Your Hair Should Be Orange

Bruno the Bear

While generally I am saddened by the outcome of most wild predator-human clashes, for some reason I find the legal battle over this bear’s body hysterical. Reading what all the bear had killed during it’s brief Bavarian jaunt, all I could think of was ‘how in the hell did he get hold of a guinea pig?!’

Could someone with a marketing/sales background please explain to me why Wendy’s is using the Violent Femmes song “Blister in the Sun” in their latest marketing campaign? One would think that they wouldn’t want to encourage a mental association between their new sandwiches and premature ejaculation.

Methinks it’s time to drug test the marketing department again.

I just found out this evening that one of my favorite co-workers died yesterday.

Amy’s curly red hair matched her personality; vibrant, energetic, passionate and sharp-witted. She had a sly smile and a wickedly infectious grin. She loved her job and it showed clearly to those of us fortunate enough to have worked with her, however briefly.

I saw her less than two weeks ago. She admitted she was tired as they had not yet replaced the other supervisor who left in January. She was thrilled that the new prarie dog had settled in well and was bonding with the older one. There was nothing to indicate that it would be the last time I would see her.

I got an e-mail from the department head last week saying that she had been rushed to the hospital and admitted to ICU. The doctors were running tests to try to figure out what was wrong with her. Beyond that, there was no information. She died yesterday, still in the hospital.

She was 30 years old.

Safe journeys, Amy.

I just pulled up my link to the local weather forecast. Apparently bits of chocolate will be falling from the sky on Thursday evening.

THURSDAY NIGHT
MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF
SPRINKLES. LOWS IN THE MID 30S.

And yes, there will be photos posted from the Germany trip. I took over 300 digital photos and 3 rolls of film, editing is taking a while. Be patient! Links will be provided once they’re up.

Brian left for the trade show. In the morning, I essentially re-traced our paths from yesterday, taking plenty of photos now that the weather is better. I shot the usual with the digital and black and white film with the older Rebel. Photoshop artists can say what they want, but there is still a serious quality difference between b&w film and digital images which have been changed to b&w. The details show much more clearly with film.

Lunch was a pretzel with salami. I was afriad it might be dry, but I found to my delight that it also contained a very soft cream cheese. The local quisine seems to use it in much the same way as Americans use mayonaise. I am loving the food here. Good thing I’m walking so much!

The afternoon found me back in the room for a nap before dinner. Afterwards, I rode the train down to the trade show to meet Brian.

Dinner was with Brian’s corporate hosts. It was not only casual, but very amicable as well. We found much common ground in our conversations. Topics ranged from soccer and skiing to world politics to the trials and tribulations of international travel and the history of NASCAR. We ate and drank into the night, not returning to the hotel until after 1 a.m.

We’ve been watching CNN International in the room. I’ve found the weather reports to be amusing for some reason. Because it is a global broadcast, the weather reports are from everywhere. Apparently, Mozambique is getting flooded and Katmandu is seeing snow for the first time in 63 years.

“Red rain, rain down over me….”

Despite the lengthy nap yesterday we both managed to get a decnet night’s sleep. We were up around 7, got ourselves ready and headed for the hotel’s complimentary breakfast. It was qiute good, having a wide selection of breads and cereals as well as fruits, cold cuts and eggs. Coffee, while not exactly rare here, does not seem to be a common beverage of choice. in my eternal quest for morning caffine, I opted for Earl Grey tea. To my surprise, it was quite good.

The first order of business was to find an adaptor for our electronics. Fortunately, there was an electronics store about 2 blocks from the hotel. Conrad is much like a combination of Best Buy, Radio Shack and the electrical section of Home Depot. It is the largest store of any kind that I have seen since our arrival, taking most of the ground floor of a city block building. After wandering around for a bit and a brief conversation with the help desk, we had a 220 to 110 volt plug adaptor and we were off.

We headed into the City Center which is essentially the historic district. After a quick stop in the Tourist Information office for a map, we began semi-random wanderings. Many of the churches in the area date back to the 1400’s. The town square (Hauptmarkt) is still an open air market. Produce dealers, florists, cheese shops and butchers set up daily under tents. It was almost awe-inspiring to me to know that we were doing the same thing people had done on these stones for 8 centuries, namely wandering around looking for lunch. We opted for a small restaurant opposite the church. Brian had curried bratwurst wiht pommes frites and I had 3 bratwursts with bread.

Despite the light rain, we headed up the hill, passing the old city hall which dates back to the 1200’s. At the top of the hill was the Imperial Castle. Construction on it began in 1039 with a major addition and renovation in the 1400’s. We briefly took shelter from the rain in a tunnel between the castle towers. Due to the rain, I was unable to do much shooting.

We returned to the room for the afternoon so Brian could work on his presentations. I took it as a chance to research my museum options and write updates and postcards.

Dinner was in the food court at the Hauptbahnhof shopping center. I had a salami baggette and Brian had pizza. Fast food is fast food everywhere it seems. We wandered the historic district a bit more before heading back to the room.

Tomorrow will be the trade show for Brian and walking photo ops for me.

I am amazed at the architecture here. I expected a traditional style in the historic districts, but it permeates the entire area. We are staying in a predominantly residential district. Buildings here are multi-story with shops on the ground floor and flats above.
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“Time, time, time, see what’s become of me…”
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I’mgoingtoGermanyI’mgoingtoGermanyI’mgoingtoGermany!!!

Leaving this Saturday, returning next Saturday! Photos and updates to follow!!!