05 – Getting Settled – Karin's New Adventures

Blackout? Prepare for Wild Camping – You’ll be fine

Karin Brenig — Sat, 22 Oct 2022 15:51:41 +0000

The current energy crisis – if that is even a thing yet – has people worried about potential wide-spread, long-lasting black-outs. While I agree that the potential for these is real in Germany, especially as the winter comes up on us, I consider myself well prepared to survive at least two weeks without electricity. Just […]

Modernizing our Heating and Hot Water System

Karin Brenig — Sat, 09 Jul 2022 11:00:36 +0000

The heating system in our 1963 house was from 1997. We wanted to save on fuel, so we invested in a modern oil-burning furnace.

Old Dog doesn’t need New Tricks

Karin Brenig — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 08:47:43 +0000

when I started working in IT, back in 1978, nobody really knew, how this "EDP" thing was supposed to work. Anybody without fear of breaking stuff was more than welcome to try their hand at it. Twenty years ago I worried about my skillset becoming "outdated" - and myself becoming "unemployable" - if I didn't keep up with the ever changing world of IT.

The first Night in our new House

Karin Brenig — Sat, 01 Aug 2020 13:00:46 +0000

After months of living in my parents' basement we finally slept in our new house. Air matresses for our bed, a camping cooler for a refrigerator.

Four Decades to go around full Circle

Karin Brenig — Sat, 23 May 2020 14:29:05 +0000

Spending lots of time in my home office makes me think about the beginning of my career in IT. Back in 1978 I used the same skills that I use now.

IKEA – not just furniture, it’s a lifestyle

Karin Brenig — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 11:57:47 +0000

Living in Germany for almost half a century gave me sufficient exposure to IKEA furniture to be beyond thrilled when I discovered, that the company had expanded their reach into the USA. There’s even an IKEA within less than two hours driving from where I live now. I have yet to visit that store, but while I […]

Senior Dog Safety

Karin Brenig — Sat, 28 Apr 2018 18:46:01 +0000

Armani, our black labrador chow-chow rescue dog, is twelve years old now. He has slowed down noticeably, sometimes limps a little bit, and lately he seems to have a hard time walking on laminate or hardwood floors in our house. Last Saturday he slipped and fell hard on his right hip. After that he had […]

Cubed, but not squared away

Karin Brenig — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 12:09:02 +0000

After seven months of high productivity and a feeling of purpose, sitting in a quiet office with a real door, to be able to complete a highly important project with an extremely tight deadline, I have been relegated to my prior workspace in a cubicle. While about 40% of US office workers sit in those […]

Amazon Global to the Rescue

Karin Brenig — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 22:19:56 +0000

When we moved to the USA in January 2006 we had most of the contents of our 840 squ.ft. condo shipped in a 40 ft. overseas container. Books, clothes, computers, dishes, kitchen wares, small electric appliances, and furniture had to come with us – because we figured shipping the household was still cheaper than buying […]

Germanize the Bathroom

Karin Brenig — Sat, 25 Mar 2017 17:07:44 +0000

Those of you who have lived in different countries can probably relate to the mixed feelings I have about houses in the USA, compared to houses in Germany. The main advantage of home ownership in the US is that it is way more affordable, not just because of the generally lower price of land, but […]

German on the Spot

Karin Brenig — Sat, 04 Jun 2016 16:16:00 +0000

Today I volunteered to help Suin and Lee, professors of German at IPFW, with their brilliant "German on the Spot" event at the local public library. People could drop in with any old document, postcard, letter, photo... written in German that they had always wondered what it said on there.

My (only slightly rusty) skills acquired 1965 in fourth grade in Germany - reading and writing Sütterlin-/Kurrentschrift - came in handy to decipher faded handwriting. The personal touch, reading snippets about people's lives, makes history enjoyable and interesting.

The event was covered by local media

WFFT Fox Local, Fort Wayne

Riding along the Obstacle Course

Karin Brenig — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 16:37:00 +0000

Weather permitting, I enjoy riding my motorcycle to work. Six years ago, when I first purchased my Honda Shadow Aero cruiser, the shortest distance was also the best way to go. My ride took me about 25 pleasant minutes along 9 miles of easy goin...

Private Sauna

Karin Brenig — Sun, 25 Jan 2015 21:21:00 +0000

One big part of my life in Munich was the weekly visit to a nearby public swimming pool where I would spend at least an hour in the sauna for two rounds of sweating, swimming a few laps in between.26% of Germans fourteen and older ...

Brick Roads

Karin Brenig — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 20:23:00 +0000

In February 2011 the Fort Wayne Board of Public Works approved a resolution to preserve a limited number of brick roads adjacent to historic districts. I didn't even know that Fort Wayne had brick roads until the past long and harsh winter revealed a ...

The Annual Trip to Painsville

Karin Brenig — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 23:40:47 +0000

Even though we're getting better at this, it doesn't seem to get any easier. Over two hours spent, using specialized software to produce a book over 50 pages thick for federal, and another booklet with 15 pages for the state tax return - just to ...

Jury Duty

Karin Brenig — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 18:50:00 +0000

Being a US-citizen earns you two important rights that nobody else living here has: you can vote, and you can be called upon for jury duty. I have voted twice already since becoming a citizen, and that was quick and easy to do. Jury duty, however, is ...

Automated Passport Control

Karin Brenig — Sun, 13 Oct 2013 01:04:00 +0000

Chicago O'Hare was the first airport in the USA to offer automated passport control terminals beginning in July of 2013. On our way back home from vacation we had the pleasure of experiencing those personally.I really liked that! There are about twent...

Beer-Run

Karin Brenig — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 00:29:00 +0000

Federal law prohibits the shipment of alcoholic beverages, including beer, directly to consumers. All alcohol has to travel from brewery to retail via wholesale distributors.That means, if you fancy a special kind of brew, you will have to t...

Weaned on a Pickle?

Karin Brenig — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 23:40:00 +0000

Crunchy, spicy, juicy, fat-free..... pickles are on my list of favorite snacks. Until just a few days ago I also thought pickles were a healthy snack. Then I read the ingredients list on a pickle jar. Among a collection of chemicals there was yellow 5...

I love Technology!

Karin Brenig — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 19:13:00 +0000

This month our 2-year contract with Comcast for their "Triple Play" (internet, home phone, TV with all the extras) ended and the price was going up a lot. We are in no way able to pay that much for services that we consider nice to have, but not ...

Try again

Karin Brenig — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 11:49:00 +0000

Our first apple tree didn't live very long. About a year after we had planted it our dog ran across the yard, in pursuit of a rabbit, tripped over the ropes we had attached to the tree to keep it growing straight, and broke the thin stem off right abo...