Merry Christmas! I hope everyone's had a scrumtrellescent day (to borrow an adjective from the great Will Ferrell). At my house we made Nutella crepes for breakfast, opened presents, went to the grandparents for lasagne, opened more presents, then came home and relaxed. I FINALLY had the time to finish 100 Years of Solitude, a book I've been working on since Thanksgiving. I pretty much wanted to kill myself while I was reading it, but now that it's finished, in retrospect it wasn't actually that bad!

My family also watched a documentary today called Shakespeare Behind Bars. Has anyone heard of it? The film is about this program in a Kentucky prison where they inmates put on a production of a Shakespeare play. The documentary was amazing; most of the inmates in the production are in prison for murder, so the interpretations of Shakespeare are obviously given a new meaning when the prisoners perform and study it. The documentary also humanized prisoners in a way that I've never seen before.
This was one of the most powerful documentaries I've ever seen, so I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to watch something a little more edifying or enriching than the usual faire!

And the finals are Done! Sorry my posts have been so boring lately; it's mostly because I have been either stressed out or busy. But hooray for Christmas break! I'm gonna be in Davis for a few more days, but after that, I'll be home for the holidays!

The first theory is similar to the “no access” theory in that it assumes that the UG is “dead” by the time the adult begins to learn L2. The result of this is that the UG can no longer be utilized to gain an internal grammar at the adult L2 level. Knowledge of the grammar can still be derived from the L1, which contains aspects of the UG. However, because the UG has already been set, its parameters cannot be changed, and therefore if the core grammar of L1 and L2 differ, the new L2 grammar will not be initially learnable.


This is what I will be writing about ALL DAY today. I can't wait. AARGH! I hate putting off papers until the last day!!

GAAH! I forgot how much I hate research papers and the requisite endless stressful hours spent at the library that come with them.

I had my last African American Studies class today, and I was surprised at how sad I was that it was finished. I don't even know anyone in that class! The teacher was a great guy though, really relaxed and funny. I can't remember the last time I felt that way about a class. :/

PS-Veronica Mars is officially my favorite show on TV right now. That's right, it even tops Top Model! *gasp*

A couple nights ago I went to go hear a talk by Michael Pollen, the guy who wrote The Omnivore's Dilemma, a book that discusses the origins and makeup of what we eat. It was so interesting! I haven't read the book, but now I plan to, since he talked about a few of the topics that he discusses in the book. The main point was, we cannot keep eating the way we are, transporting food hundreds of thousands of miles before we can even buy it at the store--it just uses too much fuel and doesn't make sense!
Thus, it's really important to shop at a local farmer's market or co-op to support locally grown stuff, even if it's not organic. So yes.

This turned into a rather preachy article, but I really just wanted to make everyone aware of this interesting book and important topic!

OH MY GOD. I got back from Thanksgiving break and the temperature inside of our Davis house is below 50 degrees. And I can't figure out how to turn on the thermostat.
Therefore, I am huddling in my room next to the space heater. THANK GOD FOR SPACE HEATERS!!!!

PS-I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! Mine was lovely.

PS: I am so excited about Thanksgiving! I get to see our new dog, Jinny, and I get to escape Davis for a whole 4 days!
If ONLY the difficult midterm on the following Monday didn't exist...so it goes.

This UCLA police attack news is crazy. I don't really know what to say; I would never have expected something like that to happen at UCLA of all the UC schools, but then again, the LAPD doesn't exactly have the best record around.
Regardless, sometimes I'm really glad about technology such as cell phone video cameras that let people everywhere see what happened, and make us more aware of what's actually going on.

I have become addicted to Buffy once again. Unfortunately, I only have one more season left before I've seen all the episodes.
But last night Friday night = 8 episodes of Buffy back-to-back. And what a joyous feeling it was!

I gave blood today. I have officially redeemed my status as a good person.

In other news, I'm sad that they're gonna build a Target in Davis. And of course that Schwarzenegger has been popularly elected YET AGAIN as governor. We Californians are a backward people!

Oh, and in other rather humorous news, I was doing my homework out on the quad today and a bird pooped on it. Luckily, my professor exteneded the due date later that day, so that I didn't have to turn in the smelly original. :D

I just changed my Facebook pic to some photoshopped nonsense on a SATURDAY night. Sometimes I feel such a loser.

I found this on Facebook. Rather amusing.

It has recently come to my attention that Justin Chambers, aka Alex from Grey's Anatomy, used to be a model for Calvin Klein.
HE IS SO HOTT!



My roomies Kaylan and Alicia don't agree with me; they think he's funny looking! So I'm posting this to get people on my side--it's not just me that thinks he's smokin' right? :) And yes, I just typed "smokin'."

I recently bought the "Step into my OFfice, Baby" single from Belle and Sebastian.
This is what it looked like when I opened the case:



I don't know if you guys know this song, but the picture/quote fits it perfectly. SO CUTE! I LOVE BELLE AND SEBASTIAN!

Having three midterms three days in a row is better than having them all on one day...but it sucks to take a hard test, and go home and start studying immediately for the next one! Gah.

It kind of blows my mind that scientists were able to do this.

Rather awkward and amusing events seem to be occuring quite often in my life as of late.

Situation #1: Awkward
Kate and a boy are heading toward the same table in the Quad.
KATE: Are you going to sit there?
HIM: Um, yeah, but we can share.
KATE: (jokingly) Well, it's kind of an unwritten rule that people don't share tables. Ha ha.
HIM: (uncomfortable, not understanding it was a joke) Well...uh...you can sit there if you want.
KATE: (gives up on trying to be witty) Ok.

