One thing I've never loved about Berlin is the weather....When it's good, it can be really good, but when it's bad, it's horrid. Depressing, grey, and you never know when it will end.
Some people might have noticed that I'm very moody lately. It's the weather. Some people are more sensitive to the weather, and a lack of sunlight can manifest itself into depression. I am one of these people. Put me in the middle of a warm, sunny day and I don't have a care in the world. But give me 3 weeks of rain and grey weather and I feel horribly out of sorts. I wish this wasn't the case and I try so hard to fight it, but there's only so hard you can fight before you just give up and lose energy. I've lost it. I need the sun back :(
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Sad Kitty
I'm a bit off at the moment, because my beloved cat isn't doing so great. I took him to the vet a few weeks ago because he was losing a lot of weight, and it turned out he has an overactive thyroid and he's been on meds ever since. HOWEVER he had his follow up last Friday and he's lost more weight, and he's not eating much now. I'm worried. I know he's really old but I'm just not ready (though, well I ever be?) to let go yet. He's honestly the sweetest cat I've ever known. He loves to cuddle and he purrs all the time. I do feel that it could be ok though, because the vet thinks he's still happy, so hopefully even if something is wrong it can be sorted out!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Bike day trip: Müggelsee
I've been bitten by the travel bug again lately, and I've also had a strong urge to do more things outdoors. I've been cycling around the city a lot for transportation, and I thought it might be nice to do a day trip by bike. I haven't biked "just for fun" since I lived back home, and by "back home" I -really- mean it, because the last time was when I lived with my parents in Campbell River. Growing up, I used to go on rides all the time through the forest and through town, but in my adult life I've only used bicycles for transportation. Today changed that!
I researched online where I should go and how I should get there, and I decided that since I've never been to Müggelsee, it would be a good place to start. I took Europaweg R1 to the East, which I found to be a really great route. It's also possible to get there any number of other ways, but I thought I'd experiment with using the "official" bike routes, as I have ideas of maybe doing a longer trip later!
I started in Alexanderplatz, not really because it's better in any way, but the route runs through it and I live a 5 minute cycle away.
The cycle took me through Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg to Treptow, and I went through Treptower Park. I love this park, and I hardly ever go there because it's not in my neighbourhood. It's right on the Spree, and there are a lot of great cafes, beer gardens and boat shacks all along the river. One of the beer gardens has a stage, and there was a live jazz band playing. If I had been there to lounge around, I would have loved to have a beer and listen!
(Swan watching)
(I somehow find tagging an old, large tree like this to be really disrespectful, like tagging a church or a monument or something...I thought this tree was great though because you don't see so many large ones like this in Berlin)
(There are a few of these along the cycle route....I never noticed them before until I was looking for the cycling stuff!)
(A view of the abandoned amusement park, Spreepark. I find it really haunting, and it just looks like it was just left to totally rot. I have a love of things like this that are just left behind. It's like imagining what life would be like after an apocalypse).
I had to take a water taxi to continue my route. They are run by the BVG, but after almost 6 years living here, I had NO idea they ran water taxis at all! You learn new things when you cycle!
After getting lost for a bit, I cycled over through Alt-Koepenick, another place I'd never been before. I've been to and through Koepenick before but never this part. It's quite picturesque, and they were having some sort of festival going on. I walked through it a bit.
(Rathaus Koepenick)
(Not sure who this is....we have guesses that it's Hauptmann von Koepenick?)
(This part of Koepenick is so picturesque, but then you ride on and have these reminders that you're still in the heart of East Berlin).
Eventually I did reach the lake, and I crossed over the river just before it to poke around Friedrichshagen for a bit. It's an interesting district that used to be a haven for artists, and now it's still lovely. There are still a few run down buildings but a lot of really pretty ones as well. If I weren't so keen on living in the city center and wanted to live somewhere a bit quieter, it would be great! Afterward, I cycled around the lake and through the forest to Müggelheim, which sounded like an actual place but really wasn't.
(Brewery in Friedrichshagen)
(finally at the lake)
(more Friedrichshagen)
(I've always wondered, why are there Irish Pubs EVERYWHERE? Even in a minor suburb in Germany??)
(Attempting Americana in Mueggelheim)
(Told you, nothing here)
After a bit of riding around, I decided it was time to head home, as I wanted to get back in time to call my dad and say happy father's day. I passed a fruit stand, which is another thing I remember growing up in Canada. We used to drive along the old highway and sometimes in the summer, there would be fruit for sale from the Okanagan. At that point, it started to pour down rain (LITERALLY...I felt like someone was pouring buckets of water over my head!) It was a good time to pick up some fruit and wait until the rain got a lot less violent. It never stopped totally though and I was pretty wet when I got home, and happy to wear sweat pants and slippers!
