Laundry This Week

It's that time again. Today it was imperative that I do my laundry, as I had no clean clothes. So I went down to the Eco-Wash Waschsalon on Warschauer and luckily, the big machine was available. I loaded the washer(actually, overloaded it) and purchased the soap powder and put in the money and punched the buttons on the control panel. Then the wash started. There were a few other people in the place, and I thought I heard English, but then I thought about something else. I read a little bit of a book that I bought at St. George's on Tuesday, How to Have a Perfect Memory, or something like that. I can't remember the exact title, but the gist of the book, even though I've only read the introduction and part of the first chapter, seems to be that you can improve your memory greatly by using your imagination and image association, blah, blah, blah. It sounds interesting, and quasi-legit, so I'm thinking I might give it a try. Anyway, it was hot in the laundromat, I guess from the dryers, so I stepped outside where it was cooler. Later, I dried the clothes and folded them.

Hamburg Pics

Some old church...if you think the south has a lot of churches, check out Hamburg some time. Europe is the original bible belt, I think.


Serenity now!


Rob and Sara enjoying the beautiful Hamburg weather.


Bicycle anti-theft device.


Enjoying a hamburg in Hamburg.


Me at the Hamburg Port, looking a little portly. They say the camera adds 65 lbs.

Hoop Dreams revisited

My boy AG sent me a link to a great article, especially if you've seen the movie.

I went up to P-Berg tonight and caught the second movie at St. George’s bookstore, Reservoir Dogs. Good flick, and I was just talking about it the other day, although I still like Pulp Fiction more. Michael Madsen looks like a fat Luke Perry as Mr. Blonde. Something I hadn’t noticed before is that Mr. Blonde’s real name is Vic Vega, and John Travolta’s character in Pulp Fiction is named Vincent Vega…I wonder if these two fake people are related. Before the movie, I stopped in at the Havana Club and had some mediocre nachos, and listened to more house music; it’s everywhere in this town. Also, they had some volleyball movie playing on mtv with the sound muted, so I watched a little of that…earlier, I was strolling along and saw a man and a woman fighting. I don’t mean arguing, either, I mean fisticuffs…the woman was whaling away on this guy with lefts and rights, but the guy didn’t seem to be trying very hard, he was kinda grabbing her hands and arms. It was close, but I think I’ve gotta give it to the lady on points. She was the busier fighter.