Situation #2: Awkward, yet Amusing
Kate is biking on campus. Her water bottle falls out of backpack, the lid comes off and sprays all over the ground. She stops her bike, walks over to get the bottle, and in doing so knocks over her bike. Innocent bystander (small Asian girl) compassionately comes over and lifts up bike for Kate.
KATE: Thank you!
(Kate accidentally splashes water on innocent bystander in the process of taking hold of the bike. )

This is why I love the internet. Turn your sound up, it's so much more satisfying!

It seems like every time I listen to the Smiths, I fall in love with them again. Sure, all their songs sound the same, but who can resist Morrissey's voice and the poetic/bizarre lyrics? I especially love the songs "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore," and "Bigmouth Strikes Again."

Oh Morrissey. You speak to me. Even though I don't understand half of what you say.

Did you miss me?

So...pretending like I have a life isn't really working. It's nice to have free time, but sometimes I feel a little like a LOSER. So I need to find a job or something, or at least something I can volunteer for.
Until then there's always homework and Facebook. And BLOGGER of course!

And Corie turning my dog blue on Photoshop. She's so talented! Yes, this is what we do for fun in Davis sometimes.

I am totally convinced from my experience of working with poor people that they can get themselves out of poverty if we give them the same or similar opportunities we give to others. The poor themselves can create a poverty-free world — all we have to do is to free them from the chains that we have put around them. ~ Muhammad Yunus

Eh.
I'm getting a little tired of updating this blog. So I think I might take a sabbatical from posting for a bit, just for a short time, while I pretend to have a life. And yes, I've decided it's called a sabbatical. :)

You know you're avoiding work when you're looking at a website with pictures of bunnies yawning. These pictures actually creep me out quite a bit. What is it that can be so sinister about these little fluffy creatures? Is it just me?
PS-Number 30 is especially frightening.

Download Festival!

Yesterday I (and Chris and Dan and Dylan and his roommates) went to the Download Festival in San Jose. It was a pretty good concert, considering how big the venue was. I mean, we were on the grass way up behind the regular seating,

so it was hard to see the performers, but taking that into account, it was definitely worth the thirty bucks. And I got to see BECK!!

As I told Dylan afterwards, I think Beck may quite possibly be one of the coolest people I've seen, possibly even cooler than JACK WHITE! And that's saying a lot, as I'm sure all my dedicated readers know.

Note, however, that the sentence contains the word "possibly."
Anyway, I digress.
We also saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Karen O. is a great performer; I thought she did a great job even though I don't really dig the music so much).

Muse did a really good set as well. The Shins were alright. They definitely lacked energy, which was the problem at the last two concerts I saw them at. But yeah, some good performances for sure. TV on the Radio was a nice surprise, since I didn't really know their stuff, but I'm definitely thinking about buying their CD now.
And I got to see my seester! I don't think Leah reads this, but it was really nice to meet up with her for a bit and chat during the breaks. AND she gave me a sweatshirt to wear when it got cold.
Ok, I am rambling quite a bit. I should go to bed, since I actually have to get up a decent hour tomorrow. Good night!

Rejection. Not fun.

Argghhh...I finally put the effort into finding an internship related to my major, heard about one that was interesting, applied, interviewed, moved around my schedule for it, and then they say I don't have enough availability in my schedule! So no job.
I really need to get some linguistic experience here!! This is quite frustrating.

The White Stripes were on The Simpsons! (Their real voices and everything, so cool.)

"The National Intelligence Estimate's conclusion that the war in Iraq is 'a cause celebre for jihadists' and "breeds a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world...' is the intelligence equivalent of the little boy who pointed out that the emperor had no clothes."--BBC article today

Can the situation be any MORE obvious?!

Yes, there has been a dearth of posts lately, although I haven't really been busy until the last few days. I went to Vegas! Cammy was here! And most importantly, I suppose, classes start tomorrow!

I've taken quite a few photos since being in Davis, so if ya wanna check 'em out, I've posted them in a Facebook album (so much easier than here). Here is a pic to give you an idea of the wonders that await you, should you go to my photo album:

I need to remind myself during times of boredom like right now that Facebook is not, in fact, an integral part of life.

ps-I finally have internet. (yay!)

I AM IN DAVIS. And I have no internet. Until Tuesday, that is, if everything goes as planned. Unless I go to the MU and sit out in the cold at night, like I am right now. I guess I could go during the day as well, but it's way more fun to just put it off until late, in my opinion.

Et finalement, I will be in Davis on the morrow. And apparently I will no longer be speaking the good English. There goes my future learning kids as an ESL teacher.
Any chance Davis'll be cooler than here? Pishaw!

PS-I have fallen in love with The Office. The American one. It has stolen my heart. I didn't think it could beat the British original, but it has. Hooray for three-episode-in-a-row reruns on NBC!

Yeah...root canal was yesterday. And it's not nearly as bad as I expected. SO FAR (cue evil laughter from somewhere above me). I All they did so far was take out the tooth. But I have to have a tooth implant before the year is over...it will look something like THIS:

Eeeeew. That picture just chills me to the bone. Literally, I guess, since it's a SCREW they screw into your JAW BONE. But I'll try to put that thought out of my head for at least a few more months.

In other news, I felt okay enough to go see the newest Lassie movie today with my mama at the Rialto. It was a good movie, but I cried a LOT. As was to be expected. Collies are so cute!

NOOOOO! I have to get a root canal!!! This Sucks. With a CAPITAL S.

Hey everyone.
Life is going pretty good. My mom bought me a bunch of stuff today for back to school. I'm glad my mom hasn't decided that I'm too old buy clothes for. Ah, shopping. I felt like crap for a couple days, and now I feel much better. Being with my parents is definitely a good remedy (And not just for the shopping.).

