Surgery

I know there are not a lot of people reading this and that's fine, I am not a constant blogger and this is more for fun than anything else. But if you are reading this anytime between now and thursday next week, could you please include my family in your thoughts and prayers.

My daughter has a small hole in her heart and needs open-heart surgery next week. I am dying every day a little more thinking about it. I have to be strong and can't start crying in front of her but it is so hard. Plus I am not feeling too well myself...a little depressed by the rapidly approaching fall and the mushy/rainy/windy weather.

I know the weather is probably even worse next month, but can it please be November already and everything went smooth?

Irene

Summer pt. 2

Part two of the recap starts with the day we left to drive back to Munich (and in the end back home to Nuremberg spontaneously because we forgot something we wanted to take). We left around 10 am and were home at 3pm. Watered the plants, had some late lunch and left again around 5 pm. In Munich we had some dinner (yummy Mexican food and Caesars Salad) and then stayed the night at my cousins place. She was nice enough to give us the key because unfortunately they weren’t there that weekend. We crashed around 10 pm because we had to get up at 3 am to be at the airport at 4. The plane was scheduled to leave at 6 am and we had a stopover in Lisbon on our way to Funchal, Madeira. I was a nervous wreck that morning. Not enough sleep plus I already missed my kids a bit plus I absolutely HATE flying after some horrible trip a few years back. So I slept most of the time on the plane to Lisbon (while hubby to lots of nice pictures - fortunately not of me sleeping but only of the scenery) and also on the next flight from Lisbon to Madeira. We arrived around 11 am, got our bags pretty quick and found the shuttle to the hotel in no time. So we arrived at the hotel around 1 pm and had to wait a little before the room was ready (Check-In time was 2 pm). We walked around, sat at the pool for a while and explored the hotel and surroundings a bit. The weather was gorgeous, a little cloudy but still really warm. After getting our room we changed into our swim suits, relaxed a bit on the bed (I even fell asleep for a while) and then went to the pool for two hours before Dinner.

The Hotel (we chose the Melia Madeira Mare) is really nice. Pretty new and modern, the room was big enough and had a small desk, a lounge chair and table, a small balcony (unfortunately for us right next to the humming air condition so we never really sat outside) and a modern bathroom with a bathtub and a toilet that was separated from the rest of the room by a small door (great for privacy). 

We arrived on Sunday and from then until Friday we did…nothing…or mostly nothing. Except walk down to get breakfast around 9 am (on the outside terrace right next to the pool), walk the few meters to the pool at 9:30 am (after a breakfast including fresh fruit, coffee and champagne – every day!), lay in the sun, hop into the pool, lay in the sun some more, walk to the room for a nap, walk back to the pool, walk to the restaurant to have Dinner (right next to the pool again) and walk back to the room to sleep. And all over again the next day. On Tuesday we did change the routine a bit and decided to take a small walk towards Funchal, which was told us is about an hour walk one way. The lady who greeted us told us there is a small farmers market which is nice and traditional and lots to see downtown. So we started around 3:30 pm, it was pretty warm but not too hot. When we got to downtown we were pretty disappointed because most stores were closed even though the signs said that opening hours were until 6 pm or 7 pm. It wasn’t a weekend or a holiday but still, the city was almost empty and the farmers market was…..also closed. So we got some traditional bread at the Marina and walked all the way back. We were back at the Hotel around 6 and had an early Dinner. Afterwards we decided to hit the Gym and the Indoor Pool/Jacuzzi. It was nice and we wanted to do that more often…but somehow didn’t…too lazy…

Friday we called someone to rent a car for the weekend to at least see a bit more of the Island. It isn’t really that big, maybe 50 km east to west and 25 north to south. We wanted to do a west tour and an east tour, driving along the south coast where the hotel was located until we reach the “highway” road that connects the south with the north. There are a lot of small mountain roads, which have been there a long time and are beautiful (scenery wise) and they build a “speedway” that basically runs straight through the middle (north to south) including driving through a 3 km long tunnel (not so beautiful - scenery wise). We took the highway to get to the north fast and then took all the beautiful scenery roads along the West Coast on Saturday and all the beautiful scenery roads along the East Coast on Sunday. It took all day on Saturday and we got back to the hotel around 6pm. We stopped along the way to have some late lunch in a small roadside restaurant on the coast, high up on a cliff with a great view and had some yummy and cheap food (that was like 14 Euros total for both of us). Sunday we drove along the East Coast and stopped on the most eastern part of Madeira. We walked up the cliff to take some pictures and all of a sudden I saw a few small lizards running over the sand and stones, they came out of the small holes in between and in no time we were surrounded by at least 8 of them. They didn’t really seem scared. I was only wearing flip-flops and while hubby took a picture I felt something on my foot. I screamed and jumped, almost kicking my flip-flop off the cliff because one of the small beasts nibbled on my toe. I have never seen anything like that, usually the run away as soon as they feel the ground vibrate. It was just totally weird.

