup of coffee from the baker who seemed to bake more for baking than her customers, I wish I could have that taste explosion again. I've never tried to make the scone - I can't match her recipe and anything less would only taint the memory. But if you've made one let me know how it was. And if you're ever in San Francisco and want a warm weekday breakfast treat, you should check out Scone Works. I hope she's still there. Maybe next year I'll be able to see for myself.

wish me well

So, it's taken me a while to get here but tomorrow I go see a specialist. I've been pretty sick on and off for a long time and recently went for some testing. I've got to meet with a variety of specialists now and have more testing done. It's been a long hard road finding people in those fields, in this country who speak my language. I haven't been able to locate all the ones I need but this newest one should be a good resource. I'm nervous. I don't like doctors, hospitals or tests and really abhor those things over here - I don't have the flow of the system ingrained in me and people look at my like I'm a giant polka dotted python eating a family of unicorns when I enter a room. I can't even begin to explain how alien the process makes me feel. Right now, however, my focus isn't my vanity or temporary feelings but is much more so on getting better. I would love to breathe freely. I'd love to breathe deeply. I guess I can sum it up with - I'd love to breathe. Hopefully tomorrow the doctor will be able to get me started on that path again.

Making a house a home

We've lived in a lot of places. Well over a dozen. In this country alone we've had four residences. The thing about living in a place is that while it may be your house (or flat/apartment/duplex/whatever) that house is not necessarily a home. The transition from house to home can be a lot more complicated.

I've tried to make our houses homes - to different degrees of success. Most often, though, I think we have a home - but most often means not always. Sometimes it takes many months for the homeyness to come through... but if you're lucky, like we've been with this most recent move... you get a place that is home from the get-go. Maybe the smell of fresh baked goods adds to the home impression, maybe the laughter and love makes it a complete experience, but whatever it is this place is our home... and last night was the ultimate compliment in that respect.

I had a few people over and as they came through I heard "I love your home - it's so cozy" or comfortable or some other equally pleasant word. I got to watch a friend have the same reaction we experienced when we came to view the place for the first time - she stopped in the entry way and so "Oh my gosh - this is wonderful!" But the one that affirmed for me that we've got a home and not just another house was when someone said "I love it! You've got a proper home, not just anther flat... I'm more comfortable here than in my own home."

That's the environment I want for my child - what I've always wanted and what I want to continue offering her. A place to come home to, that embraces you, one that makes you feel comfortable and at ease, one full of happy people and joy and where you want to be and your friends want to return to. That's what every child should have. A place that loves them and where they feel like they belong. I don't know the magic formula. It's a lot more than just the furniture and fixtures. It's not comfort food cooking away in the kitchen and it's not just happy people in the house. It's something else. And I'm so grateful that this time we've definitely got it.

architectural treasure trove

If you like your beer warm and foamy then you may have an unabated affection for Social Realism as well... you know, the socialist architectural overhaul in the east during the 50s, 60s and 70s... the innovators of the panelaks.

Well, open up your google translate and copy this link in - or not. You may just like the pretty pictures.

And yes, a number of the local buildings are still standing. They may be ugly and the panels falling off but the damn buildings just wont fall down.

Zack Wahls and his moms

Here's a clip I love. Love. Love. Love. Tears to my eyes love.

Free football for all fans

Apparently a top Euro court issued a revolutionary ruling today... EU nations are now allowed to ban pay-channels from being the exclusive providers of the World Cup and European Football Championship matches in order that a larger percentage of the public may appreciate the skills and the sport for free on public channels.

Love it.

student remarks

Today during our break the students went a bit off-topic for a bit. It happens frequently, but it's not too often they make me laugh.

Somehow, I'd come back from break and missed the segue in to this, but somehow one guy was talking about not being religious - and since he's not, if there's a heaven and a hell he'll end up in hell when he dies but he'll be ok with that since he loves Bush - and Bush and Cheney and a few other of his idols will be there too... I missed the logic behind it and there was some debate about Bush as he's so religious, blah blah blah... I really had sorta tuned it out for a bit, until the other guy (yes, there are 2 men and 2 men only - if you want to meet a cute smart girl in this city that will have to engage with you in a friendly interactive and intellectually stimulating environment to you I suggest you contact me asap) the other guy chimed in, "Bush is not going to hell. Bush is retarded. He can't be held accountable for anything." It was said with such a matter-of-fact you silly boy sort of attitude I couldn't help but laugh.