Hi everyone.
I just wanted to let people know that my dog, Kim, passed away this morning from her two rattlesnake bites. It wasn't a huge shock for me since her condition during the night declined pretty rapidly I guess, and by the time we moved her from the emergency room to the regular vets office this morning she was barely breathing.
I'm glad that Kim is out of her pain, and it's comforting to know that she had a good life with us while we had her. It's just going to be really hard to adjust to the sudden change of her being totally healthy and then completely gone from our lives so fast.

Thank you to all of my friends who have offered condolences and kindness. It has really helped me!

Today has been possibly the hardest day of my life so far. My dog Kim was bitten twice by a rattlesnake during a walk in Monrovia Canyon this morning. She chases everything, and finally she went after something that could hurt her. She has been in the veterinary clinic since 11am this morning, and right now she's at the overnight clinic. I'm exhausted from crying.
The doctor says her health is declining, and there's not much hope. But our family is hoping anyway.
I just wanted my friends to know what's going on. If you know my doggy Kim, send her your good wishes!!

So...I'm not so good at updating lately. I guess because I feel like people don't really read this that much. But hey, people do. And more importantly, I need this for posterity, right?
Not much has been goin' on. Well, ok, stuff has been happening, but nothing worth blogging about. Do you really want to hear about my trip to the eye doctor? Well, I need stronger glasses. Boo. But at least they're cute glasses!
And my grandma and aunt came over today for lunch. We had egg salad sandwiches and pea soup. It was good times.
I was also up in Davis for the weekend (sorry to Davis people I didn't see--it was very last minute). I hitched a ride w/ my dad and sis while Leah moved into Berkeley, and stayed up at Dylan's for a couple nights. Nice to see Dylan, but weird to realize that I'm actually going back to Davis again after all that time in Germany.

Well, that's all for now. I need a new facebook picture. So I'm going to go look for one....

I saw Little Miss Sunshine tonight. And for once, the hype was actually correct, if that makes sense. Such a good movie! I have to say, it's one of the few movies I've seen in a long time that I can actually describe as "heartwarming". But the film wasn't at all cheesy, if that's what "heartwarming" implies. Steve Carell did an excellent job as usual, Greg Kinnear was great...in fact, the whole cast was. If anyone gets a chance to see it, go!

Ah, LA. I've been back for...three days now, and it's been really nice. Chilling with the fam, mostly. Well, exclusively actually. But I am perfectly happy (still), to just sit around and tell stories about D-Land to anyone that will listen (hooray for parents!).
I'm going to San Clemente tomorrow for a week and a half, however, I would like to get together with people before it gets too late. (Corie! And whoever else is around and actually reads this thing!)
Mom bought me a dress and dinner last night...it's so nice to be hooome. :)

I am back in California!! I got back yesterday night. It was a long flight, but it definitely felt shorter than I expected. It's weird to be able to speak English to everyone, and eavesdrop on people without trying. (I've been really enjoying that.)
I feel really out of touch with everyone, which isn't too great, but at this point I'm just fine with relaxing with the family for at least a few days. We're going down to San Clemente on Sunday to chill for a week, and then hopefully I can SEE some missed friends!
Oh, and I have my old cell phone back, so people can call me (At home or on my cell)!

Hooray for good, cheap Mexican food! (The first thing I ate upon returning home last night.)


PS-I already went to go see An Inconvenient Truth with my mom and sis today, after hearing all the good reviews it's getting. The movie was good; definitely not amazing or any startling information in my opinion, but it gets the point across and re-motivates me to try my best to save the environment in pretty much every way. I just kind of feel like this movie is "preaching to the choir" as my mom said, since it's in small release and the average American isn't going to watch a 1 1/2 hour lecture just for kicks.

I honestly think that packing is more stressful than a lot of final exams. I have to clean out this little room that I live in pretty much by tomorrow, since I'm leaving for Italy tomorrow morning, with only one evening in-between to pack for the US. I've been working on packing since at least last weekend.
You'd never guess how much stuff can fit into these little rooms. Then again, if you've ever had to move into a new place before, you probably can guess. But I have to move across the world, and I'm only allowed two check-ins!! How will this ever work? I've already given away two garbage-sized bags of clothes!

Hanging out all weekend with my friend Vera and her boyfriend...makes me miss my boyfriend. And reading Janelle's cheesy post about her boyfriend makes me post cheesy posts about my boyfriend. Who hasn't contacted me in any way for TWO WEEKS. (He's travelling in Chile, what's a girl supposed to do?)

I have also become very good at repeating the same words over and over (redundancy?) when posting late at night. But that may have something to do with the fact that I've been in Germany for a year.

Ok, that is all. I am going home in NINE DAYS!!! I can almost taste the States.

Oh, one more thing. NEVER read the book American Psycho unless you get joy from vacuous plotlines and numerous extremely detailed descriptions of gruesome murders. The author's trying to make a point? There must be a better way.

Talking to the United Airlines automated voice:

Machine voice: Is this a one-way trip, or round trip?
Me: One way.
Voice: (1 minute pause) What is your departure city?
Me: Frankfurt.
Voice: You said Queenstown, New Zealand. Is that correct?
Me: hangs up.

I just have a simple question about baggage! Can't a real person talk to me, please?!?

Third place!!
It could be worse.
Just wait til 2010....

So Germany's out. Everyone was shocked to see them lose, since the game was 0-0 until about the last two minutes of overtime, when Italy scored two goals pretty much in a row. I watched the game in a lecture hall, and people just started leaving as soon as the second goal was scored; there was no point in staying. When the lights turned on, I saw more than one person crying.
I loved rooting for Germany during the World Cup, but I don't think I'll ever be able to cry over a sports team!

Now I say, vive la France!

Did you know that you can recover from a stroke with a foreign accent?

