Lunchtime in Vienna

Today's prompt was all right I suppose but it will have to wait as I made an impromptu trip to Vienna for lunch.

Until Next year Blogosphere.

A Blog in 140 Characters or Less.

Best Gift of 2010...

BANANA HOLDER

Best Gift of 2009...

SNUGGIE

4 More Posts

I have almost made it through the month. Just four more posts to go and I am taking the month off. The internet has three more chances at creating good prompts to inspire me to write. They are not doing very well (re. today's prompt).

Today I slept in until lunchtime and napped during a movie. Who could ask for more during the holidays?

This Girl is Ordinary

I listen to podcasts and cook food. This is the most ordinary thing I do almost everyday. It brings me ordinary joy and food. Win-win.

Food Food Food Food Food

So many meals over the past year could be described for this prompt but seeing as though yesterday's menu was overwhelming it seems more fitting to list what we ate for Christmas dinner yesterday:

• Mushroom Salad
• Home-made buns
• Turkey
• Duck
• Purple cabbage
• Cabbage rolls
• Stuffing
• Roasted potatoes
• Pigs in a blanket
• Shepards pie
• Reindeer rolls (with a side of guilt)
• Salted fish
• Pigs in a blanket
• Peas
• Carrots
• Brussel sprouts
• Gravy
• Cheese Cake
• Custard
• Christmas Pudding
• 4 kinds of cookies
• Palencsinta
• Ice Cream

There was also an abundance of traditional hot wine and tequila which may have led to the snowball fight with strangers in the street. When it comes to snowball fights - Hungarians have no chance against the Finnish and Canadians.

Merry Christmas from BP

Budapest - not Boston Pizza.

I have to get back to drinking coffee in bed while reading my new book - Thomas' Snowsuit.

Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve!

The bread dough is rising and there are about 120 perogies waiting for tomorrow.

Our team won the quiz last night. Everything is OK!

Not My Dream Job... A fake one I made up just because

Finally! Something I can relate to!

I exaggerate and/or lie quite frequently to keep my life interesting. Usually, it is only to hairdressers but the a couple of weeks ago at a fancy to-do, raising money for red mud disaster earlier this year, I pretended for an entire night that I worked for Skype Media in their Communications and Networking sector. I didn't change my name because I can only keep so many aspects of a story straight. If I had changed my name it have been to Penelopi (with an i).

So, in order to make this work I really developed my role at Skype. My job mostly involved investigating how non-profits and small businesses were already using Skype in their offices for their communication needs. By working with them I am able to discover how we can make Skype a better product for them. Seeing as though we are living in financially difficult times this sector can really benefit from Skype's low fees, free features and our business model. Not only is Skype an instant messaging service, it is also a phone which can be used to make long distance conference calls (with video) thus synergizing the workplace. Did you know Skype has a headquarters here in Budapest? Well they do, and I work primarily with the European region and have cohorts researching in 5 other regions. As our company is becoming more and more financially secure my role is to also investigate how we can give back to the community by connecting people to one another on the internet.

That night I gave friends new identities too, one was importing British Eco-Friendly cleaning products, another was a Gibson Guitar specialist, and the last one was a photo-journalist working on a piece about American war resisters (living here tax-free, obviously).

No one, and I mean NO ONE asked what we were doing for a living...

To be honest though, had I told anyone who knew anything about a) skype, b) the internet, or c) how to use the terms business model or synergy I would have been found out immediately.

Travellin'

In 2010, I traveled with my ipod and thus with Matt Mays the maker of the ultimate traveling playlist. This turned me into an incredibly oblivious traveler but I am still alive and have never missed a connection. I think being slightly oblivious is better than my past traveling problem of falling asleep immediately upon entering a moving vehicle; as was the case during the "Sisters Fighting Across Europe" trip of 2004 . I still don't see how sleeping on the crowded metro in Paris, when we only have two stops to go, is a problem.

This isn't a problem I have nowadays- in fact, I hardly ever sleep in public any more. I used to be able to nap at any time and any place for upwards of an hour. Places I have taken naps include but are not limited to: the Plains of Abraham; the hallway of the Tory Building at the U of A; a tiny seminar room during a 10 person university seminar; public transit in two continents; in church; on my couch while watching How it's Made; in a theatre during the movies Spiderman and Alice in Wonderland; a government constituency office; in the food court in SUB, on a clean page of paper during every, single English 10 class; the student lounge in my highschool...

Being that I am no longer a student I have lost my napping powers.

Have I lost you? I would have stopped reading on the 8th of December if I were you...

