I realized that yesterday's post contains a phrase that sounds a bit odd in English: "lady walker." The reason it says that is because in German, most nouns that refer to a person still have an ending that depends on the gender of the person to whom the word is referring. We have a little of this in English, but not much: actor/actress, steward/stewardess, waiter/waitress. If you want to get even more arcane, some words used to end in "trix" to refer to the feminine: prosecutor/prosecutrix, testator/testatrix, dominator/ . . . well, you get the picture. (This is a family blog.)
Anyway, let's have some fun with English: how about co-workeress? or friendess? maybe grantrix?
Friday, July 27, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Man, am I going to miss this place
From the English version of the local paper:
Stolen Giant Plastic Sausage Found
In a crime previously unreported in the Zug Post, a giant plastic sausage was stolen from the street in Hünenberg last week. Now, much to the relief of the owner, it has been found.
The two-metre-long sausage, in the form of a large Bratwurst and weighing 10 kilogrammes, was used for advertising purposes and strategically placed in front of a butcher's shop in Chamerstrasse in the municipality. The owner reported the theft of the sausage, valued at CHF 3,000, on Wednesday 20 July.
Now, thanks to an observant lady walker, the sausage has been found undamaged in the Frauentaler Woods near Hagendorn in the municipality of Cham, 6 kilometres away from where it was stolen. It seems the thieves must have dumped it there some days ago.
The Zug Police are now closely examining the sausage to see if they can find any clues which might lead them to finding the culprits.
The sausage is not the only large 3-dimensional advertisement in the municipality as the Hotz Rust bakery also has oversized models of a croissant and an ice-cream on display. There have been discussions as to whether they should be there at all as not everyone is happy about them. Legally they may be on display, unlike in the city of Zug, where an oversized model of a cherry cake had to be removed from Landsgemeindeplatz in 2007.
From now on the sausage is being taken in every evening.
Stolen Giant Plastic Sausage Found
In a crime previously unreported in the Zug Post, a giant plastic sausage was stolen from the street in Hünenberg last week. Now, much to the relief of the owner, it has been found.
The two-metre-long sausage, in the form of a large Bratwurst and weighing 10 kilogrammes, was used for advertising purposes and strategically placed in front of a butcher's shop in Chamerstrasse in the municipality. The owner reported the theft of the sausage, valued at CHF 3,000, on Wednesday 20 July.
Now, thanks to an observant lady walker, the sausage has been found undamaged in the Frauentaler Woods near Hagendorn in the municipality of Cham, 6 kilometres away from where it was stolen. It seems the thieves must have dumped it there some days ago.
The Zug Police are now closely examining the sausage to see if they can find any clues which might lead them to finding the culprits.
The sausage is not the only large 3-dimensional advertisement in the municipality as the Hotz Rust bakery also has oversized models of a croissant and an ice-cream on display. There have been discussions as to whether they should be there at all as not everyone is happy about them. Legally they may be on display, unlike in the city of Zug, where an oversized model of a cherry cake had to be removed from Landsgemeindeplatz in 2007.
From now on the sausage is being taken in every evening.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Our lives
Just a quick update because I know how fascinated you all are by the minutae of my daily existence.
I'm now back in Switzerland, trying to enjoy every second of the view from our terrace, which I only have for two more days. Monday is moving day. I'll move out of my apartment and spend some time living with another temporary bachelor, Bob Cluff. I'll fly out of here forever on Tuesday the 31st and start work back in Minnesota on August 1. I'll sleep on the couch at the old house (assuming I can find a pillow) until we close on the new house. In the meantime, I'll do some car shopping and get the old house ready for our renter, who will move in at the beginning of September. (If having one mortgage is fun, then having two mortgages must be twice as fun, right?)
We'll close on the new house on August 27. On August 28, we'll move stuff from the old house, and on that same day, our stuff from Switzerland and our new bed from Minnesota should arrive. Once all of that stuff gets there, our lives should be easy and stress-free, right?
