The Past 168 Hours / The Future Oscar Winner?

to nobody in particular:

...here's a concise look over the last week...

saturday: Hannah throws up through the night (not constantly, but consistently)...

sunday: Saints deservedly win the Superbowl while Colts deservedly lose...

monday: Travis throws up through the night (not constantly, but consistently); Hannah joins in as well...

tuesday: tired after three nights of less than three hours each...

wednesday: Sarah throws up through the night (not constantly, but consistently); Ben becomes last man standing...

thursday: cool evening out with friend; break from the sick family...

friday: finish up English Camp brochures; anticipation increases...

saturday: Feinkost ladies tea is today; have fun, Sarah...

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recently enjoyed watching: The Hurt Locker

...Avatar should not win Best Picture, especially when this movie is in the running...

Singing & Friends / Forgetting Loved Ones

to nobody in particular:

my daughter, at 18 months old, is a genius -- and this is just a sliver of proof...

...she does pretty well with learning the words (or at least, the sounds of the words), and we have a growing list of songs that she likes to sing...when it comes to music, i think Travis has the rhythm and Hannah has the harmony -- so far, anyway...

..."and now for something completely different"...

...at one of our last brunches last year (in reality, a few weeks ago), i guided our discussion in thinking about God as our Friend -- how Jesus views us, those who know Him and His Father, as friends...

...this reality and truth has carried on with me into this new year, and though many times i'm inclined to focus on my relationship with God as a Father/Child relationship, or Creator/Creation, i want to intentionally realign and look at it as a Friend/Friend relationship. this is very eye-opening and challenging -- in the areas of communication, perspective, responsibilities, etc. i think one of the toughest things is not necessarily looking at it only as God as my friend, but that i am a personal, close friend of His. how am i trustworthy, reliable, honest, listening, and sensitive to God as His friend? is my communication limited to my perspective, or should my improved perspective even enhance and breakthrough previously grounded limitations?...

...He's great...

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currently listening to: "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Soundtrack"

...great soundtrack to a fantastic movie -- gems like this are rare...

Photos & Black Eyes / Pages & Images

to nobody in particular:

...the kids took part in a spontaneous photo session recently...


...yes, yes -- it's very cute...

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since i haven't posted in a while, here's a concise list of top choices from the last few months...

recently read: The Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning (pretty good, but not as life-altering as i thought it could be), Shutter Island by Dennis LeHane (suspenseful and interesting), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (classic and spectacular), Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff (charged and thought-provoking), excerpts from The Bible by God (awesome, of course)...

recently watched: Avatar in the theater (not bad, but not life-changing either), rented Star Trek (pretty good, but Star Wars IV-VI still rule), State of Play (meh, but intrigued to watch the English mini-series instead) and borrowed The Godfather Parts I & II (still haven't watched Part III yet -- soon) and Apocalypse Now (heard it's a classic, and thought it was fairly interesting)...

English Camp / Almost There?

to nobody in particular:

...here's the latest blog post from our family's site (www.xanga.com/thecareyjourney)...

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It was a wonderful experience for me (Ben) to spend the week up in Karchow for English Camp 2009! Thanks for your prayers and encouragement in preparation for it and during the camp. We had 24 teenagers and 14 staff (including me and Don from our team here, Katie who has taught three years now, Caleb our intern, two friends of the Jones family who helped cook and a team from Kenmore Alliance Church near Buffalo, NY) enjoy a week full of classes, activities, good food, fun times and, hopefully, spiritual encouragement! I served this year as Asst. Director for the camp and was able to see it all from a different perspective as last year. Next year I will be filling the Director role for the camp, and am excited about that. It was a fairly busy week, but we were able to enjoying moments of relaxation and genuinely spend quality time with the teenagers...

During the classroom sessions, they were able to develop their English proficiency, work their creative artistic juices through painting, baking apple pies/crisps and even doing Improv skits (think "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"). It was really fun to see how they all interacted with the different sessions...

