In order to keep a basic overview over my upcoming celebration of my birthday, I have already invited many people to the party event for Saturday, the January 29th, 2005 at 8:00pm. As far as I recall, the list includes folks, friends, and students (no relatives!) in no specific order: Katharina, Pascal and Steffi, Sina and Babs, Kristin and Kenneth, Marco and Britta, Torben, Angelique, Felix and Cynthia, Andi and Birke, Andreas, Sarah, Birte, Jonas and Lena, Martin and Anna, Jens, Christoph. I figure I have to invite more people. Probably, I will send out a mass-mail to cover everybody and in order to limit the invitations, I shall restrict this mass-mail at once.

The aftermath of a Feuerzangenbowle can be seen in Katharina’s Gallery in her Blog. I will add the pictures sooner or later to my own Shots’n’Pics gallery. We re-celebrated Felix’s birthday and the joyful pleasures of the Feuerzangenbowle, a red wine punch translated into „Flaming Fire Tongs Punch“ containing rum which has been set alight. I decided to add a recipe from german.about.com below the pictures for all those readers who’re interested to have a Feuerzangenbowle it on their own.

Feuerzangenbowle – Flaming Fire Tongs Punch
Ingredients:
Bowle/Punch
3 bottles of red wine (2-3 liters total)
2 cinnamon sticks
cardamom
allspice
1-2 oranges
1-2 lemons
5 cloves
a German Zuckerhut (sugar cone)
1-2 bottles of rum

Directions:
1. In a large pot or kettle filled with red wine, add cinnamon sticks, cardamom, and allspice. Cut up the oranges and lemons (optional: make peel spirals), crush fruit to release the juice, and add to the punch along with the cloves. Warm to a steaming mixture. Do not boil! (The cinnamon sticks, cardamom, and allspice are not neccessary to get drunk.)
2. Place a German sugar cone (Zuckerhut, sugar loaf) on a metal rack/screen or clamped in metal tongs above the warm punch. (Substitute sugar cubes if you can’t get a Zuckerhut.) Slowly pour high-proof rum over the Zuckerhut and let soak for a minute. Carefully light the Zuckerhut or sugar cubes and let the flaming sugar carmelize and drip into the punch mix. Add rum as needed to keep the flame going until the Zuckerhut process is done. Serve the punch hot in mugs or hot-tea glasses.

Notes: Traditionally, Feuerzangenbowle was prepared with the Zuckerhut sitting on crossed swords atop the pot. A German sugar cone or sugar loaf (lit. „sugar hat“) is made of compressed Raffinade (refined sugar) in a cone shape. A German description of Raffinade: „Ein Zucker von höchster Reinheit und bester Qualität. Die Raffinade wird aus sehr reinen Zuckerlösungen gewonnen und entspricht hohen Ansprüchen.“ (A sugar of highest purity and best quality. Raffinade is made from very pure sugar solutions and meets high standards.) If you can’t get the real thing, substitute sugar cubes in the recipe above.

Currently Playing: Katharina and her household’s sounds
Current Mood: Being In Love

Earlier this saturday, I spent time with Katharina on collecting, combining and writing all of our information and data for the university course Managers and the Law. It took us quite a few hours to work on this small project since we’ve been rather occupied with doing the groceries, dishes, sandwiches, cuddling and the usual saturday’s preparation to meet our guests.

We enjoyed a evening just with games instead of becoming closer to an alcohol addict. But again – just a few minutes after playing „Uno“, „Mens Ärgere Dich Nicht“ and „Abalone“ for nearly three hours, it was time to finish ourselves off with a nice cocktail and wine in the Café Extrablatt.

Currently, Katharina and myself relax on the couch and we’ve been occupied with a small session for blogging or blog reading. Sadly, we’re not enjoying ourselves with a thoughtful conversation as I only hear the humming sounds of her laptop’s fan being combined with my fingers typing on my laptop’s keyboard. I hope to change this within a few seconds or minutes as it depends on her interest for more than digitializing our life in the media. But suddenly, there is silence – the humming stopped, and my filthy fingers will begin to create yet another motivational environment for expressive loveful relationship activity.

I woke up in the arms of my girlfriend, and I was wondering what my dreams where all about. Sadly, I had no clue of these thoughts anymore. In the end, we ended up cuddling and kissing throughout the rest of the day until we left her appartment at 6:30pm. Just in need of tickets for „The Incredibles“ and a cocktail of Long Island Ice Tea we’ve been enjoying the evening together… resulting in only one thing: I’m sitting on her couch, she’s caressing my body and I’m blogging in her arms. Its a very unique experience which isn’t going to happen to everybody I know. I love our new hobby „partnerblogging“ – especially because of her. But finally, I assume we’re going to bed in a couple of minutes…

Other news concerning our blogger experience: Together, Katharina and myself strumbled upon the blog The Shining Ones were we caught up the exact problem of many other blogs on the internet: The lack of education of writing, problematic writing-styles and the overall encouragement to use skillful writing for your daily experience in order to make this experience an entertaining experience. I told „Mr. Anonymous“ the following:

I’ve just been reading your entry with my girlfriend, and you’ve just expressed our thoughts on several blogs whose authors prefer and enjoy to „abuse“ the language – and on top of that all of their readers. Both of us are blogging here with our own blogs, and we’re doing our best not to squirt them with useless word-massacres. Those who are not educated well, may never experience the art of communication found in all of our conversations. To encourage this art is a good motive, but not everybody will hear your grievances.

I remember the quote as being said (or written) by Dr. Thomas Fuller in 1732. Here is another one which I enjoyed to apply on people and their actions:

„The character of a man is known from his conversations.“ —
Menander