I'm now back in Switzerland, trying to enjoy every second of the view from our terrace, which I only have for two more days. Monday is moving day. I'll move out of my apartment and spend some time living with another temporary bachelor, Bob Cluff. I'll fly out of here forever on Tuesday the 31st and start work back in Minnesota on August 1. I'll sleep on the couch at the old house (assuming I can find a pillow) until we close on the new house. In the meantime, I'll do some car shopping and get the old house ready for our renter, who will move in at the beginning of September. (If having one mortgage is fun, then having two mortgages must be twice as fun, right?)
We'll close on the new house on August 27. On August 28, we'll move stuff from the old house, and on that same day, our stuff from Switzerland and our new bed from Minnesota should arrive. Once all of that stuff gets there, our lives should be easy and stress-free, right?
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Done deal
After some competitive bidding (which was kind of a bummer), we got a house. I like almost everything about it except the fact that the closet for the master bedroom is in the master bathroom.
It's in Lakeville, but it's actually part of the Farmington school district. We're about a ten-minute walk from Farmington High School, which is only a couple of years old. That will be nice when Tanner goes into ninth grade.
That was just the first hurdle, though. The insanity continues!
It's in Lakeville, but it's actually part of the Farmington school district. We're about a ten-minute walk from Farmington High School, which is only a couple of years old. That will be nice when Tanner goes into ninth grade.
That was just the first hurdle, though. The insanity continues!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
The closet is where?
We're close to getting our housing situation straightened out, but I just have to ask one question: whose idea was it to start putting the master bedroom closet in the master bathroom? Every home we've looked at that's less than about ten years old has the master bedroom's closet in the bathroom. What the heck? I don't want my suits hanging in the same room as my bathtub. When I've complained to people around me, they've acted like I'm the one with the problem. That's clearly not the case. Apparently, the world went crazy while I wasn't looking.
End of rant.
End of rant.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Stockholm
On Monday, we got off of the cruise, happy in the knowledge that our vacation was only half over. Unfortunately, the weather in Stockholm that day was awful. We did some shopping while it rained like crazy. Our hotel was nice. Because it never gets dark at night in the summer in Stockholm, those slanted windows you can see had dark blinds that we pulled down at night. They worked great.
The next day, we went to the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a military ship from the 1600s that sailed a few hundred feet and then tipped over in the harbor because it had been poorly designed. They found the ship about 50 years ago and brought most of it up and reconstructed it. It's Stockholm's most famous museum. It was dark in there to preserve the ship, so I didn't get any good pictures.
On Wednesday, we went to Skansa, a huge open-air museum and zoo. We spent most of the day there.
Our flight hom on Thursday wasn't until the late afternoon, so we took a couple of hours in the morning to cruise Stockholm's canals. Stockholm, like Venice, is actually made up of several islands connected by bridges.
We got home on Thursday night, the kids flew to Utah on Monday, and you know the rest. I guess it's time to rename the blog. "The Woods in the Southern Twin Cities metro" doesn't quite have the same ring to it, though. Maybe I'll stick with the original name.
The next day, we went to the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a military ship from the 1600s that sailed a few hundred feet and then tipped over in the harbor because it had been poorly designed. They found the ship about 50 years ago and brought most of it up and reconstructed it. It's Stockholm's most famous museum. It was dark in there to preserve the ship, so I didn't get any good pictures.
On Wednesday, we went to Skansa, a huge open-air museum and zoo. We spent most of the day there.
Our flight hom on Thursday wasn't until the late afternoon, so we took a couple of hours in the morning to cruise Stockholm's canals. Stockholm, like Venice, is actually made up of several islands connected by bridges.
We got home on Thursday night, the kids flew to Utah on Monday, and you know the rest. I guess it's time to rename the blog. "The Woods in the Southern Twin Cities metro" doesn't quite have the same ring to it, though. Maybe I'll stick with the original name.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
St. Petersburg
As you can probably guess, I didn't feel like a day was enough time to absorb all of Russia. But a day was all we were going to get.
