Cheeseburgers and Sauerkraut

Changes

2010-10-17T15:53:00.011+02:00

One reason that I have not really been able to articulate a lot on my blog over the past six months are the changes that have taken place in my life. As with most bloggers, our real life takes place away from the computer. And as with most bloggers, you do not always want to share (or cannot) all the intimate details of your life. Some might, but I don't. I worry to much about my blogs impact on my family, friends and professional life.

The biggest change has been a career shift. I am about to finish teaching my last English class. And then I am calling it a day. Teaching English was fun, but in the back of my mind, really just a way to pay the bills. The real fun was running a business and since I had to step back from that, my heart has not really been in it. Also, the New Yorker is pregnant and moving on to different things, and so it is for me.

Luckily, my volunteer work has turned into a full-time job. I am able to put my political science and research training to work. And I am actually getting paid! Not much, but it is a start.

However, my blog may not be the best place to talk about my research and job. So I don't. And because my work has become (especially in the past year) a central part of my life, I have not blogged much. I really did not think the mis-adventures of my two-year old were that interesting and so I was left with nada.

But here is hoping the juices get flowing.

To match the changes professionally and with the family (the Dude keeps getting bigger and bigger), the house is having to change too. Today, something happened that was both exciting and very sad.

When the Dude came home from the hospital, he slept in this:

His room was mostly defined by a large double bed. Having guests over was always difficult. We did not want to move the Dude ("You must protect the sleep schedule!"), and it was embarrassing to put married people in separate twin beds (one in my office and one in the German's)

But the Dude is a Big Boy now. And now he has a Big Boy Bed. Tonight he will sleep in this:

The double bed has moved downstairs into my office, which has gone from this:

To this:

We are having a couple of guests come and stay with us, so I am trying to make it into a little guest area. It is a little difficult to get work down while staring at that comfy bed though.

When I saw the Dude's bed, I almost started crying. When did he get so grown up? He can sing his ABC's and loves books and music and Mickey Mouse. But he is also head strong and stubborn. And now he is in a Big Boy Bed. Where does the time go?

A Little Thursday Fun

2010-09-23T16:53:00.004+02:00

I am working on a new post. It's called "Denglisch." However, how about a little bit of Thursday fun to lift us out of the fog? By the way, my dog cannot do ANY thing like this.

Mmm, mmm Good.

2010-09-15T17:14:00.005+02:00

In Europe these days there is a lot of discussion about foreigners and integration. The French just banned full burquas and in Germany a (used to be) respected banker wrote a very stupid book that sounded a bit like Pat Buchanan circa 1992.

I am a foreigner. However, I have been told that I am a "good one." I have no idea what that means, but I think it has something to do with the fact that I am "integrated:" I speak very good German and can complain about the Deutsche Bahn with the best of 'em. Actually this kind of offends me and I sometimes really want to be one of the "bad ones."

But that does not mean that people, including close friends, do not sometimes stick their foot in their mouths and say really offensive things.

A few weeks back I was relaxing with some of my mommy friends. The kids were playing in the corner and we were drinking coffee and complaining about something. I do not think it was Deutsche Bahn; it might have been about our husbands. (You do not have to be an expat blogger to be whiny.) One of the little ones was playing at the toy kitchen. He attempted to beckon me over.

Cute Kid: "Come play with me!"

I thought it was terribly cute and was about to get up, when one of the moms commented on the situation.

Eager Mom: "What? Claire's cooking? I guess that means just muffins and pancakes."

The room got very still as everyone turned to me to see how I would react. Dude, I was offended, but I tend to let these things go. Besides the women who said it is someone I like. But then I sat up a bit straighter. Wait a minute!

Defensive Claire: "Hey! The only person who makes pancakes in my house is the German . . . and he's German!"

I think this made her realize that sometimes you cannot generalize about people based on some of the things that their idiotic fellow countrymen do. For example, not all Germans wear Lederhosen and eat Sauerkraut. Unfortunately, as she attempted to walk it back, she stepped into it again.

Eager Mom: "I saw a documentary on fast food in the U.S. I know what Americans eat."

Mind you, I do not think that the person who said this has actually been to the U.S. However, I just smiled and attempted to let it go. Upon returning home, I did vent a bit to the German. Yes, Americans do eat crappy food, but the other day I was standing at the S-Bahn station in Bremen and watched a women walk by eating a McDonald's cheeseburger . . . at 10am!

But that is the thing about integration. Even though you feel like you fit in, there will be moments when you might as well be wearing a pink burqua that says "foreigner." I am still friends with Eager Mom and our kids still play together. However, when she comes over next week, I am thinking of making muffins.

The Part Where I am Shamed for Not Posting More

2010-09-14T14:55:00.005+02:00

This past weekend I met with some truly awesome people at the annual Whiny Expat Blogger Meet-up (WEBUM or WEBMU, we cannot decide). Hamburg was the site our stompings and whinings this year. Excellent city, excellent hosts.

My fellow expat bloggers did point out that my blogging this year has been less than . . . stellar, um, consistent. Those were a few words used. Honestely . . . they are completely right. 7 posts in 8 months. Yes, that is pretty bad.

I could throw excuses at you (chasing the Dude who is in the throws of the terrible twos (it's ain't called that for nothin' ya'll), work, travel) but honestly it is mostly a function of exhaustion. I work primarily from home these days and the computer has become something of a ball and chain. When I am not working, I am watching Jon Stewart (an old obsession) or reading about Project Runway (a new obsession) or following up on Mad Men (how could you not be obsessed with it).

After hours of cleaning, cooking, Lego, chasing, working and the designating surfing time, I usually collapse on the sofa exhausted. I may need a nap just thinking about it.

The strange thing is, I still have a lot to say! Sometimes things happen and I think, "Man I should really blog about that!" So perhaps my weekend with the whiny bloggers finally gave me the nudge. I cannot promise anything, but I will try and find my mojo.

And, yes, I got a new nickname. Poodle. Don't ask.

What's in a Mom?

2010-05-09T13:16:00.004+02:00

Today is Mother’s Day in Germany and the US, as well as 75 other countries. I was fascinated to learn that it is NOT Mother’s Day in the UK, Ireland, or France. Although most countries celebrate a “mother’s day” some do it at different times of the year.

From what I gathered pursuing Wikipedia, Mother’s Day is not a day created by the greeting card industry but rather has its roots in ancient festivals and rituals that honor the feminine Gods. Christians adopted the holiday in honor of the Virgin Mary.

Why should we celebrate and honor our mothers? What is a “mom?”

I think about this a lot these days. First, there is the obvious. Your mother carried you in her body for 10 months and then birthed you (I actually had help with that). Trust me, this is no easy task! It is uncomfortable and painful despite all of the happy hormones pumping through our bodies. Second, human babies are some of the most vulnerable in the world. A mother’s razor sharp instinct to protect her young keeps them alive.

Modern mothers certainly have more resources available to them, but the essence of motherhood has not changed. We are there to protect and care for our young and to guide them to adulthood. What has changed in modernity, is that the philosophies behind fulfilling this mission.

Do you subscribe to “attachment” parenting or are you more hands off? Is it okay to work outside the home or should we stay at home? Television? Breastfeeding? Public or Private School? The number choices that modern mothers face are overwhelming.

Because of it, the permutations in parenting are so numerous that mothers will fight to the death to prove that THEY ARE RIGHT. Because one thing has not changed over the centuries, YOUR MOTHER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!

Jen and I were discussing the other day about how judgmental moms are of other moms. It is terrible. Instead of a giant sisterhood, we turn on each other. Honestly, no one, including myself is ever “right.” In fact the majority of us ARE MAKING IT UP AS WE GO ALONG.

My parenting philosophy is very simple:

My job is to love my son unconditionally, to protect him and to give him the tools to become a happy adult that contributes (rather than merely takes) from his society.
Out of this philosophy comes many things. I let him do a lot of things on his own. This often means falling down. However, he always knows that I am there to pick him up, calm him down, and help get going again. I want him to know that it is okay to fall down. We all fall. But then we get up and we try again. I try to encourage curiosity and I give him room to explore the world around him. He does not need to know what I would do with the blocks; what does HE want to make? He has always slept in his own room. We go to play group together because I want him to have friends and realize that no man is an island.

That is the way we handle things in our house. Is it right? No, but it is right for our family.

A new movie is coming out that explores the first year of life of four different babies: one in Mongolia, Namibia, Tokyo and San Francisco. One of the lessons that the director shares is that when it comes to parenting, sometimes less is more. I like that idea. Perhaps one of the downfalls of modern moms is that we think WAY too much (at least I know that I do!).

Basically, it comes down to this: today, tell your kids that you love them. Tell your mom that you love her. But don’t just do it today. DO IT EVERY DAY!

Eyjafjallajokull

2010-04-22T09:45:00.003+02:00

By now you should know that the title of this post is not complete gibberish, but rather it is a volcano in Iceland. If you did not know that, I suggest that you go back to sleep now, because then you also have not heard that the volcano erupted a week ago and closed the airspace (and airports) throughout northern and western Europe. Millions of passengers were stranded across the globe and amazing stories involving trains, planes and automobiles emerged.

I also have a story. I should be writing this jet-lagged from a hotel room in Chicago, but instead I am writing this restless from my home office in Germany.

About a week ago, I was running around like a chicken with its head cut-off. There were so many things left to do before my big trip to the States. I was scheduled to leave Germany on Saturday, April 17. First I would spend four days in Washington DC, where I had several meetings with think-tanks, government agencies and some on the Hill. Then Wednesday I would fly to Chicago, where I was scheduled to present a paper at a political science conference. This trip was not a vacation, but I was looking forward to a few days of not being woken up by a very persistent voice yelling “MAMA!!!”

My MIL called me Thursday, April 15th, in the evening, “Claire! Are you leaving? What about the volcano??” I was aware of the volcano, but assured her that I would be leaving as the cloud was over England and certainly would not impact Frankfurt airport. After getting her off the phone rather quickly, I turned to the matter at hand, namely, laundry, ironing, packing, presentation preparation, appointment confirmation, etc. She overreacts; doesn’t she know how much I have to do? (Insert foreboding music here.)

By Friday afternoon the writing was on the wall. Bremen airport was closed; however, my flight from Frankfurt was still scheduled to depart. My in-laws picked up the Dude and the German and I were about to go out for dinner around 8pm. I checked the Internet and sure enough, my flight had been canceled.

Saturday morning, the day I was originally scheduled to leave, I wrote to my handy travel agent and asked him to get me a flight to Washington on Monday, April 19th. Perhaps I could salvage something of the trip. But as the day went on, the news kept getting worse. It was very apparent, even then, that IF airports opened on Monday, the possibility of getting a seat was not very high.

The German and I surfed the Internet and found a flight from Amsterdam to Chicago on Wednesday, April 21st, for 450 Euro. I immediately emailed the handy travel agent with new instructions: scrap the DC part of the trip and get me on the flight to Chicago on Wednesday. He wrote back that he had reserved the seat, and I basically went back to my regularly scheduled programming.

My suitcase lay on my bedroom floor, mocking me, so Sunday I unpacked. I canceled my appointments and my hotel reservations. I even called all of the English lessons that I had canceled and asked if they would like to meet; “Sure, Claire! That would be great!”

The Internet and the news became both a blessing and curse during the week. It drove me crazy and was a little emotionally draining to think, “Will I or won’t I?” Everyday I was on pins and needles. On Tuesday some planes blessedly started moving, but the Bremen airport was still closed. The limited flights going out were all long-haul, and so I became sure that my connection in Bremen would be canceled, there was a good chance that my flight from Amsterdam would leave as scheduled.

I sent handy travel agent an email at 2pm on Tuesday asking him to confirm that I could just drive to Amsterdam airport for my 11am flight on Wednesday.

At 4:30pm, after coming back from my English lesson, I ran to the computer. Flight still scheduled, handy travel agent also sent a note: “Never got ticket.” WTF???!!! I immediately wrote back that I needed to be in Chicago by 9am Thursday. About 30 minutes later he called and told me that he had me on a USAirways flight for Wednesday morning from Frankfurt (ironically, the same flight I had been scheduled to take on April 17th). He could not get me on the Amsterdam flight because my return flight (Sunday, April 25th) was full.

Panicked, I realized that I would need to drive to Frankfurt. I called my in-laws, who came over to get the Dude. I also called Jen to see if I could crash on her sofa before going to the airport. Before I could even finish the sentence, “I may have to fly from Frankfurt,” she said, “Sure!” (A good girl, that one!)

At 7pm, I packed the Dude’s weekend case and checked the Internet just as the doorbell rang. The dog started barking hysterically and I discovered that USAirways had just canceled my flight. Frantic, I shut up the dog and struggled to get not-so-handy travel agent on the phone.

The German, determined to be helpful, found a flight on KLM from Amsterdam via Minneapolis. It would mean driving to Amsterdam (the 2nd original plan) and staying an extra night in Chicago, but we could get the ticket for 670 Euro. I was just a few clicks away.

My boss advised me not to buy it. She said, “Wait on handy travel agent. What if that flight gets canceled and you cannot get your money back.” In the back of my head I was like, “Dude ain’t so handy!” So I waited.

The in-laws took the Dude and at 8:30pm the travel agent finally called me back. The flight I had found was now full. He could get me on the very last seat of a Delta flight but it would cost 1250 Euro. That was simply too much. That is when I finally gave up and accepted my fate.

No trip to the U.S. for me.

Lots of planes flew from Europe to the US yesterday. I almost died yesterday morning when I read on the Internet that the flight from Amsterdam to Chicago, the one I found last Saturday and almost booked myself, took off and landed safely.

The entire experience has been frustrating and emotionally draining. I feel terrible that I might have actually been able to go. The research paper that I spent countless sleepless nights writing is now just sitting here.

Jen said that everything happens for a reason. There is a reason I was not supposed to go. My mother said that she was happy that I was safe on the ground. There is a lesson to be learned, she said.

Sure there may be a reason and perhaps even a lesson. But I have not found them yet. I am still too profoundly disappointed.

“Eyjafjallajokull:” I think it is Icelandic for “That F@*king Volcano.”

My Two Cents

2010-03-26T15:01:00.003+01:00

PLEASE NOTE: I am writing this blog post as part theoretical query and part historical context. As such, I welcome comments that engage in philosophical debate. Please do not threaten my life. I think we have all had enough of that nonsense.

Life has gone back to its ho-hum existence since my trip to Munich; however the pressure of the next project is already on. In April I will be attending two conferences and will have to go to DC for four days and then Chicago for four. I should probably start writing that paper now. What is it that they say about no rest for the weary?

Of course there was something in the news this week that caught my eye.

Give me a second . . . what was it . . . oh, yeah, health care.

I thought long and hard about what I have to say about the US health care bill. You either like it or you do not and there is not much that I can write either way that will change your mind. The overwrought rhetoric from those opposed has made me so nauseous and confused, that frankly I tuned out and turned away. I still cannot figure out what exactly it is that so many do not like about the bill.

How can you oppose:

Children being permitted to remain on their parents' insurance plan until their 26th birthday (Boy, do I wish I had had that when I was in graduate school!)
Individuals affected by the Medicare “donut hole” will receive a $250 rebate, and 50% of the gap will be eliminated in 2011
Insurance company spending caps will be restricted, and completely prohibited by 2014
Insurers are prohibited from dropping policy holders when they get sick
Providing tax deductions for small business so that they can get health insurance for their employees
Possibly extending health care coverage to 32 million Americans

So what is the problem with the bill? After looking at a few news outlets today I determined that cost (a quite legitimate concern which deserves more thoughtful discussion and not yelling) and the federal mandate to have health insurance were the thorn in many a side.

“Federal mandates are unconstitutional!” This quote was from Mitt Romney, who thought that mandates were constitutional when he was governor of Massachusetts. “The government cannot require you to do anything!” Wish I had known that when I had to register my car, pay taxes and get car insurance. Guess I should have sued. I keep looking for the part about mandates in the Constitution, but cannot find it. Could someone help me out? This is not tongue in cheek, seriously, as a scholar I would like to understand the argument better.

Germany has a federal mandate, and has had one for a VERY long time. Boy has it led it down the road to ruin. (Yes that last sentence IS tongue in cheek.) I asked the German why this mandate goes unquestioned in Germany.

Health care reform in Germany goes back to the days of Otto von Bismarck. In 1883 Bismarck oversaw the passage of the first German Health Insurance Bill. Health care was but one of many programs that his government pursued which helped to establish the German welfare system. Otto von Bismarck was not a socialist. However, he did recognize the power of the socialist and worker movement. These laws were enacted in order to appease them and to preserve the capitalist system. Bismarck did this because he recognized a fundamental truth of politics.

If you kick a dog often enough, he will bite you.

You have to hand out a bone every now and again.

I find this to be an intriguing way to look at the issue. Health care was not a grand socialist experiment, but necessary to maintain political order and power.

The German also pointed out to me that health care is necessary because it is bad for the economy to have a sick county. If everyone runs around sick then they are not productive at work. Also, they could get “me” sick, which I really do not want, or they wind up getting so sick that they go into hospitals and I wind up paying for them anyway. As a self-interested individual pursuing my goals and enjoying my freedom, I also have an interest in making sure that the people around me have affordable health care.

The German is smart, huh? That is why I keep him around. He is also extremely brave. He firmly believes in listening to and examining all sides of an argument and so he downloaded and listened to Glenn Beck last night. He looked at me completely bewildered after awhile, “Did this guy actually go to school? And why does he keep talking about trading in gold?”

There is one last thing that has really bugged me. Something seems to have gotten lost over the cacophony of noise in the US media the past few months.

There actually ARE Americans that want health care reform. They, as well as I, believe that good health should not be for the rich, dying for the poor and the middle class is left to go bankrupt.

And that is my two Cents.

Summit 2010

2010-03-13T15:06:00.005+01:00

Next week I will be speaking at event in Munich, Germany.

Summit 2010 is a conference designed to constructively address overseas and military voting issues and challenges that we face today.

The event is open to all interested overseas citizen voters, members of the military and foreign services and their families, students, advocates, technologists, innovators, members of congress, election officials, secretaries of state, academics and members of the press.

If you will be in Munich and are interested, please register and join us! There are special rates and discounts available.

Click on the logo above for details!

Squeals of Delight

2010-03-12T07:38:00.004+01:00

Squeals of delight erupted from my hair dresser yesterday when I walked into the salon and said, "You know what. Just cut it all off!"

Not only was I feeling the need to for a change because of the (finally!) warmer weather, but something new to match my new career direction. Also, I had a bit of an accident two weeks ago.

I had invited over 8 kids and moms to celebrate the Dude's second birthday. As the door bell rang, I bent over to open the front of the fire place to throw in another log. At that precise moment flames leaped out and attacked my hair.

Surprisingly I did not freak out at the smell of my singed hair. My friend, however, noticed the smell as soon as I opened the door. Wrinkling her nose she said, "I hope that is not the cake." "Oh, no, that's just me."

After three months of not going to the hair dresser, everything was too long, dry and singed. So my hair dresser, K, got very excited and pulled out her straight razor! She was so happy, I think she has wanted to do this for years. This was the result.

It is a little bit too short and red for my taste. I am afraid that I am going over into that awful red color that too many middle age German women find "fashionable." But it is just hair, so I can always change it.

Thank goodness the German is very supportive. He likes it. The other day he even leaned over in bed, kissed me and in his sweetest voice said, "You look so great for 33."

"Thank you, honey! How sweet of you. I am only 32."

Kimka

2010-02-23T23:03:00.006+01:00

The first of the major changes that we made occurred in January. We decided to expand our family . . . No, there is not a baby. We got a dog.

Ever since I got married, I have tried and tried to convince the German to get a dog and was always met with a resounding, "NO!" In my point of view, dogs offer child the opportunity to learn responsibility and a love different from that which they feel for friends and family. Memories of Coco, my childhood dog, still bring a tear to my eye. In the German's point of view, if you have a dog you cannot go on vacation. I never understood that argument. What are dog kennels, sitters and friends for if not to pick up your dog's poop so that you can go sip drinks on the beach?

Over New Year's we went over to his family's home. Everyone was there; aunts, uncles, Opa, Omas, cousins and nieces, and yes even a few cats and dogs. The German's cousin, who is also the Dude's Godmother, started talking to us about dogs. She pulled out a book of dog breeds. This young women possess the most amazing powers of persuasion because on the way home, the German said, "Let's get a dog."

"WHAT?" My head whipped around faster than when I see diapers on sale.

"There is only one condition. It has to be a cocker spaniel." I could live with that condition.

I thought the entire process would be long and thought out, but a few weeks later after surfing the Internet, he found her. We agreed on a certain set of criteria: an older dog (no puppies!), house broken (naturally), good with kids (hopefully), and preferably fixed. After looking at breeder sites and their ridiculous fees we found a site that rescues dogs.

This organization takes in cockers from all over Europe. The rescue them from puppy mills, pounds and even the streets. Kimka was being kept at a home just two hours from us. Not much was known about her history. She comes from Poland, where she was found on the street. She is extremely good with kids and walk well on a leash. However, she had a large tumor on one of her nipples. The organization theorizes that she was abandoned because she was sick.

After two operations, it was deemed that she is in perfect health and approximately 7 years old. The German went to check her out and when he got back it was perfectly obvious that he was smitten. "She is so beautiful and sweet! You just want to pick her up and cuddle!" Gee, honey, you do not even say those things about me anymore.

So we adopted her.

The first few weeks were fine, but now the "long haul" has settled in. The Dude is jealous to a certain extent, and also sees the dog as a play thing. However, the Dude plays rough. Kimka usually takes it, but I spend most of my mornings trying to keep the Dude from biting the dog or riding it like it is a horse.

Kimka loves to walk and run, but doing that with the Dude is difficult. I tried once with the dog on the leash and pushing the stroller. But the dog flipped out! She tried to jump into the stroller and she barked her head off. When I walk with both of them the Dude wants to be carried the entire way. It is exhausting.

Yesterday, of all days, Kimka decided that she had had enough. She bit the Dude and she left a mark. It was on his hand and left some scratches. I immediately locked the dog in my office and took care of the Dude. He calmed right down and was perfectly OK. In fact, two hours later he tried to get on Kimka again. Either the kid can take the pain or he is just not too bright.

We are hoping that this adjustment phase will end soon. Otherwise someone will be moving out and it might just be me.

On the other hand, they are kind of cute together; you know, when they are not biting each other.

Two Years

2010-02-22T13:38:00.004+01:00

Yes, it has been awhile. Motherhood, work, marriage . . . it can all be so Topsy-turvey sometimes. In an effort to make things better I am going to be making a few changes. I am excited about these changes and will share them this week (if anyone still reads this anymore!).

Today, however, it is all about the Dude! Two years. Two years, my little guy. I love him so much more today than the day he was born. Is that weird? This despite the fact that he got up at 5:45am this morning and had the smelliest green poop all day.

This is such a fun time. He is developing interests and learns so quick. We can even have a conversation . . . sort of.

This is not to say that the "terrible twos" are not already making an appearence. The Dude does not like it when his (very strong) will is thwarted! I have no idea where he gets this strong will, but boy it is tough!