Hamburg

Sometimes the fast train turns out to be the slow train. Stuck on the ICE train on the way back to Berlin from Hamburg. Some kind of bomb scare at one of the stations along the route. So the trip that was supposed to take an hour and a half is turning into a four hour trip. That’s how it goes sometimes I guess, but the train is nice, the seat is comfortable, so I can’t complain too much. Plus, it gives me a chance to write a little about my time in Hamburg.
I arrived in Hamburg on Sunday afternoon on the regular train which took about 3 hours or so, checked into this crazy mod Hotel Side, where I managed to catch the end of a Miami Vice episode dubbed into German. It was the one with Bruce Willis playing an arms dealer. The funny thing is, I saw this same episode in the States a couple months ago on Nick at Nite or TVLand. Good episode, and you don’t really have to understand the language to follow along, which is nice. Then I met up with some of the Burns peeps for a little Bundesliga action featuring Berlin’s own Hertha BSC against a tough Hamburg HSV side. The match ended 1-1, fun to see but the outcome of a tie is unsatisfying to my American preference of a clear winner and loser.
It rained pretty much the whole time I was in Hamburg, and it has been raining a lot in Berlin, too. After the soccer match, we had to hustle back to the hotel, and get ready for dinner in the hotel restaurant. My head was hurting a little, and after the train, the rain, and the cold, it was nice to be warm and dry and indoors.
After dinner, a few of us went out to a bar, had a couple of drinks, then left and wandered over to this other bar with a geodesic dome at the entrance. The bartender, Tan, really went all out to make sure we had a good time, and I can’t speak for the others, but I had a great time. Tan made us several rounds of shots and drinks, manned the dj station, and gave us peanuts and fruit to snack on. It was very cool, and the kind of thing that I think makes for the best nights out, especially in a new town, where you just kind of wander into a place, and it turns out to be a great time. You can’t really plan these things I think, they just happen. The only thing is that the whole time we were there, there was this couple making out—and we were there for quite a while. PDA is really out of control in this country. Everybody making out all the time is kind of sickening, really. Take that back to the privacy of your own home or get a hotel room or something. I don’t know how a society can run like this…also, while I’m railing, lots of young people have some part of their face pierced…this I don’t really care about except that it makes absolutely no sense.
The next morning, I was hurting from the drinking and the lack of sleep, but I managed to make it to brunch. It was built up beforehand as “the best brunch in Hamburg”, and it may well be, but I couldn’t say for sure because it is the only brunch I had while I was there…anyway, I thought it was ok.
By the way, I have a little titillating info regarding some Burns on Burns hookup action…I live by the law of Omerta, though, so I’m not naming names. You know who you are though, you crazy kids, maybe be a little more discreet next time.
After brunch, we toured the Airbus factory, so that was pretty cool…I dig the factory tours. Apparently, the only two players in the commercial flight game are Airbus and Boeing…I didn’t even know Airbus was a company, I thought it was a type of plane. Anyway the tour was pretty cool, I got to touch some airplane fuselage and other parts in various stages of production.
After that, I had a hamburg in Hamburg, then toured around town with Rob and Sara(h). We saw some old churches and went to the port, and into a cool little bar. That was fun. It rained the whole time, though.

Back to the present, I left Hamburg two hours ago, and now I am heading back toward Hamburg, so this is turning out to be quite a long trip. They did offer a free drink to everyone when the delay was announced, but I went up there too late. Apparently there is some kind of time limit on that which I exceeded. On my way out after being rejected for the free drink, another passenger said to me, “That’s German service for you.” Also, they offered some kind of discount on your next train trip that I somehow don’t qualify for, so I’ve come up empty twice with Deutsche Bahn so far. On the plus side though, we just started moving back in the right direction. I’m sure we’ll be in Berlin in no time. Wait, it feels like we’re going the wrong way again…I’m disoriented from the motion of the train.
There is something cool about train travel, something kind of old-school, and I wish there was more of it in the States…saw a guy wearing an old hat this weekend, the old-school fedora look should make a comeback I think…the kids here can’t get enough of this electronica house club music, it’s horrible…it’s kind of hard to believe that it’s already the midway point of the fellowship…I need to find a place around here that shows American football…

Today I went on the second part of the Chris Owens shoot at the Olympic Stadium. Very cool, and I got to go down to the track and even stepped on the pitch briefly until a security guard told me not to stand on the grass. I think that's what he said anyway, I couldn't understand it bc it was in German, but sometimes you can just sense what people mean without speaking the language.

Chris Owens Interview, and other stuff

This is the court where Alba Berlin plays their home games.

