Oh, Help Me, Please…

I am not to go to the city alone, really.
But yesterday I had to. I got the gas-bills of our company-cars and promised to bring them in. Ingo wasn´t feeling well, so off alone I was.

Ingo doesn´t care for Pizza and Ingo isn´t very patient, either, but alone?
There is a Pizza-/Ice-cream place on Kohlmarkt. And I saw they have a small door for take-away!
So I had a closer look. €3 for a middle Pizza Rustica (they have no small ones).

It was made fresh just for me, not like those cold ready to be heated up-Pizza you get elsewhere.
The Pizza-baker spoke Italian to me, which was funny since I don´t speak this language – but, ahhh, such a beautiful language!

The pizza crust is thin and despite the price the ingredients seem to be of real good quality – which is possible due to the Pizza being Italian – with only few toppings, not like the overloaded German ones.
I reckon the dude really spoke no German – he smiled friendly to my request to please cut the Pizza, but, alas, I later, when I found a place to sit near Citypoint, saw it was uncut.

I very likely looked like a nasty teenager, but, shoot, was this Pizza yummy!
I had half of it and will have the other half tonight cause it doesn´t taste good cold and we have no microwave at work.

Oh, just what did I do????

I survived nearly Pizza-free all those years due to no yummy Pizza available in whole Braunschweig and now I discovered this place – all Ingo´s fault!

All They Want Is Jacob´s

Ingo called me over yesterday. GDR-food was on TV.

Just this summer we went to former GDR with my company, with partners, for fun and I had Soljanka, a typical GDR-soup – my, was that yummy!

I was about 9 years old.
We released balloons with our addresses attached direction GDR from school – I lived near the frontier, more or less.
Some weeks later a letter arrived.
An elderly, childless couple in GDR had found my balloon. They asked who I am, what I do, what I like.

This was exciting, like receiving a letter from another world!

Soon after my answer a package arrived with a large book on horses, the paper so shiny, so different from ours – I kid you not.

Sadly soon I was to find out all they really wanted was Jacob´s coffee, not contact to a West-German kid.

Jacob´s coffee is a brand that was worth something in GDR, more than the “money” they had.

It still is kinda weird Germany was separated for so long, is one since over 20 years, yet the wall is still there.
We still pay and discuss the extra-taxes for “East-Germany”. We still separate and hear in the news in “East Germany” you earn less money, there are fewer jobs in general, life-quality isn´t as good as in “West-Germany”.
50% - ok, that´s 2 people, are from former GDR in my team.
One younger than my Bro but the other really grew up there, raised his kids there and the stories he tells about life over there… they are from another world.

Or from another time, it seems.
They heated the rooms with real fire, if they wanted to move, they had to find a family willing to change places with them. Repairs? Do it yourself, try to get material somewhere. You didn´t go into a hardware store and just buy. Connections were the secret ingredient, “Bückware”, from under the table.
A fight for a place to park your car? Ha, no. Two buckets and a broom was enough to reserve your parking space – there weren´t many cars anyways!
You had to wait some whopping 17 years for a new Trabbi, used ones were more expensive cause if you found one you had one, just like that. Weird, huh?

But it wasn´t all bad. They were there for each other more than over here. More parties, more “family”.

Still I am thankful I grew up in the “golden West

(Meat) Soljanka, though… guess Ingo has to find a recipe and cook it!

How I Lost My Shoes

21 C, sunny today, what a beautiful Sunday afternoon!

The shops are open today, too, so we went to the white horse, but, ewwww - the bakery made waffles and my, the whole place stinks like really bad, let´s get outta there, we said, breathing through the mouth!
Who on earth can eat something that smells that bad?!

Instead I took some pics in Amalien-park and around.

Bad smell, btw...

Ingo said, look, these are pretty:

I stomped through freshly cut grass to take this pic and certainly... I had to learn the hard way.
In front of our house I took off my shoes and threw them in the bin.

Those darn dog owners who don´t pick up! :-(

Still I was able to take these pics:

House right at Amalien-park.

