Rekindling an idea...

An unexpected side effect from some conversations in Vienna this week took place, ones I simply had not expected and was caught off guard and perplexed.

I've been playing around with a "book" now for probably going on two years simply to lazy to dig into it and finish it, yes I'm writing one and it's not a techie deal like this one. Well during Vienna one night, I think it was while drinking to RedMonk for their signing a new client (he bought champagne so...) well somehow or another someone was silly enough to ask me more details about myself and somewhere in the middle of it all my book "an Ami comes to Lippstadt" came into the conversation. Now this book is a blog like book of accumulated mini stories and thoughts on being an American (Ami) and moving to a small German town and my assumptions about Germans and theirs about Americans and how things unfold over the course of probably around 5 years of my time there. Which is one of the problems with the book and why I'm not finished I simply can't find a place to "stop" as I tell one little story it tends to remind of another BUT I'm making this a requirement (I think I did once before this year) and I will finish this book by October 31, 2007! I arrived in Germany October 31, 2001 so I figured it's fitting 6 years so that's one whole year (ok I was lazy so far this year) of reflection right?

Here's an example of one of those stories,

I've just experienced for the first time the "Aldi Rush" or at least that is what I am calling it now. This morning I was up at 5:30 AM, my wife (wow I can say that now) she called me at 6:30 AM (she had already left for work) to remind me that today, June 22, 2005, there was a new "Special Offer" at Aldi. The offer was for a Swimming Pool (see Details).

Well needless to say in the the 30 minutes I was standing there and waiting for the store to open at 8:00 AM there were about 30 people piling up behind me, 2 in front of me at the first 10 wanted this pool.

The doors opened and we went in, then everyone, believe it or not, started to RUN, well the heart started pounding, adrenaline was building at the excitement started to grow (just a pool remember) so I ran as well and we found them.

Now here's the crazy part, there were only 6 of them standing there. I managed to snag one and I thought I might have to fight with someone but luckily not. I dragged it to a counter (didn't get a cart because I thought it's just a small box) paid and put it in my car.

The whole time I was thinking about the phone call I got at 7:45 AM from Nicole asking me to grab a few more items while I was there. So I called her back and explained what just happened and asked her what she wanted. Luckily she took pity on me and allowed me to take the Pool home and then go to work.

Never again will I do that!!!!

Link: Original Posting

Basically you can pick up this book and turn to any page and read, think collection of short stories all around the same topic some being shorter and some being longer than others and the only flow is the fact that they all REALLY took place in my life (hey you don't have to buy it!) and it was over the course of 5 years of me moving to Germany (started with a list of 10 words you know). So there you have it and now that I blogged it so that means I have to do it right?