Sunday, November 6, 2011

I'm Off To Germany Tomorrow To Get The Buxtehude Bulle

So I'm writing this blog entry tonight.

Don't expect coherence. I've already packed it.

First of all, thank you for your thoughtful comments and for voting on the poll. I found the votes really interesting. The majority of both age groups favor keeping Alex alive (so do I at this point), but not by enormous margins.

Poor Alex. My guess is if I'd put up a comparable poll about Horton the cat, a lot more people would have demanded his survival.

Oh, I put something new on the right side of the blog, a link to a really good essay about using Life As We Knew It in a science classroom. My ninth grade science teacher would have been stunned (I flunked Rocks. I'd flunk it again if I took it again).

Here's what I bought for this trip: A coat, a jacket with a lining to double as a pillow, six pairs of socks (I'm only taking five of them; the sixth was a bonus), a pocketbook, a ladybug luggage tag, a passport holder, the most expensive one of those things you need to plug American stuff in European sockets, plastic bags to put little plastic bottles in, and a suitcase, because when I went to pack everything in my suitcase I discovered I didn't own a suitcase. Did you know suitcases can cost $400? I didn't, and I'm relieved to report I found one extremely discounted for $90.

Also I've learned how to say thank you and please and good day and sausage in German. I don't like sausage, so now I know how to avoid it. But since I don't know the names of any other foods, who knows what I'll end up eating.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, my Christmas cactus has six buds, and my Freecell winning streak is at 504. Now that I can undo all bad Freecell moves, it's kind of impossible to lose.

I'm hoping to be able to blog while I'm in Germany, and if I can find where I packed my camera, I'll take pictures to bore you all with when I get back. In the meantime, enjoy yourselves. I know I will!

9 comments:

Marci said...

Have a wonderful trip. As I recall, Kartopfel Pfankuchen is potato pancake, which should be very good in Germany. Then there is the ubiquitous Weiner Schnitzel and Spaetzle. Kuchen of all types will be yummy. And fattening. Schlag is whipped cream. Kuchen mit schlag covers a wide base of calorie intake! German chocolate is very good also. Schocolade maybe?
Auf Weidersein!

Ihre jüngste biggest fan! (YOURYOUNGESTBIGGESTFAN!!) said...

good luck!

Alejandra said...

Hope you enjoy the trip!

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Thanks everyone-

I'm almost on my way!

Lisa-Marie Jordan said...

Have a great trip and congratulations on your award!!

Anonymous said...

Have a great trip, congrats on your award.

Bridget Higdon said...

Have a great trip! I wish you could pack all of your followers in your suitcase as well...but sadly, all one hundred of us might not fit. :)

Auf Wiedersehen! (Good Bye!)

Mr. Cavin said...

You post a poll every time I go on vacation! At least my age group seems to have won this one without me, even if my opinion didn't. I would certainly prefer that Alex live through these stories--I really like Alex--but I'm in this for the thrill of doomsday hijinks and the frisson of powerful melancholy, and so if Alex has gotta go then the boy's gotta go. You already killed my favorite character anyway.

I hope you are having an excellent time in northern Germany!

Anonymous said...

Wishing you a fun, safe, and exciting trip, Sue. I can't wait to hear all about it.