You Can Call Me "Miss Charlie Hapsburg"

I just got back from a great trip to the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Austria, which I affectionately call in a horrible Russian accent "Former Soviet Union." Never mind the inaccuracy, it's fun to say. While in this part of the world (especially in the latter two countries) as a tourist, it's impossible to avoid hearing a great deal about the Hapsburg dynasty. Like many royal families, the Hapsburgs have a characteristic defect due to generations of inbreeding. I can identify with that of this family -- the so-called "Hapsburg Lip." Charles the Second, actually a Spanish monarch, was bestowed with the most dramatic example of this feature (not to mention mental retardation and impotence, as well as an inability to speak and chew). After much hunting, I finally discovered a portrait of him in a Viennese museum we visited. My parents thought it was hysterical, especially because resemble each other a fair amount. We even have the same color hair!

I -- unlike King Charlie -- get to fix my Hapsburg Lip. I haven't noticed any change in my teeth (didn't expect to) but I am getting used to the braces and have been wearing them without incident. Bottom braces on Saturday... woo hoo!