November Review – Just me breathing~!

I have to say, I currently miss the person I was on November 5th. At the present time, I feel I am fed up with historical moments for quite a while. How many can there be in a few years and when should you take a breath in between?

November is my birth month, and just like every four years, I got a new (old, very old) president. I was still writing full of optimism when I published my last monthly review, and my heart was full of joy and hope. Then the shock on the morning of November 6th. America has decided to keep Donald Trump out of prison and has sent him straight to the White House instead. Do I understand? No, I do not! Do I accept it? Yes, of course, because I (still) believe in democracy but I am hanging on by a thread (or does democracy hang on by a thread?)

The American government and the number of government employees and their pay will be cut down dramatically and rightfully so. The Billionaires and millionaires are better off with less oversight, but of course, they will make sure we profit from it as well. After all, they only got rich (and richer) by helping the poor and the middle class right? (Sarcasm *off*).

But unlike 2016 the shock over the outcome of the election didn’t last long. I shook it off pretty fast and surprisingly easily. It seems by now I am used to the depressed feeling and I handle it pretty well. I had a couple of months of optimism, what else could I possibly want?

COUNTERMEASURES to the last election.  Life goes on, it doesn’t stand still. We have a lot to do and I mean all of us. Paralysis only benefits the wrong people.

Work

Of course, there are a few things I did in the first two weeks of November to not go crazy and to distract myself from what I can’t change. Why it seems that I have certainly “lost control of my life,” as Karl Lagerfeld would claim if he were still alive, truthfully I still try to be the control, which always means I throw myself into my work. A form of extremist-actionism (did I just make up a new word combination?)

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One of the new resting places in the fitting room of a bridal store. I have three more to finish in January, but that’s the first one and I am mighty proud of it.

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The next ones will be magenta pink. I need color right now…lots of it.

My birthday was celebrated so nicely and surprisingly romantic, by no other than my Prince Charming aka Mr. Unromantic. I am 61 years old and don’t feel it, or at least didn’t feel it on the remembrance day of my birth, but boy did I feel it a day later. The fall (I wrote about it already) and then the aftermath of it, put me in our old people recliner, where I stayed (with loud and quiet protest). I read a lot, listened to books, and watched TV.

I watched life TV and some news, researched some of the cabinet picks, shook my head some more, laughed at times, but not out of happiness, and decided to turn off the news for sanity reasons. A very selfish act. How can I still insist on staying sane, when the world around me seems insance (is this too harsh?)

I am watching now BBC news and BBC World News and sure enough, I have discovered there is still a world out there, besides the good old (Un)United America. Besides wars and more wars, and more political news, there is still so much good news as well.

Good News

People in Germany are increasingly trusting climate research. 59 % believe in scientific statements on climate change, and 65 % believe in renewable energy. However, many criticize that science has too little influence on politics and that economic interests dominate.

A new ruling by the European Court of Justice states that legally changed gender entries in one EU member state must be recognized by all other EU member states. This strengthens the rights of trans people and is considered a groundbreaking ruling.

Almost 150 years after the world’s first coal-fired power plant went into operation in London, the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station is closing. It is the last of its kind. This means that Great Britain has finally phased out coal-fired electricity – by 2030, the phase-out of fossil gas is also to take place.

The youth movement in Kenya has been taking to the streets for more socio-economic justice. It vehemently opposes economic disadvantage and corruption. With success: President William Ruto had to withdraw the taxation of basic foodstuffs planned by his parliament.

Thailand wants to make it easier for stateless people to become citizen. Almost half a million people are to receive permanent residence permits and citizenship more quickly – including over 100,000 children born in Thailand.

Researchers at Zhejiang University (China) have developed nanosensors that are intended to detect lung cancer at an early stage based on an analysis of the air we breathe.

A new immunotherapy against bladder cancer gives hope – without surgery, with fewer side effects and higher chances of survival. Initial clinical tests have already been successful.

The EU Medicines Agency has approved a new Alzheimer’s drug for early-stage patients. It is said to slow down the decline of cognitive functions by 27 percent. It is not risk-free but a big start.

Researchers at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (Germany) have developed a substance that fights tumor cells in a completely new way. The method is very different from the usual ways in which cancer is fought. They offer new therapeutic approaches, especially for tumors that are difficult to treat.