Team and/or leaisure games and activities included Don't Touch the Can, Ultimate Frisbee, baseball, volleyball, "Kickerball" (Fussball, to Americans), 4-way Capture the Flag, Bandanaball, Intersection Races, and more -- and being fully-staffed this year (as compared to last) made it more flexible for all of us staff to join in or watch. All the students were separated into four teams, and throughout the week, all four teams were competing for points, which were gained from winning activities, saying the daily Bible verses (in English), receiving daily votes from staff for "Most English Spoken" or "Most Improved English", and more. In the end, the team I was on came in second, but all in all, it adds an element of excitement and motivation to it all...

Some of the teenagers come from a church-background, and that does not necessarily mean very much. However, several of the teenagers, when prompted near the end of the week, re-committed their lives to Christ, and that was refreshing and encouraging to see! You wouldn't believe how awesome the singing sounds during the worship/music time, and just the fact that several teenagers asked for us to have an extra praise time before the evening "Etwas Mehr" ("Something More") Bible session was encouragement for all of us...

God was truly working, and it was clearly evident -- but we're all praying that the teenagers would carry that encouragement on through these coming weeks and months. We're able to keep in touch with many of the students via internet/facebook and, when possible (but hard to come by) face-to-face visits, but are trusting for the extra bit of spiritual encouragement from the Holy Spirit to continue moving closer to Jesus, no matter where they are in their journey/relationship with Him...

Would you pray for them with us too?

Thanks!

Here are some pictures that capture a general feel for the week



...our main building...




...English Camp 2009!...




...us guys playing a traditional German kindergarten game...




...no, not any of the campers (although there was a hospital visit during the week)...




...what do us manly non-teachers do while everyone else is in class? why, pick berries of course!...




...me and Caleb photobombing Lisa Z.'s picture...




,,,"Etwas Mehr"...




...Jen's Beginner class...




...Laurie's Intermediate class...




...Katie's Advanced class...




...stretching their English through improv skits...




...4-way Capture the Flag explanations...




...bike trip to the gas station...




...volleyball...




...painting...




...Caleb, Dave (both staff) and Michel (camper)...




...playing Settlers of Catan...




...Adeline and Lisa E....




...Don and myself...




...and we had to give them even just a little bit more of American culture (and our generation) on movie night: The Princess Bride...

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..."you learn something new every day"...

seventeen days ago, i learned: book-smarts and street-smarts are oh so very different...

sixteen days ago, i learned: i can bike down to Alexanderplatz from Open Door church faster than the Straßenbahn can get there...

fifteen days ago, i learned: what a pastor shouldn't do...

fourteen days ago, i learned: English Camp 2009 is going to be awesome!...

thirteen days ago, i learned: these six years of marriage have gone by quickly but wonderfully -- so much has happened, and i'm eager for the next six and more!...

twelve days ago, i learned: i think i may have seen the best/funniest improv impersonation of Michael Jackson by a 16 year old German girl...

eleven days ago, i learned: to walk in to your room at camp and find flies mating on you bed is fairly disturbing -- "i sleep there, dagnabbit!"...

ten days ago, i learned: 4-way Capture the Flag does work and is fun...

nine days ago, i learned: the genius and wonder of The Princess Bride goes over many of the German teenagers heads...

eight days ago, i learned: slugs are cannibals...

seven days ago, i learned: English Camp 2009 was awesome!...

six days ago, i learned: i can play and sing an original song i've written in front of other people, including both friends and strangers...

five days ago, i learned: playing catch-up is not as fun as it sounds!...

four days ago, i learned: Hertha will be starting this season 33 million Euro in debt -- ouch...

three days ago, i learned: when there, buy it...

two days ago, i learned: Hertha tickets don't go on sale until the 10th of August -- bummer...

yesterday, i learned: men plainly should not wear short jean shorts, no matter how athletic or hairy their legs may (or may not) be...

today, i learned: my daughter is one smart cookie...

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recently watched for the first time but definitely not the last: Casablanca



...i'm not sure why i had waited so long to watch this classic, but i enjoyed it very much -- i think it's also my first Bogie movie, as well...

