We wanted to make the model as big as we possibly could but perhaps there is a limit.  In trying to figure out how big to make the working model for the city block that is the site for a project I’m working on in Seattle, we printed out a size that we thought would work but after spreading it out on the floor we realized it might be a bit much.  I suppose we don’t actually need to make it big enough that we could literally put ourselves in the space.

We did ultimately decide to make it half this size.

Technically, it’s not my whole laptop, it’s my battery. I had a spare, but it kind of exploded. So I am on my last battery and it is now swelling up too. I first noticed because the track pad would no longer work. It wouldn’t press because the battery was swelling up and pushing on it from underneath. I quickly moved all of my files to my external hard drive and am waiting to hear back from the mac store. I found out that they have recalled the batteries for the 15″ MacBook Pro’s that were bought during the same time I bought my 17″ but they haven’t recalled the 17″ batteries yet. Although there is plenty of people all over the internet with pictures and complaints about swollen batteries.

They were apparently ticking time bombs, just waiting till I went out of the country. But I don’t know, what do you think? Does this look like something that should be recalled to you?

Lake Constance on a beautiful summer day on my way home from work. The sail boats now fill the large lake and take advantage of the wind that swoops down from the Alps nearby.

Did you know that Europe has hedgehogs and that there isn’t a single place in North America that they live? We didn’t until just recently! And Überlingen has tons of them! It’s possible even that I may have crossed the path of one or two since I have been here but just never thought about taking a closer look at something brown and moving, thinking it might have been a squirrel or something. Although the squirrels here are quite different than the ones back home. But once I realized they were here, I knew that I HAD to see one!

We went out on a walk tonight and took a new route that went up a little cobble path that winds straight up the hill behind the apartment and around a small community garden. There was a bench at the top and since the sunset over the lake was a gorgeous deep red, we decided to sit down and watch it for awhile. I kept an eye out because we were surround by forest on one side and a garden on the other, a perfect place to see a hog. And sure enough, after not too long one walked out of the garden and across the path!

We ran down to look at it wander clumsily through the forest and sit for awhile. It was pretty cute. We watched him lumber along in the brush for awhile before he disappeared into the forest. After that we walked a bit further up the path and discovered a break in the wall that opened up onto an overlook with a good view of the lake and sunset. I think sunsets and hog watching will become a nightly event now!

The picture at the top is of my Steiff hog (made in Germany) that was given me for my birthday from the toy store here in town. Hedgehogs are totally the coolest.