Sometimes I still get a little flack from other mommies I know because I let the Dude watch TV. I do not park him in front of it, but I do have to say, Thank God for Mickey Mouse! I do not feel too bad. The Dude no longer gets a pacifier, brushes his teeth, has a vocabulary over 200 words, can identify colors, letters and numbers, in German and English. He also is doing pretty well with potty training. I think we are doing okay.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T09:05:00.008+01:00

Everything went fine and the Dude is doing well. He still tugs at his ears, but wouldn't you if someone stuck a tube in it?

Last night, Christmas Eve, the in-laws came over for dinner and gifts. In Germany gift-giving is done on Christmas Eve. I made an "American Christmas Eve" Dinner: Shrimp and Grits, Hush Puppies and Apple Pie. It was great but I did not eat much because my stomach was tore up from the night before. I have discovered the lethal combination: mulled wine + NyQuil. Trust me, just say no.

You know it is Christmas in Germany when you hear Wham's "Last Christmas." It is almost comical how bad this song is and how much they play it here. The Dixie Peach can back me up.

Because the German is one of the best husband's ever, he sent me this video.

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas.

How does that saying go?

2009-12-13T13:55:00.003+01:00

All good things come in threes? Or is it all BAD things come in threes? All I know is that I have had just about enough.

Everything with mom went really well in the U.S. As she recovered we watched movies, I cooked and cleaned, and bonded a bit with the family. I even managed to get in a day with lunch, shopping, old friends and chugging a Margarita (it will give you brain freeze). Good times. Because my work was done, it was time to head back home.

The trip back to Germany was almost effortless, but then again I discovered the secret to the trans Atlantic crossing: Coladapin. Okay, so taking anti-anxiety medication is NOT the best idea without a prescription and visiting a doctor, but a friend passed me an extra and smiled, "You will thank me." After two glasses of wine and some food, I flew from Charleston to Charlotte. After waiting in the most cramped gate area ever, I got on the plane to Frankfurt. I turned down the evening meal, took a glass of water and my pill. Just when I thought nothing was happening and I had a long 8 hour flight ahead of me, I began to feel warm and fuzzy. I drifted off. I did not sleep the entire time. I got up to go the bathroom and had some pretzels. In my half-sleep I did notice a little turbulence, but I smiled and said to myself, "Bump, bumppity, bump, bum . . ." An hour before landing they served breakfast (which I ate!), and I landed in Germany totally refreshed and relaxed. Wow.

Although, I made it safely back to Germany . . . my luggage did not. Seriously, I had one, small bag. With a large sigh, I went over to the Lufthansa counter. The woman confirmed my information, which was already in the computer. "Yes, this has happened before," I smirked. She actually looked embarrassed.

Losing a bag when coming home is annoying, but it really is not the end of the world. They had it at my doorstep that evening and it saved me the trouble of going through customs . . . where I would have nothing to declare anyway . . .

Wednesday I was just the Dude and I. He mercifully slept until 8am. We had breakfast and played. It took me 3 hours to do the dishes and run the vacuum cleaner, but I just could not stop hugging and kissing him.

"Claire, none of this sounds too bad." Oh, it's coming . . .

Thursday we took the Dude to the ENT specialist. It was a routine check-up after his ear infection(s) last month. The doctor took one look in the Dude's ear and got tense. "It iz not better." Not only was his ear worse, but now both are completely blocked. The eardrums are swollen, and no air is moving at all. The doctor estimates that the Dude has a 33% reduction in hearing with his ears like this.

So . . .

Tomorrow morning the Dude is going in for an operation. They are putting in tubes and removing his "Rachenmandel" (palatine tonsils). The procedure should take about two hours and we should be able to take him home that afternoon.

Several friends have tired to comfort me. It is "just" tubes. They do it all the time. Honestly, this does not help. The anesthesia bothers me the most; reading the "fact page" scared the hell out of me. Watching my son go through that . . . oy, not looking forward to it. I am taking it better than the German, though. I thought he was going to cry in the doctor's office.

"Wow, Claire. But that is only two bad things."

I forgot to mention that I found a cracked tooth while I was in the U.S. And it is finally starting to hurt and I cannot chew on that side of my mouth. Thus it is off to the dentist and a possible root canal in the coming weeks.

Between my mom, the Dude, my tooth. Ugh. I have had enough.

And don't even get me started on the Christmas shopping.

The Part Where My Mom Gets Abducted by Aliens

2009-12-02T12:01:00.004+01:00

First, let me apologize for putting up a post about depression and then leaving for a few weeks. Not cool. I apologize, but then again every thing went a little crazy a few weeks ago . . . It started with a call from my mother and ended with me sitting jet lagged in front of a computer in South Carolina.

About 3 1/2 weeks ago, on a normal Sunday afternoon, my mom called. This was not too strange, as we often chat on Sundays. She told me that she had gone to the gym the previous week and had hurt herself.

"Man my abs and stomach area hurt so bad, I could not get out of bed the next morning."

"Good for you mom! That is a good workout."

"Not really. I went to the doctor thinking it might be a ruptured cyst. She sent me for an ultrasound and I am going to in for the results tomorrow."

"That does not sound so bad, Mom."

"Well our conversation went like this . . .

The Doctor: We found something on the ultrasound.

Mom: What is it?

The Doctor: I am not sure, but I do not think it is life threatening. I want you to come in soon. Is Monday morning okay?

Note to doctors everywhere: Never tell someone that you "think it is not life threatening" on a Friday afternoon and then make an appointment for Monday. This does not make for the happiest of weekends.

The next day my mom called me back. The doctor thinks it is a tumor. On her ovary. A 10 cm tumor. My mom was, understandably, a little freaked out and had in her hand a referral for a surgeon that specializes in gynecology and oncology. She went there on a Friday.

That doctor was very optimistic. There was nothing on the ultrasound besides the one "growth" but we would never know until it came out and so that needed to happen and soon.

The Monday before Thanksgiving (this was last week, ya'll!) my mom called me with her surgery date: Monday, November 30. After much discussion, the German and I agreed that I would fly out to SC. Not only did I want to take care of my mom and hold her hand, there were other things that needed to be done, which I could help with. Last Wednesday I bought a ticket. On Thursday I fed the masses with a 12 pound turkey. On Saturday I taught all day and administered an examination. On Sunday, I took the Dude to my in-laws, kissed my boys goodbye and flew to the US.

That brings us to two days ago. Dad-squared and I sat and sat in the waiting room. When I get nervous, I clean. So I kept wandering around the waiting room putting away magazines and throwing away empty coffee cups. It drew stares.

A few hours later the doctor came down. It was the first time I met him. He looks just like Steve Colbert and he gave me some of the best news of my life.

"It's not cancer," he said with a wide grin. "But it also was not on her ovary."

Um, say what?

Upon entering the abdominal area the doctor found a perfectly healthy ovary. Looking to the side he saw the tumor growing on the inside of the abdominal wall. He gave us pictures, ya'll! Pictures! I think it looked like a testicle, a ball hanging in a sack. (For those worried, I did get permission from my mom to use that description!) after taking it out both he and the pathologist agreed that it was a fibroid tumor. Smiles all around.

My mom stayed in the hospital overnight and after sneaking her out for a cigarette, I was able to take her home yesterday. I will be here the rest of the week taking care of my family, a roll that I never expected, but happily assume.

The doctors have no idea why these kinds of things develop. Our theory is that my mom was abducted and impregnated by aliens.

This entire incident has brought up feelings and anxieties that most ex-pats face. Who will take care of my parents when they get sick? My parents did so much for me as a child, especially my mom. It not only my duty to take care of them, it is an instinct, a pull that I feel. Just as I want to sooth and reassure my son, I want to give my parents the same care when the time comes . . . so when I go home, I may have to start converting the basement into an apartment, because you never know what the future will bring.

Until then I am going to enjoy my parents, curl into bed with my mom, watch really bad TV and drink tea. We always joked that my mom had balls of steel, given all of the things that she has experienced and accomplished in life. I just hope that we have not removed the source of all her superpowers.

Oh, and the pictures . . . this year's Christmas card, baby!

The Face of Depression

2009-11-15T12:24:00.007+01:00

This is the face of depression.

Robert Enke (1977 - 2009) was a professional soccer player (for Hannover 96, not our favorite team but one we favor because they are our northern neighbor), and goalie for the German national soccer team. He was strong and fought hard. But behind his smile, he also suffered from depression. Last week he took his own life.

Only now are reports emerging that this man, who appeared so determined, kind and full of life, struggled. He struggled to fulfill the expectations laid upon his shoulders. He struggled to cope with the death of his two year old daughter. He struggled to hide the dark feelings inside.

I, and the German, were both shocked and touched by Robert Enke's passing. If a man who appeared so strong had problems, who else do we know struggles everyday? How alone did he feel that he could not go on? No one should have to feel that alone.

But depression is a scary, dark secret that no one talks about. It is dealt with behind closed doors. Often society demands that you "deal with it" or "get a grip on yourself." For those who suffer from depression, this is easier said than done. No one wants to admit that they have a problem and seeking help for that problem is even more difficult.

When I think of the sorrow that was in Robert Enke's heart, it breaks mine. If you know anyone in your family or a friend who you think may suffer from depression, talk to them. Get them help. Do not let them turn away.

Making Me Giggle

2009-11-12T07:18:00.003+01:00

Sure there are lots of thing I could blog about, such as the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall or the passage of a health care bill or the devastating suicide of Germany's soccer team goalie. Seriously, watching the news these days is exhausting.

But there are many things that are going on over here, most of which involve health issues. It leaves me tired, preoccupied and worried. Over the past week I have wanted to write, but during my free time I wind up sitting in front of the TV with a cup of tea in an attempt to turn down the voices in my head.

However, something caught my eye this morning during my coffee and made me giggle. I had to share.

Toyota is no longer the worlds largest automaker. Guess who is? Volkswagen.

So what? Why does that make you giggle, Claire? It makes me giggle because I bet that you did not know that one of the partial owners of Volkswagen is the State of Lower Saxony. That's right, the governor of the state that I live in is actually a board member. We tax payers are partial owners.

Hm. Does that mean that everything government run is bad, not competitive, threatens freedom, etc.? Or does that mean that everything run by the AMERICAN government is bad, not competitive, threatens freedom, etc.? Or does it mean that people who make arguments about government run things are just blowing smoke and do not actually do their research?

In case you are wondering, the state of Lower Saxony almost never interferes in the business decisions of the company. They let the businessmen do their jobs. However, they do make sure that the company does not ship all of their jobs to other countries and generally look after the welfare of their workers.

You know. It is good for a giggle.

Read the entire story here:

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/1161/volkswagen-steals-toyotas-crown-as-worlds-largest-automaker/

Post Election Bash: We have no idea what we are talking about edition!

2009-11-04T19:19:00.002+01:00

So, there was this election in the US yesterday. When I was not looking, the ENTIRE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY was going to be decided by the governors of New Jersey and Virginia. Is it just me, or has the media gone a little overboard? Don't take my word for it however. My boyfriend, Jon Stewart, is more articulate than I.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Indecision 2009 - Reindecision 2008 And Beyond

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
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Health Care Crisis

Halloween

2009-11-01T15:51:00.018+01:00

Do you remember the Thanksgiving episode of Friends where Monica decides that she does not want cook and Phoebe uses reverse psychology to convince her to do it?

"That's okay, Monica. Last year wasn't so great. I think she is losing her touch."

"What! That's not true! Thanksgiving is on!"

"Monica, you will be in competition with yourself."

"That's my favorite kind!"

This was went through my head when I decided to host my second Kid's Halloween Party. This time I downloaded recipes, decided kick the food up a notch and wear my own costume. God, I can be stupid sometimes.

The decorations were similar to last year. I did jazz up the place with some orange candles. This is a big decorating step for me as I HATE the color orange. However, it was Halloween, so what can you do?

For food I baked chocolate chip cookies and spent entirely too much time decorating cupcakes. The German did his part and made a delicious pumpkin-potato soup. After reading Martha Stewart's Halloween magazine, I attempted Savory Pumpkin Puffs, puff pastry stuffed with cheese, which did NOT look like the picture. Because I was so stressed near the end, there are no pictures of the soup and puff pastry, but you can take my word for it, they were delicious!

Last year and this year I struggled to figure out activities and games to entertain the kids. They are simply too little to play classics like musical chairs and pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. Martha suggested a Pinata. Hm. That could work, I thought. Kids love to pound stuff. I spent two days figuring out how to put that Pinata together. It took the kids 15 minutes to tear it apart. Then they turned on each other with the stick. What is it about the best laid plans . . .

As it was last year, the party was a success; even if it did add a few grey hairs to my head. The fact that I started teaching a brand new English seminar in another town from 9am to 2pm and the party was at 3:30pm might have had something to do with that.

Naturally, Halloween is not complete without a costume. My little frog's smile makes it all worth while.

Postscript: There is no photographic evidence of me in my costume, the Buccaneer Beauty. I put on the costume and was struck with panic. I looked at the German, "Do I look like a pirate?" "Um . . ." "Do I look like a hooker??" "Well, um, . . ." I stuck it out, but made sure that the cameras stayed far away from me!

Return to Deutschland

2009-10-27T13:57:00.005+01:00

After what turned out to be one of our best trips to the US, we all came back to Germany about 11 days ago. The trip back was in some ways frustrating (NWA has changed their luggage allowance policy, only one per person on intercontinental flights) and also better (the Dude slept most of the way).

Getting over the jet lag was difficult. For a week the Dude would go to bed peacefully at 7pm only to wake up at 9pm and cry for two hours. Someone said to me, "Well, you know it is only two hours and at least it is still early in the evening." Right. But when you are exhausted yourself and only want to go to bed, it can be the LONGEST TWO HOURS OF YOUR LIFE.

There were many highlights to the trip, one being the Detroit Zoo. I know, I know. I also thought, "Detroit has a zoo? How good can that be?" Turns out pretty darn good. The Detroit Zoo is one of the oldest in the US and was designed by the same German who designed the Hamburg Zoo. We went in the afternoon, in the middle of the week.

It was pretty empty (and a bit windy), so we had prime viewing of the animals, who were actually awake. The tigers, lions and bears all were moving around and kept looking at us like, "Hey! Where's my dinner?" The best was the polar bear exhibit, which features a pool and Plexiglases so that you can watch the polar bears play. The male bear was swimming up to the glass and splashing around. The Dude giggled and patted the glass; clearly having no clue that the bear could probably swallow him whole.

The Detroit Zoo . . . pretty awesome. Who knew!?

Since being back I have had a bit of what I call the "blahs." No desire to work. Sick of cleaning and ironing. Weather is not good enough to take the kid for a walk. Just blah. I have to say, it is a little frustrating as I actually have work to do and am hosting a Halloween Party on Saturday . . . maybe time to get off my duff?

Life on Mars

2009-10-10T13:59:00.004+02:00

Two weeks ago I actually did begin writing a post about the outcome of the German election. And then, things happened. Nothing overly dramatic, mind you, however it was all distracting enough to pull me away from the computer. The German, Dude and I are currently on our biannual family vacation in Motown.

We have been here for about a week and everything is going pretty well. The flight was as I expected . . . long. The Dude only slept 1.5 hours out of the 8.5 hour flight. That was . . . fun. But it turned out for the best. After playing a bit with Grandpa when we got to the house, he crashed at 8:30pm and slept until 7am. Within two days he was over the jet lag.

This trip has been a bit odd, however. For the first time, I have come home, looked around and thought, "Have I landed on Mars??"

I first had this thought as we drove past all of the empty strip malls. The bumpy roads had pot holes the size of my Smart. A drive through my Grandfathers old Detroit neighborhood was down right scary. The German thought it looked like Sarajevo. We went up to Kmart to get a few things, and the very nice woman at the check out line was older than my grandmother. Seriously, she could have easily been 68 (the German guessed 72).

As we left, I turned to my husband and said, "What is she doing here?! Shouldn't she be at home playing with her grand kids or drinking tea with friends. Isn't that what you do in retirement? Hasn't she worked enough?" It really upset me.

But the best was yet to come . . .

The Dude got sick on Monday. A small cough got worse and worse, and even though he did not have a fever, he was clearly not feeling well. On Thursday I decided to call a few pediatricians to get him an appointment.

The first place turned me away. They informed me that they could not see us because we do not live in the area.

"I am still a Michigan resident. I have a driver's license and bank account. Besides WE HAVE INSURANCE."

"Will you insurance cover you here?"

"Yes! We can go to any doctor in the world and we are covered. I pay enough for it."

"Sorry, you will have to go to an emergency room or free clinic. We cannot run the risk of the bill not being paid."

OH MY GOD. Are you kidding me? In the greatest country in the world, a sick child with insurance cannot get a doctor's appointment?!?

So, I called the next doctor on the list. "Sure, we can take you. Could you we send the bill to your dad's house?"

"You know what, can I just pay cash? I can get reimbursed by my insurance company later."

"Come on down!" (For my readers, future reference, "cash" is the magic word in the US health insurance system.)

The doctor was actually quite nice and the nurse was fabulous. She was so good with the Dude. Turns out that the baby was not just being fussy. He has an upper respiratory infection and an ear infection. Nice. They called in a prescription.

When I got to the pharmacy, I was told, "We cannot fill this. You do not have insurance on file." "Can't I just pay cash?" "Sure!" (There's that magic word again.)

The entire cost of a doctor's visit and antibiotic in the US: $190.

This entire experience has left me absolutely dumbfounded. It proves that in the US it is difficult to get access to affordable care, even for those with insurance. The costs are outrageous; the same bill in Germany would be less than half that in the US. How can anyone look at this system and think that it does not need to be fixed? What is wrong in the US?

I posted this on my Facebook page and naturally one of my more to the right friends (I am trying to be nice) said, "I love the US. Always have. Always will." What does that have to do with anything? I love the US, too. I actually believe that it is one of the best countries in the world. But health care is a problem. My friend also said that being ranked 14th in the world is "okay," what are people complaining about? This is also the problem. Those that have not had any of these experiences and have not gotten sick do not understand what millions of Americans go through everyday.

Satisfaction with mediocrity is not an option; maybe on Mars but not in the US.

It's Alive!

2009-09-28T07:26:00.003+02:00

Today is going to be a two post day . . .

For those who are interested, Smarty Jones lives on.

Thursday afternoon we discovered that if you crawl through the back that you can open the door from the inside; well the passenger door, not the driver's door, which the German had broken. The battery was okay, but we still could not get the car to turn on. Hmm.

My father-in-law, KH, got back from vacation on Thursday. When we informed him of the situation, he immediately said, "I'll fix it!" In my head I thought, "I think the car's computer needs to be hooked up, but okay."

KH and the German circled the car on Friday afternoon, ready to pounce. After trying many things, the German went inside to look something up on the computer. He came out and said, "Someone in an Internet forum suggest resetting the computer by disconnecting the battery completely and then reattaching it." And . . . it worked! I will be darned if the car did not start right up!

That only left the problem of the door. On Thursday, the German went to the Smart dealer, who told him that he probably just needed a new cable. On Friday, the German and KH took the door apart and fixed the cable. 28 Euro and a few hours later . . . done!

We did not call the ADAC. We did not have to get the car towed. It just cost 28 Euros and a few hours (and a little bit of pride to get it fixed). I am a bit disappointed. "New car for Claire" negations and discussions had begun and have no stopped. Come on, Sweetie. If I get a new car, I promise that I won't let the Dude touch it.

For those who are on the "terrible mother" bandwagon. I am sure that the Dude is going to break something else in the future. Strangely, we took the entire situation pretty calmly. Isn't stupid stuff part of being a parent? Also, the Dude is ALWAYS in eye sight. I know what he is capable of and I try to keep him out of trouble. And finally, I did not get mad at the Dude nor did I yell at him. It was my fault. I am the adult and take responsibility for what happens. I always have.

So, now that that saga is over . . . later today . . . Post-Election Bash: Germany Edition!

Oh . . . no . . .

2009-09-24T12:22:00.004+02:00

Yesterday a series of unfortunate events unfolded at our house which may have resulted in us sending the Smart to automobile heaven. Comically, every single person in the house is responsible for the outcome, including the baby.

The Dude loves to press buttons, light things up and figure out how it all works. My car, the Smart (or Smarty Jones as I like to call her), is now one of his favorite toys. He can spend an hour sitting in the front sheet, shaking the wheel and going "brrrrmmmm!!" He can turn the lights on and off and once in a while even honks the horn. I probably shouldn't, but I let him do this every now and again when I need to have both hands to do something.

Yesterday, after running a few errands, I parked Smarty outside the kitchen window. I went inside the house to put lunch on the stove and let the Dude explore the car, while watching him through the window. Around 11:30 I brought him and gave him lunch. He went down for a nap without a peep and I wrote a blog.

At about 2:30 I got him up and ready to go to day care, which he does three times a week in the afternoons. When we got in the car, there were no lights and the thing would not even crank. I looked around trying to figure out the problem. Mother F***er. I noticed the headlight switch on. The Dude must of turned it on, and when I brought him in, I forgot to turn it off. The battery was D-E-A-D.

I stuck the Dude in the stroller and walked him to day care, and with a hint of panic in my voice called the German. "No worries, I will jump start it when I get home."

The German got home and pushed Smarty into the garage. He hooked everything up and jumped into Smarty, shut the drivers side door and got the battery going. All the lights immediately came on, but when he put the key in, the car would not start up.

I must pause at this point in the story to explain something, Smarty is . . . fickle. The car can only be unlocked using the electronic button on the key (there are no locks. How weird is that!) Sometimes she will not start if you have had the car unlocked and in park. However, if you press the key and lock the doors and then unlock them, the car starts right up. We knew this when we got the car, and it even came with a sticker in the owners manual.

Okay, where were we? The German was in Smarty with the drivers door shut. The passenger side was open (as that is where the battery is). The jumper cables got electricity to the car, but we could not actually get it to start.

We both knew that we needed the keys to lock and unlock the car again. We tried both keys furiously for 10 minutes before we realized that for some reason the computer was not recognizing the signal of the key. Perhaps the memory had been erased? Just then, the doors on the car automatically locked, locking the German inside the car.

The German got a little frustrated and yanked the handle on the door in an attempt to get it open. The handle came off. At this point, my mouth was hanging open and I was at a loss for words.

We disconnected the cables and the German climbed out on the passenger side. We were putting things away and discussing the key and door problem when he called out, "Don't shut the passenger side door, otherwise we will not be able to get into the car." I looked for the bike so that we could pick up the Dude from day care and the German walked over to me, but not before absentmindedly shutting the passenger side door. At this point I was laughing hysterically.

Smarty is currently sitting in our garage. We can not unlock the doors and get in the car because the keys no longer work. Even if we could get in the car, the drivers side door is now broken. Once we get in the car, I am not sure what shape the battery is in.

Any suggestions?

In a completely unrelated event, the Dude said the work "sh**" for the first time. Great. As if I did not feel like a bad mother before, on my 19 month old's first 50 words is profanity.