Today I got to interview Jesse Owens' great-nephew Chris, who will play for the Berlin pro basketball team this year. Nice guy. I also spoke with the coach, and with William Avery, who, even though he went to Duke, is also a nice guy. I always wondered what happened to Duke players after college. Anyway, it was really cool bc when I arrived, another Burnsie was getting there at the same time, and then we went in, and there was another, and then, a little later, another, so we were well represented. Also, it was cool bc it seemed natural to see them there, and the whole thing was really chill. It made me feel like a real journalist, or at least like a reporter. Anyway, it was cool to see the newspaper guys do their interviews, and afterwards, some of us went for drinks at Prater Biergarten, where we talked and debated various things and I tried to defend the progressive individuals in the south, although I don't think I did a very good job...but I thoroughly enjoyed the lively debate and the opportunity to play devil's advocate. Good folks, and it was a very comfortable and enjoyable evening. It's nice to get to know people, but can you ever really know another person? I think you can, to a degree, but the life of the mind, etc. I think prevents a lot, in terms of knowledge of others. Also, I think people come in with prejudices (myself included) and make judgements sometimes based on who you think someone is, that differ from reality...it's hard not to do this on some level, maybe impossible to be a blank slate...but as you get to know people, little pieces of your perception of that person come together, or are destroyed and replaced with the new perceptions, which also may or may not be accurate, but that is probably the best we can do. It's a nice surprise when someone turns out to be different and better than you originally thought. That's why I always try to act like a jerk when I first meet someone, so then later on, they will have a pleasant surprise, and if there is no later on, at least I had some fun with it. Oh, while I'm thinking about it, let me mention the great news! I have grown a few inches since I've been in town. When I left Atlanta, I was nearly 6'1", but after comparing myself to pro basketball players--Owens is listed at 6'7" and Avery at 6'2"--I realized that I must have grown to about 6'3" or 6'4" over the past few weeks. That is an amazing growth spurt in a very short amount of time, especially at my age!!! If only I were 6'6", then I would be happy. At this rate, I should reach that by about next Wednesday.

This ant has mad hops!!

Hey, check out this story, and this clip. I haven't seen ups like this since the 2000 Olympics.

Games Convention and Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie

Games convention in Leipzig.

Today I went on a shoot to a video game convention in Leipzig, which is about two hours away. It was my first trip on the autobahn, and I must say I highly recommend it. It is fun to go fast, although you get used to it quickly and after a while you get velocitized, so it doesn't really feel like you're going fast anymore. Also, a couple of misconceptions that I should clear up. First, going fast on the autobahn saves time--it does, but not as much as you'd think--maybe 15 minutes on a 2 hour trip. And second...well, I guess I just had the one thing to clear up. Anyway, the Games Convention was pretty cool. They had the newest games and systems from Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, EA, etc. and they had stations set up where people can play...very cool. Then, after work, I went to this place in Friedrichstrasse Ubahn station called fish and chips, which is a place where you can get these little boxes of fish or chicken nuggets and a little wooden fork to pick them up...it was ok, nothing great though...Then I went to Dussman bookstore on Friedrichstrasse, and looked at some books in the English section...after that it was on to Checkpoint Charlie, which is a pretty good museum, but a bit smaller than I thought it would be.

Laundry This Week

I did laundry again tonight. Went over to the other laundromat, I've kinda been alternating week to week...anyway they have the big washers here, like in America, so I just put all my clothes in one of those, and settled in. Then, after a while, I wandered around a bit and thought about different things. Some more time went by, then finally the wash was done. Then I put the clothes in the dryer, and about an hour later, they were dry. On the way home I passed by Izzy's place on Simon-Dach Strasse and had a drink. Then I went home.

Bundesliga and Amore

Sarah, Rob, Izzy, Matt, and Matt's friend at Amore after two delicious four-cheese pizzas.
Good times.
Izzy welcomes us with open arms to his great new restaurant, Amore. Making friends.

Here is the Olympic Stadium. It's a great day for a ball game. Let's play two!

Hey guys, this weekend I went to the Hertha BSC soccer match against Hannover...Hertha crushed them 4-0. After that I went to the grand opening of Amore in Prenzlauerberg. Good pizza there. I'll add pics soon.

Meyman

Had the Schwarma plate at Meyman around the corner--sehr gut.

Have it your way.

In the Burger Kings here, if you eat inside the restaurant, there is no trash can to throw your garbage away. They have these racks where you slide your tray on, so there are several levels of trays on these wheeled carts. Then I guess they wheel the carts to the garbage can in the back and empty the trays, but I´m not sure bc I haven´t seen that part. Also, they have a ``Hot Texas Whopper´´ and some mini-burrito things. I´m not sure if they have those cardboard crowns. I´ll have to take some pics of those ads.

