.SOMETIMES RAW.

Hello and Happy Monday! 

Is there a possibly to enrich our lives by simply dreaming more? I had another weird dream last night and thought about it all day. 

When I was a child I spent so much time daydreaming and I do remember this time so clearly playing outside pretending I am somewhere else, seeing myself living in some castle. Many scenes I played out were just so clear in my head. Clear as a movie. I do believe still that daydreaming is good for me. Of course I am not picturing myself in some castle at this point (well….) and as I get older I daydream less. Usually, our time is so occupied by running from A to B, working, tending to the needs of others more than we tend to our own needs – we are just always busy bees with complex lives and most of us don’t and can’t admit that daydreaming is something that fits our busy schedule. This schedule of productivity. 

But isn’t it that dreaming is part of what indeed makes us human? Isn’t it simply in our nature and has this influence on our lives that makes us feel healthy and powerful? I think that it is important to still dream – if it is during the day or at night. I talked to many of my friends about it and most of them say they don’t dream or don’t remember their dreams. Dreaming is a good way to recharge the body I reckon and it is also supposed to be great to enhance imagination. Whenever I dream it feels like playing, that I am working with myself, trying to find new patterns and sometimes my dreams are crystal clear when I wake up and I remember everything. 

My husband always says I should write my dreams down as soon as I get up. I started doing so and add them to the book I am working on when I feel it seems fitting. I just let my creativity flow. Sometimes my dreams are just insane and I wonder how my brain can come up with something like this; however, I know there are no limits when it comes to dreaming. When I talk about my dreams in the morning it seems like I am bringing them from somewhere into this world which is awesome. Like wandering ghosts. 

Do you believe the saying “Dreams are but shadows? (Träume sind nur Schäume?) Do you feel emotions and see colors when you are dreaming? Do you write down your dreams sometimes? I would love to hear your thoughts. 

Hello and Happy Friday! 

Can you believe it is already March? When did that happen? My week was good so far. Quite some running around and doctor visits because of my elbow but otherwise, smooth sailing. I have some type of fracture which is very painful and I am getting frustrated that it is not getting better. Every time it seems a tiny bit better I forget about it and hold my son’s hand with my bad arm. He pulls or falls and ouch! It is tough getting rid of any arm injuries when you run around with a 2 1/2-year-old. This is what I have been up to otherwise. Enjoy! 

Reading: I am re-reading Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. This is one of the books I might keep forever and love to read again. I read Martin Walser’s “Ein sterbender Mann” and I try to attend his reading in April at HUK Coburg throughout the Literaturtage. He is almost 90 years old! I finished “The Dinner” by Herman Koch. This book is well-written. Koch uses a precise style of language that is just right on so many times. You have this “yes-he- is right- on- moments” several times throughout the book. Highly recommended! I still read the New York Times every Saturday – almost front to back which takes some time but I start early. Hah! 

Enjoying/Loving: Cooking these days. I love trying new recipes. I made my first bagels the other day and they turned out so well. My sister sent me a recipe of a Vegan-Raw-Carbonara. Say what? I think it sounds awesome and I will give it a try for sure. Many great recipes will follow on the blog, usually on Wednesdays. Stay tuned for those. There is just so much to love right now. My son is running, jumping around and these days even jumping off things and all his talking. He talks so well and so much. I remember when we have been to his latest checkup and the doctor asked if he can say 40-50 words already. Hahahah! Slightly more I reckon. I am also proud that he speaks German and English fluently. Pretty awesome, right? I love to see how excited he is when he discovers things, learns, paints and enjoys “reading”. He is a good boy, even though he drives me nuts sometimes. He is my everything. I am also loving the upcoming change of season. Spring is in the air for sure – even though there was some snow the other day. 

Traveling: Congo is officially on our agenda now. My son and I received our visa’s and we are ready to fly. Exciting! I am reading in my Congo travel guide here and there and start taking some notes. I love to see and experience something new. And no, I am not scared. Why should I be? 

Watching: Actually a ton. Browsing through Netflix and YouTube at night is dangerous. I find so much good stuff. Last night I watched a documentary on Netflix about Nina Simone. “What happened Miss Simone?” is amazing. If you like jazz, blues and her great voice, watch this documentary. She is a classic and a legend!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5Y11hwjMNs

After I finished “The Dinner” I searched if they ever made a movie out of this amazing book. And yes, they did. I watched that, too. Check out the trailer here.  Do you know Bansky? Find out about him with this breathtaking documentary. 

Learning/Discovering:  I discovered the photographer Martin Schoeller today at Riemann Bookstore. Of course I attended the All-you-can-read-event and it was just as good as last time! Being locked into a bookstore for 4 1/2 hours – hello??? How great is that? While I browsed, I saw a huge art book with portraits by Martin Schoeller which blew my mind. [want, want, want!]

I lived close by Grand Central for a couple of years and loved to go to the little “farmers”market inside and buy bread, fresh cheese  and some fresh veggies and fruit. Do you know about the Whispering Gallery at Grand Central Station? Grand Central is full of magic, surprises and beauty and should definitely be on anyones to-do list when visiting the Big Apple. I cannot wait to see The Meddler which sounds like a great movie to watch with my mom for Mother’s Day. Do you know Anthony Burgess’s book ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and the movie version by Stanley Kubrick’s? I thought I know English pretty well before I read this book. The Landestheater Coburg will show A Clockwork Orange as a ballet in June 2016. Awesomeness! 

Have a great weekend. 

Hello and Happy Tuesday! 

I mentioned the podcast Modern Love several times already. It is originally an essay published in the New York Times and now a free podcast on iTunes and simply amazing to listen to or read. I am actually looking forward to it every week. It is just worth the time. 

“How do you tell the new guy in your life that you are going blind? I chose the best of lousy options: I broke the news after sex, and I packaged it right. I started with how, three years earlier, at 19, I realized I couldn’t see the stars at night. This seemed like an innocent enough detail until it turned out to be the first symptom of an incurable degenerative retinal disease. The doctor told me I would slowly lose my eyesight over the next 10 to 15 years — first my nighttime and peripheral vision, and later, my central vision, too.”

Will she lose her sight completely? It is such a powerful story that shows how unique every single relationship really is. This essay also gives insight in what goes on in some marriages behind closed curtains. Nothing is perfect either with other couples only because it seems this way sometimes. Everybody has things they have to deal with. Sometimes it is a disease – such as blindness. Sometimes it is depression or whatnot.  Is it worth it to work on it or better to just part while we still can? Think about it. 

Find the article and the link to the podcast here. Enjoy!