We first visited the Hermitage. As with most of the world's great museums, we could have spent several days there seeing everything there was to see. Three hours was enough to do only a little bit.
After that, we had a Russian lunch with some traditional Russian dancing.
Then we saw more of the city.
We visited the Peter and Paul fortress, which contains a cathedral with the tombs of Peter the Great and the Romanovs.
And we ended the day with a visit to the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, which reminded us a lot of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
We first visited the Hermitage. As with most of the world's great museums, we could have spent several days there seeing everything there was to see. Three hours was enough to do only a little bit.
After that, we had a Russian lunch with some traditional Russian dancing.
Then we saw more of the city.
We visited the Peter and Paul fortress, which contains a cathedral with the tombs of Peter the Great and the Romanovs.
And we ended the day with a visit to the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood, which reminded us a lot of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
Tallinn, Estonia
We arrived in Stockholm late on a Wednesday night and stayed at a hotel right by the airport. Thursday morning, we told the kids that we were heading on a lunch cruise, and we headed for the pier.
Upon seeing the Royal Caribbean cruise ship docked there, Tanner became predictably wistful and longed once again to be on a cruise. We extended our sympathies and told him to get ready for the short lunch cruise. He started thinking that it was a bit weird that we dropped off all of our luggage and were checking in at the same place that the Royal Caribbean cruises were checking in, and then it finally dawned on him that we were going on a real cruise. Needless to say, he was quite excited.
The next day found us in Tallinn, Estonia. We left Lindsey on the ship to translate for the German-speakers in the kids club, and the three of us headed out for a walking tour of the old town. With apologies to my Estonian readers, I can't say that there was a lot that struck me as unique or particularly memorable about Tallinn, but it was a nice afternoon.
Upon seeing the Royal Caribbean cruise ship docked there, Tanner became predictably wistful and longed once again to be on a cruise. We extended our sympathies and told him to get ready for the short lunch cruise. He started thinking that it was a bit weird that we dropped off all of our luggage and were checking in at the same place that the Royal Caribbean cruises were checking in, and then it finally dawned on him that we were going on a real cruise. Needless to say, he was quite excited.
The next day found us in Tallinn, Estonia. We left Lindsey on the ship to translate for the German-speakers in the kids club, and the three of us headed out for a walking tour of the old town. With apologies to my Estonian readers, I can't say that there was a lot that struck me as unique or particularly memorable about Tallinn, but it was a nice afternoon.
Happiness on a plane
Is it possible to be happy during an overseas flight? Well, not completely, but sometimes you can be less unhappy than other times.
This flight was happier because when we got to the airport and dropped off our luggage, the Delta employee behind the desk informed us that we'd both been upgraded to business class. Nothing helps a nine-hour flight go down easier than an upgrade. Just between you and me, Stace is only a silver elite, so I don't think she really deserved an upgrade (I'm platinum), but the upgrade at least made it easier for me to manage her during the flight. I didn't have to put up with all the usual "Are we there yet?" type of questions, or all the complains about being bored, or any of that kind of stuff. I'm thinking that I should always fly business class with Stace.
The house hunting insanity begins on Monday. Ugh.
This flight was happier because when we got to the airport and dropped off our luggage, the Delta employee behind the desk informed us that we'd both been upgraded to business class. Nothing helps a nine-hour flight go down easier than an upgrade. Just between you and me, Stace is only a silver elite, so I don't think she really deserved an upgrade (I'm platinum), but the upgrade at least made it easier for me to manage her during the flight. I didn't have to put up with all the usual "Are we there yet?" type of questions, or all the complains about being bored, or any of that kind of stuff. I'm thinking that I should always fly business class with Stace.
The house hunting insanity begins on Monday. Ugh.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Best spam ever
I just got the funniest spam message I've ever gotten. It came into my work mailbox, but the tech powers that be had stripped out the links and attachments.
The title of the message was "You Pig!" The body of the message was (original spelling and grammar retained), "You should be stoping ignoring me or i will send this photos to your spouse!!!"
