Let’s All Go To The Movies

Every time I go by the local movie theater I always glance to see what has come out so I know when to download them in English. So often, the titles are so bizarre and out of context. I found a few that I found over the past few months to share with you! Check out the translations! Most of these they could translate exactly as it is…like the first one here, “The Last Song…” Easily could be translated to “Die Letzte Lied.” Not only that but that is what the book AND the movie is about! The Last damn Song!!! Just goes along with my theory that the Germans make life WAY more complicated than it needs to be. But moving on…. 🙂

I tried to just see what these translate to in Google Translate and it literally gives you the exact movie translation…not the literal translation. When I googled “Einmal ist Keinmal” google told me it was “One for the Money.” Google…you are LIARS!!! Thanks to Toblerone and my ridiculously large vocabulary of the German language *sarcasm*, I was able to translate for you just what each is! 🙂 Have a laugh or two! 🙂

The Last Song 

Mit dir an meiner Seite  = With you on my side

Charlie St.Cloud

Wie durch ein Wunder = Miraculously

A Walk to Remember

Nur mit dir = Only with you

The Lovely Bones

In Meinem Himmel = In My Heaven

The Parent Trap

Ein Zwilling kommt selten allein = A Twin Seldom Comes Alone

Grab Life By The Ball – Dodgeball

Voll auf die Nüsse – Dodgeball = Full of the Nuts – Dodgeball

The Notebook

Wie ein einziger Tag = Every Single Day

K-9

Mein Partner mit der kalten  schnauze = My Partner with the Cold Snout

One For The Money

Einmal ist keinmal = Once is Never

Dear John

Das Leuchten der Stille = The Light in the Quiet(Still)

The Greatest Things To Come Out Of My Childhood

So obviously my childhood was more colorful and amazing than anyone else, therefore in keeping with the theme of this blog, I’m going to continuing to bask in my own awesomeness and blog about myself and what I loved growing up!

Just joshin ya! I thought it would be good to run down memory lane with you all due to two things:

1. The end of the world is/is not happening in December of this year

2. The internet where all our memories can be found is about to be seized from our hands, thanks a lot SOPA and PIPA!  (Learn about it here and do something about it here.)

I was born in 1984, you do the math, so I’m a mixture of the late 80’s and early 90’s baby.

BOOKS: Oh, the places we could go in books. I would imagine all sorts of things. In fact, I guess I miss mostly my imagination! Frog and Toad were amazing. And I definitely thought that frogs could be friends and wear sweaters in real life.  In Madeline, I was super freaked out by the hole in her stomach…and that nun was just strange looking. I became a big fan of Anne Frank after I went to Amsterdam and saw the annex at around the same age she was when she was found (12 or so.) Blueberries for Sal was my ultimate favorite. I can’t remember how many times I’ve read that! Cloudy with a chance of meatballs…dammit! I’ve been waiting for the freaking pancakes to fall!!! 

Frog and Toad (series), by Arnold Lobel

Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans

Diary of Anne Frank, by Anne Frank

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs  by Judi Barrett

Blueberries for Sal by By Robert McCloskey

TV/MOVIES: I definitely think now that TV isn’t what it was. Nothing good is on and the kids are learning crap! Hence why they brought back the 90’s shows on Nick at Nite, is it? I’m not in the US so I wouldn’t know but if I had kids and I lived in the US I would force my children to watch ALL of those shows. ALL OF THEM. 

The Worst Witch (1986) – I thought this was the GREATEST 80’s Halloween special ever and the graphics…WOWSER!

The Raisins (Claymation) – just no words for how awesome. Dancing vegetables and fruits? GENIUS! 

Garfield’s Nine Lives – This movie was crazy. I loved it and must have watched it a million times. 

Faerie Tale Theater – OMG…LOVED these!!!!!! Especially The Dancing Princesses. I wanted to be them so badly…and wear their fluffy costumes. *sigh*

PC GAMES: I’m going to go ahead and date myself here but I remember when Internet didn’t even exist…I’m feeling old. Keep in mind the graphics back in my time were the cream of the crop! Now it’s just unreal! Looking at them now it actually makes me sick to look at…literally, have a headache. I can’t even put up the videos of these because I’m just not that mean. I wouldn’t make you go through that…

The Sims – not going to lie, I’m still obsessed with these games!

