January 2011

Stranded!

16 January 2011

Last Tuesday we accepted delivery for the Volkswagen Sharan that we ordered 6 months ago (with a lot of extras but without the automatic doors like in the cute commercial). It will be my company car for the next three years. Our family isn’t really big enough for a mini-van, but there are times we [...]

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Back in Black

12 January 2011

One of the several good effects of our son’s new school is that he has developed an enthusiasm for music. We didn’t take him to any special music classes earlier (it’s something we didn’t think of, since neither of us did it as kids, maybe that was a missed opportunity), but with his very first [...]

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Extremism in Defense of Liberty

10 January 2011

Yesterday we attended the New Year’s Reception given by the mayor of Buchholz. It was a typical political meet-and-greet event, with all the usual suspects in attendance: the county commissioner (Landrat), 2 members of the Bundestag, 1 member of the Landestag (Lower Saxony Parliament). There was shake-hands with the mayor, a glass Sekt, live music [...]

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Brussels Sprouts with BACON

6 January 2011

OK, it’s not really bacon, just low-fat diced ham, but this recipe from our My Line fitness program has become our favorite way to eat Brussels sprouts, even as a main dish! The original recipe is metric, the American equivalents are approximate. 500 g (1 lb) Brussels sprouts 1 onion, chopped 1 Tsp olive oil [...]

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Grocery Shopping

5 January 2011

With my wife and I both having busy and hectic schedules (well, hers is more hectic, mine is mostly pushing paper), coordinating grocery shopping is a constant challenge. We have a completely low-tech method of compiling a grocery list: a piece of paper tacked to the side of the refrigerator where we note the staples [...]

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