I'm trying to have a New Year, New Me attitude. I'm getting a late start...started yesterday....woot, woot!
I started the 30 day Shred with the bitch Jillian from Biggest Loser.I'm starting with Level 1 it's a 20 minute workout! I wanted to quit after 4 minutes. Today I wanted to quit after 6 minutes! I woke up this morning sore...after 20 minutes of working out.....amazing video uh? or poor out of shape Frau!
I also started a 2 week cleanse....we aren't gonna talk about that...TMI! But I'll let you know if it is a success!
Last night was my first night without my Red Wine....trying to be good during cleanse! I miss it!! Is that a problem?
It's really hard to workout when you have 40 pounds to loose....I've been down this road before and never thought I'd be here again. It was hard work and I have the time but not sure if I have the strength and will. Plus I don't think anything Non fat exists in Germany!
My German teacher is annoying me, she is being an etiquette Nazi pain. Yesterday she told me the way my name is on my Mail Slot is not correct I should not have Herr/Frau or even our first names.....she said "It just isn't DONE" Nobody does it! Okay lets see I can count on two hands in 15 months how many times my door bell has been rung....do you really think it matters?!!!
I also have a Welcome plaque outside my door it's in English with a snowman holding an American flag plus right above it I found a German one saying Herzlich Willkommen, it means a heartfelt welcome. Yes it's cutesy but whatever....when she was leaving she said this is interesting ......so you welcome anyone to your house? Ah!! is this a trick questions? Anyone that rings the bell....but that doesn't really happen ....it's just a friggin decoration. She said, Nobody has this it's quite different.
I did a return today and I asked the girl in German if she spoke English? She answered me in German and I had no idea what she said......EVERYBODY and I mean Everybody does that when you ask them! If I'm asking you if you speak English don't answer me in German! Isn't it clear I don't speak German!
Wow this was more of a rant than I planed!
I did a return today and I asked the girl in German if she spoke English? She answered me in German and I had no idea what she said......EVERYBODY and I mean Everybody does that when you ask them! If I'm asking you if you speak English don't answer me in German! Isn't it clear I don't speak German!
Wow this was more of a rant than I planed!
HAPPY TUESDAY!
For more RANDOM TUESDAY stop byThe UNMOM and her random friends !
38 comments:
I would probably choke the German teacher. But it would not be good etiquette....I too need to lose a few lbs.... keeping less food on hand and walking the doggies longer has helped me... xoxo
oh boy..sounds like dutch living to me..I WANT an american flag anything to put out but thats not good where I live..anti america is alive and well in europe.
Dutch people tell me all the time how fake we americans are..noone can be that happy all the time they tell me. It's enough to make you want to get off the expat wagon,put on an american flag t-shirt, and drop kick them all while playing Courtesy of the red white and blue..maybe thats just how I feel..LOL
like sonya, i wouldn't dare put an american flag on my house.
i did see one once, and it was upside down. nice.
lots of people have welcome signs on their homes, though. i don't get why your teacher had a problem with that.
my man teases me that i can't speak german properly cuz my mouth is always in the smiling position, cuz i'm american. well, i guess that could be true. we talk through our smiles, don't we?
today on the phone i was trying to give my address out, and spelling it very slowly, and the lady couldn't understand my a+umlaut. yah, that one is hard. ok, all umlauts are hard. i said it again and again and she said, "is that an e or an a?" and i finally just said "A plus umlaut!": ) later my man said, "stop smiling and put your mouth like this...."
hrmph, wonder how many years i'll be here before i can say the alphabet correctly.
about the wine - i believe red wine is actually good for you, so you should definitely have some tonight.
i'm trying to be healthier too - i am making rutabaga soup tonight. i had no idea what a rutabaga was! (it's like a turnip.)
i always need help at the grocery store, so i just bring the recipes and ask people, "what is this?"
people are always nice when they hear my thick accent. my cute american accent: )
speaking of anti-american sentiment, my man read in the paper that america's relief efforts in haiti are for the main purpose of keeping more haitian immigrants from coming to america. HUH!? how dare those journalists interpret our charity like that!