"Nazi" Really Is a Four-Letter Word

2009-09-23T07:34:00.008+02:00

Whenever the topic of "health care" and "United States" come up in this household, the German gets a perplexed look on his face, looks at me and says, "I do not understand why Americans do not want health care?!" These feelings found their way into his comments on the video yesterday. This seems to be the only thing that is talked about these days, and has made its way to our dinner table. It is about time I tossed in my two cents.
__________

President Obama, and all of those currently promoting health care reform, seem to have the best intentions. In fact, they have very good reason for taking up this cause. The facts are shocking.

The number of uninsured in American increases every day. In a newly released report, the US Census Bureau estimates that nearly 46.3 million people in 2008 had no health insurance. I have read critiques which argue that the estimate contains individuals who are "not citizens," and thus the number of uninsured Americans is actually lower. Um, okay. If you want to look at the number that way, then there are "only" 36.8 million uninsured Americans. Gee that number is so much better. (Despite what critics say, you should take a look at the new Census Report on Income, Poverty and Health Insurance. It really is eye opening.)
People in the US ALREADY die waiting to get treatment because they are either denied coverage for pre-existing conditions or refused referrals to specialists.
In the US hundreds of thousands of people go bankrupt because of their health care costs. One recent report from the American Journal of Medicine estimates 60% of 1.5 million bankruptcies (or about 900,000).
Americans spend more on health care but are not any healthier and do not live longer. In its 2000 report, the World Health Organization ranked the Unites States 24th in terms of life expectancy (Germany was 17th). In almost all of the rankings I looked at, the US was never in the top 10, and in one ranking ("health performance") was even 72. You know who was almost always at the top: France.
For more facts, you should really check out the National Coalition on Health Care Fact Sheet. They use a lot of different sources.

__________

Is this really a system worth saving? All of this begs the question, what have the reformers proposed and why are some people so against reform? Let's talk about a few details, which President Obama laid out in his speech to congress.

1. All Americans must have health care.

This proposal is shocking to many Americans. "You can't make me have health care! If I do not want coverage, that is my choice. Live free or die!" Um, okay. The problem with this argument is that one person's "choice" might actually cause me to get sick, or worse cost me money. In Germany everyone is required to have health care. It is not negotiable. This month the American Journal of Public Health estimates that 45,000 individuals die every year because they do not have health insurance. Also, requiring people to have health insurance is good for business. Think of all those new customers!

2. Reform would make it illegal for health insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or to place a cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or in a lifetime. It will place a limit on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses. It would require insurance companies to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms.

Yeah. I do not have anything to say about that. It all seems good.

3. A possible public option that would provide health care to those who cannot afford it.

This has been a sticking point for many. "It is SOCIALISM!" Calm down, people. First, in a socialist country there is no public "option" there is only the public plan. A public option might be able to provide the vast majority of uninsured with health care. It also is not directly opposed to capitalism. By providing an affordable option, the system would increase competition and force private companies to provide better coverage.

If you think the government should not be involved in this kind of "socialism," should we also get rid of medicaid, medicare and social security? If the government cannot provide good health care, then what is it providing to its military or government employees? I often hear people say, "He's got a government job. Good benefits." Hmm. What benefits are they talking about?
__________

Now, much of the opposition to health care reform has involved shouting and pointing and disparaging remarks, none of which ARE ACTUAL ARGUMENTS AGAINST HEALTH CARE. However, we do need to think critically about reform and what the best way is. Mr. Wilson, when people get upset with you because you yell at the President, it is not because you yelled, it is because YOU LIED. There is a provision to ensure that illegal immigrants are not covered. Mr. Wilson, no one wants to muzzle you, but we would like you to stop grossly exaggerating and lying in order to produce fear and actually act like an adult and engage in reasonable debate.

These lies about reform have got to stop, as they lead to the hate filled comments, which are the worst. When many of my Democrat friends called President Bush a "Nazi," I called them out. As you may expect and understand, where I live, calling someone a "Nazi" is about the worst thing you can do. The right-wing movement, however, seem to have latched onto an idea and are not letting go.

What is it about health care reformers that makes them "Nazis?" Do you mean the LIE about death panels?? Nothing like that is going to happen! Do you know where is actually DID happen: Here in Germany.

The German's Opa has told me some stories. His mentally retarded sister (aunt? I am fuzzy about this detail as Opa speaks Plattdeutsch and I cannot always understand) was actually taken by the Nazis to a "hospital." Opa's father came home from work and found out. He immediately went to where his daughter was held, shamed the soldiers there (he was a field officer in WWI, so pulled a little rank), and got his daughter (sister?) back. When I think of some of the things that the German's family has been through (including Oma's escape from Prussia, fleeing from the Russians, and Great-Grandmother's rape in a refugee camp), then I have to look at some at these posters and right-wing accusations and say, "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE HELL YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!"

That's right. I just used all capital letters. But, I hope that you see where I am going with this. End of life counseling is NOT THE SAME as a gas chamber. Demonizing someone and using vile language is not an argument. It does not convince me, nor the majority of Americans.

Now there is an argument against reform that is pretty good. Um, Mr. President, how are you going to pay for this? I was not totally convinced by the statement, "Reform will pay for itself." I think I may need to see some numbers first.
__________

When it comes to reform, I am sometimes not sure if this is the right time for it. But then I am reminded of a quote, "If not us, who? If not now, when?" The German told me something very interesting the other day. "Health care is like roads and clean water. It is a public good. You should not be allowed to make a profit from it." If only more people thought that way.

So, that is my two cents . . . for what it's worth.

Health Care Reform is Funny

2009-09-22T20:59:00.003+02:00

Remember people, health care reform can be funny. Okay, not so much health care reform, but some of the arguments against it.

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Help my Parents?

2009-09-20T13:46:00.001+02:00

After watching this, I am may just have to air lift my mom and dad-squared out of the state.

Oh, and I will get to you this week, Senator. In the mean time, I need to go stand in line for my socialized medicine which I get for free.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Help the Dude

2009-09-18T21:32:00.006+02:00

I have so many, MANY words to say about the health care debate in the US, as well as some of the overheated rhetoric going around. But it is Friday night, I am tired and have to work all day tomorrow. Let's get back to that next week. I am sure that problem will still be there.

For now, how about a little bit of the Dude?

He is getting big . . . and strong. And in a few weeks we are jumping the pond to visit my Motown family. Technically the Dude is only 19 months old (but don't tell him that). Travelers are not required to purchase a seat for their child until they are two. The German and I discussed the pros and cons and finally decided to purchase the kid a seat. I can barely hold him still for 15 minutes in line at the grocery store; a nine hour plane ride to Michigan . . . um, no. Also at 410 Euro per person round trip, we can actually afford it. (KLM October sales rock!)

Our next problem is the seat. I want to take my car seat on the plane, because child please, that little belt is not going to hold the Dude down if he something interesting and wants to chase after it. Also, the Dude likes sleeping in his car seat, so I am hoping that by strapping him in he will actually get some shut eye on the plane.

Naturally our car seat is not the kind permitted on the plane. This is where you come Internet. Do you know anything about car seats and which ones travel well on planes? Any suggestions for activities to keep him occupied? Word of warning, portable DVD players is out. TV will only hold his attention for about 15 minutes.

A Comment So Good It Deserves a Post

2009-09-17T12:19:00.007+02:00

I got a really interesting comment / question on my post about the German election, Colors:

Would it be accurate to assume that the German election has not held your TV hostage (i.e., like the non-stop campaigning advertisements in the U.S.)?

NO IT HAS NOT. And there is a very good reason why. In Germany political parties are only allowed to campaign in the six week period preceding the election. That's right, BY LAW, no ads, no campaign posters, no events that are campaign related are allowed until six weeks before the election. Certainly German parties get around that by holding "general events" or "topical, issue speeches," which we saw a lot of this past summer. However, even these are pretty limited. These are not federal laws, but rather regulations set by the states and which all parties generally abide by.

In regards to TV, political parties cannot buy up a ton of time like US parties. It is illegal. Each political party is allotted an equal share of air time to show ads. That is all the time they get. Although the party must pay to produce its advertisements, the TV time space is free. The US Library of Congress writes:

The length of election campaigns is not defined by federal law. State and local laws limit campaign billboards to a few weeks before the election. State laws limit campaign advertising in radio and television to a few spots that are allotted in the month preceding the election. By an agreement among the states, the political parties may not purchase any advertising time on radio or television, and are thereby limited to the few officially granted campaign spots.

These two rules have important consequences. First, my TV is not clogged up with stupid ads, like you see in the US. I will never forget a commercial that I saw while living in South Bend. "Candidate X. Bad for fish. Bad for Indiana." All I could think was, "Wait, are fish allowed to vote now?" The second consequence is that political parties do not spend nearly the same amount of money on advertising as US parties do.

"Oh, Claire, that sounds great! Let's enact that here in the US!"

Yeah, wouldn't that be nice? It will never happen.

The Supreme Court in the case Buckley vs. Velo (1976), argued that "money is speech." That is, you cannot limit a person's ability to spend money to influence elections as that would be an impediment to free speech. This case is the ruling precedent on party and campaign finance. Given how both the Left and Right in the US would rather fall on their swords than limit "free speech," I do not see that rule being changed any time soon. How do you like them apples?

Monday Nights Just Got Better

2009-09-15T12:34:00.010+02:00

At the beginning of the summer, our satellite service stopped showing the German Bundesliga Football games (THE professional soccer league here in Germany). This caused a little bit of anxiety in our household. It was clear that we would need a new satellite service that would provide both the soccer games (for the German) and the West Wing (for me). Unfortunately, this left us with only option . . .

Rupert Murdoch.

Premiere was the only satellite/cable system that could provide all the channels that we wanted. Naturally, a few months before we decided to do this, Rupert Murdoch bought Premiere and changed the name to "Sky."

The German and I were NOT happy. We do not care for Murdoch, as he is a monopolist billionaire who is buying as much media as possible in order to push his own political agenda. Monopolies in the media is undemocratic, but that does not appear to bother many people . . . except for us.

But Murdoch is clever. Our need for soccer and random movies and TV entertainment trumped our distaste. We swallowed our scruples and bought in.

Of course, other than a dirty feeling brought on by selling out our principles, we have had no problems. The service is good and we got a great first year fee. We even added a few movie channels that allow us to watch new releases IN ENGLISH! Sunday night movie night ruled in the house this summer, but now (American) football season is on and ESPN has taken over Sunday nights.

I do have a complaint: FOX changed my Monday night ritual!! They have taken off West Wing. Season 4 had just ended (CJ was mourning the loss of her cutie secret service guy). Now they have some crappy show called "LA Crash." I am sure Murdoch is not to blame, but I cannot help but wonder . . .

They made it up to me by adding "Mad Men" to the Monday night line up. The German and I LOVE THIS SHOW. First, the English is not too fast, so the German doesn't have to ask me ever five minutes what is going on. Second, Jon Hamm and January Jones are HOT! Eye candy for both of us. Finally, the story is great and keeps you guessing. We love the attention to detail and the 1960s feel of the show. Last night a mom lite a cigarette in the baby's room. We almost died! A different era indeed.

So, Mr. Murdoch, you are doing okay, but bring back West Wing . . . or else . . .

Colors

2009-09-14T15:01:00.004+02:00

If you think this post is about the 1988 gang-cop movie starring Sean Penn and Robert Duvall and directed by Dennis Hopper . . . you would be wrong . . . although wouldn't that be a change of pace . . .

No, I realized yesterday that I blogged a lot (seriously A LOT) about the US election last year. In just two weeks Germany is going to have a federal election, and I have written nothing about it. Shame on me! Time to change all that.

First, a little background: Germany has a parliamentary system and a proportional representation electoral system. As a result there are two large parties and three smaller parties. Neither one of the large parties gets enough votes to rule on its own, so Germany usually has a coalition government. Currently there is a "Grand Coalition" between the two largest parties: CDU and SPD. The talk of the country is who will create the next coalition.

"Colors" actually refers to the political parties in Germany. Each party is associated with a color:

CDU (Christian Democrats; kind of like the Repubs): Black
SPD (Social Democrats; just your average, middle of the road socialists): Red
FDP (Liberal Democrats): Yellow
Green Party . . . (this one is pretty self explanatory)
The Left (the REAL Socialists and former Communists): Red

The guessing game regarding the next coalition has led to all kinds of "funny" names. First, there is the "Traffic Light Coalition" (green, yellow, red), whose slogan could be "stop! no wait! go! no wait!" Then there is the "Jamaica Coalition" (black, yellow, green), who promise Rum to everybody. The most talked about (and perhaps most likely) is the black-yellow coalition, for which I have no funny slogan.

Last night the two primary candidates for Chancellor, Merkel (CDU, the current Chancellor) and Steinmeier (SPD, the current Secretary of State), had their one and only debate. The German and I watched and played a little drinking game. Every time Merkel said "Wachstum schaft Arbeit" (growth creates jobs; her talking point which she held onto like a raft in a storm): Drink! Anytime someone said "black-yellow": Drink! We almost finished a bottle of wine.

Most commentators declared the debate to be a draw. The newspapers this morning were mixed. Bild called it a "love fest" instead of a debate. Yes, Merkel and Steinmeier were cordial and there were very few direct attacks. In fact, the two are so cozy, almost like an old married couple, that they are starting to dress alike. Seriously, I think they had on the same black suit.

There are a few reason for this laid back "debate." First, I think that German politics are simply not as adversarial and personal as American politics so, we should not expect the same thing.

Second, I do not think that any of those snazzy coalitions that I mentioned above are possible. If you look at the numbers and how the parties interact with each other, I believe that the only coalition that is possible is the one that we have now. And secretly, I think Merkel and Steinmeier know that. They are going to have to continue to work together, for better or worse. Making it personal would make that relationship very difficult after the election.

Tonight the top candidates from the other three parties are debating. Unfortunately, it is late at night and not on a prime channel. You can tell that the media does not think they are important; which is wrong. One of these parties could be the "King Maker." We should also be allowed to see what they have to say. Besides, between the Leftist (and slightly crazy) LaFontaine, Guido (the gay FDP chief) and the Green-Man Trittin, you KNOW some crazy $hit will be said tonight . . . maybe I will actually stay up for those fireworks.

My Poor Neglected Blog

2009-09-13T20:43:00.003+02:00

Last week I got an email from my Grandfather. "Haven't they buried John Hughes yet?" That is when I realized that my poor blog has taken a beating. It's not the blog's fault really. It sits there patiently day in and day out waiting for me to come back.

Things were very busy in August. I finished up a research project and flew to Toronto last week to make a presentation at the American Political Science Association conference. The trip, presentation and paper were a complete success. However all of the work on my paper has lead to a somewhat new relationship to my computer.

The Laptop is now a "Work Area." It is the old ball and chain. When ever I sit down "for fun," all I want to do is watch John Stewart and check the scores. Writing, especially creatively, has been a bit draining lately. I don't think that I am the only one feeling this way, though. Some of my other expat blogger buddies have also taken it down a notch. I won't mention names; but I do understand.

Anyway, so life goes on. Another politician from South Carolina makes me love my state just a little more. People have made wild and crazy claims about health care in Germany WHICH ARE SIMPLY NOT TRUE. There is an election coming up in Germany soon, which has led to wild and crazy campaign posters ALL OVER THE PLACE.

The Dude has learned to push the chair to the fridge to get out the juice and turn on the stove. Today I caught him trying to stick keys into my office door, which I now lock because otherwise he opens the door and turns on my laptop just to push the mouse around. He notices that not all the keys are the same and I have a sinking feeling it will not be long until he can unlock the door. Also in the Dude's bag of tricks, knowing the difference between blue and green (and saying it), attempting to count "one, two, three," and looking at me with his beautiful blue eyes and saying, "Cookie, bitte." Does not matter if it is 8am and he just had breakfast, I cannot resist, I always cave and give him the damn cookie.

When I was at the conference last week, I went to a panel on internet websites and group mobilization. An older gentleman (how old? older than my dad, younger than my Grandfather) was sitting in my row. He had a mini-laptop on his knees and every few minutes he would furiously punch the keys. I craned my neck and it suspiciously looked like Facebook. Later we were discussing the impact of the 'net on civic participation, he cried out, "Blogging is SO over! Social networks are the future!" It took everything I had not too burst out laughing.

So, fingers crossed, I will get my butt in gear and start posting again.

Goodbye John Hughes

2009-08-07T12:04:00.002+02:00

You know when Michael Jackson passed, it was not that much of a surprise. Somehow we knew his story would end tragically and fast. Farrah had had cancer. Bea and Walter, well, they were getting up there in years.

This morning I read that John Hughes died yesterday. He was 59. He had a hart attack while walking down the street. Whoa.

If Michael Jackson was the soundtrack to my childhood, Hughes's movies were the visual. I watched them all . . . many, many times. They remain guilty pleasures. Admit it, if Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Some Kind of Wonderful or Sixteen Candles are on TV, you will probably stop and watch part of it.

Almost all of the cultural references that I make come from these movies. It is so strange to think that someone from that part of my life (i.e. my childhood) could die just like that. My feelings today are the same as when Jim Henson passed away. This certainly does not help my apprehension about turning 32 next week.

John Hughes withdrew from Hollywood in the 90s to spend time with his family and run a farm. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, 2 kids and 4 grand kids.

Okay, I will admit . . . I actually have most of these movies on DVD. Tonight I will watch and drink a glass of wine to you John, and a life well lived.

PS I LOVE this video below! I did cry just a bit.

UPDATED: My Fair State

2009-08-04T12:06:00.002+02:00

I actually have been extremely busy lately. The German is going back to work this week and the in-laws have been here almost every day helping us update the heating system. On top of it all I have to finish my conference paper by Friday . . . and it is not done.

But I always have time to be proud of my fair state, South Carolina.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Thank You, South Carolina!

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Joke of the Day

UPDATE: And wouldn't you know it, Mr. Colbert had something to say in defense of our lovely state.

PS I really needed this laugh this afternoon. I finally finished recoding data and finalizing my model and running my tests and printing things out. I sat down this afternoon to enter it all into word and make some pretty tables only to realize . . . I RAN THE WRONG DAMN MODEL. Sigh. Now I have to do it again. Hit me Jon Stewart.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Daily/Colbert - Stephen Defends South Carolina

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Spinal Tap Performance

Crazy

2009-07-17T19:57:00.003+02:00

I admit it. Sometimes I do listen to and/or read news that clearly has a bias to it. For me the key though is humor and reason. Left or right, you have to engage me (not yell at me) in order to get my attention. Thus, George Will is oddly compelling. He is enough to make a girl become a conservative. ("Claire, stop with the craziness!")

Rachel Maddow is my favorite "liberal." She is cute and makes me laugh. I love how she sometimes will be delivering a story with a note of incredulity in her voice as if to say, "Dude, I can't believe it either!?"

When she had on Pat Buchanan yesterday, I did not think that they would agree with each other, but I did not think that I would start banging my head against the computer like I did.

(Note: Rachel is NOT the one who made me want to bang my head against a wall.)

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Things I Should be Blogging About

2009-07-15T13:06:00.007+02:00

These days I have my head in a book and my eyes on my laptop. Unfortunately, I have not be able to enjoy the lazy days of summer because I am working on a research paper. I need to finish is by the end of the month in order to have time to edit before my presentation in September.

So I have not blogged about the things that may be note worthy, such as . . .

1. Governor Palin's resignation. I do not care how she spins it, she is quitting her job. Now, she may be quitting her job to pursue another one or because ethics complaints have made it difficult or she is running out of money or she is sick of media scrutiny of her family. But make no mistake, she is quitting. I just do not want to see her in four years running for president. Sometimes you do have to hunker down and keep going in the face of criticism. Clinton did not resign. Heck, even Bush did not resign and lord knows that his numbers were not good at the end. The voters trusted you, Ms. Palin. How are they supposed to trust you again.

2. If she did resign because of media scrutiny, I do understand that. Take the recent Vanity Fair article. It was a model of non-journalism and all around hatchet job. There was nothing new and only innuendo. Sad really.

I make fun of Fox, Rush, Ann C. and the like, but really anyone yelling at me and making stupid remarks annoys me; thus Keith Olbermann also makes my hair hurt and why won't Chris Matthews tone it down a notch? Vanity Fair used to be my favorite magazine, but now I am not so sure.

3. The Sotomayor confirmation hearings are underway providing a bit of political theater for those on vacation. I cannot figure out what Lindsey Graham's problem is. Yesterday he sat like a cat ready to pounce. He asking stupid questions ("Do you know what realism means? What is a strict constructionist?). He does know that she went to law school, right? He called her a bully while bullying her. "Do you have the temperament to be on the court?" Well, she did not throw things at you after 30 minutes of condescending conversation, so I would say that she is covered. By the way, Sen. Graham, would you ask a man those questions?

4. The German is on vacation and able to take on the Dude more often so that I can get some work done. Loving Husband points are starting to add up. Oddly enough, our little one, who would sleep all the time, is going through sleeptus-interuptus stage. Around 1am or 2am he wakes up and starts talking to himself. This goes on for about an hour or two before going back to sleep. Normally he would then sleep until 8am, but these days he is up at 6:50am. You could set your watch by it. Hopefully it will pass soon.

5. I took up a cooking challenge from Christina over at AmiExpat . My Red Berry Pudding (Rote Grütze) is not the exact same recipe that she used. I had four different kinds of berries (blackberries, strawberries, red currants, raspberries) and no cinnamon. Still tasty and all homemade, even the vanilla sauce that made with real vanilla bean!

6. Summer means bathing beauties, and it has been hard getting the Dude out of the water.

Hooray for Hannover!

2009-07-06T12:11:00.011+02:00

There has been a lot going on behind the scenes of the expat blogging community. Through a democratic process, the next Whiny Expat Blogger Meet-up is scheduled for September 4 - 6, 2009 in Munich . . . and I cannot go. I was very upset that this weekend of fun was scheduled for the only time that I have to do something (i.e. I am presenting a paper at a conference).

In an effort to see some old friends and maybe make some new ones, a few of us decided to have a mini meet up in Hannover. The German thought that a short weekend in Hannover would be the perfect first "family vacation" in which all three of us would sleep in a hotel.

It went . . . great!

Saturday morning we left for Hannover. We took the back roads and made really good time while enjoying the scenery. Just as the Dude had had enough of being in the car (two hours), we arrived at our hotel. The Hotel am Entenfang is actually outside of the city, but close to an SBahn that took us directly into the city. I would definitely recommend this hotel to families. Although not spectacular, our room was HUGE and clean, the reception was modern and airy. Everyone at the reception was very friendly and they put a crib in our room, and the breakfast the next day was fresh and filling.

We got a family package via the Hannover Zoo that was only 105 Euro for our room, breakfast, two tickets to the Hannover Zoo and a complementary bottle of mineral water. We arrived at 9:30am and thought we could at least park the car, but they let us check-in, drop off our bags and freshen up.

Off to the city we headed. We were met at the train station by Mausi and Dixie. Sadly, the rest of the gang (Jen, Alice and G) had to cancel at the last minute. "Should I take it personally?" the German asked. "No, sweetie, you know how it is; kids happen."

The four of us though walked and laughed and talked and were utterly charmed by the Dude. I was actually able to let go and just enjoy myself. If the Dude did not want to sleep, I considered it his problem. However, he is such a good kid, he took two 30 minute naps in his stroller; just enough to recharge his battery. First, we went to the park at the spectacular "new" Rathaus.

