Double-Stacked Bookshelves

Teaser Tuesday:  Mozart's Last Aria Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Jenn @ A Daily Rhythm . Here are the rules: grab whatever you're reading, open to a random page, select no more than two sentence (NO SPOILERS), share the title and author, and GO! Here's today's teaser: "I gathered myself and approached her.  'Madame Hofdemel?' I said.  'I am--' 'I know who you are.  It's obvious, to look at you.  When he cut my face, my husband didn't take my eyes.'  Her voice was curt and bitter." --page 57     Mozart's Last Aria by Matt Rees  I'm a little obsessed with Mozart and Vienna in general, so this book seemed right up my ally.  Not too shabby so far :) Happy reading!  

Greetings, Tuesday and fellow A-Zers!  Today we're moving on to the letter L for the challenge. L is for "Little Things" and "La Cienga Just Smiled" "Little Things" - Good Charlotte   The debut single for GC, this was the first song I heard by them back in 2001.  It also led to my first "real" concert (Good Charlotte, Slick Shoes, and MxPx).  I have been a fan ever since; even when they went mainstream with their The Young and the Hopeless album.  Eventually they were able to redeem themselves with their next three follow-ups, especially Good Morning Revival . *Lyrics :  "Yeah, this song is dedicated / To every kid who ever got picked last in gym class / To every kid who never had a date to no school dance / To everyone who's ever been called a freak / This is for you" "La Cienga Just Smiled" - Ryan Adams   When I was living in Austria, I had about an hour or so commute at about 5:30 in th...

Well, we've done it fellow A-Zers; completed the A-Z Blogging Challenge and done so with style.  I stumbled upon so many wonderful blogs throughout this month and want to thank everyone who checked mine out.  Thank you for sharing your insights and thoughts with me and for allowing me to do the same.  And now for the last letter in this wonderful challenge....Z... Zoos There is something magical about zoos.  No matter how old you are, a zoo brings you right back to your childhood and fills you with this incredible sense of wonder.  Perhaps it has to do with the fact that you're looking at animals that you normally don't see walking down the street.  Whatever it is, I think that going to zoos should become more of a regular activity in our lives.  This can be accomplished relatively inexpensively in some places.  For instance, the Oregon Zoo is free for every visitor on Tuesday.  Granted, Tuesdays are not the most convenient, but it's a star...

Vienna, Austria Oh Vienna, land of Mozart, Sachertorte, Kaesekraeners, and delicious Eis.  I spent an amazing year living in Vienna in 2006/2007 teaching English just north of the city in Klosterneuburg.  The school I taught in specialized in wine production and vineyards...sweet deal!  Needless to say I learned a lot about wine and was even able to sample some of the bottles my students helped to cultivate.  Pretty awesome.  While living in the city (right near the Suedbahnhof), I had the opportunity to explore a lot of things.  Here are just a few: Schoenbrunn Palace from the Gloriette with a view of the city center behind. The Reisenrad at the Prater (boardwalk).  Those are railway cars that rock. The Gloriette behind Schoenbrunn Palace. Belvedere Palace, now a museum, where Gustav Klimt's The Kiss is displayed. The entrance of the school where I worked. Courtney and I cooling down our gluewein at a Christkindlmarkt. St. ...

Welcome to Saturday...the day of S.  Today stands for Silvestersfeiern Fireworks over the Prater with the Riesenrad on the left. Lining up the tequila shots...yuck! Oh what a fun, interesting, and sometimes life-threatening time.  Silvestersfeiern is the New Years celebration in Vienna, Austria.  It's the culmination of the month+ long holiday celebrations and it's freakin' nuts-o-pants!  Much like Hogmany , Silvestersfeiern is one ginormous street party.  City center is already a strictly pedestrian zone in Vienna from 6am to 4am, so they don't have to worry about blocking streets off.  The majority of the crowd gathers in front of Stephansdom and the immediate surrounding area to dance the night away to live music and fireworks, the majority of which are lit off by spectators in the crowd.  Needless to say you feel like you're going deaf because of the constant explosions echoing off of the buildings and you are also constantly on edge b...

Mmmmmmmmmmm...Manner Schnitte!!!  Oh letter M, how I love you!  Not only because you are the beginning of my name (which I actually dislike), but because you are the sound that introduces the deliciousness that is Manner Schnitte.  What, some may ask, is Manner Schnitte?  Well, let me tell you.  Do you remember those wafer cookies that came in vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry back in the day (they've since expanded their flavor quota)?  Manner Schnitte are exactly like those only a million times better because they're filled with a chocolate hazelnut spread.  Say what!?!  The first time I had one of these lovely pieces of heaven was in 2006 or so and I've never regretted it.  Their headquarters are located in Vienna, Austria right next to the Stephansdom and it is always, always, always packed with people because their cookies, cakes, crackers, etc are that good.  I highly recommend nibbling these tasty morsels with a nice dark cup of...