Bullfighting is now officially banned in Colombia. President Gustavo Petro signed a law to this effect after parliament voted to end bullfighting in May. It is to be completely implemented by 2027: former arenas will be converted into cultural centers, and bullfighters will be retrained.

TV

And then I binge-watched on Netflix and may you please not judge me. (I was medicated).

First I fell into Bridgeton (perhaps my brain did not get enough blood that day because of my elevated leg?) and hated, absolutely hated the first episode. So much nonsense, why was I wasting my time? Then somehow, out of boredom or temporary insanity, I made it to episode two and warmed up to Simon (how could this old lady not?) From there I was hopelessly lost. Daphne and Simon, and then the little beautiful chubby Penelope and of course the beautiful narrated news from Lady Whisledown’s paper, read and spoken by Julie Andrews. I had a ball –may my brain forgive me.

From there it got worse (or better) and somehow found “Later Daters” produced or co-produced by Michelle Obama. I was hooked right from the start. I, the one who refused to watch reality shows, tuned into the so-called documentary (it is not a documentary but another reality show). How could I not watch? Elderlies like me dating, imagine, in their 60s and 70s out there to find love again. The nerve of these people.

The seniors in the ‘documentary’ have money and often wear clothes that are not age-appropriate. They have big hair or no hair. They go on color-blind, blind dates. Mixed relations, mixed emotions, mixed feelings. I smiled through the episodes and couldn’t help but laugh about “Big Willy” or should we call him “Mr. Willy.” The innocence, the worldliness, the sweetness, and shockingly openness are refreshing. I couldn’t identify with any of them, but somehow became a fan. This happily married older lady, stuck in her recliner had a ball.

Books

I started listening to Angela Merkle’s new book “Freedom” which is a must-read for anybody. Many Americans will not know that, but she was born and raised behind the Berlin Wall, in Eastern Germany, which then was controlled by Russia. She made it to be chancellor for the United Germany. What an accomplishment.

Food

I cooked a lot. I’m not necessarily one of the frustration eaters… for me, it’s rather the opposite. My stomach is constricted when I’m not feeling well and I can’t get anything down. But cooking, baking, and preparing food can sometimes calm my nerves and somehow it gives me back inner peace. Chopping vegetables and stirring in pots grounds me, for the moment. So I cooked and baked a bit against my world-fatigue.

Comfort food from my childhood. “Fritatten Suppe” is the poor man’s dream in a bowl and one of my cherished recipes. Simple, cheap, filling and comforting. What else could I possibly need? Oh, yes, of course, dairy and gluten-free in our home. Fritatten=Pancakes, are the European pancakes not the American version or the French crepes which I both love but nothing, and I mean nothing beats the good old European pancake. It was my favorite dinner when I was a child. Pancakes with a bit of sugar or with a layer of grandma’s strawberry jam rolled up like a wrap. Yumminess, pure!

Leftover pancakes (yes there is such a thing) went into the soup the next day. The soup and its magic do not work with fresh pancakes.

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Pancake Soup (Fritatten Soup)

The word ‘Frittate’ comes from the Italian ‘frittata’ meaning ‘fried’ and refers to the fact that the pancake has been cooked on a hot surface, using butter. The soup is still hugely popular and can be found on the menu of many traditional Gasthäuser (inns/restaurants) across Austria, even if the ones with a few stars.

Fritatten/European Pancakes (makes 6)

• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup milk
• Pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes. Heat up a medium frying pan to make pancakes. (If you don’t know how to make pancakes, you might consider giving up cooking.) As for the soup itself, it has to be beef broth (or a mix of beef bone broth and beef broth) preferably homemade or pepped-up stock.

It’s already December

I am happy that you stopped by again to read my monthly review (or rant) especially if you made it this far. That’s really an achievement in our fast-paced times.

I wish you a nice December… no matter if you celebrate the Advent season, Christmas, Hannukah, or other festivals, or none of them. Above all, I wish you time with loved ones because that’s what counts.

Happy Holiday Season (when did it become a season?)

PS. I will post Austrian Christmas cookies every day starting…oh well tomorrow I guess.