Old Parents & Mysteries / Old Queens & Histories

to nobody in particular:

...these last several days, Sarah and i have been working on finding a Kita (pre-school/daycare) for Travis, for him to start in a few months -- and everything has fallen into place in this last week: Travis will be starting at a bi-lingual, large school in a Kita group at the end of September -- it will be a great class, with tremendous teachers and a fantastic atmosphere for him to play with other kids, improve both his German and English, and for us to get to know other parents...

...and i was excited about this last point especially, but then last night, at the parents' info meeting, i was struck with the odd reality -- one which i was aware of, but had never let it sink in: 85% of the other parents are in their mid-40s or older...

...it is amazing to me that most of the kids that Travis will be spending time with that are his age or younger, that they have parents that could be old enough to be my parents -- it is just a ridiculously crazy fact that i still can't grasp!...

...i shared with Sarah, as we walked home after the meeting, how funny i find it that many Germans wait until they are around the age of 40 before they decide it is time to have children (or one child, at least) and then, when that child is less than a year old, already send them to a Kita for four hours a day (at least), increasing that time apart as they get older -- i haven't figured it out yet...

...i love my kids...



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..."you learn something new every day"...

nine days ago, i learned: there must be some kind of strange, bizarre, terrible connection between me and technology...

eight days ago, i learned: oh my, my dear Cleveland Indians -- why do you do this to yourself?...

seven days ago, i learned: performing Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" is never an option, and that's my final word...

six days ago, i learned: don't fall behind...

five days ago, i learned: i don't need fireworks on a 4th of july -- but steak and baked potatoes are swell...

four days ago, i learned: just be flexible and adapt, and the positive side of things will emerge...

three days ago, i learned: mmmmmmm...Guylian Dark Belgian Chocolates...

two days ago, i learned: what i've been missing all this time!...

yesterday, i learned: i am a young parent (see above)...

today, i learned: on this date in 1982, some guy broke into Buckingham Palace and made it into the Queen Elizabeth II's bedroom before getting caught (i read it somewhere in passing in German, so i think i got it right)...

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currently reading: Earth: A Visitor's Guide

Three Highlights / Thirteen Lessons

to nobody in particular:

...it has been a busy couple of weeks -- always something to do...

...in tonight's blog, three items...

...the other day, a bunch of us were chatting about some crazy people, and Sarah mentioned how one's parents go crazy over pregnancy, especially as they are those type of people who are always "biting at the chomp"...

...pretty funny...

...can't remember if i wrote this one yet -- i asked Travis if he pooped and, after getting off the potty when he didn't do anything, he answered, "no, poop not ready yet"...

...also funny...

...and an extra-special mention of something i learned recently: Merv Hughes, and Australian cricketer, who i remember watching play cricket when we lived in New Zealand, actually had his gloriously beautiful moustache insured for $38,000 US...


...and why not?...

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..."you learn something new every day"...

twelve days ago, i learned: Merv Hughes insured his moustache (see above)...

eleven days ago, i learned: if both kids are gonna be sick in the same week, just have them be sick and throwing up in the same night! -- better to get it all done at once...

ten days ago, i learned: The Sting (1973) -- still got it after all these years...

nine days ago, i learned: the number 7 is the number most often picked when asked to choose a number between 1 and 10...

eight days ago, i learned: some kids just don't listen -- Travis included!...

seven days ago, i learned: was Arnold Dorsey such a bad name that he changed it to Engelbert Humperdinck?...

six days ago, i learned: don't brave it -- embrace the sickness and get better quicker...

five days ago, i learned: some things that you think will only take a couple of days can take about five or more...

four days ago, i learned: i have the power!...

three days ago, i learned: for the most part, the BBC News "breaking news" e-mail makes it to my inbox before the USA Today "breaking news" e-mail, but in the case of both Farrah Fawcett's and Michael Jackson's deaths, USA Today won by a few minutes...

two days ago, i learned: saturdays are never a complete day off...

yesterday, i learned: i'm not the only one who thinks that...

today, i learned: the Berlin Zoo Aquarium sometimes has to feed the jellyfish either by hand or with tweezers...

