Cheryl on the Web

The Dutch have a custom they call “borrelen”, which to me means socializing on appetizers and drinks, often in the late afternoon (there’s probably a Dutchman out there somewhere who’s ready to provide a more official definition!). I really got attached to this concept when we lived in Holland because it was always one of the most relaxing ways to socialize and was how we spent lots of good times with friends and family.

This weekend Tim and I “borrelled” (forgive my corruption of this Dutch word for my English purposes) on the patio both Saturday and Sunday and it was great, though no one was able to join us. We had some tzatziki sauce and some creamy cheese with fruit bits in it, with some French bread and crackers and also some olives. Yesterday we even broke out some rose champagne, the weather was so good. Talk about feeling decadent, drinking champagne and eating appetizers on a lovely balcony in hot sunny weather!

Tim and I have discovered a new kind of Trivial Pursuit here in Germany. It’s actually not officially produced under the name Trivial Pursuit - we bought it for 10 euro at the post office and it’s called “MaxTax Steuersparen 2007″. You got it: taxes in German.
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No, I’m not in a particularly morbid mood, I’m just 1 1/2 hours into my Friday night relaxation and watching a program on BBC titled “50 Things to Do Before You Die”. (more…)

It has been one long week for me as I was feeling a bit under the weather, but the last working day is over and I am ready to kick back and relax. Most Europeans would have called in sick given the way I felt this week, but not me, I just keep on plowing through. I feel like I’ve run a marathon, and my reward is that I now get to lay on the couch and do absolutely nothing for the next 5 hours, after which I will lay in bed and sleep like a baby (hopefully!). It is supposed to be nice weather here this weekend, so I will have to do some sleeping outside in the sun as well.

Talk to everyone later this weekend! Relaxation has begun.

When we moved to Aschaffenburg, we discovered pretty quickly it is famous for three things: the Johannesburg castle, lots of churches, and beautiful parks. With the good weather we have had this weekend and the friends we had visiting from Holland, we were really able to enjoy the parks at their best, and that just reminded us how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful area. (more…)

For those of you office-workers, here’s your tip of the day: Ever get tired of having Microsoft Office documents open in Internet Explorer instead of in the program they belong to, like Word or Excel? After having an Excel document crash my Internet Explorer today for something like the 5th time, I found this article from Microsoft that explains how you can prevent Word/Excel/Powerpoint documents from opening in Internet Explorer:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/162059

1. The subscription will cost you more than the phone is worth
2. 80% of the features will not prove practical or useful
3. The remaining 20% of the features are not worth the price you paid
4. Really useful phones that provide TV or a keyboard don’t fit in your purse, let alone your pocket
5. Youthful flexibility and mobility is seriously hampered by 2-year phone subscriptions
6. As part of that promotion you’ll undoubtedly get this year, you’ll get a new phone from your employer for free
7. Everyone will be jealous of you until they all have newer phones, after which you’ll regret your purchase for the next 1 year and 11 months
8. I’ll bet you can’t name 5 things your new phone gives you that your old one couldn’t
9. A new phone is more expensive to replace than an old one
10. The time you take to learn how best to maneuver the menus is directly proportional to your age - do you really want to be confronted with that reality?