Lunch was scheduled at the Block Haus, which was just a short walk away. We went early as we were all starving! The restaurant was also super family friendly. The Dude flirted with the waitress and walked out with free toys!

As nice as the waitress was, she was also one of those Butt-in-skis who comes over to tell you how to parent your kid. The Dude still gets his pacifier as a soothing mechanism, and after he started to get fussy and I tried to finish my lunch, I popped it in. The waitress came over twice (!!) and took it out of his mouth and said, "Now don't you look better." I wanted to say, "It keeps him calm, but if you are comfortable with a screaming baby, so am I."

We headed to the Marschsee next and watched the carp fight over the rest of the Dude's breakfast roll. He got a real kick out of that; kept pointing "Oh! Oh!" As the four of us sat and enjoyed the sun and a beverage, I noticed smell coming from the stroller. Off in search for a changing table I went, but all I found was a shifty bathroom. When God gives you lemons . . .

I proceed to change the Dude while he was still strapped into his stroller. The back of the chair does not go all the way down, but I was able to pull out his butt and take off the diaper. Of course it was a big, stinky one. I used all of the wipes in my bag to get him and the stroller cleaned up. Two elegantly dressed women with large hats walked in. One of them actually wrinkled her nose when she saw the Dude's diaper. As I was about to get defensive, their dog walked into the bathroom and tried to sniff my crotch! That brought them down a notch.

After a lovely afternoon, it was time for us all to head our separate ways. We took the SBahn back to the hotel, and then came the biggest test of the weekend: How to Handle Bedtime.

Because the Dude has slept in his own room since he was 3 months old, I was not sure how he would handle being in a room with mom and dad. Neither of us wanted to go to bed with him at 7pm, which is his normal bed time. So we decided to let him roam the room as we sat on the beds watching TV. By 8pm, he needed to go to bed. We turned off all the lights and put him the crib and laid on our bed. The Dude stood up, stared at us and started crying. Do you blame him?

After 30 minutes, I decided to take a different tactic. The German got two beers and we went into the bathroom and closed the door. We drank beer and read the free newspaper. Within 10 minutes the Dude had gone to sleep. At 9pm I snuck back into the bedroom to go to sleep. Unfortunately, the German's snoring habit was a problem. He decided to take one for the team and sleep in the bathtub.

The Dude slept through the night no problem and I also got at least a good six hours. By 6am the Dude was awake, and I knew I would have to get up. I rolled over and saw the German. Huh? Turns out that the temperature of the bathroom kept going up and by 3am he could not take it anymore. I felt terrible that he did not come into the room earlier.

After showers and breakfast, we headed to the Hannover Zoo. I know that at a year-and-a-half the Dude cannot really appreciate it, but we wanted to do something as a family. It was so much fun!! The giraffes were the most impressive for the Dude, as well as the goats at the petting zoo. A 6 year old was terrified to go in, but our little one has no fear.

The Hannover Zoo is large. Between the feedings, shows, play grounds, boat tour and animals, you could easily spend a day there. But after lunch at 1pm we hit the road and headed home. The Dude slept the entire way.

It was, all around, one of the best ways to spend the 4th of July weekend, by making new memories with my family. There were no fireworks, but I could not have asked for more.

Sexual Politics: The Part that Involves Actual Sex

2009-06-30T12:20:00.006+02:00

You did not think that I forgot about this doofus, did you?

I have done a lot of thinking about Mr. Sanford and his lady problems. In the end I came to a conclusion: I do not think that politician should have to resign his or her post if they cheat on their spouse. If they did, there would not be any politicians left.

When the story first broke, I remembered a clip that I watched on The View. (Why do I watch "The View" online? I don't know. It is like a giant train wreck that I cannot turn away from.) Anyway, the young one, Elisabeth, made the comment, "If someone breaks that most sacred covenant, marriage, how are we supposed to trust him to lead?" Boy, is she going to be in a rude awakening if she ever finds her husband cheating on her.

However, I think her comment is typical of American views regarding politicians and marital fidelity. Americans often expect their politicians to be Übermenschen. These Supermen never cheat on their wives, are not over weight, do not smoke and always put the interest of the little guy first. On the other hand, Americans want politicians who "are just like them." Therein lies the contradiction.

Europeans have a decidedly different view of these matters. Your private life is your private life. Period. Nicolas Sarkozy left his wife and children to marry a supermodel, and he is still President of France. If anything, the French love their new first lady. Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was on his third or fourth wife when he was first elected. I am not sure which, It was hard to keep track sometimes.

The Governor of my lovely Bundesland, Lower Saxony, is an even better example. When Christian Wulff was first elected in 2003, his campaign featured large posters of the handsome young politician and his beautiful wife and daughter. In 2006 he left his wife for his new girlfriend and in 2007 he was divorced. By the end of 2007 his girlfriend was pregnant. In January 2008 he was reelected, in March got married, and in May had a son. The only person who found this all a tad strange (i.e. portraying himself as a family man to get elected and then leaving his wife and living with his pregnant girlfriend) was me. The Germans never batted an eyelash.

Sadly, spouses cheat on each other. This does not disqualify a person from being an elected official and is something left behind closed doors. As I approach my 5th wedding anniversary and watch my toddler getting bigger, the black and white view that I had about cheating has gotten a lot grayer.

However, leaving your family, including your four sons, over Father's Day weekend to visit your mistress in Argentina and not tell anyone, which you know will lead to wild speculation, and then using the story of King David to defend yourself . . . well, that just makes you an IDIOT, and may be a reason to step down.

Jobs and Kids and yada, yada, yada

2009-06-28T13:02:00.007+02:00

It is 1pm on a Sunday afternoon. The Dude got up a little early this morning, so he was pretty tired when I put him down at 11am for a nap. He is still sleeping. My biggest blessing in the world (besides my sexy, super husband) is a baby who LOVES to nap.

So I just spent a few hours working on my research newsletter and putting together some emails for work. Still need to print out the test I am giving in my English class tomorrow, but then I am done for work for the day. I even had about 20 minutes to eat a diet pudding and surf the Internet. I came across this.

Thought provoking and right on so many levels.

Up this afternoon: the pool with the boys. When the Dude goes to bed tonight at 7, I will probably do another hour of work and then sit on my patio with the German and a bottle of wine.

I will never be a tenured professor, but when I think of all that I have, I am completely okay with it.

In Memoriam

2009-06-26T12:29:00.005+02:00

The stuff I wanted to write about it going to take a back seat for a few hours.

Last night I turned off my computer around 10:15pm. It had been a productive and simple day. The German was flicking through the channels and I went upstairs to bed.

Around 7am I was awoken by the Dude stirring. As always, I went downstairs to get him a glass of milk and put on the morning coffee (or Mama's Juice as we call it). Every morning I turn on my computer and have a quick look at the headlines and email before heading back upstairs to get the boys up.

My landing page, Yahoo, said, "He died too young," and there was a picture of Michael Jackson. Huh? I knew that Farrah Fawcett had died the day before, so I thought they had mixed up the information. But, no, it was true, the King of Pop was gone.

It was very strange. When I told the German, he just sort of stared. We both grew up listening to Michael Jackson. For some he was the Jackson 5, for me was always the guy on the cover of "Bad." The German said to me, "You know I always thought that he would die young and I wondered what it would be like. But this is just unexpected."

Farrah was just a few years before my time, but Michael Jackson's success in the 80's and early 90's, as well as the rise of MTV, were part of the soundtrack of my youth. When everyone was just standing in front of a camara swaying to music, he made music videos into movies.

About seven years ago, when the German and I first met, we hung out a lot at my apartment in Oldenburg. One night we watched the controversial documentary in which he argued that there was nothing wrong with children sharing his bedroom. Back then the German and I wondered aloud about how sad and lost he looked. For a man that had everything, in the end he had nothing.

Say what you will about his private life, but he endured a lot as a child and always soldiered on with his music. Perhaps he did make mistakes, big ones. But in the end, not even music was not enough. He was just too darned tired.

I hope you find your peace, Michael.

I know the words to so many of my songs, so picking the best is difficult, but this is definitly one of my favorites. Hit it.

Et Tu, Governor?

2009-06-24T22:25:00.002+02:00

Do you know this guy?

So do I. In fact, I voted for him once a long time ago. You KNOW I have got something to say about this. However, I am tried and do not want to get myself all worked up. Therefore, I will be back tomorrow to deal with this insanity.

(I think he looks strangely like Dad-Squared. Although I am confident that Dad-Squared was not in Argentina over the weekend.)

If Only

2009-06-24T20:52:00.001+02:00

This would be really good when watching the news these days.

(Shamelessly taken from cuteoverload.com, one of my favorite websites!)

We sprechen Dinglish

2009-06-16T22:24:00.003+02:00

Before the Dude was even a sparkle in my eye, I made a firm decision to raise my child to be bilingual. I read lots of blogs and even got some books. There are two primary theories. First, the household language stipulates that the entire household speaks one language, usually that which is not the community language outside. Second, the one-parent one-language philosophy argues that each parent should speak their native language with the child. The former is the most popular with bilingual families and what we chose to pursue.

For me this decision was completely natural as it was totally unnatural to speak German to my child. Also, I did not know any songs in German so instead of silence I picked American nursery rhymes. The German speaks German to the Dude.

Because I am the only English speaker the Dude knows, I reinforce the language via books, CDs, and DVDs. Baby Einstein (particularly Baby Noah these days) is very popular in our house. Also, I speak English with the Dude everywhere, not just at home: the local swimming pool, play group, even the grocery store. As a result I speak more English at home at the German has even picked up more. Since giving birth, the amount of German in the home has actually decreased.

Out of this has come a Deutsch-English mix: Dinglish. As I reported, the Dude has indeed started to talk. Most of his vocabulary consists of words that exist in both languages: mama, papa, ball. Some words however are a bit different. I have taught him "thank you." For weeks he would say, "dank du." But now it comes out "danke," i.e. the German form.

His favorite word is "nein." I was a bit sad because I felt that the Dude was not picking up on English. Today he proved me wrong. I went to put him in his car seat so that we could go to the store. When I took his stuffed animal away in order to buckle the belt, he shouted, "No!" I was estatic. Later, after lunch, he looked at his empty plate and raised his palms, "Aww Ga." I think he was trying to say "all gone."

It appears that the Dude knows that Mama has a different language. It is our secret language and thus he must use those words with me. He knows to switch with people who do not use the secret language. Maybe I am just a really proud mom, but there is a light on behind those eyes which makes me very happy.

Over the weekend we had a visitor. A good friend from Canada came to see the sites in Wildeshausen. After that 30 minutes we spent most of the time just hanging out. It blew the Dude's world that someone else spoke the secret language. He was very shy and did not know what to say. But he is after all, my son, so he was able to babble regardless.

I am a big kid now.

2009-06-09T15:23:00.001+02:00

I am a big kid now.
Originally uploaded by govt23

Life goes on here in Wildeshausen. Lots of funny things to report, but I cannot seem to get motivated to write. I actually have a list of blogs in my head. Must put them on paper . . . or html . . . or whatever the internet is.

Until then, the Dude just keeps getting bigger and bigger. For those who are counting, and those that are not, he is 16 months old. He can walk, talk, drink out of his cup. A real big kid.

And Germany Goes Down in Flames

2009-05-27T12:22:00.002+02:00

No, this post is not about World War II. It is about how completely absurd competitions between countries can be. And no, I am not talking about Germany's embarrassing entry in this year's Eurovision Song Contest, which involved a stripping Dita Von Tiese.

It was the World's Beard Competition that caught my eye. Watch in wonder and shake your head at the stupidity.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Inside My Studio

2009-05-25T21:48:00.005+02:00

Around the time the Dude was Born, the German and I started to get a few new channels via the satellite subscription service. We initially got the service so that I could watch Notre Dame get pummeled in football on ESPN America (then NASN). But I was happily surprised when I discovered West Wing reruns on FOX.

At first I thought, "How good could FOX be?" But The Practice was there, as well as Lost. Unfortunately when I watch Lost, I feel, well lost. Watching West Wing on Monday nights has become a ritual for me. The German hates it. Not because it is bad, but the English is VERY fast. After a few episodes during which the German would repeatedly ask, "What did he say? What did he say?" and I would get angry and tell him to shut up, we decided it was best that the West Wing be a solo ritual.

RTL Living has also been a nice discovery. There a lot of great cooking shows, although they are dubbed. A few months ago they started showing Inside the Actor's Studio, which has also become a favorite. Sure they are a few years old and have subtitles, but I love hearing English and people talking about one of my favorite subjects: the movies.

Tonight I watched Salma Hayek talk to James Lipton. Boy, she is fantastic . . . and hot.

One of my favorite parts of the show is the end, when Mr. Lipton asks the actors a series of questions. The questionnaire concept was originated by Bernard Pivot, which he adapted from Proust. These simple questions reveal a lot about a person. I am sharing mine with you. Feel free to chime in with your own answers.

1. What is your favorite word?
Hope

2. What is your least favorite word?
C*** I hate the word so much that I can not even spell it.

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Conversation and laughter

4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Hunger

5. What sound or noise do you love?
My son's laughter

6. What sound or noise do you hate?
A child in pain

7. What is your favorite curse word?
Scheisse. The German equivalent is so much better. It is longer and you can say it with more feeling.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
A professional chef or pastry baker

9. What profession would you not like to do?
A tax accountant

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Not too shabby.

Much Ado about a Speech

2009-05-17T20:03:00.001+02:00

When President Obama was announced as this year’s commencement speaker at the University of Notre Dame . . . well I am sure you have heard by now. It was a betrayal of monumental proportions to invite the pro-choice Obama to speak at a Catholic university. Never mind that he is the President of the United States; the first African-American president at that.

As a Notre Dame alum, I felt . . . jealous. I will be honest. Jealousy was my strongest emotion. “Why on earth didn’t the President speak at my commencement?!” After 6 years of hard graduate work and writing a 358 page book, the speaker at my graduation was Vartan Gregorian, President of the Carnegie Corporation. Granted, Mr. Gregorian did a fine job, however at the time, I only wanted a big, sexy name.

I can honestly tell you that I cannot remember what he said. I also cannot remember what Tim Russert said when I got my MA, and he was a big name. For the record, the former head of the US National Park Service, who gave the commencement address at my undergrad is also a blur. However, I do remember him saying that there are 391 national parks, and I swear to God, he started naming them! He stopped after 10.

My point is this, commencement speakers have two important roles to fill. First, they are the name that you will brag (or not) about later (“Yeah, well so and so spoke at my graduation.”). Second, their speeches should dole out a few words of wisdom and perhaps a few jokes. And they should be short. I do not believe that Obama’s speech will in anyway be “lasting,” “monumental,” or a “deal breaker.”

I do not think that the University of Notre Dame was making any kind of statement when it asked President Obama to give a commencement address. Eisenhower, Kennedy, Carter, Reagan, Bush all spoke at Notre Dame graduations. And if you can get the President of the United States to speak at your graduation, you get him. The President only gives 2 commencement speeches a year. 2. Wouldn’t you want your university to be one of them?

Certainly the abortion debate resonates on a Catholic campus. But Obama’s stance on war and poverty are totally in line with Catholic social teaching. Father Theodore Hesburgh, former President of the University of Notre Dame and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, was a strident member of the civil rights movement. I am certain that he will be happy to see President Obama, even though the two may differ on this issue. Notre Dame may be a Catholic University, but it is a university. Debate should be encouraged and not squelched.

When it comes to Presidential speeches, SOMEONE is going to protest. In fact, when Bush spoke at Notre Dame, there was also a protest; an anti-war protest. Come to think of it several of my friends went to that protest.

So, yeah, I am going to watch the speech and be jealous. Those kids have no idea how good they have it. Try to impress your friends with the number of national parks in the US. Does not really work.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T15:05:00.002+02:00

It's funny because its true. Even if you are not a mom, you have one. Happy Mother's Day to all of them.

Libertarian Paradise

2009-05-06T20:01:00.000+02:00

He can expolde from the other end, too.

2009-04-28T07:52:00.004+02:00

I was going to write a post later in the week updating you on all the things the Dude has learned to do over the past few weeks. Last night, however, he demonstrated a new trick that could not wait.

We are very blessed with our baby. He is such a good sleeper, so when he gets restless in the night, I often worry. The exploding poop, thankfully, was just a small blip. It also proved to be a coming attraction.

Around 1:30am this morning I awoke to the sound of the Dude crying. It was nothing heavy duty, more of a mewing really. Sometimes he throws his teddy bear out of the crib and wants it back later. So I got up and stumbled down the hall. I turned on the hall light and stepped into his room. I could smell the vomit from the doorway.

As I looked down in his crib, the Dude looked up at me with tired eyes as if to say, "Mom . . . WTF!" He was clutching his bear and still had his pacifier in his mouth. Other than the fact that he was sleeping in the wrong direction, nothing seemed out of order; that and the vomit that was all over his clothes, bed and crib.

I immediately went into calm mommy mode. Because of the exploding poop incident, I always have fresh PJs, sheets, teddy bear and sleeping sack in the closet. I took everything out and put it on the bed. I got a wet towel to clean things up with and started to undress the Dude and strip the bed, putting the soiled items in a pile in the middle of the room.

The entire time only the hall light was on and all I made was soft soothing noises. This was intended to keep the Dude calm and from completely waking up. The German had to come in and help me finish making the bed. Everything took about 15 minutes, and remarkably, the Dude went right back to sleep.

Because the smell really grossed me out, I immediately put everything in the washing machine. After getting a drink I went back to bed, but I was WIDE AWAKE. Also, the smell of vomit had gotten into my skin and it was all I could think about.

I have no idea what brought that on last night. We have been weening him off formula and giving him regular milk. Needless to say, I gave him formula this morning.

This morning the Dude got up at 8am. When I went in he was still pretty sleepy. There was still the lingering smell and I realized that he had even hit the carpet, which led to me scrubbing on my hands and knees while the Dude pretended to climb Mount Mommy. From the position of the baby when I saw him (on his stomach laying in a crooked position) and the splatter of the vomit on the bed and floor, I determined that he must have been lying sideways on his stomach when he woke up and got sick . . . I could really work for CSI.

Motherhood, isn't it grand?

Someone You Should Know

2009-04-24T14:26:00.008+02:00

During my stay in Washington DC for Overseas Americans Week, I met a lot of interesting people. But one person stood out among the crowd, Paula.

Paula told me her story. It started out as a love story; girl meets boy. They got married and moved to his home in the Middle East. Everything was okay and they even had children. But on the inside the marriage was marred and damaged by domestic abuse.

Finally, in 1999, Paula fled with her children back to the United States. Unfortunately, it would take years of court battles, hiding and continued abuse before Paula and her family were safe. During that time she was confused about laws and sometimes could not find the help that she so desperately needed.

Out of her story, the American Domestic Violence Crisis Line was born. The crisis line is a nonprofit organization, which helps Americans living abroad who are experiencing domestic violence or child abuse.

It is the mission of The American Domestic Violence Crisis Line to serve Americans being abused in foreign countries.Our crisis line number is toll free internationally by calling the local AT&T operator from the country you are living in and asking to be connected to 866-USWOMEN . . .The American Domestic Violence Crisis Line, 866-USWOMEN, is the only international toll free domestic violence crisis line serving abused American women and children in both civilian and military populations overseas.

The work that they do is AMAZING! They offer three different kinds of services: outreach, safety planning, and support services. Being an American abroad can sometimes be a very isolating experience. Those that are experiencing domestic violence are even further isolated by feelings of fear and shame, which is what makes the crisis line so important.

When I met Paula, I asked here where most of the callers come from, and I was surprised by her answer. Although the most shocking cases are from the Middle East, most callers are actually located in Europe. I was stunned. I know so many American women married to Germans. Although we seem so happy, you never know what your friend is going through.

If you know an American living abroad who is in this situation please pass on this information. There is help available. Also, if you can, be sure to donate. Nonprofits such as this cannot do it alone.

The crisis line will also be visiting Germany in October to do training for individuals who would like to volunteer. Be sure to check my blog and their website for updates if your are interested.

As I looked through the site, I found this link, from a Today show appearance from May 2007. Click on the picture to open the video. It is something to think about.

A mother and a hero

I blame the Computer

2009-04-23T12:38:00.012+02:00

Yes, I know that my blogging has been somewhat sporadic over the past few months. 3 posts in January and 2 in March is pretty bad. Not only have I not been writing, but I have also not been reading others. I sort of went underground. But I do have an excuse; I blame the computer. No, my laptop did not die. I got a new one.

My old Toshiba is about 6 years old. My grandfather got it for me when I was doing my field research in Germany. He could not believe that I did not have internet access. "In this day and age!" The Old Girl served me well. The hard drive had to be replaced once, but other than that I did not see the need for a new one.

But, she started to get slower; not all of the new programs worked. Also, the keyboard was starting to stick and the word "Enter" was fading from view. As someone who has been in a long marriage, I started contemplating trading her in.

The New Yorker offered to help me out. Because I usually work more hours than I am paid, I had stocked up some credits. Buy getting me a laptop, we could even things out and she could deduct a company expense. It was a win-win situation. So, I took the plunge.

The New Toshiba is shiny and big. She is faster and has a better memory. But for the first few weeks I did not really use it. I felt like I was cheating on my old computer. Eventually though she lured me away from the past. Isn't she pretty?

Not everything about the "new" is good. For example, all of my blogged bookmarks are on the old laptop. Without the bookmarks, I did not think to check on my friends. Her speed got me addicted to watching TV on the net. Instead of writing, I ate potato chips and downloaded Grey's Anatomy (legally, from itunes, of course). The New Girl began to instigate some bad habits.

Yesterday I said, "Enough!" I went through my blog and updated my links. It is a good thing, too, because some of you have moved!

All in all I am satisfied with my New Girl, but I HATE Vista; well not so much Vista as the 2007 version of Microsoft Office. I cannot find anything! And its all in German! Ugh. I have decided to uninstall it and reinstall my English 2003 Office. It is a little bit better, and at least I can understand the help function if I cannot find something.

Furthermore, not all of my old software programs work on the New Girl. For example, there is no driver for my digital camera. I have to download all the pictures on the Old Girl and then transfer them. How screwed up is that! I feel like Microsoft is in cahoots with Fuji to force me to get a new camera.

So, I told you that I had an excuse about the blogging. I did not say that it was a good one. However, I am trying to mend my ways. Bear with me and we will figure things out.

"Hi, my name is Claire, and I am a new laptop abuser."

Twittering is for the Birds

2009-04-22T12:56:00.002+02:00

Back in February I visited Jen down in Boweltown. She introduced me to Tilman and he and Sparky tried to introduce me to some new technology. You see, I had no idea what “Twittering” was.

Twitter.com is a website that provides “micro-blogging” services. You can write a post, similar to a blog, but not no more than 140 characters. Started in 2006 (2007?), “twittering” has become the “it” thing to do in the internet.

I have decided that it is a load of crap.

First, Twittering is different from blogging in that it lends itself best to real time updates of important events. Blogging involves more of a narrative. When Brian Williams visited Jon Stewart at the Daily Show, he was asked if he “tweeted.” “Nothing in my life is that interesting.” If the anchor of the Nightly News does not have anything interesting to report, then my life certainly does not rank either.

