Do you remember the day you chose to be straight?

Do you remember the day you chose to be straight?

No, I suppose that you don't.

Just like I don't remember the day I chose to be a lesbian.

The reason?
Because we didn't choose.
Simple as that.

However, I do remember the day I realised that I was different, also the day I understood that I liked girls the same way all my friends liked boys, and I will never forget the day it was hammered home that all of these feelings were best kept under wraps... each one of these days happened before my 7th birthday.

Today I was in a friendly conversation with an older man who lives in my neighborhood. We wave on sight, and if we are near to each other we take a few moments out for a bit of conversation. 

We were talking about the hot weather and how Berlin really doesn't see so much of this kind of heat. We talked about our last towns... his in Bavaria, and mine in Kansas. He said that he missed snow, and I said that I missed exciting weather (I have a thing about thunderstorms, and European weather just doesn't have enough to suit me). 

After this he asked the question which so many come to eventually, "Why did you come to Berlin?". 

Since it has always been important for me to be open about these things, I gave him my stock answer, "I fell in love with a wonderful lady Berliner". 

Like many people who do not know me well, he was taken aback. His gaze intensified as the wheels started turning. After all had been put to rights in his brain, he popped out with one of the more creative responses I've heard, "Soon you will realise that you want children, and another woman cannot give you this; then you will choose a nice man and settle down". 

You need to know that I'm 46 years old, which puts me out of the child-bearing years... but to an octagenarian, I'm just one of those "kids", I'm sure.

In the end his assertion that I would change my mind later is just a variation on the "you're just in a phase", idea... which has always bugged me.

I'm so sick and tired of the old ideas that homosexuality is a phase, a choice, and/or a sickness which can be cured. The same goes for the idea of 'gay recruiting'. If you are really straight... do you think you can be 'turned' gay?

Were heterosexuals born that way, or did they choose it? I have been known to ask them what they think. Often they are agasp! "Boh! Well, I never chose to be straight, I am just this way". Why should my answer be any different?

If it were simply a matter of conditioning, then everyone would be straight. Mom and Pop are just the beginning.Try and imagine the world in topsy-turvey mode. Imagine every TV show, book, magazine and movie tells you that you should be GAY. You know you aren't, you know that you won't be happy that way... but everyone and everything is telling you that is your path. How would you handle it?

All of this conditioning, all of this peer pressure to be straight, every indication around you telling you to be one way... yet you are most decidedly headed in a different direction. This is what it is like to grow up homosexual in a heterosexual environment.

Turns out there is substantial evidence of genetic and prenatal components involved in sexual orientation, not to mention the hundreds of species which exhibit same-sex behaviors. In the end it has been proven time and again that a combination of genetic, hormonal and social factors determine sexual orientation and that the only "choice" made by people like me is whether to ignore the way we are and conform to society's expectations; or to live our lives as we feel most comfortable.

Rather than try to explain all of these factors to this nice man who was still wearing his customary smile, I told him that with two women in the relationship, there are twice as many possibilities for babies... if we were so inclined. We laughed it off, and went on to discuss his grandchildren who had come for a visit on the previous long weekend.

To my mind, being gay is no more of a "choice" than being left-handed and has many similarities.  

What do you think?
What day did you choose your sexual preferences?
 

Blackballing the CDU - It's About Time

Berlin Christopher Street Day Parade 2013

I'm happy to say that this year's Gay and Lesbian Pride Month "demonstration" felt more like a demo to me than it has in previous years. Most of the time it feels like an excuse to have a party... and perhaps for many people, it really is. 

But this year was the first that made sense to me. Through my time here in Berlin I've always been surprised to see all of the political parties represented at the gay and lesbian events. Not only during the parade, but also the Parkfest at Friedrichshain, and the Stadtfest at Nollendorfplatz have representatives spread throughout.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy the parties understand the power behind the gay voters. What I've never understood was the presence of the CDU (Christian Democratic Union - read, conservative party). These folks have consistently fought against gay rights... why would they even want to be seen at our events? 

Interestingly enough, shortly before the CSD Parade, the parade organising committee let it be known that the CDU would not be welcome. That's right, finally they stood their ground and effectively un-invited the conservatives who have been fighting without fail against LBGT issues. That will teach them, eh? OK, so maybe it won't open their eyes about equal rights for all humans... but I assume that it sent a message. This is the biggest party of the year, and the gays just blackballed the CDU. 

