Big Apple II

For all of you who have noticed my lack of updating my weblog - right now there is not much noteworthy - or "blogworthy" - going on in the city of diplomats. BUT this weekend I am going to New York a second time - and lots of stories and pictures will follow after my return on Tuesday. take care, I am out of D.C., laura

weeeeeekend barbeque

Last saturday I was invited to a real American barbeque. A paradise of burgers, bratwursts (yes, they use the German name *g*) and lots of budweisers and heinekens.
It's all about perspective, right :o) ? The girl on the right is Sandra by the way, a new German intern at Lufthansa who just arrived a week ago (and yes, she is a little taller than the guy on the right). A nice screen in a nice flat. Funny detail: The flat is located in a district called "vienna" - so the States have their own vienna too. An Ösi (me) surrounded by two German girls on the metro. Another funny detail: The park and ride parkinglots in the States are actually called "KISS and ride" parkinglots. why? I don't know - at least I haven't seen mass-kissing on these parkinglots yet... Group-picture: They guy on my right is Dustin - the host of the barbeque and a satellite technician at the Dulles International airport.

that's what I call a sound system

IMG_0950
Originally uploaded by laura_rossi_graz.

Yesterday I came across a HUMMER near Chinatown and that's what I saw when I looked inside - must be a really really nice sound :o)

slang dictionary

It took me nearly two months to get to know just a couple of cool slang expressions (although I tried really hard to learn more!), so I wanna share them with you :o)
Double-fisting:When you have two alcoholic drinks in your hands at the same time (does happen quite often during our after work happy hours *g*).
to schmooze: To chat/talk with somebody informally. Funny detail: When I told my American workmate at a bar that I liked a guy there and she suggested to go to him and "schmooze" with him, I first thought that she recommended to KISS him...
to go on the "beer-run": Leaving a party and buying beer when there is no more beer left.
Chug it(or you are an ass....): Something like "Ex (the drink)oder nie mehr sex" :o)

the cause of evil is eliminated

The tooth-pain is history and so is my wisdom tooth (the picture is my evidence). I have never seen such a strange dentist office in my entire LIFE. The "Dental Group" welcomes you with a HUGE birdcage in its waiting room and once you are allowed to see your dentist, you walk along a loooong ally with small open dentist's offices (my guess is that there are at least 10 dentists working there). If you wanna take an online-tour of the office, there you go: Tour

hard time making decisions

In the States there are sooo many choices that it is sometimes hard to make a decision. Examples needed?
The metro entrance near my workplace in the district Van Ness (no, not Loch Ness!!!) - from the daily Washington Post to the weekly Vegan Newspaper (those people who eat nothing that comes from or has been touched by an animal) you can get every imaginable newspaper.

In early September D.C. is electing a new city mayor. Apparently D.C. does not provide any big "Außenwerbeflächen", so the contestants are fighting for every singly space, even on traffic lights.

startling similarities

Yesterday I saw a picture of the FPÖ-election-campaign-office on derstandard.at. And that's a picture of my office shot recently - I wanna point out that the similarities are just superficial!

the media-world is a village

Austrians may have heard of this "soft-news"-story already, but I was a little surprised to find the following story in today's free-of-charge Washington metro newspaper express:
For trying to get into jail, you'll go to jail
An ex-con in Vienna was caught last week committing a break-in - at the same prison where he had just spent two years, the Australian reported. Detlef Federsohn had been released from Josefstadt prison after doing time there for theft when police responded to the jail after reports of someone on the roof. Officials thought there may have been a prison break in process, but it turned out to be Federsohn, trying to sneak back in. "Life is so much easier on the inside. They feed you, do your washing and let you watch TV, which I can tell you is a lot more than my mum does," Federsohn said.
So the story went (almost) around the globe - Austria - Australia - USA :o)

ladies at the zoo

Who would have guessed when looking at the pictures that we were at the zoo (cool: even the zoo in D.C. is free of charge).

Which soft toy would YOU choose?

Maybe the animals smelled I was Austrian - all they had to show me was their backside (but how is the saying: Auch ein schöner Rücken kann entzücken ;o)

sick of being sick

I'm ill because my wisdom tooth goes crazy - so I can hardly speak, swallow or eat something. Annoying and presumably pretty expensive - if it doesn't get better by antibiotics I must see the dentist here...