Oh yes, as to the prompt, in 2011 I will continue to travel with my ipod full of pirated music and will probably continue to use various means of transportation.

Hyperventilating

Imagine yourself in five years:

NO! Why would I do that?!

I am not a goal setter, I do not like to make big plans, I also don't want to think about being 29 because my hips will probably be 85 by that time.


Imagine yourself ten years ago:

At fourteen, I was unfortunate!


This is too stressful to think about and my week has already been very high-stress. Why? Because I have recently decided to become a nerd and watch Doctor Who. It is basically The X-Files (even though it came first) except it has terrible graphics, an attractive lead character and a moderately hilarious script. I am a huge baby, every episode scares me and I have to take a break when the music starts to get loud and daunting to prepare myself for the scary scenes.

Pile of Postcards

I have a drawer full of postcards from all over Europe. One for my sister's house, one for my parents house and one for a random family member I thought of at that time from each city and every city I have visited throughout the last year. I even have some from 2009. I thought I would mail them as soon as I got home seeing as though I visit the Posta every. freaking. week.

Didn't happen. It isn't because I am too busy it is just that I am incredibly forgetful.

I highly doubt I will send them next year either.

Christmas is so Close I can Taste it...

I made my second batch of Gingerbread cookies this weekend. I am about to make sugar cookies. I saw Santa on the Christmas Tram. I have a table full of Christmas cards from American strangers. My mini tree is balanced on my stack of presents. Mulled wine is everywhere and I am determined to drink it all. There is SNOW but it keeps melting. I have 7 kilos of potatoes and onions for perogies.

Bring it on Christmas - I am ready.

2011 I am ready for you too - I am out of blogging energy.

Next Year I will Try...

To do something more interesting than making beef stock on a Saturday night.

Time Zones!

What is something I learned this year?

I've mentioned this before but I didn't learn time zones in grade eight like the rest of you but living in a different one from your Mom helps.

CBC Radio 3 You've Got a Friend in Me... Radio 1 I like you too. Radio 2 I am indifferent to you but stay around cause I bet others like you.

Today I am supposed to write about a new friend I have made but word on the street (Facebook) is that the CBC is in trouble/is being bullied. I don't know how serious the trouble is but you Canadians should probably sign this and add a note about it to your weekly letter to your Member of Parliament.

Dear Mr. Dean Del Mastro c/o Mr. Harper's office (because you decide everything anyway),

I love the CBC. I don't think Canada needs to make international blockbuster hits. There are enough of those in the world and sometimes our stuff makes it (re. Anne of Green Gables). More importantly you get rid of the CBC you will ruin everything that I love about the radio (and TV too) and turn it into PBS with its HORRIBLE fund drives.

I am going to have to agree with Corus on this one which is something I have never wanted to say. Thanks Harper, you've made me take sides with Shaw Cable's brother.

Sincerely,

Subscriber to The Vinyl Cafe, DNTO, Q, Spark, Laugh out Loud, Radio 3 Track of the Day, R3-30, Radio 3 Sessions, Canada Live; avid reader of CBC.ca/news; and obsessed listener of CBC Radio 3.

I will step off my soap box now.

5 Minutes, 1 Glass of Wine, 12 Months

Now to the real prompt for today. Five minutes to remember everything I want to remember in 2010. I am a glass of wine in - something tells me this will be fuzzy.

I found a song that is exactly that long and I am just going to type everything I remember over the course of the year so my apologies for the incoherent mess. There were not very many songs that length to choose from so I went with the one with the most depressing name. You shouldn't read into that.

• Travelling to Berlin 3 seperate times on a 12 hour train in the middle of the day
• Swimming naked in Denmark
• Being offered free accommodation, bike, food, tea and kleenex in Copenhagen by a stranger when I was sick and travelling through
• Seeing Avenue Q in London
• Seeing LONDON and shopping in the longest street market I have ever seen
• Eating street vendor fish in the Netherlands
• Napping in a garden in the Hungarian "mountains" after eating BBQ food for six hours straight
• Meeting my Grandmother's family on my own and eating baked pork fat... delicious and hard to explain
• Buying an incredibly huge and heavy second hand sweater I didn't have room for in my backpack and dragging it around Denmark
• Eating fresh bread in Munster and drinking tequila
• Seeing the Alps from the window of a train.
• Stopping at tiny train stations in Slovakia
• Riding my neighbour's bike down the cutest street in Budapest every day this summer
• Eating ice cream and walking down Andrássy
• Playing endless games of werewolf with work people in public places
• Speaking fake Germanstaß
• Being trapped on a farm outside of Birmingham and playing sardines
• Seeing your oldest friend marry her best friend after eating home-made cinnamon buns
• Four wheeling on the back of a truck with the biggest, formally dressed wedding party through the roughest road and biggest puddles only to trample through the forest and over the rockiest beach - for the best pictures ever
• Crying in the Calgary airport to the customs officers because I missed my plane home

Five minutes is up and there are probably about 39376 things I could list.

