Uhh…so last night some genius called the family eccentric………..so I had to think of what eccentric means to me….cuz to be honest the family is not eccentric………uhhhhh….MIchael Jackson is eccentric….he owns monkeys and is friends with Liz Taylor…(flicka)……uhhhhh…..80 year old guys with 48 year old skinny girlfriends who wear white suits and drink scotch in a wine glass might be considered eccentric….
me……..american who hates yanks……..not quite eccentric….
Matt…aussie who likes boomerangs and never hits with German girls…
Kat…..uhhhhhhhhh….drinks too much….
Dad….Brit lost in Deutschland….yeah ok…Dad’s eccentric…..”I have three stripes on  my sleeve and that guy has 4….yeah…that might be eccentric….

Here’s some pics from last Monday’s Cat Empire show….

Of course I know who Samuel Longhorn Clemens is…..did I spell Clemens right????

My hourly update on my blog didn’t ever happen did it??? Oh well…fams came over and watched Spaced which is a brilliant British series I must say…Favorite line from the movie
“They say friends are the family of the 21st century not relatives…”
Good Quote…I think most of my friends here are sort of like me. No family in Germany, not much of a safety net. We sort of our each others family. I’m thankful for them.
Same guys in that show as in Shaun of the Dead and the new cop movie coming out (name escapes me).

Sunday morning…it’s Fasching (Carnival) right now. Yesterday in Romerplatz (100 m from here) they were singing German songs (probably about beer) and wearing funny costumes…I wake up this morning and I see there there are 3 ambulances down below my balcony with about 20 paramedics just milling about…I’m guessing they’re there for the drunk people that will be showing up soon…I’ve heard stories of people waking up drunk in a park somewhere during this time…unfortunately for them it’s often cold in February here so they may be frostbitten…The story came from a paramedic originally so it must be true.

The weather here is beautiful right now…I was here last February and it was about -5C with 100kmph wind gusts…(sorry for making people in the states do math right now).
The sun is shining and I have my door open at 9:30am.
There will be a parade today somewhere around here….I see old women wearing cat ears, and lots of guys in pirate costumes….

I love this country!!!!

Update….there’s now about 50 paramedics and 12 ambulances….it’s almost 11am.
The ambulances are parked where the Asian tourist buses normally park……

12PM….
Ambulances are still there, but paramedics seemed to have dissipated…Cops have started arriving now as well….I do like German cops they seem to not be so serious all the time…They actually will talk to you and will have a laugh with the drunk people…
There are random people in costumes carrying around stereos and dancing….There are random cars/vans driving down the street with loudspeakers playing dance music….The church bells are ringing right now….Catholic holidays rock….every drunken festival in Germany is celebrating something to do with a church or religion….

A bonus entry…thanks Matt

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby
English will be the official language of the European Union rather than
German, which was the other possibility.
As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that
English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-
year phase-in plan that would become known as “Euro-English”.
In the first year, “s” will replace the soft “c”. Sertainly, this will
make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard “c” will be dropped in
favour of “k”. This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have
one less letter. There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond
year when the troublesome “ph” will be replaced with “f”. This will make
words like fotograf 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted
to reach the stage where! more komplikated changes are possible.
Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have
always ben a deterent to akurate speling.
Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent “e” in the languag
is disgrasful and it should go away.
By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as
replasing “th” with “z” and “w” with “v”.
During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary “o” kan be dropd from vordskontaining
“ou” and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensi bl riten styl.
Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu
understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.
Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in
ze forst plas.

English is a Germanic language.
Speaking German in pig latin is fun!

I think I actually had a spring in my step this morning….it was rather spring like, and I was happy…the winter nights are definitely longer and darker than at home…but I guess the summer nights are longer…we must be further north than Oregon eh….It was light when I went to work and light when I went home…I have Friday through Wednesday off this week and next…so many vacation days to use….so little time…

I’m pretty sure that Staten Island is right next to Pyongyang…Geographically challenged yanqui that I am.

Pyongyang.

OK because the families blogs and I are all about ego..

