Well this past year has been um, hectic is I suppose a good word for it. But all of the trials and tribulations we have gone through have taught me tolerance for different belief systems.

I now respect others faith more than I did before and accept it rather than trying to destroy it with logical arguments overflowing with reason and common sense. I guess this makes me a better person.

For example, when Bert states with a conviction that can only come from divine insight that it will not rain during a camping trip, I don’t even consider packing the tarp. Nope, not for one second, not for a million grey clouds in the sky, not for a dozen weather forecasts to the contrary.

Likewise when Bert takes it on faith that if he ignores his folded laundry for long enough it will return to its natural habitat in his closet I don’t contradict him or foil his plans by reminding him of his folded laundry (thereby, of course, thwarting his efforts to ignore it).

Belief is a rare and precious thing that should be nurtured.

Which is why, when the dog stands before a squirrel believing with all of her heart that one day all squirrels will recognize her authority and bow down before her in supplication I don’t laugh at her. At least not on the outside.

And in return when I state, with all certainty, that I am done with drama for the year, my husband hugs me, my dog rests her head on my lap and I believe.

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Since I don’t have much time, here are a few points on what I’ve learned while I’ve been in Germany:

1. Germans really do start and finish everything on time, and on the odd occasion when they don’t (because of the late arrival of a dignitary, for example) lamentations on the loss of 15 minutes are endless

2. $5 flip-flops are not such a good deal when you have to spend $7 on blister band-aids in order to wear them

3. Berlin at the end of June is friggin cold – next time I will bring a jacket

4. You do not have to spend 20 Euros on an umbrella, if you spend enough time huddling inside shops waiting for the rain showers to pass you will eventually find an umbrella that costs only 3 Euros

5. It is very easy to spend far more than 20 Euros while huddling inside shops waiting for the rain showers to pass

6. Boiled beef should never be advertised as a ‘local specialty’ it does not sound appealing or impressive

7. Don’t bother asking the information hotline at Frankfurt airport for any information – they don’t have it and can’t seem to understand why anyone would expect that they do.

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I am in a 4 star hotel with one computer that can connect to the internet and no functioning wireless or dial up connection.

This is going to seriously hamper my email and blogging over the next few days.

I am not happy with this.

At least I can see the ocean though. I mean not from my room, I have a parking lot view, but from the lobby I can see it.

Granted the ocean is at the bottom of a 200 ft cliff but the beach is only a ten minute drive away. And the hotel runs a shuttle - except they’re not running it now.

Ah well, focus on the positive - I am in Sardinina and although I have a business dinner tonight and didn’t sleep last night and need to leave for the meeting tomorrow at 8:15 am…Sunday will be spent lying by the pool reading trashy books.

Focus on Sunday, focus on Sunday!

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