My dad sent me this article.

Germans Just Wanna Have Fun

By KONSTANTIN RICHTER
June 30, 2006; The Wall Street Journal

BERLIN -- Is it possible to be both German and happy?

That's the question posed by Reinhard Mohr in his book "The New Germany Feeling." Herr Mohr thinks it's possible. Other recent releases, such as "The Best of Germany -- 250 Reasons to Love Our Country Today," and "We Germans -- Why the Others Can Like Us," come to similar conclusions.

The case for a new German patriotism has been corroborated by this summer's soccer World Cup. Traditionally known to be a sullen and serious species, the Germans have been gripped by a collective euphoria not seen since an underdog national side beat Hungary in the final of 1954. Throngs of people are flying the black-red-and-gold flag under cloudless skies, looking befuddled and drugged by their own enthusiasm: Why are we so happy? Is this really us? And, just assuming this is us, is it okay for us to be this happy?

For the benefit of those still taken by surprise, a few words of explanation may be in order. The new patriotism, though somewhat spontaneous, doesn't come out of the blue. Nor is it threatening or scary. We're just having fun, backing a multicultural team -- part German, part Polish -- that combines Brazilian flair on offense with Luxembourgian largesse on defense. (The Brazilians, on the other hand, are following a typically Teutonic game plan this time.)

So for once the national side is putting on a pleasing show, and their timing couldn't be better. Prior to the World Cup, you see, we'd been under the weather. Not the usual moroseness, but a proper slump. Years of economic stagnation had taken their toll. Time and again, we'd been told that we were lagging behind: in innovation, education -- and copulation (demographics are the most worrying part). We discussed some painful reforms. Think-tank types dominated talk-show debates. Their angst made us buy their books, which were typically called "Can Germany Still Be Saved?" or "The Deformed Society: How the Germans Suppress Their Reality." But these books made us feel worse and we stopped buying them.

Still, we are a nation of skeptics. Many of us wouldn't have thought that all we needed to do was pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. Then the World Cup started, and the clouds cleared for a Mediterranean summer. Consumer confidence figures rose to the highest level in years, and a swift-footed wingback named Philipp Lahm scored the first German goal in the fifth minute of the opening match. Ever since then, we have suspended disbelief and we haven't looked back. It all seems so wonderfully easy from now on.

I think it's time for an update. Stuff has been happening. But lately I've been feeling lazy about everything, from schoolwork to exercise to posting on my blog. But life has been pretty good (still)! In the past few week I have:

1. Went on a field trip to the "Sleeping Beauty" castle of Sababurg. I'm still not too sure why it's the Sleeping Beauty castle, but they have lots of roses there, and one breed is named after her. Lots of pretty flowers. I thought of my momma, because she loves flowers so much. Took some pics of the flowers just for her.
After the castle we went to the Sababurg Zoo, which was an awesome surprise. I'd just come along basically to get out of class, but we get to see animals?!? The zoo was pretty small, but it did have an awesome birds of prey show, during which trainers had the huge eagles and owls swooping right over the audience. I even got hit in the face with a horned owl's wing when I didn't duck in time. It was awesome!

2. Took a two-day trip to Koeln, or Cologne for English-speakers. It's about four hours from Goettingen, and my friend Jen and I made the trip out there to see the Raconteurs, a side project band of Jack White and his pal Brendan Benson. The show was pretty good; it made me wish I could play in a successful band with all my friends. It looked like so much fun to be up there on stage!

3. Stayed in Koeln the next day to sightsee a little and watch the Germany vs. Argentina game. Took a tour of the Lindt Chocolate factory (pretty cool--we got to actually see the chocolates being made!), saw the famous gothic Koelner Dom, and watched the NAIL-BITING Germany game. WE WON!! In Shootouts, for anyone who didn't watch. I love Jens Lehmann (the goalie for Germany). Not only is he kind of ruggedly handsome, I'd trust him with my life. Ok, maybe not my life, but he's a darn good goalie. So it was fun to take the train back to Goettingen after the game; everyone was in such a good mood! Even the hilarious train conductor, who announced each train stop with unusual energy and enthusiasm.

Alright, that's all the real news! I think I caught everyone up.
Brazil is out! If Germany doesn't win, I hope France does! I haven't been to France yet, so I have no reason not to root for them. I still have this glamorous and elegant image of the French, unlike all of my friends who traveled to Paris and now despise the French.

PS-I posted some pics from the last week on Facebook, fo yo info.

There was an elephant downtown today. That's right, little old Goettingen had a live elephant out in the city square this morning! I wasn't there, so I thought it was a weird joke at first when Vivian casually mentioned "Oh yeah, I saw an elephant downtown," but then she showed me the picture she took on her camera phone, and there it was! Apparently they were advertising for a circus that's coming soon.
I don't like the idea of elephants being in a setting like that, where people can come up to them and touch them and whatnot; it's dangerous for the people as well as totally unnatural for the elephant. But as my friend Jen pointed out, at least it probably gives people more of an awareness and knowledge of this animal that they might not otherwise see in real life.

Just a few pics from the last Germany victory against Ecuador last Tuesday. These are both in the "Innenstadt," or the town square of Goettingen.

Reflections after smelling myself this afternoon:
We should give the "smelly Europeans" a break. I mean sure, they can be a little more fragrant than the average American, but I have to say, it's TOUGH to smell good here! The heat and humidity have dramatically increased in the past week, and even though I shower every day, use deodorant and sometimes cologne, you'd never guess it by the end of the day.
So let's all just give B.O. a chance here, shall we?

PS-I can hope as much I want, but I could never count on Kim to do this.