~lytha
I am trying to start the new year out correctly, too. So far I am keeping my focus as it should be, but the giving up wine is a tough one. I admit to a sip or two or maybe three over the last 3 weeks. However, I have lost some weight and I feel better. One step at a time.
Blessings, andrea
Tell that German teacher you aren't interested in becoming or acting German..... you just want to speak it. There is a BIG difference.
I am right there with you with the weight issues, working out and red wine. Jillian and I have a love hate relationship. Right now I am focusing on the "hate" part.
I look at old pictures and just am amazed at how much I have changed. I would love to say I didn't know it was happening, but that would be a lie. I enjoyed every minute of not working out!
We are just going to have to support each other here in blogland.
Oh... this just makes me think of what I will have to do after the baby gets here... thanks for the reminder. (I think)
Try not to let your German teacher annoy you too much... sometimes Germans can be so literal and exact it almost hurts. And as far as the welcome plaque goes, I have seen several plaques like that in German AND in English... if you like it, keep it. Besides, people get to amuse themselves at how "American" it is.
I make it kind of my rule of thumb to find a person 35 and under to ask them if they speak English. (most usually do) I have found that many Germans, wanting to do everything perfect and exact, will tell you how awful their English is. But the fact of the matter is, they usually never say anything that I don't understand. Go figure.
Rant away you deserve it. Ugh I have that Shred video now I feel I need to pull it out too.
I need to lose some weight to actually 50 lbs to be exact. i'm using the wii, walking the dog, going to the gym on the days I have time to do so....and i want to get on with some swimming or some aerobic classes or something.
Despite the way it feels, losing weight isn't a mysterious process. It's a simple matter of burning more calories than you eat. But, if it were really that simple, none of us would have a weight problem, would we? Weight loss can be such a struggle that we start thinking we have to do something drastic to see results...
But with perseverance and determination I have every faith that you will get there. We can support one another.
~~~~~~~~
As far as the flag thing goes.. that would be me like putting a union jack outside of my house here in new mexico. I'm not sure of how people would react to that ?!
I hate Jillian. I did her and then couldn't stand to look at her so I had to stop with her. Which cleanse are you doing?? I am going to go back to the fat flush..starting on monday.
Was the German teacher having an "auf" day?
Wow, sounds like a wonderful teacher..not! I agree with you on Jillian..but her dvd's sure do bring results! I'm usually cussing her through the work out, but thanking her when I'm done and see results. I've done those two week cleanser things a few times before..here's some TMI for you..they sure did get me regular again, but I kinda fear them now..keep hearing how they aren't that good for you and may damage the liver..great, one more thing that's out to kill us! Might as well enjoy it all!
Good luck on the weight loss. I'm in the same boat and it's not pretty.
Missing the red wine is normal but it is actually good for you to have a glass a night... so have two tonight to make up for it! ;)
I would have wanted to tell that German teacher, "Yeah, we let everyone in. You're here, aren't you?" But those words would never have actually passed my lips. I would have just smiled and nodded.
Good luck on the cleanse -- enough said. And remember -- making it six minutes into the workout instead of four is improvement. Applaud yourself. Tomorrow it will be eight and so on and so forth.
Randomly yours,
Traci
Whoah, sounds like your German teacher has some issues. :-) Don't mind her, you can put anything you like on your door - there's no etiquette. She's just makin' stuff up to suit her own little world.
Way to go on the workout! I also need to lose about 40 but I know it's going to be slow going, if it happens at all.
What was the German teacher doing at your house? - I am pretty sure most Germans speak English even if is enough to say...I don't speak English... she was just jerking you around.
Keep up the jiggling with Jillian, you will feel better. As for the red wine... Jesus used it in almost ALL his miracles... it must be important. I vote keep it as a part of your evening ritual.
I will be home today until 5pm if you want to call :)
Good luck with the cleanse! Too bad about the German lady--be extra kind and that IS what she will remember...
Then she can say "that American displayed her flag"...but she was such a nice gal!
LOL
I have the Jillian DVD too- as soon as I get over this cold it's time to try again. there is fat-free milk at the store if you want it, and also magerquark and half-fat milk. You can get fat-free yogurt too. When you buy hackfleisch(rind) there is a mager version (mager=lean). I totally feel with you re the amount of fat in German cooking. An Austrian strudel has no fat but a German one has a pound of it!
Best phrase- Entschuldigung- Ich spreche kein Deutsche. Konnen Sie in Englisch sprechen? Danke schon.
That may help, but I have found it's easier to go the other way and say Mein Deutsche ist shreklich- konnen Sie sehr langsam und deutlich sprechen. Oder in Englisch, bitte?
Then hope they are of good-will or point. Have you thought of taking a class at a VHS?
As tough as it sounds, keep up with the workouts and they'll slowly get easier.
I guess Germans have their way of doing things. I remember taking German classes in high school and college, but I only remember bits and pieces.
My husband knows one sentence in German, "Do you have any sisters?" And he asks every German he meets that question. Then they answer him - for ten minutes - in German. He just smiles and walks away.
I did the shred today and it kicked my ass. Again. She's tough.
I love that workout video!!! Though I never make it the full 30 days. Gotta love Jillian!
I think I would find another German teacher. Is the finger an univeral language?
I am with you sister on the poundage thing. With the last 2 yrs since the nasty surgery, steroid meds, loss of muscle, unable to exercise- came weight gain. The doctors haven't even mentioned the pounds for the upcoming surgery, but I want to, just incase. I lost some over the holiday I hope I can keep going.
I wish I could cleanse, but was told I can't- boo hoo... Keep us posted my friend. xo
I called my ACTOR'S credit union to get a loan, they said they hesitate to give loans to actors b/c they don't work consistently. WTF?!!!
Would you believe me if I told you 'eat fat, lose fat'...if you eat the right fats and not the crap typically pushed in the states? Check out Weston A Price.
you sound like you had a tough week! I couldn't imagine living in Germany where you are.....they can be a cold bunch there....and I did often wonder what they really thought...sometimes you can feel the grudge. People usually replied to me in English, that's 1/2 the reason my German was so poor...they really liked to speak english...but i was young, then and my friends were young too.
Oh dear! What a time you are having right now. Maybe your teacher should stay far, far away during your cleanse ;-)
I need to get the shred. I am SO fat it is ridiculous.
I am sorry your german teacher is annoying. And I am sorry that no one rings your doorbell. Only little ten year old boys ring mine. No one with stimulating conversations : )
HI Kathy! Can you say "BEE POLLEN" I hope this time around it works for you. Take 2 and see if makes a difference.! LOve ya and keep up the good work and dont give up the wine...its in our blood...LOL-Karen
What a fun blog you have--love the random stuff!
Visiting you from SITS--have a wonderful day!
Rant away, indeed! :) I have never gotten past day 5 of the 30 day shred myself...
Lots of good random thoughts there.. we also had problems because I forgot to put our name on the mail box... so they returned all our mail! German teachers just love to torture... don't they!
When we moved in, I taped our names to the front of the box until the hausmeister could put them in the little space. Our neighbors ripped it off three times, until the husband wrote a letter asking them to stop- that we were waiting for the hausmeister.
I don't like your German teacher. She lies.
You're funny. The German teacher sounds like a pain in the butt!
I wonder if this German teacher is actually trying to be funny (and failing). If not she's just plain rude - in any language. And gosh, reading some of the comments here, on behalf of my fellow Europeans, I can only apologise.
Weight issues? Yep, been there, done that, and still working on it! :)
Good luck with your resolutions!! I loved your story about your teacher :)
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