A not so covert mannequin

When we were in Traben-Trarbach, we saw the mannequin below, in the doorway. She's doing some German staring and is a bit scary!

A covert Aussie mannequin in Rüdesheim am Rhein

While we were at the Christmas Market of the Nations in Rüdesheim am Rhein, I spotted this guy at the "Australian" themed booth (which is Australian, I assume, because there were Aussie hats). I thought it was a mighty fine mannequin head but had the awkward situation of the booth owner being right there so I couldn't just take a picture. Instead, I pretended that I was taking a picture of C...with my camera being held in a position that there was no way that I was actually taking a picture of her. The lengths that I undertake for my "art"...

I'm impressed, though, by the care in which whomever used the Sharpie to draw in his beard. Does it look natural? No, but someone certainly took his time and wasn't the typical scribbled in Sharpie deal.

Love of office lady (cookies)

C. and I stopped by Tam Asia. She found me as I was perusing my new obsession, sambol oelek. She was giggling wildly and pointed out this delicacy, cookie rolls "love of office lady."

I'm trying to decide if it means that the cookies are loved by office ladies or if eating will prompt one to think about the love one has for office ladies. I would guess that it's the first situation. It reminds me of advertisements where there are celebrity endorsements but in this case, an anonymous office lady is the one endorsing the product.

Or it's just a mistranslation of English. I prefer my imaginings.

My week: January 4 ed.

Well, happy new year! I have heard the saying that what one does on New Year's Day sets the tone for the whole year. Last year, I brushed aside some malaise from the champagne and met a friend to go hiking on the Philosophenweg for a relaxing day. It was a decent forecast; I did enjoy some hiking and 2014 wasn't too stressful, even as I was finishing my degree.

This year, I was mostly lazy on New Year's Day, reading and chilling out most of the day. I then had a burst of activity, cleaning the sidewalks in front of the house and cleaning inside, followed by a nice walk. I'm not sure exactly what that means for the rest of the year, but I was happy with the day.

-Otherwise, I haven't done much this week, outside of work. My VHS German class ended and the university club German class is still on holiday break. I did visit the gym a few times after work and got some health insurance paperwork in order for the end of the year. I'm very grateful to have health insurance, but it's the expat kind where I have to submit half of it myself and if I don't submit everything as soon as I get it, I create a TON of work for myself later. D'oh. Maybe I should write about my system for organizing it some time and give the advice to not be like me and ever procrastinate.

-On Saturday, C and I went to try brunch at Cafe Krummel and it was closed, with no note in sight. Grr! So many German businesses do this: take time off, and I've run across quite a few that don't even bother to put up a note that they'll be closed.

(Restaurant Review update: Urban) Instead, we ate at Urban (my earlier reviews are here and here). I haven't been there recently so I was surprised to see that they retooled their menu. They've added a section for vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free foods. Cool, huh? The only non-cool thing is that they raised their prices a bit, but they're still reasonably priced and delicious. I ate the Hirsepfanne Marokko dish and enjoyed the millet-based dish that includes eggplants, peppers, onions, sprouts, and garnished with soy yogurt.

There's a lot going on with this mannequin head

I saw this guy (or more aptly, his head) at Military & More in Kaiserslautern. There's so much going on with this mannequin that I can't even begin, except to say that I believe that it was painted on before the glaze was fired.

Thoughtfulness of friends, warm fuzzies, and Moo

I love love love my expat life here in Germany. However, that doesn't mean that I don't miss my US-based friends and family, either. Thanks to things like Facebook and Skype, I can still connect with them, which bridges the gap a little bit, at least.

In addition to keeping up online, sometimes there is a wonderful physical reminder of home: a package! Friends and family have brightened the day by sending thoughtful packages. Often they are related to a fun event, memory, or joke we've shared.

Here are some things that people have sent, and seeing the photos makes me smile all over again. Moo is always helpful (well, as helpful as a cat ever will be) as a model so that I can send photos to the generous gifters to show us enjoying what they sent.

My friend H. sent me what I thought was a heart-shaped tooth fairy pillow and some vegan recipes as support during the vegan challenge. I took strength through this kind gesture and was all smiles when I saw the picture of her dog, whom I consider my special little dog friend. I spend as much time as I can cuddling him when I visit. H also included a lovely card, reminiscing about some crazy and hilarious adventures we shared, including accidentally being present during a riot (we had nothing to do with it, promise).

This photo shows Moo at a low point in his little cat life. Unfortunately, he has a little problem with catnip and is known to abuse the substance. My cousins enabled him in his addiction and gifted him with his "drug" of choice. He was a pleased kitty and I enjoyed the ornament from a German-style Michigan tourist town that I enjoyed visiting, some gingerbread in various forms, and even Peeps on a stick (I hate to say it, but...Peepcentipede). I was putting everything together to take a picture when I had to leave the room. Moo just couldn't help himself and set up the scene for himself.

I feel lucky to say that I have multiple families: my biological family; my second family (good friends of my parents, and parents of my best friend); my original German teacher's family who "adopted" me, and my family of friends, too. Imagine the delight in receiving some homemade pillow cases that my second family made from super cute bacon print fabric. Moo thought it was great too and has been sneaking onto the pillow every chance he gets.

These are just a few of the thoughtful packages I've received. It is so awesome of my friends and family to share such kindness. So, what reminds you of home? Do your friends and family send it?

Nothing says Happy New Year! like a half-hearted cactus

Happy New Year!

To help you feel festive, I'm taking you way back to Christmas (you know, like as in, last week).

This was a Christmas decoration from one of the Mexican restaurants in the Kaiserslautern area. Some colleagues and I enjoyed lunch there and giggled about the "cacti" decorating the windows. The one on the left was a rather cute Christmas decoration, and the other one...well, whomever made that one was certainly phoning it in! Perhaps it wasn't meant to be a cactus. It kind of reminds me of a sideways shadow puppet dog. Maybe.

Regardless, may 2015 be a happy and fun new year!