I added a weather sidebar (down there on the right, towards the bottom) this evening. Now all of you can see what the weather (and time) is near me.
I'd like to add a currency converter too, but I can't find one. Just a simple little banner/graphic that shows the latest exchange rate for the Euro/Dollar. It doesn't have to be real-time or allow input, just a simple graphic saying the exchange rate is $2 to the Euro (gasp! - jk, it's about $1.21 to 1Euro right now) or something like that. Does anybody know where I can find something like that??
I'm in the midst of creating a new sub-blog for Mom and Dad. This way they'll be able to log in and write about their adventures themselves.
However, in trying to update their template a little, I accidentally updated mine. Fortunately nothing bad seems to have happened here because of that. Whew. But I think that is a sign that I'm too tired and should continue this experiment another day. [And backup my files.]
Oh, if you DO see something out of the ordinary on this blog (ie, green color gone, etc), please let me know via the comments.
Today somebody left a couple of comments and didn't have the decency to leave a name. This pisses me off. Their comments don't piss me off, but not leaving a name pisses me off. I don't require you to leave an email address or a URL, but come on, leave a name. It doesn't have to be real, it can be a nick name. I have a friend who comments as EEEE. My boyfriend uses Brat. Have the decency to sign your comments.
I need to see if I can enforce this with a script. I'm sure it's possible. Otherwise I'll have to go with requiring the email because then that'll force a name requirement. The email will still not be used as a link though.
Thanks to the recommendation from Scott at PapaScott, I've installed the MT Blacklist to deal with comment spam. Let the spammers try an post a comment on the blog now.
If you experience problems leaving a comment (you shouldn't), let me know and I'll fix it.
I've noticed that when people leave comments, and leave a URL, my blog is not using this URL, but instead using the link to the comment, which just redirects to the main page. However, I SEE this URL in the email that gets sent to me for each comment. I have to look into this.
Update: Ah hah! My comment links are spam protected. It helps to read the documentation. I don't like it though, so I'm turning it off. Also, I've discovered how to NOT link a person's name to their email address if they provide that and NOT a URL. So that's good! I'm going to implement that right away.
Okay, I've been listening to my audience.
One, I now allow anonymous comments. That is, you do not need to put in an email address in order to post a comment. It would be appreciated if you are new here, but it's not necessary. If I start getting comment spam though, I'm turning it back on. Also, I still have the open comments - up there under the title in bold.
Two, I made my blog title into a graphical title. Something flighty and cute.
Three, the links about this blog are now under the title and my photo up by the title.
Enjoy and keep giving feedback!
Okay, I've officially launched my new website here. The jinglelady.us/blog link is officially no longer active. I'll be putting up a redirect there in a few minutes.
One thing at least three of my readers said was they didn't like the new comments. Well, I do. I like having comments that pertain to the specific post. However, I also liked it that my other comments were kind of like an open chat. So, I've created a new comment section at the old comment place that will be just for open comments. Please keep comments pertaining to a specific entry in that entries comments. However, if you just want to say hi or write something completely off topic, feel free to use the
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Open Comments. I have a permanent link to these Open Comments over on the right under This Blog.
The old blog will no longer have fresh content - wait I know, you're asking "How is that different from the last week??". Ha ha. jinglelady.blogspot.com = Dead. jinglelady.us = Live. Enjoy.
I'm out sick today. Feeling a little sick and under the weather. Bill has a cold too. :(
A short little update just so people believe I'm still alive. My work permit is in the process of being solved. We'll see if the government agrees with our solution (my boss, our lawyer and mine) when I go to the Auslanders Amt for my residence permit next Tuesday. I hope so or I'll have more problems. I have two trips in March that cannot be postponed. Especially the trip to Michigan to see my Grandma T. She went in the hospital last week. Seems she had a little stroke. Mom says she sounds strong and her nurses say she's doing well. She loved the bear I sent her (via Vermont Teddy Bear - great gift site).
Argh, this sucks. I feel hemmed in. This blog is either to public now or I just care too flippin' much what others think. I can't talk about work or personal things that might affect work, because I showed this off to too many people there. I can't talk about Bill to much because his ex knows this address and I know she reads this. So if I don't want to screw up plans with him, I can't talk about them here. And my Mom doesn't want me to talk about certain other things because she hasn't spoken about them with my brothers yet. ARRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!
So, there you have it in a nutshell. This was going to be a small update and turned into a mini-rant. And know you know why I haven't been blogging too much lately.
Bleh. Bye.
Update: I'm sorry for this post. I was feeling blue and hemmed in. It's all still true, I just maybe shouldn't have blogged it.
A little bit about me. I'm unveiling the mystery a little.
I'm Anna, an American expat living in Frankfurt, Germany. I'm not in the military (by a long shot!), nor did my company transfer me here. I was simply at a bit of odds career and life-wise in Summer 2001 when I moved to be closer to my family. Then September 11th happened and the US job market tanked. I was having a hard time finding a job near my parents, so I started looking in Germany too. I lived here as a child and had good memories. Also, I'd come back here on vacation a couple of years before and really feel in love with the concept of living here. I had a couple of phone interviews, a video conference interview, and then in the same week December 2001 I was offered a job in Munich and one in Orlando. Hmm...that was hardly a decision! So I moved to Germany.
Two months later my new company declared bankruptcy, spinning my life into a tailspin. I got out of it in September 2002 when I found my new employer here in Frankfurt. And it's slowly been climbing back up since then. I'm very happy with my life at this moment.
This blog was started because I needed an outlet and I think my friends were getting tired of me overloading their email boxes with my long email stories.
So, that's me. Hi! (waves). I'll post a photo of me on the front page soon.
To have a place to describe my life here in Germany, vent frustrations about AND celebrate the cultural differences, and talk about interesting things.
Primarily, this is for family and friends. But if others wander in, feel free to poke around and leave a comment. :)
I do not plan on writing much that is political or intellectual. Just mini-rants and observations from my life. I strive to be a little humorous, hopefully it comes through.
The title of the blog is in tribute to my good friend Donna. She said my email stories (before I had this blog) sounded like a movie titled "Adventures of an American Girl in Germany" (or words to that effect). I liked it, so I use it. Love and miss ya Donna.