I have to admit it, I'm proud of the CSD Parade for kicking them out.

Berlin Fotomarathon 2012

Over the past weekend I took part in my second Berlin Fotomarathon. Basically it works like this: 

a. There’s an overall theme each year. This year it was "Der Augenblick genießen" which got translated two ways according to which theme sheet you consulted. The first translation was "Enjoy the Moment", whereas the second and third sheet had "Seize the Moment" which was actually a much nicer sentiment in my estimation. Unfortunately you don't learn the theme until the shot of the Fotomarathon gun and the first shot themes are handed out. 

b. Then all participants have 12 hours to take 24 photos. 

c. Each photo must display a theme. The individual themes are given out in stages of eight, at a series of checkpoints around Berlin. 

d. At the last checkpoint participants hand over their memory card with only 24 photos, taken in order and unmodified. 

e. An exhibition is organized about three weeks after the marathon, and prizes are handed out on the last day of that exhibition. 

01 Here and now (Hier und Jetzt)

This first image must display your start number in some creative way. My start number being 42 was rather daunting since it seems the number is the "Answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything" as stated in the book, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I had put out a general scream for help and several people stepped to the plate. 

In the end I combined the suggestions of The Queer Expatriate (who would also be participating) and the Honorable Husband. Spelling 42 phonetically was the brainchild of HH and TQE reminded me about the white mice who were central to the QUESTION in the book. The watch is there because it actually reads 11:42, and I thought that was a cool addition to the "here and now" theme. I had considered using the white mice throughout the day as sort of a theme, but decided that life was too short for that kind of craziness. 

02 Go for it! (Trau Dich!) 

My photowalk buddy stood in for this one. The idea was gathering the courage to do something a bit dangerous. There were originally two photos, one which had a better hand position, but seemed to be ready to shove the hot pepper up her nose. I personally dislike the yellow tint, and would rather have framed the shot differently, but hey, we're under time pressure, ya know? 

03 Colourful (Farbenfroh) 

This was taken in the grocery store in the basement at Alexa. I had purchased the hot pepper there and knew I would return after that shot to capture something colorful. (I often wonder what people think when they see someone craning over a display rack holding a camera -- but this is of course a big city, and no one said a thing. In fact, one man waited patiently for me to compose and shoot before reaching for his bananas.)

 

04 Free choice (freie Auswahl)

The guys at Alexanderplatz Dunkin' Donuts were cute, and sweet, and asked for money to allow me to shoot. But in the end they relented. I actually think they were a bit disappointed that I didn't want to get them in the picture.

05 Melting away (dahinschmeltzen)

I would have liked to get two lovers melting into each other, as this is actually the closer translation of the German original. But the ice cream idea popped into mind as we were waiting in line at Alexanderplatz Burger King. (a girl can't live on Ibuprofen and Red Bull alone, mind you) This cone waited through our lunch and really started to get busy melting as I was finishing up. I like how there are two downward streams in each area. 

One funny thing to experience at this location was that we actually ate lunch sitting adjacent to two sets of Fotomarathoners, even though we were on the opposite side of town from the starting point. As I pulled out the camera for this shot, all eyes were on me with what I assume was the "which theme" question rolling through their heads.  

06 Perfection (Perfektion)

Now we are on our way to get the next set of themes. I was two photos behind by this time and was feeling a bit of pressure. But way back at Alex I had decided that perfection to me was a box of Karl's strawberries. The nearest stand we could think of was at Bahnhof Zoo... so we took the opportunity to hit that location on our way to the Hotel Bogota for the next themes. 

As the shutter clicked for this photo, I heard the unmistakeable voice of That Queer Expatriate behind me asking which theme I was shooting. How funny to run into him in this huge city, a bus ride away from our eventual destination. We three then made our way to the check in. Hotel Bogota had an interesting feel about it, with many photographs surrounding us as we made our way in and out. I will go back soon to get a better understanding for the place. Maybe to also learn more about their tango nights. 

07 Euphoric (euphorisch)

After looking over the next required themes such as "laughing out loud", and "hot and spicy" it just seemed natural to head back to the Motzstrassenfest. Let's face it, Berliners aren't known for their smiling faces, and I would need some soon. 

