31
July
2003
My mom came home from a conference - and brought raspberries!
Now, everyone who knows me, knows that I love raspberries, LOVE them. They’re my absolutely favorite fruit in the world. And this summer they’ve been rare, probably due to the draught.
So now, I’m happy. Very happy indeed. I think the main reason is the memories, the fact that to me raspberries equal summer, and carefree playing in the sun as as a child. It means our holiday home on a small lake in Switzerland, next to a big meadow with grass high enough that a small child could get lost (or hide) in it. It means picking raspberries from the bush in the evening and eating the first ones while they’re still sun warm and the rest later with cream together with the family.
Whenever I eat a raspberry, or smell one, it brings me back, and I can’t help but smile and feel the summer warmth of my childhood wash over me.
A friend made me a LiveJournal icon last summer, that still means a lot to me:
Posted: Moments
29
July
2003
Last night, on the high of a Very Good Day, I played with my camera, my new flash card, my brother’s new Ska-p CD, and Imovie, which resulted in a very funny and absolutely embarrassing little film:
To be seen or downloaded as QuickTime file here.
And I so know that I’ll regret putting this online - some things should remain private… 
Posted: Moments
28
July
2003
My mom had made cake yesterday, which I hadn’t eaten because I was at work. Therefore this afternoon found me sitting in my room, on the floor in the one spot reached by the sun, window wide open, eating delicious blackberry/peach cake while listening to my new CD and reading Alice Sebold’s “The Lovely Bones” (one of my favorite books ever). Bliss. One of those days that stick in your memory with warmth and love and peace…
Speaking about memories - here’s this week’s Unconscious Mutterings:
- Partner:: would be nice, but isn’t necessary at the moment.
- Goddess:: why not?
- Village:: small, narrow, but peaceful
- Relationships:: spice up life
- Irrational:: I try not to be
- Volcano:: Hawaii
- Fabulous:: glitter and glamour
- Unencumbered:: a lovely feeling…
- Coyotes:: funny looking creatures
- Fulfilled:: right this moment
Btw, if you want your own chocolatedream.net email addy - there’s a link for that in the new fun section to the right.
Posted: Memes, Moments, Site
28
July
2003
Slowly I start counting the days - in exactly two weeks I’ll be sitting in the plane to Dubai… Got my Aussie and Kiwi money in the mail today, as well as my travel insurance, and wen to buy a 256MB flash card for my beloved new Canon Ixus v.3. Yep, it’s getting close!
Today is the only ‘free’ day I have - I work every day until Sunday, except for Thursday, when I’m invited to a August 1st party (which is our National holiday and strangely enough always celebrated with fireworks the night before). Not particularly looking forward to it, due to some stuff going on with my friends, but it’ll be nice anyway, I think - specially because the friends giving the party (my ex-boyfriend and his -male- life partner) live in an excellent location to watch the fireworks over the Rhine…
Talking about views - I took a couple of pics: One of the sky last night, which was absolutely gorgeous, and one of the larger-than-life Spiderman that used to walk up a theatre and has now found a new home quite near our house.
When I came home from work yesterday night, this just took my breath away… Always makes me feel so very grateful for all the beauty surrounding me.
Every time on my way to and from the city I pass this bright yellow house, and it never fails to make me smile. The people living there must be comic freaks, because not only do they own Spidey, there’s also a huge Marsupilami looking out one window.
Today I got a CD from a friend from Canada in the mail - it was still in one piece and I’m now happily listening to all kinds of lovely music. Thanks to Poisoned I’ve also managed to d/l quite a bit of stuff, for example some of Anouk’s (one of the singers from the Gurten festival) songs. Very glad that this works so well, because I simply didn’t manage to make xmule work for me, although a friend tried to talk me through the process on installing it. I think I’ll delete all the crap I’ve d/led in the process one of these days - space is getting sparse on my laptop with all the pics, programs, and music…
I’ve also tried to make comment notification work here, but without success - now I hope that someone in the support forum can help me. But since I update from the website anyway (because Kunglog suddenly refused to recognize me) I see comments anyway, so it’s not so bad.
And I swear, I didn’t plan to go on like this! Stopping now - well, for the moment, at least…
Posted: Life, Photos, Site
27
July
2003
Let’s see what we got here… Memory lane the second.
