Miscellaneous - July 11, 2010
I don't want to complain about the weather. Not that I like the temperatures at the moment, far from it. But everyone is complaining about the weather this days, that's nothing new. And I'm blessed with a apartement where the temperatures don't rise about 25 °C, no matter how tropical it is outside. I just can't open the windows during the day, but who would want to do that anyway these days ;-)
But seriously, this weather is messing with my brain. I feel even less motivated to post anything here. To even think of a topic to write about. Except the weather, but... see above. I've got a few half-written posts on my computer or at least in my brain. Sometimes I wonder if there really is a difference between these two ;-)
° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° °
I was and still am planning to take the bike to visit the "Still-Leben A40" event of the RUHR2010 next weekend. If it's as hot as it this weekend, I won't go there after all, but I'm hoping it will only be moderately warm. For the sakes of everyone involved. On Sunday 18th July , the main motorway in our metropolitan area will be blocked for traffic for 6 hours and there will be "the longest banqueting table in the world". A 60 km stretch of road will be lined with 20,000 tables to create a meeting place for different cultures, generations and nations. It sounds crazy and it actually is, but I want to see it anyway ;-) (More information in English on their website) The tables will be on northern lanes of the motorway, the soutern lanes are the ones for bikes and rollerskates and every non-motor- means of transportation. It's won't be allowed to take your bike with you on the trains, metro and busses that weekend, because there will be so many people using public transport. So I have to get to the motorway on bike in the first place, which is a 30 kilometre distance. I'm planning to cycle for another 20 or 30 km on the motorway, which will probably feel really weird (but that's the whole point of it *g*) and leave the bike at my office building in Essen to take it back with me on Monday. I'm really curious how the event will turn out and what kind of groups will have organized what kind of celebratory event at their tables.
So because I plan to cycle about 60 kilometres next weekend I had to check if I'm fit enough to do so. Which resulted in me going cycling on Friday, which was not quite as hot as yesterday, it seems, but still hot enough. I was doing surprisingly fine though and I decided to finally take the last couple of project365 photos on the track. The post will follow later today (Hopefully) I even tried to map my track with the mapping tool app for my smartphone. Which I didn't get to work in the beginning, but later during the day. And it's really killing the battery very fast, so as much fun (for a nerd like me) it could be, I won't do that once again. But the mapping tool itself is pretty awesome. It's based on open street map and it includes a cycle map, which really is helpful. No need to take a real map with me anymore. I actually know the track I cycled on Friday, but there was one moment, when I thought I was lost and had forgotten to make a left-turn. I almost turned around to look for that turn, when my map app showed me it was still a few hundred metres away.
I returned back home after 52 kilometres and I wasn't too exhausted despite the heat. But my bum was so sore after 3.5 hours on the bike's saddle ;-). I just have to get used to it again, but Friday afternoon and Saturday morning I sat down and got up only very carefully. I spend most of Saturday at a Green Party convention, in an air-conditioned room, so the heat didn't bother me that much yesterday. Except for my time on the trains to get there and back home. But it was ok. And today... I won't step outside, but I guess, I already did mention that ;-)
° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° °
The heat and the football worldcup kept me from watching any of the TV series on my To-Watch-List. But I finally continued with Flash Forward and I have to admit it felt weird, because I didn't remember all the the plot and events which happened before I took a break. Weeks or even months ago. I'll try to watch one or two more episodes today, before the worldcup finale.
