Senior Full Stack Engineer at GovRecover
Adding features to and improving the backend services behind GovRecover.org, expanding the service to new US states and their particular processes for claiming property.
Guido Schlabitz
162 posts by Guido Schlabitz
Senior Full Stack Engineer on Upwork
Back to freelancing as a one-man software team with front- and back-end expertise. Recent projects: Finaware, a SaaS platform investigating financial crimes with LLM and vision models processing bank statements; Teetag, a WooCommerce t-shirt shop with Printify integration; and an internal inventory dashboard for Coverland built on Retool and Supabase.
Senior Software Developer at Afloat
Afloat is a local gifting app and a Shopify marketplace for local businesses. A new REST API and Shopify integration cut the manual steps in half, sign-up for new businesses got 80% shorter, and Sentry instrumentation trimmed log output by 60%.
Senior Software Developer at Updraft
A three-month contract that turned into a full-time position with the client. Translated a legacy Django–Shopify integration to Remix (removing 80% of the code), moved Python code to Node.js, and lifted the AWS backend to GCP — cutting deployment time from 30+ minutes to 2–4.
Senior Software Developer at Material
LRW rebranded to Material, a modern marketing services company. Transformed the Yamaha Motor US website onto an AWS backend and a Next.js frontend — a Storybook-driven workflow halved the time from design to implemented UI — and maintained Touchpoint Dashboard until its sunset, planning and executing the shutdown of all of its AWS infrastructure.
Senior Software Developer at LRW
LRW acquired Strativity and kept me on as lead engineer for Touchpoint Dashboard.
Software Consultant at Strativity Group
Touchpoint Dashboard was acquired by Strativity Group, and I was hired full-time to keep leading its development.
Technical Lead at Touchpoint Dashboard
Took over as lead developer during the prototype phase and grew the Django app into a selling SaaS customer-journey-mapping platform, leading up to four off-shore contractors. Moving the backend to AWS doubled performance and cut hosting costs by 90%; the frontend evolved from jQuery through Backbone to React along the way.
Die Friedhfe In New Orleans Sind
Die Friedhöfe in New Orleans sind bekannt Touristenattraktionen. Wegen der hohen Kriminalrate, wird empfohlen sie nur mit einer geführten Gruppe zu besuchen. Unsere Tour wurde von einem pensioniertem Park-Ranger organisiert, der sich so ein kleines Nebeneinkommen verdient. Wir trafen uns beim Café Beignet und liefen von dort zum St. Louis Friedhof Nr. 1.
Auf dem Weg lernten wir viel neues über die frühe und moderne Geschichte der Stadt, z.B. wie aus einer unbekannten Statue in einem Schnellpacket (Eilpost heisst auf English “expedite”) der Heilige St. Expedite wurde und wo die Katrina- Überschwemmungswasserliene verlief.
Der Friedhof sieht aus wie eine Mausoleumsstadt, komplett mit Haupt- und Nebenstraßen, Kathedralen, Bürgerhäusern, und sogar schubfachartige “Neubauten” für Tote die sich keine Familiengruft leisten können.
Hier mal eine Satellitenansicht:
Viele lokale Persönlichkeiten haben hier ein Grabmal, aber eine ist besonders bekannt: die Voodoo-Priesterin Marie Laveau.
Viele ihrer Anhänger besuchen noch heute das Grab regelmässig und hinterlassen oft Opfergaben in der Hoffnung das ihre Gebete erhört werden.
Die XXX Markierungen entstammen einem Liebesritual:
- Klopfe dreimal auf Marie Laveaus Grab
- Mache drei X nebeneinander
- Sprich Deinen Liebeswunsch laut aus, z.b. “Marie Laveau, Priesterin der Liebe, mach das Klaus mich unwiderstehlich findet!”
- Hinterlasse eine Opfergabe
Entstellung der historischen Gräber ist natürlich gesetzeswiedrig und muss deshalb im geheimen, am besten nachts, passieren.
Der Mann mit dem Regenbogenschirm ist unser Tourführer.
Der Hauptgrund für diese Art von Bestattung, ist der hohe Wasserspiegel New Orleans, da die komplette Region ein großer Sumpf ist, aber die französichen und spanischen Traditionen habe fast genausoviel damit zu tun.
Die Familienmausoleen werden durch die Generationen erhalten und wiederverwendet. Falls eine Beerdigung erst neulich stattfand, werden die neuen Überreste erst in der Friedhofsmauer in einer “Knochenhöhle” zwischeninterniert. Nach relativ kurzer Zeit (2-3 Jahre) hat das lokale tropische Klima plus Bakterien die Überreste gut durchgebacken und in feine Asche verwandelt. Dann werden sie in die Familiengruft überführt.
Die Luftfeuchte In New Orleans Ist Hoch
In New Orleans, it is humid enough for moss and ferns to grow right in the cracks of walls. At first I thought it was some local gardening habit to beautify old walls, but these ferns are often two or three stories high in the middle of an empty wall. Either there are some really dedicated gardeners or it’s the wind.
There are a lot of plants growing right on the street, that we cold Midwestern/German folk only know as house plants. The ’maters probably grow here all year long.
Jackson Square
Jackson Square is the heart of the French Quarter, which in turn forms the historic and cultural center of the city of New Orleans. As a strategic port city of the sometimes Spanish, sometimes French colony of Louisiana (named after the “Sun King” Louis XIV), it became a outpost of European culture, which soon, enriched by African and Native American influences, brought forth Cajun and Creole. Both define what New Orleans is known for worldwide: music, hearty, spiced dishes, and an inimatable atmosphere.
Starting from the St. Louis Cathedral through the Vieux Carre, we walk by spanish townhouses adorned with balconies made from iron filigree. Sometimes we catch a glimpse into the private courtyard paradises, shaded by tropical foliage, cooled by glittering fountains.
A short time later we reach Congo Square, where slaves gather for tribal dances. These were forbidden on Sundays. Every slave had to attend church. Even though, they found enough parallels in the Catholic religious system to continue, after some adjustments, their own spiritualism, almost publicly. God, the Father, is like Voudoun, the great Creator Spirit. The flock of saints, corresponds with the lesser African spirits, which were asked for more mundane things like safe travel, more money, or less stomach aches. Just like these religions coalesced into the often misunderstood and, at times deliberately, distorted religion of Voodoo, the worship cantatas of Bach, the melodies of Mozart, and the syncopated rhythms of the log drums created a new brew, which only could ferment in the hot swamps of New Orleans: Jazz!
Through the Swamp
Still traveling to New Orleans, the freeway hits the swamps.
For miles we drive up high over the bayous on massive concrete pillars, pointing excitedly to the Spanish Moss hanging from the trees. In German it’s called “Louisiana Moss”. Hmm, fitting.
Mom asked for a picture of the Spanish Moss. Unfortunately we only have a blurry one from our way in.
Memphis BBQ
South with a barbecue stop in Memphis, then miles of freeway on massive concrete pillars over the bayous, pointing excitedly at the Spanish moss — all the way to Jackson Square, the heart of the French Quarter.
Amy sews
After I installed Kai’s window air conditioner in Amy’s sewing room, she’s able to conduct her main hobby even during the summer. Newest result: a summer top with flower appliqué for Kirin … and, she even likes it! :-)
Kannst Du den Hund jetzt sehen?
Strawberries
Meine ersten Erdbeeren.
My first strawberries.
New Pets
Oooh, süß!
Amy’s Hündchen heißt “Freckles” (Sommersproßen). Sie hat es für Didgy adoptiert, damit sie nicht so alleine im Hinterhof ist.
Unser neuer Kater sollte eigentlich Paul gehören, aber er wollte ihn dann doch nicht. Nun wohnt er bei uns und fühlt sich wohl. Sein Name ist “Shadow” (Schatten) und er verträgt sich ganz gut mit Weasley.
Zoo Visit
[Image lost to time — the original was hosted on Blogspot and is no longer available.]
Die Girl Scouts gehen zum Zoo.
Dort gab es auch eine spezielle Version des “Bau-nen-Bär”-Ladens, der statt den normalen Teddybären verschiedene Zootiere zur Auswahl hatte. In diesem Laden suchen sich die Kinder einen leeren Teddybär aus, füllen ihn mit fluffigem Fluff und suchen die Teddysachen und -schuhe und was es sonst noch alles an Teddy-Accessories gibt.
Kai dachte erst das es zu mädchenhaft ist sich eine Puppe zu bauen, aber als wir ihm erzählten das es auch Dinosaurier, Raubtiere und Affen gab wollte er natürlich auch einen Zooteddy haben. Er suchte sich ein Thyrannosaurus Rex aus und rüstete ihn sogar mit einer kleinen Dinostimme aus, damit er auch brüllen kann.
Während die Girl Scouts ihre Stationen machten, hatten die Jungs im Rest des Zoos freien Lauf.
Girl Scouts help flood victims
Unsere Pfadfinderinnentruppe 269 (Amy ist die Leiterin) hat Kekse und andere Mittel dem lokalen Roten Kreuz gespendet. Die hier berühmten und schnell verkauften Pfadfinderinnen-Kekse sind die Haupteinnahmequelle für die gemeinnützige Pfadfinderinnenorganisation, und die Mädchen haben somit einen Teil ihrer Einnahmen aufgegeben, die sonst Aktivitäten und Feldausflüge finanziert hätten. Der englische Text auf der Webseite heißt auf deutsch:
Helfer vorort gibt es in allen Größen und Altersgruppen. Brownie-Truppe 269 aus Harrisburg, liefert Girl-Scout-Kekse und andere Mittel beim American Red Cross Little Egypt Network am Sa. dem 22 März ab, die nun an Einwohner von Notunterkünften für die letzten überflutungen verteilt werden.
Hier ist der Link: http://www.redcrosslittleegypt.org/
Flood 2008
The flood spared our home on the higher side of town, behind the water tower — but it hit nearly every business in Harrisburg. The Girl Scouts were out helping flood victims within the week.
Software Developer at Screen Pilot
Built 20+ static and interactive landing pages for hospitality and travel digital promotions, and designed an ad-impression-to-call-center tracking system used on a dozen client sites.
Ice, Ice, Baby
Nein ihr seht nicht doppelt, das ist die gleiche Webcam wie oben, aber total mit Eis überzogen. Genau so wie alles andere in Harrisburg vereist war.
Auf dem Bild unten kann man sehen wie der Zaun sich im Eis reflektiert. Erst gab es Hagel, dann Schnee, dann Regen der sich in der Nacht zum Eisregen entwickelte, wodurch alles mit einer 2 Zentimeter dicken Eisschicht überzogen wurde.
Um 4 Uhr nachts hörte ich dann ein Krachen und Blitzen, dann war wieder Stille. Morgens stellte sich heraus, das unser Ahornbaum (der gleiche der im Sommer einen seiner Hauptäste verlor) durch das Gewicht des Eises komplett den Geist aufgab und dabei die Stromleitung auf der gegenüberliegenden Straßenseite mitnahm.
Die Stromleute mussten den Strommast auswechseln und es dauert bis 8 Uhr abends, bis wir (und der Rest des Stadtblocks) wieder Strom hatten. Leute außerhalb der Stadt hatten es nicht so leicht. Die mussten bis zu 3 Tage lang warten.
Dramatic Animals
Who’s gonna win this year’s Oscar for the most dramatic Scene by a supporting animal? Terrible Tarsier…
Two Teeth
Kai ist gerade zwei Zähne älter geworden.
Kai just turned two teeth older.
More videos
Jetzt wo ich hier Videos posten kann, sollte ich vielleicht mal mehr filmen. Hier mal ein paar ältere Videos zum Anfang:
Kai liest ein Buch vor, das er selber in der Schule gebastelt hat.
[Video lost to time — it was hosted on Google Video, which shut down in 2012.]
Dieses Weihnachten hab ich nicht viel aufgenommen, da muß ein Film von vor zwei Jahren her. Hach, diese idyllische Weihnachtsmusik!
[Video lost to time — it was hosted on Google Video, which shut down in 2012.]
“Ich bin doch nur der Kai,” sagt Kai. Aber alle glaubten er sei der Weihnachtsmann. Er sieht doch genauso aus!
[Video lost to time — it was hosted on Google Video, which shut down in 2012.]
Christmas 2007
Weinachtsabend bei den Schlabitzens: Dieses Jahr haben ich und Dan unsere Weihnachtsbäume von seinem Waldgrundstück geholt. Ich eine Kiefer und er eine Zeder. Habe leider keine Tanne gesehen.
Oben rechts könnt ihr meine neue Topfregalkonstruktion sehen. Ein Metalregal an Ketten von der Decke gehangen und S-Haken für die Töpfe. Auf dem Gewürzregal stehen schon Antje’s Anguckgewürze. Dankeschön!
Auch vielen Dank nochmal für das Packet. Da etwas später ankam hatten wir 3 Weihnächte: einmal zu Hause, dann bei den Coens (unten) und dann mit dem Packet aus Deutschland.
Neues Auto
Wir haben unseren Saturn VUE in unser vorheriges Auto, Saturn ION, umgetauscht. Dieser ION ist natürlich ein neueres Model und hat ein elektrisches Sonnendach und OnStar.