[sight]:: watching cartoons
Sunday mornings, when I was maybe 4. We had a black and white TV, made color by a transparent hanging over it. The first TV show I ever watched - “Die Sendung mit der Maus”, a German children’s program with a mouse and a blue elephant.
[taste]:: wedding cake
I actually can’t remember ever eating one, although I must have. But the marrying thing has only just started with my friends - I’m sure I’ll get my chance to consciously taste one…
[smell]:: laundry soap
My mom pouring a basket full of freshly laundered bedsheets over me. The clean, fresh smell surrounds me, the sheets still warm, and I hide my head in them.
[touch]:: unwraping a present
My 20th birthday, when my best friend gave me a big box, filled with 20 gifts while we were at the pub celebrating. All my friends were there and watched me, laughing and commenting as I unwrapped one gift after the other.
[hearing]:: school bell
Sitting in class, glancing at my watch constantly. Slowly starting to pack up my things, hoping the teacher won’t notice. Finally, the bell, and everyone jumps up and runs out, me one of the first. Freedom!
Posted: Memes
25
July
2003
Yesterday I suddenly realized that it’s only a bit more than two weeks until I’m leaving. Gave me quite a fright, that, because I don’t feel anything close to ready — there’s the paper, and the fact that I’ll work almost every evening/afternoon and that there’s still quite a bit left to be done.
So yesterday, instead of writing, I read some of my texts about the Maori, went to the bank to order my foreign currency, emailed Denise, called my insurance company about travel insurance, and started to seriously think about what will happen once I’ve landed in Auckland. And today I’ve made an appointment at my hair dresser’s, booked a hostel in Auckland, inquired about bus connections and fares, and looked up some of the websites recommended in my Lonely Planet (links here, on the right). I’ve decided to stay in Auckland for two nights, because it’s a six-hour bus ride to New Plymouth, so I’d have to stay one night anyway. That way I can at least spend one day there and have a quick look around.
I’m trying very hard not to think of the 15 pages I still have to write and the fact that the teacher in question won’t just accept anything, because she knows exactly what she wants. All this stuff in my schedule is stressing me quite a bit — I’m one of those persons who need empty spaces in their planners, even if the things filling them are exciting and interesting. I need time for myself, else I get all tense and stressed out…
Will take my Salome stuff to work this afternoon and hopefully be able to write a bit there, so I don’t feel so bad about it anymore.
Posted: Life
22
July
2003
I organized my entries into categories - if I don’t do it now, while the blog is still pretty small (43 entries, I think), I’ll never do it and it’ll all be a big ole mess… It always amazes me what kind of patience I have for nitpicky things like this - I wish I was this conscientious about my uni stuff!
Also, I got a reciprocal link from Random Perspective, together with compliments for this here thing. Heh, that makes me inordinately happy, because that site (and, hence, the guy behind it) kicks ass. Go me! *g*
And this has been entry #3 for today - I’m pretty sure that’s a record for this blog. But don’t think that this is going to be a habit!
Posted: Site
22
July
2003
Thanks to Patty from VanillaMist I’ve found a couple of interesting looking memes that I might participate in now and then…
So here are my first answers to Saturday Senses:
[sight]:: cloudy skies
The view from my room on a summer evening, the sun going slowly down, coloring the sky in warm colors, with clouds like an impressionistic painting.
[taste]:: hot chocolate
A cold winter’s day, outside in the mountains, taking a break from skiing. My hands wrap around the hot cup and I take the first smell of chocolate before taking a spoon and slowly starting to eat liquid warmth and comfort as if it was soup.
[smell]:: baking cookies
My mom sometime before Christmas. She’s making her almond cookies with my grandmother’s recipe, making sure there are enough to last until my birthday, 12 days after Christmas.
[touch]:: being wrapped in a blanket
Sitting in front of the fireplace, watching the flames and talking comfortably, feeling very relaxed and at home.
[hearing]:: rain outside
Waking up in a summer night to hear the rain pound against my window, making it rattle and shake while I’m in my comfortable bed. Getting up to open the blinds a bit to allow cool, fresh air to enter my room.
And here are my first Unconscious Mutterings:
- Wizard of Oz:: Kansas
- Ford:: the yellow car my dad owned and that we used to drive to our summer vacation with, when I was little all the way from Northern Germany to Switzerland
- Wrinkles:: the lines on my dad’s forehead and around my mother’s eyes
- Extravagant:: expensive
- Conventional:: is usually underrated
- Stewart:: the Steelso
- Offensive:: aggressive people
- Heartbeat:: reassurance
- Chaos:: my book shelves
- Jiffy:: Oi, sometimes I notice that I’m not English…
This was fun! Think I’ll definitely do this again!
