Awesome Song of the Week

Today's awesome song of the week is surprisingly not an Elvis-song. ;-)
And it's not an electronic song, either. Instead it offers a solid guitar sound. The singer's voice remembers me a little bit of Interpol and as Interpol are on a break this weeks awesome song is a nice substitute: Munich by Editors.

Muffin Top Syndrome

Hello dear reader,

as I learned today, Elvis' Graceland becomes a National Landmark. Congratulations! Wait a minute... A National Landmark what is that anyway? I couldn't find a satisfying explanation on the net. All I found out is that Graceland will join the Alamo, Pearl Harbor, the White House and Mt. Vernon as a National Historic Landmark. A logical question for me to ask now is "Why Graceland?" Well, the Interior Department claims the following:

"While there are many historic places across the nation, only a small number have meaning to all Americans — these we call our National Historic Landmarks."

Okay, then it's probably just a matter of time that they designate Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch a national treasure, too. Good luck to you, Michael!
Another thing that makes me wonder is Priscilla Presley. Damn, she looks like a ghost! She can't even smile anymore. Another vivid example of plastic surgery gone bad.

Whatever, what will probably interest you more or wetten your appetite respectively, is that I baked some pretty yummy muffins today. Pumpkin Muffins from my new favorite cooking book Vegan with a Vengeance. I didn't know that vegan food can taste so delicious! Plus, it's so simple (P.S. I don't get payed to write this!)!
C U tomorrow.

The Surgery

Today was the day of Mirko's surgery. The photo shows the hardware (see how big that thing is!!!) that the surgeon operated out of Mirko's left shinbone. Now he takes strong pain killers and feels a bit groggy, but I am taking good care of him (as always ;-)). I baked Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies for him and I think he'll be up and running again in a few days.

Hi Guys and Gals,
sorry, I'm a bit late today. This is partly because I prepared seitan ;o) Seitan is basicly textured vegetable proteine and it's really easy to make at home, although it takes some time. But it's worth it and much cheaper than buying the readymade stuff. After that, I went to a talk on working in the US. I learned some very useful things. In fact, I am quite optimistic now. How unusual for me... So, my next step will be to look for job openings in the area. 
Tomorrow is Mirko's surgery and I am a bit nervous. He is, too. 
C U tomorrow (I hope with a new photo, maybe the snowy Sierra Blanca Peak).

Reflections

Today I saw a nice reflection of the sunset on our car. I think it looks nice. Sunsets in New Mexico are always amazing.

Snow in March?!

Hi there,
you can imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning to see that it had snowed the night before! That's very unusual. The stupid thing is that we've just bought a convertible! Argh! Whatever. The good thing is that the snow has already melted and you know that the weather will be warm again soon. That's the good thing about southern New Mexico. So, I guess we can drive top down in a few days. Yippy! I love our new car. It's used and we got it for an excellent price (after tough negotiations).

Awesome Song of the Week

Hi-D-Ho!

It's monday again. What does that mean for us? It's time for a new Awesome Song of the Week!
Yes, you've heard right and I don't want to tantalize you anymore.
This week's Awesome Song of the Week is: "Wait&See" by Tiefschwarz feat. Chikinki

Going Bananas

Mmmh... yummy! A tribute to the best fruit in the world! :o)

Finally, my blog is online again! Seems like the blogger-server was down for a while. I hope they fixed it for good. 

Today is St. Patrick's Day and I wish everyone a nice, fun day! We will go bowling tonight. "St. Patty's Bowling," that is with Murphy's Red and Guinness - the embodiment of Irishness for most people around here. Kind of sad that St. Patrick's Day is just another holiday of getting drunk and parading... 

Sweet Heart

-My Sweet Heart Made From Crystalline Sugar-

Today

Hi everybody,

the funny story first: have you heard about the guy in California who forged dollar bills? But not 1$ or 20$ bills, no that would be too easy. The guy forged BILLION dollar bills! Didn't he know that there is no such thing as a billion dollar bill? Maybe he thought, "why wasting time with change?" Too bad that some federal agents found the bogus bills in his apartment. On the bright side, the guy must be pretty creative...

Yesterday, I watched The Constant Gardener on DVD. I find the movie pretty touching. My husband, however, left the room after the first half of the film. He thinks it's boring. Men...! I don't know how to describe the movie. It's political but also a tragic love story. The Constant Gardener shows (again) how corrupt our world is and how the people of Africa will always be the loosers. I don't think the feature gives much reason to hope for a better future. However, the film also shows that there are people who care and I like to believe that each of us can make a little difference.
For more information, go to this site: Oxfam US

My Mailbox

I've been waiting for a very important letter for over two weeks now! How is this possible? Every day I open the mailbox hoping to find the letter inside. But no! Nothing. Well, not nothing. The usual trash stuff. Do you guys have any ideas what could have happened to my mail?

