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October 1st, 2007

It's official: Germany's the 51st State of the USA

When? And how so? There's a very simple - and even more compelling - reason, and this is it: While flipping the TV remote control, I momentarily paused at a program called "Quiz Cab", which is probably the most stupid show TV programmers could have ever come up with. Usually, I dial it away to prolong the life cycle of my TV set, but this time I had to stop for a minute, because the two guys doing the quiz looked like two former colleagues of mine. Anyway. The question was: Which major theme park in California is located on South Harbor Boulevard?

Well, there's Universal Studios, but they aren't on South Harbor Blvd. (To be honest: I don't exactly know, where S.H.B. is located). Then, there's Disneyland, but I would be surprised, if the street name was this. OK, I admit it: I wouldn't have known, either, and passed - or used the wild card. But then, I might not be as smart as the two candidates of the Quiz Cab. The next thing you'll know is one of the two guys bursting out: "I got it!", whereupon the other guy turns in awe, waiting for his friend to come up with the solution. Guess what? "It's - " - long dramatic, rhethorical pause - "it's gotta be - NASA!".

NASA? A theme park? Of course! What's more natural than that?

So, now it's official: The level of public education seems to have surpassed that of the States... and Germany has become the 51st American State. It's been the week of revivals (70ies, 80ies, 90ies), so I think, this fits very well: Roman Empire, welcome back!

Published at 19:27 / 2 comments / 99 visits
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October 3rd, 2007

Liberian Girl

Well, the headline is only there for rhethorical reasons and to allude to Michael Jackson's Song of his late 80ies' Album Bad, where he ingeniously serenades a girl from Africa. I might have been in a similar mood at the end of last night, when running into her: Early 20ies, lots of charisma for her early age, shiny teeth, killer - I mean KILLER - body, the fine shape of which was even visible through her linnen dress, long story short: I was bedazzled! And those, who have known me, also know I have a thing about dark skin. I can honestly say, I have never seen a girl as beautiful as her in real life.

Problem was: She was with a group of people and I had shown up with a female person (just a friend, though, if at all) as well. So: I seemed to be out of luck of approaching her and testing the waters in terms of whether or not she would warm up to me. But then, Lady Luck joined us and I got to talk to her, while lining up at the bar of this place, a movie theater I like coming to very much for its select program, and they opened up this new cinema lounge, which is a small venue with leather couches and tables, where you get to watch short movies and clips parallel to the regular program in a more relaxed and open atmosphere - nice! So I apologize for accidentally having pushed her (call it a first physical encounter in four years as I got to rub myself against her fine back for 30 seconds, LOL!) and chat away a bit. Anyway, the details aren't important here. What I rather mean to share is the predicament: I mean, at the end of the night, her group and my friend - who apparently knew each other - we even found ourselves at the same table and I got to talk to her a bit more, learning a few details about where she stays, what she does (finishing an apprenticeship) etc. But let's be real now: She is half my age, I could easily be her father (I'm still doin' better than Arthur in "King of Queens" when falling for Holly LOL!) and on top of it: Would I be able to at least pretend being interested in things you normally do at this age? Like taking her to dance halls and public parties, hanging out with people of her age, talking about clothes, fancy places, expensive vacations etc.? I might do her injustice as I don't know her, but chances are I'd find myself acting like the proverbial sugar daddy and being her personal chauffeur, spending budget provider (the budget required I lack, b.t.w.), entertainer and whatnot. Plus: I am looking out for different qualities in a girl or lady now than I used to, which ranks physical appearance further down the list of criteria.

However: The fucking hormones succeeded in getting my head spinning and I just might have to give her at least one call for a get-together over cup of coffee - just to quench my curiosity, if for nothing else. Do I hate to be male, be ruled by hormones, have feelings and dreams? You bet! Am I being pathetic? Without a doubt.

P.S.: To my great surprise and very unusual for this place, the film that was shown never got to me - and I'm pretty confident, it wasn't for 'her'. It just didn't convey the kind of humour I was able to be open to, last night. Hm... very odd.