Thanksgiving 2007 bei den Georges
Dieses Jahr ging es zum Thanksgiving in die Nähe von Republic, MO (Missouri) zum ländlichen Hause der George Family. Brenda schneidet gerade den Puter in Stücke:
Einer der Vorteile eines Besuches bei den Georges ist die Anzahl der Cousins und Cousinen. So haben die Kinder immer ein Spielpartner…
… und die Erwachsenen können ernsteren Dingen nachgehen, z.B. Football:
oder Essen:
Mein hausgemachter Kürbiskuchen durfte natürlich nicht fehlen. Schmeckte wie immer prima…
… aber war diesmal natürlich schneller verschwunden als letztes Jahr.
Habe gehört, daß das Rezept das ich voriges Jahr verlinkte nicht so toll war. Ich habe aber vor bald eine ausführliche Anleitung zu verfassen. Bitte habt Geduld!
Harrisburg Park
Es ist wieder Herbst in Harrisburg. Endlich kühlt die Luft ab, und unser Ahorn beleuchtet die dunkle Küche mit goldenen Reflektionen. Das Fenster im Bild ist vom Gästezimmer.
Nach dem Entenfüttern gönnen wir uns ein gemächliches Schachspiel. Der Tisch steht schon im Park, man muß sich nur daran erinnern die Figuren mitzubringen.
Ich glaub’ Kai war am verlieren. ;-)
Geburstagsvideo
Hallo liebe Mutti,
herzlichen Glückwunsch zum 29. Geburtstag.
Mein Geschenk kommt von Google und von mir:
Seit kurzem kann man hier nun auch Videos bloggen. Und da Du ja ein-, zweimal, na gut dreimal… na eigentlich mindestens 16 mal nach Bildern in unserem neuen Haus gefragt hast, hab ich mal ’ne kleine Tour für Dich aufgenommen.
Viel Spaß!
[Video lost to time — it was hosted on Google Video, which shut down in 2012.]
Halloween 2007
Dieses Jahr fand Halloween einen Tag früher statt, weil, nach Angaben des Lokalblattes, “viele” Stadteinwohner am Mittwochabend, dem eigentlichen Halloween in diesem Jahr, zum Gottesdienst gehen. Somit wurde von jemand (keine Ahnung wer) beschlossen Trick-or-Treat am Dienstag, also dem 30. Oktober, stattfinden zu lassen. Und was, wenn man die Lokalzeitung nicht abonniert hat? Das werden wir sicher heute Abend sehen, wenn die zweite Welle nach Süßigkeiten verlangender Kinder an unsere Haustür klopft…
Ich habe unsere Kinder schon dazu angestiftet heute nochmal zu gehen. Ist ja schließlich Halloween im Rest des Landes! ;-)
Auf dem Photo kann man sehen, wie Paul seine dämonischen Einfluß mittels Handauflegen auf unsere Kinder überträgt. Die üblichen Symptome wie rot leuchtende Pupillen, verzerrte Gesichtszüge und einen unersättlichen Hunger auf Zucker und Erdnüsse hielten bis Mitternacht an, als der Schlaf sie endlich übermächtigte. Am nächsten Morgen war der Spuck vorbei, bis zum nächsten Jahr…
Wie man eine 40kg schwere Garagentür hebtHow to lift a 86 pound heavy garage door
Zuerst braucht man einen starken Sklaven.
Eigene Kinder oder geldabhängige Jugendliche gehen auch. Neben genügend Ziegel- oder Betonsteinen, wird noch ein starker und langer Hebel benötigt.
Der erste Zentimeter ist der schwerste. Entweder die Garagentür ein wenig per Hand hochhieven oder ein Brecheisen unterschieben. Dann ein Ziegelstein unter die durch Hebelkraft leicht angehobene Garagentür schieben und so abwechselnd eine kleine Säule unter der Garagentür aufbauen.
Wenn Hebel zu kurz oder das Heben zu schwer wird, kann man einen Autoheber verwenden. Dieser ermöglicht auch das unterlegen von mehr als einem Ziegelstein.
Hier ist der Hebeprozess mit zwei Ziegelsäulen:
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Tür rechts mit Heber anheben
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linke Säule aufstapeln
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Tür vorsichtig auf linke Säule absetzten (Heber leicht runterdrehen) und Heber entfernen
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rechte Säule aufstapeln (oben Platz für Heber lassen)
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Heber in Lücke zwischen rechter Säule und Garagentür einfügen
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Weiter mit Schritt 1, bis Garagentür zu drei Viertel geöffnet ist
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Tür kann nun per Hand komplett geöffnet werden
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Türschienen blocken um die Tür offen zu halten
TADA!
Kai's 6th
Sechsjähriger mit Schokoladenkuchen.
Last Garden News
Hier nun die lang erwartete Herbsternte…
Babygemüse!
OK, das ist natürlich nicht alles. Die Tomaten trugen gut, haufenweise grüne Bohnen, vier Büschel Basilikum, die ich gerade trockne und ein paar Römersalate. Fast alle Melonen- und Kürbispflanzen sind zu früh gestorben, und ihre Früchte sind nicht ganz ausgereift:
Ich glaube die brauchen mehr Wasser. Den Babykürbis zeige ich euch später zu Halloween. Eine Zuckermelone hat es aber trotzdem geschafft:
Die roch und sah sehr lecker aus, schmeckte aber nur so lala… Hmmm, da muss ich mich mal umhören, wie die Melonenbauern die so süss hinbekommen.
Kirin's 8th
Wir hatten eine kleine Familienfeier für Kirin aber eine große Buttercremetorte als Geburtstagskuchen. Hab’ drei Tage dran rumgebastelt und sie schmeckte wirklich lecker. Auf Kirins Wunsch, habe ich sie mit Nutella und Kirschkonfitüre gefüllt.
Hier noch eine Großaufnahme:
Storm Damage
Einer unserer Bäume hat die Sommerhitze und Gewitter nicht gut überstanden. Ich saß gerade im Büro/Lesezimmer, als ich einen sehr nahen Blitzeinschlag hörte, oder zumindest klang es so, bis ein lauter, dumpfer Aufschlag folgte. Das Gewitter war zu weit entfernt und als ich aus dem Fenster schaute lag dort ein riesiger Ast im Garten. Die obere Hälfte des Astansatzes war komplett morsch und voll mit Käfern. Die untere Hälfte war OK, aber zu schwach um den Ast noch länger zu halten.
Ein Glück ist nichts zu Schaden gekommen, bis auf eine Ecke von einer Plastik-Fensterlade vom Nachbarn. Dan kam mit einer Kettensäge vorbei und die Stadt schickte eine Aufräummannschaft durch die Straßen um die größeren Äste abzuholen. Den Mittelteil konnten wir nicht zum Straßenrand rollen, und Dan sagt er will sehen, ob er es in der nächstbesten Sägemühle in Bretter zersägen kann. Es ist schließlich ein schöner Block Ahornholz.
Lilie a la Surprise
Im Frühling hatte ich haufenweise Narzissen, die einfach nicht blühen wollten. Die eine Hälfte blühte wie verrückt, und die andere machte nur eine Menge Blätter. Stellt sich heraus, dass das gar keine Narzissen, sondern “Überraschungslilien” sind, die ein paar Monate nachdem ihre Blätter abgestorben sind nochmal mit einer Blütenstaude erfreuen.
Im Hintergrund seht ihr unser neues Vogelbad. Unten mal eine Großaufnahme von einem plantschendem Rotkardinal.
Summer Vacation is over already?
Schon sind die ersten Sommerferien im neuen Haus vorbei. Die Kinder haben tagelang im Raumschiff-Pool von Oma gespielt, viel Fernseh geseh’n (Video kommt später) und ihren Cousin Sarah genervt, die für 3 Wochen zu Besuch kam. Ich habe einen Zaun um den Hinterhof gebaut, damit Didgy endlich wieder ohne Leine leben kann.
Dieses Jahr wurde Kai eingeschult. Da es hier keine Schultüten gibt musste Papa wiedermal ran und was tütiges zusammenbasteln. Kai geht in die gleiche Grundschule, die Kirin besuchte, Westside Elementary School (Klasse Kindergarten bis 2), aber Kirin geht jetzt zur Eastside Intermediary School (Klasse 3 bis 5). Kai macht die Schule Spaß. Er ist fast immer der erste im Auto und wenn er zusammen mit Kirin vom Schulbus nach Hause kommt, gibt er uns sofort alle Mitteilungen und passt auf, dass die Eltern die auch beachten. “Papa, das musst Du lesen und dann unterschreiben. Papa! Hast Du mich gehört?”“
Under the Carpet
Kuck mal was wir unterm Teppich gefunden haben.
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Na gut, wir hatten das schon beim Hauskauf vermutet. Um 1920 gab es ja noch keine Auslegware, und so wurde eben das ganze Haus mit einem Holzboden ausgelegt.
Hier kann man schön die Nachlässigkeit der Vorbesitzer sehen. Es wurden nicht nur die Türrahmen weiß getüncht (die Originaltönung ist rechts am Rahmen sichtbar), sondernd auch der Boden unter der Tür… Vielleicht ist das ja die Startlinie zum Wettlauf ins Bett? Wer weiss was die sich da (nicht) gedacht haben…
In den 60ern und 70ern wurde die “Wand-zu-Wand-Auslegware” modern und einfach über das schöne Hartholz genagelt, geklebt und geklammert. Jeden Nagel, den ich sorgsam aus dem Boden ziehe tut mir in meinem Hobbyhandwerkerherzen weh. Wie konnten die nur so einen schönen Bestandteil dieses Hauses misshandeln?!
Davon mal abgesehen ist das Aufreißen des bekleckerten und verfaerbten Synthetikteppichstoffes wie ein zweites Weihnachten. Trotz der abgenutzten und malträtierten Oberfläche sieht der originale Holzboden um Klassen besser aus als die beige Wüste, die ihn für Jahrzehnte versteckt hielt.
Noch ist viel zu säubern und zu renovieren, aber ich freu mich darauf wie ein kleines Kind im Süsswarenladen.
Four Melons and a Pumpkin
News Update zu meinem Melonenblüteneintrag:
Bis jetzt habe ich vier Melonen gefunden. Eine sonnte sich ganz offensichtlich auf der Wiese, eine blieb lieber zuhause im Beet und zwei versteckten sich schamhaft in den Studentenblumen.
Das Bild mit Kleingärtnerin Kirin wurde vor etwa zwei Wochen aufgenommen. Inzwischen ist die Melone dreimal so groß. Die Studentenmelonen hat Amy vorgestern entdeckt.
Apropos Größe: Die Kürbisse benehmen sich wie die Rowdys! Die sprießen riesige neue Blätter innerhalb eines Tages und rankeln sich ohne Gnade in die Tomaten und Tomatenkäfige.
Den einen Lausbub’ musste ich mühsam und mit Fingerspitzengefühl aus dem Käfig extrahieren, weil er sich vorstellte seinen dicken Kürbiskopf in die Sonne strecken zu können.
Wäre natürlich viel zu schwer und sicherlich auch zu groß für den dünnen Bambuskäfig geworden.
Ich hatte ja erst so meine Zweifel an dem Ratschlag die Kürbisse zum Unabhängigkeitstag auszusäen, aber wenn die so weiter wachsen, dann sind die bestimmt rechtzeitig zur Halloween-Ernte fertig. Das wird dann unser frischster Jack o’Lantern! Nicht das man das sehen könnte, aber ich habe vor wieder einen traditionellen Pumpkin Pie zu backen.
Visiting the Georges
Im Juli, als wir Sara wieder nach Hause fuhren, ließen wir unsere Kinder für eine Woche bei den Georges, Amys Schwester Brendas Familie. Als wir nach einer Woche anriefen und fragten ob sie uns denn vermissten, sagten sie schlicht: “Nö! wir wollen länger bleiben.”
Sie hatten viel Spaß bei Tante Brenda: ein Dutzend Kühe auf der Nachbarweide, 4 kleine Kätzchen, jeden Tag im aufblasbaren Swimmingpool planschen und soviel Eis essen wie Michael nach Hause bringen konnte (er arbeitet für Schwan’s).
Mutti hat sie natürlich doll vermisst und holte sie trotz Protest am Wochenende ab.
Bei dieser Gelegenheit haben wir uns das neue Titanic Museum in Branson angeschaut. Mit 400 originalen Ausstellungsstücken und originalgetreuen Nachbauten, z.B. die Grand Staircase die zur Dinner Hall der 1. Klasse führte, war der Besuch den hohem Eintrittspreis wert. Unten rechts im Bild kann man den Eisberg sehen, der den Eingang der 1:2 großen Facade darstellte. Alle Besucher bekommen ein Boarding Ticket, auf welchem man den Namen und die Vorgeschichte eines ehemaligen Passagiers der unglücklichen Jungfernfahrt beim Warten in der Schlange las. Am Ende der Tour kann man auf einer Denkmalstafel “seinen” Namen aufsuchen und sehen ob man überlebt hat.