I also finally started to pick up a book again, after I spend most of the time I read, with listening to the Outlander audiobook in the first two weeks of June. And even though I finally was able to download part 2 I'll try to not start listenening to that right away, but finish the book I'm reading first ;-) "The Year of Living Biblically" by AJ Jacobs and my review of this book, is one of the half-written blog posts. It's really entertaining and informative and sometimes hilariously funny, so I just felt the need to write about it even though I haven't finished reading it. I didn't get around to finish my review yet either. I blame it on the heatwave ;-)
But I also actually started and finished another book 3 days ago, because I forgot to take the one I'm currently reading with me on my way to work and I planned to visit the bookstore anyway after work. And because I really needed something to pass some time till a meeting later that day. It was such an easy read and so entertaining that I finished it very fast. And it fit the occasion, because it's about football after all :-)! I can only recommend it to any German football fan. "Weil Samstag ist" (Frank Goosen, 2010)
But seriously, this weather is messing with my brain. I feel even less motivated to post anything here. To even think of a topic to write about. Except the weather, but... see above. I've got a few half-written posts on my computer or at least in my brain. Sometimes I wonder if there really is a difference between these two ;-)
° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° °
I was and still am planning to take the bike to visit the "Still-Leben A40" event of the RUHR2010 next weekend. If it's as hot as it this weekend, I won't go there after all, but I'm hoping it will only be moderately warm. For the sakes of everyone involved. On Sunday 18th July , the main motorway in our metropolitan area will be blocked for traffic for 6 hours and there will be "the longest banqueting table in the world". A 60 km stretch of road will be lined with 20,000 tables to create a meeting place for different cultures, generations and nations. It sounds crazy and it actually is, but I want to see it anyway ;-) (More information in English on their website) The tables will be on northern lanes of the motorway, the soutern lanes are the ones for bikes and rollerskates and every non-motor- means of transportation. It's won't be allowed to take your bike with you on the trains, metro and busses that weekend, because there will be so many people using public transport. So I have to get to the motorway on bike in the first place, which is a 30 kilometre distance. I'm planning to cycle for another 20 or 30 km on the motorway, which will probably feel really weird (but that's the whole point of it *g*) and leave the bike at my office building in Essen to take it back with me on Monday. I'm really curious how the event will turn out and what kind of groups will have organized what kind of celebratory event at their tables.
So because I plan to cycle about 60 kilometres next weekend I had to check if I'm fit enough to do so. Which resulted in me going cycling on Friday, which was not quite as hot as yesterday, it seems, but still hot enough. I was doing surprisingly fine though and I decided to finally take the last couple of project365 photos on the track. The post will follow later today (Hopefully) I even tried to map my track with the mapping tool app for my smartphone. Which I didn't get to work in the beginning, but later during the day. And it's really killing the battery very fast, so as much fun (for a nerd like me) it could be, I won't do that once again. But the mapping tool itself is pretty awesome. It's based on open street map and it includes a cycle map, which really is helpful. No need to take a real map with me anymore. I actually know the track I cycled on Friday, but there was one moment, when I thought I was lost and had forgotten to make a left-turn. I almost turned around to look for that turn, when my map app showed me it was still a few hundred metres away.
I returned back home after 52 kilometres and I wasn't too exhausted despite the heat. But my bum was so sore after 3.5 hours on the bike's saddle ;-). I just have to get used to it again, but Friday afternoon and Saturday morning I sat down and got up only very carefully. I spend most of Saturday at a Green Party convention, in an air-conditioned room, so the heat didn't bother me that much yesterday. Except for my time on the trains to get there and back home. But it was ok. And today... I won't step outside, but I guess, I already did mention that ;-)
° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° °
The heat and the football worldcup kept me from watching any of the TV series on my To-Watch-List. But I finally continued with Flash Forward and I have to admit it felt weird, because I didn't remember all the the plot and events which happened before I took a break. Weeks or even months ago. I'll try to watch one or two more episodes today, before the worldcup finale.
I also finally started to pick up a book again, after I spend most of the time I read, with listening to the Outlander audiobook in the first two weeks of June. And even though I finally was able to download part 2 I'll try to not start listenening to that right away, but finish the book I'm reading first ;-) "The Year of Living Biblically" by AJ Jacobs and my review of this book, is one of the half-written blog posts. It's really entertaining and informative and sometimes hilariously funny, so I just felt the need to write about it even though I haven't finished reading it. I didn't get around to finish my review yet either. I blame it on the heatwave ;-)
But I also actually started and finished another book 3 days ago, because I forgot to take the one I'm currently reading with me on my way to work and I planned to visit the bookstore anyway after work. And because I really needed something to pass some time till a meeting later that day. It was such an easy read and so entertaining that I finished it very fast. And it fit the occasion, because it's about football after all :-)! I can only recommend it to any German football fan. "Weil Samstag ist" (Frank Goosen, 2010)