Is it possible to have your sense of humor surgically removed?

I posted this photo of my (then) 86 year Nana on FB (via Easter 2008). I tagged family. I am new to FB but I knew the photo would hit their walls due to the tag. I did not know my commentary would go along for the ride. That is not an excuse, simply the truth.

I can not remember exactly what I wrote but it verged on my writing that she thought the L was for her first name and that I am mean to little old ladies that way. I did this knowing my family would get the inside joke.

I was wrong.

I had a first cousin and her husband insinuate that I was deliberately cruel. That it was wrong. That if I did not remove said photo, they would delete me from FB. Etc, etc, etc.

If you have met me, deliberate cruelty is not my forte. Yes, I can be sharp tongued, but I would not harm a fly. I was mortified and deeply hurt.

I did not mention this to said cousin for almost a day so I could get my bearings and not write to her with raw emotions. I needed to calm down,

I had anothter first cousin write that it was funny "and besides she is such a good sport".

I had an aunt write that the Easter Bunny should "leave Ex-Lax eggs in your Easter Basket, lol".

No go.... Kill joy still thought I was intentionally cruel. Ironically, the last note my cousin wrote was entitled "This note may contain sarcasm". I wanted to scream the note may contain it; however, do you UNDERSTAND it?????

I mentioned this to my grandmother today. Not my cousin's comments, nor those of her husband. Not the debacle with my cousin as I would not put my Nana in a frame of mind to know I was upset at another of her grandchildren. I wanted her to know. She is not a computer person and would have never seen this herself. I tell her when I post about her and print it for her to read. Unless it is about my mom's cancer, but that is a different story and not relevant now.

YES, I DID tell the woman the L stood for looser *after* snapping said photo. Alas, she had just lost a game. Her response that day was to snap me with a dish towel and giggle. Her response today was "have they lost their sense of humor?"

I told her this while she made her coffee whilst wearing pajamas adorned with sock monkeys. I asked if I could post that photo. She said no. Only because her hair was a mess and that she was not wearing lipstick. She is cool that way and I know that my sense of humor was handed to me from Mama via her.

I hope I am that cool if I make it to my 80s.

And as a side note, they did delete me, but not my German. I remedied that and deleted them from his account.

A meme on Good Friday

Before I begin my little meme, I wanted to take a moment and wish all three of my readers a very joyous Easter. This is my favorite holiday and I am looking forward to spending it with my family.

Without further adieu, here we go…

Here is how it works:

You take each line and replace it with a single word of your choosing. Yes, just one word!!

Afterward, tag seven folks...

You're feeling: tired
To your left: telephone
On your mind: finances
Last meal included: rice
You sometimes find it hard to: sleep
The weather: nice
Something you have a collections of: shoes
A smell that cheers you up: coffee
A smell that can ruin your mood: garbage
How long since you last shaved: days
The current state of your hair: curly
The largest item on your desk right now (besides computer): scanner
Your skill with chopsticks: decent
Which section you head to first in the bookstore: classics
And after that?: fiction
Something you are craving: seafood
Your general thoughts on the presidential race: scary
How many times have you been hospitalized this year: nada
A favorite place to go for quiet time: tub
You've always secretly thought you'd be a good: teacher
Something that freaks you out a little: cockroaches
Something you've eaten too much of lately: Chinese
You have never: kayaked
You never want to: bungee

I am tagging the following:

Newscoma
Ginger
Megan
Linda
Saucygrrl
Ron
Jag

Same time last year....

At this time last year I had the good fortune to go to Hamburg, Germany to finally meet my husband’s parents. It is still hard for me to believe it has been a year since our adventure. I was waxing nostalgic and decided to give you a little tour of what we did while we were there. Enjoy…


This is my in-law's home. It is quaint and cozy. It is not the home my German grew up in; however, it is on the same road.



Prosit! This is my German and me toasting. We are at a nice restaurant we found on a side trip to Berlin. Excellent food, excellent bier and excellent company as Ambie and the Chef joined us on this excursion.