What I Should have Signed up for is Nothing

Next time I challenge myself to do something as ridiculous as blog once a day I am going to take my usual approach to goals and set them incredibly low, or not set them at all. If you don't set goals then when you don't achieve something you are happy and have no regrets. When you do achieve something you are incredibly happy. It is surprising how well you've done and it motivates to you try doing other things, though not setting up silly expectations for yourself.

Basically, the fact that I am once again behind on this stupid competition is making me feel guilty. It is just that I wish that the prompts were more like "tell us a story about the time you walked into a fire-hydrant while sober" or "why do you now pay for public transit?" or "what do people google to get to your blog?"

Well the story about me walking into a fire-hydrant isn't very good. It is just like all the other stories in which I run into things because I don't have a very good centre of gravity and my depth perception is sub-par. I pay for public transit because speaking fake French to ticket inspectors makes me feel guilty and look incredible stupid. As to the google searches - I have this message for you:

If you are looking for images of the Ampleman or directions for untying knots in balls of yarn you should probably look elsewhere.

Oh, and for the majority of you googlers the answer is Yes, I am a girl in Hungary and NO I am not interested in that.

Yesterday's prompt was instead about what I have learned to appreciate this year... But I have been reflective enough this month.

Next Steps

Finish the laundry.

Go to bed.

Get through the week.

Get through the week before Christmas.

CHRISTMAS!

HOLIDAY!

January depression.

Work travel.

February grumpiness.

Work travel.

March madness (not a sports reference).

Work travel.

April.

May, family vacation.

25th birthday and the depression that follows.

SUMMER!

Family vacation round two featuring different family.

Fall work travel.

November 2011, unknown... probably a flight to Canada.

So little time must decide what to do.

Blogging challenge - you're taking my ability to form sentences from me.

Bodily Functions

Prompt: Body integration. This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn't mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?

Bwa HA Ha ha ha ha.

Come on! It is Sunday, I have nothing to do all day other than make a pot of soup. I had all the time in the world to write here - and this is the prompt I get. No way Jose.

In other news, I live in the prettiest city on the planet and suggest you visit me before Christmas to see it in the snow.

Oh For the Love of Lists

There is honestly nothing I like more than lists! I could read a whole book of them and wish there were more books available in list form. I search for them on the internet when I am bored – I do not care what they are listing or who has determined their order. They are so interesting and perfect for someone with a short attention span. I am going to go on a limb here though - I don’t really like David Letterman’s lists. I feel he could do better – he has a room full of writers. The last time I actually watched that show was probably when I was 14 so perhaps I am shouldn’t judge him.

Without further ado 11 things my life doesn’t need in 2011:

11 – Dreher: This beer doesn’t taste good, I don’t know why I even think about drinking it.

10 – Perez Hilton: I should not care about the on goings of this website. However, I am not going to even attempt to stop reading it though, it helps with Pub Trivia .

9 – Constant email checking: There are probably real people I could be talking to.

8 – Lieing: It isn’t that I lie a lot, it is more that I just exaggerate.

7 – Procrastinating: BAH!!! Hahaha I won’t even try to attempt to stop this.

6 – Bad Sitcoms: I watch the Big Bang Theory and I think one character is funny. There is better television I should devote my time to.

This list is boring. It is like New Years Resolutions and Lent rolled into one. Boo on you stupid internet prompt. Because I can't leave things undone (lie - I have a half finished scarf on my shelf - it's still 2010 so I can do that) I am going to finish with the top five songs of 2010.

5 – Coeur de Pirate and Bedouin Soundclash: Brutal Hearts. I have really always hated Bedouin Soundclash, but once Jay Malinowski went slightly solo and started dating the Coeur de Pirate person things changed.

4- Carolyn Mark and NQ Arbuckle: Officer Down. This was actually more of a winter 2009 song but meh, it deserves to be famous. It is a little like Christmas, it isn't showy and it is a bit cheezy. I love it.

3- Jenn Grant: Sailing by Silverships. If you haven't seen Jenn Grant live you probably should make an effort. She is incredibly sarcastic and hilarious which makes for an excellent event.