I stole this poem from Alex's blog. There's a site called Holy Tango of Literature which has poems that are based on anagrams of the poet's name. (Holy Tango=Anthology, get it?) The poems, as you might assume, are quite bizarre, but some of them are funny.

For example, the Red Wheelbarrow poet we read senior year of high school:

I WILL ALARM ISLAMIC OWLS
WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS

I will be alarming
the Islamic owls
that are in
the barn

and which
you warned me
are very jittery
and susceptible to loud noises

Forgive me
they see so well in the dark
so feathery
and so dedicated to Allah

YAY USA! WE WO--, uh, TIED with Italy!! I kept saying all day, if the US team scores a goal against Italy, I will be happy. Well we did get a goal, although it was an Italian that accidentally kicked it in! But honestly, I think the US should take anything it gets, and be proud of it! And the best part was that we didn't just get that goal, we TIED! Hooray! We might have a chance of going farther if we beat Ghana next week!
The only annoying thing during the game tonight was the atmosphere at the bar we went to. Everyone there was Italy fans except for we 7 US girls. And we made up for our small number with loudness. We were REALLY into the game, screaming and shouting (Michele loudly called the opposing team "f***ing Italians" about 25 times; I was starting to a little worried).
However, towards the end of the game people started getting annoyed at us for being so loud. One guy next to us told us to "sssh!" and one of the guys working there yelled at us across the room to be quiet!
That bugs me, because obviously we go out to these bars to watch the game, and you know that if it were a Germany game, they would have no problem with fans being loud! But we ignored the reprimands, since I say if there's one time it's OK to be a loud American, it's cheering your country's underdog soccer team!

Last night was Germany's second game in the World cup, playing Poland. It was a crazy/horrible game! Any other game played like last night's would have bored me to death, because NO GOALS were scored until the final three minutes of overtime. However, the fact that we all watched the game inside this cramped, humid, hot room with about 80 other soccer fans packed in helped to increase the excitement and intensity about 50 times.
I found myself screaming and jumping out of my seat several times, and by the end of the whole game, my throat was dry and itchy from so much yelling! Germany ended up beating Poland 1-0, just BARELY, but man, you'd have thought we won the freakin' World Cup! After the game ended we went downtown to see if fans were celebrating, and it was crazy. People were honking their horns, waving flags, standing up in the sunroofs of their cars, climbing fountains and statues; it was awesome!
I don't think Germany's going to win the World Cup this year, but it'd be awesome if they did; I don't know how people would top last night!

Bush makes surprise visit to Iraq

First of all, why is this his first time there since 2003?

Second of all, " 'Iraq's future is in your hands,' Mr. Bush told the Iraqi prime minister."
Like heck it is!!

Fiona Apple, where have you been all my life?!

I just watched the movie Blue Velvet with Cindy. Has anyone seen this movie? It is so bizarre...I had no idea what to expect. I liked it because it's a really good example of postmodern film noir (I wrote a paper all about that last year, so I could analyze it a little), but at the same time I mostly didn't like the film because it was disturbing and the plot was really confusing and hard-to-follow. The only movie I could kind of compare this to is Pulp Fiction, except not as violent, just random.

Ah...things are good right now.
World cup started yesterday, and Germany won! Not much of a surprise, but it was exciting to watch the game. We tried to go to this big party up the street to watch it, but it was packed with people, and only standing room (so the tall people blocked everything--I couldn't even see more than half the screen!).
So five minutes before the game started we raced back and biked downtown to the nearest bar in hopes of actually watching the game while still being surrounded by crazy sports fans. We were in luck, and got good seats with lots of enthusiastic fans. The guy next to me jumped out of his seat and right onto my bare foot when Germany scored a goal!

The other two reasons I'm happy are:
1. Spring has come back again! It was sunny for about two weeks, it rained for about three weeks, and the sun has come back again! It's supposed to be in the 80's tomorrow, and I'm not even sure how my body's gonna handle that! It hasn't seen 80-degree weather since like...LA!

2. Also, today I found a grocery store that has a fairly good Asian food section, and they had a mix for Thai green curry! I'm trying not to get my hopes up, since I think it's a german brand that produces it, but I'm really excited to see how it tastes.

Ok, that is all! Hooray for more soccer games tonight! (I'm getting more and more into this!)

I haven't posted a "real" post for quite a while, I'm noticing. I think it's partly because I've been lazy, partly stressed-out, and partly b/c there isn't that much exciting news.

I had two relatively large presentations in the last two weeks; one on linguistics (the scariest one, even though I don't even get a grade for it, you just have to do it for participation requirements), and then one on German film for my foreign-language class. I finished that one yesterday, thank goodness. The film one got me all interested in renting movies again, although I have to admit not all of the stuff I've rented recently is German. My favorite recent film has definitely been Sweet and Lowdown (see a pic of it on the right sidebar). This is made by Woody Allen, but he's not really a character in it, and it's not the humor typical of most of his movies, I think that's partly why I liked it. A really good underrated film. I especially recommend it if you like jazz music!

As for other stuff...yes, I went to the Mexico vs. Goettingen soccer game last weekend; it was really fun! Of course Mexico won, since they're a national team, but they only won 3-0. Doesn't that final score seem a little too low? Dylan says it's still a good win, but I have my doubts. Me being a soccer connoisseur and all....

World Cup starts this Friday! Me and some of the girls are gonna go watch the first game at the Lokhalle, which is basically just a huge warehouse with apparently the biggest projection screen in Germany. Imagine, in our little old Goettingen!

I am especially happy right now because I got a shipment of stuff I ordered from Amazon.de. Five cd's and a book, all for under 70 bucks! (It was birthday-certificate money.) So now I have lots of stuff to keep me entertained.

