Outsider’s Insights

Because I did’nt exactly have to much to do over the last weeks, an old short-story crossed again my mind: Böll’s
Anekdote zur Senkung der Arbeitsmoral.
It may come over a bit I-know-it-all, but in the end it’s a nice story. And very true.

And because automatic translations can be so much fun, here is the translation of this text by babel.altavista.com.

In a port at a western coast of Europe a aermlich dressed man in its fischerboot lies and doest. Send tightened tourist puts evenly a new color film into his camera, in order to photograph the idyllische picture: blue sky, becomes green to lake with peaceful snow-white wave combs, black boat, red Fischer cap. Click. Again: click. And there all good things three are and is surely safe, a third time: click. The brittle, nearly hostile noise wakes doesenden Fischer, who straightens up sleepy, sleepy after a cigarette box fishes; but before it the search found, does not have it the eager tourist already a box before the nose held, the cigarette straight into the mouth put, but into the hand put for it, and fourth click, that of the lighter, locks the expressfinished politeness. From that hardly measurable, never provable too much one at speedy politeness a provoked embarrassment resulted, which the tourist - who national language powerfully - by a discussion to bridge tries. “you will make today a good catch.” Head-vibrate Fischer. “however one said to me that the weather is favorable.” Head-nod Fischer. “you will thus not drive out?” Head-vibrate Fischer, rising nervousness of the tourist. Certainly the well-being of aermlich dressed humans is to it because of the heart, gnaws at it the mourning over the missed opportunity. “Oh, you feel not well?” Finally Fischer turns into from the sign language to the trueful spoken word. “I feel great”, say he. “I felt never better.” He rises, strains themselves, as if he wants to demonstrate, how athletically he is built. “I feel fantastic.” The face expression of the tourist will ever more unfortunate, it can the question any longer suppress, which threatens to blow up it the heart as it were: “however why you do not drive out then?” The answer comes promptly and scarcely. “because I this morning already drove out.” “was the catch good?” “he was so well that I do not need to drive out again, I four lobsters in my baskets had, nearly two dozen of Makrelen imprisoned…” Fischer, finally awaked, thaws out now and knocks reassuring the tourist on the shoulders. Its anxious face expression appears to it as an expression more inappropriate, but agitating Kuemmernis. “I have even for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow enough”, say he, in order to facilitate strange soul. “smoking it one of my?” “thanks.” Cigarettes are put into the mouths, fifth click, to the foreigner sit down head-vibrating on the edge of boat, put the camera from the hand, because it needs now both hands, in order to lend to its speech reproduction. “I want to mix not into your personal affairs”, say he, “however you present times, you implement yourselves today second, third, perhaps even a fourth time, and you became three, four, five, perhaps ten dozen Makrelen catch - introduce yourselves times.” Fischer nods. “you became”, continue the tourist, “not only today, but tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, on each favorable day two -, three times, perhaps four times drive out - know you, what would happen?” Fischer vibrates the head. “you would catch at the latest in one year an engine to buy to be able themselves, in two years a second boat, in three or four years perhaps a small kutter have, with two boats and the kutter you naturally many more - a daily you two kutter to have, you would build…”, the enthusiasm strike a small cold-storage depot for it for a few instants the voice, “you, would round-fly perhaps a Raeucherei, later a Marinadenfabrik, with their own helicopter, which constitutes fischschwaerme and to your kuttern by radio instructions gives. They could acquire the salmon rights, open it fish restaurant, which lobsters without middlemen export directly to Paris - and then… “, again the enthusiasm the stranger strikes the language. Head-vibrating, in the deepest heart betruebt, already nearly merrily, he looks to its vacation joy on the peacefully rolling tide, in which the ungefangenen fish jump lively. “and then”, he says, but again him the excitation strikes the language. Fischer knocks it on the backs, as a child, who swallowed itself. “which then?” he asks quietly. “then”, says to the foreigner with quiet enthusiasm, “then could you in the port sit calmed down here, in which sun doesen - and on the wonderful sea look.” “however do ‘ I already now”, says Fischer, “I sit calmed down at the port and doese, only your clicking me thereby disturbed.” Solcherlei instructed tourist actually pulled thoughtfully from dannen, because in former times he had also once believed, he worked, in order not to have to work a daily once any longer, and it did not stay a trace of compassion with aermlich dressed Fischer in him, only little envy.

Jeck, do we have something like spoilers from old g-blog?

Now that was a tough decision for this month. But the winner is “Human of the Week” by Olli Schulz & Der Hund Marie. Not because it’s very special, but because it’s so nice, so easy and quite funny. The closest rival was “Dann schlägt Dein Herz” (one our Das-Soap-Ding songs). In fact, it’s so close, maybe both songs should be number one.

The lyrics can be found here.
He’s on tour right now, including a gig in the Triptychon in Münster on 12. april. Perhaps I’ll be there, too.

When it was shown on TV, I may have seen a bit of one or two episodes. I enjoyed Star Trek as a kid and I saw a bit of Star Trek: The Next Generation. But I never, never considered myself as something even near to a Trekkie.

Well, things obviously change… I started watching Deep Space Nine on DVD last October or November and I’ve reached the 7th season this week. I feel so close to the characters, I cried, when I realized that Jadzia Dax really got killed and I had fits of laughter in this episode. There are some weaker episodes, of course. But in general it’s a superb series. Finally I get it what people like about soap operas.