I admit defeat on this one. I kept trying to get these girls as they looked not only euphoric, but also catching them as the ADAC advertisement was not showing. Ugh. OK, on to the next shot, please.

08 Absorbed (versunken)

This shot was exactly what I was looking for. My first thought was to enlist the help of my photo walk buddy and shoot over her shoulder as she was checking images on her camera. But then the phone thing occurred to me, with the added benefit of getting the faces of friends around who looked bored because of this guy's absorption.

09 City life (Stadtleben)

This is a classic, and you might guess is taken very close to the festival. Displaying so beautifully the rough side of the city is the man below. Beer bottle in hand, I thought to capture him, then watched incredulously as he picks his nose and eats it. Lovely. Soon I notice him readjusting his "package" as though uncomfortable. As I start to walk away after the shot, he whips it out right there and proceeds to piss. The guy on the top is of course oblivious to what is happening below, and is busy taking photos of the party on the street. Yeah, city life.

10 Laughing out loud (lauthals lachen)

These two were sooo cute. I saw them and thought that I had finally caught the only smiling faces in the place. When I turned them and asked them if I could take a photo it became obvious why they were walking with their faces in a default smile setting... they were from out of town. Thanks guys. 

11 Longing (sehnsüchtig)

The guy in the vest was working on shirtless dude something incredible. Asking him questions about his life, and where he was from. In general, shirtless dude was looking past vest man towards the guy behind him wearing a hat. What an interaction, and it went on for about 10 minutes. 

12 Pause for thought (Denkpause)

Ahem. Berliner Fotomarathon images are displayed end to end on a 3 meter long strip of photos... so um, well, it is better to have them all oriented landscape, and NOT portrait. Well, sometimes that is easy to forget, especially when MOST of the photos you normally take seem to be portrait. Thus we have this lovely example of a pause for thought which actually displayed my lack of thought. Hell, I'm cool with it. I did have a lovely pause there, and I'm going to continue to display it sideways as though I had intended it all along. 

About this time we met (by accident - seriously, how BIG IS this city?) the Honorable Husband and decided to walk together for a while to discover more of this cool event. He lives in Munich and something tells me the stuffy Münchners don't let it all hang out quite the way the Berliners do... so as he was enjoying the scenery, we were enjoying showing him what it is like in Europe's gay pride capital. 

13 Flight of fancy (Höhenflüge)

Balloons, flying, colorful, the flag in the background... I'm going with it. 

14 Hot and spicy (richtig scharf)

Oh my these "ladies" were incredible. I did get a full body shot of the one wearing the black shoes, but she really was a bit too skinny for my taste. Perhaps I expect my transvestites to have more UMPH up top or something. When we saw the shoes with red... oh honey... THAT is hot and spicy. 

15 Sweet tooth (Naschkatze)

Yeah well, duh. I wish I had pulled out the 50mm for this shot for more bokeh and better focus. But it is at least a decent shot. 

16 Carefree (sorglos) 

Dude was standing just outside the area from the women's stage. He was chugging a beer and just looked like he didn't have a care in the world. OK, snap. 

HH invited us back to his nearby hotel for a coffee break and since we were running ahead of schedule, we thought it sounded like a good proposition. Once again, the theme for the day was "Enjoy the Moment", and we intended to do just that. Thanks HH!

17 Call it a day (Feierabend)

After warm coffee, sparkling conversation and a rain shower pause we made our way over to the next check in location which was the Berlinische Gallerie. Another cool place that warrants further investigation. 

This shot is the entrance to a company which was closed up for the day. Yeah, Feierabend. 

18 Together (zusammen)

Benches, together... I'm going with it. 

19 Chilling (chillen)

Not long after I took this shot these folks got up and left. My photowalk buddy suggested that perhaps they were dealers and didn't like the idea of a camera being pointed at them, no matter HOW far away. 

20 Refreshing (erfrischend)

Um, yeah. I was thinking water (ok, so that is canal water and CERTAINLY not fresh) and that cute little umbrella over there. Work with me people.

21 Natural beauty (Naturschönheit)

This was taken looking down from the overhead train bridge at Hallesches Tor. I like the lines of the tree branches and how they work with the sidewalk line. 

