Dresden is about to celebrate the 65th anniversary of its worst nightmare: the 1945 February 13-15th bombings by the Allied Forces. Over the course of 2 days the city (home to countless historic landmarks) was obliterated. First Dresden exploded and then it burned; the fire taking nearly everything.

If you’re interested in an American’s first-hand account of those days, look no further than the amazing Kurt Vonnegut. Slaughterhouse-Five - part fiction, part factual account of his stint as a POW in Dresden during the bombings - probably does more justice to the carnage than anything else I’ve read. When asked about it once, Vonnegut had this to say: “You guys burnt the place down, turned it into a single column of flame. More people died there in the firestorm, in that one big flame, than died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined.”

Powerful stuff.

We’re talking almost four thousand tons of incendiary devices (in-cen-di-ar-y : Military: a shell, bomb, or grenade containing napalm, thermite, or some other substance that burns with an intense heat.) raining down over the course of 48 hours. Roughly thirty-thousand people lost their lives in a raid that swings ominously close to the definition of a war crime.

And do Dresdeners hate the Allied forces.. the Brits & Americans… for what happened back in 1945? Some do I’d imagine. Hell, I get pissed thinking about it and I’m not even German. But Germany is my home now. More specifically, Dresden is my home. I’m immensely proud of that fact… love the city, love its scars and its resiliency and its place in history. I especially love the juxtaposition of rebuilt landmarks and intentionally left bombed out buildings. To me it says: ’see? we rebuilt this… we were down but never out. we’ll also never forget; each time we drive by the remains of this church or that monument, we’ll not only remember, but honor those who died’.

This Saturday marks the 65th anniversary of the bombing and should be a time of peaceful reflection. Unfortunately the past few years it’s also been used as a rally cry for Germany’s neo-nazi fringe faction. Every year supporters of the NPD roll into town and makes as big a spectacle as they possibly can. People are hurt, ambulances are overturned, but what’s worse: the real meaning of the day is overshadowed by all the grandstanding. This shouldn’t be allowed to happen.

Which is why the City of Dresden has organized a Human Chain Campaign:

Why a human chain?

For decades, the bombing of the city has been marked on 13 February in various ways. Over the past years, right-wing extremists from across Europe have chosen Dresden as the destination of a march on that date. It is one of the largest marches organised by the extreme right wing. For this reason, on that day it is no longer enough for us to silently remember the victims of the bombings.

The human chain is to serve as a symbol for our commemoration of Dresden’s destruction, and as a reminder of the dangers of right-wing extremism. It is to protect the Altstadt in Dresden symbolically.

Who is involved?

The Mayor invited a group of institutions and individuals to arrange the events of 13 February together; they came up with the idea of forming a human chain. The human chain is a civil society project which this group is responsible for organising. Those involved include the churches, the Jewish community, sports organisations, unions and democratic parties on the city council.

Where will the chain be?

At this stage of planning, the route is as follows: Altmarkt – Seestraße – Dr.-Külz-Ring – St. Petersburger Straße – Synagogue. The formation of the human chain will follow a speech by the Mayor in front of the city hall at 1 p.m. What happens after that is still being planned and will be announced before the event.

Roughly 6,500 neo-nazis are expected in Dresden for the march this Saturday.

Will I be there to protest them? Yes. And so should you if you’re in the area, nearby, or so inclined. Is it safe? Probably not the safest, I certainly will keep my mouth shut (tough though it will be…) and do my best not to advertise the fact that I’m American. But demonstrations are never really about safety, are they? They’re about standing up for something… think Tiananmen Square, Vietnam, Myanmar.

