live, then.
found the footage below. one of the rare cases where i like the narration. it definitely adds a level.
it's a rainy holiday today; marking something christ did once ... maybe leave.
instead of sleeping last night i made a maze for yusi's magazine.
i've been exercising more, which i'm happy about. it's a better distraction obviously and my spare tire is actually deflating. yay! a week ago a small group of us (greg, timothy, ali, gunter, and a friend of greg's whose name i forget because everyone called him "duden") went on a bike ride down towards potsdam and into castle park.
(the photo below of the swiss chalet was one of the sights near the park)
it was an ideal day really: warm sun, good friends, rolling hills with one castle after another overlooking the sparkling lake. then, after a full day's ride we were treated to a great meal at greg's house (christoph made these dumplings with quark and eggs ... sweet tomatoes ... a good beer).
Click to view
the saturday after that was my birthday which turned out pretty good considering i made no plans. ali and gunter cooked breakfast, complete with a cake piled with glazed fruit. later in the afternoon matthew dropped by and we had a nice walk which led eventually to more food ... and ice cream. since i've been exercising more i'm always hungry.
back at home i watched the eurovision contest for the first time. it's an odd thing: various countries send their cheesiest ramada-inn-style entertainers to a giant sing off. since all the songs are bad, the voting often comes down to the next best thing to nationalism. that is, you can't vote for your own country, but apparently it's common (especially for the smaller countries) to vote for your favorite neighbor.
(note: anyone who has a phone can vote)
after that accordion-and-folksy-violin overdose i went off to basso for a trip back to san francisco circa 1994. the queer punk band, fagbash, was having their fifteen-year reunion. it's funny what a refreshing noise an old sound can be.
the evening then led to a DJed party, but the room was small and full of smokers and i decided my day had enough activity, so i got on my bike and drove home to a warm bed.
monday there were also live tunes. matthew's band (motherland) opened for MEN. it was an evening of extreme dancability. the audience, a crowd of mostly super cute baby dykes, went wild and demanded more more more until MEN were finally replaying things and searching for cover songs. i gave myself away at that point.
JD: okay, we found another song we can play. it's by joan armatrading.
me: (deep and loud) YEAH!
followed by a half-second of silence as i realized i was the only one there old enough to have listened to joan when the records were new.
saturday gwenael is taking me to see billy childish!
considering i'm flat broke i'm getting to see a lot of live music. god bless berlin! the basso shows are always free, matthew put me on the list for monday's show, this saturday's show is a birthday present ... the only show i paid for was andrew bird, but i had bought the tickets a couple of months ago before hitting the bottom of the piggy bank. i got a ticket for kai too, who has treated me to quite a few live shows and made me many fabulous mixed-tape CDs. i was impressed at how entertaining andrew is. i like his music, but he's also quite a performer and has a subtle sense of humor that blossoms on stage.
today: must finish sketch for aurturo ... and write to kirstin to see if she can help me find a job.
oh, and happy birthday, mom ... up there in heaven.