Catching Up

Just got in from Germany.

Thoughts: God bless the tiny European car, and the tiny European hotel.

Euro MTV shows a lot of awful American shows, which, when watched while jetlagged, are mesmerising. Some were dubbed, some not. Shannen Doherty has a prank show called “Scare Tactics.” There’s a show called “One Bad Trip” where they send a college kid on spring break, and then help the parents spy on them going buck wild. The parents, predictably, are shocked to find exactly what they are looking for, and the kids are embarrassed. What the hell did you expect to see your daughter do at the bikini contest, Joe from Des Moines? “Bet You Will” is like Bumfights, except with college kids: “For $100 can we duct-tape this meat to you?” “OK!” “For $200 will you drink two bottles of hot sauce?” “OK!” (drinks, vomits, collects cash, continues vomiting).

Additional TV watched, after MTV started showing dubbed-into-German “Cowboy Bebop” shows: Eurosport network show following a dozen or so Olympic contenders. The star Polish women’s power-lifter was amazing. Until you’ve seen a woman with bright-pink cornrowed hair and a spandex singlet clean-and-jerk three hundred kilos, you haven’t truly experienced the glory that is the European Union. I didn’t understand a word of what she said to the reporters, but she was so composed and together, and then won the gold medal in the European lifting championships and cried, and it was just really sweet. Or maybe it was that it was 5 AM by that point.

Also I have totally stocked up on duty-free chocolate.