Honoring the dead and standing up for democracy in one fell swoop is a hell of a way to spend a Saturday if you ask me…

1 Comment »  

so, our remote control is broken.

called 1-800-comcast to see how we need to go about getting a new one. they pretty much told us we had 3 options…

a). go to our nearest service center to switch out with a new one

b). have someone come out to test it, make sure it’s broken and then they can give us a new one… but not until this person forces us to sign up for a service contract for 2 dollars a month.

c). option b except refuse the service contract and be forced to pay up to $60 for the visit

well clearly options b and c piss me off… so i went to the internet to try and find out where our nearest service center is… which i believe is not actually close at all, and not even in our town… which would also make this option not cool.

as i sat waiting for the website to not load… i grew more and more aggravated that this simple thing was going to end up being a pain in the ass… eventually, i found out the info i was looking for and it was as i feared… there is no service center remotely (heh, remotely) close to where we live.

but, before i finally got this info… i had a live chat with damien from comcast (yeah, how appropriate… i know)

it went something like this:

me: hey, can you tell me where my nearest service center is

satan: good afternoon, can you tell me what services you currently have with comcast

me: internet, hd cable

beelzebub: can you give me your address

me: (typed in my address)

prince of darkness: can you give me your zip code

me: (typed in my zip code)

devil: oh hey, we’re just a third party selling plans for comcast… you’ll need to contact your local office

me: yeah, ok… ummm… can you tell me where my nearest service center is

lucifer: you’ll need to call 1-800-comcast

me: go to hell

No Comments »  

The company Jim is working for is international but his position is ultimately based in America. He’s in Dresden on long-term assignment, and there are pros and cons to this (as with anything in life), though up to this point it’s all seemed doable and fair. Enter health care.

When I heard we were getting Aetna Global I thought it was a little weird… just seemed like such an American company for living in Europe, but I figured everyone knew what they were doing and it would somehow work within the confines Germany’s system. Then yesterday I got our insurance cards and decided to check out what doctors accept our plan… and there is a whopping ONE in all of Dresden. Seriously, just a lone general practitioner and that’s it. Even better: the nearest hospital on their plan is in Berlin!

So if there’s an emergency… say I slip walking on the ice and crack my head open… I’d best not bleed out on my 2+ hour drive to Berlin. Not to mention there are no pediatricians, OB/GYNs, internal medicine specialists, oncologists, etc. Nada, zip, zilch.

Also, everything must be paid in advance by the patient and reimbursed at a later date (there was a vague reference to ‘reasonable expenses’ being repaid, and anyone who’s been to a German doctor knows they’re big on follow-up and return visits, something I doubt an American company — where health care is ultimately a profit based business — would consider reasonable). There was some talk, though the rep we spoke to wasn’t sure how it works, that we could give them the name of doctors here in Dresden we’d like to see and they’d call them to ask if they’re willing to accept Aetna. Even at that we still need to pay all fees up front and submit for reimbursement… something that’s not a big deal if you’re healthy, but the more medical conditions you have, the more often you shell out.. it could really add up.

So please someone tell me you’ve had/have this company and it’s not as bad as I’m imagining? Because I’m guessing going back to Jim’s employer and asking them to switch providers is a little like tilting at windmills, and I’m no Don Quixote…

6 Comments »  

Things are busy here but I wanted to post a quick update:

• Syd starts school tomorrow and Robbie on Tuesday. Both girls registered & set to (re)attend the international school in under a week, how’s that for productive??
• Finally managing to sleep through the night but it’s way too quiet here… I need my white noise. Anyone know where I can get a fan (ventilator) in Dresden this time of year?
• Coming to terms with the fact that we’ll be in this hotel through April. It’s sort of an extended stay place, but mostly feels hotelish. It also smells like an ashtray and the internet signal leaves a lot to be desired.
• A ton of Jim’s new coworkers are also in said hotel. This means I can’t leave the room without mascara, perfectly quaffed hair and a bright, sunny smile firmly in place. Yeah, that gets old.
• Past two complaints aside, I am thrilled to be back, thrilled Jim has such a great job and thrilled we’re settling in as quickly and easily as we are.
• Apfelschorle is every bit as delicious as I remembered! My first day back I downed a liter in under an hour, started twitching all over, then fell into a 6 hour glucose-fueled coma. Good times.
• There is definitely something to be said for experience. Most of the stressors present in our last move to Dresden aren’t an issue this time around. It’s like I stepped off the plane from a really long, surreal vacation and walked back into my real life. I feel almost guilty about how easy the transition has been (knocking on wood as I type).
• Still can’t get over the fact that Elbe Park… Dresden’s big outdoor shopping center near Ikea… has now been turned into an indoor mall. Freaky! Likewise, I remember bitching that nothing in Dresden, construction-wise, ever seemed to get accomplished. Then I return after 10 months and tons of stuff has changed. I wonder if it’s always that way? You don’t notice progress when it’s happening right in front of you? If so, that’s kind of sad… takes leaving something to actually appreciate it.
• I miss miss MISS Sunday shopping! This is only my second Sunday, hopefully the memory of lazy Sunday afternoon shopping trips to Target & Kohl’s will eventually fade. Sniff.
• That said, I love having trams again. In America you drive everywhere. Here in Dresden I walk or tram it. It feels healthier… environmentally friendly… cosmopolitan. Jim can keep the car, I’m good with DVB.

