Die Ärtzte

One of the best ways to learn a foreign language is to try to get into local music. Germany doesn't have a ton of great music, but there are some gems. My buddy and countryman Steve gave me the "Bäst of die Ärtzte" CD for my birthday last year and I'm actually really getting into them - lots of fun and really my kind of music, also of course it helps me learn German.
One of my favorites, below, partly because it's one of the first ones I understood (more or less):



Anybody else think these guys looks awfully dour considering the happiness of the song? Then again, that's another reason I like this song so much; it's so out of character for this band.
Another one of my faves, which is more typical of them:



I'm learning German!

Brazil in t-minus...

So Clau's in Chicago, attending some bigwig corporate thing - she's going to be there at least 3 times this year, including for our anniversary (sniff). She also got to go to NY, which makes me very jealous indeed.
Heading for Brazil on Thurs morn, Clau has a meeting there so we figure it's a chance to see her family for half-price. Plus, some friends are getting married, and hey, while we're down there, may as well. Plus, I finally get to see the south!
Down to 85kg, just in time to pig out on churrasco, caipirinhas, escondidinhos, and whatever specialties they have in the south. Not like I've been working all that hard lately, but I'm totally ready to relax.

Latest public service / safety campaign

So it seems there's always at least one PSA-type message being pushed in the city at any given time - I mean, in Bavaria there's always some "do you have a drinking problem? Call XXX"-type messages, but then again it's Bavaria, where until pretty recently it was socially acceptable to drink beer with breakfast.
So, the latest? "Know your limit!". My favorite one of these:



For the two kids on the left, it says: Tonight she loses all her inhibitions...and later he posts her naked on the Net.
I like it how that ad would never fly in the U.S., because it would imply that when a drunk girl's naked picture is posted on the Internet, the girl herself might share some of the blame for posing naked for a guy who would post the pictures on the Net. Although, to be fair, the Germans may be interpreting it as "he gets so drunk, he actually posted that girl's naked pictures on the Net!".
The others are more somber, but thankfully this is the one that's posted all around my neighborhood.

Oh, and another one that amused me - this one an ad for a newspaper insert with parenting tips:



(Translation: "What now, dear parents?")
I'm guessing that one might also face some opposition in my home country.
Gots to love Germany....