New Year's Eve Family Skate

The sweaty locker room tour family skate was more fun than expected thanks in part to my field hockey high school days and to my mother driving me to figure skating lessons years ago. I successfully asked for my skate size in German, laced 'em up strapped the velcro and wheeled around. I only almost fell twice. Go me. 

I wish you could fully understand the sweat stench filling the air of the room...

Here's that rosary I wrote about the other day from one of the fans.

Happy New Year's Eve from Germany! 

Travel Tip: Phrases I Wish I had Known

True story: In 2007, my brother and I went to Costa Rica. It was my first time renting a car, and we were pretty excited to explore the countryside. Well, one of the first days we were there, we were driving from one beach to another, and got a flat tire. We were in the middle of nowhere but luckily, there was a construction site about 100m ahead.

So I told my brother to get out and ask for help. But, because he didn't speak any Spanish, he refused. I was the fluent one, but I was wearing a short bathing suit coverup and didn't want to walk up to a construction site by myself. We compromised, and he walked up with me. We I asked for help, and a guy filled up our tire. We gave him a couple bucks and went on our merry way. It really helps to speak another language, even if it's just a little bit.

I should've taken my own advice because a few years later, my friends and I were completely lost in Amsterdam. No idea how to get back to our hostel. If we had simply known a few phrases, we might have saved ourselves a few hours of wandering around in the freezing cold. (We did, however, find this really cool...thing...when we were looking for our hostel. Apparently it says something about making sure you throw trash in the trash can.)

So, in an attempt to have that never happen again, I thought of a few phrases I'd like to know in Thai. Maybe my little list will help one of you when you prepare for a trip.

-Sorry, my (German, Spanish, whatever) isn't good, do you speak English?
-Excuse me
-Where is the bathroom?
-How much?
-I would like.... (this is so important to know, cuz you can use it for ordering food and in a ton of other situations)
-Can I pay?
-Numbers 1-10
-Do you have...
-Without...
-Please/thank you

And then take a look at the culture you're visiting and see what words might come in useful. For example, apparently Thailand's food is super spicy and I'd like to learn how to say "not spicy" or "a little spicy".

Hope that helps! Here's to safe travels!

3 Glows and a Grow

It's been a while since I've done 3 Glows and a Grow, where I discuss three things I am enjoying and 1 thing that could be improved. (Here are some past entries.)

These past few days:

Glow 1: Studying for yoga teacher training is going really well. I need to know the sanskrit names of a bunch of asanas. These, from top to bottom, are urdhva mukha svanasana, virabhadrasana, utkatasana. Luckily for me, most of these I knew in my head from hearing them at classes....but seeing them written out is a different story!

Glow 2: Buckles. He just makes me so happy. Like he'll humor me and sit there while I tie my scarf around his neck into a bow. Really he's thinking, "I really gotta pee, can you just let me outside?!"

Glow 3: We just finalized plans to live in the sunshine state for the off season! We'll be in Jacksonville, in a house a couple blocks from the beach. Excited!

And now for the grow....

I was in the middle of my shower at the gym today when something caught my attention... This guy. I really can't express to you all how much I dislike spiders. They scare me. I really don't mind bugs. Like lady bugs, dragonflies, beetles... those are all fine. In fact, not only are they fine, but I think they are kind of cute. However, there's something about a spider- its sharp, angled torso, its thin, wiry legs- that just makes me recoil. (It is worth it to point out that my dad thinks spiders are "beautiful". I don't see it.)  Oddly, as much as I dislike spiders, I can't bring myself to physically kill them. I don't like the way their bodies making a popping sound when they're squashed and I feel truly awful when I spray them with napalm Raid and they die an instant, burning death. So what to do? How will I survive deal in Thailand? 

The above pic is one my friend took. She's living in Zambia, Africa right now as she volunteers with the Peace Corps. This little guy was on the wall in her hut. I asked her what she does when spiders pay her a  visit, and she says it's a live and let live policy in her village (though said she did kill two scorpion spiders the previous week with a hoe). So, the grow this week is to work on spider tolerance. Maybe I'll adapt my friend's live and let live mantra but not without glancing back at it to make sure it isn't coming to bite me.

Unsubscribing Yogi

How frustrating it is to unsubscribe from junk mail! Today I tried to unsubscribe from The Outnet. I clicked to manage my email preferences or unsubscribe and it took me here:

Am I missing something??? Where do I unsubscribe??

