mark's not so special

seems that everyone who comes past and understands our blog must be a genius




aren't we all special

though since there is a distinct lack of methodology described on the website that determined that we pitch our discourse at the genius level, i think we should probably remain skeptical

in other genius news- alex is also apparently part of the "big brain crowd"

We are lazy

We have not been posting very much lately.

Maybe you've noticed.

Kate's busy with her new job, I was in Dresden all of last week, and truth be told it's all been a bit boring as of late. Plus the weather here has been absolute shit, and very demotivational. The high (or low) point was a crazy snowstorm on Saturday. Huge flakes, high-speed wind blowing everything horizontal, and massive thunderclaps to top it off. It was fun to watch from the safety of our couch (conveniently located in front of the fireplace). Which is where we spent the rest of the weekend.

Inspired by the beginning of winter, here's a classic photo, taken two years ago in the wilds of Vermont.


Pictured here are Scott and Dawnnica, along with the two of us. What you can't know from looking at this photo is that we're about to go home and eat super yummy steak with bacon gravy.

shock finding

after watching the video found here:

http://www.spiegel.de/videoplayer/0,6298,21336,00.html

pierre makes shocking discovery:
But, in my opinion, since he spelled weido wrong we can discount him as an unreliable source

chop bruvva

as promised, a post for dougie


This is dougie, he used to be kate's friend but then he met jeff. And then all of a sudden they're brothers in chops. I'm not jealous, really. Any way we stayed in london with dougie before the beard contest, and drank alot of beer, he has a very cool terrace. It's a shame he doesn't live in berlin anymore, drinking beer and shootin the shit with dougie is fun- even if the conversation does often turn to facial hair.

Jeff and dougie, chop bruvvas, neither a genius but both ranking well above the toaster*

*see post below

Mark vs. the Toaster - A German Unity Special Edition!

This is our toaster:

It burns a skull and crossbones pattern onto our toast:

Pretty nifty.

This is my former PhD advisor, Mark Roth, celebrating with me after my thesis defense*. He dyed his hair blue to honor my previous hair color experiments.


For the last several months I've been tormented by the following question: Who is more intelligent - Mark? Or our toaster?

Luckily, the nice people at the MacArthur Foundation have resolved this issue by awarding Mark with one of their Genius Awards. For his work examining suspended animation **. If you aren't aware what the hubbub is about, check out more info here:

Mark is a genius

It really is quite a prestigious prize, and should put you heads and shoulders above the majority of toasters in the world.

So I guess that's that.

Oh, and today is Mark's 50th birthday.

Congratulations and happy birthday from Berlin!

It's German Reunification Day today, so I'm off to drink beer and eat fried meat.

* check out the fledgling chops. and the 22 oz. can of Rainer. yum.
** while not directly involved in this work, I do remember the first day that Mark came into lab and started describing how he was going to induce suspended animation in C. elegans. At that point in the game I had grown pretty accustomed to a certain level of lunacy escaping from his mouth - but this seemed different. Lunacy, yes. But more like a core of genius covered in a rather thick veneer of madness. Similar in many respects to a peanut M&M.

2005 vs 2007

Same photo, different chops:

Berlin 2005 Brighton 2007

MULLET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello ladies

Finally, after years of hassling, Alex mulleted his hair, specially for brighton- all i can ask is why the wait?

Bogan-chic*, it's the new black


*for the americans in the audience (and possibly also for that crazy french dude that sometimes pops by) a bogan is the australian variation of a redneck - just without the gun

yeah yeah we know

that we said we would put up more photos from the competition and we are also well aware that we have not done it yet

here are two more photos as a teaserthe final steps on the road to brighton
jeff freshly styled (personal stylist to the left) and ready for the stage

seriously, look at those chops

A Preview

Kate is attending a conference on the Italian coast this week (which apparently also involves some beach reclining), so we won't get around to assembling a complete collection of Beard and Moustache Championship pictures for a couple more days. Here's a little teaser though, taken by a professional photographer in Brighton. The rest of his photos can be found here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimnaughten/

and should include pictures of most of the contestants.

Woo hoo!

Pbbbbbbbbbt!

Yes, we have been very lazy about updating our blog lately. As you'll read below, things have become increasingly hectic as the Beard and Moustache Championship approaches. Dry cleaning needed to be picked up. Buttons had to be sewn. The proper headband/shirt combo had to be found. And it's not like we live in France where you only need to work four hours a day. So yes, things have been busy. But we're back again. And many more photos will magically appear after we return from Brighton.

Gold medal here I come!

Well, the beard and moustache championship is almost upon us and preparations have hit a fever pitch. After a two hour salon session today, I think the beard is looking in top form. Now all that's left are a couple of critical decisions. For example: Do I wear a head band?



or funny glasses?



And perhaps more importantly, what will I eat first when arriving in England? Curry? Fish n' chips? or bangers?

As always, opinions should be left in the comment section.

Brother Birthday Blogging

An oldie but a goodie. It's Kevin's birthday today, so I wanted to take the opportunity to post up an embarrassing picture of him. Taken almost 15 years to the day. I'm on the left, cutting a dashing pose in my tie-die. In the middle is arne, my first ever German exchange student. And on the right is my scrawny-looking little brother. Possibly drunk on German beer. Happy birthday!