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recently watched: The Sting

Vacation Pictures / Sex, Church, and Rock & Roll

to nobody in particular:

these are my "top five" favorite pictures from vacation...






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..."you learn something new every day"...

six days ago, i learned: sexuality is a rarely discussed topic in the church-world (not sex or sexual morality, but sexuality in general)...

five days ago, i learned: not all Germans scrub...

four days ago, i learned: photography is my favorite medium...

three days ago, i learned: check and double-check the lyrics before you print them out...

two days ago, i learned: there is a place for the song "Tired of Sex" in church...

yesterday, i learned: "look, see, it's waterfall"...

today, i learned: be ready!...

Post #100 / So What?

to nobody in particular:

...vacation was great -- we relaxed and relaxed a lot...

...swimming, walking, sleeping, reading, playing, laughing, eating, enjoying, watching, resting, sandcastling...

...that's about it -- relaxing...

...exactly what we needed...

...one of the things that was impressed upon me was "faith like a child" and "fear like a child" -- i saw moments when my kids were stress-free, care-free and totally relying on us for all their needs and desires; and yet i saw moments in which, in situations of clear uncertainty, they were overcome with fear, forgetting about their faithful, trustworthy and loving parents...

...i could expand, but i won't...

...and i don't think i need to spell the connection out in our daily lives -- it preached to me clearly, and i think the recognition of truth can be grasped...

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..."you learn something new every day"...

fourteen days ago, i learned: 2:26am to wake up for a flight to vacation in Mallorca is worth it...

thirteen days ago, i learned: yes, there are many Europeans who hang out at the beach topless...

twelve days ago, i learned: neither of the kids have any fear of a fifth floor balcony...

eleven days ago, i learned: Mallorca has a pretty sweet aquarium...

ten days ago, i learned: we booked a hotel on the quieter part of the beach -- thankfully, not on the party end of the beach (as a young family, we would've REALLY stuck out, even more than we already were)...

nine days ago, i learned: Travis doesn't like the ocean, maybe, but he likes the swimming pool...

eight days ago, i learned: more than half over? vacation goes by quickly!...

seven days ago, i learned: push the limits!...

six days ago, i learned: Sarah and i organize and prepare, more than enough in advance, for most things...

five days ago, i learned: the Mallorca airport is nice, but please, clean the men's bathrooms more often!...

four days ago, i learned: i got the gnome!...

three days ago, i learned: booooooo...

two days ago, i learned: God makes sure we come into contact with the right people...

yesterday, i learned: goals are good, and sometimes hard to reach, but just try it anyway...

today, i learned: my family -- parents, siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews -- are astoundingly awesome (of course, this was more of a refreshing reminder, not newly learned)...

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recently watched: 12 Angry Men


...cinematically simple, philosophically complex -- love it...

Upcoming Test / Anticipating Rest

to nobody in particular:

...this past week has been an odd one, and the one to come will be, as well -- it will be nice to enjoy this coming saturday...

...on thursday and friday (23rd & 24th), we'll be taking a language proficiency test -- i can't say that i'm super-excited about it, but i will definitely be glad when it is over...

...i'm confident that we are going to do well, and am really praying we do better than well, so that we won't have to take again (a specific "grade" is hoped for/required)...

...but this week we'll continue our studying specifically for it, as it is the giant that we're gawking at right now...

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..."you learn something new every day"...

...seven days ago, i learned: Easter is so very especially fantastic...

...six days ago, i learned: i'm not necessarily afraid of or intimidated by females that are taller than me, but i do kind of notice when their a foot or more taller...

...five days ago, i learned: smaller groups can bring bigger results...

...four days ago, i learned: the Goethe-Institut only gives the B2 test every two months, and the next one is on april 23rd/24th -- register & pay, then study & pray!...

...three days ago, i learned: the Eisbären won the DEL (German Ice Hockey League) again this year, for a total of four times in the last five years -- dynastyabulous!...

...two days ago, i learned: the left side of the brain has two language learning regions -- one for grammar, the other for vocabulary...