(fruit!)
(After 50 km of cycling, this building in Friedrichshain made me dizzy!)
(Warm!)
I researched online where I should go and how I should get there, and I decided that since I've never been to Müggelsee, it would be a good place to start. I took Europaweg R1 to the East, which I found to be a really great route. It's also possible to get there any number of other ways, but I thought I'd experiment with using the "official" bike routes, as I have ideas of maybe doing a longer trip later!
I started in Alexanderplatz, not really because it's better in any way, but the route runs through it and I live a 5 minute cycle away.
The cycle took me through Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg to Treptow, and I went through Treptower Park. I love this park, and I hardly ever go there because it's not in my neighbourhood. It's right on the Spree, and there are a lot of great cafes, beer gardens and boat shacks all along the river. One of the beer gardens has a stage, and there was a live jazz band playing. If I had been there to lounge around, I would have loved to have a beer and listen!
(Swan watching)
(I somehow find tagging an old, large tree like this to be really disrespectful, like tagging a church or a monument or something...I thought this tree was great though because you don't see so many large ones like this in Berlin)
(There are a few of these along the cycle route....I never noticed them before until I was looking for the cycling stuff!)
(A view of the abandoned amusement park, Spreepark. I find it really haunting, and it just looks like it was just left to totally rot. I have a love of things like this that are just left behind. It's like imagining what life would be like after an apocalypse).
I had to take a water taxi to continue my route. They are run by the BVG, but after almost 6 years living here, I had NO idea they ran water taxis at all! You learn new things when you cycle!
After getting lost for a bit, I cycled over through Alt-Koepenick, another place I'd never been before. I've been to and through Koepenick before but never this part. It's quite picturesque, and they were having some sort of festival going on. I walked through it a bit.
(Rathaus Koepenick)
(Not sure who this is....we have guesses that it's Hauptmann von Koepenick?)
(This part of Koepenick is so picturesque, but then you ride on and have these reminders that you're still in the heart of East Berlin).
Eventually I did reach the lake, and I crossed over the river just before it to poke around Friedrichshagen for a bit. It's an interesting district that used to be a haven for artists, and now it's still lovely. There are still a few run down buildings but a lot of really pretty ones as well. If I weren't so keen on living in the city center and wanted to live somewhere a bit quieter, it would be great! Afterward, I cycled around the lake and through the forest to Müggelheim, which sounded like an actual place but really wasn't.
(Brewery in Friedrichshagen)
(finally at the lake)
(more Friedrichshagen)
(I've always wondered, why are there Irish Pubs EVERYWHERE? Even in a minor suburb in Germany??)
(Attempting Americana in Mueggelheim)
(Told you, nothing here)
After a bit of riding around, I decided it was time to head home, as I wanted to get back in time to call my dad and say happy father's day. I passed a fruit stand, which is another thing I remember growing up in Canada. We used to drive along the old highway and sometimes in the summer, there would be fruit for sale from the Okanagan. At that point, it started to pour down rain (LITERALLY...I felt like someone was pouring buckets of water over my head!) It was a good time to pick up some fruit and wait until the rain got a lot less violent. It never stopped totally though and I was pretty wet when I got home, and happy to wear sweat pants and slippers!
(fruit!)
(After 50 km of cycling, this building in Friedrichshain made me dizzy!)
(Warm!)
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Character Voice in Narrative
I'm reading a novel right now, and I have this thing where, when I start a book, I HAVE to finish it. Even if it's totally terrible. This one is terrible, and it's proving to be really difficult. A lot of me wants to shake the author for the following reason:
If you write your first person narrative character as an American, their voice SHOULD BE AMERICAN. Doesn't matter if you, the author, are British, or if the book is published in the UK. If can't make your character American, DON'T MAKE HER AMERICAN. An American would NEVER say "The third 'series' of Lost"....Series in American English means the entire show. It's the third SEASON of lost. We don't wear trousers unless we're old or it's formal, they're pants. We don't wear jumpers ever, they're sweaters. Disneyland is in California, and Disneyworld is in Florida. If you say Disneyland and you mean the one in Florida, you're wrong. We don't often "shout" at people, more commonly, we "yell" at them. Etc, etc, etc, etc.