Dann noch schnell in der Sushibar Mittag gegessen und es ging wieder nach Hause. Leider können wir uns zur Zeit keine längeren Ausflüge leisten.
Happy Fourth of July
Heute ist Unabhängigkeitstag und die Männers haben dies zum Anlass genommen um eine kleine Angeltour zu unternehmen. Um 6:00 Uhr morgens war der Ohio noch etwas neblig, aber kurze Zeit später brannte die Sonne durch. Oben der Blick auf eine Insel in der Nähe der Anlegestelle in Golconda, unten fahren wir flussaufwärts in Richtung Indiana.
Nach einer Weile schwenkten wir in die Mündung des Grand Pierre Creek, der große Bruder des Little Grand Pierre, der durch Dans Land fließt. Die frühe Sonne leuchtete Streifen durch die Bäume auf den Bach und lockte uns tiefer und tiefer in das Anglerparadies.
Trotz der idyllischen Szenerie wollten die Fische aber nicht beißen. Nach einer Weile gaben wir auf und ankerten am Illinois-Ufer des Ohios an.
Dort machten wir unseren ersten Fang: Dan angelte einen schwer zu ergatternden und fast legendären Stickfish (Stockfisch). Trotz ihrer Seltenheit kennen ihn aber alle Angler nur zu gut. Kurze Zeit später wurde Dans Anglerehre durch zwei Katzenwelse wiederhergestellt. Beide waren aber zu klein und wir hatten außerdem unser Fischnetz vergessen. Also wieder zurück in den Fluss.
Ryan fing sich zum Frühstück einen kleinen Barsch und aß ihn roh gleich dort im Boot.
Ich hatte schon fast aufgegeben und wollte den Morgen wie seit Jahren ohne Fisch beenden, als ein Katzenwels doch noch in meine Hühnerleber biss. Kein legendärer Riesenwels und viel zu klein um ihn zu braten, aber ich war trotzdem happy.
Wie findet ihr mein Huckleberry Finn-Outfit? Barfuss und mit Strohut im Ohio angelnd. Ich hatte vor kurzem Mark Twains Klassiker (diesmal im Original) nochmal gelesen und kenne mittlerweile sogar einige der genannten Orte. Es ist schon fantastisch eine fiktive Welt erneut zu besuchen und dann festzustellen, das vieles gleich um die Ecke liegt. Huck und Jim haben auf ihrem Floß die Ohiomündung bei Cairo (Illinois) zwar verpasst, aber sie wären nach ein paar Meilen auf den gleichen Wassern wie wir gefahren.
Im Hintergrund ist eine alte fast komplett verottete Eisenbahnbrücke aus Holz zu sehen. Dort warf ich meinen Haken hin und fing nach ein paar Minuten meine Beute. Ein Glück hatte ich meine Kamera mitgebracht, sonst hätte mir das in der Schlabitzfamilie niemand geglaubt. Vielleicht habe ich den jahrenlangen Anglerfluch der über den Schlabitzens hängt nun endlich gebrochen?
Um den Morgen gelungen abzurunden sahen wir noch zwei Schildkröten, die sich auf einem Baumstamm sonnten. Während ich die Kamera aus der Tasche fummelte, sprang die grössere leider ins Wasser.
Danach ging es in die Creek Bar zum Steak & Eggs Frühstück. Ryan wollte eigentlich einen Double Cheeseburger, aber dafür war es selbst am Independence Day in Amerika zu früh.
Kids and Cabbage
Hier steht Kirin neben meinem aus Bambus gebasteltem Tomatenkäfig. Die amerikanische Variante wird hier “Cane” (Rohrstock genannt) ist aber Bambus sehr ähnlich. Ich wollte dieses Jahr nicht mehr diese hässlichen Metallkäfige verwenden, sondern etwas aus ansprechendem und zugleich preiswertem Material herstellen. Cane wächst hier in feuchten Gebieten und ich fand ein gutes Dutzend gerade gewachsene, sechs Meter hohe Exemplare in Dan’s Wald beim Little Grand Pierre Creek. Nach einigen Knotenversuchen und etwa 2 Stunden war das Kunstwerk vollbracht. Was denkt ihr davon?
Ich habe zuerst die “Better Boys” angebunden. Diese Fleischtomaten werden sehr groß und würden sonst auf dem Boden liegen. Die Romatomaten gleich daneben hatte ich zur gleichen Zeit ausgesaeht als ich die Fleischtomaten einpflanzte (zwei 10 cm hohe Pflanzen aus dem Laden). Sie haben ihre Kollegen schnell überholt und haben etwa ein Woche später Früchte angesetzt. Ich glaube nicht, das ich jemals wieder Tomatenpflanzen kaufen werde. Für $0.99 habe ich ein ganzes Beet voll mit Tomaten und musste sogar viele wegen Platzgründen auf den Kompost werfen.
Bei den Bohnen und Kohlköpfen war das etwas anders. Ich hatte noch Samen aus Mesa und Jeddito übrig, die ich beinahe wegwarf, mich aber am Ende für einen Samentest entschied. Die meisten Samen gingen wie erwartet nicht auf, aber die Bohnen, der Kohl und der Koriander sprießen alle fleißig aus meinem Papiertuch. Wie das so mit neuen Gärtnern ist, konnte ich mich nicht überwinden sie wegzuschmeißen, obwohl es erst Februar war. Also habe ich sie bis zum Mai in kleinen Plastebechern bevatert und sobald das Beet fertig war ausgesät. Viele haben aber in der großen Gartenwelt nicht überlebt und die ausgesäten Brüder und Schwestern haben sie bald ausgelacht. Bis auf einen Chinakohl! Der wuchs und wuchs und wurde vorgestern geschlachtet und ist zusammen mit dem Huhn im Wok gelanden. Hmmm.
Hier nochmal mein kleines Beet am 1. Juli.
Der Koriander blüht in der Mitte. Ich glaube ich hätte ein paar besser bescheiden sollen, denn die Blätter, die in vielen mexikanischen Gerichten verwendet werden, sind nun gelb geworden. Die Radieschen sind alle geerntet und ich habe dort nun Schalotten und Knoblauch angepflanzt.
Die Melonen rennen links und rechts aus dem Beet raus und er Salat ist schon wieder viel zu bitter. Wie oft muss man den denn schneiden??
Kai lässt sich heutzutage nicht mehr so einfach ablichten und ich musste mich anschleichen als er gerade beschäftigt war.
Sleeping Like Cats and Dogs
Kirin sneaked in one of her plush dogs into our sleeping cat Weasly’s arms. Wonder what he was dreaming about… ;-)
Getting a cat has paid of by the way. Weasly regularely hunts down roaches in the basement and is pretty good at catching mosquitos and flies. We have not seen mice in a long time, either.
melon blooms
Yippee, my melons are blooming! I had about a dozen seedlings, but I had to make space of course and now have only 4 cantaloupes left. Now I can’t bring myself to thin any more. They got this far!
Maybe when one of them is not setting any fruit, but otherwise I’ll try to snake them around in and out of the bed when they get bigger.
SOB
Apparently Google doesn’t think much of me. I use their excellent Gmail service and the spell checker insists that I am either a “Schlitz” (German for “slit” and other things) or a “Sonuvabitch.” It is either lacking a politeness algorithm or Google seems to know something that I do not… ;-)
Hallo Freunde und Familie,
Hello friends and family,
You probably noticed, that I don’t list my email on this blog. This is to prevent scraping from spammers, which means “mean marketing people stealing nice bloggers emails” in English.
If you want to write Amy or me via email, just use our names like this:
Easy as pie for you, but too complicated for the email collection robots of Mr. Evil Cube-Shaped Pork Product.
Looking forward to your messages.
Peace be with you
My “Peace” is blooming! I only planted it in March and did not even expect a flower, but it was working on a big bud for a week, which finially burst open and bacame this huge rose.
I cut it and put it in a vase after three days. Let’s see if that will motivate her to make another one.
Now it is sitting on my desk and I can not stop smelling it. Hmmmm!
Sleeping on your toes
Young parents often wonder why some kids can just sleep anywhere and if you can train them that way. Before I became a dad, I assumed that you had to keep absolutely quiet and take a vow of silence, but the opposite is a better way.
Young Parent Tip #1: When the baby sleeps, go on with your life. You’ll spare yourself the worries and nervous breakdowns when the neighbour rings the doorbell or daughter’s brass band is coming over for a spontaneous visit. Kids who are used to a certain noise level when snoozing have much less (sleeping) problems with everyday life around them.
A Rose for Mother's Day
Hallo liebe Mutti!
Dein Sohn.
Hello dearest Mother!
Just for you, here’s my first rose bloom from my new garden. Have a nice Mother’s Day!
Your Son-in-Law.
Before & After
| Vor den Eisheiligen... Before the spring freeze... | ...nach den Eisheiligen. ...after the spring freeze. |
Vor der Heckenschere… Before the shears…
… nach der Heckenschere! …after the shears!
(and the lawnmower)
| Vor dem Frühlingsregen... Before the spring rain... | ...nach dem Frühlingsregen. ...after the spring rain. |
The radishes (in the back) are growing like crazy of course. Cantaloupe and Honeydew melons are coming up in the middle. I extracted the Honeydew seeds highly scientifically from a commercial melon (We’ll see what comes of it in the end). In the foreground are two tomatoes graciously given to me by the Coens. I sowed French Marigolds around the whole bed to ward of some pests and, for the same reason, basil amongst the tomatoes, which also improve the flavour of tomatoes. I try to avoid chemicals where I can (to expensive for my tastes). The salad is also from the Coens and I’ll have to stick it in somewhere else. The bed is full.
Meine Tulpen Unterm Judasbaum Beim
Meine Tulpen unterm Judasbaum beim Hauseingang und der andere Judasbaum am Garten. Im Vordergrund des rechten Bildes ist ein mir unbekannter junger Baum mit einer einzelnen riesigen Blüte (min. 10 cm). Im Hintergrund ist der Garten. Neben den Osterglocken habe ich mein neues Beet angelegt.
Summer in March
Today it was 80 degrees (in March!) and the Kids thought that it would be nice to cool off in the Ohio River. “That’s too far away to walk,” said Kirin, “and daddy is busy in the garage.” “So?” said Kai. “We can just make our own Ohio. Get the hose!” A few minutes later, daddy’s vegetable patch became a hitherto unknown tributary of the mighty Ohio and the kids reached a hitherto unknown degree of dirtiness. Luckily, I haven’t had the time to sow yet!
The unusually warm weather (or maybe this is simply the norm in Southern Illinois) prompted me to open up the breezeway. To the right you can just see the door to the garage (behind the green hatch), the railing of the stairs leading to the basement is just visible in the middle of the picture, and a door each to the kitchen and Amy’s sewing room is to the left. Our yard goes up to the chain link fence and stretches along the south side of the house. The white plastic bags are manure that I plan to dig in to my (currently flooded) vegetable patch to aerate the clay soil and raise the bed a bit.
Cat & Cut
This is our new cat “Weasley” and I paid a visit to the barber shop on our street.
Alles neu macht der... Januar!
Endlich hatten wir in diesem Winter auch mal ein paar Flocken! Davon musste ich natürlich gleich mal einen Schnapp schießen. Neben der weißen Freude kann man auch Kais neue Jacke und Stiefel bestaunen. Wir stellten am ersten kalten Morgen fest, das Kai seit dem letztem Winter (noch auf dem Reservat) wirklich “etwas” gewachsen ist. Hmm, man kann auch sehen, das wir Post im Briefkasten haben. Moment mal…
Och, alles nur Junkmail und Rechnungen…
Außerdem noch, auf vielfachen Wunsch, zwei Bilder von unseren neuen Möbeln im Schlafzimmer. Bei einem habe ich den Blitz abgeschaltet, damit man im Spiegel mehr sehen kann.
Went freelance as a web developer
Started out self-employed on oDesk (now Upwork): 44 completed contracts, 13,540 logged hours for 36 clients, and a 4.93-out-of-5 rating over seven years.
Christmas at the Coen Lodge
Hier sind die Bilder vom Weihnachtsabend mit der Hälfte der Coen-Familie (18 Leute). Die zusammengeschobenen Esstische passten gerade mal so in die Große Stube. Der Weihnachtsbaum im Hintergrund, ist eine Zypresse von Dans Grundstück, die er selbst gesägt hat.
Hier sieht man die Kinder beim Geschenke verteilen. Der Kamin wurde vor kurzem fertiggestellt (Ziersteine wurden angebracht). Mein “stocking” ist der lange der links am weitesten runterhängt.
Die Kinder hatten viel Spaß beim Spielen. Mit 6 Spielgefährten gibt es immer was zu tun. Dieses Bild zeigt (v.l.n.r) Paul, Kirin, Ryan und Kai.
Endlich auch mal ein Photo mit Amy und mir zusammen, da ich ja meistens hinterm Apparat stehe. Melissa hatt ihre digitale Photokamera mitgebracht und ich hab ein paar Bilder davon kopiert.
Kai grinst für Melissa.