Theme Park

Theme Hospital

Sam and Max

Populous

Mixed-Up Fairytales

TOYS/OTHER:

Scented Crayons – the best ever was the light blue one called “Fresh Air”….this was MAGICAL. I wish I had these again…seriously. Mom? Dad? Can I get these for my bday??  These crayons were a dream come true, I remember being on the bus and smelling them over and over again. Scents like: Baby Powder, Lumber, New Car, Leather Jacket, Blueberry, Lilac, Pine, Tulip, Smoke, Dirt, Chocolate, Jelly Bean, Banana, and more! And then….parents complained because their kids are IDIOTS and started eating them! UM…I think Crayola should have called social services rather than discontinuing the “food flavored” ones!

Holiday Barbies from 1990 and 1991 – There was no feeling in the world that compared to the joy I felt holding these barbies in my hand. For the majority of my young life I was pretty sure my wedding dress was going to resemble the fluffy pink one. Hmm…I think I just may go through with it!

19901991

Annoying the HELL out of my brother – I was amazing at this and this would sum up my entire childhood experience just by these memories. I would play legos, poke at  and overfeed his already enormous goldfish named Harvey, and constantly try to make him punch me. If he did, I would scream, mom would yell, and I would win the game! (Love you Steve-o!)

Talk Back Dear Diary – I LOVED this diary. It was wlectronic and let you write an entry up to 20 words lol. All of mine said was, ” I LOVE *****” (You didn’t really think I would tell you who my crush was growing up now did you?)

I would LOVE to hear what you remember from your childhood or maybe we shared the same things?

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxoxo

Harley and Me – Lessons I’ve Learned From My Dog

I had a dog growing up but I never thought I would be a dog owner.  When I broke up with one of my ex-boyfriends I think I started to miss the dog more than him so I wanted to get a dog out of spite and the possibility I would run into him at the dog park to show off. You all know you’ve been there and wanted to do crazy stalker-like things to your ex. No? Ok…maybe that’s only me! But let’s stay on topic, shall we?

Harley was a sweet little 3 month old pumpkin when we got him and since then it’s been a wild ride with our million-dollar dog. We call him that because he’s always sick and our vet bills are always through the roof with surgeries and the like. How many of you have had a dog eat a sock at 3 months old only to have surgery done that cost $1400!!! INSANE! Anywho, he will be 2 years old in February and since he’s been sick these past few days I thought it would be good to write about him. (He’s snuggling with me right now as I write this to make sure I don’t give out any false information or leave anything out!)

Patience is a Virtue

I can be patient only in circumstances where I have to be on my best behavior. For example: in a meeting, teaching, meeting new people for the first time, dinner parties, etc. However, most of the time, I’m a loud mouth and when I want something done I speak my mind until it’s done. I suppose that would make me annoying. Once Harley came along and during his “puppy training” he had to learn how to sit for X amount of time before he could be rewarded with treats or love.

Harley waiting to get his ball

Every day there is some reason I tell him to “wait” or “stay” and he does just that. He doesn’t complain, he just does it. So now when someone is asking me to “hold on a sec” or “I’ll do it later,” I  try very hard to hold my tongue and allow things to happen as they are supposed to. I know eventually I will be rewarded too!

Beggars Can’t Be Choosers

Harley is a labrador…that means two things to me. 1. The absolute best looking dog there is (I’m biased) and 2. He’s the goat of dog breeds. He wants to eat everything he can find. This proved to us in his first 3 months (as mentioned above) when he ate a delicious smelly black sock of Toblerone’s. We always vowed we would never give him people food since the day one lady told us she keeps all her Lab’s alive until the age of 17 by not feeding them people food. Makes sense but we give in to those puppy dog eyes and he LOVES potatoes. So, he gets to have a snack here and there and we soothe are worried minds by telling ourselves that he gets a lot of exercise and gets to have a really good doggy life by eating really yummy food! I’m welcoming your criticism with this, I know.

Back on topic, as he begs for food, he doesn’t care what it is normally unless it’s kidney beans, cucumbers, or bananas. He doesn’t whine about it when we give it to him (which is not all the time by the way), he just accepts it (obviously…like I said…a goat.)  For me, I’ve learned to be the same. When I don’t see that giant pink diamond ring I’ve been waiting for…I won’t be upset. I’ll just take it ( and at this point, I’ll rip it out of his hands!)

Stop and Smell The Roses….Every Rose

Every single day that we go outside he has to lick every rock, eat every piece of grass, and smell the ground every 4 feet. Walking with him is atrocious so now we just let him run and he does his own thing. Whiplash is so not worth it for me! I take him out a lot every day even though I don’t need too but I like to. He loves to go out and run around and play and he’s in a great shape…so wish I could be!