I realize the author is British, and as the book is published in the UK I understand the use of British punctuation and spelling standards, but character voice should be true to the character's nationality. The character in question is American, but does not sound remotely American. Worse off, she doesn't even sound neutral...she sounds distinctly British. I just have to wonder, why bother? The character being American isn't even particularly important to the story, so I have to wonder why the author bothered and didn't just write the character's nationality into the voice she's clearly more comfortable using (British). Nothing wrong with that...I don't think I could write a convincing British character. The point is to know your limits and stick with them.
If you write your first person narrative character as an American, their voice SHOULD BE AMERICAN. Doesn't matter if you, the author, are British, or if the book is published in the UK. If can't make your character American, DON'T MAKE HER AMERICAN. An American would NEVER say "The third 'series' of Lost"....Series in American English means the entire show. It's the third SEASON of lost. We don't wear trousers unless we're old or it's formal, they're pants. We don't wear jumpers ever, they're sweaters. Disneyland is in California, and Disneyworld is in Florida. If you say Disneyland and you mean the one in Florida, you're wrong. We don't often "shout" at people, more commonly, we "yell" at them. Etc, etc, etc, etc.
I realize the author is British, and as the book is published in the UK I understand the use of British punctuation and spelling standards, but character voice should be true to the character's nationality. The character in question is American, but does not sound remotely American. Worse off, she doesn't even sound neutral...she sounds distinctly British. I just have to wonder, why bother? The character being American isn't even particularly important to the story, so I have to wonder why the author bothered and didn't just write the character's nationality into the voice she's clearly more comfortable using (British). Nothing wrong with that...I don't think I could write a convincing British character. The point is to know your limits and stick with them.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Health and Lonliness
There's nothing that will make you feel quite so alone as health problems.
Boys, if you're squeamish reading about women's health issues, you can stop reading here.
To give a bit of a back story, it's pretty likely that there's nothing seriously wrong with me. A couple of doctors (one of which was a specialist for the condition) suspect that I have endometriosis, a condition where the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It's common; it's still little understood and often undiagnosed but it's suspected that between 10-15% of women have it. It's nothing life-threatening but it's unpleasant. I get bad cramping (among many other symptoms, which I wont get into), and if I'm off the pill it's absolutely unmanageable and not limited to -that- time of the month. The only way to truly diagnose the condition is through a laparoscopy, which involves surgically sending in a camera to look. I was hoping to get an appointment for one this summer. But as my pre-exam ended up being too painful, I have to wait. This is what's getting to me, and what's making me feel lonely. If I did the procedure this summer, I'd have my parents here and they could help me out. It's not a huge deal but I've had a couple of friends who have had them, and they told me that you need someone there with you for the first few days after because it's extremely difficult to get up and stuff on your own. They'd be here, and it would just be easier. Also, I don't have university to interrupt.
I know that it's not a long recovery period (I was quoted a week or so), and I have great friends here who I'm sure will be able to help. it's just given me that sense that I live alone, and that there's no one here automatically to help out when these things happen to me. I got the same sense last fall when I recovered from strep throat, anaphylactic shock and a cold all in one go.
Boys, if you're squeamish reading about women's health issues, you can stop reading here.
To give a bit of a back story, it's pretty likely that there's nothing seriously wrong with me. A couple of doctors (one of which was a specialist for the condition) suspect that I have endometriosis, a condition where the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It's common; it's still little understood and often undiagnosed but it's suspected that between 10-15% of women have it. It's nothing life-threatening but it's unpleasant. I get bad cramping (among many other symptoms, which I wont get into), and if I'm off the pill it's absolutely unmanageable and not limited to -that- time of the month. The only way to truly diagnose the condition is through a laparoscopy, which involves surgically sending in a camera to look. I was hoping to get an appointment for one this summer. But as my pre-exam ended up being too painful, I have to wait. This is what's getting to me, and what's making me feel lonely. If I did the procedure this summer, I'd have my parents here and they could help me out. It's not a huge deal but I've had a couple of friends who have had them, and they told me that you need someone there with you for the first few days after because it's extremely difficult to get up and stuff on your own. They'd be here, and it would just be easier. Also, I don't have university to interrupt.
I know that it's not a long recovery period (I was quoted a week or so), and I have great friends here who I'm sure will be able to help. it's just given me that sense that I live alone, and that there's no one here automatically to help out when these things happen to me. I got the same sense last fall when I recovered from strep throat, anaphylactic shock and a cold all in one go.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Since when?
When did people in mortgage ads become my age? It seems like just yesterday that they all looked really old, but now they just seem normal.
Did I get old?
Did I get old?
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Out of Touch
Kind of out of touch lately. I've been caught up in exam madness, and a lot of the time between reading I'm just a bit burnt out to write more than I really have to. Life has been good to me though. I came to London for my exams, and other than today it's been great weather. I've mostly just been reviewing but I've had the chance to do some wandering and see and do a few things.