2- Radiohead: Videotape. This list is getting more and more depressing as it goes on but this song is so good and I really liked the whole album. Oh Radiohead, I really like you.

1- Tegan and Sara: Call it Off. Not remotely a new song but a song I have listened to probably 47 times a week. I wouldn't read into the lyrics to determine my state of mind because I can't relate to it what-so-ever it is just a really good song.

So that list really has nothing to do with 2010 but I doubt there is a group of list-police reading through shoddy internet blogs. To cheer things up after that depressing list of music please see Hot Mess and Odessa because they would have made the list if I had given up on the first half of the list earlier. So much fun!

Blerg

I knew I would fall behind in this endevour. Life got in the way which is much more important than blogging about one’s self. Anyway, the guilt in my stomach is making it hard to continue my Saturday afternoon of doing nothing so here we go with the catch-up. Unfortunately, the internet connection is working against me too so this is becoming a frustrating feat.

Anyway, onto another boring topic of narcissistic self-reflection. Moving into an apartment by myself was the wisest decision I have made this year. There are no rules! I live near the 4-6 Tram and for those of you who don’t understand the significance of this I don’t even know how to explain how important this is and I am not going to attempt a simile of any proportion. I no longer have to wait for the scary night bus. I can walk to an awesome market, to buy homemade cheese and what not.

Blerg – Saturday’s are not meant for writing, they are meant for laundry and watching 30 Rock in pajamas. I am outta here.

Knocks One's Socks

Well that title sounds dirty - but it isn't.

Finally, a question that I thought would be fun to write about "One party that rocked your socks off". But I am le tired and today I ran out of time because it was a busy day. I am so tired I thought the expression was knock one's socks off - not rock.

Maybe tomorrow, maybe.

Different is my Middle Name

I am an incredibly loud, and awkward person. Which is why you can always hear me embarrassing myself from across the room. I find myself in awkward situations at least three to four times a week. I step on cracks on the sidewalk an equal number of times during one walk. Similarly, I step on the top and bottom step of a flight of stairs equally throughout my day. If I could only eat two foods for the rest of my life they would be peanut butter and cheese, though not together or on their own but with apples. Ketchup and apple juice remind me of childhood and cure hangovers - though not mixed together. I have old lady hips and my giant hands make average cups look like shot glasses. I have an obsession with Saturday Night Live and all its affiliated programming. I like changing sentence meanings by removing commas. Puns are HILARIOUS. I try to be really, really good at responding to emails, messages and returning phone calls because my feelings are hurt when other people don't do that. I think the best part about winter is sitting outside in the freezing cold and gossiping on the top of a ski hill. I love napping but feel absolutely terrible upon waking up. Pajamas are the only clothes I wear in my apartment. I am a music snob by definition and I don't want to listen to what ever you have playing. I hate quiet - and hence love podcasts. I think the most disgusting thing in the world is hair once removed from someone's body. I also hate when people's hair is under the arm of their glasses and am constantly making sure mine isn't like that. I often think of something funny that happened weeks ago and laugh out loud by mistake, in public. I am constantly wondering things like "who decided that we didn't have to type www. anymore in URLs?" and "why did they make World 8 on Super Mario 3 SO MUCH HARDER than all the other worlds?" This narcissistic list could go on for pages.

.... and so, internet, you are telling me that this makes me beautiful? I am tired of these questions.

These Are the People in My Neighbourhood

Today's question might as well have been "If you had to describe your emotions as a tree, which tree would it be and why?" BLERG! It was however asking me to describe my community and who I want to be in my community next year.

My community is nice, I have a nice neighbour, pretty funny friends, people all over Europe that give me excuses to travel and feed me and house me. Question - consider yourself answered. Blog - consider your quality lowered.

In 2011, my goal is to be part of this community:

YOUTUBE VIDEO!

Betty White, the funniest characters from the TV show aptly named Community, sitting in a LIBRARY, rapping, sampling Toto?! If this world was real I would totally be part of it.

Homemake This

The "last thing I made" question for today was incredibly fitting considering I woke up yesterday and somehow had turned into my sister.

After spending the entire morning in bed watching Harry Potter and the entire afternoon in the theatre watching Harry Potter, I spent the entire evening baking. Baking is not something I like, do on a regular basis or have the tools to use. The dishes you have to clean, the precise measuring, and my microwave sized oven create a recipe for failure. Ha-ha! She used the word recipe to explain something in a cooking story!! I will pause for your laughter.

