Blinddarm weg.

Friday night I had surgery to take out my appendix. I started writing a big blog post about the whole escapade covering the last week, but it was getting really long-winded and I was still on the first 24 hours. I'll figure out what to do with that later.

For those who asked, here are a couple pictures of the wounds. Not very impressive, still have bandages and stuff over them. All clean and shaven, though. I'm really afraid to pull on the little plug in my belly button.




Below for your viewing pleasure is somebody else's laparoscopic appendectomy. it's kinda long. The part near the beginning where they poke through with the instruments helps me understand why I hurt.

I was actually planning on having video of the whole laparoscopy of my own for you here exclusively, but after the surgery the doctor suddenly had second thoughts on giving me or even letting me see the video. For this and other sketchy tales, stay tuned...

(Yet another) Reality Check


"I don't know it's not really going in...somehow it just won't fit as nicely here as the last one"

Dresden Silvester Fireworks 2008

This year was a tad bit of a letdown on Silvester. First, almost everybody was out of town. Second, it was really f'in cold that night. Third, and probably because of second, there wasn't the same crowd on the Elbe (although impressive nonetheless). And Fourth, my photos didn't come out as nicely as previous years.

But here are a few anyway (click to enlarge):





And here are links to two videos that better convey the chaos on the river:
One
Two

In response to the Hairy One


Of course, I did not prepare this meat. But I sure as hell did eat it. I think the sheer volume speaks for itself and justifies a post.
Salt Lick BBQ, Austin, Texas.

y'all.

Strike a Pose

So Colby's in a show in London with Crumb and Andy Warhol (and a buncha famous artists I don't know). I guess that's pretty cool.

Freezing in Dresden

As we move to more and more consecutive days without getting above freezing, the Elbe becomes more and more frozen. On Sunday I walked down and took some photos. The local newspaper had the photo on the left recently, from the winter of 1928/1929. In February of 1929 the Elbe completely froze over so that people could actually walk from Neustadt to Altstadt over the river. pretty cool!


On the right is a picture I took on Sunday. That's a sheet of ice there, but it doesn't go nearly all the way across, and you wouldn't dare try to walk on much of it.
It's only happened one time since 1929, in the 60s, that the Elbe has completely frozen across. There's been some speculation that it happens less and less these days because of pollution of the rivers lowering the freezing point. Unfortunately the forecast this week is for highs just over freezing, so this won't be the year either.

McCain Smiles

They sell these at the local supermarket. McCain-brand giant smile-faces with lime-green font. It's terrible, it reminds me of this:

Eier kaufen

Eggs are cheap. There are various grades, sizes, and classes, which I don't completely understand. but I can work out enough. They have "freilandhaltung", which means free-range, "bodenhaltung", which I think means barn-raised (but without cages), and then the regular eggs with no obvious label, which I suppose means it is the torture-box-raised. The difference in price here is so minimal, I can't see how anybody would not buy the free-range eggs. Torture box eggs are 12.9 cents each. Barn-raised are 18.9 cents each, and free-range are 19.9 cents each. I usually get the organic free-range eggs, which jump up to like 40 cents each and are smaller, but I don't eat very many eggs. But seriously, who is going to save 1 measly cent per egg and take the bodenhaltung eggs over the freilandhaltung eggs? But then not go for the cheapest. Are people like "I support paying 6 cents not to have the chickens tortured, but free-range? Now that's just ludicrous - those hoity-toity chickens have a bigger garden than I do!"

Seriously, do they taste different or something?

Tannenzäpfle Down

Sometimes I inadvertently knock the temperature wheel on this fridge to super cold when putting things in, but usually I realize it before anything freezes all the way.

Good idea

Okay, so I'm usually pretty slow with picking up the viral videos of the hip world over here in Dresden, but I suppose most of the readers here are too, so it works out for everyone.

This one's kinda dirty so here's your viewer's warning, but pretty funny.

Diesel Group meeting
by baierman17