22 Passionate (leidenschaftlich)

This was a no brainer. What was so hard about it was getting them while embracing without seeing either face. I also wanted to get the train station sign in there to give it a sense of place. 

23 Cherry red (kirschrot)

We headed back to the Motz festival again because... well, why not? We met up with some friends, drank some adult beverages and generally "enjoyed the moment". I spent two hours in search of an ass for this shot. I wanted two buns tightly packed into a pair of red leather... or red denim... or hell, knowing this festival, it was possible to find those buns with red paint on them. Everyone around was helping me... "Oh look, she's got red pants". In the end I didn't find what I was looking for. 

As the time drew near to get out of there and turn in our pictures, I started to get a bit nervous. Then I saw this beautiful older woman amongst the dancers shaking her thing. When I approached she wanted me to take a photo of her man. He was sweet, and about a head shorter than her, but he wasn't what I was looking for. 

She and I chatted for some time. Crappy German was our only language in common, as she was from Ecuador and spoke Spanish and I think she said Quichua. We talked about the dance she was doing, which looked like an extended merengue to me, but she said it was something she learned in her village, and she had no name for it. 

24 The last dance (Der letzte Tanz)

These are actually the feet of one of the friends we met up with at the Motz Festival. I had taken about 8 shots, but either other feet got in the way, or they were more blurred than I would have liked, or actually not blurred enough. In the end I settled for this shot because you can more easily see her shoes... which I liked. 

After going through all of these images I now understand why so many others (No Apathy Allowed / The Queer Expatriate) are blogging about their experience in stages. My gosh, that is a lot to consider all at one time.

My second experience with a photo marathon was even better than the last, and that is saying a lot since I enjoyed the other one sooo much. The photos aren't anything special, and actually there are only one or two which I would even consider loading onto Flickr. But the theme of the day was "Seize the Moment", and I think we really did just that. 

I had decided to shoot the whole day in manual and to use my new 24-70 lens exclusively. Well, I had to change out the lens twice for an 18-200 my buddy was working with... otherwise I just wouldn't have gotten the shot. Also I used the 50mm for the melting away shot... and later the strawberry shot, there was no other way to capture the subject and blur the other items the way I wanted. But I carried that HUGE piece of 24-70 glass with me everywhere and didn't even get tennis elbow for my trouble.

Several things I promise myself for next year. I will work harder to have artful photos. Because I know that doing it alone would be hard I will have a buddy along again. Also next year I want to take non-marathon photos alongside those requested ones. It seems to make sense to download them all to the iPad or something before deleting the ones which don't fit. I DID delete some awesome pics this year which weren't right the theme. 


A big thanks to the Berliner Fotomarathon folks who I believe are all volunteers. It must be hard to put something like this together, and they've done a great job and deserve a round of applause. The locations were better this year, the prizes are better, and it seemed to flow much easier as well. 

Now... where is my calendar for NEXT year's marathon?

 

Looking Smart

Now THERE is dedication. 

Buying your smart in the colors of the German flag.
GO KRAUTS GO!

Someone is in the spirit of the European Football Championship.

Side note. See the Mercedes-Benz symbol by the door handle? Strange. I've never seen a smart branded with the Mercedes logo before. Of course the smart car is manufactured under the Daimler AG wing... but why the logo? I'm sad to say that I didn't notice it before, so I have no idea how it was branded on the grill. Perhaps there is a Smart expert lurking in the wings with some answers?

NiO

I'm going to vent a bit here.
This morning on my way to work I was blown away watching the behavior of two of Charlottenburg's Ordnunsämter.

For those not in the know, the Ordungsamt is a bit like a police agency who have the lovely "meter maid" type duties, e.g., ticketing people who park illegally, cross the street against the light, dogs shitting on the sidewalk without the owner cleaning it up (oh, excuse me... that is indeed illegal, but it is laughable to think that the Ordungsamt actually does anything about that), if the behavior is "out of order"... thus "nicht in Ordnung", these guys are the ones you have to watch out for.

Ordnung is very important to the great majority of Germans. If you witness someone falling and you ask if everything is OK, the most likely response (if they are actually OK) will be "alles in Ordnung". Another important phrase is "Ordnung muss sein" (there must be order). The stereotype holds true for most of the Germans I've known... they want EVERYTHING in order.