Ok, moving on, a few days ago I made peppernut dough and thought I should probably stop eating it raw. So I rolled all those out and baked them about twenty at a time (due to oven restrictions). We are talking about a very small cookie here. After an hour or two of that I decided to keep on going. I have left over molasses from last weekend gingerbread party so I went ahead and made Molasses bread. Good with Jam, not with meat and cheese as my lunch today revealed.

If you want anywhere between 1-400 Peppernut cookies or know what else I should do to get rid of the molasses that doesn't involve baking it into fatty food that I can binge eat - let me know!

Leggo my Eggo

Today's topic is about what/who I've let go this past year. Well that sounds like a quite a reflective and healthy thing to think about but not something I am interested in telling the 18 people who read this.

I tried to let go of worrying about things and basically it has taught me that travel is much more enjoyable when you don't think about it for three weeks before you go worrying about logistics. Things tend to work out. It also means you forget your tooth brush.

Cultivating Wonder?! Smultivating Smonder!

I don't think I had time in the past year to "cultivate my wonderment". I think I was too concerned with figuring out how to live here and figure out what was going on.

"I wonder what they are saying on the bus behind me"

"I wonder how many times I can eat popcorn for dinner before if becomes a problem"

"I wonder if there will be egg nog in the stores in Hungary this year"

"I wonder what kind of meat that is behind the counter and how I should ask for it to be cut"

"I wonder if watching every single episode of the Daily Show will allow me to one day be an intern there"

"I wonder how many post-it notes is too many post-it notes"

"I wonder what George Bush said about Hungary... I wonder if this poster is funny"

"I wonder how much this t-shirt costs and if I can meet the designer - they are obviously hilarious."

"I wonder why fries aren't served like this EVERYWHERE"

"I wonder if anyone can tell I am reading the wikipedia article about Hare Krishna on my ipod while watching Hare Kristnas perform"

"I wonder what was going through my head when I thought this was a great time to travel"

"I wonder how I inspired a rapper cider"

For other such questions may I refer to you to my best friend after television... wikipedia.

2.5 out of 5 Caribou

Last night I went to the Caribou concert in a bar that kinda looks like a parking garage. I have been a fan of the band for a bunch of years and every time they've come to Edmonton I either was busy, didn't have money or heard about it after the fact. So finally, I get to see them in Budapest. They were fantastic and they played Melody Day so I was a happy duck.

After the show we were just hanging out in the bar near the stage and Caribou 1 was cleaning up their stuff... They have to clean up their own things - incredible! Anyway, the lead guy I don't know his name, (I am a fan of music in the sense that I like to listen to music, I don't like to stalk the people and learn names. I can't even remember names of people I meet all the time, let alone strangers)... Whoa I forgot I even started a sentence there... ANYWAY, the lead guy was chatting to people next to the fence blocker thing so we went over and I awkwardly said "hi, thank you, you were great, blah blah blah Edmonton, I get to see you in Budapest, Egads, blah blah blah, oh god my friend is taking a picture with a cell phone, blah blah, awkward, Thanks, have a safe tour... " He on the other hand was completely wonderful, composed and literate - obviously not nearly as excited to meet me as I was to meet him.

Then next thing you know, while an acquaintance and I were trying to meet strangers by saying weird things to them we randomly ended up in line for the bar behind two more Caribou members. The acquaintance says "Hi" really loudly and I say, "CAN YOU BELIEVE LESLIE NIELSON IS DEAD?!" and Caribou 2 says, "I know, crazy hey" and I say "I am so sad!" and he says "You don't seem very sad" and I say "Yeah, I don't", because I am sort of sad but not that sad because I don't actually know Leslie Neilson, I just really liked Naked Gun movies so I don't appear to be that sad about the situation. Anyway the acquaintance takes off (hence he is not being referred to as a friend) so I awkwardly watch 2 and 3 Caribou take a shot of Palinka and not enjoy it. I chat weirdly with 2 about how long he is staying in Budapest, blah blah blah he lives in London, blah blah blah, neat, yada yada yada, he goes to clean up the band stuff, and I go to find acquaintance...

I was star struck and said star struck and awkward a million times...

But the point of the story was - the concert was AMAZING and find that one feels alive when hearing songs one loves performed live.

Blog Stoppers

Every day I read other people's blogs instead of writing mine. I also watch the newest episode of the Daily Show and stalk you on Facebook. That's right - YOU!

Oh, then there is the endless list of podcasts that I have an absurd addiction to: Spark, This American Life, The Nerdist, DNTO, R3-30, On the Media, Q... The list goes on, and on and on.

