Random Tuesday - Whoa, really random!

Round and round she goes... where she stops, nooooooobooodddy knows!

First off... Billy Joel and Elton John are touring together again. SO far there are no tour dates listed in Europe although Elton will be in Dusseldorf alone on the day before we are taking off on holiday. Sorry, I don't see it happening.

I've never seen Billy Joel although I have every one of his albums, many in 2nd or 3rd generation (you know, started with 8-Track, then to LP, cassette, CD ... dammit no more medium switching, it is expensive!). I've even worn an LP (that's one of those round shiny black things for you kiddies out there) completely out. A friend of mine joked that he could see through it. Ha Ha, funny. NOT.

Elton is another story. When he was behind on some bills and needed the money he actually started hitting the smaller cities and Wichita, KS was one of them. The show was thoroughly enjoyable and simply whetted my appetite to see both on the stage at the same time.

Last night I finally had a chance to visit the new Hooters in my world. Those of you who know me know that I would happily live on the delectable wing treats for the rest of my life.

Thankfully it wasn't disappointing. The wings are a bit smaller than I remember them to be in the States, but still satisfying. Unexpectedly it didn't seem that the "spice" had been tamed down for the more sensitive German palate... good for them. The beer on offer (Berliner Pilsner) was a lot weaker than I normally like my beers to be, (I'm a dark girl in more ways than one) and they didn't have Coke Zero for No, which was a downside on her part.

We went with a lesbian couple who had also endured the sneering of their coworkers about how we were going to Hooters "for the wings" (wink, wink). Oh well, it was fun and really the vibe of the place is nice. It struck me how many families were there, but it makes sense. The waitress said that there have been MANY tourists come to check the place out. (wouldn't have anything to do with the incredible amount of money spent on outdoor billboard advertising, would it? ... nah)

Afterward we took a walk through the nearby park and had a lovely time. May I just say that the relaxed Marijuana laws in Germany have made sitting by the banks of the river on a quiet evening a different experience? As we walked along there must have been 5 or 6 groups quietly smoking the pungent herb. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Give me a stoner any day over a drunk. Very rarely are they belligerent or nasty, they are less likely to do the truely gross things a drunk will do such as puking or pissing in public and the nature of the drug makes the user more calm and relaxed. "Hey dude, let's go toss that homeless guy... Nah, I just wanna lie here and stare at the sky for a few more hours."

My Sweet No let it slip that last weekend was the start of the German-American Folksfest here in Berlin. Last year I took the opportunity to go with that Queer Expatriate, Adam, who seemed to enjoy himself. This year I may have to go alone if I can't find any takers. My darling wife just isn't much for this whole goofy carnival thing.

The planning for the London Olympics in 2012 is coming along fine. I would REALLY like to go. Do I stand a chance? Is it simply going to be too expensive? Will Michael Phelps be there?

Do you remember the opening sequence of the Jodie Foster movie "Contact"? It started by showing the Earth from above with a soundtrack of a jumbled mixture of current (as of the making of the movie of course) songs and news texts, then proceeded to back away from the Earth as the sound bites become older and older, eventually fading away into complete silence as we pass through the Asteroid Belt out the Milky Way Galaxy and into open space and past what looks like thousands of other galaxies. All of this to give you the idea/impression/realization that our broadcasts were all going into space, and any interstellar traveler or resident alien could find himself snuggling up to a "rerun but first-run" of Gilligan's Island.

Now thanks to the Heidelbergerin who used a blog post to throw up a bunch of links, my browser got pointed in the direction of a map showing where our favorite shows will be by now when allowing for the speed of sound... well, and a healthy bit of suspension of reality. But kinda fun to think about, eh?

Speaking of Heidelberg, No and I will be visiting there over the weekend and into Monday. Anybody in the area up for some English conversation and possible sight-seeing? IS there sight-seeing in Heidelberg? Is there something we shouldn't miss?

No always says that it is a big German joke that ALL Americans are familiar with Heidelberg. OK, so I have to admit that my father was stationed in the area during the Cold War. Yes, I've sat through my share of slide shows of his travels in mystical Europe.

I don't think we will have a car, or I would insist on driving over to Idar-Oberstein to take a promised photo. When I moved to Germany I promised my Dad that I would get another shot of the Felsenkirche for him - one of his favorite pictures was ruined by a friend who tried to copy it.

Been reading:

• Call her the diva of diving - Evelyn Dudas, a "living legend" of the deep.
  
• The 411 on the German health care system by Jentry - (OMG SOCIALIZED MEDICINE... RUN TO THE HILLS!!) and how it is working quite well, thank you.
  
• ClickClackGorilla - a lovely blogger who left the craziness of commercialization behind and lives on the refuse of others.
  
• Concert Summer - This year I'm going to go to some of these performances, come hell or high water!
  
• Biggest-Ever Bauhaus Exhibition in Berlin - I never really got the spirit of the Bauhaus movement. I think I'll work on getting to this exhibition and seeing if I can understand the big deal.
  
• 12 IAAF World Championships in Athletics - There hasn't been much advertisement (or even talk) about this excellent event. Too bad. Because it is going to be cool.
  

OK, so there ya have it. Head on over to the UnMom for her take on the Random Tuesday Madness and see how it is REALLY done.

Just because I want to, I leave you with this giggle brought to me courtesy of Goofball who just celebrated her 1000th post.