Which makes the following even MORE silly when you realize that it happened on German streets with people specifically beset with the challenge of keeping OTHERS "in Ordnung".

There is a school zone on one of the streets I travel every day. In that same area is what I believe to be a Jewish school or Synagogue. I know this only because there are two Berlin policemen standing at the door every day. The only other place I've seen 'da po po's hanging around would be the Mayor's apartment.

Often I watch with a smile on my face and a healthy bit of Schadenfreude as cars fly by me, completely ignoring the school speed limit until they get to the place that they can suddenly see the police, then immediately the brake lights come on and they end up going the school speed limit for the next few meters, having little idea that the policemen couldn't actually care less about the speeding infraction because they are there for a different purpose.

Experience has taught me that only the cars which ignore the speed limit completely and actually go faster than 50 will make it to the next light before it turns red. I know that no matter what, Mimi the scooter and I will NEVER make this light even if the school zone speed limit is not yet valid (too early in the morning, or late in the evening), because I can't go over 50 even if I wanted to.

This morning as I was sitting in "pole position" at the red light before the school zone street, I looked to my left and saw in the next lane a car from the Ordnungsamt. I recognized the passenger as an Ordnunsämter who about a month ago went to the trouble of leaving the street and getting off his bicycle to give me hell because I drove (instead of walked) my scooter 10m (10 yards) on the 15m wide walkway as I parked it legally (in this same area) one rainy morning (with no pedestrians in sight, mind you).

As the light turned green I realized that it was a moment to see how well these men in charge of order actually remain "in ordnung" because we would be coming to the aforementioned school speed zone very quickly.

While passing the sign they didn't slow down at ALL, in fact, still accelerating WAY past the 30 restriction and putting a big distance between themselves and the cars behind them. Then I saw their brake lights come on suddenly and assumed they had realized their error. No, that error was mine. They were slowing down to wave at the two REAL Berlin police officers I talked about earlier. As soon as the wave was returned, they sped up again and made it to the next light JUST in time to go through it as it was yellow (turning red AS they were in the intersection).


Basically I want to know WHY I HAVE TO OBEY THE RULES, YET THEY DO NOT?


Been reading:

• A moving "coming out story from the Onion (thanks Regensblogers!)
• Stand With Me, Jose Antonio Vargas, for a New Conversation about Immigration

I See Dead People

This years' Halloween was different in Berlin for some reason. I think the Germans are catching on to this thing.

First off I was invited to a real, grownup Halloween party thrown by non-Americans. Yup, they even had Halloween themed foods and the Eyeball Punch had the most potent eyeballs I've ever tasted.

The invitation said that partiers should show up as a dead person. Marie Antoinette was there as well as some characters out of books with the majority being real-life people. Eva and Adolf even made an appearance, surprisingly. The mix was good.

Like other costume parties of my past the people showed their creativity and ingenuity. The Phantom of the Opera folks were great. There were a few folks who just looked ghoulish with white face paint and blackened eyes, but at least they were working it, and if asked they always had a story about who they were supposed to be.

What I didn't see was the most annoying trend which was getting so big when I left the States. There were no girls at the party which had taken the opportunity of a costume party to dress as skankily as possible. No, there were no "slutty girl costumes" in evidence.

Amongst the ladies there was not one single set of kitty or bunny ears placed just so within the hairline, no push up bras to unnaturally accentuate cleavage, and definitely no leotard-looking things with cotton-tail bunny butt.

I must say that it was refreshing.

The only people I saw dressed like this were the group of 9 American kids in the subway. They were of course the loudest and drunkest group around. The girls were all dressed in the "skanky costume", and the guys were all showing their lack of imagination as well with the standard wool cap with the attached stick looking like it has gone through the head... oh, but let's put some fake blood trickling down the face and onto my shirt... that will make it look better.

Also different this year was an even bigger street presense of the kiddies in search of candy. Seven o'clock last night we were witness to about four groups of roving kiddies going from building to building in our neighborhood. As we were driving around the city, we also saw a few more groups. Wow, I don't think I've EVER seen that before.