...yesterday, i learned: even though language learning only takes place in one small region of the brain, your whole head will hurt after a super-long day of studying...

...today, i learned: Travis picks up and understands more than i realized...

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recently watched: Man on Fire

This Week / Last Week

to nobody in particular:

...we had a fantastic brunch last week -- our first one in a public setting...of course it had its ups and downs, but overall, it was a great one...

...i turned 27 this past week -- and it was the first time in my entire existence that i didn't blow out any candles on my birthday...pavlova for dessert...

...we have a four day weekend this weekend, which is very nice...it has had a decent start to it, and we'll see how it pans out tomorrow and monday...

...Jesus is tremendous...

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..."you learn something new every day"...

...eight days ago, i learned: rebuilding a lost template is annoying, but finally finishing it is rewarding...

...seven days ago, i learned: kaffee und kuchen with neighbors is gooooood...

...six days ago, i learned: brunch is goooooood (but don't get all your hopes up)...

...five days ago, i learned: just take a day off -- seriously...

...four days ago, i learned: working on your birthday is a bummer, but it's not all that bad...

...three days ago, i learned: finally!...

...two days ago, i learned: each time i watch The Passion of the Christ, i am challenged with a new insight...

...yesterday, i learned: Travis rocks the Laufrad...

...today, i learned: stop and think about what the shortest way to your destination would be before you go ahead and start out with the first idea that pops into your mind...

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currently watching: "Fawlty Towers"



...truly wonderful...

Weird Week / Gorgeous Days

to nobody in particular:

...this is a busier week -- we are having our first brunch in a well-known local church building here in the area on Sunday, and we are still working out the logistical and practical details -- but it is a huge step for Freischwimmer...

...Germany won both of their World Cup qualifying matches this week (saturday and yesterday), so that is good news -- and England won their match yesterday too...

...Berlin Eisbären are tied in their semi-final match-up...

...fantasy baseball starts this week -- look for me in the middle of the standings...

...Hannah isn't sleeping very well, Travis is showing more attitude, and Sarah and i love them tons anyway...

...this has been a weird week so far...

...God is speaking to me though, of course...

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..."you learn something new every day"...

...seven days ago, i learned: yes -- i can (and do) buy rice cakes...

...six days ago, i learned: the new exhibition at the gallery is pretty awesome -- i like it a lot...

...five days ago, i learned: days where Travis and i can hang out together are good for my soul -- i am looking forward to more, especially when he gets older...

...four days ago, i learned: even though it's gorgeous outside, some people will stay inside...

...three days ago, i learned: Sarah's mom owned Richard Simmon's exercise tapes -- and Sarah exercised along with them...

...two days ago, i learned: some days are just crappy -- but they usually end...

...yesterday, i learned: it feels good to sigh and take a victorious look at a completed 2000 piece puzzle...

...today, i learned: there are roughly 4 million (out of 80 million) illiterate people in Germany...

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just finished reading: The Brethren by John Grisham

...randomly grabbed this book of the shelf at the library a week or so ago -- i liked it...

The Weather / The Forecast

to nobody in particular:

...yesterday, it was overcast, then rainy, then chilly, then a little windy, then sunny, then blue skies, then dark clouds, then hailing, then snowing, then very windy, then dry ground, then just cloudy...

...and that was all before the clock hit noon...

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..."you learn something new every day"...

...nine days ago, i learned: opportunities slip by, so make the most of them -- sincerely...

...eight days ago, i learned: i don't pray for my neighbors nearly enough...

...seven days ago, i learned: a hippo can run up to 30 kph...

...six days ago, i learned: it's still a little too cold out yet to "spend the morning or afternoon at the park"...

...five days ago, i learned: a new way to play dominoes...

...four days ago, i learned: i am really, really looking forward to the day when Travis and i can really Lego around...

...three days ago, i learned: bad stress and/or good stress?...

...two days ago, i learned: i want to read more...

...yesterday, i learned: some things have been thought through very well...

...today, i learned: i'm sad for some friends of ours...