How Laura met the police

Guess what happened on our day off from work - Laura was stopped by the police. Christoph and I rented a car to drive to Rehoboth Bay in Delaware and on our way back we saw two police cars in the rearview mirror. Reason: Christoph passed the speed limit of 25 miles/hour (which is veeeeeery slow indeed). Luckily they let us go as we told them we were Austrians ;o) (it may have helped that we have had our diplomatic visa with us as well).

never let boys take pictures...

Here is what happens when you tell a guy to take a picture of you (in front of the Washington Monument) without detailed instructions:

And that's the picture after I tortured him ;o) :

Sittin' on the dock of a bay

... or at least of the Potomac River! Today we went kayaking on the Potomac, the 21st biggest river in the whole country. After just one "boat over" (meaning: somebody falling out of the boat) and a stunning view on the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial at sunset, we had a picnic at the boat house. Clearly one thing I might consider doing for a second time...

God bless America!

Watch what the church in my neighbourhood tells its members near the front door:

booze info

As the weekend comes closer I feel oblidged to recommend you some booze :o) What you shouldn't miss is a Merlot called "Old Fart's Wife":

Tasting note: Rich, vibrant, full red wine, soft plummy flavor with jammy fruit, and underlying tannins that provide the structure required for a wine of this type. (I stole this from another website *g*).

Plane Terrorism Plot

Due to the discovered terorrism plans to blow up U.S.-bound airliners using liquid explosives, the US Homeland Security Department raised the terrorist threat level to "Code Red" for flights originating in the UK and to "Code Orange" for all other commercial flights operating in or destined for the United States.
You really feel nervousness here in the streets. An intern of the Political Department left today and wanted (I did not know if she succeeded) to fly back to Austria in the afternoon.
The Washington Post has published some online-videos, showing the situation on the American airports: Click here.

Austrian Embassy

Front view of the embassy - a mixture of "Nazi-Bau and medieval castle" (quote from one of my workmates *g*).

Our entrance hall from the first floor - the piano is a real Bösendorfer...

The entrance to the Press & Information department - the woman on the right is Ellen, who has been working for the embassy for 15 years now.

That's my office - the table with the flowers is my workplace, the closer desk belongs to hannes, my office mate.

Funny detail about the women's toilets: The note says something like "If we do not feel comfortably sitting down, we should wipe the rim after use" (to whom it may concern: Women are no "Stehpinkler"!!!).

what you didn't know about Finland

Unknown (at least to me) facts about Finland: Finland is home of really crazy world championships - like the championship in air guitar playing (you may have know this), the championship in rubber boot throwing, the championshiop in wife carrying (you may not have known this :o) and the championship in mosquito killing (you DEFINITELY did not know that)!!! detail of the mosquito killing contest: there is a traditional and a "freestyle" competition. Thanks to the Finnish interns for this information :o)

ever heard of a "bridezilla"?

Bridezilla: A bride-to-be who, while planning her wedding, becomes exceptionally selfish, greedy, and obnoxious. Mixture of "bride" and "Godzilla". Other interesting IT-words can be found at: Word Spy.

birthday party

late, but finally some pictures of my birthday - I had a GREAT time and got flowers and a cake from my workmates.

back in time

Last weekend I travelled back in time: Nicole took me to Williamsburg, America's biggest outdoor museum. There you can stroll around a city that looks like in the 18th century and actors play former inhabitants.
Nicole and me, standing at the "pranger"...

Hugging a lady in a gorgeous dress *g*...

power blackout

Yesterday at 11.30 am we had a power blackout in the whole Embassy Row (about 20 embassies including the Austrian Embassy) - no electricity, no internet, no lights. Which meant that we could go home by 1 pm :o) So I spent the afternoon at the hairdresser...
Today I am heading to Richmond, Virginia, to meet Nicole, my friend from Cleveland, for the weekend. Pictures will follow!

BILD-Zeitung American style

Bloody, bloody boulevard journalism: Everyone who has been thinking that the German BILDzeitung ist the worst yellow press throughout the world is WRONG!

hot apple

Check out the Spiegel Online-Article: heat wave in new york (up to 46 degrees) - the mayor declared "Notstand" in the city. In Washington it is nearly as hot - the metro is supposed to drive slower in order to save power.