Published at 09:44 / 11 comments / 142 visits
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October 6, 2007

Paranoide Entwendungsphantasien

Ich muss zugeben, den Ausdruck bzw. Titel habe ich von doppelbelichtet und ihrem köstlichen Blogeintrag Schlüsselerlebnis ausgeliehen. Und da fällt mir prompt ein eigene Begebenheit ein, die schon Jahre/Jahrzehnte zurückliegt und gut zu meiner derzeitigen Lektüre "Fleisch ist mein Gemüse" passt sowie von dem erwähnten Blogeintrag inspiriert ist:

Zu Zeiten, als ich meine spätere Frau kennenlernte, war ich Student an der LMU München und arbeitete darüber hinaus bei Apple Computer - heute Apple, Inc. - in Ismaning. Um die bereits BAfÖG-gepolsterte Tasche noch etwas weiter aufzubessern und "Spielgeld" für diverse Hardware mit dem Apfel drauf zu haben, hatte ich außerdem noch - ein Überbleibsel aus meinen Profi-Muckertagen - einen wöchentlichen Gig in einem Lokal der Augsburger Altstadt. Spätestens hier kommt mit Macht der oben erwähnte Buchtitel ins Spiel, denn ich kann mich noch gut daran erinnern, wie ich regelmässig gegen ein, zwei Uhr morgens (der Gig dauerte immer bis viertel nach zwei) von Heißhunger befallen wurde und dann die Wahl zwischen den kulinarischen Spitzenreitern "Gulaschsuppe mit Würstchen" oder fettäugigem "Kassler mit Sauerkraut und einer Scheibe Brot" hatte. Wie auch immer - die Erlebnisse dieser Zeit könnten gut und gern als nicht-strunksche Fortsetzung von "Fleisch ist mein Gemüse" durchgehen, wobei mein Werk dann wohl den Titel "Die Noten hat die Putzfrau" tragen müsste. Und das begab sich so:

Ich komme mit der Sängerin auf den letzten Drücker aus dem Kino - wir hatten beide die Länge des Films unterschätzt - und rauschen außer Atem ins Lokal. Der Chef und Pächter des Etablissements ist schon reichlich mißmutig, weil nervös, wir hetzen auf die Bühne, wo wir bereits all unsere Utensilien von ihm - dem Chef! - aufgebaut vorfinden. Wir wollen gerade loslegen, als ich feststelle, dass meine Noten irgendwie fehlen. Nicht, dass ich sie besonders gebraucht hätte, aber sie gaben so ein beruhigendes "Falls doch"-Backup-Gefühl. Jedenfalls ich nach kurzem, verzweifelten Blickkontakt zu meinen Mitstreitern wieder 'runter von der Bühne und durchs volle Lokal in unsere kleine "Garderobe" gestürmt, die bei Tageslicht betrachtet dann doch eher die Besenkammer neben dem Personal-WC war. Geräuschvoll beginne ich damit, dort alles auf den Kopf zu stellen. Das muss irgendwie lustig oder auch ein wenig bedrohlich geklungen haben, denn inmitten meiner Verzweiflung steckt auch noch eine der Bedienungen den Kopf zur Tür herein und intoniert lakonisch: "Du, der Jörg wartet auf der Bühne." Eine Information, die zu diesem Zeitpunkt einen für mich recht reduzierten Nachrichtenwert hatte.

