It's still Winter!!!

It's cold and snowing here, still, again. For some reason every time I walk outside I expect it to be warm. I guess I'm still jet lagged!

And I have a cold, so I have not felt like writing. But here's a bit of catch-up.

Last week, I had a GREAT meeting with Mark Kell, the guy who does the LIA website. He & I will partner to bring a web-based business that I'd though of, to the market. He is more interested in having a version that keeps watch over the kids, through SMS. But we can still build it and get it launched. Mark & I talked quite a bit, he said I could do great work here – the Germans are not so sure of how to be in charge of their careers and they will need this as their socialist supports come down and companies start acting more like American companies. perhaps I can start a workshop series. I am toying with the idea, I really crave some income.

Then I ran around picking up stuff and getting copying done for the LIA meetings, which was Wednesday. It was a Faschings Party; their equivalent of Carnival. We had Sekt and Krapfen (prosecco and donughts, I still don't know why donuts are a carnival thing.) It went quite well, although I didn’t get back home until 3. We played the ‘famous women’ game, with the name of a famous woman put on everyone’s back. You must ask questions with only a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to guess who’s name you’re wearing. It was hard to come up with a list of internationally known famous women (who aren’t all actresses!) The games were well received by the women, and everyone had fun. The hats & costumes were great.


Our president, Jackie, and me, checking in members. Being secretary is a lot of work.



Annick in her hat from Myanmar; she was on recent the tour through that country led by Angelica, another member.




Maria-Jose created her hat, spent all morning blowing up the ballons! If we had a contest, this would have won 'most creative', hands-down.




Joy and Janice being American cowgirls. Both are american, but not so much on the cowgirl side.



Maurine as a Marharina (?) in wonderful silks while Harriet is glam 20's style.





Isolde as a sexy market woman (love the decollatage!) and Chantal very French.








Charito in red feathers. Watch out!
















Caroline straight from a local rave.

When I got home from the party I crashed for a quick nap. Then vacuumed, dusted, did laundry. And did some email work. Zoomed back out of the house to go to the American German Business Club meeting that evening.

The speaker was excellent. It was Reverend Robin Griffith-Jones, The Master of the Temple Church in London. (Featured in ‘The DaVinci Code’’) He talked about where Dan Brown got it wrong, it was a fascinating, engaging and energetic talk. I will be buying his book, which is due out early May. And visiting the Temple Church when I next get to London.

Mark was there & for the dinner part he waved me over to the table he had. There I met Barbara and Maria,
Barbara had been in the states from 12 on, Denver then California for school. She’d worked at Apple in Cupertino! So we talked about Whole Foods and Trader Joes and CA. She was pleased that I quite like Munich. Maria is a wonderful women who had been out on her own as a translation consultant, is now again an employee of a huge insurance company I‘ve never heard of – Debeka – and also free-lances teaching English on the side. She has 2 cats, we talked cats a bit. And I ran into Levon Mitchell, who I’d worked with at Dev Pro! We had a great talk too.

At the end of the evening Barbara, Maria & Mark and I all headed out to the U-bahn together, and evolved plans to go to a jazz club, Unterfahrt. They say it’s the best jazz here in Munich. Hope it’s not VBJ.

For the weekend, Gayle and I planned a 'girlie weekend'. Her partner, Geordie, was going back to Belfast for a custody trial. Friday I met Gayle in town at Marianplatz. She had gotten the news from Geordie an hour before; they’re getting full custody of little George. She was just staggered by it. She’s excited and worried and excited and now her life is all up in the air. We shopped at bit downton but it was cold so we took the train towards her place, ot a mall called the PEP center, and shopped some more. I got tops and boots, it was fun! We got back to her place, then went out for dinner to an Italian place near her, it was nice.

Sat we ‘faffed’ around her place, (her words) came up to the apt so I could get more clothes. She & I went to the Drugstore for lunch, then to the Pinakothek Moderne for a movie. This is an art galleery that occasionally runs a series of movies, in their original language. We saw 'Badlands' with a very very young Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek. Quite a violent movie. Dawn joined us, we went for a drink after and chatted away.

Then Gayle & I went back to Ottobrun, to her place to change. We ended up getting out of the apt around 8:20, got a cab to the train station finally. Got to Shawna & Tonys around 9:30. Went out from there a bit after midnight. I was surprised that we’d go out that late, but Gayle was expecting it. We went to the Shamrock, an Irish bar with live music and an overwhelming crowd. We danced until they closed the place. This is probably why I've gotten a cold - I'm now a bit low on sleep!