theinbetweenismine

just a girl living the expat life

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Archives for January 2012

11 Meme

January 31, 2012 filed under: about me, FYI, lists!

11
{source}

I was tagged by the lovely Stephany in this meme (actually Erin tagged me, too, a while back) and I thought it would be fun to participate. It’s interesting to learn random facts about people, don’t you agree? Facts that they might usually not blog about!

 

Here are the rules.

1. You must post these rules.
2. Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create
11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
4. You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post.
5. No tag backs and you legitimately have to tag 11 people.

 

11 Facts About Myself.
  1. I have a thing for typing. The physical act of typing on a keyboard makes me happy.
  2. I’m a breakfast person. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day (I miss my German rolls though). Unfortunately, when I work, I don’t usually get to indulge in a big, leisurely breakfast in the morning.
  3. I love the four seasons.
  4. I loved math in school. If I hadn’t had ended up with a really awful teacher during the last two years in highschool, I think I might have even considered to study mathematics.
  5. I consider myself borderline-ambidextrous. I can do a lot of things well with my left hand (not write though) and during my broad jump (long jump?) exam in College, I spontaneously and unintentionally switched my takeoff leg from right to left (with nearly the same outcome).
  6. I also could have been an excellent javelin thrower, if I had known before College that I was any good at it.
  7. I’ve never been in any debt.
  8. I’d really like to have a cat, but our landlord doesn’t allow cats in our apartment. It’s a real bummer and the only thing I needed to give up on (at least for now) when we moved there last summer.
  9. All but one of my best friends I have met through letter-writing/blogging/the Internet. (Yes, before there was the Internet, I wrote letters with people I had never met!)
  10. I really enjoy romantic comedies and one of my favorite movies is “Jerry McGuire”. I think Tom Cruise could have been a fantastic comedian.
  11. I sometimes read geology books in bed. I am a nerd.

 

11 Questions to Answer.

1. When was the last time you felt proud of yourself?

I’m very proud that I stuck out a battle with our health insurance company and finally got them to pay what they were supposed to pay in the first place. If you are not persistent with those jerks, they try to get away with not paying for the most straight-forward bills.

2. What is your definition of success? Of failure?

I guess, success for me is if you’re brave enough to set out on a journey, for just trying to get somewhere…. regardless of how far you get or if you make it to the “imaginary” finish line. Being able to say, I tried and I tried my best, is all that matters in life. In that regard, there is only one definition of failure – not even trying.

3. What is your favorite day of the year?

This is kind of a difficult question to answer, but I guess one of my favorite days must be Christmas when all my family comes together.

4. When you go to the mall, do you go with a specific purchase in mind, or just go to browse?

Usually, IF I go to the mall at all, I go with a specific purchase (or store) in mind, but sometimes end up browsing a few more stores than intended. I guess, that’s the nature of the beast, so to speak. You’re at a mall after all. Having said that, I hardly ever go to the mall for shopping.

5. What is the next vacation you’re looking forward to?

Unfortunately, after just having gotten back from a visit back home, I don’t see any (longer) vacation in my near future. It really makes me want to cry. The meager number of vacation days in the US makes it nearly impossible to go any places, if you plan to go to Europe at least once a year (which I know, for many is a great destination to go, but for me it’s a “necessity” to see family and friends!). So, as of right now, Christmas is going to be my next real vacation, but I am hoping to squeeze in some weekend trips with my husband this summer.

6. Do you use a planner? Paper or electronic?

Yes, I do have a planner – actually, two. I use a paper planner (that my Mom got me for Christmas), because I like to physically write stuff down, and I also use my phone, where I can set reminders and such. The combination of both works well for me.

7. What is your must-have beauty product?

Moisturizer, preferably tinted (because it takes care of two problems at once).

8. What was the last book you read? What did you think about it?

The last book I read was “The Marriage Plot” by Jeffrey Eugenides for #twookclub. I had a hard time getting into the book and to me, the story line was all over the place. There was a lot of ‘unnecessary’ information, IMHO, that didn’t really support the plot in any way. It was just an alright read for me.

9. What Internet browser do you use the most?

Firefox (on Windows) and Safari (on Mac).

10. When was the last time you went to the dentist?

Ha. Funny that you’d ask, because I just made an appointment with a (new) dentist for the middle of February. I think I haven’t been to a dentist in 1,5 years, but mainly because we were very unsatisfied with our previous dentist and had a hard time finding (and getting recommendations) for a new one.