Second, like Blogging and Facebook, Twitter seems to be an internet fad. My opinion on this was reinforced by the Ashton Kutcher vs. CNN smack down . . . not really . . . more of a one sided challenge that resulted in an anticlimactic end. When then next big thing comes along, I am certain that Ashton will move on with it and his 1 million tweets as well.

Finally, I am not sure that the constant 24 hour update is necessary. Do I really need to know what a congressman is thinking DURING the speech of the president? Couldn’t I just listen to the speech myself and form my own opinion and then may listen to him later?

Twitter, Facebook and other “social networks” reinforce those horrible high school experiences in which the person who has the most friends, i.e. popularity, wins. I spent years coming to terms with the fact that I don’t need to be everyone’s darling. Am I less of a person because I don’t have tweets? I am going with no.

When I joined Facebook, it was to get in touch with friends from the past. But in the past few months, it has only led to contacts from people I don’t remember or ex-boyfriends who dumped me but now want to be “friends.” It is frankly a little bizarre.

Are we there yet?

2009-04-04T02:00:00.002+02:00

What a long strange week it has been.

I came to DC to promote the voting rights of Americans living abroad. In the course of five days I met with congressmen and staffers, NGOs and bureaucrats, activists and interest groups. Although we all agree that citizens need to be able to vote, how you get there can be VERY different. In fact, it is going to take a few weeks to process everything.

Naturally, Murphy did have a good laugh at my expense at least once. On Wednesday, I left the place that I am staying early in the morning. I was in my brand new gray dress (which is very Michelle Obama and I LOVE it) and black heels. It was going to busy day. Along with my meetings I was supposed to give some remarks at a reception. Naturally, as I walked to the bus, I noticed that a run had started in my hose.

My first meeting was downtown and luckily there was a CVS across the street. The receptionist was nice and let me use the restroom to change. Unfortunately, the lock on the stall kept popping open. As I struggled with my hose, I had to keep pushing the door shut. The more I pushed, the further it popped open. With my dress around my waist and my hose around my knees I shoved hard and the door flew the other way. I teetered and like a tree being chopped, I fell out of the stall.

Thankfully no one witnessed my fall from grace and after about ten minutes I was able to get my self together. Naturally, I did not need the extra hose that I had bought and of course it poured rain the entire afternoon and my umbrella was in . . . . Naturally.

Overall it has been a successful trip, and now I am READY TO GO HOME! DC is like a universe unto itself. The German was frustrated that I did not have access to a land line so that we could chat. “Doesn’t anyone have a phone??” “No, sweetie, they all have Blackberries.” He now calls it Blackberry-City.

Being away has helped me come to a very important conclusion:

I am very happy with my life at the moment.

I have been in a funk, a fog for awhile. There was something itching, and I could not figure out what. Using my political science training again has given me a new sense of purpose. But nine days away from my boys makes me realize that they are the backbone of my life. They give me strength and energy and immeasurable amounts of love. When I reflect upon all that I gave up for my life in, I realize that I would not want to be anywhere else.

Flyin' Away

2009-03-27T06:41:00.004+01:00

In about two hours I am headed to the airport. I am going to be in Washington DC for 9 whole days; no German, no Dude.

Before you start thinking that I have gone crazy, know that I am going to be a delegate during Overseas Americans Week. This annual event is put together by the three largest organizations representing expat interests. We present our interest to congress in an attempt to make sure that people do not forget that almost 5 million Americans live abroad. And we have issues . . . not the kind that require therapy. I am going over to put in my two cents regarding voting issues.

At the beginning I was very excited about helping and participating, but now . . .

I woke up at 4am from a dream in which the Dude was crying and would not calm down. When he finally went to sleep (in my dream), we woke back up at 2am and only wanted to be with mom.

Yes, definite feelings of guilt there. If a man left his wife and one year old for a business trip, no one would comment. However, I feel like a the worst mother in the world to be going. The funny thing is, the other mom's in my play groups have been very supportive. "Big city? No baby? No husband? Take me with you!"

The German is also very supportive, although last night he looked at me with his panic face, "You are coming back right?" No worries, I will always come back for my boys.

The Curious Case of the Exploding Diarrhea

2009-03-17T11:34:00.003+01:00

When the Dude was still very small, we got lots of gifts. I got about 30 bibs, most of which I never used. My MIL brought over a liner for the bed. I could not imagine that it would be useful, but I smiled and said thanks and put it on the bed. Then I forgot about it for a year.

Because the Dude had not done enough to terrorize the family, he started exploding in the night about three weeks ago. That is when I learned why the liner was so important.

Three weeks ago, only a few days after his birthday, the Dude started crying around 3am. This is a little unusual as the Dude actually tends to sleep through the night. As soon as I opened the door, however, I could smell the difference. With only the nightlight to guide me I pulled off his blank to see that diarrhea was all over the bed. It had gone through the diaper, through the PJs, through the sleeping sack and onto the bed. Yes, imagine what a mess that was for a moment . . .

The German quickly joined me and we stripped the bed and the baby. It took about 45 minutes to get everything cleaned up and to put the baby back to bed. Yes, by that time we had turned on the light. But by 4am, the Dude thought this was all hilarious and did not want to go back to sleep.

But we are pretty tough parents and he cried until 4:45am until falling back asleep . . . in his bed. The Dude does not sleep with us ever. Our bed is a playpen for him and I certainly was not letting him in my bed after a display like that.

This pattern has repeated itself about 4 times over the past few weeks. Mostly though he waits until about 6am before exploding. How nice. We have tried EVERYTHING: bananas, taking away the milk, crackers, oatmeal, anything to put a cork in it so to speak. But the Dude is about as tough as his parents and the loose stool has ensued for 3 weeks.

For the first two weeks we could not figure out what was going on. Teething? Growth spurt? Latent anger at his parents? I did not take him to the doctor because there was really nothing wrong. He ate well. He had fun playing and going places. He laughed and giggled. And when not $hitting all over the place, he slept well.

Last Friday though I had had enough. We went to the doctor and she said, "Probably just a virus and it needs to run its course. These things usually take about 3 weeks." Well that is just great. However, today, three weeks to the day, he had a semi-normal poop. Yeah! I wanted to do a little dance.

Unfortunately, he has passed on this virus to everyone else in the family. My MIL and the German have had it since Friday. Me, I had it for 12 hours on Saturday. That's it. The German thinks that my cast iron stomach caused by the American junk food that I ate as a child has made me immune to these things. He may be right.

So . . . how have you been?

One

2009-02-22T13:56:00.005+01:00

My dearest Christopher,

How is it possible? I do not understand. How is it possible that in one short year you have gone from this:

to this:

It seems that we have met our greatest enemy: time. Every day you are stronger and more independent. You sit up and crawl away. That toy across the room is so much more interesting than mommy. You can put your toast with jam in your mouth all by yourself. No need for mommy's help.

Although I welcome every new step and rejoice in your development, today I am sad. With every step you make, I begin to realize that you will not always be my baby boy.

It has been quite a year. To be honest, there were days when I did not think that I would make it. There were days when you had me beat down. But with a smile or a giggle, the sleepiness and frustration would slip away. Sometimes I still look in the mirror and cannot believe that I am a mom. Sometime I look down at you and cannot believe that you are a part of me.

But in the morning hours when you nestle up into me and take your bottle in your hand, for at least 10 minutes there is just me and you. I love these moments more than you will ever know. The pediatrician said that we should stop giving you your morning bottle. But I can't just yet say goodbye to my baby boy and hello to my toddler. Perhaps you can indulge me for a few more months?

As sad as I am, I am so excited about the future. You explore your world with eyes so fresh and innocent that it makes me stop and enjoy the small moments. I cannot wait to show you things and teach you games and discover the world together.

So on this, your first birthday, I wish you much love and happiness, joy and health. It is but one year in your life, but it has been the world for me.

All my love,
Mom

True Words

2009-02-19T19:53:00.006+01:00

These days it is all about the Dude. That is because on Sunday we are celebrating his first birthday and I want everything to be perfect. Naturally that means that it won't. Also there was a vaccination and getting his hand slammed in the door; just your typical week. Some nights I feel so exhausted that I fall asleep by 9pm. When I saw this posted on Facebook, I could not help but laugh. She described my day perfectly. But she forgot my part-time job teaching English, plus the research and activism. I know I am forgetting something . . . oh, yeah, my husband!

For all my mommy friends, and mommies-to-be, this made me laugh.

(First Published in the Washington Post Wednesday, May 23, 2007; Page C10)

Carolyn:

Best friend has child. Her: exhausted, busy, no time for self, no time for me, etc. Me (no kids): Wow. Sorry. What'd you do today? Her: Park, play group . . .

Okay. I've done Internet searches, I've talked to parents. I don't get it. What do stay-at-home moms do all day? Please no lists of library, grocery store, dry cleaners . . . I do all those things, too, and I don't do them EVERY DAY. I guess what I'm asking is: What is a typical day and why don't moms have time for a call or e-mail? I work and am away from home nine hours a day (plus a few late work events) and I manage to get it all done. I'm feeling like the kid is an excuse to relax and enjoy -- not a bad thing at all -- but if so, why won't my friend tell me the truth? Is this a peeing contest ("My life is so much harder than yours")? What's the deal? I've got friends with and without kids and all us child-free folks get the same story and have the same questions.

Tacoma, Wash.

Relax and enjoy. You're funny.

Or you're lying about having friends with kids.

Or you're taking them at their word that they actually have kids, because you haven't personally been in the same room with them.

Internet searches?

I keep wavering between giving you a straight answer and giving my forehead some keyboard. To claim you want to understand, while in the same breath implying that the only logical conclusions are that your mom-friends are either lying or competing with you, is disingenuous indeed.

So, since it's validation you seem to want, the real answer is what you get. In list form. When you have young kids, your typical day is: constant attention, from getting them out of bed, fed, clean, dressed; to keeping them out of harm's way; to answering their coos, cries, questions; to having two arms and carrying one kid, one set of car keys, and supplies for even the quickest trips, including the latest-to-be-declared-essential piece of molded plastic gear; to keeping them from unshelving books at the library; to enforcing rest times; to staying one step ahead of them lest they get too hungry, tired or bored, any one of which produces the kind of checkout-line screaming that gets the checkout line shaking its head.

It's needing 45 minutes to do what takes others 15.

It's constant vigilance, constant touch, constant use of your voice, constant relegation of your needs to the second tier.

It's constant scrutiny and second-guessing from family and friends, well-meaning and otherwise. It's resisting constant temptation to seek short-term relief at everyone's long-term expense.

It's doing all this while concurrently teaching virtually everything -- language, manners, safety, resourcefulness, discipline, curiosity, creativity. Empathy. Everything.

It's also a choice, yes. And a joy. But if you spent all day, every day, with this brand of joy, and then, when you got your first 10 minutes to yourself, wanted to be alone with your thoughts instead of calling a good friend, a good friend wouldn't judge you, complain about you to mutual friends, or marvel how much more productively she uses her time. Either make a sincere effort to understand or keep your snit to yourself.

Birth of an Activist

2009-02-11T20:22:00.005+01:00

Way back in August / September my inner politics junkie woke up. The election held me captive and I spent hours reading everything I could find. Seriously everything from Huffington Post to National Review. Because I love a good argument, I will go almost anywhere. Except here. I never go here.

I wanted to get involved and jump into the fray, but my tiny town in Germany did not leave many options. Thank goodness the Internet stepped in.

First, I discovered American Citizens Abroad. I stumbled across the site as I was researching the impact of tax legislation on Americans living overseas. This organization is dedicated to protecting the rights of those that live far away but hope one day . . .

After I volunteered to help, they were excited to hear about my political science background. They sent me off to the Overseas Vote Foundation and Susan, who would quickly change my life.

OVF is a non-profit, non-partisan organization which provides Americans abroad with the information they need to vote. They provide forms and addresses and answer your questions via the help desk. Because of my background I was put on help desk duty. The Dude had finally started to develop a regular nap schedule and all I did was surf the net anyway. It is profoundly rewarding to help someone get their ballot. And, yes, I helped both Obama AND McCain voters.

In December OVF initiated their two post election surveys; one of voters and one of elections officials. The surveys are designed to help pin-point problems in the process in order to facilitate policy recommendations and also improve voter services. In January, I began helping analyze the data and writing the report.

What is that line in the Godfather? "Every time I think I am out they pull me back in." Two years ago I thought that I had shut the door on that part of my life. But just because academia was no longer in the cards did not mean that I could not be active in other ways. In fact, it seems odd that I did not try this before.

I have taken to this roll like a duck to . . . well, you get the picture. I literally spent sleepless nights last month trying to get the report into shape. This is why I have not been blogging. Last week the report was released at a press conference, which you can read the report here. It was very successful and even quoted in the New York Times and Stars and Stripes.

My research and work has even led me to re-join the American Political Science Association and I submitted a paper proposal to the annual conference. No word yet on if it was accepted, but fingers are still crossed.

Did I mention that I am not getting paid for any of this? I am also doing some volunteer work for ACA. My involvement in these organizations has been the most fulfilling part of my life in the past six months. It has given me the opportunity to use skills that I had written off and made me realize why I studied politics in the first place.

What is this all leading to? I have no idea. I am still teaching English, because day care is not free (even if the Oct-o-Mama seems to think so). In fact I am taking more hours on. For the time being I am taking it one day at a time. There is a new glimmer on the horizon. I am not sure where it will take me, but I think I will enjoy the ride.

Denial: Not Just a River in Africa

2009-02-10T12:41:00.006+01:00

I was going to write about the research project that I have been involved in. But then I saw a video clip and decided that bringing the crazy was a much better idea.

Although I have not blogged regularly over the past few months, I have kept my eyes open for potential stories. One of those stories involves the Octuplet Mama, Nadya Suleman. She has been debated all over the blog0sphere, but it was her interview yesterday that was the final straw for me.

Honestly another multiple birth was not shocking. They seem to occur more often these days. However, the more I read the more shocked I got. Nadya is a single mom. She does not have a job or a source of income. She has six other children. One of them is autistic. She lives with her parents. Her father is going to Iraq to support the children.

All of these things made me angry. It all seems so selfish and irresponsible. As I watched her interview with Ann Curry with NBC, my worries seemed to be confirmed.

First let me point out that I think Nadya made a few good points. She is right, very few people would be judging her if she were married or in a relationship. If it is okay for couples to have large families, why not a single mom? I have good friends who are single moms. They love their children with a passion that is hard to match. But they also struggle financially and emotionally to support their kids. And oh yeah, each of my friends only has one baby; 14 would probably make them explode.

Thus, I do not think it is about whether an individual is single or in a relationship, but rather if they are able to handle a large family. Nadya does not appear to be able to support her children. When asked, "How are you going to feed them?" Her response was, "I will do it in my way." What does that mean? PB&J until the kids are in college? Will Jesus return to earth and multiply fish?

Second she did point out that being "present" for her kids and making them her top priority was the most important thing. She is right and many people do not do this with their kids. But she is delusional if she thinks that she alone can be "present" for 14 kids, all the while going back to school to provide for them.

When asked why she wanted to have such a large family, she responded that she was so lonely as a single child. She needed connections. Dude, have one or two and then get a dog! Having children because you do not feel connected to other people is dangerous. It is about as bad as having a child to save a marriage. I also have friends who tried that. It never worked.

In the end she sort of reminded me of individuals who have lots of cats or dogs. I don't mean just a few, but the crazy cat lady who does not talk to anybody and keeps getting more and more cats. That is actually a mental health issue and I am deeply troubled that her fertility doctor did not explore these problems with her.

Some good friends of ours are in the process of trying IVF and I have others who are desperately trying to get pregnant. They just want ONE little baby to love and cherish. Our friends are loving professional couples, who have excelled at everything but making babies. I cannot even bring this topic up to them because I am afraid of the reaction. Jealousy. And sadness. Those 14 kids have a long road ahead with a "present" yet delusional mother who may not be able to provide for them. Love don't put meat on the table. And our friends have plenty of love but no one to give it to.

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A Friend in Need

2009-02-09T19:40:00.004+01:00

Last weekend I took a little trip to Boweltown. It was my first trip alone; away from my boys. The Dude was packed off to Oma and Opa's and the German geared up for an evening of fun with his soccer buddies. Jen was the reason for my excursion.

For those of you who do not read her blog, HeisseScheisse, she is a dear American Ex-pat who is currently 9 weeks from the arrival of her very own little one. (Yes, a baby; not a cat.) We have chatted over the past few months and I noticed a bit of panic in her voice. The baby's room is not done. She is not sure what to do about the mid-wife. And who made all those stupid rules about no Epidural anyway!

I know that angst. It took over my brain a year ago, but thank GOD my little one is almost a year old. However, I jumped in the car and prepared to help my friend by joining that most prestigious of clubs, Mothers Who Know Better Than You (aka the Most Annoying Women on the Planet).

Over the course of the weekend I convinced her that not all baby furniture in Germany is hideous and the majority of the stuff they sell at the drug store is crap. I am not sure how much I helped, but it was amazing to me to reflect on how much I have learned over the past year.

The funny thing is, I was not the friend doing the helping. I was the friend getting the help.

You see, I have been in a bit of a funk ever since Christmas (hence my very irregular blogging). As the Dude turns 1, he is getting increasingly independent, and so am I. I feel ready to do more work and venture out into the world. I am letting go of some of the control issues with the baby, and trying to take on more. Unfortunately, I feel a giant identity crisis coming on.

As I drove down to Boweltown, I popped in my favorite Beatles CD. I played that CD at the beginning of every road trip I took in the US, which feels like several life times ago. One the one hand I felt like the old me, but on the other hand I realized that I can never be that person again. I am Mom.

The past few month have been like a holding pattern. There may be changes on the horizon, but I am not sure what or when. I am trying to figure out the next move but cannot get a good grasp of the game board. I have been using WAY too many metaphors . . .

I will fill you in on what I have been up to the past few months. Jen got me energized again. A friend, in deed. But until then I will curl up in a button down and drink a cup of tea.

PS I know what you are thinking. NO! I am not pregnant.

Fourth Foto

2009-01-28T12:20:00.006+01:00

After wiping the snot off the Dude's face and putting him to bed, I realized that I had not updated the blog in a week. Thank goodness that the lovely Carol tagged me for a meme, because I have had enough of the baby cold.

Now, for this meme I was supposed to go to the 4th folder on my computer and pick the fourth picture, post the picture and comment. Obviously I need to get out more, because the instructions confused me.

Are we talking the 4th folder on my "desktop" or the 4th folder under "my documents?" Do I need to pull up the hard drive list and see what is listed there? Perhaps they mean the fourth folder under "my pictures." Surely this is not supposed to be difficult.

The fourth fold under "my documents" is labeled "inlingua" and contains no pictures, just old English lesson plans. The fourth folder on my "desktop" is labeled "Chris." Now that is more like it. Here is the 4th photo.

This picture was taken when the Dude was about two weeks old. I love it because it reminds me that there was a time when he could not get around on his own and now he gets into EVERYTHING. Also, I used this picture to send out thank you notes for all of the baby gifts we received. The outfit was from the Dude's Crazy Aunt Carrie. It was so adorable and I was sad when it no longer fit him. Note that in the picture he has a peach fuzz. This hair fell out about a week later leaving him looking like Kojak for months. The hair situation is still pretty thin, but it is getting better. God, was he really that small??

Just for a laugh, the fourth picture in the fourth folder under "my pictures" is this. Creative I am not.

Things You Don't Want to Hear from your Pediatrician

2009-01-21T20:42:00.008+01:00

"So, Claire, where ya' been?" "Oh, ya' know. Doin' stuff."

Actually we have been pretty sick over here these days, and I blame it all on the German. Last Monday (i.e. 9 days ago) he came down with the flu. Instead of calling in sick he actually went to work. They sent him home. After forcing him to go to the doctor on Tuesday, he went back to work on Thursday. I have no idea why he did this. He was clearly still ill, and he has his life sentence now. The worst they can do to him is give him all early morning classes; which he already has.

Over the weekend I got hit. I had a temperature Saturday and Sunday and basically felt like I had been hit by a truck. By Sunday evening, my fever had broke, but the Dude was getting started. The Dude's temperature went up on Monday morning (i.e. two days ago) so off we went to the pediatrician.

She said that it was probably a virus and not much that could be done. Then she took a really long q-tip and swabbed the back of his throat.

"I just want to send this to the lab to see what he has." Seemed reasonable to me. But she kept talking.

"Don't worry, you don't have to pay for it. It goes to the state health department. They like to keep track of what is going around and this could be interesting."

I am guessing she could see the alarm in my face. "Oh, if it is too bad, I'll give you a call."

Monday night, Tuesday morning the Dude's temperature skyrocketed. I was up with him most of the night rocking him and trying to make him comfortable, when it was clear that he was not. At 4:30am, the German got up and wrapped cool, wet towels around the Dude's legs. All day Tuesday the baby cried and refused to eat. Luckily the world's best mother-in-law came over to watch him for a few hours so that I could take a nap; after all I was not exactly 100% myself.

Just in time to watch Obama and the Chief Justice screw up the oath of office, the Dude's fever broke. Today he actually ate and played, but still has a wicked cough. Then the pediatrician called.

"There were two things in the report. First influenza and then a virus." She seemed very relieved when I told her that the baby was doing better. "I almost never see something that bad." Our little one is such an over achiever.

It struck me yesterday that every time I watch Obama make a major speech, this household gets really ill. When he does the State of the Union, I am staying as far away from the TV as possible.

The German and I actually enjoyed watch the pomp and circumstance, and the fierce hats. I thought Sascha and Malia were the most adorable kids ever, and make me almost want to have another baby just so I can buy one of those coats. I was also really digging Michele's green gloves. Even better than the speeches though, was the benediction. The Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery is a civil rights legend, but also very touching.

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around... when yellow will be
mellow... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what
is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen.

Amen.

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In One Piece, Part II

2009-01-07T13:44:00.001+01:00

Merry Christmas
Originally uploaded by govt23

We made it home to Germany in one piece. It too was an odyssey that involved a late plane, missing connection, last seat on the plane, forgotten passports and lost luggage. Perhaps the vomiting was better.

The trip home was lovely, but things have been so up and down since we got back that I have not been motivated to write. But the German when back to work today and I have an English lesson tomorrow, so I guess the vacation is over. I will write more later but thought I would leave you with some be-lated Christmas cheer.

This is the Dude and my niece, Special K. They really hit it off while we were in the U.S.

In One Piece

2008-12-20T17:50:00.005+01:00

Yes, we did make it to the U.S. in one piece. Unfortunately, I left a little piece of myself all over United Airlines.

On Thursday morning the Dude woke up with no idea that the day would be filled with so much change and adventure. We left for the Bremen airport at 8am (German time). Even though I had called the airline twice over the past few months in order to reserve a bulkhead seat, they repeatedly told me that I could only do it when we checked in. In Bremen the Lufthansa representative could not access the United computer system and we had to take the seats that we could get. "Check in at the gate in Frankfurt. They will help you." Uh, huh. Sure they will.

