Ponder this!

I was thinking about this today on my way to buy garbage bags:

"Why do we have to pay money for something to put shit into and then throw away?"

It's the same with a wallet. Why must we pay money to buy something to put money into?

I'll post some pictures of Budapest soon!

Sick, sick, sick

There are a few good reasons why I like living in Europe. One of them, as you have heard so many times, is my 5 weeks paid vacation. But what I haven't experienced - well, until now that is - is SICK TIME.

That's right: I am sick. I have the flu, and the doctor gave me a week paid off!

Now, I know what you Americans are thinking: "sissy, loser, weakling!" Go ahead, say what you want...but I know you are jealous!

See, in Germany, everyone gets 6 weeks of paid sick time. Now, that means that a lot of the "honest" citizens really milk the system for all it's worth, but I think I am not in that group, seeing that this is the 1st time I've been to the doctor's.

Now here is the downside: I am totally fucking bored.

There is only so much sleeping a man can do. So much cleaning or picking up someone can do...and this is only the second day!

So I'm gonna whine and complain to anyone that'll listen.

And I'll get paid for it.

I love Europe.

Come to Germany...pass a kidney stone!

Hey everyone,

Well, my dad's trip was interesting to say the least. Everything was fine - his arrival, the trip to Berlin and Prague - until the Saturday before he left. He got really, REALLY sick. On Sunday, I decided to bring him to the hospital. It turned out that it was the best choice: he had a kidney stone! The stone had moved from his kidney to the base of the bladder and sat there... After a night in the hospital, they decided to remove the stone. The operation was a success, and he was able to fly home on Tuesday. So, hopefully he stays healthy. In retrospect, I realize that he didn't buy any souvenirs for himself, however, I think a complete tour of the University Clinic Hospital and a personally made kidney stone are souvenirs enough!

I am glad that he got sick after our traveling. Not that I am glad he got sick, but if he'd been sick in Prague, I wouldn't have known what to do. At least here I can mildly express what I want to in German. And it allowed me to learn some new terms and words in German! (ex. bladder, kidney stone, patient registration, medical coverage, catheter, and so on)

Otherwise, it was a nice trip, I think, for him. He enjoyed Prague. We found a cafe that we liked. I am going to visit it again this weekend...

So, if I don't write again before Easter, I hope everyone has a great Easter and I'll be in touch soon!

P.S. click on the picture to take you to my new photo page.