We were back earlier than we thought and so we stopped at the “Mall” we had passed the day before, originally just to buy some souvenirs for the kids and maybe some ice cream but in the end I was the proud owner of some new, sexy underwear and a pair of gorgeous new High Heels (that will probably kill my feet one day). Sunday evening we started packing because we would be picked up at 3:20 am on Tuesday morning and we wanted to enjoy Monday evening without any hassle of packing, plus we wanted to sleep early. I also had to get up even earlier than hubby because I had decided to take part in another VyRT-Livestream by my favorite band which happened to start at 1 am that night. So I went to bed around 10 pm, got up a little after 1 am, watched about 2 hours of the livestream and we were picked up for the airport in the middle of the night. Arrived at the airport a little before 4 am, the Check-In wasn’t even open yet and then had to wait until 5 before we could board. The plane left at 6 and we had a stopover in Lisbon again (at 7:30 *yawn*). Finally arrived in Munich at 1 pm, got the car and drove back down to Italy. Got there around 5 pm, after being up 12 hours, dealt with some really hyper kids, who were glad to have us back and fell into bed at 9:30 pm.

Stay tuned for the Rest...

Irene

Summer pt. 1

Here is part one of the recap of our Summer Vacation 2012. 

This year we did something totally different than usual. We went to Italy, or rather South Tyrol, which is the northern, still German speaking, part of Italy. We usually spend our Easter vacation there but this year we had other plans for Easter and so we went there in the summer. The other difference was that we went there with my parents and right in the middle of the three weeks we left the kids alone with the Grandparents and us (the parents) drove back to Munich to catch a flight to Madeira, Portugal for 9 days. At the end of those days we drove back down to Italy to pick up the Kids and Grandparents again and spend another few days there.

So on a Monday we started around noon to drive down from Nuremberg, about 4 hours, past Munich and through Austria, over the Brenner Autobahn to Meran and from there up the mountains to the Hotel we always stay at and at which I already stayed at with my parents when I was about the age of my kids. The family knows us and it always is like coming home. I played on the playground with the “kids” who now run the place, still supported by their parents, now grandparents. And my kids play with their (grand)kids and who knows if they will still come here once they are grown-up.

The first day we just unpacked, went for dinner and had some wine on the balcony of our room later before heading to bed. The next morning the “Grandpa” of the house offered to lead a group of interested guest on a mountain walk/hike and hubby and my dad took the kids so me and my mom could chat and relax all day. We talked and had some yummy lunch before heading down to Meran for some shopping. We all came back around the same time for dinner.

Dinner is always something there; it’s a small celebration every night. In the morning they hand you a piece of paper with the Menu of the day, always consisting of a 5 Course Menu, the first Course is usually a salad, which you can choose yourself from the salad bar and the dressings are delicious. The second course is a small course/appetizer, a small piece of lasagna, or baked Veggies with parmesan cheese or maybe a shrimp cocktail, the third Course is either some Juice/fruity Cocktail or a soup, the main Course is meat or fish, or two different kinds of Meats to choose from, or Meat or Veggie, the last Course is Dessert. Most of the time (except a few days like Sundays and Holidays) you have a choice for the 2^nd/3^rd and Main Course. So every morning you make a cross next to the stuff you want to eat for Dinner. And the Dinner always lasts about two hours (and usually includes at least one bottle of wine if not more). I regularly gain weight when we stay there because on top of a 5 Course Dinner they also have great Cakes and the yummiest Apfelstrudel you can imagine. That, plus the opportunity to NOT do anything except lay in the sun and relax doesn’t really help with keeping your weight.

The second day we drove to a small hotel/ restaurant up on the other side of the valley which we usually visit while there, it has a great view of the mountains and some good food. The have a big lawn, some swings and a small sandbox for the kids. It is always crowded with people hiking up there (or if they are lazy like us, driving up) so we went early to get a good spot on the sun terrace. The kids played and we read or relaxed in the sun, had some yummy lunch (Spinat-/Käseknödel – Spinach/Cheese Dumplings with brown butter and parmesan cheese).