So, in an effort to calm the mind (and do the yoga training's recommended daily practice), I did some yoga:

I was pretty bummed to look at each picture and see I should've rolled the shoulders back here, engaged the stomach there, and in this case, straightened the leg, but it is what it is and I'll just have to keep practicing. 

On the joint front, it seems the swelling is moving around. One day my right knee feels a little weird, one day it flat out hurts, the next day it doesn't hurt as much but my right thumb is a bit swollen, the next day my right achilles looks and feels a bit swollen. I'm so grateful that the pain is a 1 on the scale of 1 to Terrible, but WTF. It's so frustrating. Every single day for the past 16 months I have felt some sort of pain or annoyance in my body and I'm sick of it!

Gotta stay calm. Ommmmmm.

Winter Coats and Cozy Cafes

I brought the ipad to this cozy cafe for a little Thailand research before the hockey game. (Secret: I don't love the ipad. I find it extremely difficult to type on. And by "extremely difficult" I mean it's-so-effing-hard-to-type-on-I-want-to-throw-it-across-the-room.) Anyway.

Things I learned about Thailand:
-you can be thrown in prison for disrespecting the king and royal family in any way.
-it is customary to take your shoes off before entering temples or someone's home.
-you should never touch a monk.

Greg after the game

Then I headed to the rink.

Before the game, this kid about 20 year old kid was outside the locker room. Greg was practicing his stick-handling and the kid motioned for him to come over.
He said, "Can you give to John?" and gave him a giant Santa hat that lights up.
Greg said, "Sure, no problem."
The kid reached in his pocket. "This for you," and gave Greg a rosary.

Greg is not religious. But what was he going to do? Turn down a gift from a fan? No. Throw it out? No. So, he hung it in his stall.

The game was sold out. This means traveling to the indoor VIP room to warm up between periods was out of the question. So we stayed in the (outside) rink for the entire game and froze. My joints weren't feeling so great after that. Actually, all week they've been acting up. And I had my second nightmare of the week last night. Fingers crossed it is just arthritic and not lyme rearing its ugly head. I'll talk with my doctor in January. Hopefully I don't have to switch my meds (and go through another herx).

Anyway, back to the game. We were down 2-0 in the third period. They score with 7 minutes left in the game to make it 2-1. Then, Greg scores with a minute and twenty seconds left in the game to make it 2-2 and we end up winning in OT. Greg's not normally a superstitious player, but he says the rosary will continue to hang in the stall. 

And lastly I leave you with this: a fancy shmancy coat spotted at the game. I'm not kidding when I say people dress to the nines here!

Bathroom Talk

Sorry if this is TMI, but all the stores all closed today (and I do mean all) and we are down to one roll. Wish us luck. Good thing I have some paper towels, eh? Ha!

In other bathroom related news, Greg has been telling me for months that I need to blog about the toilet button. I think there are two different types of toilet buttons. One, like ours, is just a giant button. You push it in the middle and the toilet flushes. Greg would like me to point out how unnecessarily large the button is.

Some toilets have two buttons. A larger one for larger flushes and a smaller one for pee smaller flushes. All in the name of conserving water! It's a beautiful thing, really.

Fun fact: When I was researching yoga teacher trainings, I found one in India. The price was right, and the accommodation ideal (single room, yea!) but then I got to paragraph about Indian vs Western culture. It read: India is not like the west. (No kidding, I thought.) They do things differently. (I'm sure they do, I thought.) For example, there may be critters in your room that don't even exist in the states. (Ugh. Well I hate spiders, but I did survive living in Costa Rica with many spiders and bugs crawling around.) When it comes to the bathrooms, things are done differently. (Go on...) For example, many bathrooms do not have toilet paper. (WHAT?!) Instead, the custom is to use a water spray (oh, come on) or wipe with your left hand. (GTFO!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I promptly clicked out of that website. I have a pretty open mind but I am not about to wipe with my left hand!!

Happy Holllerdays

Never got around to sending out holiday cards, so here's my card to all of you:

This'n'That

Finally got a snowfall marginally larger than a dusting. It is so crazy to me that huskies just have it in them to love the snow. I mean, Buckles enjoys being outside no matter what time of year, but when the snow is coming down there's a little extra pep to his step. Then, when he's tired to pouncing around in the snow, he'll lay down and let it pile up on his back as it falls. 

We did a mall trip yesterday. It was nice to get out of the house for a bit and watch the madness of last minute shoppers. It's kind of a relief to not be shopping this year. We sent some German chocolates home to family, but other than that, we're not doing presents really. 