Jedenfalls fahre ich damit fort, Säuberungsutensilien von Schminkgarnituren und "off-stage"-Bekleidung zu trennen, stapelweise Klopapierrollen und Papierhandtücher zu durchwühlen, Handtücher und Putzlappen auseinander zu dividieren, kurz: das Unterste nach oben und umgekehrt zu packen. Ergebnis: Nichts! Die Noten bleiben unauffindbar! In meiner Not und um neben der Verspätung nicht noch mehr Anlass zu Kritik zu geben, fiel mir nichts Besseres ein als die beherzt vorgebrachte Behauptung, die Putzfrau habe in einem Anfall von Ordentlichkeitswahn meine Noten zusammen mit Müll und schmutziger Wäsche entsorgt. Eine infame Demontage ihrer respektablen Zuverlässigkeit und zudem eine Behauptung, die in diesem Kontext von vergleichbarer Brisanz war, wie die Anspielungen des ermordeten holländischen Filmemachers van Gogh auf die kulturellen Gepflogenheiten seiner Mitbürger mit Migrationshintergrund!

Na, jedenfalls war die Stimmung nun schon so aufgeladen, dass sich keiner mehr recht traute, diese an den nicht mehr vorhandenen Haaren herbeigezogene Behauptung mit dem ihr gebührenden Gelächter zu quittieren. Der humoristische Rohrkrepierer mutierte daraufhin zur Dauer-Groteske, die von einem beliebigen Belegschaftsmitglied stets mit verdrehten Augen, langgezogener Betonung und mysteriös gehauchtem "Die Putzfrau...!" zum Besten gegeben wurde.

Andere Zeitgenossen gehen aufgrund ihrer Verdienste an Kunst, Wissenschaft oder Sozialem in die lokal-kommunale oder gar überregionale Geschichte ein. Ich hingegen vermochte mich mit der entschlossenen Denunzierung der besagten Reinigungskraft unsterblich zu machen. Es lebe die "Landjugend mit Musik" :-D

Published at 11:09 / 0 comments / 175 visits
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October 17, 2007

Winds of Change - Week of Farewells

"We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance.
Harrison Ford"

I must thank Mr. Ford at this point for this quote, because it might be apt to restore some sense of courage in me. This is one of the hardest times I've been facing eversince my divorce some four years ago. Trusted or simply longlasting relationships undergo a dramatic consolidation, which sometimes means to end them, business-related as well as personal ones. To me, change always smells a bit like saying good-bye or farewell - and I'm afraid I have to realize about myself, I'm not doing too well on that part of life....

Let's just say that my Summer 2007-Farewell-posting was about the easiest good-bye of this week. There are others, more profound ones, one of them being to ask my parents to give me some space for an indefinite amount of time, by not calling or contacting me in any way, whatsoever. I'm afraid, there are some more farewells closing in on me.

I'll be sparing you further dreary details as the process I'm going through is a most mundane one every person has to live through every now and then. Only - I have to be doing it all by myself. There's no trusted source I can contact and talk my mind about, no dear friend, who might be able to understand or willing to simply listen. That's what makes this process a bit bitter and solemn. I understand that there are people that most likely would be more than willing to take a listen. Those exact people are some, I may have treated harshly over the past few weeks. Not on purpose, though - I would like to think of myself as a person, who treats everybody as fair as I can. However - and this is where things get tricky - I have had to realize my own limited resources in terms of time and energy. And in my book being fair also includes some continuity as to my demeanor. If I can't positively make sure of that continuity, I'd rather distance myself from any given person - which brings us back to the farewells and break-ups.

Before I feel tempted to enumerate details of what has happened and what might be coming up, let me close by saying that I strongly want to believe that going through the motions like this is a change for the much, much better than some of what I've been through in the past. And what would that "better" look like? Hmmm, for a change it'd be nice to have to fight and struggle a LIIIITTTTTLLLE less, come to terms with myself, my professional life, my livelihood. As an extra, it would be nice to get to know people, who are encouraging, empowering and promoting me - on any level.

Ugh... I guess, I'm saying I hate to say goodbye...

Published at 14:33 / 8 comments / 271 visits
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October 21, 2007

Night out at the museum

Wolfram, whom I haven't seen in quite while, suggested today we meet at "Lange Nacht der Museen" in Munich along with other friends of his and a colleague of a Brazilian airline he has been knowing for ten years. I suggested to Klaus to come meet us as well.