This is CNN

Yesterday, I got to visit the Berlin Bureau of CNN, which is in the same building as Reuters, so it was a very short trip. The Berlin Bureau is small, and currently consists of only one person, Claudia the camerawoman...normally there are three or four people there, but still a lean operation. I went out yesterday with Claudia to a bookstore to do some more voxpops about reactions to author Gunter Grass´ revelation in a new book that he was a member of the Nazi Waffen SS in WWII...Today I interviewed author Dr. Rafael Seligmann for CNN about Grass...very interesting, although I am unsure why Grass would come out with this so late in life--some say to promote his book, which sounds feasible, except that I think he doesn´t need the money, some say it is a confession to clear his conscience, or that the news was going to come out anyway, so he included it in his autobiography as a pre-emptive maneuver...who knows what the real story is with that, but it is an intriguing story bc I have heard that Grass has been a kind of moral conscience for Germany in his career, and has maybe been critical of the military service of others, so for some of Grass´ critics, this comes across as hypocritical, although it seems to be agreed that the actual service in the SS as a seventeen year old is not the reason to be upset, but rather for the hypocrisy of acting as a moral compass and this dishonesty through the years which critics say sheds doubt on other aspects of his career, although perhaps not on his writing itself, for which he won a Nobel Prize...anyway, I´m rambling, but I can´t decide if this is just a marketing ploy to sell books, or an old timer coming clean as in a confession, or if it is really that big a deal anyway...some people didn´t think his military service was that big a deal, it was fairly common, and he was very young...complicated and intriguing story although probably not that important in the grand scheme...it does tie in well, though, to Germany´s current debate about whether to involve troops in the Middle East as a part of the UN Force...some are wary about having German troops in Israel, bc of the historic ramifications. It seems that often Germany cannot escape its past, and maybe that it embraces it and faces it too strongly, and makes decisions based on sins of a previous generations...I´m not really sure how accurate that last statement is, I don´t really have a great sense of this place yet, so I may be way off with that. Anyway, I´ve gone on pretty long here...class dismissed.

Ice Ice Baby, Too Cold, Too Cold

So, as a part of my international food sampling project, I stopped in at McDonald´s today, ordered zwei (2) cheeseburgers unt ein medium coca-cola with a lot of ice (bc if you don´t ask for a lot of ice, you´re bound to get only 2 or three small cubes), and I was informed that they don´t have ice TODAY. No ice, not today, no plans for ice anytime soon, and in any case, why are you asking for ice, the drinks are sort of cool, in a tepid kind of way, and after all, this is Germany, we don´t like ice, etc. etc. This no-ice policy is maddening. The first thing I will order when I get back is a large cup of ice. One really cool thing about this McD´s though is that you can get cheeseburgers for breakfast. That is an improvement over the American system. Unfortunately, like in the States, the service is kind of slow...also, unlike in the States the employees are allowed to wear jeans with the arches on the pockets. I will try to get a pic of this later.

In other news, we are covering a high-heel race today...the other day we covered bathtub races...I guess this is the time of year when people here like to do wacky races.

Tear Down This Wall, Pt. 2 Or Diplomatic crullers

Hello everyone, how´s it going? I went back to the Brandenburger Tor today at work to shoot some MOS´s (man on the street interviews) about what people think about Germany´s possible entrance into the Middle East. Here they call MOS´s "vox pops". Also, I heard something funny: Apparently, Kennedy´s famous quote at the Brandenburg Gate, "Ich bin ein Berliner" translates into German as "I am a donut." How´s that for transatlantic relations?

Handy

In Germany, they call their cell phones Handy´s, which always makes me think of Handy Smurf, who was like the carpenter on the Smurfs cartoon.

Feels like Fall

Kinda sleepy today...this morning was rainy and cold...feels a little like fall or spring here lately. Kinda gloomy today, but it was really nice yesterday, but Sunday was rainy, so it´s hard to tell. Tonight, I´m going to an English bookstore for Tuesday movie night, featuring an English language movie...that will be nice. I´m getting tired of always hearing German, and not understanding most of it...it is very frustrating to make such slow progress in the language, and I´m not as patient as I should be. It will be a nice respite from the mental exercise of German.

Laundry This Week

This week I went to EcoWash Waschsalon on Warschauer Strasse. It is nice, and was the place I went two weeks ago, when I first got to town...tonight there was an older lady and a dog in the place when I went in. They were friendly and the lady spoke very good english...so I took a backpack full of dirty clothes over...I just moved into a new place and there is a washing machine here, but no dryer, and all my clothes were dirty, so my plan was to go to the laundry mat this week to get things clean, and then I can use the washing machine here for smaller loads henceforth...I think it is a good plan. While my clothes were in the washer, I walked over and got a durub, which is like a doner kebap, except in a tortilla, like a burrito. It was pretty good...anyway, when I got back, the lady informed me that the computer that controls the washers and dryers would be going down in five minutes, so that I had to get my money in for the dryers before that...talk about a deadline! Luckily, I made it under the wire. Everything worked out and my clothes got clean...I had another close call, bc the lady also told me that the door automatically locks at 11p, so I had to be finished by then. Well, I was experimenting with a new way to fold my shirts, which I think was successful, but then I had to stuff everything back in the backpack. It was ok when I got back to the flat though.

Bikes

Here's a pic of the bike rack at the train station near my apt. called Ostbahnhof. Lots of people ride bikes here, and there are a lot of bike lanes. Also, they are treated like legitimate traffic, and not just a nuisance on the road. I may have to reconsider my platform on bike traffic in the States, although I don't look forward to being behind a bike when I am driving, going slow and wanting to pass without sideswiping the bike. Here there are more bike lanes though too, so I think that makes a difference also. I am thinking about getting a used bike to use while I am here, thus reversing my platform on exercise also. Wow, Europe is really changing me!

Thursday Night Lights

Hertha players cool down after the match.

This is the part of the field in soccer called the "corner", for some weird reason.
Unidentified Hertha player kicks the ball.

If there's grass on the pitch, let's play.


A Tiflis player takes a nap in the first half.

Hey Guys, I just had my first taste of UEFA Football. It was Berlin team Hertha BSC vs. a Georgian Team called FC Ameri Tiflis. It was really cool to see, and I got to go with a photog, so I was literally inches from the pitch. They didn't play at the normal stadium, they were at a smaller stadium in Prenzlauer Berg for some reason. There wasn't too much going on in the first half, but things picked up a little in the second half, and Berlin won 1-0 at the very end of the game. Pretty fun to see. The Bundesliga action starts soon, so I'm gonna try to get down to some more matches this season. Here are some pics.

Breaking News

One curious thing I´ve noticed about breaking news is that, once the initial news has broken and people in the newsroom go scurrying about reporting and researching what has happened, the breaking news becomes boring, that is, every small update or soundbite, no matter how irrelevant or lacking real news value, becomes more breaking news, and then you get nonstop coverage of boring pressers and helicopter shots of police outside a residence, or a snippet of vague noninformation from some governmental or police agency. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Cafe Am Neuen See

Last night, some current and former Burns Fellows met at Cafe Am Neuen See in the Tiergarten. I met some cool people and had a good time there. Also, we solved some world problems (crisis in Mideast, homelessness, etc) as well as discussing ethics in journalism (ie. how soon to steal a colleague´s idea). I think we made some real breakthroughs, and it didn´t really take very long. Next up: crime, poverty, and healthcare.

Delicious Meal: #53 Tortellini Alla Panna

Here is the delicious meal I eat at Cappuccino's.

Nero and Me and Claudia at Cappuccino's

Hey guys, this is Claudia, me and Nero, the owner of Cappuccino's, a great place on Simon-Dach Strasse where I get #53 Tortellini alla Panna, a delicious meal.