I know they're a long way from having a costume day at school, but things are moving closer into that direction. Let's just hope they can avoid what has become obligatory in America... the Slutty Girl Costume.

What is with all the Fight?

Ahem, let's take a ride on the Random Wheel

Poor little Mimi choked and sputtered yesterday while I tried to start her up after a week of ignoring her in cold weather... but last night and again this morning she woke right up with a roar. Love that scooter and the freedom she gives me even if these fall days have me arriving at my destination considerably more stiff and cold than when I started.

In the past couple of months I've been to both Lübeck and Lüneburg, small cities in the north of Germany. Personally I prefer Lüneburg between the two of them, but as for northern towns (not including Hamburg and of course Berlin which some consider flatly east), I still prefer Schwerin.

My gosh I've been becoming a bit obsessive about Urbexing. Germany has SOOO many abandoned sites, hospitals, military bases, tunnels and the like... and they're waiting for me to explore them. Of course it is not a hobby I can pursue on my own. Unfortunately it isn't strictly "safe" to walk around alone in 100+ year old buildings which are rotting away slowly, but they are so beautiful. It is interesting to watch as nature takes its course, slowly breaking down and covering up the things man has made. Yes, I've been filling up SD cards with pictures as well. Check out some of them here. If anyone would like to come with me, just let me know. I've got a list as long as my arm of places to go... Sweet No is simply getting tired of all this exploration.  

Rachael Maddow's show last night was dedicated to the showing of a documentary about the murder of Wichita, Kansas' own most famous abortion doctor. I lived in Wichita during most of this mess. The 1986 attempted murder of Dr. Tiller was horrifying and silly, the 1991 "Summer of Mercy" was a huge drain on the resources of the city. Driving down the highway adjacent to the clinic was like running the gamut of dead baby pictures. The protesters would do everything they could to draw attention to their cause, but the people of the city could have cared less and the great majority simply wanted them to leave. Even the Catholic Church nearby stayed out of the entire melee.

The man was performing a legal procedure. If they wanted to change policy, they should have worked within the legal system. Chaining themselves to cars and causing the waste of critical resources (police and fire) was not only wrong but unnecessary.

Unfortunately, in my humble opinion, the story didn't go far enough into those cheering on the murderer. The O'Reilly's of this world incited this type of behavior and are now running away from their culpability.

These people who make it their business to judge others should remember their Savior's ideas about "Judge not, lest ye be judged".
(OK, I'm jumping off of my soapbox. I just wanted to say that no matter your politics about an admittedly touchy subject, murdering the guy was an incredibly extreme way to deal with a situation which should have been covered by the courts. Check out the video here)

OK, um... breathe deeply ... and release.

It's clementine season again. No, it isn't time for the song to rattle around in my head endlessly (although it is certainly doing that NOW... thanks a lot!); it's time for the stores to fill the fruit section with citrus and more specifically, clementines! Man I love 'em!! The net of orange goodness sitting on my desk right now came from Spain. Hmmm. If that place has these things growing on trees, maybe I should just move there! I can polish off a kilo of these beauties in an afternoon, no problem.

Every night on my way home from work I pass by a Sparda Bank. Why are you telling me this Snooker, you might ask. Well, because after seeing the huge sign I immediately think of Sparta, the cat protagonist in the "Mean Kitty Song". Once I think of the song, then I start humming it in my head, sometimes even signing the words as I tool down the street on Mimi the scooter. Do you have or love cats or maybe just like guys in baseball caps? Check out the cute video. Maybe you too will find yourself humming this lovely little ear worm at strangely inappropriate times.  

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has proclaimed Germany's attempts to build a multicultural society have failed. I'm beginning to feel that being an immigrant in this country could get a bit harder, at least for the Muslims. Heck, even my sweet FIL read Thilo Sarrazin's anti-Islam book, "Deutschland schafft sich ab " (often translated as "Germany Does Away with Itself").  There has been talk (finally) of issuing identity cards to the country's foreigners as a better way to track who comes and goes.

I've often been involved in conversations where Germans are complaining about the immigrant problem in their country. After a moment or two they come to the realization that they are speaking with an immigrant at which time they often will assure me that I'm one of the "good" immigrants. Hmm... Any expats have a thought on this?


Been reading:
What Happened to Change We Can Believe In?