Procrastination is my middle name.

Challenge Accepted

I decided to blog one time a day this month. Why? Cause the internet challenged me to.

I am going to go ahead and tell you to place your bets on the internet winning this one.

Today's challenge:

One word to describe 2011 - Easy enough internet I can totally do this.

Busy.

No wait.

Rollercoaster-y.

No that isn't right either...

Hungarian.

Ummm...

Fantastiche.

That isn't even a word...

Pretty Good.

Frick, that is two words...

Different.

There we go - 2011 has been different from any other year. This challenge was supposed to be reflective and provide me with the ability to manifest on what's next.

Internet you are so going to win.

Trains don't Leave Köln - They only Arrive... That includes Trains of Thought

As you can see from the new album featured on the right, recently I was have been traveling. I use the term recently quite loosely. Most of this trip has been recounted to my Grandmother through her sister and thus to my entire family so that is why it took me so long to write something about it - the sense of urgency was gone... Everyone knows that I saw lots of people, and Yes, I did get new boots. Also, the other reason is I am lazy.

So, back to the vacation. I took another trip North during the time of year when people go South. But when in search of Dutch look-a-likes you should probably head to the Netherlands. I took a twenty hour train ride through Austria and all of Germany which was very pretty. Next time I will think I might get off the train, as it looked very nice from the window of a train.

What you may not know is Holland is heaven, they sell fish everywhere, and FRIES with creamy type curry sauce or mayonnaise (different then North American mayonnaise), they sell delicious candy and beautiful shoes, also Vla. Have you had Vla? I am seriously considering an underground Vla smuggling business. How is it that Dutch imports in Canada are only windmill cookies and pickled herring? Is Holland's lack of Vla export a way to encourage tourism? Kudos to you Holland, excellent plan!

Another thing my Grandma might not have know that in a bar in Enschede, with my mother's cousins daughter (family tree geeks you can find the correct term for that on your own time) someone who went to the U of A and lived in HUB. He hated it and I am not surprised. I don't think anyone enjoys living in a concrete room with windows into a shopping mall food court.

I also went to Groningen and met more family and my Grandmother's sisters met me at the train station. They also waited for my train to leave on the platform waving and blowing kisses which was exceedingly cute and wonderful.

After this though, I went to Munster, Germany. Germany's bike capital, with its famous bike 'highway' going around the city center and largest bike parkade. Ooooo Aaaa Wow!

When my friend and I were heading back to Budapest we boarded our train bound for Koln and about 20 minutes outside the city there is an announcement in German that they are repairing the tracks and we will be about 10 minutes delayed. The English announcement was that we would be delayed. Max and I only had ten minutes to make our next connection so that is a bit worrying. But, this was GERMANY, Land of Trains and Schedules - everything should have been just fine.

Then the train stops. For 15 minutes. I do quick calculations and based on my poor train math problem solving skills I still believe we can make it if the train just drives faster. Another announcement in German, apologizing profusely, explaining the delay and the connection options once we get there. The announcement in English is that we are going to be 30 minutes or more delayed - no apologies for us English speakers.

Well now we've missed our train completely... Unless our train goes into makes the jump into FTL (Faster Than Light) speed we aren't going to make it (I have seen one episode of Star Gate Universe where that can happen).

So eventually we arrive in Koln, people are everywhere, trains of all kinds are delayed to upwards of 80 minutes or more and all the announcements in English are providing little helpful information. "Ten minutes delayed, go to track 3", "20 minutes delay, go to track 9", "another 15 minutes delayed". In German they gave friendly advice and explanations for delays.

Awesome!

We spent the next three or so hours sitting on various platforms (which by the way is ILLEGAL), getting official papers stamped, and waiting in various information lines until we eventually get on a train to Munich.

But get this! We get into Munich so late that our only option is the night train to Budapest. But wait, there is more!!! We've already been delayed for so long that we are offered a four star hotel room in Munich and a free breakfast instead. OHHHH YEAH!

Long story - short. I have been to Munich and have met someone who claimed to be German James Bond (scuba diver for the German Military looking for fish that will make the German soldier STRONGER). Best lie ever told!

Oral Allergy Syndrome

So just about every other day I eat an apple or pear at work and every single time I say:

"I think I am allergic to this"

"My lips feel so weird"

"Do my lips look weird? Because the feel weird?"

"Why do I keep eating these?"

