The Rejection Collection

Went to a show of support for Munich’s Amerikahaus, which was a last minute attempt to save this organisation that’s been at this location for more than fifty-five years. Perhaps it’ll continue in some form, but the American-Bavarian cultural centre will never be the same. It’s a sad moment in the history of the city.… Continue reading The Rejection Collection

Texas Shaped Stuff

Here it is – what you’ve all been waiting for. The Texas Shaped Stuff post. It’ll be a mix of products that are both in the shape of Texas, as well as those that use either the state flag or the shape of Texas in their advertising. When you’re buying sausage, don’t you feel more… Continue reading Texas Shaped Stuff

trying too hard

Did you know they play football in the United States? Not American Football, which I’m not going to talk about. If you can’t say anything nice and all that… But proper football. It’s called soccer there (some are surprised to hear that soccer is actually a term that originated in England), and since the 70s… Continue reading trying too hard

how to sell to Texans

No idea how true this story is, but I think it introduces what I want to talk about perfectly. There’s a national supermarket chain in the US called Kroger, and they’re based in Cincinnati. At least they were when I still lived in America, and as much as somethings have changed, I can’t fathom Kroger… Continue reading how to sell to Texans

always fifty-five

To me she’ll always be fifty-five. Isn’t that odd? When I was a certain age, my Nana was fifty-five. And no matter how much older she got, she was somehow still fifty-five to me. Now she’s died and memories of her are swirling round my brain, but there’s still a part of me that thinks… Continue reading always fifty-five

Stand reckless, stand rowdy…Stand true

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYXAuudKyts] Not sure why, but I’ve noticed that melancholy music often lifts my spirits more than an otherwise happy alternative. And one of the best options when I’m looking for something a bit brooding is the band Lambchop. Here are the lyrics to Please Rise, which is on their OH (Ohio) release: Stand about,… Continue reading Stand reckless, stand rowdy…Stand true

swooping down from the hills and collapsing to the ground

After the ‘man who sawed off his own foot’ post, I could probably take the rest of the week off. Until now, I haven’t been one of those ‘blog everyday’ sorts. Yet sometimes the goings on in the world just keep serving up things that need to be mentioned. What could possibly follow up the… Continue reading swooping down from the hills and collapsing to the ground

the weirder they come

This week, we lost one of our originals. If you’ve spent any time on the streets of Austin, Texas in the last two decades, you’ve very likely encountered Leslie. Here’s how the Austin American-Statesman reported on the death: Austin icon Leslie Cochran dies at age 60. It’s not an exaggeration to say that it got me… Continue reading the weirder they come

Patriot Jimmy

How about a topical blogpost? About what’s going on the news? In the world? Under normal circumstances, I’d never mention American Football. Never much liked it. The longer I live far away, the less interesting it is to me. But expats make friends they might avoid under other circumstances. So, I’m actually going to use… Continue reading Patriot Jimmy