hit the road

Meeting two Ohio congressmen in one day just five days after arrival is a pretty good record for a foreign journalist: Charlie Wilson and Zack Space shook hands with the 24 year old native German assistant reporter. Stine Eckert has all about the curious incident.

It happened shortly after entering WOUB television and radio station. Stine E. was asked to help out - a request she gladly accepted. The mission was to produce two pieces: OH Democratic Congressman Charlie Wilson was to speak about economic growth in the Athens Chamber of Commerce. The meeting with him revealed that Wilson is of German descent, his folks came from Hamburg four generations ago, and that he had seen the Rhine river. Due to a tight schedule the camera team had to leave Wilson after three questions.

They were to interview OH Democratic Congressman Zack Space in (the current secret OH capital ;-) Chillicothe - about 1 h 15 min west of Athens. The drive revealed a landscape reminding of German forrests and hills except for flat buildings, broad highways, and SUVs. Arriving at the Veterans Association Medical Center featuring about 100 buildings the reporters found out that building # 1 is the place to go. Space was to listen to vets' description of treatment at the local facility in the wake of the Walter Reed scandal. About 10 Vietman vets had gathered to give away there complaints about missing staff to treat their post traumatic stress disorders, low percentage classification of their disabilities (coming along with a low pension), and the urge to jump over the desk to choke not understanding doctors. Space promised to take these complaints serious and said that he found the local facility with it's over 1.000 employees alright. Due to time pressure the German assistant and the U.S. journalist had to sneak out before the round table ended.

Thrilled by these shocking stories and frozen because of the outside video shoots (temperature had dropped below 32°F) the German fell asleep on the way home only to be awakened to buy a combo wrap at KFC.

If the German journalist digested the KFC meal alright in a follow up. Stay with us!

second life

Some things just don't feel right, for instance, to throw an empty pesto jar and plastic covering into the big gulping mouth of the trash can along with yesterday's Athens messenger topping this garbage salad with left overs from today's spaghettis. However, although it feels bad it is the thing to do -- freaks who do feel the obsessive urge to separate glass, paper, and organic elements will be punished by a fine (alledgedly $10) for their obscene passion.

It doesn't feel right that yoghurt containers are up side down and the spoon has to be forced through a rather small hole to muchrake in the dark broad bottom of the plastic cone. And it's a bad thing for it diminishes the appetite for healthy snacks because it sure is easier to brutally rip open a chocolate bar before painfully digging into the milk mine.

It doesn't feel right that college kids spread their cups, notebook, and legs all over the posh carpets of the student center modelled like a first rate hotel. However, it is a good thing that there is comfy space for highest mental efforts (we're talking about current finals here).

It doesn't feel right that missing one buck for a bus ride to Walmart an older lady just gives one freely to me out of generosity. Stunned I thought that it is a good thing. After roaming the failing giant (no European style tea kettle) I got the chance to refund her and exchange stories of grandchildren [3], kids [5], and siblings [7]. She also affirmed that she's sure the mass of bags handed out at Walmart (it never feels right to leave with their bags each one filled with only two to three items) is degradable meaning it is made of bio-plastic-left overs. It gave me a half way good feeling about the trash -- maybe it's going to be reborn into it's second happy Walmart bag life.

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so enter that daily thou mayest grow in knowledge wisdom and love

It didn't happen to be a street but it worked out to adopt a tiny part of one: 16 qm of South Shafer Street are now occupied by a closet on wheels and a newly arrived resident with dark circles around her eyes. They have been bewitched by a fairy tale night drive through a picture perfect study paradise. Fog filling the deeper spots of the hilly city made the lights appear even warmer. Daylight hat its own candelabrum: Sunshine in the clear blue sky convinced my medium rested body to hop into the adventure: supermarket first food aid trip - the busiest campus on a perfectly normal Sunday ever seen - an average age of 25 jogging, sitting, roaming, phoning, shopping, chatting in slacks and hoodies - the anticipated joy to use fountains (and I did!) - a library to live in - fast squirrels reminding of clara park - the promise of a sea of blossoming trees soon - the nice suprise that walking ain't weird because everyone walks.

more pics? please check out:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iamericansequel/