Weekend smattering

Alert: Interactive blogging opportunity ahead!
So, suppose you had this cooking pan, and that this pan had suffered a certain, shall we say work-related incident, and that the pan in question now has what amounts to a new carbon-based life form firmly ingrained in its nether regions. This is of course, an entirely hypothetical situation, because I know that none of us would ever do something so wantonly feckless as to, say, leave a pan of... oh , I don't know... maybe white beans simmering on the stove all day while we were at work, because, I mean, come on, how irresponsible can you get? Right. So... now that we have ascertained the total fictionality and utter ludicrousness of this example, perhaps you might have some equally hypothetical advice as to how one might go about ridding the pan of its newfound black accoutrements? I mean, you know, "carbon is the new black" and all, but maybe not everyone likes it that way. So my own personal suggestion would be "don't forget the fabric softener," because I have heard that that sometimes helps, applied directly to the bottom of your pan. But say that didn't even make a dent in it. (I mean, if we are imagining an issue, why not make it a really pernicious one?) Right, so, um... then what would you do? Gee, I love interactive blogging.

In a related but equally hypothetical vein, I'd like to explore with you some odor-reducing possibilities, in the case that one's apartment might suddenly, for no real reason at all, begin smelling just like really burned white beans. Now, if this were to happen to me, which of course it wouldn't due to my fastidious ways, I would first think "well, why not open the windows? Fresh air is a good way to remove odors." And perhaps that would be an efficient way to remove at least the billowing smoke, along with the first layer of nasty burn-smell. And my next thought might be Febreeze, which has been known to remove nasty smoke smell from clothes fairly effectively. But, ha ha, let's just imagine that the Febreeze worked approximately as well as the fabric softener in the previous example (i.e. not). Anyone want to suggest a step 3? You know, in the interest of furthering Useful Prophylactic Public Knowledge.

And speaking of prophylactics...
I went grocery shopping today, in the rain. At first this used to really faze me, but in the meantime I have become accustomed to navigating my loaded bike through all kinds of weather conditions. But my goodness, was the rain coming down this morning. On the way there, I supplemented my raingear with an umbrella, but while I am Amazonian* enough to manage an umbrella while riding on wet streets with limited peripheral vision, if you add loaded shopping bags into the equation even this Amazon has to have some support. So I bought a rain poncho at the grocery store, one specifically designed to go over the front basket of your bicycle. So I was entirely covered in waterproof rubber and must have looked just like a giant (and funny-shaped) turquoise condom on the way home but hey, dry groceries.

Can it be?
I am writing a little booklet for work, to give to US students who come to study in Germany for a semester. It is supposed to provide them with guideposts on the journey toward understanding German culture. Writing it came easily to me, because this is something that I think about every single day, at least indirectly. And in writing this booklet it became clear to me that, wow, I have been in Germany for a pretty long time, and have really grappled with the culture and its values and norms... and oh my gosh, I like it here.

I like using duvets and featherbeds instead of sheet sets. I like it that recycling comes second nature. I like knowing that all over Germany, people have the irresistible urge to open their windows in the morning and ventilate. I like German-style breakfast and dinner. I like the custom of the community Stammtisch. I like TV that's more natural and less Hollywood-chic. I like narrow winding roads and cobblestones. I like one car per family and taking the train everywhere. I like a modest lifestyle and taking family time seriously. I like Kaffeepause. I like the church hymnal from Bavaria. I like inexpensive French cheeses. I like Felicitas Wohl and Franka Potente and Daniel Bruehl. I like WGs. I like scarves and Smart cars and bread and chocolate done well. I like having friends. I like knowing two languages, and knowing everyone around me does too (at least). I like my apartment. I think I even like my job.

Can it be... can it be that I am happy here?

*but keeping both breasts, thank you very much.