The Perendinating Pika

Wildflowers in the Alps

projectutopia — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 19:41:31 +0000

Here are some of the many many wildflowers we saw along our hike today. Along with great views of mountains and very happy cows, our hike was a beautiful adventure.

A bit of vaction

projectutopia — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 20:55:31 +0000

For our yearly “holiday” (my birthday, B’s birthday and our wedding anniversary), we decided to travel to Austria. However, since we are quite close to Munich we decided to join in the festivities for Munich’s 853rd birthday today and head there for a bit of fun. At first the weather was terrible. It was pouring rain by the bucketfulls but eventually the skies cleared up and we were able to hang out in the sun for a bit before heading back to our lovely pension nestled in the Alps.
Our current home away from home has lovely views:

I could wake up every day to this

A view from our window

Despite the weather we managed to do many things I had never done in Munich before (my 3rd time, B’s 1st time). First we went to Marienplatz and listened to the prayer for the city by the Rathaus (in the rain) and then we wandered to the Frauenkirche, were we lit candles and said a small prayer to ourselves.
Frauenkirche ceiling,
I love the design

Evil looking clouds

After we left the Frauenkirche it was pouring down rain so hard my umbrella kept wanting to flip the wrong way, which is not what you want during a rainstorm! We went to the Weisse Bräuhaus, which is supposed to have invented (or made famous) unfiltered wheat beer and ate lunch. I had beer gulash and a beer/sprite mix (called a Radler) and B had Weinerschnitzel and two dark beers (one was an Eisbock) – we then wandered into its neighbor the Hofbräu for a peek (but no beers, we were beered out from lunch). It continued to rain and we dipped into the tiny Toy Museum where we got to see some neat toys and great views.

View from the Toy Museum

By the time we were finished there the weather cleared up beautifully and we were able to listen to some music as part of the birthday celebration (and B had a HB beer, although not at the HB haus).

With some time on our hands, a car, and beautiful weather we decided to hit up the Nymphenburg Palace, which is were the king of Bavaria used to hang out. The weather was lovely and we wandered the grounds before heading back to our Tirol home.

A “little” snack

At Nymphenburg Palace

Home sweet Home (for now)

As usual more photos here: My flickr

Public Proposals

projectutopia — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:14:38 +0000

Perhaps I am old fashioned, but the amount of public proposal videos on Yahoo is really annoying me lately. I can’t imagine a worst way to propose to someone to marry you than in front of a whole bunch of people on TV. Seriously. I guess each couple knows what is best for themselves (or not), but to me proposals are something that is supposed to be intimate and honest. How can you have intimacy and honesty if you are trying to make your proposal the biggest splash out there?

Perhaps I am not the one to talk about marriage proposals, since, my own proposal was drawn out. First B and I agreed to get married (was this a proposal?) and then we looked for the ring and I picked out the one I liked, he bought it and then surprised me with the “official” proposal at Turlock reservoir. B and I often joke about the proposal, because when we were driving up there he kept feeling his leg. I was wondering what he was doing and asked. His response, “oh just feeling my muscles” and I bought it. When in truth he was so afraid that he would lose the ring in his pocket. We parked and it was a beautiful sunny day. Surprisingly there was no one there and we went for a walk along the reservoir – he pulled me out into the water, keeled and asked me to marry him with the ring. I remember that moment the sun was so bright it kept reflecting off the water and the ring, everything was so shiny. And… of course, I said yes.

Time is speedy

projectutopia — Mon, 30 May 2011 21:15:38 +0000

Time has been flying so fast and my research project feels like it has gone into overdrive. In the last month I had a ton of interviews and I have a ton more coming in June. At the end of June, B and I are going to Austria for our birthdays and anniversary!! This year is my big 30 year and its hard to believe that I have really reached this age – I feel like I was a teen forever, but my 20s just flew by. B is celebrating his 33, which although not as exciting as 30, is equally as “round” in my book (double 3s!). We are also celebrating our 11th anniversary this year – which makes me proud, thankful and happy. I couldn’t imagine a better person with whom to spend my life. I always think about how suddenly we met and fell in love – it was and is such a wonderful feeling to have a best friend, a confidant, a lover, a teacher, a student and a husband all rolled up into one.

In the next month, besides celebrating our birthdays and anniversary, traveling to Austria (and hopefully Italy), I will be finishing up my research, which really feels like it just started. I told B that I am finally getting to enjoy living here and embracing it fully and now we have to leave. I know I haven’t left yet, but I am very happy that I was able to meet many new neat and interesting people and also hang on to old friends from my time here during the nineties.

