Motor-RAD

so, this weekend past, i was feeling stir crazy, and though the threat to rain was in the air, i rented a motorad from Cintula Honda - a Honda TransAlp 650 - and headed south to check out Dresden, and some other relevant historical and natural German sites, as well as to meander through the countryside.

though not my first choice, enduro bikes are very popular around here these days, as the guys like to drift them around mountain curves (yes, like drifting cars, but different) and this one did the job adequately. i actually recieved a couple of compliments on the bike - one in particular from an old guy who, i found out, even with our limited capacity to communicate, rides an '84 BMW R80, set up for touring. i tried to explain that i have a '72 BMW R75 in America, but i think that was beyond my ability to communicate, and his to understand. but, he seemed impressed with my chosen steed, and put it best when he said, with a huge old guy grin, "Riding motorbikes is the best."

i had been wanting to rent a bike for a couple of weeks now, to take a trip somewhere, and Dresden seemed like an obvious choice. It's close, it has "relevant" history, with WWII and as the long time capital of the Saxon area there, and because it was close to the Czech border and a huge fortress and a crazy outdoor area.

So, i rented the bike, and with clouds in the sky, hoped to make it out of Berlin before the rain hit. Well, that was not meant to be. had i been 10 minutes earlier, i would have been fine (i guess i should have skipped the salami baguette), but as it was, i got hit by the worst rain storm i had seen in days, at the first redlight i stopped at by the hotel. For those familiar with my pad in LA, that would be like leaving the driveway - no rain, stopping at the redlight on 26th - downpour. HA!

well, luckily i had commited myself to inclimate weather, and was wearing full riding gear, courtesy of the shop, so i didnt get that wet . . . sort of. my shoes were soaked, but i got onto the autobahn, headed south, outran the rain, and had a nice 1.5 to 2 hour ride to dry out. Lets hear it for syntheics! by time i got to Dresden, i was totally dry. i was afraid i was going to have to buy some new shoes.

Dresden was very cool. a charming little place on the Elba river, it is more well know for the fact that we (the allies) basically completely leveled it at the end of WWII. i spent most of my time in the "historic" section, which i loved. because i love history. i didnt really get much of the history from my time there, mostly because i dont speak german, but i got enough. and i went on a tour of the "old fortess."
as a mideval city, dresden was originally surrounded by a big wall/fortress enclosure, the gates and original bridge of which are now covered by a park. it was built right on top. however, you can still tour the old gates, and see some of the fortifications, etc. through a cool little museum under the park.
after the fortress, i checked out an art gallery, with works by Martin Kobe. i was impressed with his geometry, and his use of light and color. being not an art history major, i'll just leave it at that.

i ate dinner in on what was basically the touristy restaurant street. i had the Sauerbraten, witch beef "dresdener style" (read: heavy brown gravy), with red cabbage and these funny little potato dumplings that they like to eat over here. it was very tasty. i finished it off with a "local delicacy" egg custard, which was boring and dry. how unfortunate.

after dinner, i wandered around a bit more, and went to bed, and the Hilton, where i stayed for no better reason than: it was there, available, close, and i didnt feel like trying to find something cheaper. it was right in the middle of the historic stuff, and that was enough for me. they offered a complimentary breakfast which was fan-freaking-tastic. complete with omletes, sausage, potatoes, eggs, bacon, pancakes, bread, pastries, fruits, baked beans (for the English), and fresh squeezed juice. soooo goood. there were some engilsh peeps there in a big group, must have been for some kind of conference or something, and i heard one skinny little girl complement the breakfast to her friend saying that she had eaten four plates of food - and the plate she was holding was not empty by anymeans. i chuckeled to myself judgementally: "way to go fatty . . . " i thought as i glanced down at the table in front of me . . . . wich also had . . . four plates . . . (oohh those pancakes were gooood). at which point i promptly finished my omlet, got one more piece of hypocritical bacon and left.

so i headed south, my destination: Festung Konigstein - an old fortress first built in the 1500's, which has been used in every military conflict that the area has been involved in . . . ever. pretty impressive, i think, for a crazy huge fortress built on top of a rock in the middle of nowhere, basically.
however, on the way there, i missed my exit and took a little detour through the Czech Republick. that was really cool. after the border, the hiway is lined with huge walls, you cant see anything past them, untill you get to the first exit, and then, suddenly, you're in these beautiful mountains, on your way to Teplice. the hills reminded me alot of West Virginia, beautiful countryside, bored teenagers in little villiages.