It's interesting as the make-up of the class is so culturally and geographically diverse there's not one student that shares a similar socio/cultural/political reference point with another and I am never quite sure if their comments are meant to incite others (about half are, I think), or devil's advocate statements (maybe 1/4) or are actual reflective of their beliefs (maybe, possibly the remaining 1/4 but a portion of this percentage could very well just be students running at the mouth to take up time and avoid classwork, speaking for the sheer pleasure of hearing the sound of their own voice, talking to fill time while struggling to find their train of thought, and things like that). However, today I believe both boys made heartfelt statements.

haunted?

Last night, about 3 am I was woken to a cacophony of sounds - I couldn't figure out what was going on but there so many voices and noises and thumps and bumps and clashing snippets of music... I didn't really want to know. BUT it was in my house. Downstairs. Where the kid's room is. So I got up to investigate.

My laptop - which was closed, locked and sleeping - had suddenly triggered every stored movie/tvshow that had been streamed and paused (there were a lot... we tend to find the shows we like once or twice a week and load all the new ones we need to catch up on so they're ready when we're ready). Every single episode was playing... on a closed laptop at 3 in the morning. I found myself looking at the latched black triangle, wondering what in the hell happened and then thinking... I don't really, not really, want to know.

I had to open my laptop, unlock it, and stop each video. It was tremendously loud and totally freaky. A locked and sleeping computer should never spontaneously start playing stored data. Not ever never.

While I was sitting on the couch pausing all of these screens and trying to calmly think about the freaky happenings so late at night/early in the morning, from the far end of the room came the cascading sound of glass. The neatly stacked and washed dinner dishes that had been securely set to dry collapsed in to the sink. There wasn't a strong wind, it's freezing out and the windows are closed (although based on the reason I was down there to begin with things being closed don't seem to matter) and there weren't any little pets or pests running around. The dishes spontaneously moved after I came downstairs to check the computer that was spontaneously spitting out sounds.

I didn't sleep very well last night.

resistance to rules

A lot of my time is spent rewriting and refining rules. Many of the rules were created impetuously without any consideration to the web of other rules in which it must exist. That leads to a lot of confusion and resentment about all of the rules as so often the rules are restricting, contradictory and unclear.

Go figure. People hate rules.

Unfortunately there's a lot of resistance to new rules. The helpful rules to ensure continuity and support our staff are being rejected out of hand - simply because they're more rules. And not every individual has had the face the area that's being addressed so they don't see the value in having the rule in effect.

I wish that more people understood that rules don't necessarily need to rectify a situation but can be put in place to prevent the need for rectification. I'm not trying to hobble you. In fact I'm giving you more support and ensuring that you're not faced with what the guy next to you had to go through.

medical recommendations, please

If you've been reading for a while you know I get sick a lot. There's now a medical crisis looming over this country with thousands of doctors prepared to walk out - permanently - in a few weeks. According to my physician I have to find an immunologist, a rheumatologist and an endocrinologist before that happens. I've been looking and calling but English speaking specialists aren't the easiest things to come by.

If you have any recommendations please leave them for me in a comment - comments aren't automatically published, and I won't publish them, in this instance, if you don't want me to. If you'd like to leave a comment and the information share for others who may be interested that's always cool too :)

i've become accustomed to the way you sound

I recently realized I've been living here long enough and surrounded by enough non-native English speakers that heavily accented and speech filled with fillers has been sounding "normal". In conversation with people I've now known a few years every now and then I speak more rapidly or with more natural language (for me) than I do with my students or other newer people... and then I have to back-track a bit - and it's cause I've forgotten that English isn't their language. Anyone else would hear it automatically, but I've become accustomed to the voice, accent and intonation, pauses and substituted words - so much so that I don't hear it. And so I fall in to my more familiar pattern of speaking, my natural speed, language, shortcuts, etc. realize it, stop and start over.

On another note - you know when you're angry or upset or something and you have something to say but can't find the words - that's my daily life trying to speak Czech. Last night I was out and somebody took something that wasn't theirs. I was stuck trying to reclaim it and explain the situation. And failed. It wasn't that big a deal, truly minor, but really frustrating. And I got frustrated with myself for still being restricted in my ability to communicate. I couldn't find the words to say what needed to be said. A while later, on my way home, I was thinking about what had happened and discovered - I did know the words after all! They just weren't coming to me when I wanted them - and that happens to me in English sometimes, too. As frustrating as the experience was in the moment, ultimately it turned in to a bit of a personal triumph.

could you spell that for me?

I recently encountered a surname with 17 letters and 8 syllables - it wasn't broken up with "de la" or "von" or any sort of punctuation - it was 17 letters straight, start to finish. Try fitting that on your driver's license or you signature on your credit card!

exchange students - my new cultural divide

I know that going to college doesn't magically change you in to a spoiled idiot. I know that to be a truth but I'm not observing it as a reality. These exchange students are horrid over-indulged unprepared little pills. And they're stupid too.