Ok, enough for now. We have things to do, walks to take and a long, leisurely lunch to enjoy at Wenzel Prager Bierstuben , our favorite Czech restaurant here in Dresden (try the Vaclavova Topinka if ever you’re in the area).

More to come…

10 Comments »  

Three days left til Dresden. It’s funny, I know so much more this time around, yet feel far less prepared. Or maybe I just feel less prepared because I know so much more?

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

1 Comment »  

Well Michael came the closest to guessing our new location, plus he was the only one who thought internationally. I suppose being that we just moved back to the States everyone assumed we wouldn’t leave again. But life is short and jobs are scarce, so when a wonderful opportunity presented itself, we took the plunge.  And with that I’m happy to report Jim’s new job is based in…… wait for it…… Dresden!

Yes, you heard me right, Dresden. It seems all roads lead to Dresden these days. I’d like to think this twist of fate has an element of karma to it. A sort of: you got screwed the first time around and you have unfinished business, so here you go. It’s either that or: fool me once, shame on you / move to Dresden twice, get screwed twice as much. Time will tell I suppose.

And now that I’m on the verge of being a re-expatriate (I should really look into trademarking that) so many thoughts are running through my head. There are things I want to do differently better:

• Hello german language, I really do need to learn you this time around.
• Hello everyone I avoided due to antisocial tendencies, life is short and I need to work on developing relationships.
• Hello countries I never got around to visiting before, let’s make up for lost time.

Likewise, after being back in the States for almost a year, I’m fully aware of everything I’m giving up:

• Goodbye self-check aisles at the supermarket. I would wait in line to use you even if cashiers were free… I’ll miss you the most.
• Goodbye late-night and Sunday shopping, I thought I’d gotten over you when I lived in Dresden before, but then I moved back and realized exactly how awesome you really are.
• Goodbye complete ease of understanding, you’re both a blessing and a curse. It’s easy to slip into autopilot and never realize it. Then again, there’s a lot to be said for autopilot…

It’s a little different this time around, too. We’ll only be in Dresden for a finite amount of time, about 21 months. And the timetable is actually ok with me. At first I thought, “Twenty-one months!?! That’s not long enough!” but after thinking it through, it has its good points. It’s long enough to settle in and feel like home, plus it gives us the chance to do some of the things we didn’t get around to the first time (by the way, how awesome is it getting a second chance to do something that was/is important to you??). On the bad days… language barriers / frustrations / lack of poptarts & processed cheese products… it’s short enough that I can remind myself only ‘blah’ days are left.

No matter how you look at it, it keeps tension on the process, and that’s always a good thing.

So there you have it… my new news! Even better- I should have lots to write about in the future. I’ve missed blogging this past year, but when every entry began with how much life sucked, well, I decided to go with the old adage of saying nothing since I didn’t really have anything nice to say.

So watch out Dresden, here we come. Again.

16 Comments »  

Just a quick note because I promised myself (hello, new year’s resolution) I’d write more often. Jim started his new job today… yay! Even better, this isn’t just another contract, it’s the real deal: gainful employment with benefits & 401K & health coverage and a hefty relocation package. Awesome. It’s a newer company, but they’ve got a good pedigree and I’m trying not to live in the past and think ‘qimonda’ when I picture their future.