Also, I can confidently say I know enough German to start making out the various signs around town. This blue one at the top of the door says to please pay your "parkticket" (the one that is issued to you when you enter the parking garage). 

Did a little people watching at the mall. And dog watching. There were so many dogs there due to the rain outside! One lady stopped and took a giant pretzel out of her bag and asked to give it to Buckles. We asked if she could just rip a small piece off instead. Well, her definition of "small" was skewed. She ripped up a giant piece and dropped it on the floor for him. Ah, well. 

And lastly, as if this post couldn't be any more random, I leave you with this:

Made banana pancakes the other day and I gave him a banana just to see what he would do. He took it, ran into the living room and chewed on it. Never broke the skin though, so into the pancake mix it went! Also, do you love the grey blanket we put over the rug? We had to put it down once we realized our vacuum is no bueno. This catches all the hair so we can leave this place in decent condition.

Double Fisting

Today was the team's holiday Chinese gift exchange. (I've never heard of this, but Mom, it's the same as our Gee, That's A Shame exchange.) The only rule was that the gift had to be worth about 20 euro. Greg, who has (appropriately) been given the nickname The Grinch by the team, unwrapped a mini-Christmas tree and was happy to take it home to his wife who (not so secretly) wishes they at least had a damn tree! But, of course, the tree was taken away from him in the exchange and he wound up with a bottle of (used) vitamins, a Corona and a chocolate bottle of beer that most definitely was not worth 20 euro. Gee, that's a shame!

Munich Frustrations

Yesterday's trip to Munich was a serious fail. Pretty much everything that could go wrong, did. The dog cried the ENTIRE ride, which really set the mood. Then, once we got into Munich, we couldn't find the parking lot where we normally park. We went around and around, at one point (knowingly) going down a one way road the wrong way (at which point I may or may not have lost my shit temper). Once we found said parking lot, we had to wait in a long line of cars because it was completely full!! So, as one car would pull out, one more could go in. What a disaster. Oh, did I mention I had to pee SO BADLY?! The above pic is of Greg waiting in a loooong line of cars. Can you spot ours? I'll give you a hint, it's the one with the giant decals on the side.

Brown rice and stir fry veggies @ Prinz Myshkin- 

excuse my stringy hair, apparently I should look into brushing.

Anyway, Greg finally was able to park and we made our way over the sidewalks and through the crowds to this vegetarian restaurant we like called Prinz Myshkin.

Crepe filled with spinach and feta with a cream sauce

After painstakingly trying to decipher the menu, the waiter oh-so-nonchalantly offered us the English menu. GAH!!! You know that point of hunger where you go from being all, "Oh, yeah, I could eat, I'm pretty hungry" to a completely snapshow? That's where we were. Anyway, we ordered, our food came quickly, and Buckles actually laid on the floor. Were things turning around for us?

Not really.

Between the crowds, the noise and the fact that my toe and achilles were reeeeeally aching, navigating the sidewalks wasn't easy. We did, however, make our way over to a sports store where Greg convinced me that drinking out of the smelly plastic Evian water bottle I bought a month ago in Paris wasn't good for me and persuaded me to buy a (hot pink) nalgene bottle. So all was not lost. 

Things That Make You Go, "Hmmmm"

1. My dog practicing shavasana on my yoga mat.

2. Grown men feeding ponies. Tell me something that is funnier!!!!

Accepted

Today I got word that I've been accepted to the 200 hr yoga teacher training certification program I applied to in Chiang Mai, Thailand! Pretty excited, and a little bit nervous. I'll head out just after my birthday in February and return at the end of March.

Guess I should start looking into some basic Thai. Currently the only word I know is farang, which means tourist/foreigner. 

Old Friends

Isn't is nice when you meet up with a friend you haven't talked to in years and you just pick right up where you left off? Isabel and I met ten years ago when I was studying abroad in Costa Rica. Tonight we did the math and the last time we were in touch was seven years ago. She's dating a German guy now and we all met up for drinks. Well, I drank a tea because of all the meds I'm on for Lyme, but her boyfriend told me to pose with his beer and you don't mess with a photographer's instructions! Great night with even greater people.

Faux Winter

This face. Seriously?! Poor pitiful Buckles has no snow. 

The first snow came (and went just as quickly). It was a weak attempt at a winter dusting:

Not very exciting for Buckles and even less exciting for you all to read about! Apologies. 