Tonight I'm going to see a Bertold Brecht play...can't remember what it's called, but I can only hope that it's not too difficult to understand. I had a bad experience with the last play I saw, since they decided to tell the story in reverse-chronological order, and use a VERY sparse set. I need stimulation! I almost fell asleep.
Ok, that's all I can think of for now.

But wait! I want to share this great poem (by Guenter Grass) we read in my Literature after 1945 class this week:

Fotogen (1961)
Ich ging in den Wald
Fotografierte Eichhoernchen
Liess den Film entwickeln
Und sah, dass ich zweiunddreissigmal meine
Grossmutter geknipst hatte.

Translation:
Photogenic
I went to the forest
Photographed squirrels
Developed the film
And saw that I had photographed my grandmother
32 times.

This is Goleo VI, the official mascot of the World Cup '06. And his sidekick soccer ball, Pille. (Where'd they come up with that name?!)

"According to FIFA, Goleo was born in Botswana in 1985. He experienced serious trauma as a child when he was discovered by poachers who caught him with a net. He was freed later on but, to this day, he is petrified by all sorts of nets and -- above all -- fishnet stockings."

Sadly, Goleo hasn't been as popular a mascot as everyone hoped. But one can't help noticing that "Goleo... is not exactly what you'd call an attractive fellow. He could easily pass for an out-of-wedlock child of mumbling Star Wars monster Chewbacca and US 1980s sitcom teddy-bear starlet Alf. And now, it turns out, nobody wants to hold him, hug him, and call him George."
Check out this funny article for the background on this poor excuse for a lion. (Sorry, Goleo, but it's the truth.)

Are you a real pansy? Then these necklaces are for you!
I saw this ad and thought it was funny.

Talking to my mom on the phone today: "Yeah! Your father and I visited your blob!"

She corrected herself a split second later, but it was pretty good times. My mom is not a technologically-advanced person, and I love her for it.

Ah June.... A time when the sun shines down and smiles upon the happy inhabitants of Planet Earth....*

OR NOT. It could also be a time when you get caught outside in a chilly hail storm so windy that your umbrella turns inside out.


*I have gradually come to realize through the years that I am not very good at poetry/descriptive writing. Despite the encouragement my 5th grade teacher gave me (sniff).

then the dog went to the store and ate green bananas for a little while before he yawned and walked home.

I was trying to get Word's auto-language to switch to English, and this was the sentence I typed off the top of my head. Just thought I'd share, since I'm a little proud of it. And putting off work, of course.

Warning! Lots of pictures in this post!

First of all I wanted to post a pic of me and Hannah, my awesome German buddy from back in the high school days, and a good friend of mine that I don't get to see very often. We met up in Berlin for two days this extended weekend, and got to catch up a little. It was really fun! Here we are in a famous cemetery (Invalidenfriedhof) in Berlin:


Now the rest of the pictures all have to do with the same subject: SOCCER! Or really Fußball, as the Germans call it. I just want to convey how much Fußball-Fever there is in our small town of Goettingen:

The Mexican team is being housed in Goettingen, so there's a lot of "Willkommen Mexiko!" stuff in shops...I love how seriously this mannequin is wearing not-so-serious garb.

Soccer/German flag candy

Soccer display at the entrance of the Karstadt department store. There was a TV behind the display showing big soccer moments or something like that--notice all the men watching it.

Soccer books

Soccer toiletries: lotion, soap, makeup, etc.

Soccer dishware

World cup perfume and cologne.

"Sadness tissues" for if you cry while watching a game.

Cindy and Vivian showing off the soccer pasta, soccer ball pillow and soccer ball print toilet paper.

CRAZY!! But it's really cool to be in the midst of all this obsession; I've never experienced such a unified excitement for one thing!

Going to Berlin tomorrow (for my 4th time! Do I get a prize?) to meet up with my best blogging buddy, Hannah! I haven't seen her since last Thanksgiving, when she was in Davis by coincidence and we went to Crepeville...mmm the memories.

I'm a little sad rain is predicted pretty much as far as any weather report can predict...but I'm still excited!

My little sister was in her last high school musical last week; they did Into the Woods, the rather weird play that makes fun of fairy tales. (Remember when we saw it at Davis, Corie?) Leah was Cinderella, and apparently she did a really good job (as usual!), and since I didn't get to see it, my parents sent me some pics. And I decided to share them, since they're pretty good. (Click to see full size)

With her friend Danielle, who plays the Baker's Wife

With Prince Charming

With the cast

Singing the last song of the play

Cammy graduates from college today! (I almost wrote she graduates from high school.) This is crazy. I am not supposed to be this old. I mean, I guess I'M not the one graduating yet, but...time FLIES! And my little girl is growing up....

Congratulations Cammy!

You are one of the awesomest people I know! And now you are even more awesome, because you are a college graduate!

Who needs sunshine when you've got lots of reading to do anyway?

PS-Da Vinci Code movie...not so great. But I found Tom Hanks strangely somewhat attractive with his longish hair.

Look how disgustingly healthy my lunch was today:


That's right! Natural and wild rice mixed with baked tofu and fresh arugula! All organic! Sometimes I'm so proud of myself that I post about it on my blog.

L-O-V-E love, it's coming back, it's coming back
L-O-V-E love, it's coming back, it's coming back

Refer to our discussions, confirm the terms of our love affair
I exercise all options, and I know I'll see you there

BA-BA-BA etc. etc.