Thank you to the older part of Alter Rebenz for lending me the DVDs.

And of course, thanks to all the fans of the soap-thing.

Well, that was a pleasant surprise, the movie Crash, aka L.A. Crash in Germany. Sometimes very funny, sometimes quite sad, and great actors. Sandra Bullock did a magnificent job; she played a very nasty, very rich, very prejudiced woman. Lucky her she was not type-casted again.

What I especially liked about the movie: the characters undergo a change during the movie. In most Hollywood movies, there is nothing except a tiny change in the main characters, i.e.  at the end of the movie everything’s back to normal. But in Crash, they seemed closer to real life. The director (and the actors) showed more shades of grey in their personalities. They were not just this, but also that. Much more accurate. I mean life is full of choices.

If you haven’t seen it: it’s worth a try.

What more do you want than good food and fabulous live-music?

I went to an arabian takeaway and ordered a Falafel two days ago. Not only did the chef move like a cool cocktail mixing bartender, throwing cucumber slices high into the air before catching them with the falafel-bread, but he also was very funny. And the falafel was very tasty.

After that I headed straight for the livingroom studio of Radio Fritz where someone earned his money while having a lot of fun. On this special evening the fun consisted of a live concert of one of my favourite bands, die Ohrbooten. It was there first concert of the year because they spend most of their time in the studio recording, mixing and mastering their new album. I’ve seen them twice last year. But seeing them in a living room, about 1 meter away with just 25 persons around, was very special. When they play their wonderful music, there is so much pleasure, so much fun in the air. Amazing. And they do know how to freestyle. The only drawback: one couldn’t dance (too little space), and it is so hard to sit still when they make music.

Thanks a lot jeck, for the invitation to this wonderful evening. And of course, thank you, Ohrbooten. You certainly bring down the house, i.e. the living room.

Ich war grad in einer Imbiss-Bude um die Ecke (sehr guter Hähnchen-Döner übrigens). Und da war diese merkwürdige Gestalt im hinteren Teil. Starrer Blick nach vorne, ein großes Bier vor sich (das vierte, wie ich später erfuhr).

Aber ab und zu, ohne erkenntlichen Grund, fing dieser Mann an zu singen. Mike Krüger’s Nippel-Lied. Dabei hatte er permanent diesen Gurgel-Sound in der Stimme, der entweder auf einen durchschossenen Lungenflügel oder eine merkwürdige Kehlkopfbildung hinweist. Ewig nicht gehört, was aber auch nicht wirklich schlimm ist.

Wenig später sagte er sehr bestimmt, aber zu niemandem speziellen: “Die wollen mich rauswerfen. Jaha. Die wollen mich rauswerfen.”

Drei Minuten später bot ihm der Imbiss-Chef Bier Nr. 5 an. Wahrscheinlich war das alles vorher sein spezieller Bestell-Code.

You never know.

Know what?

Well, you never know.

Eighty-five steps from appartment-door to ground floor. That’s a bit more than the usual flight of stairs back in M.

A colleague who moved to Berlin last year has told me the city is good for (re-)shaping your buttocks, because of all the stairs-climbing. Adding an average of one hour on the bike it will surely help to keep up my constitution.

By the way, my first week here is coming to an end. And what can I say: I really like it. Although I am happy about my phone flatrate (after having talked to a friend for more than two hours).

Good night. And good luck.

And I did today. Well I didn’t ride mine, but jeck’s actually.

I took a long ride through the city by bike. I really liked that. Cycling always makes me feel like home. I went from Friedrichshain to Kreuzberg, from there to Mitte and back home passing Alexanderplatz. What a huge place.

On the way I bought two City maps (one for me, one for a friend). And the saleswoman wished me good luck for finding my way. With two maps, as she kept on emphasizing.

She found that pretty funny.

Me too.

My intention is to find jobs here in the big B. But my job hunting efforts today produced one job chance. In Cologne. Well… not exactly my preferred destination, but one week per year there would be fun.

Let’s see what tomorrow brings. But I certainly won’t post daily updates concerning my jobs.

And to my friends in the west: Thanks for reading my blog, commenting it would make me even happier (auf Deutsch or in English, I don’t care).

So long.

So it finally has started. My time in the big city.

It was a strange ride to the central station. Until yesterday I thought, I’m not really leaving. Because I will come back every now and then, mainly to work. And I somehow thought, then would be enough time to see everybody back in M. Which is not possible. I realized that when I starting making my schedule for the first visit which is due end of march. I will work for at least 5 days, add 2 days for arrival and departure, there are two persons I promised to see already. Therefore I won’t have the time nor the energy to see everybody I would like to catch up with. So in a way, today already was the real goodbye, although I still have my appartment in M.

Strange. It came on the quiet. And now it’s there. Me moving away after almost 11 years in M. Big change in small steps. I think I will need some time to get used to that. Leaving M. makes me sad in a way. I liked it there. But a part of me is very clear that a change was needed.  That it was time to move on. I guess that’s good. Leaving M. although I liked living there. A much nicer, but at the same time harder thing to do, leaving a beloved place.

I mean, I sure am excited. How things will turn out etc. I know it will take quite some time to get adjusted, find work (my main issue), but nonetheless I’m nervous.
But at least I have a great place to stay for the first weeks. Thanks, jeck. I do appreciate that very much.

Wish me luck for my job hunting!