Christmas in Germany

It's almost upon us, once again. At least Kati and I agree that the tree doesn't go up until Christmas Eve (although we can't seem to be able to agree that it could come down right after Christmas or January 6th, at the latest...).

So: no tree yet. The picture is of an "Adventskranz", you know, the wreath Germans have with four candles on it. Each Sundays before Christmas one more candle is lit. So tomorrow number two is on for its big appearance.

Pre-Holiday Observations in Germany

I've been kicking this cold around for the past two weeks. I used to go for many years on end without having so much as a cold for more than a day or two. Seems like old age - in relative terms - is starting to get the better of me.

Apart from not really feeling up to snuff I'm starting to enjoy the gradually increasing peace and quiet around the castle. We still have a few milestones left to go but the brunt of it is over (the "brunt" still to culminate in the New Year's Eve Ball).

I am hoping to be able to use the quieter season for some "quality time" with my family and for some IT projects I've been postponing to the "quiet season" for a couple of years. We'll see how that works out...

A few days away from the village in a non-work context would be great, too, but I'm not setting my hopes too high for that goal.

For the kids everything is gearing up toward xmas. In Germany the "Nikolaus" Day on December 6th is almost as good as Christmas itself and today on Advent Sunday we lighted the first candle on the "Adventskranz". We aren't religious (though it says "Buddhist" on my Army dog tags - just because I thought "no religious preference just wasn't true) but the kids *are* growing up in the German cultural context which just so happens to be very much dominated by medieval religious practices. So they get to play, if they want, in order not no be left out at kindergarten / school. They'll figure things out when they grow older...

Digital Strangelove...

... is great slideshare slideshow by David Gillespie subititle "or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Internet).

Bottom line: Paid content is possible. But of course there is a lot more to it than that (at 263 slides). Valuable for the creative commons pictures alone.

Digital Strangelove (or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Internet)

View more documents from David Gillespie.

Fallen

It's getting increasingly cold and wet here in southern Germany and the season is gradually winding down. I get to give a group of about 60 a tour of the castle this afternoon, though.

Preparations for the annual Christmas market are fully underway now. 75+ vendors are coming and we have an especially large program of events on the side. Lots to coordinate but everything is looking pretty well - thanks to GTD!

Watchful Eye and Ear

More and more friends from days of old are popping back into my life thanks to the wonders of the internet in general and the benefit of social media in particular.

It's amazing, what touching base with my past is doing for me in terms of digging up long-lost pieces of memory. That is - I am very glad to say - mostly a very good thing.

I also find the general implications of this increased interconnectedness very interesting. Is the world evolving into one big - almost organic - brain of information? Information that is easily connected and reconnected to from every part of its web?

I certainly find it easier and easier (and faster and faster) to find pertinent pieces of information. Accessing the social network assures that the quality or usefulness of this information increases constantly. And reconnecting with old friends is helping to find information within me that I didn't even know was there (anymore).

What a great world we live in! What great prospects...

Scotch Terrier Parking

It's quiet on the home front, but only because there is much to do.

And it is getting pretty cold here in southern Germany. I don't particularly like like as it causes the heating bill at the castle to go up drastically.

Waiting for Indian Summer in Franconia... but I suppose it's a little late for that.

It's A Sneaker Thing