so, after my little scenic detour, i was back on my way to the fortress. the border crossing was actually not as easy back into Germany. the border gaurds were very confused by my work visa, and i had to wait a few minutes on the side of the road wondering if i'd get my passport back. but, of course, i did, and i was off.

the fortress is indescribable. its basically a villiage on top of a rock. you'll have to see the pictures to really get any kind of idea. but, i'm telling you, i had seen pictures before i got there, and it was still impressed. i did the walking tour, with my english language headphones guide, and i think i learned about every nook and cranny of the place. i think i walked aroud for 4 hours discovering history. and, as i got to about #40 interest point - (out of 60 or so. incidentally i think it was the well, which is 152.5 meters deep, the second deepest in all of Germany) i was struck at one point by the fact that it was probably a good thing that i was alone, as i dont know if anyone else that i know could have possibly tolerated 4 hours of historical minutia. but, i loved it, so there.

after the fortress, i headed out through the countryside to Bastei. some crazy rock formations across the river from the Festung Konigstein. due to its popularity with toursits, already, in the 1800's, somebody thought it would be a good idea to build a big stone bridge across some rocks. why they picked the location that they did, or why they even thought it was a good idea to build a stone bridge in the first place, i dont know. i heard it was meant to replace a wooden bridge in the same spot. whatever reason, i'm glad they did, cause its crazy!

after an enjoyable day cruising through history and the great outdoors, i pointed my motorcycle back toward Berlin. i had thought to drive through the towns of Radeberg and Pulsnitz on my way out, but, i learned something important about Germany and signs and maps here. The signage here is not really designed for the out of towner. you get to the middle of a villiage (and there is one about every 5 km or so) and you see, oh, maybe 10 signs, all pointing down a road to another villiage. This, at first glance seems very helpful. however, the problem becomes that, though you have a myriad of signs to chose from. . . none of the names on those signs correspond to the names of villiages on your map of all Germany. HA! so, you just cruise around it what you think is the right direction for a while, untill you find something you recognize, or a highway, or fireworks in Dresden, 20 km away.

so, i stopped in Neustadt in Sachsen for some food, which is where i met the old dude and talked about bikes. i also met the kid at the pizza place, who responded with my desperate inquiriy of "English?" with the slightly amused "of course." now, i quickly pointed out to the kid the hilarity of that statement. that "of course" the one kid in an open pizza joint on a Sunday in the middle of nowhere Germany spoke excellent English, when even the people in service capacities in Dresden, where there seemed to be more Americans, per capita, than Berlin, didn't speak much English at all. we laughed about this, and it turned out that he spoke great english because he was part of a pit crew for an international racing team, and was just in town saving money to go to college. he was a cool kid.

the kid pointed me in the right direction, and eventually i made it back to Berlin, even if a little later than expected. but man was it a great trip.

Dresden, Etc.

today i rented this
and went to here, where i currently am writing from.
tomorrow i'll be checking out some cool stuff that i will hopefully tell you about tomorrow night, along with the whole story.

neet.

Epic Battle

or, you can watch it in HD here

Dear Craig,

you know how i said i would post something cool on the blog for you last night? well, i went to karaoke instead. but can you blame me? i mean, c'mon, who doesnt want to see crazy germans doing rousing renditions of '80's balads, and one asian lady screaching out Bridge Over Troubled Water, and owning it?
besides, i had to do a pulsating rendition of My Sharona, as originally done by The Knack. and even though we ran out of time and i didnt get to do Living On a Prayer in the style of Bon Jovi, or Winds of Change in the style of Scorpions,

Scott killed it with Superstition in the style of Stevie Wonder, and that one Hoobastank song in the style of . . . Hoobastank . . . (shout out - Morgie!)

it was great. i love karaoke.

this guy only occasionally seemed to even know he was on stage, supposed to be singing . . .

the host finnished us off with some ballad about "the end" . . .

yep, its legal

seems like just about everything is street legal here in Berlin . . .
and some rides are just plain sweet.

