Little pinky and I are home alone right now, so we went on grooveshark.com and found Snack Time by The Bare Naked Ladies. She seems indifferent to it, but I love the change in tunes. I found myself humming a song from her favorite cd while I was in the shower this morning. Not cool at all.

So, as you may have guessed, I am still sick. I've asked around, and the consensus is that I can expect to be under the weather for a solid month. The change in environment and exposure to different virus strands will leave me feeling sick and sluggish for weeks, I'm told. Which is fine, I guess. Now that I know what I'm up against I can buck up and quit feeling sorry for myself. Besides, all of the sneezing and coughing and general grossness has not stopped me from having a great week.

Last Saturday night I had dinner at Cameron's house and we went to Clubkeller to see Thommy dj. We lucked out and met a really fun, adorable couple -- Jon (American) and Anne (German). The place filled up after midnight, giving Anne and I plenty of targets for our sarcastic remarks. We acted as Statler and Waldorf all night, and it was wickedly wonderful. But I really need to remember to check the clock while I'm out in Germany -- there is no last call to tell you it's time to go home, and I wound up leaving the bar at six in the morning!

The rest of the week has been full of hang out time with Cameron. I'm so lucky that she lives just down the road, and that our kids are friends. She's willing to go out to shows with me, she cracks me up, and she's more generous than you can imagine. She's the chick responsible for bringing all of the au pairs in Frankfurt together, and we all owe her a huge "thank you"!

Speaking of au pairs, we had a meetup on Thursday.

I made my way to the Hauptbahnhof to meet everyone at O'Reileys, but I got lost in the red light district on my way. How can something be so shiny and dirty at the same time? Cameron seemed super glad that I finally made it in one piece!

(You can click on the pictures to make them larger, if you like.)

The bar was a really cool Irish Pub with terrible service and a great beer selection...


... though we had one Killkenny casualty...



... probably because we were being too goofy.



Couldn't have asked for a better Thursday.


Tonight's agenda includes Cameron, Thommy, Anne, Jon, cameras, Thai food, music, and beer.

At least my bed is comfy...

Well, I'm still sick. It's been 7 days of various colds -- just as I seem to be over one, a few hours later a new symptom appears. I have gone from sinus pains, to swollen tonsils, to ear aches, to green snot. I'm a lovely sight right now.

So my spare time this week has mostly been spent in bed. My bedside table and surrounding floor space have become a dumping ground for used tissues; and my bed is full of books, crocheting, and a constant stream of True Blood episodes because even I can't sleep for more than 14 hours a day. All this time in bed has made my back quite stiff, and it has reminded me of where I was this time last year.

September 25th of last year I slipped on a wet floor. With no apparent damage done, aside from much embarrassment, I headed home and had a normal evening. But the next morning I could barely walk. Things got progressively worse until I had family and friends putting on my socks, shaving my legs, and helping me out of bed. I spent the fall wearing skirts (sans tights) because pulling on a skirt took less of a struggle than maneuvering into pants. A month of expensive physiotherapy appointments offered little relief, and I would spend my nights crying in bed and my days working on as little as two hours of sleep. I was a wreck for months.

But eventually I found a wonderful chiropractor who was able to get me back on track. I stopped taking pain killers, my limp disappeared and I could tie my own shoes again! It's incredible to think of how far I've come in the last year, but I still have so far to go.

I need to walk every day in order to stay limber, and I still need a chiropractic adjustment every month. Another fall could quite easily throw a year of progress out the window, so I don't dare do anything that could risk it -- you wont even catch me on a bike. But possibly the hardest thing to deal with right now is the weight gain that happened over months of limited mobility and recuperation. I usually don't beat myself up about it, but the kids have mentioned a few times now how "thick" I am. And my standby answer of "It just makes me more huggable!" doesn't seem to cut it.

So, that being said, I'm going to enjoy this sunny October afternoon and go for a walk.

Today is Holly's birthday!

Holly is beautiful, hilarious, and generous beyond belief. I miss her dearly.

Have a happy birthday, hun! I wish I could be there to split a pitcher and laugh at your jokes. Instead, I'll be running through a field of J.P.s in your honour!

xoxo

The weather here in Frankfurt has taken a chilly turn. I think it's officially autumn, which suits me just fine. But colder weather means runny noses, and living with three kids means a continuous game of Pass What Ails Ya. The rules are simple:

1. Don't cover your mouth when you sneeze.
2. Touch everything, always. Even if it isn't yours.
3. Pretend to understand the importance of washing your hands when it is explained to you by an adult. And then proceed to only wash your hands at bedtime.
4. Have a much stronger immune system than everyone else, and watch as they suffer for days longer than you.

I spent the morning in bed with a gross sinus cold. So I had to depend on youtube to cheer me up. Enjoy my findings!

Don't tell me you didn't see this coming...

This wedding is guaranteed to be "practically perfect in every way"!

So typical.

I have just finished an entire pot of Tetley Tea, and now I'm watching Mary Poppins with the children. I think I need to buy a new umbrella.

And, naturally, I need to find my very own Dick Van Dyke. So I wondered if he had any hot, young, and eligable grandchildren...

Now looky who I found! Cha-ching! Oooo, he's a 25 year old artist!


Step 1: Meet Wesley.
Step 2: Woo Wesley.
Step 3: Have a Mary Poppins themed wedding with Wesley.

Auf Englisch, bitte!

time here: 22:30 / time at home: 4:30 pm

Here I am on a German adventure, and I thought you might like to follow along. Are you ready? Okay, let's go!