Trying to get a bagel the other day I was stuck next to a few waiting to order some food. A young woman was complaining that her stomach was unsettled and she couldn't eat any food in this country. We were in an American style bagel shop with no distinction between Americana and Czech food. My initial, cynical, thought was it wasn't the food - it was the alcohol... then I thought to myself that I was being horrid for thinking that. I guilt trip myself over unguided mental trips. Lame. There - did it again.

Anyway - the girl kept talking and I found out... I was right. She can't eat but she sat there and relayed 5 nights of heavy alcohol abuse - not drinking but abuse. As her exchange program is affiliated with my school I know she'd only been in the country for - 5 nights.

How can you reach adulthood, be reasonably educated, drink yourself sick for 5 nights in a row and fail to connect the toxic level of alcohol in your system with a queasy stomach. It isn't the food. The food here is too bland to be offensive!

Her classmate joined her in her misery - but on a different topic. At first I thought this second girl and had a smidgen more reason - she was complaining about the smoke. A totally valid complaint and one also have - the stifling prevalence of cigarette smoking makes my hair and clothes stink, makes my lungs sick and makes my skin looks old. She touched on hair and clothes - but what divided my sense of camaraderie was the follow-up complaint... she was irritated by the lasting smell of smoke but more irritated that their flat didn't have a dry cleaning service established for them. How was she supposed to survive? And then the waiter didn't get there fast enough when she snapped her fingers at him.

The disaffection, the boredom and disgust - the sense of ennui in the midst of this beautiful city... the lack of connection with their being - I don't understand it. I don't want to either.

Making a house a home

We've lived in a lot of places. Well over a dozen. In this country alone we've had four residences. The thing about living in a place is that while it may be your house (or flat/apartment/duplex/whatever) that house is not necessarily a home. The transition from house to home can be a lot more complicated.

I've tried to make our houses homes - to different degrees of success. Most often, though, I think we have a home - but most often means not always. Sometimes it takes many months for the homeyness to come through... but if you're lucky, like we've been with this most recent move... you get a place that is home from the get-go. Maybe the smell of fresh baked goods adds to the home impression, maybe the laughter and love makes it a complete experience, but whatever it is this place is our home... and last night was the ultimate compliment in that respect.

I had a few people over and as they came through I heard "I love your home - it's so cozy" or comfortable or some other equally pleasant word. I got to watch a friend have the same reaction we experienced when we came to view the place for the first time - she stopped in the entry way and so "Oh my gosh - this is wonderful!" But the one that affirmed for me that we've got a home and not just another house was when someone said "I love it! You've got a proper home, not just anther flat... I'm more comfortable here than in my own home."

That's the environment I want for my child - what I've always wanted and what I want to continue offering her. A place to come home to, that embraces you, one that makes you feel comfortable and at ease, one full of happy people and joy and where you want to be and your friends want to return to. That's what every child should have. A place that loves them and where they feel like they belong. I don't know the magic formula. It's a lot more than just the furniture and fixtures. It's not comfort food cooking away in the kitchen and it's not just happy people in the house. It's something else. And I'm so grateful that this time we've definitely got it.

i wish...

I wish

• that I could fall asleep before 2:00.
• that the Kid was well rested and less grumpy.
• that there was less homework in the world and other ways of ensuring necessary information was successfully transmitted.
• that I was supported by a more responsive team.
• that my homes weren't quite so far away from each other.
• that the sun remembered to visit the sky on a regular basis.
• that people would realize that feeling love is not the same as conveying love and would start letting other know they care rather than keeping those lovely feelings all nice and cozy inside.
• that I had a bed that wasn't breaking my body.
• that not one more person would be injured or killed in Egypt.
• that some crazy celebrity would hand me a check for $30k - and that I had the balls to cash it.
• that more people paid attention to the looming global warming and energy crisis and would focus on finding sustainable energy sources that didn't consume petroleum fuel in the development process.
• that African nations weren't jeopardized by their lack of water and that this very real issue was given appropriate attention. In many areas, in the coming year, many people will die of starvation as there isn't enough water to support agriculture - unfortunately those who don't die of starvation may be because dehydration kills quicker.
• that my hands and fingers didn't burn from typing this little blurb.
• that more people, myself included, sent letters and postcards.
• that I could find one doctor who would stop my constant cold without having to do any more tests.
• that the Kid finds and keeps a permanent inner peace very soon (probably won't happen until after her Physics class ends...at the earliest).
• that we all find joy in our daily lifes and remember to share it with those around us.
• to truly laugh at least twice a day, every day, for the rest of my life.
• that I didn't have to get up to turn off the light... I'm tired now, so good night.