One might suggest that I just stop eating them but how can people live with out eating apples? An apple a day keeps the doctor away and doctors cause me to hyperventilate! Apples are ALWAYS available and ALWAYS the cheapest option! They are so transportable; I can't switch to bananas because they will become crushed in my bag AND they don't sell BANANA GUARDS in Hungary!!

-How could I NOT post a picture of these... insert immature laughter here

*Remember "Highly curved bananas can be straightened ever-so-slightly without harm to fit the Banana Guard shape. The opposite holds true of very straight bananas."

I am not a doctor in any sense of the word, but I am closely related to one and have spent a significant number of hours near various sorts of doctors as they try to fix my old lady body. I know you aren't supposed to google your symptoms because it is guaranteed to cause anxiety because almost every single time you are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer or MS. However after the ongoing apple and pear incidents I broke down and googled it. I think I have Oral Allergy Syndrome. I think the hardest part of this is not laughing at the word oral.

According to my best friend this means I might also be allergic to other things too:

• Alder pollen: almonds, apples, celery, cherries, hazel nuts, peaches, pears, parsley, strawberry, raspberry

OR

• Birch pollen: almonds, apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, carrots, celery, cherries, chicory, coriander, fennel, fig, hazelnuts, kiwifruit, nectarines, parsley, parsnips, peaches, pears, peppers, plums, potatoes, prunes, soy, strawberries, wheat; Potential: walnuts

Basically they just went through the produce section and listed all the awesome fruits and vegetables.

Sometimes I peel my fruit because they say it will help but usually I just deal with it. I am NOT giving up apples for this garbage.

One Year Ago Today...

I was still recovering from jet leg, in awe of graffiti, strangely shaped light switches and, what would later be named by someone, the "shit shelf" style of toilets...

Yuck. That was such a gross thing to say. What an ugly mental image I have shared with you all. I regret it terribly... and yet still choose to post it online.

One of my favorite pastimes this year has been to laugh at is all the things invented in this country... Isn't that mean? Yes, yes it is.

Thanks for the year Budapest, it's been a riot.

Bryndzové Halušky in English: Potato dumplings with bryndza sheep cheese and bacon

My love for Wikipedia knows no limits. It could have translated this Bryndzové Halušk as Cheese Dumplings (like lazy google translator) but it went all out. There is implied toppings in that name, and BACON should never be forgotten.

When I was in Slovakia part of the conference I was attending included making a traditional Slovak dish. I am assuming that this above name is what we made and someone will correct me if I am wrong.

Even if I am wrong you should all know it was delicious. It was like homemade macaroni with cheese only the gross breadcrumb topping is substituted for bacon; it wasn't baked; you use potato pasta instead of macaroni; and it used a very special cheese. It wasn't really like homemade macaroni and cheese at all I guess.

The bacon was a real game changer - it always is.

You can make it too in just Sixteen random steps.

Step one:

Go to HERE:

View Larger Map

Now the tricky part is getting there. From Budapest I suggest taking the train. You will see epic train stations (see album on the right). It will be quite the adventure. I suggest hiring a translator.

Step Two:

Ask around until you find where you can get 1 kilo buckets of this special and delicious cheese.

-Why, yes! That does look like a really big bucket of butter. Don't worry it is cheese. CHEESE!

Step Three:

Find yourself a kitchen with a sign as cute as this, in a tiny eco village.

-This is not at all a must. Rather a suggestion.

Step Four:

Chop bacon. Lots of bacon.

-Fear for your arteries while you do so.

Step Five:

Look skinnier by sucking in.

-This emphasizes your giant Dutch barrel chest.

Thank you Smids, I love the nose you gave me too.

Step Six or Step 4.5, honestly it doesn't matter:

While all this is going on, find some potatoes. I know a root cellar in Eaglesham that probably has 500 pounds of them stored away for winter. But you are already in Slovakia trying to find cheese so you should probably find some Slovak potatoes instead.

Step Seven:

PEEL THEM!

-Peel lots of them. Like two potatoes per person or three... or four... I don't know really. Peel however many potatoes you think you'll eat.

Step Eight:

Food Processor them. Then immersion blender them. I understand that this is a tradtional dish so I bet there is a different step you could take. Perhaps just finely grating them?

I can't imagine that the immersion blender is a Slovak invention. In fact, the immersion blender was a Swiss invention. Imagine that! Thank you again Wikipedia!

-These are not what they look like after they've been blendered. I wasn't paying attention at that point.

Step Nine:

Add flour to the potatoes... Lots... Add salt too. To be honest, during this stage of production, I was more concerned about the bacon, I don't really know how this all worked. Get it to the consistency of like wall paper paste, or dough?