The next day (Thursday) we went to do something we always do while there, we hiked up to a small Castle which is now a tourist spot, including a small “restaurant” (Burgschänke) and tourists can learn Archery there (you can rent bows and arrows). It is usually a nice, but at some parts steep walk/hike, about 45 minutes. But you have a great view into the Valley and over Bozen and the Dolomite Alps. Unfortunately, after it was about 28 degrees Celcius and really sunny when we started, it became grey/dark pretty quick and about 10 minutes before we arrived it started raining and we heard thunder. So we had to hurry (up a steep hill, on really wet stone/concrete) but ended up being soaked to the bone once we arrived. This was a first for us but they seemed to be prepared because they opened up the little repair shop they have for the bows and arrows (it’s really warm inside) and the big dining room (which is usually closed in the summer because everyone sits outside in the sun). And they handed out towels so we could dry off the kids and wrap them into a towel and hubbys warm sweater which he had packed (for whatever reason). As soon as the sun was out again we placed our socks and shoes in the sun and waited while we had something to eat and drink. By the time we walked back down 3 hours later most of it was dry again. Afterwards my parents took the kids back to the hotel while hubby and I went to Bozen for some quick shopping (I needed my fix of some of my favorite nailpolish – KIKO Milano – and I haven’t found a shop anywhere else yet, except Meran).

On Friday everyone except me went on another walk/hike, even my mom who has problems with her knees decided to take part but I was kinda lazy. I did regret it about 30 minutes after they had left because I was pretty bored and mad at myself for being lazy but then I decided I would just take a nap (about 2 hours after getting up but oh well). I had promised them to pick them up at the end so they didn’t have to walk back, at least not the kids and my mom, I knew my dad and hubby would probably want to also walk all the way back to the parking area where they started. So after an hour nap and a shower I drove to pick them up and the afternoon was spend on the playground with the kids until the rest of the gang was back and we had the last dinner together before we would leave the next morning to drive to Munich and to fly to Madeira the day after.

The kids were totally excited and asked almost every day if we would leave (“are you leaving TODAY? When are you gonna leave us alone with Grandpa and Grandma?? Is today the day you leave?”) because my mom had promised they would get some pocket money every day, just enough to buy some ice cream or sweets, as soon as we left. Needless to say they wanted us to leave immediately after she told them the first day! 

Next up is our kids-free vacation on Madeira...stay tuned!

Irene

Opinions

Well, I neglected this personal space for a while but that was just because nothing really important happened, or if something important happened it was something regarding friends and their personal life and I didn't want to share it here even though it involved me.

But the last few days and especially today I witnessed something and I feel that I need to write down and share my personal opinion about it.

This is actually a post in which I share my "personal opinion" about people who share their "personal opinion" online in a not so very nice way or can not deal with other people sharing their "personal opinion" openly because they disagree. This is all about conversations online and I do acknowledge that online you have to be really careful about what you write and how you write it, taking into account that people might understand you wrong. But you also have to take into consideration that everyone is entitled to their own opinon, just like the saying "to live and let live"

*warning* this post includes my own, sarcastic, sometimes maybe even rude and unfiltered opinion, it might also include inappropriate language and could be offensive.

I know that, if a random group of people, who don't know each other at all or not very well or are just in the process of getting to know each other meet, be it online or in real life, there are almost as many different opinions as there are people involved and naturally you don't agree and get along with everyone. If, for example, you are stuck into a project team at work and you have to find a solution or work together on something, you always need to either be persistent to actually be able to input your idea into the final result or you can also decide you want to spare the hassle and just agree with whatever the others decide. It is your own decision if and how much other opinions matter to you, if you want to pick a fight over them or if you just let them go.

Same goes for Playgroups you might attend with your kids (and the opinions of all the other moms about "how to raise your kids the right way"), online Forums (maybe discussing the best way to build a customize computer or how to pimp your smartphone) and groups of Fans/Fandoms (arguing about who is the hottest actor in the newest Blockbuster Movie or the best lead singer of their favourite band)

I am part of the Echelon, the Fan Group for the Band 30 Seconds to Mars. The Name "Echelon" was actually invented by the Band itself, giving their Fan Base a Name so everyone could identify themselves with the Band, there are other Bands and Artist, like Lady Gaga, who calls their Fans "little Monster". So as a Fan of Mars you consider yourself an Echelon most of the time...or at least you should...but that's where the actual problem lies.