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currently enjoying: doing jigsaw puzzles

Recent Reminders / Lively Lessons

to nobody in particular:

...there's some kind of invisible connection between young kids and elderly individuals -- it is interesting: i can't count how many times Travis and i have been walking along and someone older we pass bends down to say hi to him, in a nice, friendly, non-threatening, nostalgic way...

...i was reminded of this today...

...also, i was reminded of the following yesterday, which i wrote to several people:

"I think it would be fair to say, that the face of the world has changed dramatically in the last several months – financial and economical changes that will alter how we live our day-to-day lives, possibly morphing the way we make decisions that affect the days ahead. However, I believe that these events could also lead to relational and spiritual changes – bringing into focus our priorities, our predisposed beliefs and assumed expectations. No matter what the days ahead bring us – whether in Berlin or in Washington D.C. – God is not caught off-guard, He is not powerless to interact, and He is not careless in being a part of our lives. We can trust His faithfulness.

He is here. He is active. He is good. He is love. That’s enough for me."

...on another note, here are some pictures!...

here's me and the daughter -- she is a cutie...


our ice hockey game, after they won 7-2...


i spontaneously cut my hair last night, after months of letting it grow out...

...and now my neck and ears are cold...

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..."you learn something new every day"...

...five days ago, i learned: coming home to an apartment smelling like nail polish is nothing fun...

...four days ago, i learned: Travis & i can have fun cooking breakfast for Sarah on her birthday...

...three days ago, i learned: vor vier Jahre war mein Leben vollgepackter als heute...

...two days ago, i learned: even sicknesses sometimes have their reasons...

...yesterday, i learned: technology doesn't simplify everything -- absolutely not...

...today, i learned: people living in Berlin pay roughly 10% more for rent than in 2007...

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recently watched: The International



...i liked it and Sarah liked it -- semi-good acting in a decent dramatic thriller -- don't expect an action movie...

Thawghtz / Payschintz

to nobody in particular:

...it was fun to see Travis getting more courageous with his Laufrad (sort of like a bike without pedals) today -- he's starting to feel more comfortable with it, and was actually going almost as fast as my walking speed for a little bit...

...apples are tasty...

...i know i'll be a little late, but still undecided about what to give up for the next several weeks...

...patience was difficult and lacking today...

...excited to see what God is going to do this year in my life...

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..."you learn something new every day"...

...today, i learned: patience, patience, patience -- so very difficult, so very imperative...

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currently looking forward to: Sarah's birthday (28th on the 28th)

Superbowl Without Commercials! / Appetite Without Satisfaction!

to nobody in particular:

...it's hard to sit here and blog over when i haven't done so in six days -- makes it hard to choose something to write, especially when i've had so many ideas and topics pop up, making me think, ooh, that would be a good blog, but then never get around to it because of busy-ness/lazy-ness...

...maybe that's my lesson learned for today...

...oh, Superbowl -- watched it, enjoyed the game, a little disappointed by the result, but noticed two things: the Superbowl, to me, didn't seem to be a display of tremendous amazing football, but was more of a semi-alright game of flag football, if you know what i mean (penalty after penalty after penalty); and two, i know that commercials in the States are a big thing during the Superbowl, but when you are watching it overseas on channels that don't normally have commercials every two minutes, it becomes ridiculously tiresome watching the teams during all the commercial timeouts and seeing the players standing around on the field waiting for the signal that they can continue play -- unbelievable!...

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..."you learn something new every day"...

...5 days ago, i learned: biking home at 4:30am in the dead of winter is coooooooooold...

...4 days ago, i learned: Travis is infatuated with Mary Poppins -- craziness...

...3 days ago, i learned: i'm photographyhungry...

...2 days ago, i learned: index cards rule!...

...yesterday, i learned: it's not Jim's baby, of course -- but i think Jim's theory would've been better ("The Office", to Jim Halpert and Jim Rudd, respectively, with the theory that it is/was Ryan's baby)...

...today, i learned: see above...

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in the middle of reading: The Last Battle, the final book of C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia -- and, so far, it's really good (essentially, the whole collection is really good -- i had just, sadly, not read them all up until now)