And here, beautiful, no? Built 1902 - and see the reflection of the school in the window?

I´d love to say I took this pic like that on purpose, but that´d be a lie, it was coincidence, really...

This is Pestalozzi-street, btw, aw, the balconies - cozy, no?

It really is a village over here - "to take away" - need a cuppa, maybe?

I Did It

...and will never again - sewing is not my thing. I learned the "hard" way.


Just no idea what to do with the "heart-bag"?! Anyone interested, I can bring it along come Feb...

No, really, it was a pain for me ;-)

The Post To Come

... Birthday dinner - a Tom Tasty-bread, yum!

Followed by a Cohiba:

Note the shirt :-)

And this was followed by some "girly-champagne" in a halloween-cup:

Free View Or I Got The Best Teamleader

... in the world, I might add.
The customer hmmm, how to put it... has to get rid of the small companies he successfully works with, cause someone high up decided so.
No one´s happy, really, but phase one is already over, we´re in phase two now, "hands on", means the new company tries to make our work and can ask for help when they need it.
We´ve got not so much to do atm and Teamleader offered to teach me JavaScript. Here some 30 minutes, there an hour...

He explains what he wants to do, writes the code, explains while doing so, re-explains, when needed.

I go through it on my own afterwards.

I have to admit, I´m a so-called career changer.
After studying I found no job (luckily!), autodidactially learned Flash Action Script, HTML, css, got this job.

About 12 years ago I was sent to a two-day JavaScript-training, which was really crap and I had way too much to do on the job to learn.
I can read simple code and alter it, that´s it.

Today, Teamleader asked me over again.
He didn´t sit in front of the PC, though. And grinned.

And said, I can always type best when I sit right in front....

Yips. He wanted me to do it, somehow I, myself, fell into a mini-phase two!
I said, I´m not ready yet, it was just (here thirty minutes....) one week!
- yes, you are :-)
I get nervous when someone watches me working.
- I don´t care :-)
But...
- but you simply have to :-) - ok serious, I think this´ll help you...

And certainly he was right!

I was astonished how much I remembered. I needed tons of help, but sometimes also a single word was enough.

He always says "we", he always reminds me no one can do it just like that, it´s a learning-process. He is so dang patient, even if more or less three times in a row I make the same mistake - heck, I´ll have a hard time "getting" some things!

He always takes great care to add something with a "wow"-effect for me.

I really get exclusive private lessons here!

Wow...

I only hope I´m not as slow as the dude who tries to get rid of the trees here! The thing still is not down! Bro´d need... aw, well.
With an axe... how weird is that anyways?
But, see title - we get a free view and more light here, finally, yay!

I prefer this below to the slow - I couldn´t zoom in since I was rolling through just yet another construction site, this is going to be my motto here:

Always look on the bright side of life - sorry if I gave you an earworm ;-)

Boy. This "programming" and the weird Friday-traffic really wasn´t easy. No sport today.

But you have to agree: I have an awesome Teamleader, no?
(He´s younger than my "little" Bro, btw...)
Whom I very likely loose come November, hear me cry?...

But for now... post to come, I hope :-)

If you care about the salad-thingy, please read the comment to this post - thanks Grace, I am a happy salad now (still a tad afraid of Big´s words not coming true...)

So Here Goes

Happy Birthday, Ingo.

Have fun with your teeth whilst "holidaying"...

OK, seriously: To another great year!

For A Young Lady

This is what I found when I came home.
The stupid grocery store - the only one nearby - had something to celebrate and Ingo, still numb with his tooth (another great holiday) - got one balloon off for me.

The sales woman came and he said, "I´ll make some young lady happy today, can I pay for it?"

Yipps. She thought I´m around five and instead of taking money added these:

Hehe :-) I sure was happy.

The Joy Of Holidaying

Well, Ingo, not me, that is.

And so... this huge addition I found when I came home yesterday. Henry on his base - and the last piece of this limited edition, too.