Kids, the moral of the story is that if you want to be immune from blackmailers, including blackmailers who can't spell or use correct grammar, then never put yourself in a position where someone will have compromising photos to send to your spouse.
The title of the message was "You Pig!" The body of the message was (original spelling and grammar retained), "You should be stoping ignoring me or i will send this photos to your spouse!!!"
Kids, the moral of the story is that if you want to be immune from blackmailers, including blackmailers who can't spell or use correct grammar, then never put yourself in a position where someone will have compromising photos to send to your spouse.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
A Stace story
It's been a while since I told a good Stace story, so here we go.
Stace and I were sitting in the cafeteria having lunch during our cruise. She was wearing an old Minnesota Twins shirt of mine. Now, if you're not an American and you don't know anything about baseball, what are you going to think when you see a woman with the word "TWINS" written across her chest? Stace was telling me that yes, her Austrian friend thought that the word on the shirt referred to the contents of the shirt itself rather than to the baseball team. A lot of foreigners probably make the same assumption.
Anyway, no sooner had Stace finished telling me this story than an older man came up to us and asked, "Are you from Minnesota?"
Dear Reader, you can probably figure out how this man guessed that we were from Minnesota, since we had just finished a conversation about her MINNESOTA TWINS shirt, but not Stace. No, her first question was, "Oh, have you seen me before?" The man seemed a bit baffled by Stace's assumption that everyone in Minnesota knows who she is, but he quickly shook it off, and we had a nice conversation. It wasn't until later that Stace figured out how the man had pegged her as a Minnesotan.
Stace and I were sitting in the cafeteria having lunch during our cruise. She was wearing an old Minnesota Twins shirt of mine. Now, if you're not an American and you don't know anything about baseball, what are you going to think when you see a woman with the word "TWINS" written across her chest? Stace was telling me that yes, her Austrian friend thought that the word on the shirt referred to the contents of the shirt itself rather than to the baseball team. A lot of foreigners probably make the same assumption.
Anyway, no sooner had Stace finished telling me this story than an older man came up to us and asked, "Are you from Minnesota?"
Dear Reader, you can probably figure out how this man guessed that we were from Minnesota, since we had just finished a conversation about her MINNESOTA TWINS shirt, but not Stace. No, her first question was, "Oh, have you seen me before?" The man seemed a bit baffled by Stace's assumption that everyone in Minnesota knows who she is, but he quickly shook it off, and we had a nice conversation. It wasn't until later that Stace figured out how the man had pegged her as a Minnesotan.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
And they're there!
Don't you just love English?
Anyway, the kids arrived safely. The report is that Lindsey celebrated her arrival in Salt Lake by throwing up at the airport. The whole thing can be tough on an eight-year-old, or anyone else for that matter. You have a lousy eating schedule with lousy food, your internal clock is thrown off, you're tired, and flights can be bumpy. Lindsey was exhausted and slept for pretty much the whole flight from JFK to Salt Lake, about five hours. Tanner said that the approach into Salt Lake was a bit rough. I guess all of that was a bit too much for her.
For the kids, at least, the adventure is over. For the adults, it's just beginning.
Anyway, the kids arrived safely. The report is that Lindsey celebrated her arrival in Salt Lake by throwing up at the airport. The whole thing can be tough on an eight-year-old, or anyone else for that matter. You have a lousy eating schedule with lousy food, your internal clock is thrown off, you're tired, and flights can be bumpy. Lindsey was exhausted and slept for pretty much the whole flight from JFK to Salt Lake, about five hours. Tanner said that the approach into Salt Lake was a bit rough. I guess all of that was a bit too much for her.
For the kids, at least, the adventure is over. For the adults, it's just beginning.
Monday, July 2, 2012
And they're off!
The kids are now about two and a half hours into their seventeen-hour trip to Utah. We sent them off this morning. They've spent enough time on airplanes that they weren't at all worried about being alone. Also, the airline will take good care of them. I just hope they haven't killed each other yet.
Sweden and Russia pictures still coming . . . .
Sweden and Russia pictures still coming . . . .
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