Who defines what makes you an Echelon, who says you can only be one if you do this and don't do that. Becoming an Echelon does not inculde going to some school, taking a test and getting a Diploma, you can't NOT become an Echelon because you lack certain skills. Being an Echelon for me kind of is like being a Christian. Some Christians go to church every sunday, some pray before Dinner, some only go to church on Christmas, some wear a cross, some read the Bible every Day.

There are a lot of Members of the Echelon who have a certain opinion about how you have to be, what you have to do and especially what you shouldn't do. Some take it extremely serious and get upset when someone doesn't behave according to their way of thinking. On top of that there are (mostly) girls who are just Fans of Jared or Shannon Leto because they look good, or who don't want anything but a piece of the fame and who would do anything to be seen with them or to be recognized by them or to spend a night with them. Those are called Fangirls and according to some Echelon they can NEVER be an Echelon because Echelon DON'T fangirl!

Now with the Band being on a Break from Touring, spending time at home to record a new Album (amongst oher things like goofing around, setting their kitchen on fire, growing beards and hanging with groupies) the Number One Indicator to show that you are a real Echelon (attending as many Concerts as possible and freezing your butt off in front of the Venue afterwards, as well as spending an insane amount of money for a Golden Ticket) is not something that can be easily done. Plus the absense (sometimes even over a longer period of time like a week or two) of the Boys and no real News, leads to boredom among the Echelon. Which leads to (long overdue or NOT necessary at all) discussions about the real meaning of "Echelon". There was even a Conference held in Portugal to learn more about how to be the perfect Echelon and what to do and avoid and what all the different symbols mean (and then we are mad when someone calls us a Sect/Cult) ;)

Anyways, boredom has struck the Echelon and the Fangirls so they start to pick (unfair) fights with each other. Fangirls think Echelon are weird Freaks and Echelon think Fangirls are slutty Bitches. Some (on either side) unfortunately lack a sense of Humor, the skill to read Sarcasm and the ability to accept other opinions. Some (depending on their age - most of them are teens) are just too young to know the difference between a sarcastic comment and a real opinion. Those are the ones who will start crying if you say anything (seamingly) bad about any one of the three guys. Some can not take criticism, be it towards them and their opinion or (even worse) towards something one of the guys from the band said or did. And I am right in the middle of it and enjoying the show.

I would consider myself an Echelon, I love the Band, I love how they helped me through tough times, I am grateful because I met so many great people through my Band Forums, even one or two I would actually consider real good (or best) friends now, their music helps me when I am sad or mad about something, some songs include Lyrics describing my feelings so well, better than I can do it. The Guys make me laugh when they tweet goofy stuff, they are inspiring, Jared is a great person who cares a lot about his Fans I think (without knowing him or ever meeting him personally - yet), Tomo can always make people smile and seems to be a very sweet guy and Shannon, well Shannon is just plain hot with his tattoos and muscles.

See and that's where we enter the Twilight-Zone...I called him a "hot piece of ass" which basically degrades me from "Echelon" to "Fangirl"...because I think of them as "hot pieces of ass with a great voice" instead of "inspiring Drummer or Band Leader whose sole fate it is to use his popularity to save the world". I have a few Friends among the Echelon/Fangirls, some I only know online, some I also know in real Life, some I met online and they became real Life friends. We are all about the same age, grown -up enough to be able to understand sarcasm, to not be offended if somone doesn't share our opinion and old enough to not take everything too serious. We gossip, we crack our jokes and we laugh about 15 year-olds who cry over pictures of Jared holding hands with random women (because they want him to be single so he "might" consider dating a Fan anytime in the future and "maybe he will wait until they are old enough" - not realizing that he is 40 already) and who think their world will end when Shannon is seen flirting with someone. We do not take being an Echelon way too serious, it is not a religion, more like a way of life and a way to share your love of music and your sense of humor with people like you.

Unfortunately there are some other members of the so-called "Echelon-Family" who do not tolerate it when we do that and have our fun with it and they are annoyed and offended and that causes trouble among the Echelon which is just plain annoying. Everyone is entitled to have their own opinion, there should be Freedom of Speech, even online and you should respect others. I don't get offended if someone thinks I am (and calls me) a Fangirl...(because it's probably true) and I don't cry myself to sleep when I get messages with rude Comments. But then I also want to have the opportunity to openly say/write what I think.

As I said: "Live and let Live" or "Don't take everything too serious" or "Life is too short to fight over little things"

So there you have it...my honest opinion...now go over to Twitter or FB and feel free to unfriend me if you disagree.