National Donut Day (+1)

so, yesterday i heard that it was National Donut Day in America. so, in observance of a day dedicated to one of my all time favorite delectibles (i could be said that i have a problem) - i went to one of my favorite places, The Europa Center, to a Dunkin Donuts, and had, what may have two of the worst donuts of all time. i had a Lemon donut - i'm a succer for lemon - and a blueberry crunch donut.
the problem wasnt that they didnt taste good, so much as that it was 8:00 pm by time i got there (thats 20:00 for those of you in europe), and if they are a real Dunkin Donuts, that means those babys had been sitting on the shelf for 15 hours. ("Five am, time to make the donuts . . . ).

well, what can you do. at least i had a donut. although, this morning i had a cruler from the grocery store before playing soccer, and it was fantastic. who says the Germans cant make a good donut?

More Than Meets The Eye

i'm afraid some of you, my friends, may have not seen the international trailer yet. well . . . here you go (hint, click on the picture). and thank you, Dark Horizons.

i totally geeked out over this trailer. see if you can figure out where. winner gets a special prize. . . that i havent invented yet.

I'm Sorry, The Arcade Fire

I have to apologize to The Arcade Fire. for a while there, i didn't care for them. and not only that, i was vocaly abrasive, and even negative toward their existence. well, i dont know what made me do it . . . maybe it was my interminable curiosity. maybe it was the nagging need to understand people around me, and why they like things that suck, maybe i just needed to use up some downloads on Emusic. whatever it was, the other day i picked up Neon Bible, and, i have to say. . . it is FAN-TASTIC! that album is so good, i must have listened to 100 times already. almost as many times as i listened to Coconut Records. well . . . Arcade Fire . . . i'm sorry. and. . . i salute your genius.

right now i'm listening to that new one by The Shins. so good.

in other news: saw Wilco the other day, out touring for their new album Sky Blue Sky (also great). the show was full of Americans, which was interesting. hearing mostly english around you after growing accustomed to hearing mostly not-english can actually catch you off gaurd a bit. it was a fantastic show, even though they played for, like, 2 and a half hours.

who wants to start a band?

Cola Light /= Cancer!

("/= " means "not equal" in todays discussion)

hooray! after reading some disturbing news today, i immediately went to the fridge at work and grabbed a Cola Light* to read the ingredients. luckily, sodium benzoate is not listed in the ingredients, and there fore will not be breaking down vital parts of my DNA, or causing cancer when mixed with vitamin C in my fizzy drink. oh man, what a relief. however, andy, you should watch out for that Dr. Pepper, which was listed specifically in the article with Fanta, Sprite and Pepsi Max for having that magic ingredient.

*Cola Light is also /= to Diet Coke, the one truebeveredge, though i am getting used to it, as long as its ice cold (sometimes hard to come by). also, Cola Light with lemon /= to Diet Coke with lemon, or Diet Cherry Coke, or that liquid crack of beveredges Black Cherry Vanilla Diet Coke.

also, regardles of the fact that above advertizement is written in German, nobody here has any idea what a "coke light" is, and if you ask for one, they look at you in bewilderment at the strange language you speak, untill a helpful native interjects "cola light" or "coca-cola light" to wich they immediately respond in the affirmative, bringing you your desired beveredge. though getting it cold, or with ice (mit ice), is some trick.

The Apology of Spiderman

well, i finally saw Spiderman 3, and i dont know what everybody is up in arms about. Am i the only guy in the world that actually enjoyed watching it? i mean, seriously! who doesnt enjoy crazy fight scenes, huge explosions, hot chicks, Bruce Campbell as a French maitre de, emo Parker, goth suit spider man, deus ex machina butlers comming out of nowhere, memory loss after a bump to the head (a personal favorite), unresolved setups, lots and lots and lots of characters, "last time on spiderman . . ." opening title sequences, banal speaches by old ladies, Kirsten Dunst, Bruce Campbell as a french maitre de, long FX sequences featuring sand that can form itself into human shape and has the corporeal ability for flight, Goblin Jr. on a flying snowboard, still life painting, internal confilct, bad guys with emotional vulnerability, reinventing the mythology of a fictional institution, serious pacing problems, big explosions, love triangles, silly cameos, alien symbiotes, expositional speaches, explosions and Bruce Campbell as a french Maitre de?