After a day at school or when Toblerone comes home from work, we take Harley outside to play and it relaxes all of us. We take a moment to chill out and to get ready to relax for the evening together. It’s a nice way to cool down and Harley taught us that sometimes all you need is a little bit of time and some fresh air to get your mind stable. Who needs meditation???

This also taught us to definitely not sweat the small stuff. He doesn’t worry about bills or if the water is too cold in his morning showers. He simply just lives. The simple life…we start to appreciate that more and more each day.

You’re Never Too Big To Be A Lap Dog

Every time I sit on the ground for whatever reason Harley always comes and plops himself into my lap. Literally his fuzzy butt is on my leg. It’s probably the sweetest thing he does. Perfect for snuggling with him. Reminds me that no matter how old I am, I’m never going to be too old to snuggle up to my mom and rest my head on her shoulder or lay my head on my dad’s stomach.

You’ll Never Walk Alone

Harley follows me every where. He snuggles up to my legs as I’m cooking or as I’m putting on my makeup. He’s my little…I mean BIG sidekick. When I moved from the US to Germany I felt really alone at first and as if I had no part of me here. No family, no friends, etc. I had my materialistic things but what I didn’t have was the companionship of familiarity.

Somewhere along the line I had forgotten that Harley came from the US with me. He was just as much apart of the change as I was and he was and is the family I brought with me. I talk to him all day in English….sometimes German since he’s a bilingual smart ass and he loves me. That’s all I need in the world.

What have you learned from the fur balls in your life?

This lesson is brought to you by the letter H and the number 1 1/2 🙂

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxoxo

Things I’m Having A Hard Time Living Without

I can certainly live without things but I would prefer NOT to…and here are my reasons why. I encourage you to pay close attention, take notes, tie a ribbon around your finger to remind yourself that you all have it really good back in your own home countries. My life without the following feels incomplete BUT I do have backup, luckily which counter my complaints of course!

I’ve got exactly 30 days  as of today until I land on the mushy ground of America. Put me there RIGHT now! Now that I’m getting down to the finish line, I’m getting excited and overly worked up about the fact that the East Coast is indulging in delish Fall treats and I’m stuck in a place that doesn’t know what Starbucks Pumpkin Latte is or what a Pumpkin Pie is. HELP!

1. Gossip Girls 

You all know just what I’m talking about. A night were you get all dolled up, put on the greatest pair of stilettos you own, a new dress, and the works and you meet your favorite girlfriends out for sushi dinner and gossip for ages over Martinis of every kind. The more you knock back the more stories and emotions flow. Finding out about which idiot brought their mistress to their own wedding only to divorce their wife a few months later, or the trashy girl from high school that has way too many kids with way too many different men, or maybe it’s the latest crap your ex is up to. Although none of that is important but it’s just stuff to talk about and we all can relate. We talk about our relationship problems in a “safe” area (bars are always so loud they swallow and hide your words forever) and every guy that tries to hit on us only pushes us to band together and give him a nice glass of icy glare with a splash of the cold shoulder. Why?? Because it’s god damn GIRLS NIGHT OUT, Bitches!!

           Remedy: So how to we fix this little problem? Easy…FACEBOOK. Everyone, including myself, writes all sorts of personal stuff on The Book nowadays and not only can I stalk my girlfriends (yes, I admit) I also lurk behind my laptop to see who’s having a baby, getting married, breaking up, divorcing, being annoying, biting their nails, wearing bad outfits which include visors (STOP IT!), and who is overly obsessed with their special someone (this might be me). Thank you Facebook for feeding me with the gossip I need to sustain myself until I get back to the states for a visit!  Speaking of Facebook….please go to my Blog Page and like it. And if that is too complicated, on the right hand side here there is  button to “like” it as well. THANKS! 🙂

2. Martinis

Pomegranate, Very Dirty, Chocolate, Apple, Apple Pie, Banana Split, Cosmopolitan, Flirtini, Gingerbread, Gummy Worm, Key Lime Pie, Kiwi, Hello Kitty, Melon Ball, Watermelon, and Pumpkin (DAMMIT!)

These are all things we are aware of. Those girly drinks (and some of them MAN-tini’s) that are FABU and absolutely mouth-watering. I used to partake in these tasty bits quite often back in the states…trying every one on the menu if necessary. If I asked for a Martini here….Do you know what I would get? Actual Martini & Rossi. This is like a strong wine or so I’m told. I’ve never had it because I’m boycotting. Here’s the situation, I’m DYING to make all the Martini’s I love for people here so they can see how awesome it is. They see them in the movies and Sex and the City shows…it’s just unfair. Anyway, I would LOVE to make these but there are no such things as flavored vodkas, think Three Olives Brand or other special liqueurs like the Pumpkin Spice that I need to make the Pumpkin Martini. Lord have mercy….this is going to be a long few years without those babies.

