Shock

If the state of Israel is torturing 14 year old kids, it’s time to send in the troops.

4 new tires

A new friend of mine massaged me, and during the maintanance she discovered some structural problems. Apparently, my shoulders in rest post are about 5 centimeters more forward then where they should be. It even hurts when  I consciously put them in the normal pose, as the usually cramped muscles get stretched.

Surprise, suprise, it’s related to long-term computers use.

So don’t  think I’m an idiot if it looks like I’m imitating the Guvernator.

Nostalgia

Yesterday, I got claustrophobic in the subway, so I decided to just get out and walk home. The area I got off is right in the middle of Berlin’s Ellis Island, called Wedding. It’s one of the poorest area’s in Berlin, with about half the people belonging to an immigrant community. It’s also the area I wanted to live in when I heard about it. It seemed logical, I was fresh out of the boat. So, as soon as I started walking, I expected the usual collection of gambling dens, vegetable stores and baklava haunts. Instead, I found myself in nice, green areas all along the river Spree. And after about an hour, walking through only green areas, with little Turkish children playing, and babushka’s talking, I felt like this was the place I belonged. And not the place I entered two hours later, the dreaded, expensive, gentrified Prenzlauer Berg.

I wish I was member of a Greek family. I would just contribute half my pay and eat in the family restaurant every night.

Anyway, today is 365 days since I first kissed T.

Over the hump...

… or here’s hoping Berlin is going to get colder weather, or nicer weather. I hate air conditioning, it makes my body and brani feel worse than sweating profusely.

I hate the fact that people can’t just get along. Maybe this is related to most work is done discussing the politics and particulars of the work, that the actual work itself. This is the staple of software development. I wish I could just come home and do whatever I think is needed. Sometimes I feel trying to get consensus is a great way to make nobody happy.

I hate the fact that I’m expected to have opinion on topics I don’t know about.

I hate facebook, and the fact nobody seems to care it’s treating their users as shit. Last week, it was found out facebook uses picture of their users to promote a dating site, what the fuck. Apparently, you can change this:

-> Settings -> Privacy -> News Feed and Wall -> Facebook Ads -> Appearance in Facebook Ads and click ’no one.'"

Step out of it

Yesterday, Jade and Uri were hugging each other in the kitchen. Jade, a wonderful Lebanese girl, has been living in our project for a couple of weeks now. Uri, comes from Tel Aviv, and was last seen in Lebanon on top of a 1500 horsepower engine.  He will stay with us for a month and try to sell some of his art.

Im usually not a sentimentalist, but the experience touced me deeply.

June, it can never end too soon

Since the 30 days that have passed since my last post (does it still count a more than once a month?),  I’ve haven’t been able to get my mind off of possible escape scenarios. Dramatics thoughts maybe, but I’ve found my old arm problems, and a lack of motivation have had an effect on my old productivity that can only be described with obscentities. Therefore, I’ve asked to take unpaid leave for a month around June. The plan would be to work on a ide project from home for a while, and see if my enthousiasm returns. In exchange, I would just work one month longer than promised, and  I think I wouldn’t mind an extra month in this city.  I’m fucked if it’s the same when I go back though, as I feel obligated to stay, and need the money for further plans.

I also managed to hitchhiked to southern Jutland to visit a friend. He showed us around the pigfarm, and told the stories of his parents. His father is farmer in a line of more than 3 generations on the same farm. He speaks en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Jutlandic, the Limburgish of Denmark. His mother, who’s father was a fisherman on the Faroer Islands.  Of course she speaks Faroese.

The farm in all it’s glory

Snow in May

Back in Berlin, back to 16 degrees constant sunshine, and a pollen storm. Back to wonderful Danish bread, guests that specialize in speed-rubiks cube solving, and the delicate art of almond raisin chicken.

Unfortunately, also back to the usual dissatisfactions and anxieties. I’ve loved working at ***, but I somehow can’t seem to have enthusiasm from 9 till 5 anymore, without some motivation from other people. Difficult to do in a solitary job like this, but I find it harder and harder to keep passionate myself if it’s only for the greater good. At least it get’s me thinking about the future again, and I hope I can rub this future thinking off to the lovely T. I’m just wondering around what latitude my plan turns out to be. Rent is horrible in Holland, maybe the time is right to practice my French in the wild, and to find an Arabic tandem partner?

Arabic is only one language if you consider it to be Standard Arabic, “the most eloquent Arabic language”, a version evolved from the Arabic used in the Qur’an. It’s also the written language of all people who speak a language of the arabic school of languages. As one Quebecois explained me, learning it bring you to the situation that 280 million people are able to understand what you say, but you can probably understand only 2 million of them. As I like to listen more than to speak, maybe I should reconsider. Or start chatting on facebook, god forbid.

Don't speak bad of the dead...

I’m sorry mr Updike, I really am. You entertained me masterfully on a 5 day train journey with rabbit, and I was totally engrossed in Brazil. But how can you make spin a tale about terrorism around a 60-year old man having an affair with a woman from a different church? And haven’t we been there before? Rest in peace, and let’s hope for no posthumous release

Wish me luck

In less than 24 hours, I will pass through 2 international airports with a respectable flu. I just hope I make it to Belgium, and that I don’t get stuck in German quarantine.

Praha

Unwilling to visit Copenhaegen with T, I decided to visit the country that supposedly has a beer culture equal to Belgium. Welcome to Prague.

The real reason for this trip was to visit a guy  met in a big, deserted country far away. He now lives here with his wife, D, and daughter, W.

He had 2 mountainbikes, which was nice. Apart from all the mountains.