While in Berlin we did A LOT of walking and "touristy" things... Here I am touching part of what is left of the wall. It was electric to me to touch such a thing...



This is my favorite photo of the entire trip. It is of Brandenburger Tor otherwise known as the Brandenburg Gate.



This is my German and me. This is from St. Patty's day. We are enjoying Celtic music, wonderful food and incredible bier.



This is just a lovely building in Bergedorf. Bergedorf is a suburb of Hamburg and is the largest area near the village my German was raised in.



Here I am catching a little lip action with my German. We are about to enter a courtyard of a castle in Bergedorf. If you click here you will see a bit more about Bergedorf and the Schloss Bergedorf where the photo was taken.



This is my German and I on our last full day in Germany. Unbeknownst to us, my mother-in-law arranged for us as well as Ambie and the Chef to have our wedding vows renewed. She did this in part because she was unable to attend either of our weddings.



Two or three times a year, there is a huge carnival in Hamburg. There are rides, souvenier stands and scrumptious goodies (not to mention bier, gluhwein and many other tasty libations). The food at this is nothing like carnival food here.... No corn dogs and funnel cakes... Instead there are brats, potatoes, yummy pork, crepes, and too many other things to mention for fear of my waistline expanding.



This is a Hummel, the water carrier. These guys are all over the place and we photographed ourselves with as many as we saw. When you see him, you are supposed to say "Hummel, Hummel" and he would reply "Mors, Mors".



Here we are kicking back in an eis cafe (ice cream parlor). We are sitting in a spot where a photo was taken of the arcade style of this shopping center. The photo I am speaking of is in a book about Hamburg that my German brought with him when he moved to the U.S. eleven years ago. I would look at the photo and say "I want to go there". So he brought me



This is the inside of a beautiful church in Bergedorf. Schwester, my German's baby sister, actually got married in this place!! It was built in the 1400's... Awesome!



There was a rule about food whilst in Germany. Thank goodness I am an adventurous eater or I would have been shit outta luck.... This is me kissing the head of a smoked eel. That was the tastiest thing I had while I was there (except for bier, duh!). I am kissing it to thank it for giving the ultimate sacrifice for my dining pleasure. I won't go into detail about the couple of things I would never eat again because it will just make me gag. Suffice it to say, they were quite nasty and I would be fine to never have them again.



My trip down memory lane is complete. Thanks for tagging along!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!

This year I will be celebrating by going to work, coming home and either watching a little TV or playing games on the lap top. However, last year I was in Hamburg for St. Patty’s. We started the day off at 6:00a at the Fischmarkt. This is a huge weekly event every Sunday at the Hamburg harbour. Here is a photo of the Fischmarkt main hall. There are several food booths. There are people either still drinking beer or starting their day with beer… There is music… The song that sticks out for me is “Time Warp” from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. Even though I was tired, I did the dance (and no, I was not drinking…. Yet…..)




The drinking happened later in the evening when we went to a restaurant in an old water tower. We listened to Celtic music and imbibed... Here I am with the German's baby sister toasting a little St. Patty's day cheer...



So today's celebration pales in comparison... But it is all good!

A few days late.

So I am little behind in my blogging... That and I keep neglecting to download the camera from the Halloween party mein Deustcher and I went to on the 27th. So without further adieu I give you photos of the party...

It wouldn't be a party without a British pirate doing a keg stand... He lives in Germany and works for my German's parent company. What a way to introduce him to an American holiday (they do not celebrate Halloween in Germany).



In case you do not recognize us, this is my German and me. He is the Terminator (although I referred to him as the Germanator). I am Fergie from the Black-Eyed Peas since I am still sporting my shiner from October 6th.



This is a herd of Europeans. All except the pirate are native Germans. Nothing like hanging out with them when the conversation is entirely in German and I try and keep up interpreting the few words I know. I usually just stand there and drink beer and think happy thoughts...