I'm sat here watching tv, while the children sleep. But the only English program on is I Love Money 2 on DeutscheMTV, so this seemed like a good time to overhaul the ol' blog. I've cleared out most of the nonsense posts, and hope you all find this a tolerable way of checking in on me and my trip. We all know how useless I am when it comes to replying to emails.

I've been here in Frankfurt for a week and a half, but it feels like so much longer! I've really bonded with the kids, settled into this beautiful house, and have become quite familiar with our lovely neighborhood. And as if that wasn't enough for my first week in a new country, I've also made friends! I know, right?!

Last Thursday I went to an au pair meet-up, and had a great time talking about work and life in Frankfurt over a few beers. The group is made up of awesome people from all over, and getting together with them is a guaranteed good time. We even had a wonderful Mexican Fiesta hosted by the gorgeous Kristen, and we're planning on having a different cultural feast each week. I already love these folks like you wouldn't believe, and I'm so grateful for their help in getting settled and comfy here.

Amy's Travel Tip #1: When you find yourself alone in a foreign bar, find a lovely couple/group who look as though they can probably speak English. Approach awkwardly and say, in your goofiest Canadian accent, "I feel like such a dork standing by myself. Would you mind if I joined you for a little bit?" Works like a charm.

I went out alone last Saturday night and met 5 people. So much for me being shy, eh? And I'm going to a rockabilly show tomorrow night, and hoping to meet a few more people. You're jealous, I know.

One of my new friends, "Frankfurt Derek"*, has been showing me around town. I've been shown the most important places: the craft store, the store where I can sell crafts, and the tattoo parlor. I'm all set. Today we met in Hauptwache, and I took the UBahn all by myself. You're proud of me, right? We went for tea, exchanged the last of my Canadian currency, and rode the longest escalator in Europe (which wikipedia has clarified as being the longest escalator in a European shopping mall, but I haven't got the heart to tell him. You should have seen his look of disappointment in my reaction to the tallest skyscraper in Europe!).

But best of all, we stopped at an English market stall that sold Tetley Tea! Seriously, the Germans do not know how to make tea. I was so happy to find it, even though it was super over-priced. But sweet baby jesus, it's delicious!

€ 3,80 for 40 teabags. I'm not even kidding. Send more. I'll pay you!

* "Why do you call him 'Frankfurt Derek'?" you ask... because they are bound to be best friends forever. Seriously, Derek. Come for a visit and you'll see! You two will be holding hands and skipping through the Schweizer Platz in no time!

I am so in love with Buddy Wakefield. So in love. His work is just incredible. I love watching him preform pieces like "Aaron" and "Hurling Crowbirds at Mockingbars" – it's just so honest and full of emotion.

But I can't even begin to tell you how moved I was the first time I watch "The Information Man".

Me: Is it bad how much happiness I get from poutine?
Jason: Better than getting your happiness from heroin.
Me: But I would be thin if I loved heroin.
Jason: I'll support you whatever addiction you decide on.
Me: Financially? Because the only thing stopping me from makin friends with Henry* is a lack of funding.

After having the above text-session with Jason, I made a decision. A very big decision. But I didn't tell anyone, because I thought it was very unlikely I would follow through with it. I have mulled it over and, for the greater good of my waist line, I'm giving up poutine**!



* I'm reading a really great memoir right now, chock full of Beats. Henry was a term for heroin, I guess. Now, according to urban dictionary, it refers to an eight of pot. Now you know.

**For a month. Maybe.

I brought in some big, yellow tulips to add a little light to my grey, messy cubicle. Those tulips got me thinking about spring, and spring always makes me long for summer. Naturally, summer calls for surf rock, big hair, little skirts, and pints on the Ethel's patio.

"The French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot placed a number of electric guitars and other instruments in an aviary full of zebra finches for his "Rhythms of Life" installation at the Barbican Art Gallery in London. For whatever it's worth, The Finches would be a marvelous band name—and these finches' sound lands somewhere between Sonic Youth and Fuck Buttons."

via Good.is

Little Finches and Rock n Roll?! Couldn't be better!

I know the greatest people ever.

Everyone loves their friends, naturally. But I'm convinced that mine are the coolest.

I was excited to come into work this morning, because Johny told me last night that my Christmas present had arrived in the mail. (FINALLY! I've been trying to figure out his clues for weeks!) Green? Limited edition? He has one too?

Vinyl number 331 of 1000! But what record is it...?

Bungle!?! Disco Volante!! YESSSS!

I'm dying to get a receiver this weekend so I can crank this! Not to mention the 30+ albums I got last weekend, between raiding my mum's stash and hitting the greatest little antique wearhouse (with the biggest mint condition vinyl section).

I was so happy to get a phone call last night from the wonderful Mama Bauer. It's been nearly a year and a half since I've seen him, and just as long since I've heard his voice (youtube music videos aside). If things go my way, he'll be catching a plane from Winnipeg to my house for a visit this summer. But the next best thing arrived today... a package from Winnipeg containing two Mama c.d.'s - his brand spanking new solo release, and the latest from his band American Flamewhip!


How lucky am I? Getting spoiled rotten with three great albums in one day? I think it's safe to say, today has been...

Anyone who knows me will tell you that, despite my best efforts, I am the biggest girl ever. The things that get me teary-eyed are ridiculous, and I'm the first to admit it.

That being said, this truly adorable video tugged at my heart strings. And no, it didn't make me cry. It just got me a little misty...

Shut up.