Willkommen, German Village

Mike struggles to kick off the week during a leisurely - if not disheveled - stroll in Columbus's German Village.

Well, good morning, this is Mike George coming at you live from Columbus, Ohio, on this beautiful and sunny Monday morning. It’s about 9:00 EST on Monday, 27 January 2025. I don’t often find myself down in this neck of the woods — German Village, in the southern reaches of inner Columbus — but it’s an area I don’t spend enough time in. It reminds me a bit of the Mile End neighborhood in Montreal.

I’m not quite caffeinated enough this morning, so this might be some mindless rambling.

We just had a connection issue; all this thick brickwork tends to obstruct the Wi-Fi. I’m currently at the corner of Whittier & Third, right in front of Winan’s Chocolates and near Schiller Park. I always forget that Schiller Park is actually south of Whittier. Even after living in this city for years, I’m still getting to know the inner layers of what might look like a "flat vanilla Midwestern city" at first glance — but she has texture, depth, and a glimmer of gumption.

This is a rare glimpse of me sober on a Monday morning without "my makeup". My hands are freezing, because I’m not wearing gloves. It’s a dead Monday morning audience because everyone is at work — all you God-fearing professionals at your 9-to-5 jobs. While you’re stressing over a boss, you, my viewers, are my boss this morning — all 0.5 of you on average…

I’m struggling to get my glove on because I can’t multitask. It’s a relief to know that even in 2025, with our AI overlords and the ubiquitous cloud, there are still tucked-away sections where we humans can hide from the reaches of Parking Garage KAREN…

Hi, Angela! Good morning and welcome to the show. "Angela Constable" would actually be a great "Karen" name because a "constable" is an old-school term for law enforcement, like a village police chief. We have to be careful about giving power to people; sooner or later, they might make you regret the responsibility you bestowed upon them.

Anyway, let’s go back to the sights and sounds of German Village. My glove doesn’t work on touchscreens, so this is a bit of a fail. Angela, between you and me, I might delete this video immediately for quality assurance, though Facebook has a funny way of letting things linger for years until they show up on a background check.

Look at that beautiful sunshine! We are looking at the city skyline from the south, which gives us ideal lighting. It’s that hour of Monday where everyone is frantically emailing their bosses to catch up on things they promised to do last week. I have a heap of that to do myself, and I’m not even gainfully employed.

I’m playing hooky on the 400th day in a row! We live in a beautiful, if slightly chaotic, city. I have to watch my step on these cobblestones, so I don’t trip on the unlevel surfaces. It has been consistently cold in Columbus for about a week. Yesterday or the day before was the first time the temperature crept above the freezing mark in seven days, which is more of a Montreal thing than an Ohio thing.

I see the little kids playing inside the school over there; it’s a beautiful complex. My hands are still freezing, so I think it’s time to say adieu. I just wanted to share this marvelous section of town, since a proper acquaintance was overdue.

As we start the week, may you look to the sunshine for inspiration to light a fire under your butt and make up for any laziness from those miserably cold days last week.

Coming at you live from Columbus, this is Mike George. May you find the "touch-screen compatibility" to activate the fruits of your labor this week. Take care of yourselves and someone else. Happy Monday!