I have to add Ingo wanted this for a long time, took him not as long as I struggled with my King Frog, but, well - a nice add-up it was the last Henry, no?

Today I had no other car in my neck and was able to stop and take this beautiful pic of corn...

And somehow since September 19th I felt like I want Beamtenstippe, something our Mum used to make often when we were kids - don´t ask what a clerk (Beamter) has to do with this meal, in Ingo´s family it was simply called Mettstippe or such, stippe means to dip.

Sadly neither Bro nor I ever asked our Mum how she really cooked it, anyhows we - aka Ingo, certainly - were the first to recook it, in my family´s style, too (gherkin cooked with it all, not as cold side-dish) and man.... it sure wasn´t the original, but y.u.m.m.y :-)

Too much potatoes (not enough stippe, gherkins took it all, "we" learn...), btw, but, hmmm.... Pic is on the way to Bro.
A warm meal in the week - Ingo is on holiday.

And also on the way to the dentist tomorrow, yikes, a huge thing... I´m "happy" I can go to work...

Dinner

Guess we´re both having a very rough time.
For too long, too.
Ingo´s got too much work, the company´ll move, making the ride every working day even longer (well, as long as mine, actually).

Me... I have a very quiet time at work, am supposed to use it to learn, but have difficulties with # being there (tomorrow I have a day "off" at work, though). I´m not good at it, either.
Lost T, will loose teamleader, too, maybe even the job itself - my boss´ll find something for me, he never lets one down, but still... it´s tough times for me, too.

We quarrel a lot, hence.

Still he made me dinner, even though I promised to prepare the beans (which I would´ve done just before the cooking if we didn´t get into a fight).
At the time he did it, Bro´d called me due to a "problem" Bro and I had.

Yet, look.
He even sprinkled it with cress.

Life sucks big atm, and for too long for my liking (I know others are off way worse).
Last time I cried was 2011.
Just ... well. Was a yummy dinner (by myself), all I want to remember, yummy.

Oktoberfest

So we went to the Lions yesterday and they made it all Oktoberfest-like, ewww... can you believe this. We´re in Germany, not Bavaria ;-)

Intro:



American cars as "pregame"....

And, just to rub it in, some Harleys...

None as beautiful as ours, certainly, and, yes, R still calls her like that, he says "yours", cute, no?

The Cheerleaders:



Oh, and I just love this song:



It sure was great again, wonderful atmosphere, though far, very far from being exciting - they won 69:28...
Still nothing like it was back then.

D`Oh!

Teamleader, who´s also a huge Simpson´s fan (cool site, btw), took his time last week to help me get back to JavaScript - guess these donuts will do as a little thank you, huh?

Seems like this is a time of the "lasts" - just look how weird the veggies are!
Left: a Tasty Tom Tasty - right: a radish! Guess season is over...

And very likely this was a last for the season also:

Why ever Ingo took butter - they were all buttery just like that - just a little Murray River Salt added and.... yum!

Very spontanously we decided to go to the Lions tonight - and we got best places - kinda sad, huh? On gameday you get good seats...
Well. Very likely also a last for the season. Let´s hope it doesn´t rain...

If Bro Was Right...

Certainly I would´ve thought of her today.
Pic 19.09.2010...
I never forgot a Birthday – but Ingo´s once… I even called him on that very day due to a technical problem, I know, shame on me, big shame on me!

It´s nearly three years already, that my Mum´s gone. Still on days like these it hurts even more.
Certainly because I miss her but more so cause she had no chance to witness her Granddaughter leaving the toddler-stage and becoming a girl that tells you stories, invents games, asks questions and still throws tantrums up to a level that make her unable to form her thoughts.
A girl that´ll be a big Sister soon.

I guess my Mum was very disappointed I have no kids.
When I told her this is nothing for me at age 17 she laughed.

But some things I just know, like when my Dad asked me, being the older one, if I want to overtake his business later.
My first thought was, “gosh, no!”, but I asked to oversleep it.
The next morning I woke with the same thought – and man am I happy I decided that way.
I was 14.

