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2008-05-01
This is almost xkcd-worthy:
This is something I would want on my shirt :)
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2008-04-29
Yesterday I went to see Emilie Autumn live in concert. I haven't heard much of here before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But let's take it chronological:
Due to some family business (and the - since I was in a hurry - inevitable traffic jam) I arrived way later in Munich than I intended to, namely at 7:35pm. And the show was supposed to start at 8:00pm. So, I changed my outfit into something appropriate dark and jumped on my bike and pedaled with all might. Unprobable 10 minutes later I arrived at the Neuland - and my heart sank: I couldn't get tickets before and hoped to get them at the entrance. The entrance which was at that time surrounded by quite a crowed. Luckily, it turned out, the bouncers haven't allowed anyone in yet; furthermore, Johnny, a good friend from unforgettable summerbreeze-days arrived long before me and saved me a space in front on the queue. So, all in all, the enervation and stress weren't justified, since I had no trouble to get there and in. When will I ever learn?
Now, to the show: It was the last show of Emilies "asylum"-tour and it was set at a beautiful location: The Neuland is really a cool club; very dark, nice light effects and lots of black leather couches everywhere. One beer later the (seemingly just found) supporting band "sieben" (sorry, can't find an appropiate link), which consists only of one guy who sings and fakes a little fiddling and an ipod doing the rest, made the next two beers go down easier by supporting us with some friendly and placid electronic folk before the real show started.
The theme "asylum" was obvious in the decorations of the stage and also the outfits of Emilie and the four supporting dancers and created a very adept basic mood for the following songs - which just blew my mind.
Below all that "gothic lolita"-stuff and the in a goofy way funny show lay lots of talent and real emotion. You get sometimes the feeling that you're not able to appreciate her violin-virtuosity enough. And a sudden seemingly forced smile fortifies that impression: It felt like watching a high class ballet dancer working at a strip bar to make a living.
That said, the music was really really good. I especially enjoyed "I want my innocence back" and "opheliac" (which you most probably can listen to at your tube *hinthint*). The audio quality was also quite good - which, of course, is also a result of the fact that only the cembalo, violin and singing were actually live. Emilie Autumn seems to be one of the few artists who sound live even better than the studio recordings. Also, she might be the only musician with the ability to captivate a crowd of mostly industrial friends only with a long violin-solo. You know, how the violin sounds like a tormented cat in the wrong hands? She can make sounds with hers that are similar and completely different at the same time and weaves them into beautiful carpets of sweet notes like land mines in summer meadows. ... Ok, these last sentences sound pathetic and cheesy to me, too. I just don't know, how to describe it any better.
Conclusion:
This was an extraordinary evening and I recommend going to an Emilie Autumn concert to everyone who has the slightest understanding of gothic music. Too bad, it may take years before she comes back to Germany.
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2008-04-24
... turns out, I can execute this algorithm in my brain. So, with the right strategy, these riddles are quite easy and fast solved.
Now, this game is to me just like sudoku: Once you figured out an algorithm to solve it, it's no fun anymore.
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2008-04-24
Are you sometimes wondering, too, if your brain still performs the way it used to do? Give this 3D puzzle a try and you might come to the same conclusion I did: "No, it doesn't".
This stuff can't be so hard?
Spoiler:
The funny part is, I have already an algorithm in my head, which could solve these riddles instantly ... If only my brain could execute my algorithms directly ... then on the other hand - my algorithms tend to have bugs and I really don't want my brain to crash. "Blue screen of death" anyone?
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2008-04-18
The WTF of the day:
WTF "my anus is bleeding"
... how do people come up with this kind of stuff?
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2008-04-11
Back in good old Germany.
What you really bring back from travels is something you don't discover before you come back home: No, not a STD, but a new set of eyes.
For the first time since a long time, I'm able to see Munich and the people here with some context. And there really are lots of differences: The way people look at you, the kind of history that hides behind virtually everything, the fact that there are lots of spots where not a single hobo is lying around, ...