L-O-V-E love, it's coming back, it's coming back
L-O-V-E love, it's coming back, it's coming back

Not withstanding provisions of clauses 1,2,3 and 4
Extend contractual period, me and you for evermore

You're the Legal Man, you've got to prove that you're no liar
I'll render services that you may reasonably require

L-O-V-E love, it's coming back, it's coming back
L-O-V-E love, it's coming back, it's coming back

Get out of the city and into the sunshine
Get out of the office and into the springtime
Get out of the city and into the sunshine
Get out of the office and into the springtime
Get out of the city and into the sunshine
Get out of the office and into the springtime
Get out of the city and into the sunshine
Get out of the office and into the springtime

--Legal Man, Belle & Sebastian

This is unfortunately a very sad post, but I just felt that I should share the news with everyone who knew Vivian. Vivian's mom passed away from cancer on Saturday, after a very long and painful battle. Anyone that knows her mom knows what a sweet, kind woman she was to all of Vivian's friends, and she will be missed by many.

What I if I do this for my summer job?

My blog is officially three years old! Actually, its birthday was on May 8 (which happens to be Kaylan's 21st birthday too), but of course I forgot both birthdays until several days later. I'm pretty bad about that.

But happy birthday to both!

This is a prime example of typical "Germanism":
I get a note in my mailbox saying that I owe the housing people 30 cents for a new lightbulb, and I have to pay within a week. I don't remember when I needed to change a lightbulb, but it's kind of lame to argue over 30 cents, so I manage to make time to get down to the student housing building (which is open only 3 hours a day), and pay the 30 cents. And I don't just pay it; they have to write out a whole receipt showing what I payed for, when I payed it, and signed by me.
It's just freaking 30 cents!!

PS-Jack White is a father! They named the baby girl Scarlet Theresa. I'm proud of him for choosing a relatively normal name!

Oh man. Today was a reenactment of all those horrible years forced to play soccer/frisbee/touch football in PE during middle and high school.
Played ultimate frisbee and then soccer with the Americans, Germans, and a couple Brits today out on the field...and managed to hide in the background most of the time. Although I DID make a great catch, stopping the soccer ball with my hands (and no, I wasn't playing goalie, lol). Luckily the people that I played with were not hard-core at all, and were able to laugh it off.
Now I am back home where I belong, hunched over in front of the computer screen!

You know you have too much music when you hear a song you like at a club, research all the info about it, only to discover that you already have the song on one of your CDs.

But at least you already have the song!

I am an avid follower of Jay Leno's "Headlines," which are posted on his website. I just wanted to share a couple of "For Sale" ads he showed that I thought were really funny:

Beck is playing in Davis on May 24th! If only I were there....
Not that it would have mattered, since I hear the tickets sold out in about .5 seconds.

I can however console myself with the fact that I am going to see BELLE & SEBASTIAN in Hamburg on May 12th!!! I love those guys. I think the concert will be extremely mellow (too mellow?) but I am very excited nonetheless.

I copied Hannah's virtual paper doll thingy, and this is the one I made. (Notice the chihuaha with the snot bubble; it's my favorite part.)



If you want to make your own (come on, you KNOW you want to waste time like me!) here's the site: Candybar Doll Maker

Today I had a minor cooking disaster. But it was probably the biggest cooking disaster I've ever experienced! I left some rice on the stove at medium heat (BAD idea) for half an hour, expecting it to cook in that time. I come back, and the kitchen is literally filled with smoke! I couldn’t even get to a window and open it without running outside again to get some fresh air; my eyes were tearing up and I couldn’t really breathe in. But eventually I was able to open both windows and the door that leads go outside...thankfully I was the one that found the food first instead of one of my floor mates, or else they probably would’ve hated me!

After about 10 minutes one floor mate Marinella came in, and when I apologized for the smell, she was really nice about it, saying, “Welcome to the club! We’ve all burned something in here!” So I felt much better, especially when she gave me a piece of the pizza she was making (since my food was burned to a black crisp)!

Springtime is definitely here! The trees are finally starting to grow leaves again, but that's not all....
-I have swallowed bugs several times in the last week while riding my bike. (The bugs are back with a vengeance.)
-It was 70 degrees today! And the sun wasn't even out for part of it, but it was still nice and muggy! (Hey, it's still better than being cold!)
-I have my beloved ring tan back! My hand was paler than pale during the Winter; the skin on my hand matched the skin under the ring I never take off. But in the shower today, I realized that I have a slight tan again! YES!

I hope everyone else is enjoying the arrival of Spring as much as me and the other Americans in Goettingen! (Except for poor Dylan, who is now heading into Winter in Chile. But he already got to have his freakin' warm season.)

I hope people have been hearing at least a little about the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. My dad drew my attention to it recently in an article saying what an urgent and serious problem this is, one that shouldn't be ignored.

If you have time, please look over this article, and as for getting involved, I would recommend email Bush, Condoleeza Rice, and Senators Boxer and Feinstein. (That's what my family did, anyway.) There are also a few organizations that I've found that at least can give you more information about the crisis (see upper-right corner of my blog).

Never Again, Again

By BERNARD-HENRI LÉVY
April 13, 2006; Page A12 (The Wall Street Journal)

Too bad for the TV networks in the U.S. and Europe, but the event of the moment is neither the crisis of regime in France nor Berlusconi's defeat. It is not even the latest casualties and the latest vicissitudes of the war in Iraq. Rather, it is the news coming from Darfur indicating that the war there, already three years old, and nearly half a century old in the whole of Sudan, is on the verge of the utmost savagery and horror.

We already knew that villages are being leveled by planes from bases in Obeid and Port Sudan. We knew that the Janjaweed ("armed men on horseback") come, after the bombers, to finish off the survivors by hand. We also knew -- as I myself attested in 2001 after a stay with John Garang's guerrilla army -- of the use of mass rape, as in Bosnia, as a weapon of war and conquest.