I’m positive as soon as I get back to the states I’ll be throwing those back like Homer does to his donuts or cookie monster to his cookies…or is it vegetables now?

Remedy: WodkaBull – aka Vodka RedBull…..AMEN. Of course they also have wineries up the ying AND the yang and a realllllly good bottle of wine costs about 8.00 Euro…that’s like $11 bucks and some change. Can’t beat that!

3. Care packages

My mom was always giving me stuff and sending me home with food from her fridge (leftovers are the BEST). We would go shopping together all the time and hang out, have a Panera Bread lunch date, all sorts of mommy daughter bliss. When I see my mom on Skype, it’s just not the same. I can’t hug her. I miss my best friend. End of story.

Mommy and Me

Remedy: As there is no replacement for that kind of hole in the heart, Care packages are fantastic!! Or cards. Or letters via snail mail. All of this is great. When I get the box the first thing I do is look at my mom’s handwriting…I would recognize that anywhere. Then I open the box and smell the inside. I know what you’re thinking but I’m always hoping I can smell a bit of home in there. As I look through all the things I imagine her buying them and thinking of me. It’s such a nice surprise. Each little thing, even if it’s just a sticker or a lollipop, it means the absolute WORLD to me. And….to be able to read instructions or the packaging in English is a treat too.

4. Streaming Music

You know those moments where you’re angry because your download is slow or for whatever reason your favorite homepage isn’t working? Yeah, that’s how I feel every day. As the majority of you are participating in the newest fads such as Spotify or the older one Pandora….I don’t have access to these. Nope. Not at all. Germany has some weird problem with streaming music and this has caused me some very serious heart palpitations! Even YouTube is complicated and most of the time as you all post the coolest new videos on Facebook I can’t watch them. “This video is not allowed in your country.”  Listen here Maestro…this isn’t my country however as an American citizen I think I should have the right to watch whatever I want whenever I want. Who do I have to bring down?

Remedy:  Stereomood. This is fantastic for me. For those of you who are new to this fad – it’s uploaded music from other users and categorized under a certain mood. So when I’m feeling like sunshine, I head on over to the sunshine channel. When I feel like punching babies in the face, I head over to child abuse channel. No that’s not a channel option but you get the idea.  It’s my savior. Although most of the time the music annoys me like mosquitos buzzing in my ear, at least it’s something. The possibility of hearing new music excites my loins.

5. Televise My Life

No really….give me a reality show.

Here we have massive amounts of channels on the TV and all sorts of shows I know back home. One problem…they are all in German. I do try to pay attention sometimes but most of the time it’s annoying and I give up. We have the British version of CNN and BBC which is great but can bore me very easily once they get on their kicks about the financial outcome of the world and all that nonsense. I couldn’t care less. I’m focused on my own financial situation…can’t possibly care about everyone else.

Remedy: There is a God and she seriously knows just how to please me. She has granted me with free streaming video of the latest shows the day after they air. Indeed, I can find this on services such as Sidereel or XBMC (Thanks Bro!). This plays a giant part in my life. I couldn’t go a day without knowing I had access to Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, and many other terrible Reality shows.

6. Vanilla Extract

For those of us that bake we know the importance of  Vanilla Extract. It’s like the piece to the puzzle that can never go missing otherwise it makes the entire puzzle look like crap. Get what I’m saying? In Germany there is no such thing. I keep trying to figure out how they make their cakes but I’m dumbfounded. When I realized there was no such thing as Vanilla here I about died. They have some sort of really oily based, almost buttery type of Vanilla flavoring in tubes but this is not the alcohol smelling Vanilla we know. It does NOT work. I was once on the verge of disaster without this stuff…and then…..

Remedy: I make everyone who comes over here (old colleagues and the like) bring Vanilla Extract with them. Our last buddy that stopped in brought me two large bottles of it (Thanks to his wife) and I’m happy as a clam. I can bake till my heart’s content without crying about it.