Well. And now that there is a kid, soon two… she´s gone.
Life just isn´t fair at times…

Bro has the idea our parents somehow are still there, watching over us.
A nice thought...

Pizza-Marathon

Me to Teamleader: Remember, today it´s Blitzer-Marathon... (which means Police warned for 24 hours there´ll be speed cameras all over).

Teamleader with eyes like plates: Pizza-Marathon?!!!!

Oh, great, guess what I want since he said that! (BBQ-Potatoes it will be, though).

Pic: Self made Pizza 2013. Sadly not that yummy. "Luckily" I still found no yummy Pizza-service here in town, either...

Yips, that´s how "family-language" develops, huh? Beside Maggi-Fest we now have Pizza-Marathons :-)

Anyhows... I don´t get how some people tick.

Inside towns 50 km/h is the limit, usually everybody goes on wide roads at 70. Today we crept along on wide two-lane roads at 40-45 km/h!!
Same goes for other roads always 5-10 km/h less than allowed - why???

The marathon ends 6:00 am tomorrow, which means another way-too-slow tour.

I´m not for speeding, I´m in for reasonable driving, just saying... and this is plain stupid.

Guess a Ten Without Ham is definitively a must when I babysit Niece!

A Powerful Good-Bye

Autumn´ll start officially Tuesday next week.
Means we still have summer – and summer finally got it, it means warmth :-)
26C yesterday, today feels even warmer.

Let the leaves turn red and all, we sure enjoy this week!

And I found out: Sewing is nothing yet for Niece – but it is kinda meditative.
The frog bag sure is on the way!
While waiting for some yummy potatoes.

If you care about the salad-thingy, please read the comment to this post - thanks Grace, I am a happy salad now (still a tad afraid of Big´s words not coming true...)

That Was Yesterday

... rainy. Warm, but rainy.
Today...

Kohlmarkt was packed with peeps in the cafés, 23C, sunny, yay!

This:

... was the house of the mayor of the historic center in 1354 - right beside is one of the way-too-expensive-Starbucks-Coffe-Shops.
Mind you, we went in some time ago, saw the prices and went out again. Nah, really?!

Karstadt with it´s ar park - gosh, before we lived in Braunschweig we used it - I got sick every time!

... weee...

Walk to the right at Karstadt and you see - we mix old and new, too - just not as nice as Perthies do (advanced us...) - nice anyhows, huh?

Stilblüte - bloomer is the name of the shop to the right. Not my price category...

From the other side, aw, an oasis in all the hectic, locked away:

Peek & Cloppenburg, founded 1900.. not my price category, either, but the building is nice, no?:

And wow... those mini-balconies... better this than nothing, huh?
Just imagine the city-busses driving underneath all 20 minutes... well, that´s the city, too!

Yes, that´s right above Schadt´s:

Just to add... it´s a village, the peeps coming here know each other - and by now we´re just amongst the youngest.
My fav waitress had her job at the other side to do today, yet she came around to ask how we are, why we haven´t been here last week, She was worried a tad - people work like clockwork, right?

Her daughter who´d studied German philology and speaks Spanish, Polish, German, and... what was it? another language fluently finds no job since 12 months.
She even asked for a cleaning job and was told she does not qualify.
WHAT?

The politicians say we have a lack of "skilled employees".
Sure.

Ingo asked why I took I pic of this piece of junk on the street:

(Usually Braunschweig peeps pick it up and put it on a fence, but this was too icky)

Dunno. I was without a job for 12 months, too.
I learned all the stuff like Flash Action Script (yah, I´m, OLD!), the first bits of HTML (thanks to Ingo, who pushed me!!! - Thanks again!) and started at zero for no money to learn the stuff properly from scratch by myself with help from staff and ended as skilled employee who fit in another job.
Our waitress´s daughter... would I be helpful to imply anything like that?
If you think so... I can do so next week.

Gosh, my job is at stake and I feel a tad like being pushed back 14 years myself :-(

Anyhows - was a beautiful late summer´s day :-)

...this is now...