i mean, seriously folks, what did you want? its a comic book movie for crying out loud. now, granted, when i saw the movie, it could have been that i only slept about 3 hours in the previous 39. it could have been the inexplicable intermission right in the middle of the phone call that Peter gets from the police station, offering about a 10-15 minute break, which may have broken up the "narative" long enough for me to not be as bothered by the pacing problems. it could have been that i knew what i was getting in to. i mean, i had talked to enough people who had worked on it to have an idea what was going to happen, and apparently the film industry learned nothing from the catastrophe wich was Batman and Robin.

but that goes back to my big question: what did you want!? maybe our expectations have been set too high recently by such works of excellence as Batman Begins, and the first two installments of the Spidey seriese. but didn't you see Fantastic 4 or the abomination wich was Superman Returns? maybe you were expecting more out of such a huge budget? well, whatever it is, dont be afraid to admit that you had a good time watching it. i mean, it didnt take us to an ancient and interesting little known or explored society for a 2 hour chase scene after all, even though i am sad that they blew up Eric Forman.

it was silly, i enjoyed it. get overyourself, just admit that you love Spiderman.

050607

today in america. cool.

happy birthday to my brother matt, who turns 18 today. on this, his big foray into "adulthood" i give him this sweet airplane which looks totally anime, and can apparently turn on a dime. i wonder if it can transform into a mech. . .


i give him this sweet leather flight suit . . .


and these port-a-potty's , for when he has to pee after a long flight.

good luck matt, have fun attacking the skies.

Happy Riot Day

May 1 in Germany is Labor Day, a national holiday. as such, all businesses and government jobs are closed in observance of people's right to work, and the people plan a riot to show their appreciation. Historically, the anti-fascists have squared off against the police in neighborhoods like Kreuzberg, and have celebrated their hate for fascist government by getting boozed up, throwing pieces of cobblestone at the authoritative figures, overturning and setting ablaze the cars of citizens, and looting shops. lots of innocent rioters get arrested as the police invoke their right to keep the peace, and lots of citizens get pissed cause their stuff is ruined. afterward, everybody goes home, has a brotchen an rests for next year.

according to reports, the riots have calmed in the last years, as the government has been organizing huge parties with bands and food vendors in an effort to get the people dancing instead of fighting, and it appears to be working. because, after all, when you have a beer, a bratwurst and David Hasselhoff performing at the foot of the Brandenberg Gate, what is there to fight about? i suppose we'll see tonight . . .

Bike = Rad

no, seriously, its true. look it up.

its very cool that Berlin is a bike friendly city. everyone rides bikes here. men in business suits, women in dresses, people going out for a night on the town, casual or dressy, kids cruising to the park, whatever. you go to a club for a show or to hang out, and there are bikes everywhere. it's excellent. this weekend Kyle, Alex and I took out bikes out to Spandau on the train, and then road them down to the Luftwaffen Museum, which was pretty cool. i love riding my bike through the now super green Teirgarten, and all over town.
i love having a bike, the city is much more accessible. my friend Jan let me borrow this bike for the durration of my stay here, and i cant thank him enough. i love riding my bike, and it makes me dig Berlin that much more.

Slow on the Draw . . . or Write, or, Rock and Roll Stops the [internet] Traffic

so, i suppose some of the 2 or 3 of you out there reading this might wonder why i dont post very often. well, apart from having crappy internet reception (see below) and not having time to post while at work (too much work to do, too busy trying to find a schwalbe), its because i've been going to too many concerts at night, and doing too much awesome stuff on the weekends . . .

let me list for you, for example, the concerts i went to last week

Thurs - Amon Tobin
Fri - Dragon Force
Sat - The Blood Arm
Mon - Fujia and Miyagi and !!! (Chk Chk Chk)

Thurs - Jeans Team, The Pipettes, and Klee

and i dont even remember if there were any i forgot. this weekend has had less concerts, even though my man Andy wanted me to go check out Malcom Middleton with him tonight. . . i need to try to start the week off right, even if it is a short week. i'll probably kick myself in the morning, but, hey, thats the way it goes.

but, i do need to say that Amon Tobin was a nice surprise, Dragon Force was excellent, and i am in love with all of the Pipettes . . .

