.SOMETIMES RAW.

Hello and Happy Monday. 

First of all I miss my husband. Dearly! Not being together is tough. Some days are harder than others and simply put – today sucked. He felt the same way and wrote to me that he misses me in the mornings a lot and that this is the worst time. Oh well, I hope it is all worth it in the end and I stop whining now and eat some hardboiled eggs and cheese or I try a recipe from Budget Bytes to spice up my mood. This usually works.

While missing my husband I remembered a great conversation we had not too long ago while sitting in our little office sharing a bottle of wine and writing. We spoke about Doctor Google. I don’t know if you have ever googled any symptoms you might have experienced, are not comfortable with or are wondering about, but I did. Many many times already. Sort of like “My left eye is twitching for a couple of days now on and off. What could it be?” Or “I did not have my period in seven days, I am on birth control and my right eye twitches. What could that be?” When I was pregnant with my son I used Doctor Google ALL the time. No kidding. Whatever symptom I felt that was something out of the ordinary I googled it. I went on Baby forums to discuss with “other mothers or mother’s to be” what this and that could mean. I don’t know if you heard of Doctor on Demand but this website and downloadable app does exist. Whatever works for you, right? Are you a hypochondriac? In German the word is Hypochonder but I think it could easily be replaced by Cyberchonder. [Wondering: Did I just invent a word?]

So the other day I ran into a friend while I was outside with my son and his new bicycle [I still cannot believe it. Can someone stop the time? He was just born, no?] and I asked her how she is doing. She literally looked at her phone to check one of her million apps to show me her latest heart rate while running followed by her weight tracker.

Okay, I am running around with my son all day, I am breathing normally, eating healthy [mostly, damn chocolate you!] and I get a decent amount of sleep. And if someone asks me how I am, I do not have to check my phone constantly. I know way too many people who use health trackers, digital step-counters, fitness-wristbands and whatnot and trust all these devices to measure their life. Isn’t it almost like an app a day keeps the doctor away? Many don’t even listen to their body anymore but rather rely on these health checkers to keep track of every move they take. Some use logbooks to document every physical and psychological condition they are in. From food intake, pulse measurements, heart beat, cycle, oxygen level, sleeping phases  and weight reduction- everything is trackable and can be even shared online on Facebook with your “friends”. 

There is even an app that tells you if you are good in bed. It might look something like this [and no, this is not my spreadsheet, hah!]: 

Researchers already work on robots that are able to feel, show emotions, try to give them consciousness and such to make them humanlike for a long time. Do we want to be all about calculations and so predictable? When do they come out with a psychopath-shazam app? HAHA! Yep, I am funny! And I would maybe download this one!  As far as my life goes, I rather run around until I am completely out of breath while chasing my son. And I won’t control or check my heart rate with an app. I believe that if one uses a navigation system all the time loses the fun in life. I rather train my instinct, intuition and ignorance than to question my body functions through some apps constantly. Also, I find most of them way too complicated to use on a daily basis. The closer you measure and look, the more you figure out and find something.

And if I am in bed and my heart beats weird or I am tossing and turning I do not need to track this with some apps. The only thing I miss is my husband or sleep. [Je t’aime mon amour!]  The world is crazy and fast as it is and you might think by measuring and controlling at least the screen of your phone you figured it all out. Just be careful that you won’t run in front of a car while checking the app that counts your steps. 

Hello and Happy Friday. 

So the Leipzig Book Fair started yesterday, 17th of March and lasts until Sunday, 20th of March and I am not there yet. Why? Because I have a 2 1/2 years old son and no babysitter for the entire four days. But I will be there on Sunday all day long and I cannot wait. I did tons of research about what I want to see and hear.  I am especially interested to join the blogger conference! According to their website, what else can I expect at the Leipzig Book Fair? E-books, books for art lovers, audiobooks, blogger, the latest book related media and gadgets, book apps, travel books, authors, readings, great conversations, manga, comics, literature from A-Z, publishers, culture, nationalities and so much more. There are also a lot of book-events aside from the book fair all throughout Leipzig if you are interested in any, do get the information at the entrance. 

What do I take to the Book Fair? Not much! 

And this bag for books and freebies that can be found  all over the book fair. Yay for book fair freebies. This week was full of book, lecture and reading highlights here in Coburg and I was able to attend two of them. I wrote about the first one here. Yesterday I enjoyed Thomas Pregl’s reading and introduction of his novel ‘Frankenhölle’ at Riemann Bookstore  which was interesting and entertaining. I usually don’t like beer but when an author brings some to a reading how can I say no? When everybody is drunk in the end they buy more books. Smart and a great idea I reckon. What have I been up to otherwise? Read on if you would like. 

Reading: Currently I enjoy Tschick by Wolfgang Herrndorf which I read while sitting outside with a cup of coffee and lots of sunshine. An afternoon well spent. I also read Friedrich Rückert’s Die Weisheit des Brahmanen.  Inspiring and beautifully written. And This article. 

Watching: Myself! And this very closely. Do you know who you really are? Do you know yourself? This question is tough but could keep me busy all day long. 