The Day The Food Gods Brought Me Vanilla Extract

I'm going on a little over a week on this vegan diet, and it kind of sucks. I'm hungry all the time, and I feel queasy and bloated half the time. Hopefully it's just my stomach getting used to the enormous amounts of fruits and veggies. I figure I'll give it a good solid attempt before I call it quits. 

Gluten free flour & chocolate chips

Today the mailman delivered a holiday package from my mama. I was so happy to open it up and find some organic vanilla extract! I did what any girl happy to have some vanilla extract would do- made some gluten-free vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. They came out really good!! Just a tad dry, but it's probably because the recipe called for 1/4 cup of maple syrup and I only had 2 tablespoons. 

Recipe:

3 1/2 T coconut oil 

1 1/4 cup gluten free flour

1/4 cup organic sugar in the raw

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup choc chips

1 1/2 T peanut butter

2 tsp organic vanilla extract

1/4 cup maple syrup

Combine everything together. I baked for 5-8 mins at 200c. 

Things That Make You Go, "Hmm"

Spotted at the Christmas Market: Tools made entirely of chocolate. I sampled one a few weeks ago and it was delicious!!!

Also at the Christmas Market: Trees decorated with presents. 

Team Christmas Dinner

Tonight we had a team dinner at this Bavarian restaurant. One of the girls I sat with is a vegetarian and I am on day 6 (I think?) of trying out a vegan diet and the chef was really accommodating. I had a tomato soup for an appetizer in lieu of the tuna tartar and I had a salad for my main meal instead of duck and knudle. Good food with even better friends made for a nice night. Here I am joking that we should steal the mini Christmas tree centerpiece and use it at home. It would be the only holiday decoration we'd have in our place besides this team promo advent calendar. Sad, right? 

Things That Make You Go, "Hmm"

 

A bathroom for two people at the outlets in Ingolstadt. It's supposed to be for a mother and child, but if you're with a friend and you really gotta go...

On Health

I've been hearing about this documentary for months, but I felt like my diet was pretty clean and watching it would just be preaching to the choir, but after I learned a family member had cleared his lifelong eczema, solved all stomach problems and was feeling the best he's ever felt by eating a vegan, gluten-free, yeast-free diet, I thought maybe I should check it out. The documentary was pretty inspirational, and both Greg and I have decided to try eating a more plant-based diet. I'm on day 2 of vegan, and I feel great. Greg can't part with his beloved morning eggs yet, but he made a killer vegetarian soup for dinner last night. If you get a chance to watch this film, you should. And while I've heard arguments against the China Study, I think its research holds a lot of merit.

In health related news, we found a giant health food store in town. It's ironically located in the shadows of a well known steak house in the city. There are tons of gluten free options, fresh produce, a beauty section and even a prepared foods section. 

Buckles as my pillow before yoga class

I took a hatha yoga class last night. I was a little let down because I couldn't understand the instructor and while I followed along with the asanas just fine, I felt that the guided breathing got lost in translation. Also, I cannot staaaand fluorescent lights and she kept them on during the class. I don't know why I hate them so much, but honestly I'd rather listen to fingernails on a chalkboard for an hour and a half than be in a yoga class with fluorescent lights on. Oh well.

The Path Less Taken

Found a new route to walk with Buckles. It is much more remote than our normal route, and probably equally safe but it is along the Black Forest which is kind of scary. The Black Forest gets its name from the fact that the dark pine trees only have branches at the top two thirds of the trees so sunlight can't get in, making the forest appear dense and dark. It is scary when you're out there alone, no? 

Property Wars

Here are the facts. We live in a townhouse with an underground parking garage. Each person has their own parking space in front of their door. Next to our parking space is what we think is a walkway, since there are white lines on either side of it and it leads directly to our steps. To the left of the "walkway" is an area for bikes. Now, since day one, people have been putting their bikes directly in our walkway. Like to the point where we would park our car and I wouldn't be able to open the passenger side door into the walkway. So two days ago, we moved the bikes in the walkway into their designated spot so I could get to my house. Later that night, we went to leave for trivia night and someone had put their bike DIRECTLY BEHIND our car. So once again we had to move the bike into the designated bike area.

The next morning, as we left for the rink at 8:20am, I stepped in fresh bright red paint that said "For bikes please" IN OUR WALKWAY!

Is that passive aggressive or is it being lost in translation? First of all, since our car has team logos all over it and you know where we live, why not just knock on our door and voice your opinion that you think bikes belong in what we think is the walkway? Secondly, why wouldn't you leave a note? Why would you deface our property? Well, it's not technically ours- it belongs to the team- so now we've got to go to the team and explain the whole situation.