Random Tuesday - No name version

Whoo hooo... It's been a LOOONNNNNGGG time since I've been on the Random Tuesday Bandwagon. I've missed the ladies, and thought I would take a circle with them today and catch up on what kind of craziness Keely is up to... so, let's go!

No and I bought a new blender/mixer thing after the Tchibo POS finally gave out. It has this weird glowy/blue/hologram thingy that kinda freaks me out when I walk into the kitchen. Nothing says "I'm home" like a making frozen margaritas (come on, you didn't think we were going to make healthy smoothies or something) in a machine which looks as though it came directly off the set of Star Trek.

Last Friday the image you see to the left opened in a little Berlin gallery named Cozmic Photos.

It's not my best work, but since it was an assignment (Reflections) and I HATE assignments, I don't think it's too bad. Click through to get more of the story.

Summer has made it to Berlin. The last few days were crazy hot. All of this in a place with very few air-conditioned buildings. Unfortunately this has brought back sooo many of my gripes with some of the Germans (thankfully a minority) and how they handle heat.

First off... um, there is this thing called soap... when used with water over your body it can help get rid of the severe STANK the rest of us around are getting from SOME Berliners. I've been taking upwards of three showers a day, I would hope that the dude I ran into last night on the underground was on his way home to one... WHEW!

My Dear Krauts. Air will not hurt you. I don't mean super-chilled, flying out of the air conditioner air... I'm talking about opening a freaking window and allowing the BREEZE into the room/car/train/whatever. If it is hot enough to cause perspiration while simply sitting, hey... it is hot enough to OPEN a window. No, it doesn't hurt your kidneys (where did that come from?) No, your back will not seize up. No, the dry mouth and sore throat you have didn't come from the FAN, it came from mild dehydration because you're sitting in a room that is 35 DEGREES!! (Celsius - 95F)

Football Fever has the Jerrys at a fevered pitch. The German National Team have been solidly beating all comers (except for Serbia - funny, that) the whole way through the World Cup. Next up is Spain on Wednesday which I'm sure will be a real knuckle-biter. We hope to watch it from the Berliner FanMeile with 350,000 of our good friends. (well, at least we'll be in the area... we'll get into the VIP area to enjoy the game a bit more safely.)

Bad news. My beloved Beelitz-Heilstätten is being closed by its owner. It is my favorite place in the world to take pictures. Some of you clicked through to those links and wonder why a place that looks like it is already falling down - is closing down. Well, the owner says that he will no longer abide the trespassers (like me) who love the place soooo very much. It seems that not all of us come with the idea of "Take only pictures, leave only footprints, kill only time". The vandalism is getting out of hand, and I don't blame the guy for trying to secure his property. But dammit, I want to be able to go play.

Speaking of playing. This time next week No and I will be playing in Paris, helping the French celebrate La Fête Nationale. Yes, I expect to see plenty of French flags and fireworks, eat lots of food smothered in butter, and finally taste a REAL French Baguette. Oh, and take THOUSANDS of pictures. OOOHHH! Check out this little gizmo showing Paris!!! One of my Frenchie buddies gave me the link while giving me clues of where we simply MUST GO while in La Ville-Lumière.

Thanks for playing Random Tuesday Thoughts, head on over to Keely at the UnMom for more randomness.

Now for a cool video.
World-renowned animated graffiti artist BLU returns following a ten-month hiatus with a stunning new production called “BIG BANG BIG BOOM: an unscientific point of view on the beginning and evolution of life … and how it could probably end.”


BIG BAG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Karneval!!

The Karneval der Kulturen is ramping up in the city. 1.4 million people are expected to come out and enjoy one of the many festivities surrounding the event.

Check out a few pictures of my experience so far:







My much-loved Dresdner Brot.

That is Funky Chicken with an African drink, Dju Dju - Mango Beer.

Mimi (blue) found some friends while in my absence. Can't take that girl anywhere, as soon as I turn my back she's winkin' and flirtin' with the boys.
Just get out there and experience it for yourself!
Sunday is the parade, and as far as I'm concerned, the best part of the whole thing!

Post from Karneval der Kulturen 2008

May I say that working on Sweet No's computer... um... not exactly easy or necessarily nice. The post looks like crap simply because I don't have the right tools.