How to survive the Book Fair: Dive into the World of Books! In 2014 I was fortunate to spent one day at the Frankfurt Book Fair. It was my first Book Fair ever and the biggest one to begin with was a little overwhelming. Luckily, I got my ticket through Riemann Bookstore who also arrange the bus trip to the Book fair Frankfurt. We left Coburg at 5.30am, arrived at around 9am and literally walked until 5 pm nonstop and I haven’t even seen half of it. I want to share some tips on how to survive a book fair that I would have loved to know before I went there the first time. Do get your ticket before you go to the book fair. There were hundreds of people and long lines when I got there and it is so sweet to just bypass all of those and walk right in with your ticket in hand. Do not travel there by car unless necessary. Do you use public transportation. It is so much better after a day of walking and exploring to sit in a train or bus and pass out. Plus, finding a parking spot is always a hassle. Do dress light meaning no big jackets and such; it is pretty warm inside. Do take a little snack with you. (Cereal bars for example) and maybe a bottle of water can never hurt. They are some food stands and coffee as well. Make sure to look through the program to find your way around and search for readings, authors or conferences you would like to attend beforehand. Keep in mind that you won’t see everything anyway, so make the best use of your time you spend at the fair. Do not wear high heels or new shoes you just purchases. Your feet will thank you. Blisters! Do take your time and don’t rush around – suck everything in slowly. If you do miss a reading or there are not seats available anymore don’t get frustrated. Search for alternatives. If you can avoid it, try not to  go to the book fair on a Saturday because everybody in the world will be there. Sunday is the best day I would say. Always keep your eyes open because of famous authors, freebies, wine, cheese and crackers, stickers and of course bags and tons of books. Duh! What I loved to do was to just stop and stare. It is seriously overwhelming – I am not exaggerating. And most importantly – simply enjoy this amazing experience! 

Looking forward to: Seeing my husband again. I do miss him a lot. 

Loving/Admiring: I spoke briefly to the author Thomas Pregl after the reading and I enjoyed his take on why he writes and how he gets his ideas. He mentioned that he has a little concept before he starts writing and then things change and evolve while he writes. “I might add a little love story between two protagonists even though this was not planned at the beginning. Being a writer gives you lots of playroom but it is difficult at the same time. Sometimes I don’t know where the story takes me.” 

I love cooking and with I do get inspired to try new recipes a lot because of this website (the Thai Curry Vegetable Soups looks amazing and is on my cooking list in the near future. Yum! 

Have a great weekend! 

Hello and Happy Tuesday. 

I heard not too long ago from a good friend and mentor that it is a great thing to have dinner alone one in a while. Book a table and all and take yourself out to dinner. And of course spend quality time with yourself. I did it and it was an awesome evening and it was not even planned. My mother’s friend told her today that there is a great reading at the Schloss Ehrenburg Andromedasaal (Ehrenburg Palace) which is beautiful by itself. The reading was by Dr. Wolfgang Weyers: “Der groesse Zauberer” (a Friedrich Rückert Biography) together with the Coburg Liest Literature Circle in Coburg  and in cooperation with the public library Coburg. I wrote an article about Friedrich Rückert here.  This reading, as many others, are in honor of his death 150 years ago. What made this reading so special was a musical framework of Rückert’s poems by Veronika Patterer (voice) and Diana Zohrabyan (piano).

“Der grosse Zauberer” (The big magician) – Rückert was called in Rome where he spend most of the summer in 1818. This name was also given to give because of his appearance. Rückert was almost 2m tall. Rückert reflects everything that moved him – in his poems, his view of god and the world and most importantly love and how he dealt with death. Rückert wrote approximately 20,000 poems! Many musicians were inspired by his poems and used them to compose songs. Many of his “Kindertodtenlieder” have been made into songs – mostly by Gustav Mahler. Many others used texts and lyrics by Rückert: Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, Johannes Brahms or Richard Strauss. 

Dr. Wolfgang Weyers wrote this important and significant work this poet and orientalist and explains Rückert’s life through Rückert’s poems itself. Dr. Wolfgang Weyers is lecturer and professor for dermatology at the university Freiburg. He was a sports reporter for Das Erste Deutsche Fernsehen before he quit and applied himself fully to medicine. He wrote many books about medical history as well as books for children. 

The evening was perfection. I met and spoke to Klaus Rückert who enjoyed this great evening with his wife. When I saw everyone leaving I thought I have a glass of wine somewhere before going back home. I have to take advantage if my mother takes my son to bed, right? So where does everybody go after visiting the Theater or a reading in Coburg? The Künstler Klause. I had a flame cake and a glass of wine all by myself at a table observing some other guests while letting this beautiful evening sink in fully. I did not even take the book I bought right after the reading out to browse through it or even start reading it. [I just wondered for a second or two if I will ever be able to go to a reading without buying a book… or two] 

 Well, by eating by yourself most certainly don’t mean eating in front of the computer alone, on the couch or in front of the TV. I mean going to a restaurant all by yourself. It is a great feeling to know that I am in peace with myself and I am just pleasant to spend time with myself. I did not feel lonely at the restaurant, neither at the reading. I started this little project with going to cafés alone and it worked well. You should try it. 

I posted this video once already but it is one of my favorite poems by Rückert that was made into a classical song. Enjoy! 

Do you ever eat by yourself or spend an evening like I just did? Are you comfortable? I would love to hear your thoughts.