Challenge: RED

Red Chilies... hot and spicy!
Submission to Photo Friday challenge "RED."

New Category

Hi,
I decided to introduce a new category:

"AWESOME SONG OF THE WEEK"

This week's awesome song is: "White Dwarf" by Chicken Lips

Elephant Butte Lake

Hi, I'm back! We had a nice but very windy weekend at Elephant Butte Lake and Leasburg Dam, NM. The campside was nearly empty except for a few retirees in their big rvs. We were the only ones "audacious" enough to sleep in a tent. It was so windy that we had sand and dust everywhere. That wasn't so nice. But hey, that's camping, right?! Although I must admit that I didn't sleep very well the second night because it was so stormy that I was really scared. But the tent proved to be really robust and it is easy to set up. It is definitely worth the money!

Hi there,
I'm off for the weekend. We are going to Leasburg Dam near Radium Springs, NM. I guess it's gonna be pretty cold but we just have to try our new tent. If we can't sleep because of the cold, we'll be back tomorrow otherwise on sunday. So, see ya on monday!

Spring!

Isn't nature magnificent? In just a few days (3/3-3/9/06) this bud (if that's the correct term) has grown and opened. It's really interesting how everything is growing out there and becoming green again. Well, it's pretty dry here so the dominating color outside is somewhat yellowish. But the trees are almost green. I don't know where they get the necessary water. They must have enormous roots. If anybody recognizes this tree please tell me. I would really like to know, but I have no idea.

NEW! NEW! NEW!
Hi, "dear readers."
As you may have noticed I have added a poll to the sidebar concerning tuesday's post. I hope you'll vote frequently.
I will do my best to change the poll question occasionally.
See you.

The Rock

Yes! Our new tent was delivered yesterday! It's so cool and it was on sale! Actually we wanted to camp in the yard but there are so many thorns all over the ground that you can't lay down. Damn! But I'm looking forward to the weekend when we will go somewhere to camp. Don't know where yet... Stupid thing is that it's been pretty breezy and cold (highs: 17°C/64°F) since yesterday. On monday the weather was so nice (28°C/82°F). Cross your fingers for better weather!

Contribution to Photomeme "Enchanted"

This photo is my contribution to this week's photomeme on Lens Day. The theme is: Enchanted. The photo was taken on 12/10/2002 in Anreppen, Germany. Although a few years old it hasn't lost its effect.

Madame Mustache

I publish this photo today because my dear friend Claudistar laughed at it so hard. The Madame Mustache shop sells souvenirs in Tombstone, AZ. But I couldn't actually find a mustache or even a razor there. So the strange name probably originates from the former owner. But what did this "madame" think? Was she proud of her mustache? Is any woman today proud of her facial hair? I don't think so. Not in the western hemisphere anyways. Nowadays most women are obsessed to remove all hair on their bodies. Was it different in the past? Maybe. I am lucky because my facial hair is blond and thus almost invisible. So I don't see the need to shave or wax my face. It would be pretty timeconsuming and awkward, too. However, if I had a visible mustache I would probably wax. I mean imagine the stares in public... I couldn't stand to be that "outstanding."

Meet Mr. Cactus

We went hiking in the Organ Mountains yesterday and look what we discovered: Mr. Cactus! I bet he wanders around at night like a cactus zombie.

Yes Sir, I can boogie!

Today I had my first "Mezcal." Pretty strange! I suppose the worm has been dissolving for quite a while because it was so small and there where lil' worm-pieces in the Mezcal. Yummy!
Further, I found out, what the difference is between "Where are ya?" and "Where are you at?" According to my informants "Where are you at?" is "Oxford English", although I can't really believe this b/c I was taught in school that putting a preposition at the end of a phrase is an "unforgivable sin." Whatever... it was actually a nice party and I met some interesting guys.
So long for today.

Photoshopped Pieces of Me

Sad but true: My lips look much better photoshopped. Yeah, right! Just kidding. My lips look sensational! And look at my solarized eye! I can recommend this to everybody: Take small pieces of you and you will see that you're not as ugly as you may think.

Ain't no cactus high enough!

"... if my friends could see me now!"

Ground Squirrel on a cactus in the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ.

Kitty in the Sun

This is the best photo I've ever taken of Kitty. I like her calm but focused look.

White Sands National Monument, NM

I chose this photo for my first post because I just love the contrast between the blue sky and the white sand. For those who are interested, I think the plant is a yucca, probably a soaptree yucca to be exact. Native peoples of the Southwest utilized it for soap but also for food and fiber. As you can see, the yucca in the picture is partly buried by sand. Nevertheless, the yucca will produce new flowers in May.
So long!