After some of the tension and distress I had to face last week as well as worrying over work and such, I figured I could treat myself to that and so I readily welcomed his idea and joined them tonight. It's an event, where all galleries and museums in Munich will remain open until 2 am, some with live music performances or other special acts and all of this - including public transport - coming at a flat fee of only 15,- EUR.

But the best part was Wolfram's huge knowledge on almost any topic there is pertaining to history, traditions, architecture, the arts... anything along the lines of fine art and a sophisticated, distinguished lifestyle. So it was a joy to a) be hanging out with friends in general, b) at such distinguished venues and c) enjoying clever conversation. If you had told me some 20 years ago that I'd be enjoying to hang out at museums, art places and the likes, I wouldn't have believed it. But now - and fortunately, if I might add - I have eventually come to appreciate cultural, scientific and historic achievements a lot more than I used to. I find it a great blessing to be given access to such fine sources of information and am glad that I can now embrace this.

Thanks guys for a nice evening!

Published at 02:50 / 7 comments / 221 visits
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October 22, 2007

I CAN'T TAKE IIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTT!!!!

This is a nightmare: I was ON THE LAKE on Wednesday last week at 20° Celsius. Over the next two days, temperatures dropped to almost zero and there WAS FUCKING SNOW on Friday! No time to get accustomed to cold weather, no transition into winter, just as if somebody had flipped a switch and "ordered" winter altogether. I HATE IT! Not winter per se, don't get me wrong. There'll be skiing and skating and walks under bright blue, cracking cold skies and through stacks of fresh snow. That can be beautiful, too. But the nasty, wet, cold weather, the ever-shortening days (in terms of sunlight), the dirt/mud in the woods and on boardwalks, the noise from water being washed on the rhinestone from passing cars... - no, that part I really don't appreciate. And it came so quickly! There was no way of really letting autumn drift into oblivion, no chance of one last sun-worshipping ritual, no migrating into different weather conditions. Ugh...

What's worse, I can't really get myself to go outdoors under such conditions - and who would blame me, right? I mean, I'm doing my best to find SOMETHING that I can appreciate about this phase, but I haven't succeeded so far. Because I have come to learn about myself that I NEED to go out at least once a day for no less than a full hour, preferrably more and preferrably in daylight. If I can't do that, I get cabin fever, I feel trapped, not free, locked up indoors. It really feels like a prison-situation inflicted on my by a higher force.

Hm... maybe lighting an open fire outside more ofte can help...? Ugh, I want summer back - or autumn at the very least...

Published at 21:47 / 25 comments / 437 visits
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October 28, 2007

The Eagle Strikes

Looking down the Gorge
Looking down the Gorge
We've had the clock change from daylight savings time last night, which means the sun will set at five in the afternoon. After my previous post I don't think anyone needs explained what effect that has on me... let's just say: Not good! But - someone called me a fighter recently and that's what I am. So I dragged my sorry ass out as the clouds would occasionally part and let some rays of sun through. And I went on one of my frequent, compact bike trips this afternoon (about 25 km today).

On my way back from Herrsching, I see something swoop down from the corner of my eye. So I turn to look and notice an eagle or buzzard just in time when catching some prey, then take off again, apparently a mouse in its claws. I couldn't help but imagine, what the brief incident must have looked like from the mouse's perspective. Probably something like this: It notices a giant shadow split seconds too late, everything turns to pitch black, a moment of silence, then a quick, but searing pain in the neck, maybe its little heart comes to a premature rest from the stress hormones being poured into the tiny system. And then - all goes mute.

When pedalling on, I had to think: Yes, that's exactly what it feels like for me as well, on days like this: A giant predator swooping down on me without prior notice, my attention being absorbed by an endless stream of thoughts, some productive, some not, then a quick and burning pain, however with the difference that it lingers on and on. I wouldn't mind trading parts with that metaphoric eagle for a change...

Published at 19:28 / 8 comments / 304 visits
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