2009 was quite the eventful year. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll reflect on a few of the noteworthy happenings that led me to where I am today in 2010. When I retire, hardy har har, I hope to write my memoirs. Unlike Kramer's blog, mine will be an episodic work of juicy, sometimes emotionally gut-wrenching, melodramatic moments, pacified with humor. Let's begin with a quote by Mark Twain:

"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus!"

I was raised, for the most part of my life, by my mother and father, both German immigrants. At the age of 14, my parents divorced and my mother, brother and I moved to what was then, West Germany. We lived with my Oma (German for grandmother) in Voehringen, which at the time, was a small industrial community surrounded by endless fields of corn and privately owned forests in southern Bavaria. http://www.voehringen.de/ Culture shock, not so much, as I vacationed there every summer, but life-altering, jawohl!

Focus, work, structure, cleanliness, order, discipline and efficiency pretty much summed up what was expected of me. At 18, I finally rebelled and moved back to New York to live with my father and evil step monster. My "Rebel Without a Cause" lifestyle was short-lived in the Wuest household. Dad ruled with an iron fist. Step monster made Hannibal Lecter look good. To top it off, I had a full class schedule in college, worked two jobs and my social life was non-existent. More on this in a future blog.

Either way, I've always enjoyed photography, but never looked at my surroundings quite like I should have. It took many years to look at my life not just as a span of time, but to notice all the moments as unique, intricate details and thus really see the beauty that surrounds me everyday. You can miss a lot if you only look straight ahead. So, here goes. Below are a few photographs I took of people, places and things which I previously would have just walked past:

Lettuce growing in my mother's garden in Strawberry, Arizona. http://www.angelfire.com/az/strawberrypine/

A waterfall I stumbled upon while hiking along the Mogollon Rim, Arizona. http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/recreation/mog_rim/rec_mogollon.shtml

Swallows cooling off atop a water fountain in Innsbruck, Austria. http://www.innsbruck1.at/

Icicles melting from the warmth of the morning sun.

Springtime in New York, Washington Park.

Door to the Casa della Mina at the Agriturismo Corboli in Vernio, Italy. http://www.agriturismocorboli.it/index.php/en

A random building in Manhattan.

One of the many hidden courtyards in Florence, Italy. http://www.italyguides.it/us/florence/florence_italy.htm




Somwhere along the Gotthard Pass in Switzerland. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Gotthard_Pass



Setting sun, Outerbanks, North Carolina.

Larry, my partner in crime; my soul mate.  His story inspires me everyday and reminds me to not sweat the small stuff.  http://www.paysonroundup.com/news/1999/nov/15/pine_man_battles/  Most of us pass by those with disabilities (I hate to call it that, but it is what it is).  I didn't.  How lucky am I??!!!

The calm after the storm.  http://www.puertoaventuras.com/places-nearby/cancun.html

Have a Berry Christmas.  This photo won 1st place at my work and was used for the firm's holiday card.

 Florence, Italy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence

 Rim Country, Arizona.  http://www.paysonrimcountry.com/MountainRecreation/NaturalLandmarks/MogollonRim.aspx

Dirty Laundry. Oldie, but Goodie!

My blog nemesis, aka, Kramer, has been pestering me for months now to post another blog. I spent about an hour yesterday catching up on his long-winded and wordy golf tarradiddles and the like. I truly believe him to think these ramblings will lead to the "Coup de Grâce" of his legal career. Therefore, in an effort to not subject my readers to similar torture, I will keep this brief:

So, I'm at home waiting for the Sears truck to arrive with the delivery of my new, state of the art, high-efficiency, advanced functionality LG Tromm wash machine. My Maytag Neptune finally succumbed after 11 years of spin cycles, pennies banging around inside the drum because I forgot to empty my pockets, and once crisp white panties that turned all shades of black due to my lack of attention to proper laundry sorting detail.

Needless to say, it's been a week since I've been able to wash clothes. The weaves of my rattan reed laundry basket are about to snap and I'm a little frightened of what odors will expel when I lift the lid. I also figured out that in 11 years, bearing in mind the cost of inflation, I've spent about $3,200 in laundry detergent. Seems a little Cheer doesn't come cheap. Then again, if I were to add up the amount of money I've spent in 11 years for stuff I really didn't need, well, I'm not going to be too analytical over $3,200.

My point to this is, I never thought I'd be this excited about a new appliance nor blogging about my dirty laundry all over the net.

P.S. Don't worry Kramer, I didn't spend more than 2 minutes on this. All your prebills are done!