Kirin spielt Shirley Temple mit ihren neuen Locken (auch von Melissa).
Christmas 2006
Hier sind wir am ersten Weihnachtsfest in unserem Haus in Harrisburg. Ganz links hinterm Weihnachtsbaum ist die Tür zum Foyer, geradezu ist das Studierzimmer, rechts neben dem Kamin kann man gerade noch die Tür zum Schlafzimmer sehen und hinter der Kamera ist der Durchgang zur Küche und die Treppe zur zweiten Etage.
Vielen Dank nochmal für das schwere Packet und fröhliche Weihnachten!
Alien Invasion
The reason why nothing happens here lately, are the aliens that keep us hostage. AAAAHHHH!
Derrrr Hrrrrrrbst
Thanksgiving bei den Schlabitzens.
Laubhaufengnome.
In den USA werden die Weihnachtsdekorationen gewöhnlich am Wochenende nach Thanksgiving angebracht.
Current News
Hallo!? Liest hier noch jemand? 8-D
Hello!? Is anybody still reading this? 8-D
Sorry for the long pause, but again I have less leisure time available. As some of you already know, we finally moved into our new house (left, I know, I know, I’m supposed to rake leaves) in Harrisburg, IL on September 1st. Not only that, but I also found a job at Evolution Multimedia and work from 8-5 again. Currently, I am working on the affiliate section of Stinky Fish Poker, an online poker site. Of course, the game has to be tested, which meant that I had to learn Texas Holdem for work in a hurry. The web site and the game are still being worked on, but soon you will be able to sit down on a virtual poker table with me.
Rigth after work I’m busy repairing the house. It is an old, two-story home, built around 1920, with high ceilings, creaking stair cases, weird light switches and about 2492 square feet of character. So far my hands-on education included laying power lines, replacing faucets and drain pipes, connecting an ice maker, installing a gas stove and now I am trying to keep the fall leaves out of the gutter. It contained a good inch of great compost soil, which was successfully stopping the water from draining and provided a luxurious indoor waterfall in the basement.
Amy is helping with unpacking the moving boxes. At first, she worked at a local Christian school, but then decided to stay home, as the day care costs for Kai were about as much as her income. She also passed her Illinois teacher certification test with flying colors and plans to apply for a teaching position in one or two years again, when Kai is going to school, too.
The kids like Illinois, too. They are visiting the Coens almost every weekend, discovered the local town park for playing and help me in the garden. Here you can see Kai as he is raking leaves with the StingRay. We found this peculiar machine in a corner in the basement and it is working pretty good. A rotating rake is flipping the leaves into the collecting bag, which is then emptied by hand. The garden is raked in no time, until it all starts again in about two days… Oh yeah, fall season, I have missed it a lot. We have two many colored maple trees and an ancient oak that looms large over the west side of the roof. Then there are two Redbuds, which interestingly are named Judas trees in German. As the legend goes, Judas made the tree blush when he hanged himself on it, thus the profusion of magenta and pink blooms around Easter, hmm… Then there a few bushes and a hedge, so enough leaves to keep us busy until the End of November.
Tomato Harvest
Die heute geernteten Tomaten. Today’s harvested tomatoes.
Software Developer at Evolution MC
Postgres stored procedures sped up the PHP backend for an online poker affiliates program by 80% while cutting code complexity in half.
Grandpa's Safari
Hier sind ein paar Bilder von Dan’s Safari in Limpopo, Südafrika. Hier hat er einen Steinbock geschoßen.
Buschschwein.
Impala-Antilope
Gemsbock
Gnu
Zebrahengst
Herb Corner
Hier ist meine kleine Kräuterecke. Der Topf für das Basilikum ist zu klein und trocknet zu schnell aus (gelbe Blätter). Ich hab’ mal einen Stengel entfernt, vielleicht hilft das ja schon.
Im großen Topf sind Kirschtomaten. Der New Mexico-Topf hat was man hier “Deutsches” Thymian nennt. Weiß leider den lateinischen Namen nicht.
Our Harrisburg Home
Found the house in Harrisburg we set out to buy — mailbox right at the door, a garden on the south side, and enough of a yard to restart Guido's Green Garden in Midwestern soil.
Dusty Drives
The road to the Coens is pretty dusty in the summer and the backs of the cars are always covered in a thick layer of dust. Scott Wade shares the same problem, but instead of the old “wash me” he thought of something more imaginative.
Gardner Guido
Text noch nicht fertig!
Kaum in Illinois angekommen fing ich natürlich gleich zu Gärtnern an. Neben dem vorteilhaften Klima, gibt es hier auch viele Gartenschädlinge: Tomatenschwärmer (besonders die Raupen), Waschbären, Rehwild, Hasen und natürlich die in jedem Garten gefürchteten Canis lupus familiaris, wird manchmal auch “Hund” genannt. In diesem Bild versuche ich zwei Exemplare davon zu überzeugen nicht über meine frisch gesähten Beete zu latschen. Die beiden sind Brüder und heißen “Tar” (Teer) und “Clay” (Lehm). Im Hintergrund kann man Dan’s Sonnenblumenfeld sehen.
Am Tor habe ich Janet’s Rose eingepflanzt. Die soll dann am Pfosten und Zaun entlangklettern, falls die Rehe sie nicht zu sehr dezimieren.
Hier sind Dan’s 46 Tomaten. Hinten kann man den elektrischen Zaun sehen, den wir installiert haben. Bis jetzt hilft es mit diesen beiden, aber Buster weiß schon bescheid und steigt ganz vorsichtig übers Kabel. Wir haben nur ein niedriges für die Hasen und Waschbären gespannt.
ddd
ddd
New Teeth and Hats
Kirin’s front teeth were wiggling since Christmas, but now daddy and grandma Janet had enough and pulled them (and a good piece of gums) out, ignoring much screaming and kicking of the patient. Kirin calmed down within a few minutes and was quite happy that they are finally out. As can be seen in the picture on the right, the new teeth were already growing in behind the baby teeth.
Beside the new teeth we also bought some new hats at the tractor supply store. A typical cowboy outfit is not just for show in my opinion, but fulfills a purpose, which I got to experience first hand today when we were collecting hay bales. The new hat protected my neck and face from sunburn and my long jeans (even in hot weather) helped when I crawled all over the hay stack stacked 10 feet high, but I also need a long sleeve shirt to prevent the scratches on my forearms and leather boots to keep bugs and ticks from crawling up under my pants. The belt holds the pants where they belong and the kerchief soaks up the sweat. Before you know it you’re wearing a complete cowboy outfit…
Eselsbrücke
Viele meiner werten Leser und Leserinnen kommen per Suchmaschiene auf meinem bescheidenen Familienblog an. Diese suchen aber in fast allen Fällen nicht nach “Schlabitz,” sondern nach viel seltsameren Sachen. Da viel mir das Konzept der Eselsbrücke ein. Mein Name ist nicht gerade der einprägsamste und geläufigste, selbst in deutschen Landen. Wenn also jemand damit Schwierigkeiten hat, listen diese Suchbegriffe, in Google eingegeben, dieses Blog innerhalb der ersten paar Ergebnisse auf:
Trabantwerke Zwickau Photos Space Cake Backanleitung Schneebesen Fleischweichmacher Steppenkraut Hundenest Fensterklimaanlage
New Home Illinois
Packed a rental truck on June 4th, drove three days down what used to be Route 66, and rolled in at the in-laws' in southern Illinois — trading high-desert sand roads for overabundant greenery, songbirds, deer, and wild tiger lilies, with the hospitality of the Coen residence as home base until job and house were found.
Pack(en), Pack(en), Pack(en)
Unfortunately we could not pick up the moving truck in Holbrook as promised, but U-Haul had one in Show Low. About 45 min further south, but we got a 20% discount, wich is a lot with these across-the-nation moves. Then a mild shock at the gas station: I just wanted to top off the half-empty tank and had to pay $75 for 24 gal. That was half a tank…
Got the truck parked like I wanted it, so that the loading will be easier. The kids were running up and down the ramp and only stopped for a few seconds so I could snap these pictures.
Since our truck is apparently from New York, we even got real graffiti on it. 8-)
Update, Tuesday, June 6th: We’re still here. The packing and loading is taking forever, as usual. We (or shall we say Amy and Janet) were planning to leave Tuesday Morning, but as it looks we’re lucky if we leave Wednesday at noon…
Out of the Southwest into the Midwest
Sorry for the current dead air here at the Schlabitz-Blog. We are busily packing and I still have to finish one more translation before we break camp here. The present plans are to pick up the U-Haul truck on June 4th, load it up, drive 3 days on Route 66 (ok, ok, I-40) and arrive around June 10th (Happy Birthday, Antje! Just in case… 8-D ) at Dan and Janet’s in Illinois. There you can reach us by phone and mail (with or without e). We can also stay there for a while, thanks to the hospitality of the in-laws, until we find a job, house and Internet provider. More in June. See you then!
Illinois Visit 2005
Here are the rest of the photos that I made during the parent’s visit in Illinois. Depicted above are the two Germans on the Coen grounds with the hunting lodge in the background.
There we sang, drank, bugled, bag piped, elk roared and quacked into the New Year, employing all reachable instruments and animal sounds simulators,…
… zogen alle Anwesenden vor die Kamera, …
… dragged everybody in attendance in front of the camera, …
… watched the masters of the houses puff cigars, …
… enjoyed walks in the Shawnee National Forest, and generally had a great time. Everybody agrees, that it was a sucessful meeting of the Coens and the Schlabitzens, and that we should repeat it in the near future. Of course, the American branch of the Schlabitz family can’t wait at all and is moving all the way to Illinois at the beginning of June. Amy noticed how much she missed her parents and wants to live closer by mom, despite the beauty of the reservation. Now Edeltraut and Dieter only need to nudge themselves a bit and move here, too. It would save a bunch of plane tickets! ;-)
Mom in Memphis
I had one of the coolest brain farts just before my parents arrived for their Christmas visit in Illinois. Mommy dearest is, despite the Wall and media censorship, an Elvis fan of many years, and never had the faintest chance to even remotely squeal towards a pink cadillac. And what is just a pithy 4 hours south of the in-laws’s house? Memphis, home of the Blues, birthplace of Rock’n’Roll! And what else is in Memphis, other than legendary Sun Studios that is? Yup, Graceland, home of the King. There he lived and there he lies in peace. 3717 Elvis Presley Boulevard.
I didn’t take my camera, because I had misunderstood the warning sign that said that no flash(!) photography was allowed, but the pictures probably wouldn’t have turned out so great anyway, because of the dimmed lighting. However, there is a virtual tour on the official website.
Here is mom in front of the famous “music note gate” and can barely keep herself from just running inside already. But no can do, we got to go back across the street, stand in line and wait for the next tourist shuttle…
The brick wall was covered in thousands of inscriptions by fans from all over the world and from all decades since the 50s.
After the tour of the mansion, there are the Meditation Garden, where Elvis, his brother and his parents are buried, the two custom jets, the car museum with the cars he owned and used in movies, and loads of souvenir shops. You can also stay the night and live like the King at the Heartbreak Hotel.
I expected a big deal of kitsch and glare, but was pleasantly suprised. While you can only smile over the all pink all plush king-sized bed with huge round canopy, the rest of the rooms of the first floor and the basement were furnished with much taste. The second level is off limits to the public, as the privacy of this area is guarded just as much today as it was when Elvis lived there.
When we were finally done, it was getting dark already and we drove a lap of honor to gape at the Christmas lights. All in all, it was a great trip, which I sincerely can recommend to all music and Elvis fans.
TI apologizes
Wow, I just read, that TI has somehow apologized to Moni. She writes that “[t]he content of the letter made satisfactory statements regarding issues that were decisive to me, and I am glad that the controversy is over now.” Apparently, higher-ups in the organization do pay some attention to the graffiti on the “Toilet Stalls of the Internet” (a derogatory term for blogs in Germany which, much like the whole pyjama affair, became a badge of pride to the blogging “proletariat”).
Unfortunately, Moni’s story was just an example of the cease-and-desist avalanche hitting Germany. Already it continues. With each (pur)suit, freedom of expression is expelled bit by bit from the Internet.
Vaudeville and Ethics
Anyway, here is his message he sent her on Friday, 3/24/2006, as quoted in the “Unexpected Email from legal advisor, got until Sunday to decide” post by Moni:
Dear Mrs. xxx,
At the address http://wasweissich.twoday.net/stories/1407348/ within the European web hosting service twoday.net operated by Knallgrau New Media Solutions GmbH, you placed a text into the web that substantially violates the personality rights of the organization represented by me. This text is evidently based on information from our former employee Mrs. xxx, who has to be accused of considerable infringements as well.
Essentially, the allegations brought forth by you do not correspond to the facts. In the case of evaluations on your part, you are liable of unlawful slander.
I will spare myself the explication of details for now, and instead give you the opportunity to remove the text from the web immediately, no later than 3/26/2006, 12:00 am.
Should this not occur, I am already notifying you of a cease-and-desist letter and, if necessary, a cease-and-desist order. I am assuming that you are aware of the resulting legal and also financial consequences to you.
Sincerely,
Mkay… I’m gonna go take a shower now. I feel all… hairy.
Transparency Germany Press Release
Anyway, notice how they corroborate Moni’s story but still call her a liar? Yep, that’s some quality German PR…
Here is the translation of the press release by Transparency Germany, that was apparently pulled just hours later. (Can they do that?) I found a copy of it here. Alas, the salary numbers are x-ed out…
Fact is that the work relationship was not continued at the end of the probationary period, as the former employee made the increase in work hours dependent on salary demands, which could not be fulfilled on the part of TI. Since her job interview, the employee was aware that the initially agreed upon number of hours of 20 hours per week was to be increased at the end of the probationary period. The initially arranged salary for 20 work hours per week was XXXX Euro per month without deductions. The employee demanded a salary of XXXX Euro per month without deductions for the increased time of 30 work hours per week. The yearly budget of a non-profit non-governmental organization like Transparency Germany (see http://www.transparency.de/Jahresabschluss\_2004.70.0.html) and the consideration of the salaries of other employees of the organization does not permit pay raises such as this.
Per communication of our legal advisor, the blogger was asked to remove the post due to the misrepresentations within, which actually happened in the meantime.
We abstained deliberately from a cease-and-desist letter in the communication and granted the blogger an opportunity to remove the text. No legal or financial ramifications arose for the blogger.
Transparency Germany has acknowledged the discussions in the blogs regarding this subject. We are of the opinion that weblogs should not be abused as platform for dissemination of misrepresentations._
Transparency Germany
Here is a small service for Moni on this usually unpolitical family page. My humble translation talents have to be good for something. If you don’t know this story, you can read about it here, here, here and here, also here.
A friend of mine, who has to take care of a three and a half year old son, has just been fired under totally unacceptable circumstances after her probationary period. She used to work at Transparency Germany, the German chapter of the non-governmental organization Transparency International, who pledged themselves against corruption in businesses. She worked there 20 hours a week for 1000 Euros gross, with a finished degree, several years of job experience etc. She only survived, because she also worked as a freelance journalist on top of that.
After the managing director told her that she was doing an excellent job, she asked my friend if she could increase from 20 to 30 hours after the probationary period. This of course meant that my friend would had to give up her freelance work and live only on their salary, so she made a salary demand, to receive 1400 Euros after deductions for 30 hours. If that was not possible, my friend offered to stay with the 20 hours and 1000 Euros without deductions. Next there was a board meeting and after that my friends manager informed her in brief that she would be let go at the end of her probationary period. Without an offer, without any negotiation, without any further talk even.
The manager told her about her successor, too: concerning a woman, who was applying for a different position and said right at the job interview that the low salary would not be a problem, her husband earned enough, and she did not really need the money. That’s how quick and easy things go. No solutions that everybody can live with are pursued, just a simple switch made. In a job market situation, in which so many are depending on the work and the money, they are hiring highly qualified people for a pittance and then swap them out, as soon as they find somebody, who does not even use the money, even if they were very satisfied with the work. My friend is now left there with her kid and her freelance work, which by itself is not securing her survival. Things like that seem to be “normal” nowadays? But truly not with an NGO, who fly the banner of morals and ethics and whose basic tenets include integrity. This is a real disappointment.
[Jan 29, 2006: More than two weeks ago, my friend wrote a letter to the board, which, to this day, has not received a reply.]
Snow!
A few weeks ago we finally got some snow in arid Arizona (no rain for 143 days). It snowed for two days and I was glad I had split some wood beforehand. The fire crackled in the stove round the clock. We dried the few wet logs on the stove and the smell of juniper pervaded all rooms.
This wealth of wintery joy had to be exploited immediately, as it would vanish in a few days time. The snow was too powdery for a snowman, but just right for snow angels and snowball fights.
After two days, everything was over. It melted overnight. All that remained was a few dirty snow patches in the shadow of the rocks and the memory of a winter day with the kids.
Work, work, work!
Just to let you know, why I have not been blogging very frequently lately; I’ve been working for this German security start-up called Hitec Security. I wrote all the original copy and translated a shipload of English product descriptions. Check out the finished web site.
[Update 2/2/2006: I just saw that the web site is not done yet. It is probably going to take some time, before they make the product catalog available online…]
[Update 3/16/2006: Aha! It’s finally completely online, although the English is rather spotty. I guess I’ll have to translate my original German text into English eventually, duh! Anyway, have fun shopping! ;-)]
Go Chica
Noch mehr Karten gibt’s hier. Vielen Dank Seb!
Even though I just was there for Christmas, I have a hard time finding my way around this transit map of Chicago. I wonder why…
One Horse Gap
One Horse Gap is a gulch in the Shawnee National Forrest, which is just wide enough for one horse, hence the name. Here are three German trappers at the entrance of this nature hike.
Here is the actual gulch, a part of the Illinois River-to-River Trail and the only connection from the bottom to the top of this cliff formation. This once important settler path is today one of the most beautiful hiking and riding trails in the Shawnee National Forrest.
Kirin had fun climbing through the moss covered rock formations.
Visual Jazz
Animations like these always tempt me to buy one of the many Flash tools. But even the student versions are too expensive for my tastes. Click on “Watch Movie” on the left, but be aware that it is a big download.
Christmas 2005
Here are a few snaps of Christmas 2005.
Kirin is probably thinking: “Boys, it’s always robots, robots, robots! I want a sister to play princesses with!”
Chicago
The sun helped a little on the next day, but even the Germans, who usually warm themselves on ice blocks, felt the pinch and pinched their eyes.
We arrived in Chicago the night before we picked up my parents at the airport and decided to check out the Navy Pier by night. This was a mistake! They don’t call it Windy City for nothin’. Actually ‘Arctic City’ would have been a better epithet. Even though the pier was only a few blocks from our hotel, we where two icicles when we got there. Check out the frozen smile on Amy!
The last third of our “death march” (as Amy put it), included a view from the Sears Tower, the largest building in the world (which, depending on the measuring methods used, is contested). All in all our third trip to Chicago was as magnificent as the first.
The Navy Pier got its name during World War 2, when it fell into disuse as a municipal facility with the rise of the automobile and was used for training by the Navy in the thirties. Today it is the place of exhibitions and tourist attractions. The pier will soon be expanded and renovated extensivly.
Rock? Paper? Scissors!
Our princess had some difficulties removing her royal hairtie from her pony tail. And instead of asking the king or queen for help, she thought: ‘No problem, scissors will solve this quickly!’ Snap snip, the tail goes zip!
Now she has a Roaring Twenties hair style and dances the Charleston…
Garden of the Gods, Illinois
Finally some pictures from our visit at the Garden of the Gods. And I mean the park in Illinois, not the cheap imitation in Colorado.
Here is a view on the common sandstone formations you can see almost everywhere on the tour.
Dan is pointing to Eagle Rock, which looks astoundingly similar to an eagle’s head. The illusion works best when visiting in person, but can be simulated by blinking at your monitor.
To the left you can see the Devils Column, to the right the Rain Dance of the indigenous Biligaana. We really were lucky to see the tribal elder perform this unique ceremony, and, as you can tell by the low lighting of the pictures, the rhythmic hopping efforts were rewarded with success.
Oh Holy Night
Since my dear mom is in the Christmas spirit again (or still? She asked me what we want for Christmas in the comments to the last post…), I just have to post my all time favourite rendition of this famous Christmas song. You have to listen to all of it! When you think it can not get any better, it just does!
Here are three copies. I hope everybody finds one that works:O Holy Night ( MP3, MP3, Real Audio), Performer unfortunately unknown
Russian Gymnasts
Those poor former gymnasts of the soviet sport propaganda machine; the brain washing was so intense, they just can not stop jumping around!
Best Blonde Joke Ever!
Hallo!
Hi!
The Christmas/New Year-family gathering in Illinois is over and we all arrived safely at home via various ways.
I’m going to start the new blog year with one of the best blonde jokes I have ever read! I guess, everyone has a little blond in them. ;-)
Hmmm, Butter Cookies
Currently busy with my freelance work. Have been writing and translating texts for an upstart security company, and that will continue into next year, but I’ll try not to neglect the blog too much…
When I did not sit in front of the computer, I tried my hand on some Christmas baking. Thanks for the German Christmas baking book, mom! The butter cookies are really yummy, but I probably miscalculated the conversion into Fahrenheit; tF = tC+32*5/9 or is it 9/5?? Anyway, some got burned a bit. Kirin helped cut and decorate the cookies, but I had fun with the food coloring too.
I had more luck with my Apple Pie, one of the top 10 dishes in America according to Betty Crocker, even though I disagreed a bit with Betty on the crust and used less Salt and some brown sugar to sweeten it. Then some real home made whipped cream instead of the ice cream and the feast began.
Next, I am going to test my skills on a German speciality called “Christstollen”. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about it, I never knew exactly why it was named Stollen, and that it represents the Christ child in swaddles, together with other baked Christian symbols during Advent season, like the pretzel. We did, however and with amazement, discover a Stollen as a German import at Safeway, ready for the buying! The icing was all wrong, but the rest was gone in three days.
Slay Radio
To all C-64 fans: Look what I found!! Wow! *jump around the room* I still can remember it like yesterday, when I came home from school and always switched on the “bread box” first to start the background music. Nostalgia at the push of a button!
The New (Dog)House
Didgy survived the last winter without a dog house, but I always feel sorry for her out on the porch during these bitterly cold high desert nights. So, I built her this little hut out of a piece of left-over plywood. The entry is a bit crooked, but I do not have a wood file (yet) and had to somehow negotiate it holding the circular saw in my hand. The shower curtain sky lights are not all that great either, but all in all, I’m pretty happy with my engineering work. A yet to follow paint job would improve the look further and should seal the cracks, too.
Unfortunatly, the kids seem to like the dog house more than the dog. I once caught Didgy coming out of it, but other than that the other barking and crawling “dogs” play in it.
Those crazy Germans!
Desert Impressions
The photos from the cliff by our house were well received. Here a short series with more landscape images from the reservation:
Turkey Attack!
It’s that time again. Every year it’s the same with these turkeys… Luckily, our forefathers thought up the second ammendment! Help defend Small Town, America!
Halloween Update
Here is the pumpkin pie I made from the insides of our Halloween pumpkin. It turned out tastier than I hoped for!
This was not my first pie, though. Amy had told me a while ago, that I would not be a real house spouse, unless I can bake a pie. I came back with a double crust cherry pie. Kirin helped me with preparing and baking it, so she got credit on top of the pie, too.
Halloween
Of course, Kai had to go to bed with his Batman outfit on, but decided against the mask sometime during the night.
We survived the first Halloween in our new Home, as we were warned beforehand about the rush of costumed Navajo kids. In the end, it was about equal to Halloween in Mesa, where kids from the surrounding rural areas are also carted over by the van and truck load. The only difference in Jeddito was that half of the trick-or-treaters adressed us by our name…
Didgy was all frenzied about these hordes of kids, which, to top it all, had to run around in her yard, too.
Zur allgemeinen Geisterlaune, ein passendes Spielchen.
A fitting game for the ghostly mood.
Kirin, who was fittingly dressed up as princèss, had lots of fun with designing the Jack’O’Lantern (top of picture) and was too busy with her sweet loot and plunder to also pose for Daddy’s picture. When I emptied the pumkin, I carefully seperated the seeds and good pulp from the slime strings. The seeds were oven roasted with butter and some salt, the pulp will soon be made into the traditional and beloved pumpkin pie.
Doll House
Hier ist nun endlich das (mütterlicheseits) ersehnte Photo des Puppenhauses, das Kirin zu ihrem sechsten Geburtstag bekam. Da es ein ehemaliges Möbelstück ist, ist es architektonisch gesehen eher ein Neubaupuppenhaus. Die Puppenmöbel wurden aus Holzschablonen per Hand von uns zusammengesetzt und anschließend spray-lackiert.
Ganz unten ist der Pferdestall, in der Mitte links die Küche und daneben das Wohnzimmer. (Mutti, erkennst Du den Blick aus dem Fenster wieder?) Oben links ist das Kinderzimmer und oben rechts das Elternschlafzimmer. Den Dachboden habe ich nicht rechtzeitig fertig bekommen, aber dieser kann ja, wie auch die Klingel, die Lichter usw., später immer noch angebaut werden.
Kirin hat sich jedenfalls riesig gefreut. Hier könnt ihr sie samt vom ersparten Taschengeld erworbener Schminke sehen. Den Lidschatten mag sie besonders.
englisch
Kai's Fourth
Here are a few pictures of Kai’s little birthday party. The boy on the left is Kai’s best friend, James, and is our neighbour. Kai asked for a chocolate cake. Luckily, the mix included baking instructions for high altitudes.
Kai really liked the transformer versions of Buzz (transforms into a space ship) and Zurg (transaforms into a battle tank), even though he is pulling a face here. He watches Toy Story 2 almost religiously, now he can re-enact it, too.