Finally, we were not unaware of the racist, purely racist, nature of a conflict that no longer has the "excuse" of a religious war -- since the Zaghawa and Massalit tribes rebelling against Khartoum are also Muslim -- but simply offers the image of a war whose sole motive is the hatred, on the part of the North's Arabs, of a population whose crime is having skin that is too black.

But there are new elements that we do not know so well: the way the Khartoum regime at the last minute banned a visit by the top U.N. relief official; the harassment of European NGOs, especially the Norwegians, who were keeping the humanitarian pipeline open against all odds and have been forced to pack their bags; the cynicism with which the militias enforce the Feb. 20 law prohibiting any "foreign organization" whose activities constitute an "interference" in Sudan's "internal affairs" and thus encroach upon the "sovereignty" of a state that claims the right to exterminate as it pleases.

The new development, in short, is the frightening warning from Juan Mendez, the U.N.'s special adviser on the prevention of genocide, that this policy of the forced withdrawal of NGOs could signal that the regime has embarked on the last stage of its plan, where there cannot and must not be any witnesses.

And this is when there are those who, faced with the atrocity of a massacre and perhaps genocide, denounce the very principle of an intervention which they condemn in advance as "neocolonial": Such is the case this week of the Arab League.

There are those who are plainly uninterested in this war at the end of the world, this war of faraway peoples, that does not pit the rich wicked West against the impoverished meek of the Third World. Ah, these neoprogressives who are so talkative when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict! Ah, these anti-imperialists who have nothing at all to say when it comes to a war with 500 times more deaths but where neither Israel nor the West has the least role!

* * *
There are, in the U.S. as in Europe, organizations who, though presumably having the duty and speciality of defending black minorities against discrimination or historical denial, are conspicuous by their silence. Is it because this war between Arab and non-Arab Muslims complicates, yet again, the old schema? Is it because the war is a terrible confirmation, by fact and fire, of the historians' thesis that the massacre of African blacks was an African and especially an Arab crime as well as -- and before -- being a Western crime? In sum, there are all those who each have a different reason for feeling inconvenienced by this drama in Sudan and who would therefore like President Omar El Bashir to do whatever he has to do quickly, and in silence.

But what about the others? All the others? What about all those ordinary people who, like you and me, had sworn "Never again Auschwitz" and then "Never again Bosnia" and then "Never never again the shame of Rwanda"? What about Kouchner, my friend Bernard Kouchner, who invented the right to intervene? And Mandela, the great man in whom human conscience and nobility were incarnated? And the United States? And France and its African diplomacy? And all those everywhere who have made themselves advocates of the cause of blacks and from whom we so much want to hear?

I acknowledge that the problem is not simple.

But it also must be acknowledged that it is a hundred times less complicated than the removal of Saddam Hussein. Telling Khartoum to stop would not take more effort than was required 10 years ago, after five years of procrastination and cowardice, to stop Milosevic.

What, then, are we waiting for? Every day that goes by is a day of shame and defeat.

Mr. Lévy is the author, most recently, of "American Vertigo" (Random House, 2006). This piece was translated from the original French by Hélène Brenkman.

Lately I've been REALLY WANTING a dog. I have to keep reminding myself that there is no way I could get a dog unless I pretty much decide that I'm not going to go move anywhere new for the next 5 years or so at least. Plus, once I get back to CA and get to spend some time with my Kimmy then I think it'll get better.

But until then...must...fight...the urge!

Easter pics! The candy, searching for the eggs in the commons room, and dying them the night before.

Had my first trial class today. (At Göttingen we can decide after a couple weeks which classes we keep or drop.) It was a really interesting subject to me, about loan words in German, how they got there, if loan words should be avoided, etc. However, I decided not to take the class. Why? Well, everyone who wants a grade needs to write a 20-page final essay, as well as give a "short" oral presentation of 40 minutes. By him/herself. All in German. So yes, I am hoping the other ling class turns out a little bit better (read: easier)!

Happy Easter!

I actually have these flowers (daffodils, right?) blooming on the lawn outside my window! Even when it's raining, like right now, they're so bright and yellow!

This morning Cindy played Easter Bunny and hid 15 eggs that we'd dyed for fun last night. And the four of us ate them ALL the same morning, along with some chocolate from Michele. I can't remember the last time I looked for eggs...probably at least 4 years ago. It was a lot of fun!

Random thoughts of Kate:

1. I like bowls so much more than plates. They're easier to hold, and you can eat pretty much anything out of a bowl. You can't eat that much stuff on a plate, and it's a pain chasing it around trying to stick it on your fork. In my future house, I think I'll have about 80% bowls, and 20% plates.


2. Rabbits are scary as pets. It's really weird, but I think they're the only popular housepet that I would never want to own. I'm not really sure why I'm kind of freaked out by them, except for maybe I just can't understand them. I mean, how do you know when a rabbit is happy? Or when he's about to bite you? They don't make any noises! Cats and dogs and even birds have pretty good body language.

3. Final thought: I just realized that my plant committed suicide. I've killed more than a few plants in my lifetime, but they've never before taken the initiative to kill themselves! He was definitely more than half-dead already, after I traveled a month without watering him. When I got back for good, I put him outside the window on the sill to get some sunshine. Well, I forgot about him for a couple days, and when I looked outside, I realized he was gone! Apparently he'd jumped, although there was no sign of him on the ground outside. I'm sad he's gone, but I think we both knew the end was coming soon.

Late Pictures:

At the Berlin Aquarium with a scary eel

Awesome vegetarian dinner in Prague


View of Bratislava from a lookout tower


Caves in Budapest


View from our hotel in Kusadasi; so pretty!


Pretty water off the coast of Antalya


Blue Mosque in Istanbul


Kitty sleeping at one of the stands at the Grand Bazaar


Cammy's father's wedding at the Temple of Artemis in Kusadasi