also, speaking of music, i must mention that, thanks to keith, i have been introduced to coconut records, and have been wearing it out on the ipod all week, like i've made a new friend. also, i have to say that i find sufjan stevens to be more and more like a soundtrack to my life. call me cliche, but whatever. the music is so contemplative, that while i'm just cruising around, say, on the subway or in the airport, or whatever, it makes for the perfect soundtrack. like i'm watching silent movies, or music videos the whole time. nice.

also, i love myspace, and i love emusic.

why my hotel rules and sucks all at the same time

for one, i live right in the heart of berlin. litterally. the actual center of the city, and that rules. however, the internet never works well . . . i mean, it's supposed to be high speed DSL, but puh-LEASE! although, i guess in the land of 4 hour dinners at restaurants, DSL that goes slower than a Soviet junker at an Italian car auction is not unusuall . . . however, this IS the land of the no speed limit auto bahn (on which i rode shotgun at 137 mph today in my friends Audi), and super fast go carts (yeah, i rode those today too) you'd think they could keep up on their technology at a hotel.

however, i cant get too mad at the hotel. i mean, the girls at the front desk are cute, and they do leave my excellent chocolaty treats, like this bear, from one of the best chocolatiers -ever - on my table for me, just for being here :)i was just going to nibble off one of his ears, for a taste, but then i ended up eating off half of his head . . . so sweet and tasty . . . . he didnt last very long . . .

also, today i saw this place, but didnt "go" there, yet. just went in to check it out . . . and it was amazing . . . there will be more on this place at a later date, be assured of that . . .

I Ate the False Rabbit, or Chicken: The Other Pork

or, "wrong rabbit" or "meatloaf" as the case may be. It was tasty and delicious. it came with some veggies and some mashed potatos, and that was my lunch on . . . thursday, at the Bistro Tasty, just accross the street from the office. no, seriously, just accrosst the street. look out your window, and accross your street, and Bistro Tasty is probably closer to where i sit that whatever you are looking at is to you.

I find it funny that Germans call meatloaf "false rabbit" - that being the litteral translation, of course. they will, when asked to translate "meatloaf" call it something like "hackbraten," but if you point to meatloaf and ask what it is, you will get "falscher Hase," or, "false rabbit." that is also how you will see it on a menu, as falscher Hase.

i wonder where that came from. did someone want rabbit for dinner one day, and he found instead some mystery loaf of meat on his plate? is it because the typical shape of a meatloaf is somewhat bunny like? did someone once bit unsuspectingly into what he thought was supposed to be rabbit, only to find a loaf of nameless meats on his plate, thus prompting him to shout "this is false rabbit!" ? i may never know. . .

but that brings me to a few other fun food facts, which seem to have been my theme for the week. . .
Berlin claims little as a regional food specialty, or even significant to the region, other than Curry Worst, which it loves and is very proud of. if you want a worst, you will always see the curry worst option at the top of the list at the sausage stand. and, let me tell you, it is delicious. it is basically a sausage with a curry katsup. the recipie for the curry sauce is, apparently, much like the recipies for bar-b-que sauce in america. carefully gaurded from place to place, claiming to be always different, and better than the next guys. personally, every curry worst i have had has tasted exactly the same, the only difference being the worst that i get under the sauce. p.s. curry worst and fries and coke light is a super tasty lunch.

very rarely is there a pepper shaker on the table at a restaurant. there is salt, but it is lonely. there is also never any butter, but there is sometimes some sort of bread. where did we, as americans, get the idea for butter with th rolls all the time . . . was it a marketing ploy? is it english?

wiener schnitzle is good. big flat fried veal. mmmmm . . . .

there is no such thing as a McGriddle at McCafe here . . . Kyle and i were very excited to get one the other day on the way to work . . . but it was not to be. they have "Indian" burgers (like, as if from India), but no McGriddle. now, c'mon, i know Germans love them some pork . . . and some pancakes . . . how hard is it to add and egg and eat it for breakfast?

which brings me to breakfast. most mornings i get a breakfast sandwich from the bakery on the studio lot. and by breakfast sandwich, i am not speaking of anything even remotely similar to the afore mentioned McGriddle, but a sandwich which i happen to be eating for breakfast. these sandwiches are available all day, and seem to be available in most bakerys in Germany (from my limited experience). i usually go with a turkey and cheese. it has lettuce and usually some red bell pepper and slice of hard boiled egg on some sort of nutty roll. many mornings i wake up and think: "what should i have for breakfast? not another stinking breakfast sandwich, thats for sure. . . " but, as soon as i get to "the office" the pavlovian responses kick in, and i crave a nutty, lunchmeaty, cheezy delight. sometimes i even go for the salami.

