I am in Kandersteg. Part of the Swiss Alps. And tomorrow I am going skiing. I have not been downhill skiing since the church youth trip to Afton Alps when I was 15. I was not particularly good at it and I spill down the hill losing both poles, both skies, my hat and a … Continue reading I Must Be Out Of My Mind
Category: Comedy
Late to School
Everyone's been late to school, right? Especially when you are 17 and have your own car and are supposedly mature enough to wake yourself up on time and get yourself to school before 8:20am? Well, that is not why I was late when I was 17. I was, in fact, up early. There is nothing … Continue reading Late to School
Berkeley Episode 3: The Crack Pixie
Of all the people who lived in the house I was probably the closest to Sarah Beth. She grew up in a somewhat small town with a mother who clung to Sarah Beth and her sister only slightly more tenaciously than she clung to the ghosts of her family's wealthy and glorious past. Sarah Beth's … Continue reading Berkeley Episode 3: The Crack Pixie
In Switzerland Know your Metric System
A word to Americans, brush up on your Metric System before you come to Switzerland, or go anywhere in Europe. Things here, especially food, are sold using metric system measurements. Fruit is measured in grams. Beer is in deciliters on the menu. Just knowing the basics and some conversion formulas will help keep you out … Continue reading In Switzerland Know your Metric System
Berkeley Episode 2: The Landlord Returns
After the episode with the Hole-y Stairs we learned we shouldn't rely on Burt to fix things. When the kittens pulled the curtains down in the living room we put them back up with no problem. When the pliers we were using to shut off the kitchen sink water no longer did the job, Sarah … Continue reading Berkeley Episode 2: The Landlord Returns
A Berkeley Episode: The Landlord
I moved to Berkeley in 1997. For the first year, I lived in a sort of communal house in El Cerrito by the BART station. It was a 5 bedroom house painted a butter-white stucco with a one-car garage that the owner had finished out into a 6th bedroom. I lived in that 6th bedroom. … Continue reading A Berkeley Episode: The Landlord
The Magic of Curling
Curling. The sport no one knows about. Or very few people know about, anyway. And if you know about curling it's because you play it or you know someone who does. So, what is curling? Curling - noun a game played on ice, especially in Scotland and Canada, in which large round flat stones are … Continue reading The Magic of Curling
I love Billy Collins
Billy Collins is my favorite poet (aside from Jim Danger Coppoc whose poetry I love for totally different reasons). I am writing for NaNoWriMo, as I have mentioned and I was looking for a snippet of poetry that would pop into the head of my hero and help her put the whole mystery together. But … Continue reading I love Billy Collins
Swiss don’t make Spaetzle
Last night I made spaetzle. This may be the one and only time I actually make it from scratch. I'm still traumatized. Spaetzle is a kind of an egg noodle pasta dish that is popular in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Hungary. It means "Little Sparrows" in old German. I have no idea why. It doesn't … Continue reading Swiss don’t make Spaetzle
Cap’n Bender’s
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away Mark and I were newlyweds. Part of the "new" in newlywed was our new life in Washington, DC. Mark had gotten his economist dream job and we had moved to an area that he had always loved, but where I had never been before. The … Continue reading Cap’n Bender’s
Mindy Carlson 