StringGrrl sees the World

On another road trip to visit AutoForm Global Offices, StringGirl had the pleasure to pay a call on the Ravensburg Office. Ravensburg is a picturesque town in the area just north of the Bodensee-Lake Constanze area. It is a surprisingly industrial town in what is otherwise the heart of German Lake-house country. Most associate this area of Germany with moneyed retirees, Expats from Switzerland looking for cash havens.. The town center is sprinkled with generous helpings of German Style and charm.  View Larger Map   When thinking about where to eat in the Southern Part of Germany, I rarely think to consider the foods that I most often gravitate to when in "cosmopolitan" or international cities. So, here in Ravesburg I was prepared to have nothing more special than some Spatzel and meat in gravy. However, when the office hosts suggested Indian I was surprised and  intrigued. The India House in Ravensburg , proved very welcome change from the ...

While in Hamburg on a rainy Sunday morning, Roald and Eva took StringGirl and Amber to the quiet little cafe Mikkels. Appointed like a cozy breakfast nook in your own appartment or house this comfy little shop features delightful fresh baked breads and pastries. We chose to share the savory and sweet breakfast combination for three people. Fresh baked savory scones, Broten, and dark wheat rolls came in a basket along side various jams, jellies, preserves, and chutneys assorted semi-soft and soft cheeses, and some deli meats. Marscapone, chocolate cream, fig butter, and onion jelly take you a little off the beaten path at this tea house. Proving that a simple breakfast can be elegant and delightful. We were lucky to arrive just before the tiny shop filled to capacity. With room for at most 16 diners you do have to flexible in your seating expectations (one couple can sit in repurposed school chairs using the window sill as their table. Other dinners squeeze around Lilliputian end...

Live blogging from the studio. The were very kind to invite us to talk about social media. They wanted to find out more about how we use it in our house. It all started with StringGirl, then the Self-Proclaimed-Die-Expert. I was live blogging during the broadcast.

A recently shared tweet: @ GammaCounter   Deadly art, enclosed by glass. Calder's 1937 Mercury Fountain. via @ SandiV   http://bit.ly/Mc6RM6 Retweeted by  William Gibson Brought back to my mind the visit we made to Barcelona and this fine Museo at the top of Barcelona's Montjuïc . Poised high atop the mountain to the south side of the city. We paid that hillside a visit back in 2010 and made our pilgrimage to the Joan Miro Museum. StringGirl on the Roof Top of the Miro Museo Barcelona seen from the top of Montjuïc The Museum is a delight to visit, not only for the works of Miro which are housed there, but also the works of his contemporaries and friends. Housed with a great view of the Mediteranean and the city of Barcelona it is well worth the trek to the top (trek?  OK we took the Gondola and the Funicular). View Larger Map

 Just a hop skip and a jump away from Downtown Cleveland is a great little mexican joint called Momocho. Another place that I heard of only by Googling Guy Fieri and Diners, Drive-inns, and Dives, I managed to pull enough data from the phone to be able to navigate from the interstate to this little place in Ohio City (Cleveland), Ohio. Inside the decor is pleasingly busy  When we say small we mean it. The seating is limited to groups of six or less. If you want those six tops you had better call for a reservation. When we got there it was a Sunday afternoon at 4, and the only open seats were at the bar. Fine for us, but we did see some folks opt-out. Though others wisely chose to sit outside.  The big deal here was the Guacamole. They offered many types. Which for some of us is a strange concept, after all what else can you do but mash up some avocado, add some lime, garlic, and cumin and call it guac right? But here they had some designer guacs, which was at...

Amber badly backlit with the MELT logo in the background On a road trip to Cleveland I thought I would give Guy Fieri recommendation Melt  a chance.  While I did not see the exact episode that featured this Cleveland Grilled Cheese house, I managed to pull down just enough data to find the address of the western most outpost of this string of restaurants. StringGirl, Amber, and the Menu  The menus in this place are pasted to the back of old LP jackets, immediately I knew this was my kind of place. But the choices were daunting. With a menu stacked high with nothing but grilled cheese of all sorts I was unsure of where to start. While Guy was here he tried the Parmagedon (?) which is a grilled cheese stacked with two homemade pierogi.  But in the end I went for the featured sandwich of the week,Vietnamese Grilled Pork.  This sandwich came stacked high with Savory grilled pork that was not half bad in the Vietnamese BanMi style. What I...

StringGirl made quite a splash at the SME (Society of Manufaturing Engineers) Annual meeting this week. Enlisted to make a presentation on practices in Social Media (they wanted best practices, but instead they got what we know) she made a 1 hour presentation to the Member-leaders of SME. Chapter, community, and international society leaders and staff were appreciative of her take on how the Forming and Fabrication Technical Community uses various social media to promote the groups activities. With some success the group has been reaching industry members both within the community and without. As part of the experience there was a tour of NASA Glenn research in cleveland and a night of bowling ag the Corner Alley. Also this week, the "self-proclaimed-die-expert" was honored to recieve the 2012 Award of Merit. (Photos have shown up in the twittersphere).

Each year the Parcells Middles schools Bands and Orchestras participate in a music festival called the Music in the Parks. Hosted by several theme parks throughout the US, they offer a chance for the Elementary through High School aged instrumental and chorale groups to perform for competitive ratings and of course spend a day in the Theme Parks. Parcells Middle School Band This year StringGirl and Amber accompanied the Parcells Middle School program as they embarked on a trip to Cedar Point for the annual event.  In all the 7th and 8th Grade Bands and Orchestras walked away with a staggering (literally as the trophies were quite large) 5 top honors.   First Place- for the Concert band (8th graders) First Place- for the Cadet Band (7th graders) First place- String Orchestra (7th and 8th) Best overall Band- Concert Band Best overall Orchestra