This one is my favorite costume of the evening. Recognize Mary Poppins and Burt? I just loved this as it was awesome!



You know it is a great party when three police cars and a fire truck come. Everything was good... There was a permit to burn for the bonfire and it just made the band that was playing shut down after three songs...

It is already making us wonder what we will be next year.

That man of mine...

No, he is not serious about this pose. There was beer involved… There was the surging of testosterone as he was the grillmeister this past Saturday evening at a friend’s home. It is just a great example of mein Deutscher and his sense of humor… There are lots more that show all the men involved in various (ridiculous) poses. As well as photos of grilled pork in various forms...

Of course all the women were dignified, poised and kept our estrogen in check…

One more for the road...

One more photo from the Dragon Boat races on Saturday... This is a group shot of my entire team... Good times...

Dragon Breath

No, I do not actually have that... I brushed...

Yesterday, I participated in Nashville's first annual Dragon Boat race. I was on team "Marine Titans". We wore togas... Wanna see?





It was a long day at Riverfront park. We arrived at 7:20a and began our first of three races at 9:16a.

Out of four teams we came in third. Were we disappointed? Yeah, a little... However, we rallied on with our chant of "We didn't loose"... Uplifted our spirits... And there was a prize for best team spirit. What we lacked in racing skills and abilities, we compensated for in yelling, chanting, dancing, and overall silliness. I mean for the love of all that is good, we had on togas... Naturally we had a chant for that a la "Animal House".

We did much better in the second heat. We came in first out of three teams. We even made it into the Tennessean. If you biggify the photo you will see me. I am second on the left of boat two. And yes, I have a laurel wreath on my noggin...

The trophy for first is cool...



Our third race, we came in second. We finished overall somewhere in the middle of the pack; however, we did win the spirit award... Tickets for fifty to a Sounds game. Hope it is on thirsty Thursday!! We are already discussing strategy and options for next year. Hope you will come out and support us and cheer on my team. It's all good.

On a completely different subject, I was too tired today to make it to the MCB picnic and seemingly I missed woman versus nature. Hope you feel better soon!!

And while I am on roll with different subjects, I wanna send a little linky love to 'coma and Squirrel Queen regarding their new baby and the resurrection of Bat Boy.

Home again, home again, jiggety jig....

Whew!!

Home from Nashville's first annual Dragon Boat races. We are freakin exhausted to say the least! Thank goodness for tents, bottled water and a breeze.

I will send out more love regarding this later as I am too tired to download photos. Our day started at 7:20a at Riverfront and we got home around 6:00p.

All good. More later.

Dragonheart? Dragon breath? No, Dragon Boat....

I mentioned last month that I would be competing in a Dragon Boat Race. Well, we practiced last night and are all set for the races Saturday, August 25th at Riverfront Park.

The German and I are none the worse for wear. We are on my team, the “Marine Titans”. So if you are of the mind to join the fun, come on down to Riverfront Park on Saturday. Our first race is at 9:00a and we could definitely use a Woot from the crowd!!!

I was there for the beer....

The German and I met up with 'coma, Squirrel Queen, Badger, and Ivy at South Street for a little grub and a beer... Then we headed over to Cafe Coco to hear Ivy's and Kat's presentation at Bar Camp. I HAD to be part of the "Woot" section for them.

Shortly after their presentation, we sat in the hot, hot, hot and had a bit more beer and talked. I met ghia and so many others that I would be linking all night to get them in!! However, if I did not mention that I met the the awesome Grace I would be remiss. I mean how do you not send a little link love to such a cool person?

After our time on the patio we headed out for some Mexican and more beer... Did I mention there was beer?

The German and I had a blast. Looking forward to the next adventure...

Word Nerd

I enjoy some words just because of how the sound. For example: periwinkle, conundrum, onomatopoeia, steatopygious…. If you do not know what these mean then you need to look them up. Seriously, because I am not going to tell you. I am a bitch in that way.