For now we’re camped out in a crowded hotel room but things are changing rapidly: Jim starts today and heads out to our final destination on Wednesday. We (girls… me) will follow on the 22nd. And where would that final destination be? I’ll let you guess. Here are a few hints:

• It’s in the 20s there today
• The city has an ‘e’ in its name
• A river runs through it

In the meantime there’s plenty of chaos, but it’s a good kind of chaos; the kind I embrace. It’s finally time to put the past to bed and seize the day. So here’s to a new chapter: may it be a good one in every way possible…

16 Comments »  

One of Robbie’s friends died in a car accident yesterday. He was 19, driving too fast, distracted, not wearing his seatbelt… well, you get the picture. She cried inconsolably for about an hour. It was the first time she’d experienced anything like this, and for once there was nothing I could say or do to make it better. It occurred to me how she’s growing up and how painful that process can be. She’ll be seventeen in a few weeks and I can no longer keep the monsters at bay, or make owies better with kisses and snuggles.

We’re practically on level playing ground now: she’s no kid and I’m no longer the omnipresent, omnipotent custodian of her hopes and dreams. She’s at the helm. In a way it’s like watching her take her first steps all over again, only this time it’s not the sharp corners of an errant coffee table or fireplace mantle I have to worry about; it’s life. It’s loss and rejection and regrets and missed opportunities… it’s the stuff of a grownup’s world, and it is terrifying. You parents of teens (or older) are probably nodding your heads in sympathy as you read, while all the parents of toddlers are mystified… and that’s a good thing. Just like you don’t want your child growing up too fast, the parent inside you needs time to evolve and assess. In the end, as John Lennon so eloquently put it, we all shine on.

So here’s to Robbie growing up and all that accompanies it… even the bad stuff.

This post was brought to you by the letter B.

3 Comments »  

clearly in the minority on this… but i just didn’t love it as much as what seems to be everyone else. this is not to say it wasn’t good… but i found it did have some flaws that kept me from liking it more.

my main issue is in the writing of the main character. he is meant to be a renegade cowboy… but being reckless in this case isn’t cool or macho… it’s simply stupid. and it feels like the choice was made not so much for character development but to up the dramatic ante. the entire movie tries too hard to give this character some depth, but i just wasn’t buying it. despite this, i thought jeremy renner did a really great job in making it as believable as possible… because it could have come off even more cartoony in the hands of a less capable actor.

plot points, weak as they are, in the movie also fell in a range from unbelievable to contrived and all seemed to be attempts, once again, to give these characters more depth… but it just isn’t there.

what the movie does do well is put us immediately in the thick of a tension-building opening scene and draws us in right off. in fact, the smart choice to root most of the tension of the film not in loud explosiveness but in the quiet build-up was a good one.

ultimately, i found it to be very watchable, but hardly award-worthy.

No Comments »  

Have I used this title in a blog post before? Can’t remember. It’s a line from a Jackson Browne song that I always thought of more as poetry than music. One of those magical things you hear that can be interpreted any way you want: sad or happy, nostalgic or bitter, fulfilled or longing for more; those ten little words encompass it all. And maybe I’m feeling all little bit of all these things tonight. That, or I’m just tired… it’s hard to tell.

Now, about the new year:

As bad as things were in 2008, 2009 was so much worse. And as bad as 2009 got (which, my friends, was pretty fucking bad at times), I realize it could have been worse. But now we’re on the brink of a new decade and it feels like improvement. There’s a newfound optimism and maybe… just maybe… a sense of hope and direction and purpose lending itself to 2010. This, in no small part, is due to progress on the job front for Jim (more on that to follow) and our current trek back to Albany to meet up with all our worldly possessions and strike out for parts (sort of) unknown.

So goodbye 2009, you were complicated and stressful. 2010? You had me at hello…

This post was brought to you by the letter B.

2 Comments »