Ex-ExPatter

I love this picture! And it was a self-portrait!

Just to prove we're still here...

Poor blog. You're so neglected. I can't even remember the last time I wrote a blog post. That's what happens when you join Fa...

I know, I know, the blog has been dormant. Here's a self-portrait (Mädchen insisted I cuddle with Cookie Monster one afternoon) just to...

We left Basel in March 2007 , and we hadn't been back since. So I was thrilled to find out I had a meeting in Basel on April 1. I got...

I just got back from a great few days back in Basel (about which more later). One of the things that always gets me is how different the na...

We are in the midst of a very momentous occasion. Since Mädchen was born almost three years ago, Gretchen has never been away for the weeke...

I'm not generally much of a Michael Gerson fan since half of his columns are about what a Wonderful Person our former president is, but ...

Today marks the 2 year anniversary of our departure from Basel. I wonder how many more years I will mark this anniversary. I wonder if we ...

Way back in the day, I was a high school teacher for a few years. It was a fantastic experience that I wouldn't trade for anything, but...

I wonder how upset Gretchen would have been if Mädchen had fallen in the water while throwing sticks because I was taking a picture instead ...

Not too long ago, if we ever wanted to give something away but didn't have the energy or room in the car to take it to Goodwill, all we ...

Oh yeah, with a yard like this, who wouldn't want to be our neighbor? It would be even better if we had (a) the hose running from our b...

Sunny skies and lots of laughs...

I've never been much of a sci-fi fan (the Star Wars series aside, which I'm not sure even counts as sci-fi). I'm sure much of my...

(1) Last night we caught the second mouse , and I safely released it outside this morning. I just hope mice don't have an innate sense o...

I never forget how lucky I am to have these two in my life:

I'm as unhip as they come, but saw a review in today's Post of a free download of a remixed Outkast song. Turns out the price was ...

Just for the record, this is something we never saw when we lived in Switzerland, nor is it something I plan to try if I'm able to visi...

At one point on Saturday, we were all in the kitchen and Mädchen all of a sudden pointed toward the dishwasher and said she saw something mo...

I don't want to jinx it, but it's looking pretty likely that I'll be attending a meeting in Basel in a few weeks. Woohoo! I hav...

I've known this day was coming for some time, but that doesn't make it any easier: As of the end of February, I no longer have Senat...

Here's another Facebook post that I figured I'd put on the blog as well... * * * * * "Think of 20 albums that had such a profou...

Last weekend, friends invited us over to their place for dinner. Gretchen and her friend met through our daughters, and Mädchen and their d...

Yesterday I heard from a colleague that a colleague/friend and her husband had been in a bad accident in Basel. Turns out they were walking...

When I got home tonight, one of the first things I said was: "It smells like B.O. in here--did you make tacos?" Based on Gretchen...

The snow we got this week? Awesome. Forecast for 75 degrees on Sunday, as well as the start of daylight savings time? Even better.

Tuesday night when I went to my car to go home from work, I was irritated to discover that one of my tires was completely flat. (This was e...

While not quite as much as originally expected, we ended up getting 4-6 inches of snow overnight. Woohoo! Since our roads weren't plowe...

As previously indicated, snow forecasts here tend to end up being duds. The local forecasters get everyone fired up, and then...pfffffft. ...

So, what's been up with us the past few weeks? Well... -- Our good friend Dave , who Mädchen absolutely adores, moved back home to L.A. ...

I still have a lot to learn about hockey (it wasn't exactly in my blood--let alone on my TV--growing up in Southern California). But we...

There obviously hasn't been much bloggage on our part lately. This has largely been a function of: -- Gretchen and Mädchen being in Wis...

Ama, this one's for you!

Other than Christmas, the happiest time of year may be...Girl Scout cookie season! Gretchen thought it was maybe a little excessive that I ...

This is probably a post Gretchen should do, but since (a) she's in Wisconsin with Mädchen (where else would you want to be in February?)...

This is still the best attempt to distract a free-throw shooter that I've ever seen:

Our dishwasher has evidently been leaking water into the basement for some time. We have squirrels and/or other critters living in our attic...

One way you can tell you've let your daughter watch too much Little Einsteins : When you're at the park and pushing her on the swing...

I first heard the song "Chaiyya Chaiyya" when I saw the movie "Inside Man" on a long flight. I finally tracked it down ...

I'll admit that I've done a lot of stupid things in my life, but this one takes the cake. Yesterday, while picking up a preschool ap...