First exam (Marketing Management) didn't go so well. I was so prepared and I was thrilled when I opened the booklet to see that I was very knowledgeable of most of the questions, and since I only answer 3, I picked the 3 best and went from there, only to find myself with horrible writers block. I barely finished (and my last essay lacked detail and was pretty sparse), and I'm pretty sure that the first didn't really manage to properly answer the question and I rambled a lot. All bad news. The good news is that I had Human Resource Management yesterday and that went pretty well! I wasn't any more prepared than I was for Marketing, but I chilled out a lot more. I went to a comedy show the night before. I think just the lack of overstudying led to a lack of nerves and it served me a lot better. I just have Strategic Management and Accounting left, and I'm only really worried about Accounting.
First exam (Marketing Management) didn't go so well. I was so prepared and I was thrilled when I opened the booklet to see that I was very knowledgeable of most of the questions, and since I only answer 3, I picked the 3 best and went from there, only to find myself with horrible writers block. I barely finished (and my last essay lacked detail and was pretty sparse), and I'm pretty sure that the first didn't really manage to properly answer the question and I rambled a lot. All bad news. The good news is that I had Human Resource Management yesterday and that went pretty well! I wasn't any more prepared than I was for Marketing, but I chilled out a lot more. I went to a comedy show the night before. I think just the lack of overstudying led to a lack of nerves and it served me a lot better. I just have Strategic Management and Accounting left, and I'm only really worried about Accounting.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Where did the time go?
I've been trying to figure out why I'm not in a blind panic to study for finals this year. Sure, I'm reviewing a few hours a day, every day, but I'm not in this mad dash to learn every last bit of info either. I feel like I should be though, and I wonder, what's up? Is the course work a bit easier for me this year (maybe....I didn't have Stats this year!) Am I just getting complacent or lazy? I did look at the stack of reading I've done this year and though a voice inside me keeps telling me I should have read more, looking at that stack I don't know I really could have. It's pretty large. And I think I retained a lot of it. I'm reviewing main points and key articles.
I think the biggest reason for all this though is that when I thought about it, I realized that I started my course work a month and a half earlier. I took an extra week of a break over Christmas, but I still read somewhat over that, and I didn't take any time over spring like I did last year. Also, my last exams are almost a week later than last year. So I guess that's really it. I didn't have a course that didn't absorb half my study time like stats did last year, and I have been doing my course work for a much longer period of time.
I'm having a bit of fun with it though. I'm making Marketing flash cards while I watch Battlestar Galactica.
I think the biggest reason for all this though is that when I thought about it, I realized that I started my course work a month and a half earlier. I took an extra week of a break over Christmas, but I still read somewhat over that, and I didn't take any time over spring like I did last year. Also, my last exams are almost a week later than last year. So I guess that's really it. I didn't have a course that didn't absorb half my study time like stats did last year, and I have been doing my course work for a much longer period of time.
I'm having a bit of fun with it though. I'm making Marketing flash cards while I watch Battlestar Galactica.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Right now I want to....
....fly to Barcelona
message someone
see the ocean
run (it's 1 am)
eat a banana split
laugh until I cry
message someone
see the ocean
run (it's 1 am)
eat a banana split
laugh until I cry
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
why is Twitter so addictive?
Seriously, why? Facebook is bad, and I never got too into Twitter for the first 2 years I was on it. But recently I added a bunch of news feeds and now it's like Twitter mayhem. There's ALWAYS something interested to read on there. Something noteworthy is posted every minute or two. Someone help!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Spring Fashion
I love spring...it's my favourite fashion season. Fall has nice wools and subdued colours, but while the greys suit me some of the browns and rusts do not. I also have to bundle up more than I'd like to. Winter I always feel like I have to layer to the point of looking like I'm wearing a puff suit. Summer is wonderful and I like heat, but it's hard to be fashionable when it's 38*C outside; you pretty much just want to wear a silk or cotton sundress and absolutely nothing else. Spring is a nice happy medium though. It's warmer than fall and you can wear a little more than summer. There are all sorts of cute, light jackets you can pair with things and you can choose a skirt or pants. Also, I like the colours for me a lot better...I really look best in pinks, blues and summer whites!
Summer is by far my favourite season. When it comes to weather, the hotter the better (at least for me). But Spring fashion beats Summer clothing!
Other than loving the weather, I've been pretty busy. My exams are in less than a month....eep!
Summer is by far my favourite season. When it comes to weather, the hotter the better (at least for me). But Spring fashion beats Summer clothing!
