Monday, August 27, 2007. As many of you know, I am not a movie buff. Anytime I walk into a theater or hit the play button at home, it takes me no more than 15 minutes to lose interest, brainstorm other things I should be doing, and then react either by getting up or falling asleep. Tonight though, I was infatuated. Simple was the setting, complicated was the topic, and engaged was the mind.

My life saving grip was pulling back on the shoulder of our blind waiter, Constanza. While she was swiftly gliding in the total darkness to table 26, I was doing a hesitant, insecure shuffle. She placed my hands on the back of a wooden chair. Helplessly standing there, I listened to the German banter of other diners and tried to paint a visual of the room. I imagined an upside down scalene triangle, and our table was at the base.

As I cut through the city, springing off the cobblestone, and jetting down to the Elbe River, I could not stop thinking about the death and rubble these streets endured.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007. We came from all different directions of the world - all parts of America, North Germany, South Germany, China, Italy - but our common thread was that we were the 20 chosen for an adventure of a life time.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008. - Twenty journalists from leading news organizations in the U. and Germany such as CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and Deutsche Welle were named as winners of the prestigious Arthur F. Amanda Bensen, features reporter, The Post-Star, Glens Falls, NY. Allison Connolly, business reporter, The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore, MD.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007. Came to an end, that I realized I need to jot down the funny things Germans do or maybe the right things they do that I need to acquire. I settled back down and silently we all sat there, watching the black screen with illuminated names roll out. Crazy, I asked my seat mate - Why? By the ensuing names.