Book Awards

Check out all the Simon & Schuster and Free Press!!

The NYC Chapter of the National MS Society presents its 13th Annual Books for a Better Life Awards.

Claire's Poll

Hello Family Members,

Claire Bear's poll has closed and I have declared that her name be BadBear! However, popular vote decided on CläirchenBärchen.. waaay too long. In any case, it's debate time! Who will win this important election?!!?!!

Here is my vote:






Comments PLEASE

Im a Manatee

I just got back from hearing John Lithgow speak here at Simon & Schuster! It was great- he really is a performer. He sang us two songs (I'm a Manatee, and I've got 2 Dogs) and read us a story (Mahalia Mouse Goes to College). I would try to type out everything he said, but I think I may pass on that and tell you individually later. I'm sure all of the Selbies would have loved it.

Huge Rain

We had a huge rain last night, got 6 inches I believe. I barely made it home from work through flooded roads, particularly on the crosstown. It was nice sleeping last night, but when we woke up it looked like this.

Ben Folds Five reunited

Ok fam... I saw this and got so excited... till I was hit with the harsh reality that most full episodes of anything won't play here in Germany:

BF5 reunites for the Unothorized Biography of Reinhold Messner.

You guys can though.
I did, however, get to check out a few songs here:

Magic, Don't Change Your Plans for me.

Just so you know, this is my favorite Ben Folds album.

In Claire life... I feel like there's a lot going on! Amy Grant (my famous friend from Transy), is coming on thursday, the MASKENBALL (the party our semester has to do, which I automatically got put on the Deco committee for) is on Friday, and we might be going to Munich or Mannheim or who knows on Sat/Sun. Also, as always, I need to work more on translating. Ahh! For now, my neighbor Hannah and I are going to ride bikes to Frankfurt to go to the museum. I love you all! Gus and Lucy too... keep up the posts!

Ps: I was indeed hit with the harsh reality that the young, hip band I loved with "Brick" has gotten OLD!

Just wondering...

As some of you may know I was thinking about going to hear John Lithgow talk about this children's books next week. Turns out that there is a waiting list and I was not one of the first 50 to respond. Even though I emailed within 2 minutes- I thought that was fast! In any case, I looked at one of the books and it looks exactly like Gus and Lucy- I GOT TWO DOGS.

Did they secretly get John Lithgow to write a book about them?

I love you all

Hello from Gus.

Lucy has no comment at the moment..

Back to sleep.. zzzzzz...

Bene and JoJo are coming!

avec mere:

Bayne's Rules

Claire and I were discussing how Dad would have a way cooler show than.. Coolio.

In case you weren't aware, in fact- I HOPE you were not aware- Coolio has a new reality show coming out and all of the posters promoting it are covering Rock Center. So, I see them everyday... Here's my badly photoshop'd take on it..

8 more days left to vote!*

*on my screen name.

I think it's been too long since I posted, and a lot has happened lately. I give you a sum-up.

First, fall break! I already posted the cool fire thing that Bjorn did. Other than that (while in Hanau atleast), I went to rowing club on monday and there were only three of us: Myself, Herr Schulz-Wahle (my workshop teacher), and Herr Otto (the engraving teacher... mom, you met him and we wanted dad to meet him but he wasn't there). Because we were so few, we took the 2-er boat on the Kinzig, which is a little tiny river (stream? Creek?) going off the Main River. Even a little drizzle rain was no prob - we had a very fun and relaxing time.

Next, I went to Hamburg! It's a great place... I went with my friend Lena, who has two best friends there (in picture: me, Anna Fleur, Sarah, and Lena), who I also felt like I was best friends with. Really great time. We walked all over it (me in new yellow shoes!), went to a small concert for voice coaches at a small singing school that Anna Fleur just graduated from (who is truely a great singer), and sang around the campfire with her hausmeister and friends (and gluhwein... typical hot alcoholic drink for winter) the next night. Somebody even asked me if I was from the school! Heeh. I can definitely recommend Hamburg now as a cool place to go to, and plan on many more visits. Incidentally, Capers reminded me that Dana lives there (oops!) so hopefully sooner rather than later.
Lastly, I spent the night before last being an artist with cool people from other countries... and I don't just mean Germany! Tissa (Patricia) from Brazil, Daniel (you know him already) from Columbia, and I all met up and went to Daniel's Atelier (artist's loft) and painted and learned spanish dancing! It was a great time.

Next time (maybe)... pictures from the MUKE Art&More Exhibition and Sale where I sold three more plastic rings! They're getting better and better...

selby definition:

i made!

One of our security guards is sick so we made a card for him, or rather.. i made a card for him.




I'm actually kind of embarrassed now because i made it for a bunch of designers- eek!

Fall Colors in Virginia and North Carolina

Mom and I got back from a great long weekend in the mountains where Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina come together. We were at the Southeast Angiography Society meeting in Abingdon, Va. Stayed at the Martha Washington Inn, a former women's college. Abingdon is know for theater and we went to a play. Mom went for a long bike ride up a mountain. Actually a van took them to the top of the mountain and they rode down. Better way to do it! Highly recommend it to Tennessee family. It's in Damascus, Va.Then on Saturday we drove over the mountain to Boone and saw John. We did a 5 mile round trip hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Then did a little food shopping for John and headed for home. Too many details of the trip to relate now, but enjoy the pictures of leaves!

lynda selby

there is a lynda selby on facebook... and she is friend's with a john selby...

amy's birthday!

happy birthday amy! i know that you check this blog so we can extend our Selbies birthday song to you:

happy birthday to you happy birthday to you happy birthday dear amy happy birthday to you!


note: since i am doing bridesmaid bio's i am in very bio mood.... hence- amy sexauer is a dear friend from when i first moved to SC. we both played violin in the youth orchestra and took lessons from... rex. my how we've grown, and not mastered the violin!

airplanes...

when will dad realize that airplanes can't talk back? ----->

A wunderbar Monday!

