*cough, cough*

Well, seeing as how the LHC has not yet created a black hole large enough to put us all out of our misery, it's about time for an update, no?

I fed 27 people on Thanksgiving. The food was good, except for the stuffing. I have subsequently made a resolution to leave the country next year so I do not have to cook anything, clean, or even look at a green bean casserole. We may have to rob a bank in order to finance this traveling, but it will be worth it!

Noah is going on week #3 of a yukky croupy-sounding cough. The whining is enough to drive even a sane person up the wall.


My two eldest. Twins! (not really, but everyone seems to think they are)

Every time I want to complain about all the mud and the never-ending rain and the fact that we only get about 7 hours of daylight (although daylight may be too strong a term for perpetual overcast cloudiness) I remind myself that this is the mildest winter the Rheinland-Pfalz has had in years. Even mud is preferable to me freezing.

Ben and I ventured out (in the pouring rain, just like the locals) to see the K-town Christmas market, or Weihnachtsmarkt. There was the pervasive smell of gluhwein, a lot of overpriced stuff, and very few people. We bought nothing but enjoyed walking around and now I feel guilty that I haven't taken my children to experience this cultural thing.

Speaking of cultural, Zak and Em attended the play "Pinnocchio" with their school classes this week. They rode the train to get there, which means I had the opportunity to take the three youngest to the train station. I don't think the Germans have fully embraced the concept of park and ride since there were maybe 20 parking spots near the station and with all those American cars trying to find a place to park it was a madhouse. Add the graphic ads posted on the strip clubs across the street and you have me, carrying a very angry No, desperately pointing to the train tracks every three seconds saying things like 'do you hear the train? Let's look for the train!'. I understand that the European standard is different for ads and the like, but I'm still not happy with the preschooler seeing full frontal nudity.