Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening! Off-topic Thread

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

Following a great discussion elsewhere in the Community Center started by @Annette33, there appears to be quite a lot of support for a dedicated off-topic thread where we can chat together and go off-topic. 🙂

With this in mind, I thought to begin with I would start this thread, where we can live a little more in the moment! My thinking is that when we are here in the CC, we can say hello or good morning (this could be at different times of the day, due to our timezones) to one another to let each other know we are here, and in general share more informal conversation between each other. This could be discussing what we are doing this week or even what we are planning on having for lunch...

If there is a particular discussion which is particular popular for example pets, we might want to make it into a new topic completely, so that we can make it easier for others to join in and carry on in the future. 

Exciting times! Enjoy. 

Lizzie

[Andrea9]

I noticed yesterday how completely Airbnb-warped my mind has become.

Visited a friend staying in the city for work in her hotel room (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear you all thinking - unbooked and unregistered guest on premises!). Double my room price, and the room was on top floor with slightly slanted wall, so appeared even smaller. I used the bathroom and was really surprised, no - schocked, or actually - horrified at the condition of the bathroom and could only think of what low star-rating guests would give an Airbnb host:

There was ugly brown-orange discoloration of parts of tile grout in shower,

cracked and very unsightly marble or other material or the little step to separate shower and floor,

as well as other discolored and or cracked parts.

And am sure I would have found more if I'd decided to look...

It wouldn't surprise me if one day hotels would advertise their establishments with 'high standard, just like an Airbnb stay'   ;D

Happy day, y'all!

[Annette33]

@Andrea9 , do I see an extensive grouting job in your future? 

[Andrea9]

@Annette33

MY grout is in wonderful condition and I think I'll retain my other jobs 🙂

[Lizzie]

Morning everyone! (Well at least here in the UK) @Annette33, @Alice-and-Jeff0, @J-Renato0, @Andrea9, @Rachael26, @Robin4, @Cormac0, @Marit-Anne0, @Robin129 and @Boo1, 

Aw this is funny @Andrea9, I am very relieved to hear your grouting is in such good condition! hehe 🙂

What are you up to for the rest of the day/week?

[Robin129]

Good morning from West Virginia, United States! 

I spent yesterday arranging the front porch furniture, cleaning the front yard, and adding a photo to my listing. Here, in West Virginia (WV) yesterday was almost 80* F (26* C) and yet by tonight will be down in the 30's (-1 C). Monday we expect a return to 80* (26* C).

I hope to continue some interior painting and get a print ad in a WV monthly publication targeted to tourists.  A picture of my Boxers, Jack and Gracie.

[Robin4]

@Andrea9 @Lizzie Hey Andrea it's called 'character' and I just love character We stayed in a hotel room in Rome (The hotel Martini) where the shower cubicle was so small I could not fit between the shower doors when they were open. Now I am big but not huge, I weigh less than 100 Kgs so although overweight I am certainly not morbidly obese! When the shower screen was fully open my shoe would not fit between the door opening!!

Seeing as we are into a bit of trivia here Andrea, I am rather proud of my Fathers Day card. My eldest daughter Sarah was 4 when this card was purchased and she first wrote on it! She is now 43! the card is looking a bit 'doggy eared' and has been stuck together at one stage with a bit of cellophane, but this card is one of my most treasured posessions.

Every year I look forward to the card being dusted off, another year added and being presented to me. There is more significance in this card than anything you can possibly buy in a card shop these days. The only year we missed was Fathers Day 1999 when we were overseas.

Something else, I did a post to @Helga about the construction of our house and I included this photo....

I mentioned how the couple who built this house spent 18 months hand chipping the stone with a combing hammer but I neglected to tell Helga to look closely at that image! There in the middle of it is the combing hammer that they used!!.....

Tell us some more Andrea, I have a feeling yours is a life well lived, and I would love to know some more of it!!

Cheers......Rob

[Andrea9]

Hey @Robin4, long time no hear!

And I love character of old houses too! (but  what this hotel room bathroom had wasn't character. It needed sprucing up badly.)

But that's what I meant when I said that my mind has become Airbnb(review) warped. I can't look at anything not fully perfect without imagining the less than 5 stars, haha!

Rob, I love that birthday card! What a beautiful idea having it updated every year - very special.

I'd seen the picture of the wall you had posted to Helga with the story of the wife of that former owner who had visited you once. 

I think it is a wonderful solution for giving history an honored place in a renovated contemporary home.

Yes, I guess you could say mine's a life well lived 🙂

In a nutshell:

Born in the lovely provincial city of Freiburg in the Black Forest which is close to the borders to France and Switzerland.

Very soon after, my parents moved to a spa town for 2 years to run their bed&breakfast. I only realized last year when I came across one of the old historical hangers with 'Hotel Garni" on it, that hosting is in my genes kind of. It got to be too much for the young marriage, so they sold it and moved back to Freiburg.

Not long after they packed their things and moved to the South Shore area of Montreal, Canada where my father re-invented himself as beef cow farmer. So I grew up as a farm girl for 12 yrs through highschool; I really hated those cows though...

We all moved back to Germany and I started an apprenticeship as administrative clerk for industry (as opposed to wholesale) - it's a German thing.

My parents went back to Canada after a year and a half, and against my parents wishes I decided to continue my life in Germany.

