Won't somebody please think of the pumpkins?

We were discussing Halloween last night and Ricarda learnt the English word pumpkin. She already knew the word because of course she knew Smashing Pumpkins, she just hadn't known what it meant. "Kürbis schlagen??" she asked with disbelief. Which made me wonder how many other bands Germans know without any idea of what the name means. Who could explain Screaming Trees, or Mother Love Bone?
And it turns out Xmas is a huge deal in Germany - heaps of rituals, baking, lights, preparation. Although they do need something to look forward to during the long, cold, dark winter. I don't think I'll be very homesick then because I associate Xmas with summer, beach, salads etc. Santa wearing sunnies. And I hope it snows! Am considering a trip to Norway to see the Northern Lights.
So, the presidential debate. It was at 3am my time so I missed it, but by all accounts Kerry did the best and there were no real surprises. And can Bush ever stop mixing up Osama and Saddam? It's like in his mind they're the same person...
I filled my post-lunch hour by writing a pretend letter to Stern magazine about how pets in the EU now require passports to travel. Photos optional. Lucky them. Why can't our photos be optional? Although they need a microchip or tatoo mark. Well, judging by the fact NZers now need to give fingerprints and have their photo taken when they enter the US, we're not far behind ourselves.
Quite enjoying The Stills at the moment.