Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt euch!
Working men of all countries, unite!




















Today we paid a visit to Karl-Marx-Stadt, better known as Chemnitz these days. The goal of the trip was to see the Cranach exhibition in the art museum there, and an added bonus of the outing was seeing this huge sculpture. I hate to be so critical, but it's an incredibly ugly city, with the exception of this giant Karl Marx head, which some might say is also kind of horrible. For me, it was a treat, because I find these remnants of the GDR and socialism sort of special amidst places like McDonald's and shopping centers and the stuff you find all over the world nowadays. It's really big, unfortunately you don't really get the magnitude of this sculpture in photographs.




















Karl and I in front of a shining example of socialist architecture.

Art Class

Teaching kids again is something I hadn't really completely thought about before applying for my latest job as an art teacher, and while I am working hard to become good at handling classroom management (last week I decided it's necessary to have the kids sign out X-acto knives and things of this nature which often turn up missing or in the wrong place, like in the sink, not to mention problems with talking and the like), which is frustrating, the things the kids produce are pretty neat. Have a look at a few examples.






































The 7th graders made some nice masks in what I think was their first 3D project of the year (I'm the second teacher they've had this year, and the third in the past 2 years...). These are just a few examples of some of the fine work they did after we talked about the uses of masks in different countries and cultures, and looking at many examples of African masks used in dance ceremonies.




















In the 6th grade classes we just finished a unit on design and linoleum printing. This project was pretty complicated for them, but they also did quite a nice job with it, and stayed pretty engaged though it went on for a long time and was frustrating because printing can be an unpredictable process. The historical background for this project was the use of quilts on the Underground Railroad in the United States. We learned about different quilt patterns and their meanings, then the students created their own designs to print. On the left you can see our sampler quilt, and on the right the quilt prints from the students of one class.

The Frauenkirche again!?!

As if you haven't heard enough about her in the past year, I'm about to write some more. And I surely won't be the last either, as Dresden's big birthday party is coming up this summer, which is also sure to bring about more on this very topic.

In my quest for information about Baroque Dresden (I have to teach something about Baroque art and was looking for ways to incorporate Dresden in order to also schedule a field trip), I came across an interesting picture. Here it is:








My Dresdner readers (if I have any) are probably saying "yeah, I got to look at that pile of rocks for about 50 years, what's the big deal?" The big deal is, this is the first time I have ever seen this particular state of the Frauenkirche. I've heard lots about it, how it stood in this form as a sort of ruin as war memorial, but the only Frauenkirche I know is scaffolding and a basement from 2001 and now the completed version, so this view is pretty impressive to me. It's just hard to imagine that that mammoth construction that's now standing once (and for a long time) was just this pile of rocks. Some people say that the above state of the church is a more effective reminder of the horrors of war, and therefore is a more effective memorial, and even think it was incorrect to rebuild the church. Though I do see validity in this argument, and am quite fascinated by ruins like the St. Pauli Kirche and the Trinitatiskirche here in Dresden, I also think the finished Frauenkirche is just magnificent, and that it's the perfect completion to the Dresden skyline.

Here she is finished, from a similar angle (you can see old Martin Luther there in the lower part of the picture, as you can see him in the foreground above):





















It's a Lutheran church, in case you were wondering what the deal with Martin Luther was.

More bunny adventures




















What's this, nature friends? That's right, bunny tracks in the snow. And these weren't made by any old wild hare, they were made by the one and only Waboose.




















Doesn't he look strapping in his matching coat and harness?

My only complaint is that people's IQs seem to drop when they see a bunny on a leash. Some people are shocked and horrified to see a bunny on a leash, many make comments that are Easter related, and one incredibly charming dog owner mentioned how it's not very safe to take a bunny out for a walk with all the dogs around. I know it's unusual, but I think it's nicer to take these guys out for some fresh air once in a while instead of keeping them cooped up in an apartment all the time. As for the dogs, it is a law that they should be on a leash, too. And just because my bunny is smarter than your dog doesn't mean you have to threaten his life.



















Support bunny freedom! Which would you rather see, a bunny outside safely frolicking and having fun on a comfortable leash, or sitting around an apartment like a living knick-knack?

The truth comes out.
















I'm sick and tired of somebody else taking all the credit. I'm the real writer around here. These people I live with can't even spell, let alone skillfully handle not one but two mice. I founded this blog to show what kinds of things we have to go through with these illiterate imbeciles, being put on a leash, in the oven, bathed, etc. This may be the last time I write, they'll probably make me into rabbit stew when they read this. But wait, they can't read!

old news
















































Here are a couple of pictures from my last trip to the Czech Republic. They had quite a lot of snow there, more than we had in Dresden. This was at the end of January. Now we have no snow left, the last days have actually even felt like spring! This is a much needed change from the ugly gray winter weather we'd been having.

The Life Pursuit

Has everyone heard this new Belle and Sebastian album? I just picked it up about an hour ago from my friendly neighborhood record man who used to have his shop in the same house where I used to live and where I used to pick up all of my packages that were delivered when I wasn't home, and it had me dancing in the kitchen while I was making my nachos for lunch. This is a rare occurence, especially on a dark snowy day like today. This music is like the sun! It will make you feel good. Apparently, it's sort of a follow-up to their last regular album, which was all about breakups, and is instructions on how to live your life further. I haven't quite gotten that out of it yet, but we'll see.

Speaking of the life pursuit, mine is going well, I guess. In between eating bon bons and playing around with my weblog on the internet, I go to work, which is pretty much like sitting around and eating bon bons and playing around, which isn't so bad. My new job, while frustrating during the first few weeks, was super this week! My different groups are working on linoleum printing, surrealistic collages, and nature collages with pen and ink details. Even the students I was told were difficult were really engaged when we were doing some practice exercises with pen and ink yesterday. And today I even learned something new as part of this whole thing: the English name for these particular types of pen: nib and holder. (Feder und Federhalter) All right!

In other news, I rewarded myself after dragging myself down to the inhabitant registration place this morning (here in Germany you have to register your address with the gov'ment so the man knows where to find you when you make trouble, as I often do). I went shopping! In addition to my new CD, which also came with a bonus DVD, I got 2 new hip shirts to suit my expanding form (you know what all those bon bons will do to a girl!), and went and wandered around the big art store, only to kick myself for buying some nibs and a fancy holder at the expensive art store yesterday. They are way cheaper at the big art store (49 cents compared to 1.60!!), and the big art store is much more entertaining. You can stumble around aisles of giant sketchbooks and every kind paint, ink and whatever else your heart could desire and drool without getting stared at by the hipster expensive art store workers. I behaved myself, though, and only got some holders for my art classes, just as I had planned. Somehow, we have an overabundance of nibs at school, but only 4 intact holders, and one that's missing its insides, so it doesn't work. So this should alleviate the complaints of my students that "God, this place gets so much money every year and you can't even have enough holders for all of us!" I wasn't aware of our lack of holders...I had found the supply of nibs and mistakenly thought "Where there are nibs, there are holders!" But there weren't. Another lesson learned.

Meet my new bunny, Tigs.

Finally I'm posting some new pictures of my new house...




















This is that big hallway when you come in the door...




















At the end of which you find the...um...bunny jungle.




















Second to the bunny jungle, I think these mirrors are my favorite part of the hallway.




















The sleeping chamber.




















Check out our cool doorframes!




















Here's a look in the kitchen.




















And the living room. The other bedroom is not depicted, because at the moment it's stacked from floor to ceiling with boxes, and the bathroom is not yet finished...okay, the shower curtain is hung, there are some plants, but no fish or octopus yet!




















Waboose's mischievous bunny ways haven't changed in his new home. He got into some blueberries and needed a bath a couple weeks ago.













Needless to say, he didn't enjoy the experience.

Down by the river
















Yesterday evening some friends and I celebrated New Year's Eve with some quiche, brussels sprouts, cheesecake, and Dresden Monopoly. After buying up the whole city we ventured down to the Elbe to have a look at the festivities. The festivities don't entail any publicly funded fireworks, all the fireworks shot off throughout the city are done by private parties. Basically it's just a mass of people throwing around lots of firecrackers (and loud ones from the Czech Republic, not the Black Cat kind I know from Indiana!) and launching lots of other fireworks that are illegal in Michigan and rather unsettling for me, considering that a lot of these hobby pyrotechnicians were probably a good 2.5 sheets to the wind, if not the full 3.
















The real action came upon our return to the Neustadt at around half past 12. On Albertplatz we spotted a whole troop of cops in riot gear. Then we saw cars driving where the trams usually drive. Then we spotted a trash can ablaze right by the street, hence the cars taking a little detour. This was amusing until a fire truck came and put out the fire. On the short stretch of Alaunstraße back to my house, there were police officers in riot gear lurking behind every corner. This made it seem like a good idea to just head home and play with the bunnies.
















For some reason, Waboose has been a little worked up lately. Maybe it was those finger monsters, funny rubber finger puppets, at Christmas that got up in his face, but he's really been in attack mode lately, charging at hands and stuffed animals, stamping his little bunny feet and grunting. It could also have been the loud fireworks the past couple days, this made the bunnies quite unsettled last year as well.







































Today upon leaving and going out for breakfast, we came across lots of trash of course, and even some broken windows and fun stuff like that. We even spotted a guy trying to break into a pay phone to get out the money, but I think that was more of an every day thing, not just for New Year's.

So anyway, happy New Year! Boy, I thought 2005 would be good, but the way this year looks, I think it will be even more interesting!

Once every five years.















Last Saturday we had a bit of a snowstorm here in Dresden, or better said (at least by my definition) a blizzard. This picture was taken at around 10 in the morning, and it kept right on snowing like that well into the evening. I'm not sure how late because I turned the day into a movie-n-junk food extravaganza, the culmination of which was falling asleep on the sofa around 8 in the evening.
So, the big question is, will we have snow on Christmas? The better part of the nearly one foot of snow which fell on Saturday has already melted (that's the beauty of living in this not so extremely cold part of Germany, although the downside is having to put up with all the slush and crud all over the sidewalks). Yesterday I was informed that in Dresden there's snow on Christmas only about every five years. Just a bit east of Dresden, in Görlitz, they have snow on Christmas once every 3 years I think it was, and in the west, in Düsseldorf, they have snow on Christmas only once every 20 years!! This is due to the various climates in these different regions of Germany.
















The other big question is: how in the heck do I get my bike out of this ridiculous mess? Good thing I'm not one of those whackos who ride around in the snow, so I don't have to worry about the answer to that question until the spring.

It's beginning to look a lot like...




















This should give you an idea of what a Christmas market here looks like, this is a smaller one on Hauptstraße in Dresden. I like this one better than the super famous, somewhat overdone and overpublicized Striezelmarkt on the Altmarkt because it doesn't exhaust you, the people aren't as pushy and flipped out, and they have nicer regional crafts and treats. The Striezelmarkt might be over 500 years old, but it's full of a lot of commercial junk and the shoppers are so Christmas-ed out that they're a bit like lemmings. Though I do love the spectacle of it.




















Another spectacle, the larger than life Christmas pyramid, also on Hauptstraße, near Albertplatz. This thing mesmerizes me, with its lights and moving parts. To give you an idea of the size, a person is probably as tall as that light in the front, which on a normal tabletop pyramid, would be a mere candle. Oooh, this thing is really fantastic. What I'm wondering is, where do they put it the rest of the year? Do they dismantle it? How much does something like this cost, if a normal tabletop model runs around 60 Euro?













Another regional specialty, like the Christmas pyramid, is the Schwippbogen, or in English, Schwibbogen. These items are usually made of wood, and the authentic ones come from the Erzgebirge region. Apparently, back in GDR times, these things were made regionally, but mostly sold in the west, because they were too expensive for the locals. I guess this was somehow overlooked by authorities. Maybe the approximately 20% of the total production which they sold inside the GDR was convincing enough for the authorities.














The star in the window is also a typical Christmas decoration you'll find here. Not flashing, moving or playing music, it's much more understated than American Christmas decorations.

As this photograph makes painfully obvious, all I really think about are my cute bunnies and delicious beverages.















These preoccupations got me into some trouble a while ago when I accidentally spilled some orange juice (and it was really only orange juice, I swear) on my keyboard, destroying its functionality on the right side. As you can see, I feebly attempted to remove some keys and clean the bad boy up, as was detailed on the internet, only to not be able to put the keys back on. Oh well, they didn't work anyway, before or after the cleaning. But yesterday, after buying a snazzy new (or so I thought) keyboard on ebay, I took computer and keyboard to my friendly neighborhood PC specialists. They got everything up and running, and when I went to pick up poor little lappy, they told me my snazzy new "i" key didn't work! Argh! But, specialists that they are, they fixed it! The moral of this story: buyer beware! And delicious beverage drinker, beware even more!

A bicycle update: someone keeps moving my bike around, which is really making me paranoid. I'm not riding my bike a lot lately, for assorted reasons, here I'll just say it's too cold, which is part of it. And, I just discovered the other day that someone stickered my bike too! This is cool, so anybody who wants to sticker my bike some more, go right ahead. I was thinking of stickering it myself, but didn't for fear that somebody might steal it, rending my efforts useless. And in other news, the Sprick is still missing. I worry about her fate, and I especially miss her fashionable and functional basket.

And still other news: I have to pat myself on the back because I got a job as an art teacher! So finally, I'm actually using that expensive college education of mine, it doesn't just make me feel good any more!

If the Wee bun in the oven flipped you out...
look at the other things Little Wee does in the name of art!













































But she always gets a treat after her selfless performances!

By the way, happy Thanksgiving! (and no, a turkey will not be replacing the bunny in my oven, but a delicious vegetarian spinach pie will)

I love Putzi.

Thursday evening, on my way home from work, the air was filled with the magical scent of peppermint. At first I asked myself, "am I dreaming?", then I took a good long whiff of the air, and, lo!, I was not. The air was truly full of the delicious pepperminty smell of Putzi children's toothpaste. I am lucky to live with the Putzi factory just behind my house, and sometimes when I open my windows, my apartment is filled with the fresh smell of toothpaste.
Unfortunately, the fresh smell of peppermint in the Neustadt is also often counteracted by the smell of beer and vomit on the streets, which is just a bit disgusting. Maybe I'm getting old, but all this beer drinking and puking is pretty disgusting. And, god, sometimes you can't even walk down the street with all these puking beer drinkers standing around. But I guess that adds to the flair of this place, and if they weren't there, what would I have to complain about? Honestly, it might just be a bit boring. And knowing how annoying it is to not be able to walk down the street in the evening makes sunny weekend mornings when the streets are empty and the birds are singing and the shops are all just opening and the people are waking up that much more enjoyable. (The only problem is all the dried puke on the sidewalk from the night before.)

I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it.











Maybe there's something in the water here, or maybe it was just Halloween, or maybe it was that White Stripes concert in Berlin last week, but something strange is happening!
It seems to have struck Little Wee as well.









Or maybe it's that Frauenkirche that's got me all wound up. The church is finished, and the consecration was last weekend. I heard that it was open to the public on Sunday night from about 11:30 until 5 on Monday morning and about 15,000 people streamed through in that night alone, in groups of about 400, with 20 minutes to look around the inside of the church. Unfortunately, we showed up a bit too early for the festivities and thought it had just been a rumor that he church would be open. Oh well, it was pretty cold to stand outside in a long line anyway.