11. Which is the bigger time-suck for you: Facebook or Twitter… or something else?

Definitely Twitter. I use Hootsuite on my phone and it’s fast and convenient to check tweets. I can also access Facebook on my phone, but the interface is more cumbersome, so I usually just glance over the Facebook posts, whereas I am much more diligent in catching up on my Twitter feed.

 

Here Are My Questions
  1. What’s one of your bad habits that you would like to get rid off?
  2. What is one of your best qualities?
  3. Is there a person that you admire? For what?
  4. What’s your all-time favorite movie?
  5. Do you have a lot of IRL friends that blog or are you the only one?
  6. What’s the best thing that happened to you through blogging?
  7. Do you enjoy flying or is it more of an means to an end for you?
  8. What’s your biggest  emotional outlet?
  9. How often do you check your emails?
  10. Name three things you can’t live without.
  11. Recommend one blog you really enjoy.

 

I am tagging: Kim, Chrissy, Bri, Celeste, Pia, Karen, Nora, Alli, Erin, Katelin, and Stacey.
Let me know if you’re participating! I’d love to come and check it out!

3

12 changes: January review

January 30, 2012 filed under: 12 in 2012, goals

12 changes: January

My goal for January was to drink at at least 64 oz of water every day.

I put this as my first goal on the list this year, because I have been struggling with this for quite a while now and I feel it had priority over anything else. Sadly, I have to tell you that if I am completely honest with myself (and you), I am still majorly failing at the whole “drinking enough”- thing.

Great! I already failed the first monthly challenge. I am really not proud to admit that.

I knew this goal was going to be difficult for me; I knew that I still have not found a way to stick with the water drinking.

You must know that I loathe drinking. The physical act of pouring liquids down my throat does not excite me. Especially, if I am not thirsty at all (which I hardly ever am). I know that seems pretty silly, right? But I swear it is the truth and I go to great length to try and avoid drinking if I don’t have to. I guess, I am lacking a gene or something, but really only very rarely do I feel thirsty at all (and as you know, you should drink something before you even get thirsty). On top of that, I do a lot better with hot drinks than with cold drinks, which – can you guess it – is a problem when it comes to water (which doesn’t taste any good when it’s hot, unless it’s tea) and becomes a problem particularly in the summer.  I think you can see, where this is going.

There were days this last month where I did really well. I started my day off with a big glass of water before I left for work and remembered to fill my 32 oz water bottle and make sure I drink and refill it one more time during the day.
Sometimes, I forgot to refill and was pretty much trying to gulp down another 32 oz before leaving the office. Hello, bloated belly. But hey: I drank my 64 oz.

Other days, I wasn’t so lucky. There were still days, not many, but still too many, where I basically forgot to drink anything at all (except for my morning coffee and a glass of water with dinner). Mostly, this happened on the weekends. You’d think that with only this one goal taking priority over anything else, I would have managed to come up with a fool-proof way to make sure I get my water in, but alas, I slipped up more times that I care to admit. Even if I remembered (I sometimes set myself reminders on my phone), I’d find “excuses” (not very good ones obviously, but still excuses) to postpone the drinking.

The bottom line is: I have to try harder. This is not something I am going to give up on, as it’s really critical health-wise. Hence, I will have to focus on not one, but two goals in February. Luckily, my February goal (more on that in a few days) will not take as much daily focus as the water drinking does and so I am hoping to continue to try and make drinking a habit to the point where I don’t have to constantly think and remind myself all the time and where I won’t despise it so much.

If you have any recommendations or tips on how to beat this problem, please do share. I am really a bit desperate at this point.

 

How did you do this month? Did you succeed or have a hard time, too?

15

2012 in pictures: week 4

January 28, 2012 filed under: a year in pictures

2012 in pictures: Week 4

Coffee @ the Weatherstone // one step closer // Sunset at my office //
Crocheting // tea with lemon // self-portrait //
pretty sky // veggie stir fry // my planne

8

Friday Link Love

January 27, 2012 filed under: link love

DIY: wall clock makeover by Katja (Mädchen mit Herz). Such a neat idea!

Recipe: Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini Boats by Kam (Campfire Chic). Yummy!

How to fire a bad friend by Medicinal Marzipan via Sarah (Yes and yes). Do you struggle with this?

What’s the point of pretty by Sarah via Medicinal Marzipan (Medicinal Marzipan). Something to think about.

Almost 30: Aren’t I supposed to have my shit together right now? by Ashalah (Ashalah) Something else to think about.

The antidote to fear? Trust in yourself by Jena (Modish). A reminder to trust in yourself.