-Pasty

Step Zero:

Boil a huge pot of water. Sorry I forgot that part.

Step Ten:

Put the potato dough through a thing that looks like that.

-If you don't have that maybe use a piece of sheet metal you've poked holes though, or a colander, or Ask Jeeves for a solution (the internet knows everything).

Step Eleven:

Give someone the very important responsibility to slowly fry a million tiny pieces of bacon. DO NOT THROW OUT THE GREASE.

-That, my friend, was only the first half of the bacon we fried.

Step Twelve:

Boil the little noodles until they turn yellow.

Taste them to check their yellowness.

Step Thirteen:

Drain them. REALLY WELL!

This take the utmost concentration and encouragement from others. Precise draining is key.

Step Fourteen:

Add them to the whole kilo of cheese. The cheese will melt. It is a beautiful thing.

-That is only half of the pasta we made so it is a bit cheese heavy there.

Step 15:

*Not to be confused with 15 Step.

Set the table. We aren't animals who eat in front of the TV.

-Unless something is really good on TV. That is the only exception to the rule.

Step Sixteen:

Top it with bacon, bacon grease and for fun another type of smoked cheese.

-MMMMMMmmmmmmm

A Danish Cultural Experience

Danes are well known for their height, sweet pastries, and coalition governments. Danish city streets are lined with shiny, happy people walking around in the middle of the day - as if they don't have jobs. Young couples are pushing state of the art baby carriages (filled with babies) and everyone else is riding a bike. Hipster style has hit Denmark harder than the Montreal Plateau. (I am not interesting enough to make that reference... I regret trying).

It is a beautiful place to visit, and even better place to spend lots and lots of money. In return you get free fish at local festivals and fresh sea air.

Denmark (seen below) is surrounded by water, so it comes as no surprised that they spend a lot of time visiting it. In the fall and winter months they don't shy away from the coast. Rather, tens of thousands (probably) join winter swimming clubs.

-Take that Smoggy Hungary

Coming from Canada, you would think I would be able to relate to such a phenomenon. It is cold in Canada, we have coasts! However, growing up on the prairie, in a town that drains it's outdoor pool mid-September, I had to say I was a bit surprised when asked if I would like to visit the winter swimming club.

So many questions/thoughts jumped to my mind:

What if I throw up in front of people because I get salt water in my mouth?

Is it shark season?

Should I shave my legs or will the hair keep them warmer?

What if I cry because it is so cold?

What if my foot touches a gross weed at the same time a fish brushes my leg and I freak out and step on a really sharp piece of rock and then I run out of the ocean splashing water into my mouth and then puke in from of EVERYONE?!

I thought I was brave enough to attempt to swim in the icy waters and risking public vomiting but, I had forgotten my swim suit. Sigh!

Now, my prairie naiviety led me to believe that this would be an integral part of swimming in the Danish ocean. I could not have been more wrong. I was assured that a bathing suit would not be needed, in fact it would be frowned upon. This was a naked club.

Note: I can barely change in an empty change room at the pool without doing that weird 'towel in the mouth' dance to cover one's parts.

After a day of decision making time I decided that:

a) I don't know any Danes - I won't run into anyone I know;

b) It would be cool to retell this story (I've rendered this point uncool by saying cool, haven't I?);

c) There might be a documentary being filmed about Danish people in their natural habitat at the ocean and I could be a part of;

d) Opportunities like this only come up once in your life.

So there we have it. Naked swimming is an event I have taken part in. The water was too cold for me to get more than 10 cms away from the ladder. I didn't get any water above my neck so puking sea water wasn't an issue. My companions, average age 68-75 seeing as it was mid-morning on a workday, made me feel totally welcome in my new surroundings; chatting to one another as they bathed in the morning sun, leathered bodies lacking any semblence of a tan line...

-The building surrounds the swimming area and holds little saunas with ocean views.

-I was rewarded with hot coffee and breakfast on the beach.

-While wrapped in blankets, enjoying our post swim breakfast a seven year old ran around on the beach... naked.

More importantly though, this was the same day I tried orange marmalade after 24 years of being told it was toxic garbage not to be consumed only to realize that it wasn't half bad... I will stop judging people for having it in their fridge. I guess it too was just another lie told to me by my parents. Similar to the time my Mom told me for 14 years that I HATED the way sweat pants felt and refused to purchase them for me. WHO WEARS SWEAT PANTS ALL THE TIME NOW?!

This marmalade eating rebel - that's who: