Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Univision Can Kiss My Ass


It's no longer big news when the USA beats Mexico in soccer -- it's happened 9 of 10 times on US soil this decade (the other one was a tie). Apparently Univision wants to make it not news at all -- they've blocked all videos of the winning goal on youtube but haven't posted the video on their site. I don't see what the big deal is -- the US just got lucky and beat a superior team through troglodytic defensive tactics and bad refereeing, so say all the mexican players. Just like they said 8 of the previous 9 times...
Batman in a Burqa


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/25/world/asia/25islamabad.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Female students at a school in Islamabad (insert your own "giving Islam a bad name" joke here) took chinese masseuses (and alleged prostitutes) hostage for a day before the Chinese ambassador intervened.

In addition to telling them students when suicide bombing was Allah-approved (against coalition forces in Iraq & Afghanistan, not in Pakistan -- a NIMBY fundamentalist), their teacher did have this piece of inspirational wisdom for them:

“I said to the students before they went off, ‘The Chinese are masters at karate; you don’t know how to make one kick.’ But they were able to manage.”

At least they aren't teaching their students inaccurate stereotypes about foreigners!

Monday, June 25, 2007


JT Face #1


I have a limited number of faces for self-taken photos, and this is probably the most common.





Par-Tay!


Had the first party at my place! We hung out drinking and chatting until midnight, then went to another party, then headed out. The pics:
1. Early view, everyone hanging out. Notice Jeremy hanging on Margaret's every word.
2. Fred was unimpressed with the party
3. Me, Dinesh & Andrea at the bar after the party. This is JT face #2.
4. Alex and Christof. Alex is the cool host of the party on the 3rd floor of my building.
5. Isadora, Giles' girlfriend. She's hip. With it. Tokka tokkka tokka, wooop!

Sunday, June 24, 2007



The Bathroom


The room I did the least with (I did buy the small cabinet next to the sink), but it's kind of necessary...

My Kitchen


My kitchen, including my very healthy mint plant. I think it plans to grow out the window and from there take over the courtyard...




Virtual Tour of My (Clean!) Apartment


So, with Bryan's help, my apartment finally looks ok. This is my living room, including my new tv, the big splurge! It's pretty sweet. I will eventually put up more pictures, but for now, just the 2.

Thursday, June 21, 2007


When in Doubt, Go With What You Know


Only in Germany would the amount of weight a bridge can handle be given for trucks AND tanks. In France they have the same signs, but the tanks have German flags on them.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Turn The Key, Jackass


i'm tired of Germans trying to convince me that requiring a key to LEAVE a building is somehow safer than a deadbolt lock. Apparently every day from 10 pm to 7(ish) am there's a country-wide moratorium on fires, since everyone is locked inside in case of one. On the other hand, there is historical precedent for Germans being able to march lockstep with their neighbors without thinking. So if you're in Deutschland, make sure that you follow a native downstairs if there's a fire after 10pm. Otherwise, have those keys handy!

Monday, June 18, 2007


No Street Anchors


Germans run a tight ship -- anchors are tightly restricted to approved roads!

The Bottom of the Patent Barrel


Just when you thought you'd seen the lamest patents, someone patented a hole in the box. The spirit of Thomas Edison lives on!

Sunday, June 17, 2007






Happier Mosel


A year later, and all the difference in the world. With a bit better luck on bike comfort & a bit worse luck on weather, we had a great trip along the Mosel to see the scenery & drink wine. With the rain and the low-hanging clouds, the Mosel valley is strongly reminiscent of the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. The slow, winding path that the Mosel carves through the valley has vineyards and shale cliffs straddling either side -- not a bad combination for wine or scenery...

Damn, But He Looks Good


And we can't even see the hair!

What Did Higgy Do?


I'm not sure who Higgy pissed off in the Kaiserswerth graffiti community, but it was someone not given to hiding their feelings...

Monday, June 04, 2007

Pictures From Italy & Paganello


After 2 months, here are my pictures from Italy (though none from Paganello - guess I didn't get my camera out much). Nothing too great, but at least they're there!
Do Brits Spell "Hundred" Differently?


you have won prize money of four hundered thousand Pounds[£400,000.00]

Said the subject of the email waiting for me. I was pretty psyched that Yahoo had given me damn near $800,000, but I was worried when I caught the extra 'e' in 'hundred'. However, I figure it's just a British spelling. What they lack in flossing they make up for in extra vowels.