Irene

Inked

Me and my friend Petra got matching Tattoos two weeks ago, I got mine on my ankle and she got it on her wrist...I sooo love having a friendship Tattoo...it means a lot to me :)

Rock Chick Tattoo

Irene

Fifty Shades...

Well, well...writing some kind of book review...that's a total first for me. Maybe it won't even be a review, more like a gathering of my thoughts about a book that had me intrigued from the minute I heard about it, that has been a must-read for most of my friends lately (and also a lot of women around the world apparently) and that has kept me reading the last day and a half no matter what happened around me (and so I am already 2/3 finished with the first book of the trilogy).

50 Shades of Grey...what is there to say about it? It's weird, it's sooo far out of my ordinary, it's about a topic that has me fascinated, speechless and leaves me with a weird feeling in my stomach, well, maybe even more than one feeling. At times I am intrigued, at times I am appalled, shocked and then sometimes I have this warm and fuzzy feeling when something unexpected happens, when the main character behaves like a normal human being, putting aside his strange manners and learns that there is more in a relationship than force and whips and restraints. I guess it wouldn't be as bad as it is if this was purely fiction. I mean, yes, this story is purely fiction, while the topic it is about is not. BDSM is something no one really talks about, it is something dark and dirty for most people. No one would probably openly admit they do it or like it or are actually turned on by it. I would, and hereby do. It has me intrigued to a point were I would actually want to try it, only for a day or so, but still.

It is weird, yes. But it is also quite fascinating. Why would people actually enter a BDSM relationship, why would someone want to be a Dominant, or even more so be a Submissive. What has to happen in the life of a regular human being to make him or her into someone who can only enjoy sex if it is on his/her terms, if it includes tying someone else up, forcing them to do everything they want, exercising power over them. How does someone become a Submissive, letting people decide for them, willingly doing whatever is asked of them. Is everyone born with the tendency to become one or the other or does it stem from our education and the way we are treated by our parents and surroundings.

I have always been someone who can openly talk about sex, I don't usually chicken out of a discussion about it. If I know the other person enough to trust them I will openly talk about it. I don't think there is anything wrong with it, it's a normal thing most grown-ups do regularly. I admit that BDSM is a special kind of it, one that is out of the ordinary, something that is probably not done on a regular basis. It is however, at least for me, a very fascinating kind of sex.

This book, along with other stories I have read that are about similar things, is the weirdest thing I have read in a while, yet it is one of the only books that has me glued to it's pages, no matter what happens, no matter if my kids empty sand out of their box on the lawn, destroy everything in the backyard or fight over toys. Nothing will keep me away from reading and I am utterly frustrated if I have to put it down to eat or to go to work, sleep or keep my kids from killing each other (or blog for that matter).

I suggest you read it, let it fascinate you, enter the strange world of Mr. Grey and let him change your view of something normal, ordinary or even dull (if that's how your sex life is at times). And I also suggest you bring a set of strong nerves because it can be overwhelming at times, especially if you keep in mind that, while Mr. Grey and Ana are fictional, the topic is not.

Please let me know what you think about it, I am intrigued. And feel free to imagine Mr. Grey to be anyone you like, for me I have someone in my mind that had me intrigued and fascinated even before I read the books and that I could imagine being a lot like Grey in real life...and that makes reading it even more realistic.

Irene

Over-Thinking

I have a serious problem that almost every day gets me into trouble of some kind: I tend to over-think everything, things I did, situations, things someone said, things that happened...I always try to find reasons or solutions. When I read something I think about it a lot if it catches my attention. Some nights I lie in bed, trying to sleep but my brain won't shut up no matter what.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about life, past, present and future, mostly my past because some things from it are giving me a hard time right now. As I have mentioned before I was sick a while ago, I had to have two small surgeries and more than once a doctor said the words "cancer" and "possible" and I even heard "hysterectomy" (which means surgery to remove the uterus - fortunately I was spared from that one). All of that plus some things that I had buried deep inside my mind and that found their way out eventually led to a light case of depression. Light, but still enough to affect my daily life and my family so i went to get help.

Now the worst thing when you are depressed and having a bad day is...thinking about it. Which, more often then not, is making it even worse. You get caught up in a circle of thinking about they why's and what if's and even if you know that you could get out of it you don't know how or have not power to do it. Those days I usually try to avoid being online. I seem to not be able to stand either others being happy or others being as sad as I am or worse.