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxoxo

30 Day Blog Challenge – Day 14

Day 14- Seven things that cross your mind a lot

1. The Future of Facebook

It’s common while I’m stalking others on facebook I think about how we had new profile pictures and new albums of pictures from mini-vacations or new babies. Yet, here in lies the situation. Let’s say in 20 years, facebook is still cool and happening…are people going to leave up the pictures of themselves from 20 years before? The younger, sexier body, better dressed? I mean…what a comparison…You have the hot guy from your 4th grade class who grew up to be even hotter now and is sporting a 6 pack or maybe it’s an 8 pack. Then in 20 years…he has a new photo up. Of him holding his 5 year old and his 6 pack is now gone and replaced by cake, spare ribs, and beer. I have been on facebook for several years now and looking back at my first profile pic compared to now…there is already a massive change. I look old as hell compared to my younger, cuter face back then!

2. Why bother cleaning?

You ever notice that when you spend all day doing laundry, cleaning the floors – mopping included, dusting, wiping down counters, changing the sheets on your bed, and every other thing you do to make your house glisten. Then your family comes tramping in and it’s all a mess before you can blink your eyes. Milk is spilled on the clean floor, dog hair is EVERYWHERE, Food crumbs reappear on the counters, and the nicely made bed is now in a crumbled mess. Someone tell me why this happens? Why it’s only the person who cleans all the time that tries to keep everything clean. This drives me crazy and I CONSTANTLY think about this.

3. Wed-Me-Not

I’m obsessed with weddings and always looking at the dresses and how people do things, what colors they choose and yaddy yadda. Sometimes I’m super nosey and I’m only interested in the details, I don’t want to steal ideas! Just an FYI if you’re ever asked by me. I’ve had my wedding planned for much too long and know exactly how I want them (yes them…I’m having two.) But, there comes a time when I think people need to be shot. Neon colors for a wedding? Or short mini skirts? Or maybe it’s the camouflage wedding. Kill me now.

Why be gross? Why? I wish class grew on trees. I would hand it out like it’s candy! Damn rednecks!! They just annoy me! And, I absolutely can NOT stand people who wear jeans to a wedding. Were you raised in a cave, you moron? Just don’t…don’t breathe, don’t live. Don’t do anything. Just disperse! Sorry – a little hasty but I really have an issue with disgusting people and their terrible judgement. You can see more of these funny pictures here.

4. Bye Bye Blockbuster

Ever since Red Box and Netflix were invented….Blockbuster and all those other fun places are going out of business. I used to LOVE going to the movie store, especially with my girl friends before a girly sleepover. As soon as I walked in I would just be overwhelmed by all the choices and would scan the new releases twice. Round one, I would think about it, round two I would make my decision. Now, it’s as easy as a click of a button and that takes away from the excitement of it all. I think making the rental of a movie so easy is unnecessary. Too much technology – making life WAY too comfortable and easy while taking the fun out of it.

5. Harley Says

Do you ever wonder what your dog is thinking? And if he could talk…what exactly would he say? Toblerone and I make up voices for Harley and talk for him (weirdos) but I wish he was blessed with vocal chords so we could have a chit chat every now and then. I wonder if he would ask for tea instead of water….or a crumpet instead of a dog bone. Would he talk politics or the latest hottie on the street? Would he use swear words or have a sweet little kid voice (after all – he’s only 17 months!)  For now, he’s my mute of a dog and I love him more than anything!

6. Why is my sweater there?

I’m also so shocked to wake up and find the clothes I went to bed in to be all over the place. What really surprises me is not knowing how they got there. In normal day time hours when I’m trying to pull a sweater over my head I always get my ears stuck or end up with static hair all over my face. So what boggles my mind is how I manage to do this and fix myself back into sleeping mode without so much as waking up fully. I mean, really? Do I somehow have noddle arms in my sleep so my sweater just falls right off? And is my hair wet so that doesn’t move an inch either? What in the world?! I’m just struck my this and every morning I wake up and I see my PJ’s on the floor or under my covers somewhere I start to question myself. Or maybe I should question Toblerone? Just sayin.

7. What’s Next?

I am always trying to plan my next move. Where will I be in 5 years? In Germany still? Or maybe back in the US. Australia perhaps? Hanging out with the Dingos! I usually don’t stay in one place very long…only in Maine and NY have I been in one spot for more than 3 years. I have the travel bug in me and I need to constantly be stimulating my brain with new sites and new culture, new people, new faces, new food. You get the idea.

 

UPDATE: The garden is superb!! They started laying down some of the 8 billion stones we received and it’s starting to look like a backyard! I’m so excited!! And when I say “Garden” I mean the whole yard. Here in Germany they call the whole yard a “garden.”  So, things are going well and they are moving along fast! They’ve only been at it for 5 days now and the stones in the Jacuzzi area are all placed and the walkway has begun! TA DA!!!  I’ll keep you posted on more news and more pictures are to be coming too!! :-)))  

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxoxo