.SOMETIMES RAW.

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. 

Hello and Happy Saturday. 

Saturday is just an awesome day, don’t you think? Even way back in school this was always the day of going out, meeting friends and doing all sort of fun things. Today was a quiet Saturday but with quite some work that needed to be done in my  parent’s garden. We cut trees, cleaned up everything and tons of other stuff. This kind of work I love though. When you go home at night and your arms are heavy, you take a shower and all you want is a little dinner, some wine, a book and bed. Perfection. Usually, when we really work out there all day long you can forget anything beyond dinner which is okay too. Gardening is like mediation to me. I love being in nature and somewhat far away from civilization. My parent’s garden is almost literally in the woods. You might see not a soul all day – maybe some animals. So I did a lot of thinking today. Mostly positive thinking but some funny things popped up in my sweet mind as well.Things that grind my gear but not in a mean way you know. I don’t let them ruin my meditative gardening experience but they still pop up. Things that just… ah, well, read on if you would like. 

THE SELFIE STICK. 

Initially, I really thought it was just a passing trend. Something that is just so annoying. I do take a lot of pictures too – mostly for my blog. At some points; however, almost never, I take pictures of my food in restaurants – also for the website if I review the place and need pictures for TripAdvisor. Otherwise, have you ever gone out with someone who actually took pictures of your food, their food, both dishes together, then of each other and to top it off call the waiter to take a picture of both of you plus dishes? Yep, I have gone out with people like this. Even worse, people with a selfie-stick. I have seen it a lot recently in the city here and not even tourists. Don’t these people even know how this looks? I hoped that this selfie stick was just some joke that had gone too far but it looks like this thing is here to stay. And if so, what is next?

Do you like selfie-sticks? Enlighten me what is good about them because I think I would never use one – especially not in public. Please. 

TINDER. 

Don’t even start looking for me on Tinder. I would never ever do that. Or any other dating site. I never registered on those. I mean, c’mon. Maybe some people met the love of their life on Tinder and they live happily ever after but I seriously doubt it. I don’t know anybody. I think that Tinder is one of the most depressing apps out there. Well, one more maybe: irs.gov. What? You don’t know what Tinder is? It is an online dating website that helps you search for possible matches according to what you are looking for in reasonable geographical distance and it seems everyone is on it. With a fake picture usually made with YouCamPerfect that some load up to their profile and then wait for Mr. or Mrs.Perfect to come along. All this freaks me out a little but maybe I am the only one. This fast hooking-up process maybe or that people believe this cyber-world is real? If you can say yes or no to a date with a swipe on your phone, I think it is kinda creepy, no? My friend showed me the other day how many guys she already found on Tinder and how it all works and how AMAZING it is. She showed me the pictures of some guys like this: Ew-gross, ew -fat, ew-hipster, ew-too skinny, ew-look at those legs, HOLYSHITTHISGUYISHOT! I am looking at a picture of some guy with no shirt on, muscles and actually pretty good-looking. My initial though: Why on this planet earth would anybody who looks like this be on this stupid website? Why is my friend on this website? And while she shows me all this, she misses out on the handsome and interesting looking men who just walked into the bar. I guess, I understand it all if you use Tinder just to have fun. Maybe you swipe and hope the next swipe will be the love of your life? Love is just everywhere. Simple as that.

Are you on Tinder? Did you find the love of your life on Tinder? Are YOU the one out there that is actually in a relationship or marriage through Tinder? Please do tell. I would love to hear from you. 

EMOJI CONVERSATIONS. 

Okay, we all use them. They are cute. Especially, since the finger pictures above became available. They add constantly new emojis but somehow the one you want to use is always missing. We all do have our favorite ones, right? The ones we always use. The laughing/teary smiley, the heart (yellow/red), kissing face, the book, writing, pencil and whatnot. I love words and it freaks me out if people use emojis only or mostly. Can you have a complete emoji conversations? I guess you can. A conversation like this? 

NO REPLY or RESPONSE. 

I know we are all busy and such. Everybody is always on the run and we have no time. But if I write something time-sensitive and I don’t get a response for hours or even days,  this grinds my gears. Why is it so difficult to write something back? Anything, just one sentence or so? You can take your “smart”phone and respond while sitting on the toilet. I really do understand people are busy and have a lot on their mind. If they don’t respond I am not getting angry if they don’t get back to me soon. But if I need to hear from them and get nothing back and I call and get nothing back, and then email again and get nothing back it somewhat gets frustrating. Usually, if I do send important emails I use the option of “return receipt” which at least lets me know that the person opened my email. We all know they read the damn email. Just a little tip: If you do read an email and don’t respond right away because you have something more important to do, use a little sticky-note and write down: SEND AN ANSWER TO XYZ…. simple as that. Then you don’t forget, right. What I also grinds my gears is when I send someone something and wait for a response and all I see is these three little bubbles of typing and then they go away and I never get a response. 

Oh, before I forget it, who is moving if Trump wins? My friends tell me so many times that if he indeed wins this election they move out of the country. The other day I read an article about the Canadian embassy site crashed during the Trump rally. So many people just googled how they could move to Canada. Do you believe this? Trump does not scare me. What scares me is that people support him and that he gains a following.

Creepy, no? What do you think about this? Do tell. 

So these things were on my mind today. Not for long – maybe a minute or two but they gave me stuff to write about for hours. You know where they sentence “You know what really grinds my gears” comes from? Of course Family Guy. Enjoy this video if you would like. 

Basically, the weekend is around the corner and there are some great movies to see. Watch the trailers below if you would like. Enjoy!

1. Remember

“Academy Award nominated director Atom Egoyan crafts a gripping revenge thriller in which the darkest chapter of the 20th century collides with a contemporary mission of revenge. Oscar winner Christopher Plummer gives an incredible lead performance as the frail but unstoppable Zev, an Auschwitz survivor now struggling with memory loss. Following the death of his beloved wife, he receives a mysterious letter detailing a shocking plan. Zev’s best friend Max (Oscar winner Martin Landau) has tracked down the sadistic guard responsible for their families’ deaths, and the two must now embark on a cross-continental road trip to bring justice to the man who destroyed their lives.” 

Film Opens Friday, 11 March 2016

2. Hello My Name is Doris

“Sally Field makes a triumphant return with her leading performance in SXSW Film Festival standout HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS. Doris is an unassuming office worker living in her childhood home despite the recent death of her mother. But when she finds inspiration in the ideas of a self-help guru, the arrival of a handsome new co-worker (Max Greenfield, New Girl) heralds a new obsession. Written and directed by Michael Showalter (WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER, THE BAXTER), this charming comedy effortlessly moves between laughs and real feeling to paint a touching portrait of a dreamer.”

Film Opens, Thursday, 10 March 2016 

3. Marguerite

“1921, the beginning of the Golden Twenties. Not far from Paris. It is party day at Marguerite Dumont’s castle. Like every year, an array of music lovers gathers around a great cause at the owner’s place. Nobody knows much about this woman except that she is rich and that her whole life is devoted to her passion: music. Marguerite sings. She sings wholeheartedly, but she sings terribly out of tune. In ways quite similar to the Castafiore, Marguerite has been living her passion in her own bubble, and the hypocrite audience, always coming in for a good laugh, acts as if she was the diva she believes she is. When a young, provocative journalist decides to write a rave article on her latest performance, Marguerite starts to believe even further in her talent. This gives her the courage she needs to follow her dream. Despite her husband’s reluctance, and with the help of a has-been divo, both funny and mean, she decides to train for her first recital in front of a crowd of complete strangers.”

Film Opens, Friday, 11 March 2016

4. Sweet Bean

“SWEET BEAN is a delicious red bean paste, the sweet heart of the dorayaki pancakes that Sentaro (Masatoshi Nagase) sells from his little bakery to a small but loyal clientele. Absorbed in sad memories and distant thoughts, Sentaro cooks with skill but without enthusiasm. When seventy-six-year-old Tokue (Kirin Kiki) responds to his ad for an assistant and cheerfully offers to work for a ridiculously low wage, Sentaro is skeptical about the eccentric old lady’s ability to endure the long hours. But when she shows up early one morning and reveals to him the secret to the perfect sweet bean paste, Sentaro agrees to take her on. With Tokue’s new home cooked sweet bean paste recipe, Sentaro’s business begins to flourish, but Tokue is afflicted with an illness that, once revealed, drives her into isolation once again.”

Film opened Friday, 26 February 2016

5. Francofonia.

“Set against the backdrop of the Louvre Museum’s history and artworks, master director Alexander Sokurov (RUSSIAN ARK) applies his uniquely personal vision onto staged re-enactments and archives for FRANCOFONIA, a fascinating portrait of real-life characters Jacques Jaujard and Count Franziskus Wolff-Metternich and their compulsory collaboration at the Louvre Museum under the Nazi Occupation. These two remarkable men – enemies then collaborators – share an alliance which would become the driving force behind the preservation of museum treasures. In its exploration of the Louvre Museum as a living example of civilization, FRANCOFONIA is a stunning and urgently relevant meditation on the essential relationship between art, culture, and history.”

Film opened Friday, 4 March 2016 

Do you have any movie recommendations? I would love to hear from you.