He was even more happy about the full size Woody and Buzz. Complete with hat, guitar and speech feature. (Sadly, Woody does not say the famous “there’s a snake in ma boot.”) Buzz has his laser, communicator and a energy disk shooting back pack thingie. You probably can easily guess who fought hard for these not too cheap toys on eBay… ;)
Afterwards we went to “Family Reading Night” at school, where Kirin and Kai did arts and crafts, read and won prizes. Back home, Kai wanted his new friends to sleep in his bed of course, even if they are not the snuggliest toys. They did not keep him from sleep at all. Sweet dreams, my big boy.
Prince of Persia!
Oh, those where the times, when Little Guido had the leisure to play games like “Prince of Persia”. Wait a sec, now I have it again! Haha! Well then, see ya in three days or so… ;)
The New Home 4
To the north of our house lies this rocky cliff, where I sometimes sit and contemplate the world. Other than the occasional school bus or a rare airplane, the only noise one can hear up there is the wind. Depending on the weather, it is a quiet rustling of the juniper or a long hissing through the cracks of the eroding sand stone boulders.
At night you can marvel at the oppulence of the firmament. For years I had not seen the Milky Way that brilliant. Jeddito’s few street lights can hardly be compared with the light pollution of the big cities. You barely notice them from up there and a bit further from the bluff you stand in complete darkness.
I labeled the day picture (click to zoom in) to help you orient yourself:
There is a few more town houses to the left, which together with the school premises and the chapter house (a sort of city hall for the settlements of the Navajos) form the town of Jeddito. Right behind our house, or across the main street further below, the wilderness starts.
The two-way satellite dish is what I am using right now to communicate with you. The phone line is al-grotto and there is no cable here. Highway 264 is our sole connection to the outside world (getting the mail, gas, shopping, etc.) and the dog den is the same I wrote about earlier.
Guido's Green Garden, Epilogue
Trotz der ungeplanten Sommerdürre, haben ein paar Gemüse sich wacker geschlagen und lebten auf, als ich das Wasser wieder andrehte. Ich konnte am Ende doch noch ein paar Salate, Rüben und Zwiebeln oder Schnittlauch (weiß nicht so genau) ernten. Der Salat war hoffnungslos bitter, aber die Rüben und der Lauch machten gutes Suppengemüse.
In spite of the unplanned summer drought, some veggies struggled hard and perked up, once I reestablished the water flow. In the end, I was able to harvest some lettuce, turnips and onions or chives (not sure which). The lettuce was hopelessly bitter, but the turnips and chives made good soup vegetables.
Windows Noises
As Oliver can surly elaborate (and will, if you want to or not ;)), windows is a poor creative medium - the other meanings of “poor” included. For the real artists, this is but a short barrier. Rather it becomes part of the art work and expresses his creativity all the more poignant.
The musically inclined readers escpecially, will without doubt know the default Windows application for sound recording: sndrec32.exe. Quite useless for composition, is it not? Not for Clown Staples, the man (or woman) behind this piece of Windows normalcy cum techno flair and Stomp-esque beat.
The New Home 3
Now that the garden series found its sudden end, and because my dear mom has asked a few times in the comments, the time has come to finally continue this old series. The last two episodes can be found here and here.
This is my little kitchen I like to cook in a lot. To the left are the windows overlooking the garden. Straight ahead is the laundry room, which, to the left around the corner, contains the backdoor. You can see my wok at the very top on the right, with which I conjure up the ubiquitously beloved Chinese food. The wine bottle container on the bread box was recast as the spaghetti container and the weird fabric sausage at the back by the fridge is a plastic bag holder. (Simply stuff it into the top and, when needed, pull it out from the bottom, viola! now you got a stuffed plastic bag pull sausage!) Bread boxes, by the way, are a typical German accoutrement. Most bread is not pre-sliced and kept in these containers of diverse design. When a sandwich need arises, the slices are cut freshly from the loaf using the equally ubiquitous, and in the US equally elusive, bread slicing machine. Viola!! Other fundamental essential cooking utensils are the (preferable wooden) meat tenderizer, the whisk (Germans call it Schneebesen, snow broom, as whipped egg whites are usually refered to as egg snow) and the Quirl. I do not even know a good translation for the latter. It is a small compact whisk used for stirring batter and dough. At first I did not believe Amy, that Americans use a simple fork. How barbaric!
The other side of the kitchen connects to the dining area and, to the left, to the living room. Straight ahead is the door to the master bedroom, and on the right behind the wall is the master bathroom. Kai is just slurping his morning coco. On the cupboard are my oils and spices. Janet left me these blue bottles while they where moving. Thanks again, Janet!
Guido's Green Garden, The Terrible End
This is the end of my beautiful garden! I had left extra clear directions for our dog teenager and she still turned off the faucet and thus also the automatic watering timer for the garden. The plants simmered in the sommer (triple digit) heat for at least a week. Of course the local grasses and weeds thrived rather splendidly, didn’t they! I guess we’ll have grass soup…
Not everything was exterminated, a small lettuce saved itself by slurping standing water out of the drip hose, three or four carrots could care less about rot, and a few fringes of chives are on the brink of life.
Well, this is good bye, until next gardening saison, your demotivated high desert gardener.
Coen Lodge
When we visited the Coens in July, I did not take any pictures of Coen Lodge, but I just discovered one I took, when I picked up Grandma Ruth in June. The white semi trailer is hauled away now. The house is supposed to be completed by Christmas.
Kirin's Sixth
Today was Kirin’s sixth birtday. How fast they grow! Thank you very much for the nice birthday cards and presents!
Cave-In-Rock
When we stayed with Dan and Janet, we traveled the Ohio river aboard the Shawnee Queen. We got up extra early to beat the crowds, and, as you can see on the picture, we did. We were the only ones on the whole boat tour.
A nice little house by the river cliff… I’d like to move in there.
For a long time, Cave-In-Rock was a base for river pirates. Until the early 19th century, they attacked and plundered boats and murdered passengers.
The Ohio River, at 981 miles in length, is the principal tributary of the Mississippi River, which in turn is the second largest river in the United States at 3,895 miles. The Ohio was the border between slave territory and the free states until the Civil War.
The cave, about 100 feet deep, has a vertical chimney in the back and was a perfect stronghold for the outlaws with its wide view of the river. The notorious robber Samuel Mason even led a faux casino in the cave, complete with bar, gambling cards and prostitutes. Many of the guests ended up beaten and robbed, or even dead, on the rocky bank of this cliff cave. The pirate and ghost legends are part of the local folklore even today.
Hogs Hollow
Before I start, I just want to mention the outstanding service we’ve received in Arkansas. We spend the night at the Best Western in Hope, AR, birthplace of Bill Clinton, and it was almost a shocking friendliness compared to the Woodfield Suites in San Antonio. Naturally, there was a Western Sizzlin across the parking lot, where we ate a great steak dinner and received our second shock. When paying, I forgot the discount that the concierge of the Best Western had mentioned earlier. I only remembered it, after the cashier had printed the receipt already. The manager had overheard my mumbling, stepped up to the register, pushed some buttons and gave me back the discount percentage in cash. How’s that for service? I am not asking the battle-hardened Europeans here, I am asking you, the spoiled Americans! I was blown away. Good job Hope, AR!
We got to Amy’s parents without a hitch, which means not driving past the path into the dark woods that leads to Hogs Hollow as usual. They picked this strange name for marketing purposes, I suppose, as they are planning to operate a hunting business at Coen Lodge. Sort of like a Bed & Breakfast, but with guns, camouflage and a side of deer for dinner. I am all for self-deprecating humor, but I had some worries about the connotations with pigs, until I was reminded of the saying: “Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then.”
The lodge is making good progress and is habitable and, actually, comfortable. This blurry photo is the only one I have from our whole stay. Everybody is boarding the Pinzgauer for the obligatory tour of the grounds, lead by our local guide and groundskeeper Dan.
80s Quiz
Daily Double! *beebeauw! beebeauw! beebeauw!*
The name of a beloved 80s TV series, which features this famous skyline in its opening credits. *queue Jeopardy melody* . . .
Dalli Klick! . . .
Dalli… nix?
Okay, lets dumb it down to celebrity level and make it a Daily Video Double! *beebeauw! beebeauw! beebeauw!*
Somewhere in Texas
Je näher wir der texanischen Bundesgrenze kamen, desto mehr Erdölpumpen (oder auch Tiefpumpen) wippten am Straßenrand auf und ab. Das Resultat wurde an der nächsten Tanke deutlich. Mit einem Benzinpreis von 0.43 Euro statt den bisherigen 0.49 Euro konnten wir ungefähr 6 Eurocents pro Liter sparen! Ich dachte immer, daß der größte Anteil des Rohöls von den USA importiert wird, aber es gibt wohl doch noch sowas wie einen lokalen Markt.
The closer wie got to the Texan state border, the more oil wells (or actually oil rigs) were see-sawing up and down next to the road. The result became clear at the next gas station. With prices at $1.98 instead of the $2.30 so far, we saved about 32 cents per Gallon! I always thought, that virtually all crude oil was imported by the US, but apparently there still is such a thing as a local market.
Object Gender Wars
Here is a list of properties that “determine” what gender objects have. The German translation is even funnier, because there, objects really do have genders. The watch is female, the TV male and a girl is neutral for whatever reason. Anyway, here’s the original English version:
Object: Ziploc Bag Gender: Male Reason: They hold everything in and you can see right through them.
Object: Copier Gender: Female Reason: Once they are turned off, they take a while to warm up again.
Object: Hot Air Balloon Gender: Male Reason: To get it to go anywhere, you have to light a fire under it.
Object: Sponge Gender: Female Reason: They’re soft, squeezable, and retain water.
Object: Subway Gender: Male Reason: Every day it uses the same old lines to pick people up.
Object: Web Page Gender: Female Reason: They are always getting hit on.
Object: Hammer Gender: Male Reason: Even though it hasn’t changed in 5,000 years, it’s still handy to keep around.
Object: Hourglass Gender: Female Reason: Over time its weight shifts to the bottom.
Object: Remote Control Gender: Female Reason: You might think it should be male, but just think about how much pleasure it brings a man and how he’d be lost without it!
Sorry!
… that it took so long to hear from me again.
The hotel we stayed at in San Antonio acted really stupid. They only had wireless Internet, and I had to borrow on of their Adapters and since I did not equip Brenda’s computer with a Wireless card. I was only allowed to keep it for a maximum of two hours or I would have to pay a “late fee”. Of course I only submitted to this nonsense for one time. To hang another pine cone on the tannenbaum, they decided on our day of departure that we lost or even packed their stupid adapter (which would only work in their silly hotel anyway!) and now wanted a reimbursement fee of $400. We were miffed… Luckily, I got my lovely wife, Amy; she bitched at them for a while and they let us go after only half an hour… Whoever wants to avoid this, for American standards, unfriendly and unprofessional hotel when they vacation in San Antonio, Texas next time:
Woodfield Suites 100 West Durango Boulevard San Antonio, Texas 78204 USA
Woodfield Suites 100 West Durango Boulevard San Antonio, Texas 78204 USA
Other than that, our stay in San Antonio was great (and hot)! See photos:
Here we are at the River Walk. In the background you can see the convention center, where Amy had her Women of ELCA conference.
As tourists, the boat tour was of course obligatory. Here is a virtual tour, if you are in sightseeing mood.
While Amy was conferring with the women of ELCA, the kids and I visited the local attractions, like Sea World…
… and the San Antonio Zoo with kangeroos, …
…with its Sea cucumbers…
… und Delphinen, …
… and Dolphins, …
In other words, we had a fun time.
… und Alligatoren, …
… and alligators, …
… Rhinos …
… und Giraffen.
… and giraffes.
Aha!
Roswell, New Mexico
We started our vacation today by going from home to Roswell, New Mexico. I love driving in the States and prefer the slower but more interesting highways over the faster but more congested freeways. After hours of empty range land we arrived in the UFO capitol of the world and decided that it would be fitting to go see the new Spielberg movie, War of the Worlds. I had read Ebert’s review yesterday and thought that it cannot be that bad, but after watching I have to agree that the alien invasion did not make much sense. Why did they invade? What’s the point of destroying all humans if they want to suck out our blood later. They mastered interstellar travel and lightning transportation, but they do not know bacteria?
Anyway, tomorrow we are going to the UFO museum here in Roswell and maybe the Crash Down diner, then on to Texas.
How I am blogging from the middle of nowhere? I am schlepping Brenda’s computer with me after I finally (I think she sent it to us over a year ago…) patched it up and installed an affordable OS (Debian Linux). Unfortunately I still have to figure out how to connect my camera with it, so, no picture today, although I found this web page if you want some impressions of our first stay.
Gas price
According to www.Benzinpreis.de Germans currently pay 1.23 Euros for one liter of Super (89, the middle choice, not the rocket fuel). With the current exchange rate of 1.2085 Dollars per Euro we get:
2.23 / 1.2085 / 3.7854118 = 0.4875…
1.23 x 1.2085 x 3.7854118 = 5.6268…
Quipso quostrum ex emptorum, you pay 5 bucks 63 for a gallon of gas in Germany! Did I hear anybody complain about the current price of gas?
Guido's Green Garden, Episode 5
The radishes are ready!