Worked for a number of years in different jobs in the general area there before discovering a great love: contemporary jewelry, all it's materials, and how the making of it can make one's soul sing. Took courses for a couple of years and was hooked.

I moved to Berlin for a year where I worked alongside doing an internship with a jeweler.

Moved to a smaller city outside of Frankfurt where I attended a jewelry school for a year.

Then moved to Amsterdam to study jewelry art&design and never left.

🙂

[Annette33]

oh, @Andrea9 , now you're getting real close to my home town! Where close to Frankfurt did you live? I am from Marburg, 100 km to the north of Frankfurt. Did you ever make it up to there?

[Andrea9]

@Annette33 - you're from Germany, that's interesting!

I was in Hanau at the Zeichenakademie. Never really felt at home in Hanau. As if people on the street couldn't look you straight in the eye. Maybe it was just me after Berlin...

I was only in Marburg for not even a day a looooooooong time ago. Went to see a vacation crush in his environment, but the shine had faded. So bye-bye Marburg!

[Annette33]

hahah, that makes sense... I hear repeatedly now  from people that Berlin is THE happening place in (central) Europe. I was there last when the wall was still up, got together with my East German pen pal in East Berlin for the day. It was not a pleasant experience.

[Andrea9]

I was there 1992-93 when the wall had already been taken down but you were still able to easily distinguish the former GDR side from the West. Walking on a street with white gas lighting and turning into a street with very yellowish gas lighting. Or the public clocks. The old GDR were white face/black hands and lines, the West ones can't quite remember - white/blue maybe.

Every time the S-Bahn crossed the former East/West border the lights flickered on and off - different electrical systems. During the first weeks I couldn't understand why my perfect-time alarm clock kept jumping ahead by about a minute a day. Turns out the former GDR electic system was a bit faster.

So much interesting grunge everywhere, and creativity out of the grunge. I thrived as a creative and learned to see and appreciate the beauty in it. A great time to have been there! And the glorious house parties in strange abandoned buildings till early morning hours. Not that I miss those days, but it was a hell of a good time!

The now super slick Prenzlauerberg, teaming with bearded hipsters was starting to get traction on the hip factor but also still had that lovely grungey underbelly, many artists, loads of Off-Off theater and exhibitions.

A lot of the houses were in a style I wasn't able to identify. Turns out the balconies had become safety hazards and were thus  simply knocked off.

Always thought I'd end up in Berlin after my studies. Just goes to show how life can surprise you!

How you end up in Arizona? and do you ever miss GER?

[Annette33]

So I left Germany 3 days after passing the bar exam, just with my backpack and 3 German friends whom I had convinced to travel through South America with me. Eventually they went back home, but I "hopped" from Columbia or Peru or wherever I last was,  on a plane to Miami, Florida  to look up an old boyfriend of mine in Fla.  - and the powers be  let me in! Even though I didn't have a return ticket to anywhere, they gave me a 3 month permit stamp into my German passport . I then "infiltrated the system", started school at the University of Florida for another degree I didn't need, eventually married that boyfriend, also  became a US citizen . Fast forward to some years after divorcing that boyfriend: when I turned 50, I gave myself a birthday present -  I decided that I had enough of Florida, my kids were off to college, I am gonna live my life now! So I went out west, by myself, no clear plan, just the old wanderlust...I picked Taos, New Mexico as my destination. Art community, secluded, high up in the mountains -  all fell into place, I  started a very successful business, met a great guy, got remarried. After selling the biz, we decided it was time for another move, so we came to Arizona, that was almost two years ago. It is a general misconception that all of Arizona is hot desert like Phoenix. (yukk Phoenix..)  Wrong! We are at 5500 feet altitude, mountains around us, think Grand Canyon - which is 2 hours north of us. Love the American Southwest - now we are  heavily into Petroglyph explorations and discoveries, off to Utah again in a few weeks to do more of that.

[Andrea9]

What an adventure Annette! Always fascinating for me to hear others' life stories, how they got from A to B and so on till where they are now. It's the unexpected changes of location or calling, the following of a gut feeling, or as you say 'I'm just gonna live my life now'!

I've had the fortune of being able to go to the Grand Canyon twice in the course of road trips, so I did notice the difference in elevation and good-bye sticky heat. I loved the stretch of forest which the route passes through northwards about an hour or so before reaching the Grand Canyon.

The American Southwest captured me both times too. Probably good I'm happy where I am and too complicated for me here to even think of settling there!

Petroglyph exploration and discovery  is something (pretty much) unheard of here. Goes to show how much a country is shaped and formed by its history. Sounds like a stimulating and satisfying activity as good as or almost as good as panning for gold!

Well, high time now to call it a day this side of the pond.

[Lizzie]

Good afternoon!! 🙂

@Andrea9, @Annette33 and @Robin4, it is so interesting hearing about your life stories, it is quite an incredible read and I am fascinated. 🙂 Do you think you will have many more moves ahead of you?

Robin, have you alway lived in Mount Barker? 

@Robin129, sounds like you are having some good weather at the moment! I have to say, here in London today it is beautiful, definitely a day for being in the park or by the river. It feels like summer is on its way and that makes Londoners extremely happy! We are currently on about 17c/62f here today, so pretty tropical!! 🙂

Any nice plans for the weekend?