For Kevin

I promised my brother a gross picture of my scar - here you go. Of particular note is the big hole in the top right of the photo. That's where the drainage shunt came out of the wound. When they pulled that sucker out it hurt.

In other wrist news, I had my first physio appointment today. Where I got to hear the words:
"Ok, I'm just going to massage your scar now"
Surprisingly, it felt pretty good.

Old and New Bears

The big white bear here was a gift from Kate for my 33rd birthday this year. He doesn't really have a name yet, but is an integral part of our lives here in Berlin.

The slightly beat up guy in front is Old Poo*, my most beloved stuffed animal as a kid. I knew that my mom had saved him away somewhere, but I haven't seen this guy in over 25(?) years.

I got a care package from home today, discovered him hiding in there, and promptly burst into tears. Couldn't really say why. But now that I think about it (and I'm trying very hard to not be all Hallmark Cardy here) maybe it's always a shock to be reminded that you were a kid once.

*and yes, I recognize the inherent irony that someone as gastro-intestinally challenged as myself should have a stuffed animal named "poo".

My new wrist

The last week has been less than fun. Last Sunday, the tiniest of slips while playing ping pong resulted in me heading off to the hospital for 5 days. Woo hoo! While there I met many a random German, had my first experience with hospital gowns, and was fed a lot of really gross food. Oh, and I got a big titanium plate stuck in my arm. Check it out:





























Next week: physiotherapy! Typing with one hand sucks, so I'm stopping now.

The grill works

With the exception of the toast, all of this food was cooked on our fantastic new grill (Thanks kevin and gaby!). It's not a burger (duh), but it was delicious. Next time we will optimize the coal placement, purchase some proper fracking lighter fluid, and manage a nice medium rare roast. Until then, we're just going to wait for some bird poo to land on our window.

Respect

A bird shat on our window in epic fashion last week. First, take note of the impressive splatter effect. Second, be aware that our window is recessed in about 1.5 feet from the roof. It was either very windy or some bird executed a textbook dive bombing maneuver.

From this perspective it looks like the poo spatter is a giant monster eating a nearby building (the slightly famous Berliner Verlag tower).

The shit stain has remained on our window for about three weeks now. We're thinking about holding a vigil until Mom or Mum comes back to Berlin.

Know the enemy

Which in this case is pollen.


The word for it in German is Heuschnupfen. And it ain't fun. Jeff was crippled in March. And now Kate is sneezing like a mini snot tornado. Where are the gut parasites when you need them?

An oldie but a goodie

When our friends Scott and Dawnnica came to Berlin we took them to one of our favorite off-the-beaten-path tourist spots deep in the heart of East Berlin (Treptower Park for those who care). It's basically a Soviet WWII memorial, but that doesn't begin to do it justice. This, my friends, is propaganda at is finest. Check it out...

No more words need to be said.

We think it's a pencil sharpener

This may be the first installment in an upcoming series on the crazy shit offered to us by Major League Baseball.

Due to some sort of copyright issues, we aren't allowed to watch American commercials during breaks in the baseball. So we get tossed a random assortment of crap instead.

First it was a weird combination between Pong and slow out-of-focus pans of a baseball stadium.

Then we had the baseball pac-man - entertaining for the first five minutes - then you realize that it's the exact same pattern over and over and over and over again. And that the person who is "controlling" Pac-Man/Mr. Baseball Head is a drooling idiot.

Over the weekend we got this:


This image stares at you for about four minutes and then you go back to the game.

I don't know what else to say.

this one's for moiz

Monntag = Monday

This would have been a fantastic show.

We bought tickets months in advance.

While we were eating breakfast on Tuesday, all we could talk about was excited we were for the concert that night.

Oops.

But hey, it wasn't as bad as booking plane tickets for the wrong week in March.

Just saying.

party of one

we now have a blog roll- if indeed one link can be considered roll-like in nature

and it'll lead you to this guy:



ladies, this is alex- he's single (i think), smart and would look great with a mullet

and i get the feeling he will kick my arse for this later

The Way We Were

These pictures were all taken at Kate's old flat as we were getting ready to leave. It was the middle of winter; we were cold, overwhelmed, and slightly dispirited by the whole moving process. Of course, looking back now, it was all worth it because our new place is super kewl.


Before contemplating the chaos that was the old apartment, jeff needs to put on his thinking cap.

kate unscrews coat rack #1


jeff sneaks in some quality polar bear time

Pork Burgers Here We Come!!

Behold our lovely new grill.

We will teach the germans how to make hamburgers.

An Australian will teach an American how to roast lamb choppies.

And our neighbors may call the cops because of the smoke belching forth from our balcony.

Not to dwell on Knut or anything...

But this picture is super cool

Do they make teething rings for polar bears?

Knut is getting his first tooth, and there have been some complications.

He's in some pain, has a slight infection, and is running a fever.

But he's going to be alright.

Berlin, the money people at the zoo, and kids across the world all breathe a collective sigh of relief...

finger on the pulse, man

kate and jeff finally join the modern age

with this

our blog

which will potentially only ever amount to this post, plus some photos of knut, maybe