My mom had to enlighten me about these long, high radish plants, of which you can see two in the picture above. Those are making seeds and had I not ripped them out with the other ones, I could have had free seeds for next year! She also suggested to lay the soaker hose along the rows and not accross, to prevent those gaps. So, as you can see, I still got to learn a few tricks.
Nonetheless, I let Amy snap a picture of me as proud home gardener:
In the back you can see the blooming (despite transplanting!) lillies and hollyhock. The weeds had a weeklong party, of course… Dunno if I can get it under control before we leave for our big trip on Sunday.
I bought it on eBay
Passend zum Weird Al Yankovic song “I bought it on eBay” hat jemand eine echte eBay-Auktion erstellt. Nur noch 5 Tage! Ich mag eBay…
Somebody made an actual eBay auction to go with the Weird Al Yankovic song “I bought it on eBay”. Only 5 days left! I love eBay…
Rock Point, Day 6
On the last day we were supposed to finish up the last office room, but it was locked and the lady with the key was out and about. Luckily, the actual painting was as good as done and putting back the furniture was all that remained.
Thus we busied ourselves otherwise before our departure…
At our spaghetti good bye dinner we made the aquaintance of Kai from Pennsylvania, who was on his way to California to serve in the armed forces and stayed at the mission for the night. He was thrilled to meet another Kai, and we exchanged various misspellings and mispronunciations that name inevitably has to suffer.
After our goodbyes, we drove home through the beautiful scenery, remembering our new friends at the Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission.
“Auf Wiedersehen, Walfischberg!”
“Good bye Whale Rock!”
THE END
THE END
Rock Point, Day 5
This brush is used to fill the many tiny holes in the concrete blocks:
Pioneered by Linda, the specialized brush is used in a circular movement technique and works much faster than a paint roller.
In the afternoon we went to Norma’s new settlement on a hill surrounded by breathtaking rock formations. There, we white skins were taught how to make Navajo Fry Bread.
The dough was prepared beforehand by Norma at the mission kitchen. She took a few handfuls of flour and backing powder, a pinch of salt and some dry milk and kneaded the dough until it looked like wet pizza dough. When I wanted to pin her to a precise receipe, she only said: “Oh, just enough until it feels right…”
If I can repeat it successfully at home, I will post instructions.
Everybody had a ball (of dough that is) and tried to form it into a flat round bread. This part is affectionatly called the “Geography lesson”, as it is fun to guess the various state shapes every participant ends up with in an effort to make a circle-shaped bread. After everyone resigned themselves to their varied stages of lopsidedness, the bread was handed to Norma or boldy laid into the pan and then expertly fried by her.
Then we piled on the hamburger, cheese and veggies to make it a Navajo Taco. State shapes aside, it tasted fantastic with the added aroma of the scenery and the “salt of the earth” community of friends in Christ.
Rock Point, Day 4
This morning we had Vacation Bible School again, this time relatively on time (10:05 am instead of 9:30 am). Linda showed THE way and everybody sang along.
Then some arts and crafts and playing with hand puppets and the good times were over too soon already.
All we can hope for is that these kids will remember us and the Word, and that it may influence their lives later on.
We did some more painting in the afternoon, too. It is not a vacation trip and we have one more office to do.
Rock Point, Day 3
As Lutherans, we were, of course, all organized and ready to start Vacation Bible School precisely at 9:30 am, until we found out that we are on Navajo Time, which means announced times are basically a rough suggestion and could mean anything depending on circumstances. So, we painted in the morning instead and had VBS sometime in the afternoon. :-)
The office room we painted was about a third the size of the computer lab from yesterday, but took twice the paint and time. That brick wall took forever and the smooth walls needed a second coat. We will finish it tomorrow.
We were fortunate enough to use somebody’s shade house for VBS again. Participation was more than enough and everybody had a great time watching Lorri’s puppet performance, singing songs and doing crafts. I forgot my camera, so I had to copy a picture from Lorri’s:
We had a sandstorm in the evening, that ripped off Ellen’s screen door, but no rain afterwards. That must be the reason why there are no tall trees here.
Rock Point, Day 1
A week at the Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Rock Point with old friends from our former church in Mesa — painting the school's computer lab, helping with repairs and the summer vacation bible school, and learning that at 1,400 meters the desert cools off mercifully fast after dark.
Rock Point, Day 2
Today, we painted the computer lab of the school at the mission. It went pretty quick with six people and we had the room done by the afternoon.
But it was hot!
The little window air conditioner couldn’t keep up with the cooling, but luckily it cools off pretty easily in the evening, as we are at about 5500 feet.
The rest of the day was spent doing other life sustaining things like sitting in front of the air conditioning unit… or blogging…
Guido's Green Garden, Episode 4
The radishes, the spinach and the Peas grew pretty fast. The onions still look a bit thin, but at least were much easier to raise than in the plastic dome. Next time I’ll sow everything right into the garden. The gaps in the rows are caused by the spaces between the soaker hoses. Maybe I should lay them closer together, if the seeds in between are not sprouting at all.
The herb corner and the flowers are not done yet, except for a few lilies (in the back right corner) and a hollyhock, which the neighbours gave me. The hollyhock looked pretty limp after the move, but she recovered well. Let’s see if the lillies are not to stressed and bloom this year already.
I didn't do it!
The concrete block is mine, I use it to hold down the tarp on my fire wood, but how it fell on the snake I do not know. I have not seen any other (living) snakes around here. The mentioning of snakes is also rather rude, as Native Americans see them as harbingers of bad luck.
As far as I can deduce as an amateur, this is a Striped Whipsnake and not poisonous at all for humans, pity. They are supposed to be very fast, but apparently not fast enough for falling rocks. Dunno what I’ll do with it yet…
Coen Expeditions Progress
Volunteered to chauffeur Grandma Ruth home to Arizona from a visit to Dan in Illinois in June. The route via St. Louis was suggested by Mapquest as the fastest, but the many construction zones and two t(r)oll roads did not convince me to use it again. Traffic was often dense and I missed my exit in St. Louis because of construction closures.
Arrived in Shawnee National Forrest late at night and could not find the way to Dan’s ranch in all the fog. Back to civilization, looking for a working phone… but sometime before midnight I made it in one piece.
The picture above was taken during the official tour of the premises in the six wheeled Gator(TM). Dan planted a few fake crops to lure game closer to the stands and the heavy snow of last winter also caused much change in the local flora.
As you can see, the main lodge is making good progress. The kitchen, the master bed room and two bathrooms are working and in use. The living room, or rather the living hall, is still a bit rustic but usable. Now the big semi-trailer in front of the house just needs to be unloaded… I’ll report more, when we will stay longer in July.
For the return trip, I picked the route via (or actually, by) Memphis, Tennessee. Much less stressful, no tolls and, in my subjective opinion, even faster. We drove all the way to Elk City, OK on the first day and then Jeddito on the second. Showed Grandma Ruth our new surroundings and the Walpi Hopi village in (or on; depending on your perspective) First Mesa, then drove her home the next day.
I had a little adventure on my way back, as I decided to take the route via Strawberry. Only a two lane highway, but much nicer than the other way. Saw lots of forest and game, including a very fat deer that walked in front of my car… Wait a minute, that is a bear! Wow, National Geographic, right through my windshield. Never thought I’ll see one in real life. It seemed to be a young black bear, just like the one on the right in the picture. After he noticed me, he ambled off into the bushes in that typical bear gallop. Too bad I had unpacked my camera at home.
Trabant has investment value!
Obwohl die Trabantwerke in Zwickau schon lange tot sind, haben die dort hergestellten Fahrzeuge bis in die ferne Zukunft einen hohen Gebrauchtwert. Ich habe mehrere Trabanten in City 17 sowie auf dem Weg nach Nova Prospekt im futuristischen Endzeitspiel Half-Life 2 gesichtet.
Even though the Trabantwerke in Zwickau are long since dead, the vehicles manufatured there have a high resale value far into the future. I have sighted several Trabants in City 17, as well as on the way to Nova Prospekt in the futurustic endtime game Half-Life 2.
According to the license plate they all seem to be owned by Russians.
Wartburg, Barkas or others didn’t surface yet, but once in a while you’ll run accross a truck very similar to the W-50. All quality products from East-German shores, no West-German cars in the future! Ha!
Guido's Green Garden, Episode 3
After eight weeks of careful nursing, my onion and brussel sprouts were destroyed by a wild animal. The neighbours say it could have been ground squirrels, but I have sighted rabbits before, too. For one week I had hardened the young plants for the big wide world, before they were murdered in broad daylight, one day before I was going to transplant them.
Oh well, I’ll have to sow everything without a head start then.
Modern Daydreams
“The dance world’s Woody Allen” (NY Times), Mitchell Rose, exhibits some of his great comedic short films via the AOAI channel (Always On, Always Interesting, a.k.a “the Web”). I especially enjoyed “Learn to Speak Body: Tape 5” and the Modern Daydream series told in the universal language of ballet, classical music and industrial equipment.
The New Home
My dear mother asked me for more pictures of our new house. The inside is rather not photogenic, as I am still getting my skills honed as a new house husband and, after four months, have to shamefully admit that I still haven’t unpacked all the moving boxes. Thus I’ll show you the eastern house side with one of the master bedroom windows. The other one is right around the corner by the tree, while the two living room windows and the front door are further back. On the left side of the picture you can see the eastern end of the garden with the compost heap in front of the air conditioner. In the foreground, Didgy is running through the currently blooming high desert flora.
The New Home 2
On this picture you can see a local cowboy with revolver in our driveway. I took the photo towards north, so that you can see the view on the mesa that lies right behind our house. I took the wild puppies picture in a dale before the rocks there. Our roads are mostly dirt, but are sometimes fortified with gravel, as you can see here. There are paved roads between the bigger places of course.
The trees in the background are either cedars or junipers, which, as far as I know, are the only two natively growing tree species here.
MP3 versus WMA
“Der Gnom”, Modest P. Mussorgsky _2,264KB MP3 128 *** _3,397KB MP3 192 ***** _5,663KB MP3 320 ***** 24,979KB WAV 14k ***** _2,294KB WMA 128 *** _3,440KB WMA 192 **** _2,445KB WMA VBR ***
“Plateau”, The Orb
_11,993KB MP3 128 *** _18,001KB MP3 192 **** _30,019KB MP3 320 *** 132,477KB WAV 14k **** _12,098KB WMA 128 *** _18,121KB WMA 192 **** _14,768KB WMA VBR ****
“Heart of the Sunrise”, Yes
_10,717KB MP3 128 *** _16,087KB MP3 192 *** _26,827KB MP3 320 *** 118,393KB WAV 14k ***** _10,803KB WMA 128 **** _16,172KB WMA 192 **** _14,755KB WMA VBR ****
Now, that I have to re-create my music library by ripping ALL my CD’s (about 700) again, because my computer was stolen (as I promised to some of you, I will detail that in another post “soon” to come), I decided to do a blind hearing test of the possible encoding options I have. There is all this discussion on the Internet about different bitrates and how ear(th)-shattering dramatic the differenceis, but I had a hard time hearing differences and, after the test, was convinced that these were random results. While I rated, it felt more like deciding the difference between light beige and eggshell and the final one star difference was as much based on subconsciously wavering guesses than on randomly clicking. To my surprise, though, I did identify the lowest bitrate (lowest quality) encodings, but anything above 128k was the same to me. I guess my ears are not as musically fine tuned as I thought. 8-) I decided only to test the MP3 and WMA codecs used in Microsoft’s Windows Media Player. Ogg Vorbis and AAC and Klaus’ Kool Wavlet Zinger codec didn’t really appeal to me, as they are not as widely available as the above two. Here are the results:
“The Gnome”, Modest P. Mussorgsky _2,264KB MP3 128 *** _3,397KB MP3 192 ***** _5,663KB MP3 320 ***** 24,979KB WAV 14k ***** _2,294KB WMA 128 *** _3,440KB WMA 192 **** _2,445KB WMA VBR ***
“Plateau”, The Orb
_11,993KB MP3 128 *** _18,001KB MP3 192 **** _30,019KB MP3 320 *** 132,477KB WAV 14k **** _12,098KB WMA 128 *** _18,121KB WMA 192 **** _14,768KB WMA VBR ****
“Heart of the Sunrise”, Yes
_10,717KB MP3 128 *** _16,087KB MP3 192 *** _26,827KB MP3 320 *** 118,393KB WAV 14k ***** _10,803KB WMA 128 **** _16,172KB WMA 192 **** _14,755KB WMA VBR ****
As you can see, the compression advantage of WMA isn’t as great as Microsoft wants you to think it is. I did not use a special open-source MP3 encoder with a bucket full of cryptic options. I used the plain Jane encoder that comes with Windows Media Player 10, which AFAIK is the good ol’ Fraunhofer codec. The slight disadvantage that MP3 got with the Yes song, was evened out by the Gnome, and in my humble non-professional self-professed amateur opinion, I cannot hear any differences between WMA and MP3 (and sometimes not even WAV!). So the Quality difference is for all my private purposes and intents non-existent. The usability (no DRM) and availability is important to me, though. I’m using Media Player as my library organizer and my iAudio plays WMA, but I wanted to be sure and keep my options open and thus decided to use MP3 with a 192 kbit encoding bitrate. My old library used to be MP3 128, but with my new 400 GB HD, the size difference is not too relevant.
As an aside: I use a FM Transmitter to play my mp3’s on the car stereo. When synchronizing to the player, I convert MP3 files to WMA 64k (because I use the built-in Sync feature that only goes to WMA) and find the audio quality sufficient with all the driving noises.
Guido's Green Garden, Episode 2
Today I nailed together cedar boards to make a garden gate. I planned to only till the beds, but I think it is easier to just till the whole garden and then pad down the paths. Flat stones from the rock wall of the Mesa behind our house should make great stepping stones for my garden paths.
Typical ;)
Ein Schweizer in den USA hatte sich verfahren und hielt an einer Bushaltestelle mit zwei Wartenden an, um sie nach dem Weg zu fragen. “Entschuldigung, können sie Deutsch sprechen?” fragte er. Die beiden Amerikaner schauten ihn nur an. Nun versuchte er es mit: “Excusez-moi, parlez vous Francais?” Die beiden schauten ihn immer noch erwartungslos an. “Parlare Italiano?” Keine Antwort. “Hablan ustedes Espanol?” Nichts. Der Schweizer fuhr angewidert davon. Einer der Amerikaner sagte zum anderen: “Du, ich glaube wir sollten auch mal eine Fremdsprache erlernen.” “Wieso?” sagte der andere, “Der Typ kannte vier verschiedene Sprachen, aber geholfen hat’s ihm nicht!”
A Swiss man needed directions, so he pulled up to a bus stop where two Americans were waiting. “Entschuldigung, können sie Deutsch sprechen?” he asked. The two Americans just stared at him. “Excusez-moi, parlez vous Francais?” he tried. The two continued to stare. “Parlare Italiano?” No response. “Hablan ustedes Espanol?” Nothing. The man drove off in disgust. One American turned to the other and said, “You know, maybe we should learn a foreign language.” “Why?” said the other, “That guy knew four and it didn’t help him at all!”
Ouch
Na, ich werd’ mal nicht ganz so gemein sein und nur Links zu den Photos verwenden. Ich will ja nicht, das jemandem schlecht wird. ;D
Well okay, I am not going to be that mean, and use only links to the pictures. I do not want anybody to get sick. ;)
Here is the finger without the bandage, cleaned up and the other side with the stitches. The crack in the middle of the nail shows how deep the axe cut.
The sewing surgeon said, it should heal well, since a third of the finger tip is still attached and the bone was not struck. “You can pull the stitches on you own and save yourself an appointment.” Well, now you know: the Wild West is still dangerous.
Accident
Blut an der Axt…
Schlimmer Finger…
Bad finger…
Blood on the axe…
Bandage has to stay on until tomorrow… See you then.
Even more puppies
Okay, now it really gets complicated with naming the doggies… It’s eight puppies, if I counted correctly.
Haha, April fools (It’s still April, right?) A stray dog recently whelped these puppies. We noticed her before, because she’s running around with six bulging teats. I found the dog nest by accident in a culvert across from hour home.
Weird, while I was writing this entry, a neighbor came over and asked if I had a gun. He said one of the puppies fell down a crevice over by the Mesa and can’t get out…
War Paint
Kai war auf einem Hopi-Festival für Kinder. Als “Kriegsbemalung” hat er sich ein Palomino ausgewählt. Leider ist es nun schon weggewaschen und dieses verwaschene Autofocusbild ist alles was ich hab. Ich muss mir mal diese manuellen Einstellungen durchlesen…
Kai was at a Hopi festival for kids. He choose a Palomino for his “war paint”. Unfortunately it washed away already and this blurry autofocus picture is all I have. I’ll have to read about these manual settings…
Carving fruits
Those crazy Japanese… why can’t they hack a melon into pieces like everybody does it?
Guido's Green Garden, Episode 1
Wednesday already and I did not write anything… At least my blog is not the only thing that is neglected: Look at this garden! It was supposed to have tilled beds already, I never put on the sulfate (the soil has a pH of 6 here), and the garden gate is still laying around in pieces.
The compost heap is on the far left around the corner (do you believe me?) and the main bed (vegetables) runs along the house on the left (as you can easily see). I’ll plant low maintenance flowers at the fence (eventually).
Until the next episode, where other (planned) things besides the weeds should grow,
Your green garden guido.
Live Vault
If you like John Cleese (Monty Python, A Fish Called Wanda) you’ll probably enjoy this Live Vault ad starring him as the director of the Institute of Backup Trauma (I almost ended up there, but that’s another story). If you like Micheal Dorn (Lt. Worf in Star Treck TNG) you might enjoy it , too. Don’t miss the hidden easter eggs: pause the video when the time reads 5:46:618 and, later in the virtual tour of the institute, click the mouse in Room 2 (Diagnosis). Hey! Click the mouse: a visual wordplay… hehe.
Penny Stacking
I am not saying, that I have nothing to do as a house husband, but this looks like an interesting time killer. Works with other currencies, too.
Taxes
We finally finished our tax return! Did you know, that the IRS is even taxing thieves? Really! No joke. Here is a blurb I stumbled over when I was reading the Tax Cut help:
“Stolen property. If you steal property, you must report its fair market value in your income in the year you steal it unless in the same year, you return it to its rightful owner.”
Sure… I guess it takes one to know one. The IRS must know something about thieves, that I somehow missed.
Name Dispute
Well, how can you withstand these Puppy Looks? This one was running around at the school and somebody had obviously dropped it off at the chapter house across the street. I, being a cat person, protested somewhat, but was easily outvoted.
However, I’m usually giving the names to our pets, and I thought Muddy would be cute. The puppy was muddy when we found it. We have now idea what breed it is, but it seems to be a mutt (mutty -> mudblood (from Harry Potter) -> muddy). And its fur looks muddy too.
Amy likes Mischa (mee-sha) better, which was an early candidate I developed out of Mischling, the German word for mutt and Misha the Russian name.
So, the fight is on. What’s it gonna be? Muddy or Mischa? Please leave a comment. Thanks!
Wild Horses
- THE END -
The path after the gate in the razor wire fence got better and better, and eventually led to a two lane dirt road. On it we suddenly had oncoming traffic: a string of wild horses! Well, they could belong to somebody, you can’t always tell here. Luckily, they went up on the side of the road and looked at us from a distance.
The road now ran straight west, but despite some smaller paths going south we stayed on the big one. The mountain range to the south did not look like it would get us to Dilkon. After a while, the road bent left around the mountains and we saw a navigation help (for small airplanes) on a hill in the distance. Once we were close enough to read it, we found out that we were a few miles northwest of Dilkon and ended up on a paved street in Tees Toh.
Admittedly, this was not a shortcut, but you have to have an adventure drive now and then! The next time we’ll bring the GPS and pay more attention. If not time, we could save a few miles, if we know where we’re going… With these gas prices it should pay off.
That said, we took the highway back home, to spare our kids and the groceries a second desert odyssey.
- THE END -
Shortcut
After church today, Amy wanted to get some groceries. We had to drive to Dilkon (about an hour south of us), as the store (yes, there’s only one) in the metropolis of Keams Canyon is closed on Sundays. Usually we stay on the paved highways, which are rare on the reservation and, in almost any case, means going out of the way. Why not take the shortcut through the desert this time? Of course!
We recently had traded our two small Saturns for a bigger one, as that agrees more with our new budget, and out in the country we only need one vehicle, and the bigger one had higher clearance, too. Well, it is actually not that big, at least compared to the armored troop carriers some people drive. We wanted to get something that can drive on the occasional dirt road, which, softened by the rain, can develop deep ruts here. The SUV from Saturn, the VUE, seemed a good compromise between a sedan and an off-roader.
[In the German text I explain that “Jeep” is not a smart translation for SUV. Not sure how that became colloquial in Germany…]
So, what a great opportunity to try out our new Saturn VUE! As a matter of fact, even though it looks that way, this car is not really designed for offroad use, which as I understand it, most SUVs are not. They fool the owner into believing they drive an offroad capable vehicle, but the manufacturers know exactly, that the worst most people have to deal with, is when they need to navigate those speedbumps at the local mall.
In any event, I turned south onto a promising dirt road and the fun began!
(Continued in next entry.)
Tumbleweeds
The dirt road that came off the highway had two lanes and was not all that bad. Packed sand, no deep ruts, we were sure we would save a few Minutes. Then came the first fork in the road and we suddenly understood why we might not get there as fast as we would have liked to. No signs or road names, just a fork in the road. Left or right? We decided on the right path, as it looked a bit more driven on than the left. Just a few minutes later we discovered why that was: the path ended in a small settlement. It probably is used regularly by the school bus and thus looked better. So, back to start and take the left this time.
That is how it went for a while and, even though we had a map, every turn led to more uncertainty. Sometime along the way, “right” and “left” became “more to the south” and “that’s to far east!” Thus we arrived at the place depicted in the photo above. Even though it is hard to see on this picture, we were still on a small path, though it soon got lost in the tumbleweeds.
We drove a bit further, but the path just ended in the desert. We had seen another path shortly before, but it looked like it was driven on by the local herders about twice. Nonetheless, that was better than to blaze a new trail.
After much steering, we almost felt like local herders, too. The path got lost in dried mudholes or brush, only to reappear a few feet to the left or right. This wild chase after a long gone herd finally led us to a corral next to a rock formation jutting out of the desert floor. Aha, a sign of civilisation in the middle of nowhere! Just follow the fence, as far as that is possible… A few boulders, sand holes and even more brush later we got back onto a pretty good trail.
Wir fuhren etwas weiter, aber der Weg endete einfach in der Steppe. Kurz zuvor hatten wir einen Abzweig gesehen, aber der sah ganz so aus, als ob er bisher nur zweimal von den lokalen Viehhirten befahren wurde. Nichtsdestotrotz, das war besser als einen neuen Pfad zu “erfahren”.
A mile or so further, the next riddle: A razor wire fence crossed the path, no end in sight in both directions. Luckily the fence could be partially disassembled and thus made a primitive gate. Drive through, get out again, “fix” the fence, and on it goes… in the next entry.
Artist girl
Kirin is becoming quite the artist. Here is what she says about this drawing: “This is a mommy Palomino and her babies were kicking the rock and she is kicking them over to their room.”
Her writing improved a lot, too. We had signed her up for early Kindergarten when she was about to turn 5 in Mesa. It was a half-day class and she is now attending “normal” Kindergarten full-time. She had a lot of catching up to do, but it looks like she might go to First Grade next!
Comments
You don’t actually need to sign up to leave comments. I enabled comments for everybody. Just select “Other” on the comments screen and type in any name , or you can even choose Anonymous, if you’re shy. ;)
Fence
And here is the reason why you need a fence, if you want to be a successful gardener on the reservation: free range
The Natives (the word “Indians” is almost a derogative term here, but is used for tourist business) do not like to lock up their live stock and do not show much enthusiasm for other seperating devices either.
Tune in next week, when “Guido’s Green Garden”, the weekly reality show about gruesome garden catastrophes has its green and grimy beginning.
Ich Hab Heute Meine Zweite
I got my second digital camera today (Canon Powershot S30 for $153 on ebay) and had to test this new toy of course.
Kai
Kai has been enjoying his “school” (Headstart program) immensely. I am having difficulties to pick him up from school at times, because he protests that he is “not done yet!” This is in contrast to screaming fits in the past, when we (tried to) drop him off at the Babysitter’s or Sunday School. His teacher told me, that he is very talkative and that she has to stop him sometimes, so they can go on with the lesson. Since all other students in Kai’s class are Navajo, he is learning some Navajo words and phrases along with his colors and shapes.
Howdy
The new ISP came without webspace, so the sporadic mass emails to family became a bilingual blog instead — German and English, for family on both sides of the Atlantic. The backdrop: a home in the high desert at the foot of a mesa, sand roads, and the local cedars and junipers.
Pix, pix!
Of course I will post pictures of us regularly. This time I will be much more selective und not just upload the last 50 photos (or even all I ever took), like I did before.
I’ll have to get used to this stuff here first. So, leave a comment, if something is not working.
Freelance Translator
Translated 52 technical and historical documents, German to English.
Software Engineer at Informative Graphics
Built a browser version (ActiveX on IE) of the in-house CAD/3D image viewer, removing the need to install a Windows application, and integrated the viewer with five third-party CMS systems.
Software Developer at TeraCom
Self-employed in Potsdam: improved call center operations for E-Plus, a German cell phone provider, with digital forms; wrote a point-of-sale Windows app used in five local retail stores; and sped up the phone sales process by three days with a credit-check update.
Computer Instructor at Förderkreis Berlin
Taught computer beginner courses to students of all ages, with on-premise tutoring and test proctoring on the side.
Software Developer intern at multiSYStems Berlin
Developed systems software for L3, an experimental operating system, and wrote printer drivers for Hewlett-Packard laser printers.