Thank your parents!

Seriously. Quit reading and call your parents. Tell them thank you. Being a parent is HARD WORK and do not let anyone tell you otherwise!!

Biologically the Bubbie is not mine. Emotionally and mentally he is 100%. I can not physically have biological children; however, I have the best of both worlds when it comes to the Bubbie... An incredibly brilliant, articulate, amazing, beautiful human being to laugh with and share secrets. To snuggle with, to see things in a perspective I have not in decades. But mostly to love.

I am wiped out. The energy he exudes seems directly correlated to the energy that is sucked out of me. No, I am not complaining. He is worth it. Being physically drained at work is a fair trade for the joy that bubbles out of watching him delight in the little things. His laugh is lyrical, magical and creates a feeling I have no way to describe in words... All I can say is it makes me feel even more alive. Like I can feel everything to the highest degree and see it all over again as if it were new to me as well.

He is only here until August 12th. So much to do, so little time.

Parents everywhere, KUDOS! There is a special place in Heaven just for you... What a blessing!!

It's been a while...

It has been a while since I posted a German word of the day simply for its "educational purposes". Today I thought I would show you something important you need to know if you find yourself driving down the Autobahn.

Today's word is Ausfahrt. What I love about it is that it is pronounced just like you think it should be. What amuses me even more is that it means Exit. How much fun it that?? Ambie and I got the biggest kick out of it and would mutter "ausfahrt" every time we passed an exit ramp. Okay, at least it was amusing to us... Mein Deutscher and the chef were not nearly as entertained as Ambie and I but that is their loss.

Well I have done my duty of teaching you German one word at a time for today.

You're welcome...

Die Eichhörnchenkönigin

Die Eichhörnchenkönigin = Squirrel Queen...

You know who you are.... And it was wonderful to meet you!!!!

Saucy!!

There is something about a Saturday that gets the German and I rarin' to go do a little something. And there is something about a beer and a cheese plate that revs us up and makes for a good time. It is even better if you get to have said beer and cheese with some wonderful people. I was psyched because I finally got to meet Newscoma and the fabulous Squirrel Queen. I also got to meet the Zombie King. Royalty! The German and I had a blast and we are ready for more conversation, beer and cheese. Okay, it's a little early for beer...

And I always enjoy time with Ivy and Hutch. They are wonderful people.



And Ginger and Sista always make any time a good one.



Anywho, these were the better photos of our time at the Saucer.... For more, go visit the Sista. She managed a group shot that I missed by not passing the German the camera.... Sigh...

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Have you heard about the latest craze? Well, whether you have or have not Dragon Boat Racing is coming to Nashville. I am a little psyched about it to be quite honest. Ambie and the chef participated in their local race this spring. My uncle participates in his local race annually as well. All three have told me how very much they enjoyed it.


My company is planning on sponsoring a boat this year and I might just participate. My German has been trying to convince his company to sponsor one as well. We are going to try and do this together (if one of our companies will allow spouses) versus being on opposing teams. We are both a little too competitive to risk loosing to one another. Bragging rights are HUGE in our house so unless I can guarantee that I have them.... Well, you get the picture.

So boys and girls out there, have any of you participated in Dragon Boat racing? If so, what did you think about your experience? Regardless of whether or not I race, I will definitely make the trip down to Riverfront Park on August 25th to see what all the hoopla is about...

The grammar police....

Okay, I know I have bitched about how difficult German is to learn; however, English has it's idiosyncrasies as well. This one really hit home. Not just because of my German, but also because of her.

You grascally wabbit

My German and I are home from a wonderful evening of entertainment. We joined Sista, her family, Hutch and his lovely wife at Station Inn. We were there for conversation and to be completely entertained by The Grascals.

It was good to see Sista and Hutch again after having met them at the Saucer on June 14th. The German and I had a great time. We were thrilled with the show. Not only are the The Grascals extremely talented but they put on a helluva show to boot.

Of. The. Good.