Veronika Wild

OK. They are a bit moth -eaten, which is rather how my fortunes feel at the moment, but wish you luck anyway!  Leicht angenagtes Glueck! for my German speakers. I really, really want to believe in Luck in 2012, so daughter and I went out early this morning to hunt for wild four leaf clovers. I also made a lucky pig. Pigs are lucky in German culture as are chimney sweeps and lady birds. Pigs are considered lucky in China too.  I suppose if you were wandering through a snow -covered wasteland in the dead of winter and found a pig, you would feel pretty lucky too, if you didn't happen to be a vegetarian. It wouldn't be all that lucky for the pig either. Sighting a chimney sweep or a lump of coal is considered lucky in Scotland as well, what with those bracing winters.  I'd probably be happy enough at the sight of a plumber or any sort of tradesperson during the holidays here, not that I have need of one at this moment. On New Year we like to do a bit of lighthearted...

Had a lovely lazy day yesterday, watching Soderbergh's Contagion, while everyone else went to Questacon. This traces the path of a pandemic, a suitably depressing topic for the post Christmas period. It has some big stars, but not a predictable happy ending. I like that. It makes it more realistic. Catch a bit of it here: Contagion Trailer  by teasertrailer We also watched the seasonally appropriate What would Jesus Buy? with the Reverend Billy of the Church of Life After Shopping, by Morgan Spurlock, creator of Supersize Me and several short episodes of what's wrong with life in America. The one about what it's like to live on the basic wage was particularly moving, although as articulate, college -educated white people wielding a movie camera, the ease with which they landed low wage jobs may not be typical. Still, I don't think that catching a urinary tract infection in an unheated apartment was fake, nor were their extortionate hospital bills. Freedom in Ame...