Hallo Selbies of all ages! Not to bump dad's brew down a notch (we are all so funny about posting above recent posts...) but this couldn't wait... (and btw, the picture is from last friday when I went to Frankfurt with Tissa)...

Yesterday I met with my teacher (Herr Schulz-Wahle) and the other teacher I'm translating with, at Herr. S-W's house. May I just say.......... it was amazing. The walls are lined with shelves full of puppet heads and little wooden toys that are all probably 100 years old. They even have an exhibition from their collection (of which they did not have to take any down from the "house decorations") up right now (granted, these look really bright. Most of the ones at their home are a little worn down):
Puppets!
He and his wife both collect them. They also had other old art and huge marionettes and everythign everywhere. We worked on the book in the "Wintergarten" which is like a porch room with glass... a lot of people have them here (with glass and not screens because they want to use them all year round... eh, just like we do in SC with screens...). We took a break in the middle and Herr SW took me around the garden, which was just as great. Sculptures done by friends at the school, a huge ancient bronze Lion he found at a castle (life size) and later was able to buy from the museum that owned it, little heads done by a potter (reminded me of ceramics class!) on sticks all over... it was amazing. Mom... you would have loved it, but really, I think any of us would have too. He also showed me his workshop (which also had BOXES of puppets in it). I think mainly because my eyes were so wide the entire time... he could tell I appreciated it all. It was so much fun! And, we got work done a lot faster with three people. Much better than at home (...where I just blog...)

Next, I went for a long run and discovered that I was SORE from running the day before. I'm posting this here, because that cannot stay that way! I have to show up the dadster. I also discovered an apple tree at the halfway point (30 min away?), so I'm rewarding myself with a bike ride (and backpack) today.

Lastly, I decided to make dinner and invite two of the only people (Katharina and Bjorn) who are still here from break (I think there are all together 4 ?) over for dinner, and afterwards we were given a show!
Now, I've been watching (and hearing) Bjorn practice forever with a broomstick handle... but this was quite something. Practice makes perfect, kids.

Can't Dad do that on Everquest?

Homebrew

For a new hobby moving into empty nester territory, I have decided to attempt to brew some beer. Got help from a nurse at work whose husband does this on a regular basis and got initial starter set from place in Charlotte, NC. So here is (maybe) more than you wanted to know about how this works in 2008.
First you cook the ingredients, just like any other recipe and type of cooking, except here it is malted barley and hops with some specialty stuff thrown in. The Old Peculiar will have Molasses, for instance.

So now to skip ahead like on a cooking show. I have put the malted barley in and stirred it under low heat until it dissolved. Now I have added specialty hops which I had to put in a muesli bag. They stay for a while till I bring it to boil and then are removed. I stirred with a big old wooden spoon which apparently is bad since wood can hide small bacteria. They are no problem for illness, but they make a big point of sterility all the way through since a little bacteria can really throw the yeast off and ruin the frementation part.

This is my primary fermenter. After cooking is completed and the stuff is cooled down to 65-75 degrees, it is strained into this and then the top is put on. That is the strainer in place.

And here it is fermenting in the primary fermenter. I have to wait about six days, then will transfer to a secondary fermenter (glass, also called a carboy) (also can do all this in only 1 fermenter). Once fermentation is ended, I will bottle it and then let it sit for a few weeks before tasting. By the way, this is the ESB I have made first.
And even though it is difficult to see, I had to include this classic picture from my late 70's/early 80's copyright edition of They Joy of Home Brewing. Maybe I should have a caption contest. The funniest thing, besides the pictures, is that every other paragraph says something like - "Relax" - "Don't Worry" - and the best - "And while you are waiting, have a Homebrew!"

Boo. I need Isahelp.

Dear Seester,

I'm trying to make a screen-name poll for myself, but it keeps saying it's been deleted. I've at the end of my computer-know-how.

With love,
?

Translation = Übersetzung

Here's a better picture... also with our current project in the background.

Hey gang... here is a post! I really wanted to do a better one, but I figured for now I can just show you the cover of the book I'm working on (also because our fall break just started, and I'm planning on being very productive in the forward movement of translation. It is a slow process, especially for a pokey puppy). The book will look different after I'm done with it, in that it will say things like "Goldsmithing 1" and "translated by Claire Selby and M. Wönne"!

On Thursday I'm going to Hamburg with my friend Lena too, so I will talk about that soon!

PS: My internet and time in general has been on the fritz lately, hence the less than oft superhighway drives... I will try to show my love for you guys more avidly now that the break has been set in motion.
PPS: We have a cool, somewhat new, classmate from Brazil named Tissa (Patricia) and we went to the Museum of Kommunikation in Frankfurt today. It was fun and I recommend it! We got to play with phones and typwriters!

posts please!

please!!!! I want to comment on our family posts- not that i mind taking up all possible space commenting on Camp Selby, but I feel a little intrusive.

Come on Selbies!! Make a post, make a post, make a post! (chanting) you can do it!