Mea culpa, mea culpa

mea cul·pa

noun
\ˌmā-ə-ˈku̇l-pə, ˌmā-ä-, -ˈku̇l-(ˌ)pä\

Definition of MEA CULPA: a formal acknowledgment of personal fault or error

Examples of MEA CULPA

1. The mayor's public mea culpa didn't satisfy his critics.

Origin of MEA CULPA

Latin, through my fault

First Known Use: 1602

*thanks to Dictionary.com for the definition
                                                                                                                      
I haven't been around the blogosphere for a while...and I am not sure that I have any good excuses or reasons.  I respect you more as readers than to insult you with fluff-I have just had a very bad case of blogger's block mixed in with a tinge of laziness.  That's it.  Then as the time got longer and more stretched out, I started to stress about how to get back into the swing of things.  I have therefore decided just to dive back in...so here goes...

I have a lot of things to show you that the Hub and I have been up to, and beautiful Fall has arrived in Munich.  So, I am hoping to win back your readership and that you really will continue to visit.

Starting with the next post, I will do a quick "camera/cell phone dump" to get myself up to speed..and then back to blogging as usual.  I am glad to be back and look forward to sharing some nifty Munich things with you soon.

Chirp, chirp.....

In my not so distant past life, I was a District Manager for a major kitchen and home retailer.  I had 10 stores in 3 states and 2 time zones.....so the weekly conference call was an important way to get the same message across to all of my stores and management teams.  But, I never wanted it to be a one-way call.  Ideas and inspiration from the stores was something that I was always looking for.

During a call, when I would ask a question, for status, or just input there would some times be silence.  I would say, okay crickets...someone needs to give me something here.  That's when the participants would stop writing the schedule for the next week or filing their nails or eating their lunch that they pushed off until the conference call time slot and again become a part of the call.

So now I say to you.....okay crickets...I have noticed that you haven't been commenting lately...tell me what you want to hear about (or don't want to hear about!)...if I have been writing about traveling too much or haven't been posting enough...let me know. If you want more pictures or fewer pictures or more words or fewer words...let me know. In several posts I have asked questions thinking you might respond and also because I am really interested in what you think.  

If you lurk about reading and haven't signed up as a follower yet, please know that here, following is a good thing! And, your comments can be left too-just leave me a signature to let me know you stopped by and what you are interested in knowing!

Give me some feedback-I definitely don't want to make this a one way conversation, although the nature of a blog is somewhat one way directionally...but I am interested in blogging about what you want to hear about!  Let me be your ace reporter if I can.  Looking forward to hearing what you want to know about!  Thanks, in advance to you all, dear readers!

Munich revisited

So..............

You have probably noticed that the blog has taken on a traveling reference as of late...when I started to write down what was happening in my new life in Munich, I was understandably all consumed with our  life here.  It is a fact that I didn't leave Munich much last year at all.  I didn't go back to the States with the Hub when he passed through for work, nor did I go home on my own.  I had Bailey the Dog to take care of, and learning German and how to get through my days here was adventure enough for me. I was in Germany (or close) from April through mid-December. Christmas break was the first time that we packed Bailey up and took her to the Hund Hotel for a week and I left Munich for any days strung together.

I have now been here for one year!  My official arrival anniversary was April 4th.  Last year and this year that was Easter weekend.  A year ago on that weekend, I woke up to a new city, a new language and no job... I didn't have any clue about the adventure that was ahead of me.  It has been absolutely wonderful.  I have enjoyed so much about the ex-pat life and what I found challenging, I made sure I learned something from the experience.

This year on April 4th we were in Thailand.  How things have changed!  We are now a petless couple and can pick up and leave at a moment's notice.  It still feels strange and I miss her everyday. But Bailey's gift to me was helping me get through that crucial first year-and I feel so fortunate to have had that time with my girl. 

We are back to the normalcy (what there is of it!) of our every day lives here.  I continue to find my way as best I can, am planning on getting back into Language School soon, and find others here to befriend who are in the same boat as we are. We will travel as much as we can this year, and for that I am both excited and apologetic...but I promise to keep the Munich alive on this blog.  I mean, really, there is so much that is funny or interesting that goes on around me or happens to me-the blog will not completely turn travel oriented.  But I do appreciate the flexibility that you all have afforded me.  Please continue to read and share the journey...no matter where it takes us, ok?

In that spirit, here are some funny things I have spotted around Munich in the past few months and have been storing up and waiting to share with you.  In no particular order, of course...

Back to your regularly scheduled pretzel.....

Bloggus Interruptus

We interrupt this blog with a very important message........

UGH! My computer is acting up and not allowing me to log on.  Hang on original 10+2 (yay!)....the Hub and I are working on it and I hope that I will be up and blogging again soon. Thanks for your understanding.

Did I mention...UGH!

**EDIT: well, happily the computer is now bug free, but I am not. Am sick in the bed...will try to push out an entry or two between cups of tea.....blech....**

A pretzel a day's Top Ten List

Ok, so I am copying Letterman's Top Ten list, but I wanted to celebrate the fact that I have 10 readers who are actually following my blog and have stepped up and and signed in!  I am so excited and completely humbled by this-you guys are great!

So, here is the Pretzel Top Ten list for February, 2010:

Top Ten Reasons that I like writing my blog

10)  You give me a reason to get out every day and explore.
 9)    I get to tell someone the funny things that happen to me.
 8)    Sharing my photos from places far and near.
 7)    Hearing your thoughts and experiences in the comments
                   you leave.
 6)    The hub would go batty with the minutiae of my days.
 5)    You get me, you really get me!
 4)    Seeing is believing.
 3)    Pretzels, people...I get to eat a lot of them and not feel
                   a bit guilty!
 2)    It gives me an excuse for time on the computer...
                    uh, doing research..yeah, that's it!   
 1)    Maybe I will entice one or more of you to come to visit.

So, to the wonderful, beautiful, intelligent 10, thank you!  If you haven't signed in, I invite you to follow...being a follower is not a bad thing here...no matter if you do or not, I am glad that you are here and hope that you decide to stay a while and visit often.  Prost!