Also, I enjoy water with absolutely no taste, prices that already include taxes, food and drinks in real china and pedestrian-only-zones. Europe has its upsides, too!
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2008-04-07
My last few days were mainly spent somewhere in San Francisco - and I finally did some of the obligatory tourist stuff ;)
On Friday I went to
This is certainly one of the richest districts of SF (we cosmopolitan travelers can't waste our days by saying or writing the full name of things!) and who wouldn't want to live there with a view like this:
With all the wealthy poeple living there, Presidio looks a lot different than most of the other quarters of San Francisco: The streets are clean, the lawns short and some of the (large and pretty) houses even made of stone. Actually, it's all a little too perfect - in my opinion, Presidio has less flair than the poorer but more vital districts like Ashbury (see below).
Also, there's "Baker Beach", a long strip of sand sandwiched between the Pacific and overgrown cliffs, just a few foot-steps away. In summer, this must be a fine place to spend an evening - currently, though, it's just too cold and windy to stay for long.
From there, I followed a trail that wormed to the famous Golden Gate Bridge. This bridge is really pretty impressive:
... in contrary to my photo-shooting-skills:
It's huge, old and red ... you knew that before, I know, but frankly that's all I can tell you.
The next day brought me to the "hippy district" of San Francisco: Ashbury-Height. To get there, I parked the car in one of the almost comically steep streets:
Virtually all buildings in Ashbury are gorgeous Victorian houses (in wildly varying states of decay) like these:
There's still a lot of that hippy-spirit in the air: The people seem very laid-back and relaxed with their ripped but colorful t-shirts and dreadlocks. Also the shops that line the major streets are quirky independent stores instead of yet-another subsidiary of "starbucks" and "gap". And if you need even more proof of hippy-culture, just enter the Golden Gate Park from the east and like every second person you meet offers you weed. Really cheap, as they assure. The fun part is, they are not like sleazy dangerous people but normal visitors like anyone else, throwing frisbees and chatting with anyone else.
Also, Castro, the world's "gay capital" (as the inhabitants say themself) is located in Ashbury. This quarter is also pretty nice - and sports even more flags than the rest of the city. Here, they are rainbow-colored instead of starred-and-striped, of course.
On my way back to Sunnyvale, I made a detour to drive down the meandering part of the "Lombart street". Which is, when you're driving on it just a little bit annoying and not all that impressive. But well, at least I delighted a group of Japanese people, who filmed my driving enthusiastically.
The next day we went to meet a friend of Julius, Uli, over brunch. Uli is nice guy and guided us through the Stanford University campus. Where I'm not going to make my PhD, thanks to all the inside informations I got there. The campus, though, is built very amply. However, it feels more like a real expensive school than an university. But then again, the students entering this institution are much younger than German university-students.
In the evening, we went out to experience San Francisco's night life. The clubs there are really fun! But this is still California, so there's no more alcohol after 2 a.m. and most pubs have to close at this time. So we ended up in the "end up" (=D), where the party still was raving - fueled only by water and cola. Going clubbing in San Francisco receives a clear recommendation from me. You just have to remember to buy some booze in time ...
And that's it for now. One day to go. That's too bad, there are still lots and lots of things to do :/
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2008-04-03
This update will be all pictures and little text. I guess, the pictures tell enough ;) The day before yesterday I went to conquer the south of Sunnyvale, namely: Santa Cruz.
It's a city of surfers, but you would never have guessed it from these photos, right? Santa Cruz is just like you would imagine an American holiday city at the sea - they even have a theme park directly at the shore! By the way, the water might just be liquid because of the salt it contains ... at least it feels like that ;)
From there I drove a few miles north on the Highway 1 (which is like the perfect road to cruise) to the
My guide book said, this park with its trees taller than 100 meters was worth a visit and I can confirm this recommendation: You get a lot of nature and gorgous views. But see for yourself:
Strolling through this State Park feels a lot like an adventure: There is no big way through the untamed nature but a little tray, which is never broader than one meter. Also, it's not that well maintained: Sometimes you have to climb over a fallen tree across the way or jump over a gap washed out by a small creek gushing down from a narrow valley. There are signs, but with view and with a lot of nothing between it. Furthermore,
I was absolutely alone and never met anyone along the trail - which, I admit, felt a little scary ... that's why I dragged a walking stick with me. You have to be able to defend yourself, right? ... yes, that sounds stupid to me now, too. If I'll ever come back to this edge of the world I will hopefully the time to spend a whole day in this park - and even that time will probably only be enough to discover a tiny part of all the trails worming through the woods.
Of course, it wouldn't be the USA if there wasn't some service there: I guess, the wildlife I saw - squirrels, small snakes, bunnies - were trained to show themself to visitors: They sat at the same spot when I went into the park and when I came out of it. Service rocks.
Well, some more pictures:
In the evening then, Julius and I went to eat traditional Japanese food, which tasted different from anything I've eaten before. I don't really know what it was, and I don't really want to know. Especially in the case of that slippery stuff. Bu I do know, that there was no poisonous blowfish in there. After all, I'm writing this ;)
That was the day before yesterday. And yesterday? I went shopping without buying anything in the downtown of Sunnyvale. The shops there were just like in Germany, only bigger in some cases: The sports shops I've seen just had merchandise for any sport I know. Yes, even "curling". In California.
And today? I don't really know yet. But I'll jump in the car and head north. And then, we'll see!
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2008-04-01
Ok, this post comes not from South Lake Tahoe as planned, but again from Sunnyvale. This is, because the "Green Lantern", the motel we stayed in, had nominally "free fast internet" but in reality didn't ... but let us stay in chronological order:
My host, Julius, was again very busy at work and couldn't leave from there before 6:30 pm. With all the packing and preparing it took us until well past 8 pm before we finally managed to hit the road. It's 220 miles from Sunnyvale to South Lake Taho, so it's no surprise that we arrived late in the night. The drive was smooth and luckily we didn't had to put on chains although it was raining and snowing the last miles. So, at about 0:45 am we finally arrived at the before mentioned "Green Lantern" a cheap, but acceptable motel. Acceptable, if you don't mention the breakfast, that is. Urgs.
Early the next day we headed to the nearest equipment-rental-store ("George's"), where we got all the gear we needed and also the lift tickets for the closest ski area "Heavenly". These tickets are at 80 bucks per day shameless pricey, but, well, too late to back out, right? So, just a few minutes later we finally sat in the lift. The weather was fine with few clouds and temperatures around 0°C and the view spectacular - but see for yourself:
Here we look north to the lake:
... and here to the south (I guess) towards Nevada:
Boarding was great fun despite the rather harsh snow and unfamiliar gear. The cumbersome opening and fastening of the bindings was really a pain (now I know again why I have step-in bindings at home) and the board was much softer and more flexible than mine - which makes it hard to control at high speeds. I really missed my own board and boots!
Snowboarding in Heavenly feels a little different from Austrian ski regions: The slopes are not as clearly defined and signposted and it is common to find your own way between the surprising tall trees (above 3000 meters (the ground, not the trees)!). Thus, it feels a little more adventurous than most of my previous snowboarding trips. We ended the snow fun with a really challenging mogul slope called "The Gun Barrel". Well, if you lose control, you really might get ballistic like a (slow) bullet.
After some recovering in the "Lantern", we strolled a little around in South Lake Tahoe. This is quite an interesting located town: During winter months you can go skiing and during the summer, there's a nice beach - although I can't imagine that it really gets that warm at nearly 2000 meters.
Also, the town lies exactly on the borderline between California and Nevada. And because gambling is legal in Nevada, but not in California you can walk in few minutes from houses like these:
to casinos like these:
Anything else to tell? The two days flew by really fast and the drive back went smooth, too. And here I am, back at Sunnyvale!
What will I do next? Man weiß es nicht ;)