During the last few months I have noticed something else being online, maybe it is just the people around me but I doubt it. More and more people are not feeling happy, regularly, even on a daily basis. I know so many people who have experienced Depression or feel they are close to a Burn Out. Not only people who work but also Mom's I know, who are exhausted with taking care of the kids, household, daily chores and more and mostly Mom's who also work part-time besides doing household things. I mean this is probably not different than it was when I was a kid but nowadays with all the social networking, Twitter, Tumblr or Blogs you hear about it more and more. People feel safe talking about it semi-anonymous on the internet (like me). Maybe to get it out of their heads or to seek help from they online friends, maybe because if you online know someone online it is easier to open up to them. I read somewhere that by 2020 Depresson will be the second most common health problem worldwide...scary, huh?!

What surprised me (and scared me at the same time) is how many young people are affected. Especially on Tumblr, where you can "hide" behind a screenname, post anonymously and don't need to tell anyone who you are and where you are from, people post pictures, quotes, gifs and stories that are sometimes serioulsy messed up. Pictures of self-harm, stories about how they are the victim of mobbing in school, quotes saying something along the lines of "just disappearing and wondering if anyone notices". In between posting of concerned people posting the phone numbers of suicides hotlines or newspaper clippings of kids who commited suicide, kids that are sometimes not older than 14 or 15.

Seriously, has that become more since I was 14 or 15 or is it the same, just more commonly known and "into our faces" because of above mentioned social networks? I mean I wasn't the happiest kid in school, I wasn't popular, I didn't wear designer clothes, my parents were not rich (even though I went to the "rich kids" school because we lived on the edge of the school district), I was a nerd, always running around reading books and listening to music on my walkman and I was slightly overweight. I didn't have a lot of friends and my best friend didn't even go to my school, so I was all alone during the (school) day. I mostly kept to myself, I was bullied sometimes but I stood up for myself if necessary. I didn't pick fights but I also didn't avoid them if someone said something mean. I know I heard that bullying/mobbing has become more severe in schools but is so bad that kids actually think about hurting/killing themselves? No matter how bad it was, that thought seriously never crossed my mind when I was a teen. Going through that phase of my life wasn't easy, I am sure I cried myself to sleep a few times (but I don't remember it vividly so i guess it wasn't traumatizing) but I got over it. I became a stronger person. Yes, I envied those kids with rich parents, who always got what they wanted and were popular even though they didn't do anything except walk around in designer clothes. Most of them weren't even nice people, they were mostly arrogant and didn't care about anyone then themselves. Still everyone wanted to be friends with them. I wonder what happened to them, did they succeed in life? Did they ever have to struggle in their work life? Or did it all come easy to them, like it did in school.

As I said, I know from experience, that being "un"popular during High School can be tough, but did it become "tougher" over the last 15 years or did the teens just become more whiny and pampered by their parents? Do we tend to keep our kids away too much from the struggles so they don't know how it feels? I hope I will find a good middle when I raise my kids...not too strict and hard, so they don't end up bullying others but also not to soft, so others will be able to hurt them.

Well, these are my two cents about the whole thing!

Irene

Keeper

I am a Keeper, meaning that I am a Person who likes to keep things from all kinds of trips or things I do. I wouldn't go as far as saying I hoard, but I hate to throw things away, it makes my sad and I have a hard time doing it. I keep ticket stubs and postcards, booklets, street maps and a lot more. My hubby doesn't really like it and if I wouldn't snatch them before he gets to them I would probably find them in the trash or the stack of papers who are going into recycling. I have a box full of things from my past, a box full of letters, one with old journals and diaries, one with Photos and one from various vacation trips. I have a few Albums full of pictures, ticket stubs and booklets from the first trips with my parents to the USA and my first vacation alone without parents.

What I somehow rejected was keeping track of the old music I used to listen too. I think because of YouTube and MP3 and being able to download anything and everything, I have so many CD's but I haven't listened to actual CD's for a while. A few days ago I heard a livestream from a band I really liked a few years back (and still like) and it brought back memories, so I dug out my boxes with old things and sat down, listening to the old songs and going through my old stuff. I found old diaries and pictures and Posters that used to hang on my walls. The oldest one was from my first Open Air Show...I saw Guns n' Roses live when I was 14 and I have a poster I peeled off a wall on my way home and it hung over my bed during my teen years. I also found two Nirvana Posters.Still looking for the huge picture of Axl Rose I had.

A nice trip down Memory Lane though and I think I have to do that more often!

Irene