Say it isn't so

Say it isn't so

I was blog-surfing last night.  I came across a blog by a young gal who spent part of last year as an au pair in Vienna.  It was funny, interesting, a little sad (the au pair job didn't work out and she's now back home).  I was enjoying my read and all was going along fine until I came across a line, something about .... access to Diet Coke being extremely limited.  Um.  Why haven't I considered this?  Please. Somebody.  Tell me this isn't ...

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The $5 Bill Game

The $5 Bill Game

A few weeks ago, I sat in my doctor's office, flipping through a magazine.  It was just after New Year's Day and the cover articles were appropriately promising...."30 Days to a New You," "5 Ways to Lose 5 Pounds in 5 Days," and the requisite, "10 Steps to Save More Money This Year Than You Ever Have Before." Silly though I pretend to think these are, I will admit I have a weak spot for bite-sized self-help articles.  If you pair the self-improvement aspect with a to-do list, or 10...

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I definitely need sweaters

I definitely need sweaters

Crazy weather in the Bay Area lately.  It is the rainy season, so the downpours are no surprise, but the thunder and lightening that accompany them are.  Temperatures aren't low, but everything is wet, windblown, dank, and dark, which sets a chill in my bones.  My house is cold, the library where I work is cold, there is no sun, and I can't get warm. Compare this to Vienna, where it is currently 21 degrees and snowing, and I feel silly complaining about the "cold."  I lived...

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Ich heisse Caroline. Wie heisst du?

Ich heisse Caroline. Wie heisst du?

First lesson in Beginning German at the Piedmont Adult School this week. My name is Caroline. What is your name? But I already knew that. Kiefer and I attended the first of 10 weekly German classes on Wednesday. I like the instructor and there are six students in the class. It's going to be pretty rudimentary for me, covering things I already know (alphabet, numbers, basic phrases) and I was, at first, a little disappointed. But I've figured out what the major lesson will be for me. ...

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Frohes Neues Jahr

Frohes Neues Jahr

Birthday Indulgence 2010 - Red Velvet Cheesecake. Because my birthday is so close to the beginning of the calendar year, I often think of IT as my very own New Year's Day. This gives me an extra 11 days to settle into self reflection, review the previous year and consider resolutions or goals. The big day always comes, though, and as the beautiful red cake above illustrates, that day is today. 2010 is quite a year for those goals, I'd say, so here goes...... SHARE. Those who know me well know...

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Warum nicht?

Warum nicht?

By far, the most common response to our "We're moving to Vienna!" announcement to date is some version of the question "why?" It usually follows the statement - "That's so exciting" or "Wow, what great news" - but it's never far behind. And it makes me nervous. How could such a simple question, "why?" give me pause, cause me to stammer "um" and "uh"? Because I'm not sure that even I know the full answer to the question, so how can I explain it to others? And because I'm not sure the answers I do...

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Step One: Obtain Passport

Step One: Obtain Passport

That is correct. I am planning a big, fat international move and I have never been outside the United States! Well, that's not completely true. My father was in the Air Force, stationed in Germany, so my folks married there and I (along with my younger brother) was born there. But we left when I was very little and no memories serve. Unfortunately, neither do my traveling papers from that time. This task is quite simple to complete and doesn't actually set me on a path from which there is...

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Turning Excitement into Exploration

Turning Excitement into Exploration

At the moment, the Vienna move doesn't seem real. I imagine I'll go through this often throughout the year, but maybe disbelief will mark only this first phase, before anything has really been done or decided or scheduled. When it's still a lot of talk and not a lot of actual doing. In fact, rolling thoughts of these "doings" over and over in my mind paralyzes me sometimes. I had a bit of a panic attack earlier this week because the possibility of finding work, obtaining work visas and a residence...

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