I'm on the road again, back in Munich--and once more proving myself to be a dreadfully delinquent blogger. (Nothing new there.)
First off, there's the E.R. part of this post, which is mostly a gentle hymn of praise to the German medical system. The day I arrived in Munich I wound up needing to get some stitches. (Nothing major in case you're worried, I'm okay, but it certainly wasn't how I expected my arrival to be. A nice nap after 24+ hours without sleep would have been more my cup of tea.)
Now, I'd never had stitches before--may I never need them again--and ERs are never fun. But after deciding that yes, I had to go in--at 6 p.m., mind you--and finding the right place to get to-somewhat of an adventure in and of itself--I was treated relatively quickly and very well. There was a bit of a line, but perhaps because the wound was still seeping some of the red stuff that gets the latest crop of vampires so excited, they bumped me ahead of others who weren't bleeding ;). To make an excruciating story zoom by, a couple of x-rays, five stitches, 200 euro charged on the spot, and roughly three hours later, I was done...and really ready to sleep at that point. Shall we say, exhausted, hmm?
This was at the University teaching hospital in Munich, and I can't sing my praise highly enough of the ER doctor who I saw. She was thoughtful, careful kind, and very skillful. She had me come back 6 days later to take the stitches out, and, for those who care, it looks like any scarring will be at a minimum, and luckily not particularly visible.
Some enchanted evening...NOT. But had I gone into an ER in the U.S. with foreign insurance that wasn't taken back home.... well, you can a) imagine the bill I'd have incurred and b) the length of time it would have taken me to be seen. Not to wax too politically, but this certainly is enough to make a person think about health care and insurance issues. (I've now experienced dental care, in 2009 and medical care in 2011 in Germany and both have been excellent.)
Moving on to more fun things. You may or may not know that I'm the translator for the Geronimo Stilton Graphic Novel series for middle grade readers for Papercutz. Here's a not-so-subtle plug:
#1: The Discovery of America, 2009 ISBN 9781597071581
#2:The Secret of the Sphinx, 2009 ISBN 9781597071598
#3: The Colseum Con, 2009 ISBN 1597071722
#4: Following the Trail of Marco Polo, 2010 ISBN 1597071889
#5: The Great Ice Age, 2010 ISBN 1597072028
#6: Who Stole the Mona Lisa, 2010 ISBN 1597072028
#7: Dinosaurs in Action, 2011 ISBN 9781597072212
#8: Play it Again Mozart, upcoming, Sept. 2011 ISBN 1597072761
The concept is cute, the art adorable, and the first five are in their fifth pressing already!
The Italian art/ writing team is out in the Bay Area doing their first U.S. signing/ workshop tour, as part of Free Comic Book Day and Children's Book Week. I won't be around, perche sono in Munich (because I'm in Munich), but here's the info.
May 5 – 4:00 to 6:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
119 Colma Boulevard
280 Metro Center
Colma, CA 94014
May 6 – 5:00 to 7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
Hacienda Crossings
4972 Dublin Boulevard
Dublin, CA 94568
May 7 -
11:30 AM to 2:00 PM
Lee’s Comics
1020 N. Rengstorff Avenue, Suite F
Mountain View, CA
4:00 to 7:00 PM
Atlantis Fantasyworld
1020 Cedar Street
Santa Cruz, CA
Definitely worth checking out.