 

Are there any blog posts that you’d like to recommend to me this week?
Happy Friday, peeps!

2

Awkward & Awesome

January 26, 2012 filed under: awkward & awesome

Coffee art

This is a regular feature post on my blog. See the archives here.


AWKWARD

  • I’ve been somewhat on auto-pilot since I got back from Europe. Why is it always so hard to readjust?
  • A situation with a friend has left me feeling let down and disappointed. I usually tend to look for the reasons why things went wrong within my own behavior first, but I am pretty convinced that this time it was not my fault at all. So, I am trying to figure out how to bring it up and set things right again. I hate ‘elephants in the living room’.
  • Cold feet. I frequently have them. J says I have a circulatory problem. I just think it’s because he likes to keep the apartment cooler than I do.
  • The Republican response to the “State of the Union” address by Mitch Daniels. Is it just me, or is this guy just creepy?

 

 

AWESOME

  • It’s Thursday and that means it’s aaaalmost time for the weekend! Weee!
  • Trying out new recipes and finding them to be a success! Definitely a keeper for my recipe book!
  • I made some new blog friends. I love when that happens. ♥
  • It’s #twookclub book discussion time this weekend. I am looking forward to talking/tweeting about “The Marriage Plot” by Jeffrey Eugenides this Sunday!
  • I scored the February book for #twookclub through a book swapping website. It should get here any day now. I love when things work out this way!
  • I received a lovely card in response to my Christmas Card Exchange from a reader that usually lurks in the background. It was a really sweet surprise.
  • The “State of the Union” address by president Obama. Like him or not, but this guy is intelligent and has some mad speaking skills. (Also, who couldn’t help but tear up a little bit when he hugged resigning congresswoman Gabby Giffords? Exactly.)

8

Currently Vol. 7

January 25, 2012 filed under: currently, lists!

Moleskineh
{source}

Current Book(s):  I’ll start reading “Sarah’s Key” by Tatiana de Rosnay in a couple of days. It’s #twookclub‘s book for February and I am looking forward to reading it.

Current Playlist: Luke Bryan‘s “Talegates & Tanlines”. (I love Country, don’t judge!)

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Cheez-Its Hot & Spicy. (The regular kind is doing nothing for me, but the hot & spicy ones? All I can say is, nom.)

Current Color: Dark purple.

Current Drink:  Apfelschorle (Apple juice with sparkling water).

Current Food: Fresh bread with ham and pickles.

Current Favorite Show:  HIMYM. I just started watching season 1 a few weeks before Christmas and I am really getting into the show. As always, I am a little bit late to the party, but hey, that’s how I roll.

Current Wishlist: A flight home to see my great-aunt for her 90th birthday in April.  (I know, it’s totally out-of-this-world impossible, but that would be my biggest wish right now.)

Current Needs: Sleep. I slept awful the last three nights and I have no freakin’ clue why. I usually don’t have a problem with insomnia ever. Can’t wait for the weekend to get here.

Current Bane(s) of my Existence: The lack of motivation for working out. I know, deep down inside, that I want to get back into a regular workout routine, but I can’t for the life of me figure out how to get started. It’s pathetic, really.

Current Celebrity (Girl) Crush: Alyson Hannigan. I think she’s beautiful, funny and down-to-earth. What else would you want in a woman?

Current Outfit: Jeans, t-shirt, hoodie, sneakers. (I know, I have the coolest job ever where I can wear sneakers and hoodies to work!)

Current Excitement: Putting more time into my crafts. It’s an ongoing struggle to make time for the things I love to do sometimes with a full time job, marriage and all those adult responsibilities, but I really want to make this year about creating more things and learning new skills!

Current Link: Today I’d like to recommend for you to check out Caiti’s blog, especially if you’re into arts and crafts.

 

*  *  *

What’s up with you CURRENTLY?

15

On a rainy weekend

January 23, 2012 filed under: weekend

It finally rained. This is a very strange winter, to say the least. We hardly had any precipitation here in Northern California in all November and December, which is very unusual and – honestly – very bad for California. We need our snow pack in the Sierras. Not just for selfish reasons (like wanting to go snowboarding again one of those weekends), but mostly for water sustainability.
So, to finally see rain falling down from the sky was a big relief. It’s been pretty chilly the last few days, too, and that gave me the excuse to snuggle up on the couch with my book and a cup copious amounts of hot tea.

We did have to run a bunch of errands Friday and Saturday (laundry and the usual runs to various stores), but also had some time to watch movies and to meet a friend (from Germany) for coffee yesterday. It was really nice to catch up.