the bakery also has these little almondy horseshoes, which have had their ends dipped into dark chocolate. yeah, those kill me. i love them.

chicken: the other pork. there is a serious lack of chicken in Germany. you cant go to a restaurant and assume that there will be chicken there. i saw a rotiserie chicken place the other day, and the German guy i was with couldnt begin to understand my enthusiasm, after all, "why eat chicken when you can eat pork" is the mantra here. it also reminded me of the time i wanted eggs in Mexico, where the mantra seems to be: why eat eggs when you can have steak. well, cause i freaking like eggs, OK!? the English guy i was with understood my want. and i thought of my friend Tom, who would choose chicken, if he had to choose one meat to subsist on forever. i would chose fish, myself, and i have had some excellent fish here. and duck.

there is a bit of a rivalry between the Prussians (Berlin) and the Barvarians (Munich). apparently Barvarians eat a lot of meat. and when asked, from time to time if a certain restaurant is good, they might respond "no, its barvarian food. . . " which is interesting, because that does not so much objectively quantify the quality of the food, which is usually excellent, as it speaks to the bias of the person, who is also usually excellent.

in my neighborhood, there is a Pizza, Pasta, Salad place on every corner, it seems. there is also one of the best chocolate shops i have ever been in. The Rauch Schokoladen, which has its own factory for hand made chocolate, as well as importing chocolate from around the world. i got some chocolate with black pepper from peru. it was wierd, but oddly tasty. i also procured from this establishment 4 of the best truffels i have ever eaten in my entire life. One with balsamic vinegar (yes, you read that correctly), one coconut, one tiramisu, and one that was red and i cant remember what it was called, but it was probably my favorite. . .

there is a grip of Turkish food here, being that Berlin is home to the third larges Turkish population in the world, the other two being in Turkey. turkish food is delicious.

i have had three o.f the best Italian meals of my life in two Italian restaurants here. . . i guess its because they are run by acutal Italians. sorry Spumoni . . . i dont know if you're going to cut it any more. . .

oddly enough, i have also had excellent sushi here.

but it is hard, sometimes to find some food on the go. . . Germans always like to sit down to eat. which can be a serious pain, because you have to be ready to commit some time. if you sit down, they assume you will be there till they close, you die, or you trick them into bringing you the check. which is better than getting rushed out of a restaurant, but makes for a hard time if you are on a schedule at all.

food is good.

We Might Have Welcomed Him . . .

two words: dacron polyester

Tragedy

i have just heard about the tragedy at Virginia Tech. many people have died, and many other lives have been disrupted due to the deranged actions of a single person. i have been to Blacksburg, where the school is located. i have spent time at the school. many of my high school friends continued their education there. i have spent lots of time in the general area, in small town southern Virginia. if the number is correct, 32 fatalities, then according to the news, it is the worst mass murder, not to mention school shooting, in the history of the United States of America. even halfway around the world, this story hits close to home. how bizzare. this will invariably raise questions about gun ownership and gun control. i wonder if the shooter accquired the gun legaly, myself. i wonder what the gunman was thinking. i wonder how incidents like this occur, what could possibly be the catalyst. some questions will be easier answered. others will take some time, and may never be answered. regardless, my thoughts and prayers go with the victims families and friends. a sobering moment indeed.

Curriculum Vitae

. . . can you spare a smoker?

so, i've decided to take up second hand smoking. i'm pretty sure it will help me feel better, smell better and look cooler. you could say that this decision coincides directly with my move to Berlin. it seems like everybody smokes, and since the packaging of the cigarettes here makes is so obvious that smoking is bad, i figure i will only smoke second hand, cause that cant be nearly as bad, and i will look cooler.

i've been doing the good majority of my second hand smoking at these two places: Wild at Heart, a punk rock club where i saw a pretty good punk band,

and Magnet Club, where i saw a couple of ok bands (see pic) and danced the night away. literally.

of course, i also get to second hand smoke at every restaurant and public place, so i think i will have plently of oportunity to not light up, but still breath through that burt tobacco laced air.