Here’s some quotes about me from other peoples blogs and/or emails…these are all taken out of context…but honestly I don’t think it matters…unedited….
at least I know how to spell sleazy…

dad (Once described as “Random old timer likes to talk about the war. Doesn’t say much but doesn’t need to, exudes wisdom. Likes midgets, Works for UBS, drinks like a fish”.) : “i mean, squires is a sleezy bastard as well. but at least he’s a fun sleezy bastard.”

Kat: “it is a bit creepy but definitely not squires kind of “old sweaty overweight man breathing hard to brazilian young boy’s porn” kind of creepy. THAT’S squires’ creepy.”

Matt: “even chicks don’t drink rosé”.

I also have to add that Kat’s comment is merely a metaphor…I have no interest in young Brazilian boys, nor am I an old sweaty overweight man….WAIT A MINUTE!!! allright maybe a middle ages, slightly perspiring, mildly obese man….OK whatever….still a metaphor…
am I going to have to edit this later….

I’m bordering on proud to say that I know the difference between Vin Diesel and the Rock….

Apparently if you burn those tall candles in little glass candle holders and you let them burn to the end the glass candle holders break….Why does no one tell me this stuff?

Cypress Hill, Wesley Willis, Region 1 DVD player (yes!!!). Self proclaimed movie buffs, being asked what I looked like as a child.

Today an only child told me she knew I was an only child because I was so egotistical. I’m not sure how to take that, but Thanks! That was the highlight of my day.

Bunny rabbits and feelings!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Every Sunday I go to the same starbucks near the old Stock Exchange and sit at the same table outside with the best view of the Bull and Bear statues. The tourists all flock here and do the same poses… They all grab the bull by the horns as they’re posing for pics, and if they have kids they put them on top of the bear.

Sometimes people are alone, and I have to admit I do like travelling that way…When I first came to Frankfurt I wandered the city alone. It’s a good way to travel…Open for anything, no commitments to be anywhere or keep anyone else happy. The only drawback is that you have to take pictures of sights, but you aren’t in them…unless you stick your arm out and take a funny picture of your head with the attraction behind you…I don’t see people do that much here…

here’s a link for a great Frankfurt gallery…http://www.pbase.com/ralf/frankfurt&page=all

Today is my mom’s birthday…ooops….I forgot….HI MOM!!!! Happy birthday. Hope it’s the best one ever!

Family is (Matt, Kat, Pops) are talking about hitting Prague soon. Not expensive to rent a car and go for the weekend. I’m excited for that.
Also might visiting London next month. Matt is going for a few days and if I go with we have a free place to stay.
So far I haven’t travelled much of anywhere…that’s a shame. In Europe and wasting my days…

Going to see a movie today…The Prestige…Should be good. I haven’t been to a movie lately…Sunday afternoon are a great time for a movie since noone’s ever at the cinema.

OK So I’m not sure I ever posted these links, but if you have a decent connection watch these you tube clips…This guy is one of my favourite things about Frankfurt. Bizarre random street performers….I know 4 of the 5 songs here, but can anyone please tell me what the second song is?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dkRv3HDcx5A
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FK6-Fx39te8
http://youtube.com/watch?v=x1ubzDONKdk
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XXdnjritCsc&mode=related&search=
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zwU6CxpQcqs&mode=related&search=
of course the clips don’t do him justice…it’s really the reaction of the people that walk by that aren’t paying attention and that moment that he screams and they stop their conversations and start laughing at him that make it all worthwhile…

A conversation from Friday night….(as told by Kat and Matt)
Joe (talking to random person at Irish): What do you do in Frankfurt?
Random Person: I’m a biology Student
Joe (turning back on biology student to talk to Kat): Quick!!! What do you know about Biology?
Kat (turns to Matt): What do we know about Biology?
Matt: …
Joe (Loud enough to make sure the whole bar hears me): SINGLE CELLED ORGANISMS!!!!

We made the official web page of our local pub…I’m pretty sure I could sue in the states. This is from New Years…I got called an ozzie…psshaawwww.
http://gallery.yours-bars.de/album05