I must finally be getting over him.... Considering I puckered up to no less than 6 eligible caramel and cream bachelors this morning... Yes sirree, I’m movin' on. I mean, Abu will always be my first. But not my one and only - as I see a long caravan of camels in my future. And I was absolutely delighted to be in the middle of a camel cuddling orgy today. Their thick Berlin accents prevented any serious conversation, but their sweetness was conveyed through snorts and nibbles. Unbelievably docile and well...short, compared to Abu - the experience was soothing and a [View Full Entry]

---

---

I have always trusted my neighbors. You? In childhood, they became my family. At college, perhaps at 3am I had to knock on the ceiling or floor to quiet them down, but it was all love otherwise. At 18th & T, the gay guys chatted gardens and cuisine with me. In Pavia, they laughed with me over Mexico’s tendency to adopt new families. On East 2nd Street in Brooklyn, we cozied up on couches to watch films or talk art, took care of one another’s pets, bbq’d regularly and shared urban living secrets. In Senegal, well, there’s nothing you don’t share [View Full Entry]

---

---

Standing left, if this were the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue, would be Patience. And to his left, Fortitude. I didn’t get to know these two lions as intimately, but I can only imagine what kind of nicknames they have been given over the years, facing the Wannsee, protecting the Villa Marlier. It was here on 20 January 1942 that “The Final Solution” was consecrated and set into motion. Yes, I have begun touring Berlin. In my remaining 3 weeks here, I’ve decided to explore what Berlin has to offer in addition to its charms and inspirations for everyday [View Full Entry]

---

---

To counteract the decline of bowling leagues in America, I assembled my closest friends here in Berlin to celebrate my 32nd birthday, Jersey style. So on Easter Sunday in the midst of blustery snow, we hit the lanes. As American consumerism has infiltrated Germany reportedly over just the past 10 years, more and more shops and entertainment spots remain open on the resurrection. I'm sort of OK with that. It subtracts from the fine balance of work and play the Germans have, but provides family, or friends, with a secular bonding experience. In any case, bumpin' into the neon joint with [View Full Entry]

---

---

When teasing about Germany’s superiority, I often remark how even German kids are just, well…more precious somehow. Perhaps there’s something about their mannerisms. I still have yet to put my finger on it exactly, but after two weeks of living here, I can offer at least 2 concrete examples of my German little dumpling adoration: 1) their shoes. playful, leather, pouch-like slip-ons to cuddle the toesies. 2) their use of play-doh. Now, what American kid could use an entire cup of the stuff to produce only items found in a “Metzgerei” - or butcher? We had long wursts, short wursts, sweet, [View Full Entry]

---

---

on a jaunt through the Finger Lakes, then off to Brattleboro followed by a stop at Boston. apparently, we love the snow. then a visit to Abu on the way home, of course. christmas was pleasant, barely a sole around, we've been occupying ourselves by skating, skiing and scavenging for food. those of you familiar with the classic "A Christmas Story", will appreciate the fact that xmas dinner was of the asian sort, sans duck. holiday cheers, kathryn [View Full Entry]

---

---

some highlights of our trip. most of the unadulterated fun, including meeting various Basch-related characters, were left undocumented. [View Full Entry]

---

---

here are some pieces i thought were left out of the D&K art, culture and dining guide. -k. [View Full Entry]

---

---

confusion as we spun around the small streets of Ile-de-Re on bike on foot on auto. it is the land of Julien's family beach house. while it was my second trip to france, it was my first trip to an island there, though spookily familiar. there were other "french" islands i had surely visited... Ile-de-Re is overrun with terrible modern housing developments (pasty white structures hidden behind pasty white walls which are meerly backdrops for industrial art street lamps). there are older, grander fisherman houses left (as his is), and community buildings which offer full or partial remnants of francophone architecture. [View Full Entry]

---

---

In Baden, we had taken the town's one taxi (ok, perhaps overstated. but we literally called a taxi twice, and got the same guy.)...hiked for four hours worth of kilometers, taken a local bus, then took a local and regional train...only to arrive in Zurich, needing a tram to transport us to our Platenhof accommodation. The crisp night ride through the city was Spitze (tops!)...we then slept, a lot. The morning light brought into focus the almost hodgepodge architecture here. It feels German, and yet, Italian...or French, and yet, something altogether new. Almost every building has a different feel to it: [View Full Entry]

---

---