Posted: Memes
22
July
2003
Impossible to share everything I have experienced and seen in those three days - it’s a whirlwind of impressions, music, people, sun, too many to count them or list them here.
There were so many different bands there - I think that’s what will stay with me the most. I got to hear music I’d never have been exposed to otherwise, since Sibylle and I managed to hear almost everyone who performed.
All acts:
Smartship Friday, Patrice*, Asian Dub Foundation*, Die Fantastischen Vier*, Open Season, The Skatalites*, Orishas*, Lovebugs*, Tricky, Saybia, Hell Is For Heroes*, Skin*, Starsailor*, Massive Attack*, Greis & Friends, Saïan Supa Crew*, Adrian Weyermann*, Moloko*, Farin Urlaub Racing Team*, Röyksopp*, Shirley Grimes*, Anouk*, Jimmy Cliff*, Alanis Morissette*, Stress & Band*, Danko Jones*, Absolute Beginner*, Earth, Wind & Fire, Elvis Spectacular*
(*heard)
For most acts we simply sat somewhere in the grass (whenever possible in the shade, because all three days the weather was amazing - and way too hot), relaxed and listened, but for some we went into the crowd and partied.
Those we saw in the crowd (pictures thanks to studiSurf.ch:
Lovebugs - the most famous band from Basel
Skin’s was by far our favorite performance - she totally blew us away! I loved how she wasn’t afraid at all of getting in touch with her fans, and she kept the right balance between joking with us (and flirting outrageously with us girls *g*) and making great music. Have decided to become a fan and get her album!
I’d been looking forward to Moloko’s performance - but after Skin we were just so exhausted that we left the crowd for a shady spot soon after they started their set.
I wasn’t so sure about Massive Attack at first (”TripHop - what the heck is TripHop?”), but it was a great latenight performance. If only my back hadn’t hurt so bad - but I did make it to the end!
Anouk was someone I’d been looking forward to hearing, because I had a feeling that I’d like it - and I sure did! Sibylle and I both rocked to her sound and I’ll definitely get her CD from the library to hear more.
Alanis’ performance was the last one of the festival and one of the highpoints. She doesn’t interact with the fans much, but her music is so great she doesn’t have to! I think every woman needs to own “Jagged Little Pill” for angry times - and listening to the crowd (including myself, of course) screaming and singing along, I think every woman does…
Not so great was the sheer mass of people - 45 000 meant that it was simply too crowded, specially when you were looking for a shady spot, and I was very disappointed when The Cardigans couldn’t come due to a car accident in Germany. But by far the worst was that the campsite was booked out, so that our tent was on the side of a hill, surrounded by teenies that were loud, obnoxious and generally made for two horrible nights.
After the first night we were glad to leave the festival grounds and go into Bern for some grocery shopping (we lived off bread and fruits, basically) and wonderful quiet time at the river Aare. But really, it was an amazing experience, and I can easily imagine going again - although then I might look into alternative sleeping arrangements…
Posted: Life, Photos
17
July
2003
Cindy is leaving for the US tomorrow, the lucky girl!
I for my part am getting the stuff together that I’ll take to the three-day-open-air. Will take the bare minimum and slum it for that time (or, you know, not, if I know me *g*).
Things to pack:
- sleeping bag
- tent
- 2 panties
- 1 pair of socks
- 1 t-shirt and bermudas to sleep in
- 1 rain jacket
- 1 tank top
- essential toiletries (tooth brush, soap, contact lense stuff, sun protection, pain killers, insect-repellant - I feel so decadent listing all of this… *g*)
- 1 small towel
- 1 sun hat
- sun glasses
- ear plugs
- 1 book (because I don’t go anywhere without one)
- food and drink (to be bought tomorrow morning)
Will wear:
- khaki pants
- t-shirt
- woollen jacket
- walking sandals
Won’t take:
- my camera (because I really don’t feel like carrying it with me everywhere for fear of it being stolen)
I think that covers the basics. Tell me if there’s something essential missing!
Oh, almost forgot:
- 1 lock for the tent, so people won’t use it as a toilet
Posted: Life