Other than loving the weather, I've been pretty busy. My exams are in less than a month....eep!
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Crystal Ship
I'm often torn about the Doors. Sometimes, I really enjoy their music. I think Ray Manzarek is a really talented piano/keyboard and John Densmore and Robby Krieger (drummer and guitarist) weren't half bad either (all three were previously jazz musicians). When he wasn't wasted, Jim Morrison was a decent singer. I guess I'm torn because I don't find their lyrics all as brilliant as I did when I was 18...a lot of them don't make any sense. I love The End but I hate the talking interlude in the middle. And for the love of god, if you ever see any recordings of Morrison, sometimes he's so wasted and it's pretty sad. I had the sheer luck of finding a record in a dollar bin in Canada of Jimi Hendrix, guest starring Jim Morrison at a live jam gig in the late 60's. In a way it's an interesting piece of history, but it's also totally unlistenable. Both were so incredibly wasted that I'm amazed either managed to hold a guitar/microphone. Words are slurred beyond comprehension, notes became random. It's actually really sad, because both did have talent but their respective addictions really often got in the way of them actually utilizing that talent and eventually ended their lives.
Anyway, the reason I made this post is because I really, really love this song. I kind of feel that it's a hint of a band the Doors could have been all the time, if they weren't trying cater to 60's pop (I just don't think they were a pop band) and Morrison's alcoholism. I've tried to cover it, and failed. Badly. It's an amazingly hard song to sing.
Anyway, the reason I made this post is because I really, really love this song. I kind of feel that it's a hint of a band the Doors could have been all the time, if they weren't trying cater to 60's pop (I just don't think they were a pop band) and Morrison's alcoholism. I've tried to cover it, and failed. Badly. It's an amazingly hard song to sing.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Like Oxygen
This is going to be a cheesy post...you've been warned!
I've ben in a funk the past couple of days, but I felt a LOT better after I sang for a while. I'm starting to wonder if I don't just enjoy singing but if I actually need it. In the past few years I haven't really thought I'm talented enough to do much with it, but I guess that doesn't mean that it's not something I don't really need to have in my life.
PS my favourite song to sing right now:
I've ben in a funk the past couple of days, but I felt a LOT better after I sang for a while. I'm starting to wonder if I don't just enjoy singing but if I actually need it. In the past few years I haven't really thought I'm talented enough to do much with it, but I guess that doesn't mean that it's not something I don't really need to have in my life.
PS my favourite song to sing right now:
Friday, March 25, 2011
Japan
I know this is a bit belated, but I often have a few page views from Japan coming up in my stats. I'm not sure if they just come up through Google Image or Video searches (because of some of the content I have on here), but if you're reading this, I hope everyone you know is doing ok :)
Monday, March 21, 2011
Guitar String Bangles
I've always thought there was -something- that could be done with used guitar strings. At first I thought wire jewelry, but they don't stay bent that easily. I figured it out though...fabric-covered bangle bracelets! You can use wire for these as well, but I like the guitar strings because they keep their shape easier.
The tutorial:
You need one thicker guitar string (E, A, D....G will work but it's kind of cutting it close), some electrical tape, wire cutters, scissors and some fabric (a light silk or cotton or something like that works best):
First, trim the ends off the strings:
Second, wrap into a circular shape...make sure it's even, and trim the ends when you're done. Also, make sure your circle will actually fit over your hands!
Use the electrical tape to hold the string together...I found that it wasn't so lumpy when I taped all around the strings, and it was easier to work with and made a slightly thicker bangle:
Next, cut your fabric into a long strip, and start winding it around the bangle:
Lastly, tie in a knot, and trim the end off (leave a bit of a "tail" otherwise it will come undone!)
Tada!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Spring is here!
Since I'm done being emo, I thought I'd share some springtime cheer. I love it when I can really see my garden start!
Lettuce and spinach
Tomatoes (sprouted), eggplant and bell peppers:
Zucchini (sprouted), various hot peppers:
Apple blossoms coming!
Tulips:
Strawberries
The strawberries were kept inside over the winter with the fruit bushes (which is why the apple blossoms are already coming out as well), but I had a few that stayed outside, that are trying to revive themselves as well.
Lettuce and spinach
Tomatoes (sprouted), eggplant and bell peppers:
Zucchini (sprouted), various hot peppers:
Apple blossoms coming!
Tulips:
Strawberries
The strawberries were kept inside over the winter with the fruit bushes (which is why the apple blossoms are already coming out as well), but I had a few that stayed outside, that are trying to revive themselves as well.
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