See London

I feel the need to post something, but it’s going to be really half-assed. I’m still without a computer and still no proper Internet.

This is my life at the moment: broken toe, blown out ear due to a soft gun being shot at it, and my iPhone was MIA for the entire day after a 14 year old changed the language to Japanese and put a passcode on it - but not before harrassing my best friend by posting “fucking Hungarian” in Hungarian all over his facebook wall.

Remember that time I spent my days with the rich and famous? Yeah. That was awesome.

Oh and if you’re wondering about the sheep at the top, I went to the country on Monday for 20 minutes and played with sheep. No big deal.

Ps- no word of the say today bc I’m too lazy to double check the spelling right now and I was accosted by a german for spelling one of my words wrong. You know who you are.

22 Mai 2010: post-holiday blues have been following me pretty hard. Feeling slightly down about being back in Hamburg, my friend Sara and I went for Eis and some shopping. As she was trying stuff on in Zara, I decided to wait outside when I notice that the shop directly across from me is called Budapester Scheue. Oh. Okay. Then today, one of the kids goes off to the shop to buy us chips for the Champions League match and cones back with these. In case you’re wondering, “Ungarish” means Hungarian in German. Okay. I get it god/Allah/Spagehtti Monster. Sadly there’s nothing I can do about it right now.

Challenge of the Day: My 7 year old PowerBook G4 died yesterday. I imagine this will be a challenge everyday for a while. Also it’ll be my excuse if I miss a day of posting. iPhone posting’s a bitch.

German Word of the Day: kaput - broken, as in what both my computer and heart* are.

*in reference to the Champions League Final which will not be mentioned more than this.

17-20 Mai 2010: Here’s a list of things I love about Budapest:

• Everything.

• Nothing

Challenge of the Week: 1) The weather was shit every day except Wednesday when it was still freezing, but at least there was some sun. Being a tourist in inclimate weather is not ideal. b) You would think language barriers would be a huge issue considering the Hungarian I know is so limited we can barely call it beginner, but I had no problem communicating through English, though now being back in Germany, I’ve already found myself saying “koszi” instead of “danke” three times. It’s time to get my brain back to German-mode.

Hungarian Word of the Week: Szeretlek - I love you. Second to kuss, my favourite Hungarian word.

16 Mai 2010: Hungary weather has not been kind to me. I can’t even remember what it’s like to be dry and warm. My friend’s theory is that the city’s trying to recreate when we lived in London together - I wish it wouldn’t.

I was on my own for most of yesterday as it’s exams week here in B’pest and all my friends are busy being good students. I didn’t want to waste the day sitting in my friend’s flat (which I may or may not be currently doing), so I embarked on the warmest touristy thing I could think of: bus tour. Note: this is not how I normally travel. I think the last time I did a bus tour was five years ago in New York because a friend was visiting and she wanted to. I hid my face in shame. But, I will say this time it was a good life choice. I was warm and dry which was the ultimate goal, and I got better barrings on the city’s layout. When I was here last year, I really didn’t do any sightseeing - or at least not the sights you’d find in Foders. Budapest really is a gorgeous city from a tourists perspective.

Then there’s the “real” B’pest. The one that begins at 10 and is a hipsters dream. Szimpla - I’m struggling to find the proper way to describe this place, so here’s a little list of what you can find: old bathtubs refurbished to couches, an empty fishtank with a “fish wanted” sign, plastic tubes hanging from the celing a la Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, gutted communist cars graffitied and with a table stuck in the middle, etcetc. As I said, hipster’s dream.

Hungarian Word of the Day: kuss (pronouced like the Rosie O’Donnel endorsed Koosh balls) - shut up. This is my personal kedvence Hungarian word and I have a cipywritten hand motion that must always accompany it.

Judging by an influx of followers, I’m guessing theawesomefrogman posted my pitch. So, welcome! You have met ne at a weird time in my life. Jk not really. Just always wanted to say that in context. But, the format is a bit muddled at the moment because of being on holiday. Stay tuned for the regularly scheduled progamme.

clondon:

BFFs reunited.

I hve successfully made it to Budapest despite a horrid fever. Naturally it’s raining here like crazy, but I did manage to hit up a Market place (which screams soviet times), a muesum fair, and a half assed trip to the castle. Tomorrow I’m on my own as my friend is working, so I think I’ll be a proper tourist and do a bus tour…and maybe sit in Starbucks for a few hours. Oh wait. They have none here.

the little Hungarian I know is coming back to me and I was even able to read a poster on the metro. High five! In that advert was r Hungarian Word of The Day: kedvenc - favourite.

10 Mai 2010; 20:03: On occasion I like to pretend I’m an old Egyptian slave and build pyramids. There isn’t much difference - they got whipped by young pharaohs, I get whipped by young Germans. I kid I kid. No whipping. Just the occasional “stupid!”

Challenge of the Day: Bread here is an intense ordeal. You don’t go into Grestedes or Stop ‘N Shop, go to the bread aisle and choose between wheat, white, or potato. No, you go to Dat Backhus and ask for specific breads, some of which are only available certain days of the week because they have to be prepared on a Monday and baked on a Tuesday. If you’re not sure of what type you’d like, the generic “graues Brot” (grey bread) may suffice. In my case it only barely sufficed. Cue me stumbling over my prepared German dialogue attempting to properly answer the questions being fired my way. If it’s not obvious that I’m foreign, it’s very obvious that my IQ is ranging in the handicapped sector.

German Word of the Day: Biber - beaver, because I’m currently not watching a programme about beavers on German TV.

7-9 Mai 2010: Quarantine. You know how there are some words you just remember where and when you learnt them? Quarantine is one of them for me. We can attribute this addition to my vocabulary to a very prominent episode of Salute Your Shorts where cabin by cabin everyone was succumbing to poison ivy. Sadly my quarantine has not been as sitcom worthy - it’s been me. In my room. Pot of tea on one side of me. Non-functioning Internet on the other. I was only conscious for 15% of yesterday and the day before, so the lack of Internet wasn’t much of an issue.

I have been getting a lot of reading done in my newest venture The Year Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs, which is an interesting journey for an agnostic (possibly atheist) like me. Jacobs, a secular Jew, attempts to live a year taking the Bible as literally as he can work out to do. Obviously shenanigans ensue. That’s the most prolific I can describe it in my current clouded-mindedness. I’m a bit more than halfway through, and I recommend it to all - religious or not.

German Word of the Day(s): Mutter - mother, in honour of Mutti’s Tag!

Happy Mother’s Day to one rad Mutti! Ich liebe dich.

5 Mai 2010; 11.37: The day began with a trip to Hamburg’s art museum. I’m a sucker for museums, frequenting the Met and Natural History regularly. Kunsthalle Hamburg currently has the Pop Life exhibit that I missed at the Tate Modern last year - complete with Koonz, Warhol, Hirst, etc. Also there was this dead horse with the acronym “INRI” stuck in it by Maurizio Cattelan. I suppose you can say this is beating a dead pretentious horse, but I for one eat up self-indulgent contemporary art. I suppose that puts me in the arrogant pretension category, but that’s news to no one.

Challenge of the Day: Not spending any more money on these FIFA stickers. I failed today’s challenge.

German Word of the Day: Self-righteous - selbstgerecht.

4 Mai 2010; 11.37: A great deal of my day was spent unwrapping, peeling, and sticking FIFA World Cup 2010 stickers into an official FIFA Sticker Buch. I wish I could say that this was for children, but alas, it was my own doing, for my own enjoyment. Hey, I can’t help it if I’m a sucker for licened football memorabilia and get slightly addicted to collecting, and the gambling nature of spending 60 cents on a packet which may or may not have the player you need. For the record, I bought 20 packets and only got 4 England players, 3 German players (my husband Philipp Lahm being one of them), and 2 USA players. But don’t you fret, I have almost the complete Ghana team.

Challenge of the Day: An illness has been making it’s way around the house starting with the middle child and housekeeper, and has now spread to the eldest, and possibly me as well. Though, it is better that we get sick this week as next week he’s off to Asia with the parentals for 10 days and I’m off to Budapest to reunite with my best friend in the entire world whom I haven’t seen in over a year. Dear sickness, have your way with me now so as I can be full of health and 10 lbs lighter by next Friday. kdanketschüss.

German Word of the Day: Sucht - addiction, what I already have to these football stickers.

I skipped yesterday because it was Sunday and Sunday is god’s day. jkjk It’s because I was lazy. This week’s time is 11.37.

3 Mai 2010; 11.37: I went on a mad hunt for a rain jacket today, and came up unsuccessful. But, there was a glorious set up for the Paul Smith bags I’ve been lusting over at Alsterhaus (think: Nordstrom). I was also able to snag myself a dress that I wanted to get months ago in America, but it was $45 which just seems a bit much for H&M. But, today, I saw one. Just one. On sale. 15€. My size. Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

Challenge of the Day: Less a challenge and more a White Whine - The Urban Outfitters here is horrible. It’s about 1/8th the size of any other Urban I’ve been in, and 1/2 of it is their “designer” schieße, which is just Fred Perry sweaters for 250€. Yeah, okay, Urban. That’s going to happen never. The deciding factor which brought me to Hamburg was that it had an Urban, and it turns out to be a massive disappointment for my heart - but not for my wallet. My wallet’s actually pretty stoked that I couldn’t find anything I liked.

German Word of the Day: brauchen - to need, not to be confused with möchte - to want.

01 Mai 2010; 15.23: At 3.23pm I was enjoying the melodious tunes of my all time favourite band, The Beatles when I passed a sunglass shop using their likeness to sell Ray-Bans. As someone who loves Ray-Bans almost equally to my love of The Beatles (slight exaggeration), I was quite pleased. Now at 5.23am I have just returned home and have the loud beats of house/trance/electro/techno/whateverthefickyouwanttocallitbecauseitsallthesame pounding in my head. It wasn’t my first experience in a Real European Club, but they never cease to be interesting. I’m a Brit indie rock girl. I will never understand how people can tell the difference from what I see as four hours of the same song. A stranger called me “so American” because I can’t “appreciate” electronic music. Hey, if that makes me American, fine. I’ll take it.

Challenge of the Day: I have nothing against dogs, per se. What I do have something against is lack of leash laws. I’m sorry I screamed when I noticed your dog bolting straight for me with his teeth showing. Saying “it’s just a small animal” (in German) doesn’t help anything, either. Sure he’s small, but when Wishbone’s newest story is about the time he bit my ankle clear off, we’re going to have some problems, old man.

German Word of the Day: Kopfschmerzen - headache, what I have right now from the club and also from trying to pronounce “Kopfschmerzen.”

30 April 2010; 15:23: Oh, you know. Just making hot chocolate the old fashioned way. It was a perfekt day for hot chocolate - cold, dreary, grey - a stark comparison to yesterday which was summer weather. Hamburg is a fickle place.

Challenge of the Day: You know what’s really hard? Trying to buy a deep conditioner when all the labels are in German.

German Word of the Day: erzählen - story, as in: cool erzählen, bro, as in this entire post.

This half-assed post brought to you by Chelsea’s laziness and the letter K.