Category Writing

Back in Bavaria

brilliantviewpoint Leave a comment

imageI love Munich. Many years ago, when my ex-husband was working for Siemens, he was given the opportunity to go on a one month assignment to Munich. We jumped at the chance. At that time our older daughter was 2 years old and I was working as a contractor, so we were mobile. What a great experience.

I don’t speak German, but that didn’t matter. Most people speak “some” English, so asking questions and getting around was not an issue. I remember going to Oktoberfest and being really surprised AND not in a good way. I thought Oktoberfest was like the inside of the Hofbräuhaus, instead it was a big outside Fair and the drinking imagewas done in tents and the weather was cold!

That’s Ok, it just wasn’t what I had visualized. There was a ferris wheel, different outdoor games, etc. I felt like I was at an American Fair. However, riding the train to Oktoberfest was fun, because people were dressed in their lederhosen and dirndles with the green hats and feathers. I took a photo today of this street singer dressed in tradtional Bavarian outfit.

It happens that my hotel has a view of the Hofbräuhaus. As I heard the singing, I remembered being in Munich for the World Cup in 2006.  All of the soccer players were coming in town from different countries, they had their jersey’s on and they were excited, the fans were too, so there was a lot of drinking and singing going on.

For those of you who don’t know much about the Bavarian dress, I took a picture of imagethis retail shop’s window, so you could see how the ladies would dress and what the men wear. I highly recommend a trip to Munich. It is so much fun and who knows, like me, ladies you might just go home with a dirndle. I’ve worn my dirndle to holiday cocktail parties many times. The guys would say I looked like a cute “Swedish girl.” So ladies, if you are single, dirndles are a good way to make conversation.

And men, “in Munich,” ALL guys wear ledershosen with bright colored shirts. You can do it too! Make sure you wear the red knee high socks with tassels. Am I scaring you yet?  You gotta dress the part AND don’t go on the ferris wheel if you’ve been drinking!

Be an Artist

brilliantviewpoint 1 Comment

imageThere seems to be an art craze going on right now. I am not an artist by trade, but I have always wanted to learn how to paint using water colors in particular. So, I was pleasantly surprised when a friend recently told me about a company called, “Corks and Canvas Events.”

Apparently the owners, Lisa Cryder and Stefanie Hare, came up with a great idea of combing painting with visiting different wineries and wine bars in the Seattle area. Visit their website and you’ll see you can choose a painting you’d like to paint and then find the date for that event. Art supplies, instructions and one glass of wine are included in the fee. You socialize with new people, learn how to paint and as they say, “go home with a masterpiece.”image

On another note, have you noticed that Adult coloring books are sprouting up everywhere? I don’t know how I missed that one. It seems like the coloring books have popped up over night. I noticed they are on all sorts of topics and you can choose to color in markers, colored pencils or crayons.

Somehow, I think my attention span might get a little bored with coloring… not sure. I think I would prefer putting a puzzle together or playing Canasta. Although, I’d have to freshen up on the rules of Canasta, I haven’t played in a long time.

The good news is, if you want to be an artist, you don’t have to sign up for a 6 week long art class to learn how to paint anymore. Just find a painting event in an area near you and “presto” you can be an artist in one night! Move over Picasso!

Museo Stibbert

brilliantviewpoint Leave a comment
image

Photo of the Museum Courtesy of www.Wikipedia.org.

Yesterday I heard the sound of a freight train and a sudden memory of being at my grandmother’s house in Italy flashed by. She lived close to the train tracks and in the middle of the night very loud freight trains would go by.  At first, it was annoying, but then it became a welcomed hum in the middle of the night. That sound is still a connection to Italy, the memory of “staying at Nonina’s house.”

Another fond memory of being at Nonina’s house was visiting the “Museum Stibbert.” Most people who have visited Florence, Italy do not know about this special museum. When my mother was young she spent many afternoons at the Stibbert gardens and going through the museum. She said that is where her love of travel and seeing the world came from.

Frederick Stibbert was fascinated by antiques, especially military armour (European, Islamic and Japanese), which he collected and staged in battle scenes. In the photo you can see how he staged the armour in life size form, so you could appreciate the armour and the men going into battle. It’s fantastic to see. Frederick spent a lot of time, thought and money into creating each individual room.

Visit the main website for Museo Stibbert where you can view more photos of the different rooms — you’ll be amazed. Frederick’s father was from England and his mother was from Florence. His father left him very wealthy, so that he could pursue his passion in life. When Frederick died in 1906 he left this museum to the city of Florence. They opened it for visitors in 1909.

Every tourist should have this on their list of sites to see when in Florence. Of course, I am partial to it, because it was about 10 minutes from my grandmother’s house, so I have many memories of visiting this museum and its gardens.

Here’s to special memories that come to us when we least expect them – this time it was the sound of a freight train.

image.jpg

Photo of the outside of the Museum courtesy of www.Wikipedia.org.

 

The traditional espresso machine…

brilliantviewpoint 4 Comments

imageLike a good Italian, I owned a Bialetti Moka Express that I bought in Italy. I say, “owned,” because like a good mother I gave my little espresso machine to my daughter when she went off to College.

Shopping for my new Bialetti felt like car shopping. You know what you want, but every store you go to doesn’t have the exact size, color, price, etc. It’s exhausting, but you are determined NOT to go home without the car, or in my case, the espresso machine.

My efforts were fruitless – no one had the Bialetti brand! I was frustrated and we know what happens when we get frustrated and tired.  YES, we make “wrong choices!” That is what happened to me.

I stumbled on an espresso machine called, “Forever.”  As I picked it up, every thing inside me was saying, “NO, you can’t do this!”  Keep shopping and find Bialetti, stick with Italian tradition, but laziness took over. I was done, no more shopping.

image

My “Forever” brand coffee maker.

In my defense, I “did” examine this Forever brand. On the outside, it appeared to “look” like the Baletti Moka Express. I unscrewed it, so I could see how it felt. I admit, it felt inferior like a “generic brand,” but I convinced myself that generic could be good and this machine was cheaper!  Why buy a Mercedes when you can just as easily get around town in a Honda, right?  It seemed so logical.

The reviews on Amazon say the “Forever” brand is fantastic! I am here to say that it has never worked 100% AND worse look at the discoloration of the coffee machine. Every time I made coffee I cringed and wondered if I was getting aluminum poisoning. Amazon says this is made in China. The Bialetti is still made in Italy.

SO….I went out and bought the Bialetti!  Why did I wait so long?  I don’t know!

I am so happy. I looked up to Heaven as the cashier was ringing me up and said, “Ok, Nonina, do you see?? I’m buying the Bialetti and I will have some biscotti in memory of you to celebrate our Italian tradition! I REALLY miss you!”

P.S. Just so you know, you NEVER use soap to clean your espresso machine. My goodness, my grandmother really yelped when I tried to clean her Moka Express with soap… she didn’t speak English, but it was clear to me from her huge eyes, quick hand movements and loud Italian voice that I was about to “ruin” the espresso machine. Phew, she stopped me in the nick of time.

P.S.S By the way, it is with sadness that I tell you that Mr. Bialetti died in February, 2016. Here is the article from the New York Times, February 20, 2016.  At the end of the article it says that his children cremated him and put his ashes in a large model of the Moka Express. It sounds like the genie in the bottle, right. Even better, if you were to rub the espresso machine, you’d be able to discuss your three wishes with Mr. Bialetti over an espresso. Brilliant plan!

Swedish Pancakes

brilliantviewpoint 3 Comments

imageToday I thought of my ex-father/n/law who is in heaven. He was 99 years old just shy of turning 100 when he passed away a few years ago!  He was from Germany and loved breakfast. His favorite place to go for pancakes was “The Original Pancake House.” We would often go every weekend after church. A family ritual for Opa. His favorite pancakes were the 49er pancakes. A nice memory.

Oh, and in case you are wondering HOW I ended up at The Swedish Club, it’s because I received an email from a Midwestern Meetup Group inviting fellow Midwesterners to come out and meet new people while enjoying some Swedish pancakes.

imageUnfortunately, due to tough parking, I was 30 minutes late. The line for being seated was so long that I was too shy to go through the line asking, “Are you a member of the Midwestern Meetup Group?”  It wasn’t going to happen. Maybe if I had had a megaphone and made a Midwestern joke, but I hadn’t been prepared for such a crowd.

Inside they had a small band with the members dressed in traditional Swedish costumes. It reminded me of being in Italy and Munich when the older generation gets up and they know all the ballroom dance steps. It was very nice and felt family oriented. Their traditional outfit style reminded me of pilgrims or the Amish. I wanted to take a picture to share with you, but I did not feel it was appropriate.

imageMore pancakes. I work with two Ukranian Technicians and their mother’s often make crepe style pancakes, but instead of making them sweet, they add chicken or a vegetable and roll it up. Last week one of them shared with me a chicken crepe. He told me when he was young his mother made a lot of dinner dishes using these thin pancakes.

So, here is to pancakes, memories of Opa, AND being open to new adventures!

Taking the Leap…

brilliantviewpoint 4 Comments

Years ago, someone introduced me to Grant Snider’s Blog, “Incidental Comics” where he had posted this comic on “Making the Leap.”

I was working in advertising sales when someone sent this comic to me. Sales is tough, and when we are afraid of rejection (customer saying, “No”) then we hold ourselves back. I shared this with my co-workers and we all smiled, this cartoon was right on point. What WAS holding us back?

We had to overcome our fear of customer rejection. Once we took the “leap,” we opened ourselves up to the “possibiltiy of a YES” and meeting new wonderful customers! AND in sales we have a joke that says, “One more “NO,” brings you closer to a “YES!” Anything in life that takes effort and takes us out of our comfort zone makes us pause and sometimes “over think” taking that leap of faith.

It is funny, isn’t it, that when we finally do take the leap we wonder WHY it took so long to get to that moment.

Whenever, I find myself questioning whether I can do something I think of this comic, review what stage I am at, and ask myself, “Are you ready to take the LEAP?”

How about you…. What goals/dreams (travel, writing, career change, buying a home, moving, starting a business, flying a plane, etc.) have YOU had on the back burner?

Maybe this is the year to take the LEAP!

image

Creative Commons License:  Incidental Comics by Grant Snider is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

 

Amazon’s 1st Bookstore Opens

brilliantviewpoint 4 Comments

imageAmazon opened its first bookstore last November 2015 in the Seattle area. For those of you who might not know this, Amazon’s headquarters is in Seattle. I am excited about this, because it means that bookstores will hopefully be making a “come back.”

Right now, this is their first bookstore, but from what I read in the Wall Street Journal they have plans to open more stores soon. Of couse, the employees at the Amazon Bookstore were saying this is the only store they have planned at this time.

The bookstore had a good selection of books, a nice layout for viewing the books and a great magazine collection. Oh, and I was pleasantly surprised to see they had a very large children’s section too.

They cleverly had some Kindles displayed on the book racks. As I don’t know much about the Kindle I gave it a try. I have mixed emotions on reading books “only” online. I miss the feel of a hardcover printed book, seeing the cover, turning the pages, etc. I know online reading is certainly great for traveling and at some point I will be a Kindle owner; but, for now, I am still holding out and reading the old fashioned way.

Judging from the amount of people in the bookstore they feel the same way. There were people of all ages in this store. It is very close to the University of Washington. I read so many other things online that having a “real printed book” feels like I have escaped from technology — I like that feeling!

Printed books still have their place in the world!  Hallelujah!

image

To my Asian friends…

brilliantviewpoint 7 Comments

imageTo my Asian friends, I’d like to say, “Happy Chinese New Year!” I wish you a healthy, happy and prosperous 2016!  I hope you receive a special red envelope too. Last year I had a friend who gave me a red envelope with a $1 inside and I do think it brought me luck. I smiled, because it was a gift I did not expect, so I felt included in the New Year’s celebration, which was wonderful! This year, at the suggestion of one of our Asian employees, our company went to a Chinese brunch to celebrate together. It was very nice — about 25 of us. A girlfriend of mine was invited for dumplings by her Asian yoga teacher.  So, thank you for including us in your celebration!

Here’s to a special 2016 for all of us!

Chinese Red Envelope

Chinese Red Envelope

 

Travel – 10.5 lb Backpack

brilliantviewpoint 1 Comment

imageIf you are taking a trip around the world, can you travel with only a 10.5 lb backpack? Tynan can and in his Blog “The 2016 Gear Post,” he shares how he does it.

I still don’t know exactly who he is; however, I have learned that he loves to travel around the world, he likes cruises, enjoys tea, has published some books, bought an Island with some friends, is trying to date, and has gotten his backpack for world travel down to 10.5 lbs. YES, he has done it.

Another interesting fact, for the past seven years to simply his life, he has gotten his clothing down to one t-shirt, one dress shirt, one pair of pants, two pair of underwear, one pair of shorts and a few pairs of socks. Now that is simplifying life.

In addition to sharing a clothing review, he shares a technology review on some interesting products I had not heard about, i.e. computer, phone, chargers, etc. Sounds like companies give him products to use and then he reviews them.

If you look at his post and see the photo of everything in his backpack it is hard to believe it is only 10.5 lbs. He’s got some good quality stuff there. I like his ideas.

Well, I agree with Tynan, the lighter the better. It’s easier on the back and shoulders and now with carry on space getting smaller on planes and checked in bags at 50 lbs and often the checked baggage gets lost, life is a lot easier if you just have it ALL in your backpack. However, I am not sure that I can get to 10.5 lbs yet, but as Rick Steve, TV travel host states in many of his books and shows, “If you need something you can always buy it at your destination.”

So, who is up for the 2016 Challenge of traveling on a 10-14 day trip, somewhere in the world, with a 10.5 lb backpack and sharing if it worked.

You will have to be rugged! Tynan says he brings his clothes in the shower, so he can clean them and ladies there will be no extra room for fancy shoes, hair spray, fashion accessories, etc. Time to be a tomboy!

I can already see my Italian mother with her accent saying, “What has happened to you, why are you dressed like that? Where is your scarf, earrings and lipstick? Go home and change…” THAT was a famous line of hers, “Go home and change.”

Mom – It’s 2016!