Other good things this weekend:

a long phone talk with my sister ♥ getting laundry done ♥ warm, fresh bread ♥ warm socks ♥ pizza & wings ♥ sitting on our back porch enjoying the rain ♥ sleeping in ♥ scoring the #twookclub book for February on a book swapping website  ♥ watching “Black Swan” ♥

How was your weekend, peeps?

 

15

2012 in pictures: week 3

January 22, 2012 filed under: a year in pictures

2012 in pictures: week 3

Lewis Black LIVE // Art in Sactown // morning in bed //
fresh bread // self-portrait // on strike //
chicken burritos // at the laundromat // morning sky

7

On a fabulous Christmas

January 20, 2012 filed under: family, food, Germany, holidays, home, photography

IMG_1046

Is it too late to write about my Christmas? No? Good. Because even though it’s almost the end of January, I still carry a little bit of the holiday spirit in my heart. Don’t judge. I mentioned before that I tend to cling to the past always a bit too long.

I’ve been pretty much functioning on auto-pilot for the last week-and-a-half, because my mind is still somewhere in Germany cycling through all the great times over and over and over again.

So yeah, Christmas was as wonderful as can be. I am basically internally sobbing when I think about how quickly this precious time ran through my fingers. I wish I could have stretched, if not stopped, time for just a little while. Going home and celebrating Christmas like we used to celebrate it for years makes me feel like a kid again. The only two things that remind me that times have changed and we’ve gotten older are the two little munchkins running around the Christmas tree and the absence of my grandfather at the dinner table.

This is the way of the world, I suppose.

If we’re lucky, we are eased into the passing of each year with only subtle, hopefully joyfull changes – the addition of a significant other or a child to the family. Other times, we’re made painfully aware of a change by the absence of someone who was still around a year earlier.

I sound like a nostalgic, old lady, don’t I?

All this to say that Christmas was lovely and wonderful and that I wish could preserve every single minute of it in an air-tight mason jar to marvel at it for the rest of the year.

Here are some impressions:

{Tomato soup with creme fraiche}

{Angler-fish on a vegetable bed with sauce Porquelaise}

beef fillet in red wine jus with porcini, sauteed carrots and celery purée

{Beef fillet in red wine jus with porcini, sauteed carrots and celery purée}

{Mixed berries with vanilla ice cream}

{my family}

Tom

{my nephew}

{my great-aunt}

{best Dad in the world!}

{my sister and BIL}

{my aunt)

Basti and I

{my cousin and I}

{Tom and Greta with their Christmas present – a little toy store}

At the end of the night – which didn’t end until 2 a.m. in the morning, I’d like to add – , a delicious meal, good conversation and a gazillion-new-reasons-why-I-love-my-family-so-much later, I went to bed with a smile on my face and a full heart. I hope you’re Christmas was just as special as mine.

11

My Cologne

January 18, 2012 filed under: home

Cologne Cathedral

I was lucky to be able to spend some time in my beloved Cologne when I visited Germany over the holidays. It’s such a gorgeous city and it always makes me all fuzzy and happy inside when I am there. I wish it would have been a little bit sunnier (you know, natural light and such), but at least there was no snow this Christmas that could have kept me away.

I was able to stroll through the city and even did a little shopping, I visited four of the many Christmas markets within the city limits, I met my uncle – who lives in Cologne! – for Glühwein/hot chocolate, I got to see the beautifully lit Hohenzollern Bridge with its myriad of “love locks” and the majestic Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral).

Cologne

{St. Mariä Himmelfahrt Church}

Cologne Train Station

{Central Train Station}

Cologne

{Excelsior Hotel Ernst}

Schildergasse

{Schildergasse}

Früh

{Früh Brewery}

Cologne Cathedral

{Kölner Dom}

Christmas Market

{Christmas Market Alter Markt}

Christmas Market (Neumarkt)

{Christmas Market Neumarkt}

Schildergasse

{Schildergasse}

Hot Chocolate

{hot chocolate}

Locks

{“love locks”}

Hohenzollernbrücke

{Hohenzollern Bridge}

Cathedral

{Kölner Dom}

It was so, so good to be back!

17

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Hi, I am San – German native, dual-citizen living in beautiful Northern California. Runner. Knitter. Crafter. Reader. Writer. Proud aunt, sister, and friend.

I’ve been blogging since 2004 and don’t intend to stop any time soon. If you are looking for personal content and making a  genuine connection, you’ve come to the right place.

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