From reading blogs (including my own), it seems to be a consistent theme of – “wow its been a long time since I updated, oops!” – I am trying instead to embrace a new “update when I can,” and not feel guilty about it I did, however, start a pretty much daily blog called the Daily Humanist. My goal is to update everyday except Sundays and I’ve done pretty well with that. I was looking over my resolutions, which was kind of funny, because I had two – 1) exercise 3 times a week and 2) make 1 card a week. I picked one that I thought would be hard and one that would be easy, so that I could fail and still be able to do one easily. The funny thing is that I failed at my “easy” resolution – making one card a week – and have totally excelled at my exercising. I have started doing workouts 1-2 times a day, 5 days a week, not including our walks and hikes. I plan on jogging again when I get back to the states (something about jogging in a big city is kind of scary).

Next year is filled with lots of new anticipations. We look forward to moving back to our “little house,” joining a gym, B getting a job and me starting to write my dissertation. So exciting, its hard to believe that June is almost here!

Ostbahnhof Flea & Antique Market

projectutopia — Sun, 01 May 2011 20:28:52 +0000

B and I have been trying to do something new each sunday to really get the full effect of Berlin before we leave. This sunday they had a big flea/antique market, which B and I decided to go to. We ended up finding some neat things. Our big find was a large sewing storage box, that obviously belonged to someone from the former DDR. In addition to the fact that all types of items in the sewing box were made in places that were from the DDR times, there was a lot of evidence that the person who loved (and fixed) the box collected everything. She pulled zippers out of close, snipped buttons off of shirts. We even found a tape measure that had been so used that the person rewrote the numbers on the tape measure. It was a great find and it really told the story of a person who made sure to take care of clothes , fix clothes and if need be, make new clothing. We also bought a very heavy neat bell, that I especially liked. All in all it was a great adventure even if we had to cart the sewing box all around Berlin for the rest of the day.

the flea market

The sewing box

the sewing box opened

Filled with stuff

and my bell

Hoppy Easter

projectutopia — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 18:47:27 +0000

This year our Easter was much quieter than last. We decided to go for a hike and pick-nick in an area north of where we live in Berlin. The sun was shinning and the weather was beautiful. We also found a location of our favorite Ice Cream places is closer than we thought! Awesome!

Note to self: bring wine is great for pick-nick but bring water is good too… I am holding perhaps the world largest macaroon in my hand.

Tegel See

Alt Tegel is much nicer than the airport it is associated with

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter too!

Spring has Sprung

projectutopia — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:50:59 +0000

Today was an exceptionally beautiful day in Berlin. I love spring here, all the parks in bloom. I’ve been trying to get over my research angst and have a new look out on life, which is much easier with beautiful world like this. B. and I went for a walk today in Schiller park. It is a little park near our house but from these pictures it looks huge. Berlin is really a wonderful city because it has so many public green places. An you can be sure when the sun is out and the park is green, you will see tons of people out, soaking in the sun, walking their dogs, or playing on the playground with their kids.

Beautiful White Flowers

Me a wandering

What? you want me to move? Hammocks in the park

B. in silly mode

Small blue flowers

A single “Osterglocken” – easter bell

Some dogwood flowers (I think)

Walking with blooming trees

Rawr

Some more beautiful flowers

Look its B!

More pictures at my flickr

Neues Museum

projectutopia — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:51:42 +0000

One of the few museums that I hadn’t been to before in Berlin was the Neues Museum. Most of the time, when I had lived here before, it was closed due to reconstruction. So… today B and I had a free afternoon and decided to go. It was a beautiful museum, beautiful. They did an amazing job mixing the old (ruined) museum that was destroyed in the war with a new museum that fits the artifacts and artwork perfectly.

Looking down onto a lower level of the museum

Branden looking at an artifact

Sun shadows on the back of an exibit

Older paintings surrounded by new architecture

I am blurry in this picture, but I like it anyway

More Egyptian artifacts

I found this one of the most touching and beautiful pieces in the museum

Pre-war renovation visible next to B

A more modern portion of the museum

And part of the old “roman” areas

More photos of course On my flickr

A Blustery Day in Berlin

projectutopia — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:35:46 +0000

B and I took a walk today in a different area than our normal walk. It was quiet and kind of eerie.

Grüne Woche

projectutopia — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:45:14 +0000

At the end of January, Berlin holds the very fun and very exciting Grüne Woche. Its hard to describe Grüne Woche in comparing to something in America, but it is almost like a State Fair – but without rides and with more emphasis on international stuff. They have halls devoted to the German states, various countries, agricultural technologies, animals, and food (lots of food).

Me standing by the map in the main room

So much yummy food

The fish information stand

Bavarian Hall

Me at the Netherland’s hall with flowers, flowers, flowers!

Wurst stand from Italy

Something alcoholic from the Peru section

Polish sturgeon

B. with his 342th Bratwurst since we moved here

Da big cheese

Me eatting some very yummy cheesy bread