Everything went really well with our Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt, but then it was pretty much down hill from there. At the Frankfurt airport we had no idea where our connection was and how to get there. We spent half an hour wandering aimlessly. Good thing that we had such a long lay over. The Dude slept for about an hour and we all had some lunch.

As I predicted, the gate only opened up an hour and half before departure time and I finally got an answer about the bulkhead seat. "Oh, no. Those are already reserved. You have to call in advance." "Really, that is not what they said the two times that I called." Economy plus was all they could do for us. When it was time to board the plane, there was no pre-boarding for people with small children. In fact, boarding was pretty much a free for all, with the German and the Dude getting trampled in the process.

The flight to DC was actually okay. I was surprised at how little turbulence there was. Unfortunately, the Dude could not figure out why everyone was awake and why we would not put him to bed. He fussed and cried and slept off and on for about three and a half hours before finally crashing somewhere over Greenland. And then I got sick.

I started vomiting over Greenland and continued to do so every 45 minutes for the rest of the flight. I felt TERRIBLE! The German looked at the baby and then looked at me and then looked at the baby. He could not figure out what to do.

When we landed in DC I managed to pull myself together to go through immigration and customs. Thankfully we had no problems. But I could feel the next wave of illness coming over me. The German, for some reason, was in good spirits. "Honey, how about a Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger from Wendy's." Huh? I looked to my right and saw a picture that made my stomach turn for the 100th time that day. Seriously, who eats this stuff?

Even in lying in the DC airport transported on waves of nausea, I could still tell that something had changed in my homeland. Then I realized that it was the gate announcer that was bothering me.

"Now boarding all row. All seat. These flight are full." I turned to the German. "Sweetie, did the MLA do away with plural forms since we were here last?"

On the way to SC, the German and I had to sit in separate seats. Because he had an emergency row seat, I had to take the Dude on my lap. We both conked out from exhaustion on the runway. When we got in the air, I could feel the need for the bathroom. Luckily, I was sitting next to an angel in disguise. "Excuse me, ma'am, could you hold my baby for a minute so that I can go to the rest room." I passed over the Dude and went to do my business.

When I came back the Dude was still asleep in the woman's arms. She held him for about 40 minutes so that I could have a rest and we chatted. Turned out that she was on her way to visit her first grandchild. The Dude slept the entire time.

My mom was there to meet us in Charleston. She was more than happy to take the Dude so that I could go to the bathroom. Again. At home the Dude slept until 6am and is doing a good job of getting into a normal rhythm. I on the other hand spent entire first day at home lying on the sofa trying to keep water in my stomach.

Today everyone is doing a bit better and the weather here is WON-DER-FUL. But there are some changes around town which bother me a bit. But that I will blog about later. Right now, it is time for some pepto.

A Buyer's Market

2008-12-16T07:28:00.003+01:00

The German and I dream of one day buying a summer home in my home state of South Carolina. We would love to be able to spend 6 to 8 weeks a year relaxing in the sun, eating seafood and walking on the beach. When you are in your early 30's dreams like this are most definitely out of reach, but I am beginning to see a glimmer of hope.

Three years ago, the German and I saw the housing bubble bursting in Michigan. The development where my dad and Mom-squared bought a house stagnated. Nothing new was built. Houses stand empty and brand new (beautiful!) homes are losing value. As we drove around the mid-west, we saw this everywhere!

Now, bundling seems to be the least of our worries. Turns out that there are even more fishy loans out there. In the report below, the reporter projects that 8 million Americans may loose their homes in the next 4 years. Part of me feels sick about the thought of all those people on the street. But part of me is also salivating at the investment opportunities. Both of us have stable sources of income. The German is in no danger of loosing his job, and the demand for English teachers seem to be going up.

Is it so wrong for me to think that the opportunity to buy a second home is not too far fetched? It is wrong to want to get something while the getting is good? Don't worry. The German and I are not foolish people. In fact, the German is EXTREMELY cautious when it comes to money. I think he would only let me buy a home in the U.S. if we could put 50% down. Time to start saving my milk money.

Should have Known Better

2008-12-14T17:50:00.004+01:00

By the time you reach the age of 30 you begin making a mental list of things you "know better." Rushing through the red light when in a hurry to get to work, for example. The police will stop you every time. In my case I know better than to trying to keep the pace with the German's Soccer Team. By keeping the pace, I mean alcohol. Last night was the annual Christmas party and true to form most of the team, and several wives, got very intoxicated. I know better than to try and drink that much, but I did it anyway.

This morning my body was not very forgiving. Mercifully the Dude was at Oma and Opa's house so he did not have to witness his mother trying to stuff a turkey at 7:45am while still possibly intoxicated. Oh, did I mention that I invited over the German's family for a pre-Christmas get together? Yes, getting drunk the night before throwing a dinner party is also something I know better. But I did it anyway.

We ate at 12:30 and by then I was a bit better and could keep down some food.

This week we are flying to the U.S. The Dude will get to spend his first Christmas in sunny SC. I probably know better, but I decided not to purchase him a seat. Children under 2 fly for free if you carry them on your lap. In an effort to save money, we went this route.

Any tips on travelling with an infant?

Natural Born Citizen

2008-12-08T16:57:00.008+01:00

The Supreme Court turned down a NJ man's petition to throw out the 2008 election. Leo Donofrio argues that Obama cannot be president because he is not a "natural born citizen," which a requirement to be president. Because Obama was born to an American mother and a Kenyan father, he was a dual citizen and cannot be president.

The more that I read about this, the more absurd I found it. First, let's go to the primary source: the constitution. Article II Section 1 lists the requirements for the president:

No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty five years, and been fourteen Years a resident within the United States.

Note how ambiguous the language is. What the heck is a "natural born citizen?" This clause is often interpreted as meaning that only individuals born on U.S. soil can be president; naturalized citizens cannot (i.e. Arnold Schwarzenegger). However, it makes no mention of parentage. That is, does the individual born on American soil have to have two American parents?

If we turn to secondary literature, such as the Federalist papers, the founding fathers did not leave much evidence. Jay discusses the importance of the age requirement for the president but does not mention citizenship (Federalist 64). Hamilton, also an author of the federalist papers, surely would not have argued for two American parents. He was born out of wedlock in the British West Indies (the island of St. Nevis).

Given the ambiguity and the lack of guidance from the founders, most scholars would just stick with mainstream thought. Obama was born in Hawaii, a U.S. state, in 1961, which makes him a natural born citizen regardless of his parentage. Or was he . . .

The most ridiculous part of some of these lawsuits is that some conservative commentators argue that Obama was not born in Hawaii. His birth certificate is not real! No one is left alive to prove that he was born in Hawaii! Even though the state of Hawaii certifies his birth certificate and a birth announcement in a newspaper from that time was found, these rumors persist. It leaves me shaking my head.

No matter how you slice the pie, however, the Dude is not a natural born citizen. He was born in Germany. His father is German. Doh! I guess I will always have to tell him, "Sweetie, you can be anything you want in this world, but not president of the U.S. But who wants that job anyway?"

Stranger than Fiction (aka It's my Blog-a-versary)

2008-12-08T12:36:00.009+01:00

You know what they say about how time flies when you're doing stuff? Well, they are not wrong. I had to work this past Saturday, but could not shake the feeling that I was forgetting something. Yes, it was St. Nicholas Day, but it was also my three year Blog-a-versary.

Many things have changed in three years: I quit academia, became a certified English teacher, started a company, dissolved a company, bought and renovated a house, moved, changed the blog's name and look, got pregnant, had a baby and I even baked a few things in between. I have written 343 posts and had about 54,000 visits to the site. Sure it sounds impressive, but realistically the vast majority of those visits were from my mom.

I get tired just thinking about it.

It all started with one little post three years ago. Back then my blog was called "My Euro-American Life." My quandary was what I would tell my child about the contradictory stories about Christmas that exist in Germany and the U.S. (You can read the original post here.) Three years ago I was thinking hypothetically. But now that I actually HAVE a kid . . .

The German and I talked about what we should start telling the Dude about Christmas. We know that it has to be a little logical because the Dude is not dumb. He often gives me this arched eyebrow look as if to say, "What are you talking about??" This is what we came up with.

Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus, the son of God, preached a long time ago about peace and love and the equality of men and women. There also exists a spirit of Christmas, St. Nicholas. A long time ago, he gave to poor children in what is now Turkey. Every Christmas hisspirit comes back to give toys to children. St. Nicholas cannot do it all at the same time so he has some helpers, such as Santa Claus. St. Nicholas visits children in Holland in the night on Dec. 5 and brings them presents. He comes to Germany, but only brings little things. Santa Clause goes to the U.S. on the evening of Dec. 24, as well as some other places. In Germany the Christmas Man and the Christ Child visit during the day. You, my little one are very special. You are German AND American. St. Nicolas will come visit and so will Santa Clause. However, they will only bring you gifts if you are a good little boy, kind and helpful.

What do you think? I am not too worried. We have a few years to get our story straight, but I want to be prepared for the assault of questions that I am sure to get.

Keeping up with Christopher

2008-12-05T12:34:00.003+01:00

We hit another milestone here at Cheeseburgers and Sauerkraut. Over the past three weeks, the Dude has learned to pull himself to a standing position as well as open drawers and doors. Oh Joy.

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I am very proud. "Look what my Little One can do!" On the other hand, I am completely terrified. You can no longer leave the Dude in a room alone for a minute. I run around behind him with open arms going, "Don't eat that! Don't open that! Don't throw that! NOO!" I feel like a mean mommy, but I am trying to protect both him and my furniture. Somehow I think I might be losing the battle.

On Monday the Dude had a check-up. He clocked in at 30 inches and 21 pounds. Of course, he was a complete angel during the exam. The doctor was very kind. "He is definitely growing into a big boy!"

At this point they try to test his mental development by giving him blocks and having him up small objects. At first he would not take the blocks. He kept batting his lashes and smiling at the doctor. "Dude! It is not time to flirt! Pick up the blocks or she is going to write bad things."

I (heart) Jon Stewart

2008-12-02T22:07:00.002+01:00

One of the great things about the election was that I discovered tons of nifty stuff on the internet. Unlike ABC and NBC, you can actually access current episodes from the Comedy Channel while living in Europe (damn you server blocker!). The German and I took to watching Jon Stewart while eating lunch. For 2 weeks Jon was on vacation, and we went through a bit of withdrawal.

He is back now, and one reason that I love him, is that he can laugh at everybody. Bill O'Reilly tried to argue with his lack of balance, but Jon just laughed. "Dude, this ain't a news show!"

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

MSNBC Replaces Fox News

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

When it rains . . . throw a shower

2008-12-01T21:07:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I hosted a Bridal Shower for the New Yorker. My friend and ex-business partner is getting married in just 3 short weeks. Although I do not talk about her much here (mainly out of respect for her privacy), she has been an important part of my life the past few years. In fact as unlikely as her story is, it is absolutely true.

Like many an ex-pat, the New Yorker came to Germany for love. After having enough of the rat race in NYC she decided to take a tour of Europe in 2000. During that trip she met a man. A German man. Itching for something new, she took him up on his offer to hang out in Germany for awhile. 3 months quickly turned into 4 years and she went from being an accountant to an English teacher.

We met 4 years ago at that "other" language school. I was supposed to observe her teach and she was to my supervisor in C-burg. When we met we instantly bonded. We were both American! And women! And the same age! And in Germany for the same reason! Trust me, at that time I did not meet many women in a similar place in life as me.

Unfortunately, the New Yorker's life hit a bumpy patch. Work was frustrating and unfulfilling and the relationship that had brought her to Germany was coming to an end. She did not know what to do next. I spent many hours listening, wishing that I could help.

I was also looking for something. Giving up academia left a hole in my life and as much as I like teaching English, I needed something more. Through our mutual frustrations, our language school was born. And it was great. Despite the work, it was a joy to go to the office and watch something grow.

And then I got pregnant. The New Yorker took the news a bit harder than I expected, but now I understand why. She had moved to C-burg for our little company, and she was very alone. For the first time she lived on her own. Work was great, but she did not have much of a private life. Let's also say that C-burg does not offer many opportunities for the young, American professional. During that time she even contemplated moving back to the U.S.

Enter the Doctor. As part of our "public relations" boost, we held a monthly English stammtisch at the local Irish Pub. That's right, there in an Irish Pub in C-burg. The Doctor had seen the advertisement and in June 2007 dragged a friend of his with him. He was born in Africa (to German parents) and speaks fluent English. Turns out that he was also frustrated with the limited social scene.

The New Yorker was hesitant. The Doctor was persistant. After a while I was consouling her on writing the best emails. By January 2008 they were living together, and now they are getting married.

For awhile she was the best bride. As with many professional women in their 30s, the New Yorker had given up hope of a husband and a family. I don't think she believed that it was all truely happening. However, her better judgement finally kicked in and she got everything planned. They are getting married in Florida, but we will not be able to attend. After spending 24 hours getting to the U.S., packing the Dude into a car and driving 9 hours just does not seem like a good idea.

The Bridal Shower was my way of sparking her bridal energy and participating. I feel terrible that I cannot go. The New Yorker was my boss and then my partner and now she is my boss again. When we ended the partnership, things were bad between us for awhile. But like good friends do, we found our way back to each other.

The shower was hysterical. The German women in attendance ate up all of the Americana, including the classic bridal shower game, "Toilet Paper Wedding Dress." I was pretty impressed by what they came up with. There were tears and smiles and it was a complete success, just as I am sure her wedding will be.

Giving Thanks

2008-11-28T08:58:00.002+01:00

Let's add it all up shall we:

One 13 lb. Turkey: 23.00 Euro

Postage for Package from America with the needed supplies: $52.00

Cleaning and Baking: One Sleepless Night

Sitting on the floor giggling with the Dude and watching a "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving:" Priceless

Here is hoping that you had a lovely day. I know that we have a lot to be thankful for.

Still Alive

2008-11-19T12:40:00.002+01:00

Yes, we are still here. We are all even feeling better. The antibiotics helped the Dude get back on his feet and he even slept through the night the pass few days. Last night I got to sleep without nose spray. Unfortunately, the German then got sick last week. Luckily he recovered faster than the Dude and I.

The funny thing about the baby getting sick, is that you think the World is Coming to an End. It also seems like a process that never ends. Once it is over, then it was not as half as bad as one thought. Although I don't want to have to do it again soon.

We have also spent the last few days getting over our "Election-itis." What should I do now? The Dude does keep me on my toes, but I need something else as an intellectual outlet. The Election served that purpose for awhile.

My research and novel sit neglected on my desk and I know that I have to go back to it other wise it will never get done. Also, my work with OVF may allow me to do a bit of political research. This has me very exicited as I never thought that the poli sci door would open again. But there it is.

For now though there is Thanksgiving next week and I am throwing a Bridal Shower for the New Yorker. Look for a few good cooking posts. While randomly surfing the net, I watched Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg make mashed potatoes. I wonder if Snoop Dogg would come to my house for some Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie?

The Stoop

2008-11-09T19:11:00.002+01:00

The Stoop
Originally uploaded by govt23

When I was a kid, I loved being sick. Not seriously ill, but sick enough to not have to go to school. My mom let me sleep on the sofa and watch cartoons while drinking ginger ale. To this day, I think Bugs Bunny and a chocolate milk shake can cure all that ales you. Being a mother and being sick . . . that just sucks.

All day Wednesday I had a fever and felt achy. I spent the entire day on the living room floor watching the Dude chase after a ball with CNN playing in the background. I could not decide what to do so I called Dr. Mom, aka my mom.

Thursday I felt a bit better and so I soldiered on. Friday the Dude took a turn for the worse and developed a fever and a cough. He laid on the floor, barely moving. We took him to the doctor, who was worried about his breathing so she put him on antibiotics just in case.

This weekend the two of us are not much better. We are both still pretty stuff and cough all the time. I finally broke down and went to a doctor today. He smiled.

"Yeah, it is just a virus. Go home and take an aspirin. Sometimes you have to power through."

I swear that I thought he was going to punch my arm. He must of noticed my disgust.

"Look on the bright side. It usually lasts two weeks, and you already have one behind you."

There you have it. A silver lining in the midst of my snot.

The Dude is moving around a bit better and as you can see from the video, he has conquered the step in our living room. The stairs must be next.

Virtual Post Election Bash! Great Expectations Edition

2008-11-05T09:03:00.003+01:00

The vodka chilled and the glasses were ready. I was all set to drink my Obama-tini and toast a new president. Unfortunately the hangover I have this morning is due to cold medicine and not libations.

It was difficult to watch the election alone. I had no one to share my excitement or to help me ponder the outcome. So at midnight, as my temperature increased, I cuddled under a blanket to watch the first returns. I promptly fell asleep. When I woke up at 3am, I made a cup of tea. By 4am Obama had 198 electoral votes and I decided to hit the bed. However, I got up just in time to see his speech. It moved me to tears.

As I listened to his words, I contemplated how far America has come. But then, if you listened closely, you also heard the President elect tell us just far we have to go. One could almost see the Great Expectations placed upon his shoulders. And he knows it. He cautioned us that creating change will not be easy and it will not happen overnight.

Unfortunately, in the age of the 24 hour news cycle, the American public expects change and they expect it now. It is going to be extremely difficult to meet these expectations.

The German drank his coffee while watching the speech. He joked about my tears. I tried to impress upon how significant it is that an African-American man can be elected presented. We tried to figure out what would be comparable in Germany. "A Jew as Chancellor?" I suggested. The German thought for a moment. "No, a Turkish Jew."

My contribution to the post election bash is a bit somber. However, now is the time to reflect and enjoy America's journey. Tomorrow it is time to go to work.

_____

This Post is part of Diane Mandy's Virtual Post Election Bash! Check out the other posts!

Adam (Germany)
American (in Norway)
Andrea (Germany)
Charlotte (Germany)
Christina (Germany)
Claire (Germany)
Claire (Great Britain)
Dianne (U.S.)
Eusmaca (U.S.)
Evercurious (U.S.)
G in Berlin (Germany)
Ian in Hamburg (Germany)
J (Germany)
Jul (Germany)
Me (United States)
Princess Extraordinaire (U.S.)
Sizzle (U.S)
Snooker (Germany)
Vailian (Germany)
Yelli (Germany)

Happy Election Day!

2008-11-04T11:53:00.002+01:00

I don't know about you, but I am really glad that all of this is almost over! If you live in the U.S., you should go and vote today. If you need information please check out the links below, which will help you locate your polling place and double check your registration status:

www.vote411.org
http://canivote.org/

In honor of election day, I thought that I would address a few questions that I often get from both Germans and Americans. If you consider this post "unintelligent" or stupid, then fell free to stop reading. I, personally, consider it informative.

Reader: So, Claire, how IS the U.S. president elected anyway?

This is a really good question! The most important thing to remember is that U.S. presidents are chosen indirectly.

When the constitution was written over 200 years ago, the founders decided to use an electoral college to select the president. On election day, voters go to the polls and actually for "electors." For example, many, many moons ago the ballots actually would have looked like this:

Joe Plumber (Republican; John McCain)
Susie Conservative (Republican; John McCain)
John Liberal (Democrat; Barack Obama)
Notta Socialist (Democrat; Barack Obama)

You thus choose an individual to represent the person and party that you want to become president. The number of electors per state equals the number of U.S. senators plus the number in the House of Representatives (e.g. North Dakota: 2 Senators + 1 Representative = 3 Electors). The state's electors then meet up and vote. Almost all states have a "winner-take-all system," in which the states electors go to the candidate with the most votes.

The results are sent to Washington, DC. If a candidate receives a majority of votes then he or she is the president. When nobody gets a majority of the votes, then the House of Representatives votes. This, however, has not been done since 1824.

Most of the time the person elected president also wins the popular vote, but not always (i.e. George Bush in 2000).

Reader: This seems so complicated and stupid. Why not change it to make it more direct?

My first response is this: I am sure it made sense over 200 years ago.

When judging the electoral college, one must remember that it was created during a time when the U.S. had a much SMALLER electorate. Also, the U.S. was going through a bit of an identity crisis. How strong the federal government should be was a "Hot Topic." Read the "Federalist Papers" and you can get a feel for how difficult the debate was. Small states felt that they would be lost and be trampled by bigger states. Thus, they threatened to not ratify the Constitution. In order to bring smaller states into the fold, the electoral college was presented as a compromise.

Changing the electoral system would require changing the Constitution, which in turn requires approval from 2/3 of the U.S. states. A lot of small states would loose their power if the electoral college disappeared. Nobody wants to loose power. Nobody.

Reader: I am an overseas voter. Will my vote be counted even if the race is close?

YES!! The ballots of an overseas voter and a domestic voter carry equal weight. One is not more important than the other. A ballot cast must be counted, no matter how close (or not) the election is. If a ballot is not counted, then that is election fraud.

It is, unfortunately, difficult to tell when and how absentee ballots are counted. Some states open them and count them as they come in. Some states allow absentee ballot to come in up until Nov. 17, and then count them all together. Once the absentee ballot total is known, then that is added to the domestic ballot total for the state total.

Each state and county can choose how they want to run their elections. With this wide variance, it is no wonder that problems pop-up.

Ballot, election and campaign finance reform are three passions of mine. I am completely convinced that there has to be "an easier way." I hope that in the months to come that I can share my ideas with you.

Until then . . . GO VOTE!

The Ring of Fire

2008-11-02T19:16:00.004+01:00

This morning I had a thought, I bet Dante did not have any children. If he had, then he would have known that there are WAY more than 7 levels of hell. There is the "pouting because I cannot get what I want" hell. The always lovely "just pooped all over my clothes and rolled in it but you still love me because I am cute" hell. Last night we descended into "baby during cold and flu season" hell.

After getting home from my 8 hour day and 1 hour drive yesterday, I was pretty beat. My MIL gave me the Dude (she was babysitting because the German was cutting down trees . . . don't ask) and told me what an angle he had been the whole day. I noticed that his nose was a bit runny and as I wiped it up she said, "Oh, yeah, a lot of yellow stuff has come out of there today!" Uh oh.

The Dude was tired and cranky by bed time. But he ate well and basically went right to sleep, so I thought we were in the clear. The German and I enjoyed a glass of wine and a bit of TV. [insert ominous foreshadowing music here] By 9:45 I was ready to call it a night. As I snuggled in bed with a book, the German stayed downstairs to watch the rest of the football game. That was when I heard the first cry.

To make a long story short, the Dude cried (I mean really cried, none of this whiny, soft moans) off and on until 3:00am. Around 10:30 the German came to bed and promptly started snoring. By 11:30 I could only imagine that this was hell. I was exhausted and had a stuffed up kid and husband. To make matters worse, it felt like a hell of my own making.

I decided to escape and headed downstairs. I continued to read and had the TV on in the background. The Dude would calm down for about 30 minute intervals and about every 45 minutes I had to go into his room, roll him onto his back, pop his pacifier into his mouth and stroke his cheek to calm him down.

Around 2:00 I decided that since I was up, I might as well do something. I cleaned out the dishwasher and finished the dishes. I even planned all of my English lessons for the week. By 3:00 everything had started to calm down and I was about to crash. The snoring husband continued to be a problem and I could not get to sleep on the sofa.

So I decided to be a selfish beast and I kicked the German out of bed and into the guest bed into his office. I fell into bed and actually slept until I heard the Dude around 7am.

Of course we immediately went to the pharmacy this morning and got some nose drops for the Dude. He does not have a cough or a fever. Just a really stuffy nose, which I assume makes it hard for him to sleep.

He is in bed now and I am hoping that things will be better tonight, because frankly they cannot get any worse.

Uh oh. I think I hear Dante laughing in the background and the ominous music starting up again.

UPDATE: The Dude slept from 7:15pm last night to 6:50am. We did not hear a peep out of him. Well, he may have said something but we were both so tired that we did not hear it. I slept 9 hours last night. I am not celebrating, however. Because what the Dude giveth the Dude can taketh away.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T19:50:00.014+01:00

Because I have very fond memories of Halloween, I wanted to bring a bit of this American tradition to Wildeshausen. It is very important to me that the Dude knows about his American half. Thus, not really thinking things through, I decided to host a Halloween party for 12 babies and 17 adults. Although there were moments this morning when I thought that I was insane to do it, now that it is over, the baby is in bed and everything is cleaned up, I can say that it was a lot of fun . . . but still a bit insane.

In theory, the right elements for a baby's Halloween party are not difficult to assemble. First you need decorations, especially pumpkins. Isn't it amazing what you can do with a hot glue gun, old buttons, and pipe cleaners?

Then you need food.

The cupcakes were totally fun and easy to make; I used Betty Crocker. The popcorn balls posed a bigger problem. This was a typical case of "not knowing what you're getting into." I downloaded the recipe and it looked easy enough. I lucked out because I had a bottle of corn syrup left over from a few Thanksgivings ago.

The Dude was a bit whiny this morning so I put him down for a nap and dug in. I popped the corn and melted all the ingredients together. Then I added the popcorn to the gooey mixture. The directions said 5 cups of popcorn. It seemed like such a small amount. There was still a lot of liquid left. So I put in more popcorn and checked the recipe. 5 quarts of popcorn! Well, that is a horse of a different color. The mixture started to cool so I pulled out some to shape a ball. It was not long before I was up to my elbows in sticky popcorn before I realized that I had forgotten to grease up my hands to prevent sticking. And right at that moment, the Dude woke up.

I had to laugh. "Hang on sweetie, mommy is making a big ol' mess." I did wind up getting it under control. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of my "eyes": green olives wrapped in puff pastry.

Of course, no Halloween party is complete without goody bags of American candy to take home.

And for the babies a craft project. We used orange paint to make hand prints on a sign that said "My First Halloween."

The crowning achievement though was the costume, courtesy of the American Oma.

I wish I could say that I was going to take it easy tomorrow, but I am teaching a crash course in Business English tomorrow from 9am to 4pm. So I get up just in time to give the Dude his bottle and then drive to work. I made this commitment a year ago, and the only reason why I am keeping it is because the money is good.

So for now, I will go and have a glass of wine and hope that the Great Pumpkin will come visit tonight.

Commercials

2008-10-30T10:29:00.005+01:00

Yes, I got up this morning and downloaded the Obama commercial, infomercial, special, whatever. It was very well made and impressive. However, I am not sure that it actually changed anybody's mind. Most people have political tendencies, even if they are "independent" or "undecided."

The McCain campaign argued that it was over-the-top, however, I think that is a bit of the green eyed monster. ANY politician would love to have the opportunity to talk to the people like that. The ad was paid for with donations. I am sure that Obama donors have no problem with it, just as RNC donors probably do not have a problem with Gov. Palin's clothes.

What really got me going was the web ad below. I had the Dude in my lap and the tears started pouring. He looked at me a bit strangely and I hugged him even closer. He is the reason that I vote the way I do.

What I should have Blogged About

2008-10-29T20:06:00.003+01:00

I should have told you about our most excellent visit to Bowel-town. Jen and Sparks were great hosts and even better, the Dude went along for the ride. He did well in the car. He did well sleeping at night. He did well in not puking on their carpet. Seriously, it was fun.

I could have also told you about how I must be smoking crack because I decided to host a Halloween Party for the babies in the Dude's play group. Now I am struggling to clean the house and track down corn syrup for my popcorn balls. Turns out that after 5 stores, I had some in my pantry.

Perhaps I could even tell you that it has gotten really cold here and the German and I are fighting about how long to leave the heat on at night. Sweetie, if I can see my breath, then I should be allowed to turn the heat on.

But, no, I have decided to bring the funny.

See more Thomas Haden Church videos at Funny or Die

A Strange Twist

2008-10-22T20:46:00.003+02:00

Hold on to your hats people because I am about to do something that I thought I would never do. No, not that. Get your mind out of the gutter. No I am going to defend Sarah Palin.

Now it is no secret that I think Ms. Palin is not qualified to be president. Furthermore, I don't agree with her on . . . anything. Most of the shots the media and comedians have taken make me giggle, but today I was left with a "Come, on!" moment.

Turns out that the RNC has paid a lot of money for Ms. Palin's clothes.

Let me tell you why this doesn't matter:

1. It's the RNC's money, not hers. If they want to make sure that their candidate looks good that is their prerogative. They have got plenty of money. Personally, I think it is money well spent as I have envied many of her coats.

2. No one talks about the costs of Obama's suits or McCain shirts. If you are going to talk about one you should talk about them all.

The only thing that bothered me was how much they spent on a make-up artist. Because, seriously, the woman wears too much blush. Sarah, get your self a new make-up artist.

Oh, and one more thing, Sarah. Don't claim to be "just like me." I don't tote around Louis-Vitton. Although I wish I did.

That is all.

Grey Matter

2008-10-22T13:03:00.006+02:00

On Monday we discussed what I will refer to as “classical liberalism” and yesterday we explored “classical socialism.” One theory promotes the individual and advocates a free market economy. The other argues that society as a whole is more important and that the means of production should be controlled by a central government.

It is clear from these two definitions that one cannot be both a liberal AND a socialist at the same time. I think it is also clear that neither McCain nor Obama are classic anything. However, there is a lot of grey area between the two.

Social liberals for example realize that some government regulation of the market is necessary. If not, then inequality rises to the point that revolution is possible and the free market is in danger.

Social democrats go one step further and argue that the state has a responsibility in ensuring the equality of its citizens. It does this via health care programs and welfare. However, the government must also be democratically elected and protect individual freedoms. Social democrats reject the “classical socialist” tenant of a planned economy.

How about a diagram? Let’s turn to one of my favorite things from grad school: The Ideological Spectrum. Based on what I read on both websites, I would place the candidates like this on the spectrum. I could not get the formatting correct, but imagine to the left side LIB and on the opposite end SOCI. The first tick is McCain. The second tick is Obama. Notice how close both are to LIB and how far from SOCI

<-[LIBERAL]----McC---OBM----------------------------[SOCIAL]->

Let us sum up our results of the last days inquiry.

First, liberalism and socialism are not the same thing. Second, Obama is not a socialist. Third, being a liberal is not necessarily a bad thing.

I have to agree with the comment left by Liz. Labeling is very important in politics. Labels, much like brands in the free market economy, provide a certain information short cut. If I can put someone in a box, then they are like this and this and this. Unfortunately, political policies are very difficult to fix in one box, and that is my problem.

By using inaccurate labels, campaigns are systematically dumbing down the electorate. No longer is a voter expected to go out and explore. No, her politics are handed out in easy to understand sound bites. The moment anyone tries to question the label, they are labeled “elitist.” We have stopped expecting the very best from our representatives and are happy to take the fancy label, even if it is a fake.

Some might argue that my last three blog posts are elitist. However, I think that I loose some of my intellectual street cred when I admit that “The Apprentice” used to be one of my favorite TV shows. On the other hand, I have also read Plato, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Marx. I told the German that I believe I am a social democrat. He laughed. Hard. “Honey, you are way too far to the right (i.e. liberal) to be in the SPD.” Seems I don’t have enough socialist street cred to be a socialist either. So, feel free to judge me any way you like, just be sure to use the right label. I prefer Prada-esque.

Socialism is a 4 . . . 9 Letter Word

2008-10-21T12:06:00.003+02:00

If you are going to have a discussion involving different political philosophies it is important to be on the same page regarding the meaning about these terms, which is the purpose of our inquiry. Please note that I am not arguing whose policies are better. That is a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT line of inquiry. I am just saying that before you call some a “name” then you should know what that name means.

Yesterday we took a look at Liberalism. Let us turn our eyes to Socialism for a moment. The American Heritage Dictionary defines Socialism as:

Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy. The stage in Marxist-Leninist theory intermediate between capitalism and communism, in which collective ownership of the economy under the dictatorship of the proletariat has not yet been successfully achieved.

The first reference to “Socialists” appeared in the 1800s.

1827, from Fr. socialiste, in reference to the teachings of Comte de Saint-Simon, founder of Fr. socialism. Socialism is attested from 1837, apparently first in reference to Robert Owen's communes. "Pierre Leroux (1797-1871), idealistic social reformer and Saint-Simonian publicist, expressly claims to be the originator of the word socialisme" [Klein]. The word begins to be used in Fr. in the modern sense c.1835. Socialista, with a different sense, was applied 18c. to followers and pupils of Du. jurist Grotius (1583-1645).

In contrast to Liberalism, which focuses on the importance of the individual, Socialism emphasizes the importance of society as a whole. Individual interests come second to the interests of everyone within the society. Although, socialists also want individuals to be free, they define freedom in a radically different way. That is, an individual can only be free when everyone in society is equal.

The philosophical origins of Socialism can be found in Robert Owen (1771 – 1858) and Saint-Simon (1760 – 1825). As manager and part owner of a mill in New Lanark, Owen was disturbed by the living conditions of the workers and especially of the children. In 1817 Owen began to advocate a form of socialism as a way to alliviate poverty. His reforms at his mill in New Lanark actually increased productivity and profit. In 1825 he even purchased land in New Harmony, Indiana in hopes of implementing his reformist principles, but his experiment failed miserably.

Saint-Simon shared the same negative view of human nature as Hobbes. The “hand of greed” drove men and created inequality. He was not convinced that the liberal view could save society and therefore societ had to be reorganized. Saint-Simon was a strong influence on Karl Marx (1818 – 1883), perhaps the most well known socialist philosopher.

Karl Marx argued that only an overthrow of the government via the proletariat in which all power and capital became centralized in a central authority would create a just and equal society. Socialism, however, was only a transistion phase to the communist utopia.

Essential to all of these theories is the absence of the free market and government control of the means of production.

So, now that we know what socialism means, we can look at the newest allegations in the campaign and decide if Obama is indeed a socialist.

To make a convincing argument, you need evidence, and I am not talking about rehtoric. There are several things that we can look at: voting records, speeches, writings, and proposals. I went to the Obama website, downloaded and read his “Plan for America.”

In those 43 pages, I read nothing about the nationalization of industry. I also did not read anything about the abolition of free speech. I did read, however, about his proposed tax cuts. Obama proposes to cut taxes for households making less than $250,000.

It is this proposal that lies at the heart of these accussations. You can look at it two ways. On the one hand, Obama is trying to take a burden off the middle class in order to promote the economy. Or, he is redistributing wealth. I have to admit that this is the first time that I have heard a tax cut referred to as socialist. Although the idea of no taxes is very appealing, they are, in a way, a necessary evil. Goverments do things like build roads, clean water, provide schools and health care to those who need it.

In the end, I do not think that you can label Obama a socialist. He does not want to do away with the market economy, which is essential to socialism. Now, if you would like to refute my argument, please present me with evidence to the contrary, and I do not mean taxes, as that is obviously in the eyes of the beholder.

Finally, I want to comment on something that McCain made regarding politics in Europe.

"At least in Europe, the socialist leaders who so admire my opponent are upfront about their objectives. They use real numbers and honest language. And we should demand equal candor from Senator Obama."

Germany, contrary to what many seem to believe, is NOT a socialist country. I have no idea why this myth continues to exist. The German pointed out that he lived next to a real socialist country for many years, i.e. the former East Germany. He snorts loudly when making comparisons. East Germany turned out to be a broke country with a crumbling infastructure. Nobody I know wants socialism to take root here. In short:

1. There is no universial health care in Germany. The government requires health insurance but does not pay it. The government does not pay for my health insurance, or that of my father-in-law, friends, etc. Rather, I pay 50% of my health care and my employer pays the other 50%. I can provide my paystub as evidence. The government only pays for the health insurance of the unemployed.

2. The government does not own the means of production in Germany. Germany is a free market economy.

3. There are certain regulations, such as on banks and energy. This is to ensure that consumers do not get ripped off.

4. Freedom of speech and press are protected with in the German constitution.

Tomorrow, we will turn to the last part of our analysis, including social democrats vs. social liberals. Why the confusion? Are these labels even helpful? Or, put another way, who the hell cares?

Dr. Strangelove OR How I learned to Stop Worrying and Learn to love Liberalism

2008-10-20T12:16:00.008+02:00

The other night I got into an intense discussion about politics with a person that I admire and respect. We do not share the same opinion on . . . well, anything; but our discussions are engaging and interesting nonetheless. When I got off the phone I was a bit bothered by something.

During the course of our telephone conversation I was called both a liberal AND a socialist. Now being called these things does not really bother me. What bothered me was that it is impossible to be both at the same time.

Let us take a look for a moment at these two "buzz words," which have perked up during the election campaign over the past two weeks. Because I am trying to make and important point, this discussion will take place over three different posts.

First, I will start with liberalism. Second, I will turn to socialism. Finally, I will demonstrate how the two are philosophically opposed to each other, and I will reflect on which of these boxes that I belong in.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines liberalism as:

A political theory founded on the natural goodness of humans and the autonomy of the individual and favoring civil and political liberties, government by law with the consent of the governed, and protection from arbitrary authority. An economic theory in favor of laissez-faire, the free market, and the gold
standard.,

The Online Etymology Dictionary also discusses liberalism's long history:

c.1375, from O.Fr. liberal "befitting free men, noble, generous," from L. liberalis "noble, generous," lit. "pertaining to a free man," from liber "free," probably originally "belonging to the people" (though the precise semantic development is obscure), from *leudho- "people" (cf. O.C.S. ljudu, Lith. liaudis, O.E. leod, Ger. Leute "nation, people").
Earliest reference in Eng. is to the liberal arts (L. artes liberales; see art (n.)), the seven attainments directed to intellectual enlargement, not immediate practical purpose, and thus deemed worthy of a free man (the word in this sense was opposed to servile or mechanical). Sense of "free in bestowing" is from 1387.

In order to brush up on my political philosophy, I turned to John Gray's book Liberalism. Liberalism developed as a political philosophy around the mid-1600s. Although many political philosophers debate about any ancient notions regarding liberalism, Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) is regarded as one of the first. Hobbes's view of human nature, however, is different from the positivist notion that is popular with classical liberal philosophers. Hobbes argues that humans exist in a state of war, but come together in a civil association in order to ensure peace.

What made Hobbes's theory so radical, as well as continues to tie him to liberalism, is his "uncompromising individualism" (Gray 1995: 10). Benedict de Spinoza (1632 - 1677) also placed the individual in the center of his political theory. Gray draws an interesting contrast between the two:

Whereas, for Hobbes, civil society was always likely to fall back into a barbarous natural condition of warfare, for Spinoza the free man would always be a rarity; most human individuals and most societies would always be ruled by passion and illusion rather than reason.

John Locke (1632 - 1704) brought together the important elements of liberalism in his Second Treatise on Civil Government. In contrast to Hobbes, he thought humans were more reasonable and tolerant. In a natural state all men are free and have the right to defend his “life, health, liberty, or possessions.” This sounds vaguely familiar . . .

Also important to American liberalism was the French Enlightenment, including the works of Montesquieu (1689 - 1755; i.e. The Spirit of the Laws) and Rousseau (1712 - 1778; i.e. The Social Contract). Rousseau's opening line in The Social Contract is significant for many liberals: "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains."

Essentially, liberal theorists emphasized the individual; that all men are free and equal, and that freedom means freedom from coercion. Therefore, government must be limited in its powers and responsibilities because a strong government would threaten individual rights. I am really condensing a lot of political philosophy here, and I am sure that some of my grad school friends would disagree with me, but I only have a blog here and not a dissertation, so I am trying to keep it short.

As mentioned above, liberalism is also an economic philosophy made famous by Adam Smith (1723 - 1790; i.e. The Wealth of Nations). Liberal economics emphasizes the importance of a free market economy. A lassize-faire economy regulates itself and distributes goods most efficiently when left alone.

As time passed and the industrial revolution and governments of the U.S., France and England got older, liberals got a little worried. When they looked at the world around them, it appeared that perhaps the invisible hand was not so efficient. Although technically free, poverty and inequality were rampant. This led to a strain of liberalism often called "social liberalism." Social liberals believe that some market regulation is necessary in order to ensure the survival of capitalism (i.e. John Maynard Keynes). Furthermore, man can only be free when greater equality exists and therefore governments should promote health care, education, and a minimum wage, which reflects the philosophical influence of the utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.

I think that it is this strain of liberalism is what McCain is accusing Obama of being. However, as I will demonstrate tomorrow, social liberalism is NOT "Socialism" (please note the big S). Although advocating some regulation by the government, social liberals are still dedicated to the idea of a free market economy and a non-coercive government.

If you read the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution or the Federalist Papers, you can clearly see the influence of liberal political philosophy on the founding fathers. All of the founding fathers were liberals. Big ones in fact.

However, the word "liberalism" has gotten twisted within the American media and is now regarded as a pejorative term. Why is being a liberal a bad thing? Liberalism is the basis of the U.S. constitution. If you are pro-America, wouldn't you consider yourself a liberal too?

I will leave you pondering that thought. Come back tomorrow and we will discover whether or not Obama is a socialist and why McCain need to take a closer look at "socialist Europe."

PS One last great quote that I found on the internet:

"Conservative, n. A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others." [Ambrose Bierce, "Devil's Dictionary," 1911]

A Life Sentence

2008-10-09T13:00:00.004+02:00

Yesterday the German received a life sentence. No, he is not responsible for the recent crime spree in Wildeshausen. Yesterday he received his permanent civil servant status.

As a teacher in Germany, the German is considered a civil servant. Teachers here undergo rigorous training. First, after 4 to 5 years of university, where you major in education and minor in the subjects that you will teach, you must endure 1 1/2 years of student teaching. During this time you teach a full class load and attend a seminar once a week where pedagogical things are discussed. A potential teacher is also observed several times, must write a final paper and pass an oral exam. After that you enter the system as a teacher.

However, your first three years are considered something of a trial time. After three years you are once again observed during your teaching and have to submit a paper. If your principal feels that you have done well then you become a permanent teacher / civil servant.

The German has worked so hard to get to this point. When he was 20 we wanted to do something practical, so he became a banker. After doing that for a few years, he felt like he was selling his soul. The red carpet was rolled out for rich customers, whereas people who needed real help were given the cold shoulder. He decided to do something for his society and became a teacher.

The German teaches vocational school and does not always agree with the training he received. He often comes home frustrated because a lot of what was taught and what he learned did not prepare him for the day-to-day realities of the classroom. He teaches in a school in a pretty bad neighborhood in Bremen. There are about 75 different nationalities represented among his students. Most of the students either lack the basic knowledge needed for their classes or are so demotivated because they feel that they have no real future. "How do you teach these kids?" he asks me time and again.

Becoming a civil servant was the last major goal that he had to accomplish. When he came home last night we had some sparkling wine and toasted his achievement. He smiled and leaned back into the sofa. Then he looked at me with a bit of panic. "Now what?" he asked.

UPDATE High Crimes

2008-10-07T13:14:00.003+02:00

This morning the German and flipped through the newspaper and had coffee. We found out the reason for the helicopter buzz last night.

Someone robbed our local Aldi supermarket last night. With a gun. They then ran off towards the woods that are not far from our house. Dude, this ain't Cops. It is Wildeshausen?!?

Also in the paper was a report of a break-in yesterday. Someone smashed through a balcony door and stole almost 1000 Euro from an apartment. Now, I don't think this crime was random. Those guys had to know that there was money in that apartment. Why try so hard to get in if you are not sure that there is something in there?

I was dumbfounded. The wallets, guns, breaking doors. What is going on in my tiny town?? I looked at the German and he smirked.

German: This is Wildeshausen. It is dangerous . . . and ghetto fabulous.

Claire: Dude, get over yourself. We have been to south side Chicago. We know what ghetto is.

German: Welcome to the Jungle, baby.

Claire gives her best "Whatever!" look.

German: [still smirking] ow, my balls.

A Little Worried

2008-10-07T09:21:00.002+02:00

When I read this today, I got a little worried. And frightened.

Calling Obama a Terrorist

Hatred at McCain Rally

In Florida, Palin Goes for the Rough Stuff

McCain said that he wanted change and would not sling this kind of dirt. I believed him. Obama gives as good as he gets and is slinging it back. You could argue that at least one of the them "should be above all this." However, they both saw what happened to John Kerry when you do not defend yourself against attacks, i.e. lose an election. But after watching how the Palin and McCain are reallying getting people wound up, I am worried about how far this will go.

I was especially saddened because I do not think that McCain wants people to shout "kill him" (i.e. Obama) at his rallies. Say it ain't so, John.

High Crimes and Misdemeanors

2008-10-06T20:49:00.003+02:00

If you think this post is about Obama hanging out with terrorists or McCain's connection to the Keating Savings 'n Loan scandal, then you would be wrong. No, this post is about how every time that I begin to think that I am awesome, God likes to have a chuckle and take me down a notch.

Saturday morning started off innocently. The German and I play this "game" on the weekends. We both pretend to be asleep when the baby wakes up at 7am. We secretly hope that by lying there long enough that the other will get up and feed the kid, or that the kid will just go back to sleep. I used this with my cat; just keep my eyes tightly shut and hope that she would be quiet. Did not work with the cat, doesn't work with the kid. But between the German and I, I won on Saturday.

The Dude was in a pretty good mood and his poor little rear was finally starting to heal. My FIL was coming over to put a gate on our stairs and I decided to head to the store to get a few things. First I stopped by the post office and dropped my absentee ballot in the mail and then I headed off to Rossmann, a local drug store.

I ran into a friend of mine from my baby play group. She was contemplating the vast array of baby food. She had been breastfeeding and was making the switch. Because the Dude's been on solids for several months she asked for my help. I stood with my back to the Dude's stroller and put on my best "knowledgeable" voice. The Dude laughed and played with his stuffed animal and after a few minutes we said goodbye.

After picking up some diapers (the entire reason for the trip out), I went to the check out line. As the cashier rang up my purchase I reached into the side pocket of my stroller to get my wallet. The pocket was open. I had closed that, hadn't I? And my wallet was missing.

At first I was embarrassed. I told the women to hold my items and I went back to the previous store to check and see if I had left it there. I have done this before so it was not that shocking. However, that cashier said that she had definitely seen me stick it back into the stroller. Then the reality of the situation dawned on me. Someone had stolen my wallet. My wallet, which not only had my driver's licence, car registration, ATM cards, health insurance cards, but also 40 Euro in it.

I went back to Rossmann and informed them that someone had lifted my wallet in their store. The women at the store were very helpful and immediately called the police. I desperately tried to get hold of the German. When the cops came in, I was a bit surprised. The cop leaned down and said, "Hi, Christopher." Turned out to be the husband of another woman from my play group. Dude, Wildeshausen is really small.

Both the cop, and later the German, tried not to laugh at me. Why? Because I should know better. NEVER turn your back on your child or belongings for even a minute. I beat myself up for hours because, in fact, I DO know better. I felt like such an idiot. Moreover, I was more upset about having to replace all of those stolen id cards. Screw the 40 Euro, I don't want to have to deal with bureaucrats more than I have to.

Then I got angry. WTF!! Just because I had my back turned, does not make it okay to steal my wallet. And who steals from a child's stroller!?

Later that afternoon the doorbell rang. It was my friendly neighborhood Spiderman, I mean police officer. A women had found my wallet in her bio-trash bin. My wallet smelled like a land-fill but everything was still there. Except the 40 Euro of course.

This morning I read in the paper that another wallet was stolen in a shop just down the street at about the same time that mine was. Hmm. A crime ring here in Wildeshausen? Well, maybe not. But the entire time that I was typing this blog a helicopter was circling. What are they looking for I wonder? Have those master criminals moved up from wallets to cars?

Idiocracy

2008-10-03T13:19:00.004+02:00

A friend of mine in grad school had a secret. Our professors often praised her wonderful insights and her well read back ground. Everyone liked her, as she was a very genuine person and thought of her as a bit of a "star" in our department. I asked her once how she did it. She giggled and responded, "Low expectations, Claire. In my interviews I did not want to overly impress people, that way when I got here, no matter how well I did, it would be okay."

I think that this was a bit tongue in cheek as the girl was brilliant and downplayed her intelligence because she did not like drawing attention to herself. However, it was a comment that stuck with me. In 2000 I watched as W. "exceeded expectations" and got elected. You can decide for yourself how well that has worked out.

Last night Governor Palin went into her debates with Senator Biden with decidedly low expectations. Everyone said that as long as she did not say something phenomenally stupid, then she would win the debate. Wow. What does that say about the state of our politics when we are willing to live with just "doing okay," and mediocrity?

Now, I also had low expectations for the Senator. He has a tendency to run on (and on and on) and leaving me with the feeling, "Say, wha . . ?" However, this potential double sided train wreck was not enough to keep me awake last night. I watched the re-run on CNN this morning.

I have my own secret to confess. Are you ready? I was captain of the debate team in high school. Shocking, isn't it? I often watch these debates with a fake ballot in my head and try to judge them.

Yes, Governor Palin did not suck. On the other hand, she was a master dodger of questions, something that is normally a big no-no in debate. She had clearly learned some talking points and, dear God and Biden be damned, she was sticking to them. Biden was also on a chain. In the end I think this was good for both their tickets. Although I felt so-so about both, I would most definitely feel better with Biden as vice-president. In my opinion he had a better grasp of knowledge and ideas. I felt like Palin was trying to sell herself a bit too hard. The German actually turned to me and asked, "Why does she keep smiling like that? It's creeping me out."

As a bookend to the debate, the German and I rented the movie "Idiocracy" last night. Jen and Sparky recommended it. In the movie, a "regular Joe" wakes up 500 years in the future to find that the human race has not evolved, but rather devolved and the nation has become, for lack of a better word, idiots. In the movie, the most popular TV show of the day is "Ow! My Balls" and the Oscar winning movie is "Ass."

The German laughed hysterically during most of the film. I was very quiet. Why? Because some of it did not look the the future, but sadly like politics today. It reminded me of a comment that I read about Palin. "She is just like me or my sister! Isn't it cool that some one like your sister could be president?"

HELL NO! Trust me people, you do not want my sister running the country. I want my public leaders to enunciate. I want them to have "book learnin'" and "edumication." I want the very best of the best in office. However, in today's media driven politics, the "smart" guy is labeled "elitist" and the "dumb" guy is "folksy." Do I want a president that I can have a beer with, or a president that can thoughtfully negotiate a treaty with world leaders? It is your decision, really, but I know where I come down on this issue.

Joe Biden really surprised me. Because of his reputation and some of the dumb stuff he has said over the past few weeks, I was sad about my low expectations. However, I think they were unfounded. He came across as a thoughtful, intelligent and personable. He even made me cry.

Now if I could just get the German to stop saying, "Ow! My Balls!"

Shampoo Syndrome

2008-10-01T12:31:00.002+02:00

When was the last time you looked at the back of a shampoo bottle? The directions are ridiculously easy:

lather, rinse, repeat

Since the Dude came along, I often feel like my life is a shampoo bottle, although mine would read:

cook, clean (this includes the house, laundry and the Dude's butt), repeat

It is not so much that the days are boring, but they seem to have a certain "sameness" to them. One day is hard to distinguish from the next. I spend the morning with the Dude, playing, cleaning and honing my Hausfrau skills. The German and I play the "switch game" at 4:30 when I head out and pretend to be an adult for 2 hours and teach English. The evenings are filled with ironing, TV and (when I am lucky) going to bed early. I get up at 6:30am every day and it starts all over again.

When I noticed this a few weeks ago I decided to become a bit more proactive about mixing up my day. Now I throw in a bit more blogging and some volunteer work. But still the days are the same. It dawned on me a few days ago that everyone experiences this. Although I am sure that Donald Trump's "sameness" is a tad different from mine.

For me it has been a bit startling as I have always been a goal orientated person. I was always working towards something; a degree, a deadline, a destination. Now that I am at my destination, I find spinning my wheels a bit discombobulating.

Some days I get more done than others. Today I have fed the baby, changed diapers (only three times so far; damn diarrhea), baked cookies, graded papers, worked a help desk, done some laundry, cleaned the bathroom, made a roast and watched Baby Einstein with the Dude. And the day is only half over.

Up to my Eyeballs in $hi*

2008-09-29T12:49:00.002+02:00

Hopefully one day I will back on this morning, laugh and remember it as "One of Those Things that Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time."

WARNING: The following post is a bit gross, but has a humorous ending.

As I mentioned yesterday, the Dude developed a serious diaper rash on Friday. I discovered it in the evening as I was getting him ready for bed. I did not look at it that closely as Jen and Sparky were visiting. In fact, I was a bit embarrassed because before I had a baby I thought that only people who were "dirty" had babies with diaper rash. I now know this to be very, VERY wrong.

Saturday morning the rash was still there and I noticed how loose the Dude's stool was. Thankfully he was going to my wonderful MIL's house for the day. If anyone could figure out the problem it my MIL. On Sunday, the rash appeared to be drying out but the not the non-stop pooping. In fact the loose stool was most definitely diarrhea by this point. The German and I agreed to see what happened in the morning before calling the doctor. We don't want to seem like hysterical parents who run to the doctor for every little thing (even if on the inside that is what we are like).

This morning, the Dude was very friendly while getting his breakfast bottle. In order to get some air on his poor little bottom, I decided to let him go commando while feeding him in his room. I just wrapped him in a towel. After eating he wanted down on the floor, so I let him crawl around while picking out his clothes for the day. POOP!

There was a distinctive sound, so I lifted the towel. He had managed a harder poop, with a runny chaser. He seemed happy with it. I left him on his bedroom floor for a minute so that I could go rinse out the towel in the bathroom. By the time I got back . . .

Oh - my - God. I had no idea that all of that could come out of a tiny baby. The diarrhea had come out the back and the Dude was crawling all over it. I first picked him up and cleaned him up a bit and then attempted to rescue my floor. I am very happy that we went for the cheap carpet in his room, as I have not seen a mess like that since I tried to feed my dog waffles when I was 7. I needed 4 towels and it is still not completely clean.

Needless to say, I took him to the doctor. My Ped is very friendly and I got an appointment for 8:30am. She gave a few scrips for some stuff to stuff him up (so to speak). When I made a joke about my carpet, she smiled.

Doctor: Yes, going diaper-less is good in theory, but done best when in a room with tiles.

Claire: [rather dryly] Yeah, I think I have learned that lesson now.

Although he is eating well and sleeping okay, I am still worried. Every time I go to change his diaper, he gives me this look like, "Really? Do you have to?" I cancelled my English lesson for this afternoon. Not only do I want to keep an eye on the Dude, but I smell a little weird.

Now, time to go read the directions on the carpet cleaner.

Healthy People Suck

2008-09-28T19:46:00.006+02:00

J and Jen were there. Mausi sipped her tea and Adam cracked jokes. When I arrived in the train station some were already there. As time passed, the usual suspects began to show up. First the Heidelbergerin and then PapaScott. A Headbanger was there as well Snook. Things really started jamming once the stroller brigade brought up the rear.

The WEB Meet-up (Whiny Expat Blogger) was a lot of fun. In a very un-Bremen like turn of events, we were blessed with beautiful weather on Saturday. I gave an abbreviated tour of my fair city and the reservations for dinner actually worked out.

What always surprises me when I meet a new blogger is how completely normal everyone is. The German skeptical the first time he met another blogger but then pleasantly surprised. You see, for us Expats, blogging is not only a life line to our friends and family so far away, but it is also a connection to community in this sometimes odd country that we live in. For many, including myself, these meet-ups are an opportunity to forget about sticking out or fitting in and a time to just to be yourself.

Almost everyone, though, exceeded my expectations. I knew that Snook would be lovely, but she was so cute and nice, I wanted to bring her home. Diane and her husband are possibly one of the best looking couples I have ever seen. Dude, even their dog was adorable! The Headbanger, he was very impressive. He had this wonderful dry wit and a booming voice that should totally be doing commercials. And the mommies (here, here, and here)!! The Dude developed some serious diaper rash on Friday and they were so friendly and helpful. What impressed me even more was how their husbands took charge of the kids so that the moms could bond. Good husbands/fathers do that.

Sadly, I did not get to say goodbye at this morning's brunch. The Bremen marathon was held this morning. Because Bremen is oh so organized, there was almost no way for the German and I to get into town. (Who runs marathons anyway?? Damn over achievers.) By the time we accepted our fate and were going to do "Park and Ride," we noticed that we would be an hour late. By that time, we would have had to turn around and go home because if the Dude does not get his nap, then there is hell to pay later. Not only could I not say goodbye, but I did not have the opportunity to show off the Dude. Trust me, he's worth seeing.

I had such fun organizing and meeting everyone, it all almost feels anti-climatic now. Time to go back to our normal programming. However, there is the hope of next year and perhaps some mini meet-ups to come. Until then there are memories of a most moist weekend. (Wink, Wink, Adam.)

The Politics of Fear

2008-09-26T07:02:00.004+02:00

One of the best things about working outside the home is the 45 minute drive. It is 45 minutes that I have all to myself. I dream up the plot for my novel or listen to an 80's CD and sing loudly. I really enjoy this time. The past few days I have been listening to talk radio (i.e. NDR Info, which is a bit like NPR). They have had some excellent reports about the financial crisis.

After a very interesting bit about Bush's national address, the German and I sat down and watched a little CNN. The U.S. Under Treasury Secretary (I think that was his title; where do they get these people??) argued that Bush did a good job of explaining to and convincing the American public about his $700 Billion bailout plan. I went back for a listen, and I heard something very different.

Fear mongering. In a dark tone, the president forecasted gloom and doom for the average American citizen. Furthermore, if congress does not pass his bill, things will get even worse. Give me the power, or else. Gee, George, 8 weeks ago the economy was sound. But I have the distinct feeling that I have heard this all before . . .

After Sept. 11, the American public was scared, and over the next year that did not get any better. Fox News posted "Terror Alert" watches in the corner of their screen. I even had a friend who put up plastic on her windows because she was convinced that there would be an anthrax attack. Amidst this fear, the Bush administration gathered all of its executive authority. It pushed through things like the Patriot Act. All in the name of calming your fears. And if you did not support them, then you were unpatriotic. Shame on you disbelievers, they said.

It turns out though, that the Bush Administration has not really made the world a safer place. Despite confirmation that WMDs never existed in Iraq and that before the war Al-quida was not even there, they still insist that the war was the right thing to do. Now when Congress, or any one else for that matter, tries to investigate, the Bush Administration protects itself with its "Executive Privilege."

Today, they are trying to do the same thing. By comparing the finance crisis to Sept. 11, the Bush Administration is once again trying to collect unprecedented power in the executive branch. But this time, they may not get away with it. This time it is not the pesky unpatriotic Democrats who are protesting, but the President's own party. Talks broke down this morning and it seems they finally realize that Bush does not have the ol' Republican ideal of fiscal responsibility at heart. Guess that $300 tax rebate for all Americans a few months ago was not such a good idea, huh?

McCain is playing on those same fears in order to get out of a debate. I do not understand this. If there is a vote, then certainly both candidates should be there. But, what can they add to this mess? Not much. Friday's debate is about foreign policy, something he is good idea. One would think that he would welcome the idea to talk about something else.

Me, I got my ballot yesterday. I am going to sit down, think clearly and vote. I am sure you can figure out how it will end. On the other hand, I do get a bit warm and fuzzy when I read Nader's name.

This weekend is all about the fun. The Whiny Expat Bloggers are in town, and I really hope that Bremen puts on its best face for them.

Bis dann!

Crawling

2008-09-23T12:12:00.001+02:00

crawling
Originally uploaded by govt23

See. He is moving right along!

7 Months

2008-09-23T10:26:00.008+02:00

My dearest Christopher,

It is hard to believe but yesterday you turned 7. 7 months that is. You just keep getting bigger and bigger and there is not much that I can do about it. You weigh in at 29 inches and almost 20 pounds. You have gotten so big that we finally packed away your bassinet and had to change your stroller from the shell/lying on your back thing (I am sure it has a name; I have no idea what) to your buggy seat. Now you can watch the world go by when we take our walks.

In the past few months you have learned many things. A few weeks ago, you started army crawling. The faster you get, the more afraid I am. Yesterday you got up on your hands and knees. It was exciting for a nanosecond as you immediately fell over. This morning you were happy as a clam in your play pen as I washed the breakfast dishes. I looked over my shoulder to check on you only to find you rocking back and forth on your hands and knees. As soon as you noticed that I was staring at you, you slid back to your tummy and grinned as if to say, "What? I'm not doin' nothin'!"

Your first tooth has been a bit of a bump in the road for your usual sunny personality. I have no idea where you get your positive attitude. Must be from your dad's side of the family.

Besides your physical development, there is also an emotional development taking place. Dude, I think we finally bonded. Two weeks ago you actually started to cry when I left for work. I think my heart broke just a little. You love to show your affection by rubbing your head up against me. Although very cute, I have no idea where you learned that as we do not have a dog.

I am sure there are lots more adventures in store and I cannot wait. Please be patient with me as I am pretty much making this motherhood thing up as I go along. Somehow though, we seem to be doing alright.

Much love,
Your Mom

The Ghost of Elections Past

2008-09-21T12:19:00.004+02:00

The other night I had a rather disturbing dream. In my dream I was lying in bed reading a magazine, when a voice came from the other side of the room. I could not understand what it was saying. Afraid to move, I called out, "What do you want?!" The voice whispered again, "It's the economy, stupid." I turned to the voice and there, sitting in the corner of my bedroom, was James Carville, in a rocking chair, laughing.

"James, what do you mean?!? Is all this asinine talk about bulldogs and lipstick over?"

"Almost," he said while smiling and fading in the distance.

When I woke up, Wall Street had gone to hell. You thought you had had a rough week. Let me see if I can get everything right.

1. The Government took over Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae.
2. Lehmann Brothers went bankrupt.
3. Bank of America bought Merrill Lynch.
4. The Government bailed out AIG.
5. Wachovia is in talks to buy Morgan Stanley.

For better or worse, these events are now shaping the Election of 2008. In my opinion, neither side is really handling it very well.

First, I think Obama is being a bit too smug. We know that the failed Repub policies are partly to blame for this, but finger pointing and the blame game is not going to win the election. Present us with a plan. If you really want to elevate yourself above politics as usual, then now is the time to do it.

Second . . . oh John, I think all of this is worse for you. After over 20 years of supporting deregulation, you are now witnessing the fruits of your labor. What struck me the most this week, was how McCain lambasted "greedy Wall Street types." Dude, when you give a kid the key to the candy store, he is going to gorge himself. In the free market, people go for the fast dollar and tend to think short term instead of long term. In what way are their actions surprising? It turns out that the free market does not always allocate goods efficiently, which is why regulations and oversight are important.

But then the shear gaul of the man . . . after supporting deregulation I am supposed to believe that he has suddenly seen the light? This is the same person and party who wanted to privatize social security and deregulate the insurance industry. Yeah, that would work out oh so well.

More and more, the German and I are convinced that the next president of the U.S., whom ever that may be, is screwed. Like Jimmy Carter screwed. There is no easy way out of this mess. With the economy struggling and people needing their government to help them, the country is also stuck in a protracted "war." The government is trillions (TRILLIONS!) of dollars in debt. That debt jumped this week after the bailouts.

Sadly this all could have been avoided. Take away the war in Iraq and go back 8 years and add regulations, and things may have turned out differently. But what is it they say about hind sight . . .

The sad thing is that we are all a bit to blame for the situation. There is a deep rooted credit culture in the U.S. "Buy now, pay later." It sounds great until the later comes and you have no money. I know. I was in the same boat. When I met the German I had $40,000 in college loans, $5000 in credit card debt, and about $5000 left to pay off my car. I was a 24-year-old grad student and $50,000 in debt. For me it seemed natural. Everyone I knew was in the same boat as me. But that ship was sinking.

Flashback to Christmas 2005. My dad and mom-squared had just built a really nice new house. We walked through their new neighborhood and marvelled at the building boom. As we then drove from Detroit to South Carolina, we saw more and more of the same. During our drive, a conversation went something like this:

Claire: Boy, I wonder if these people have fixed rate or variable mortgages.

German: I have read that most are variable mortgages. Almost anyone can buy a house in the U.S. Do you think we should?

Claire: I don't know. Interest rates are going up. Did you notice the balance on my student loans? It's going up!

German: Yeah, but your wages are not going up. And things seem to have gotten more expensive here.

Claire: Yeah, right! Dude, what happened to the price of milk??

[A Long Pause]

Claire: Are these people going to be able to pay their mortgages in a few years?

German: [long sigh] Probably not . . . You know what we should invest in? Gold. It is always a wise investment in hard economic times.

We are still kicking ourselves for not investing in gold. In case you think this is only a crisis that impacts Americans, several banks in Germany are on shaky footing. A few weeks ago Dresdner Bank was bought out. Turns out that they had also invested in shaky American mortgages. The German government has given over 300 Million Euro to Lehmann Brothers and the European Central Bank has given money to the FDIC.

The Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, commented this week that it was disturbing how rich a few people got off the hard work of others. Where are those rich investment bankers now? Why aren't they helping out with the bailout and my German tax dollars are?

As I watch all of this spin seemingly out of control, I must admit that I am a bit happy that I live in Germany. I am also left wondering, where is it all going to end?

You're Excused

2008-09-18T13:39:00.004+02:00

The Dude is a pretty laid back kind of guy. Sure he gets fussy when he is sleepy, but if you lay him down, then he usually rolls over and goes to sleep. And if you are too late with his food, he will throw a fit (that he gets from me BTW). Normally I can put him on the floor with a few toys for about 20 minutes at a time and I sit next to him and read or clean or surf the net or go to the bathroom.

The past two weeks though he has been . . . different. He fusses a bit more and will not calm down until I pick him up. I have toted him around the house a lot more the past few days. Feeding him lunch has been a bit of a struggle. And the dirty diapers . . . oh my God! Yesterday it went up his back and through is clothes, which has not happened in a very long time. Luckily I was on my way out the door for work. I gave the German a big smile and a kiss. "Have fun, sweetie!"

Then this morning as we were answering our emails (i.e. him in my lap and me typing with one hand) he bit down on my hand. There it was. A tooth. Okay so it is still under the skin a bit but it is definitely breaking through. And you know what . . . that sucker is sharp! No wonder babies fuss.

So my dear, you have an excuse on the fussiness this week. Just don't let it happen again.

I Want . . .

2008-09-17T13:16:00.003+02:00

Although I am very excited that I will be back in the States in exactly 3 months, I am a bit nervous. I cannot imagine that flying with a 10 month old is going to be much fun. The worst part is the connections and layovers. From our house in Wildeshausen to my mom's in Summerville, it is going to take about 24 hours.

And then I saw this. Dude, where can I get one of those!

Adding to the Evidence that I might be a Bad Mom

2008-09-16T14:38:00.004+02:00

The Dude has been giving me grief for about a week. Around 11:30 I usually give him his lunch and then put him down for a nap. For the past week, he usually screams his head off for about 15 minutes before he lets me feed him. The crying could be a result of tiredness so I am moving lunch and nap time up a bit.

In the mean time, I sing songs to keep him quite. Anything. Anything at all that pops into my head. For awhile KC and the Sunshine Band did the trick. Last week I was desperate to change the sound track and the first thing to pop into my head was Salt-n-Pepa. Lordy, the Dude loves "Push It." At first I thought it was just the song, but when I showed him the video on YouTube he giggled and started beating the desk.

Does this make me a bad parent? Am I promoting an unrealistic view of relationships? It sort of feels like that episode of Friends where Ross and Rachel sing "Baby Got Back" to their baby. All I know is that it keeps him quite long enough for me to shove his lunch into his face.

Interesting note, the Dude did not care for "Shoop." Hit it.

I'm Tired

2008-09-16T14:05:00.002+02:00

I'm tired of Dems fighting other Dems.

I'm tired of listening to Repubs believe their own lies.

I'm tired of no one listening when I predict things (i.e. the Repubs using the Dem rift to win an election, taxes going up, a housing market about to blow up).

I'm tired of Obama continuously sliding down the slippery moral slope because he feels that he has to.

I'm tired of the "dammed if you do, dammed if you don't" mentality of so many.

I'm sooo tired of all the bad news and negativity.

I was reading to the Dude last night. He has some of my childhood favorites on his bookshelf. Last night we had "One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish." When was the last time you read this book? It is so fabulous! The German calls it the "drug book," because most of it makes absolutely no sense. But the rhymes and vibrant pictures really appeal to the Dude. But on the inside was something that we grown-ups often forget.

From there to here,
from here to there,
funny things
are everywhere.
These things are fun
and fun is good.

I don't want to be tired anymore. There are so many things to be happy about. Notre Dame beat Michigan over the weekend. Grey's Anatomy returns in just a few weeks. I am going to visit my family in just a few months. And of course, Britney Spears finally got some good hair extensions. Yes, things are starting to look up.

You Know How it Is

2008-09-15T15:03:00.005+02:00

Have you ever had one of those days when you woke up and you just knew? You knew that it was not going to be your day. You just knew that . . . ugh.

Ugh.

Ugh about my husband's snoring and the stomach cramps that kept me awake last night.

Ugh about my normally calm, well-natured son being a complete a$* hole this morning and screaming instead of eating.

Ugh about not doing the laundry over the weekend and now not having anything to wear to work.

Just ugh.

Then I read this , and I thought about how some other people are going to have an even ugh-ier day than I.

Then I watched this, and thought damn this guy could be president.

Then I watched Tina Fey, and it made me smile and the ugh go away.