Deutsche Grand Prix

Hey guys, I just got back from a shoot about go-karts that are street legal. This may be the most ridiculous idea I´ve ever heard of. Berliners drive crazy enough already. I thought the smart cars were small, but these are literally go-karts like the ones at Andretti speed lab, only faster and not as sturdy...I´ll have some pics later...I was supposed to drive one, but they said I was too fat...you have to be under 100 kilos here...apparently the metric system is quite popular here. You know what they call a quarter-pounder with cheese in France? Anyway, it just proves once again that my gift of fatness can also sometimes be a curse, like my good looks and wit.

Laundry

So I had to do laundry yesterday, but I was tired by the time I got home yesterday, after checking out Unter den Linden and Brandenburg Gate, eating dinner, et al. So instead I went home and went to bed around 930p local time, which, as you may know, is a little earlier than my normal bedtime...anyway, I woke up around 130a wide awake, and decided to do laundry, since I was out of clean clothes...the laundry mats here are basically the same as in the states, but you dont pay at each machine: instead, there is a control panel with numbers that correspond to the machines, and you pay at this panel and also get soap powder. Anyway, last night I barely had enough change to start the wash and get some powder, so I had to walk down to the corner and get a doner kebap, which is like a gyro, so that I could get more change for the dryer. I know what you are thinking, assuming you have made it this far: Great Story, Joe.

The Berlin Zoo

I went to the Berlin Zoo today on a shoot. The story was about Harry Potter tours for children that visit animals featured in the popular franchise. I saw some owls there, and also a rhino, some elephants, and an alpaca, although those last three animals were not part of the Harry Potter tour. I didn't get to see a whole lot, but from what I saw, it is a nice zoo. I'll have to go back another time when I can spend more time there.

Sign Of The Times

I had lofty goals when I set out to take this photo, and as you can see, I've exceeded those goals by a wide margin. I couldn't figure out how to turn this picture right side up, so I took that as a sign that it was meant to be viewed in this way. I like the juxtaposition between older and newer. I think it says something about the duality of man.

TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!

Brandenburg Gate. I guess Ronald Reagan was right when he implored Gorbachev to tear down that wall. Apparently, there was another whole part of the city hidden behind the wall. Anyway, they did tear down most of the wall, but luckily they left the gate up. It is very impressive. Also, I'd like to take a moment to mention that although I am not a professional photographer, and rarely even pick up a camera, I take beautiful pictures which are much better than any professional could ever dream of. I guess it's just something innate, some people can run fast, some are good singers, I was just born with this gift of photo taking.

Believe the hype....

...about the transportation here...it is terrific. Trains and buses and trams(I haven't ridden the tram yet, but I hope to do so soon), on time and they arrive often...actually, I am just assuming they are on time, bc I haven't looked at a schedule, but in any case, there is another one arriving in ten minutes, so it doesn't matter. I am very impressed with the system here...at first, I thought it worked on the honor system, bc you don't have to go through a turnstile at the station with a ticket, but apparently they have random ticket searches and fine you heavily if you don't have one. Anyway, I have a ticket and it is very nice. This red train is a double decker(actually, it has three levels, but the first two are split, so I don't count that as a triple decker) with big windows, and it is very cool.

The River Spree

This is a river called the Spree that runs right through Berlin...I wish Atlanta had something like this.

Cappucino

I'm having some trouble posting pics today, I think it is a problem with the server, hopefully that will be fixed soon. My boy AG made a good point about my food intake, so the title above is not in reference to coffee, but rather to the name of this Italian cafe/restaurant/bar that I've found on the aforementioned Simon-Dach Strasse...Meal 53 is Tortellini Alla Panna, which is tortellini and ham, and it is delicious!!! I'll try to get a picture of that, also they are happy to give me ice in my drink and a regular sized coke, so I like that also.

Simon-Dach Strasse

This is Simon-Dach Strasse, a nice little street with cafes, bars and restaurants. What I love is that they never rush you out of the place, you can stay all day if you want, that's a lot different from a lot of places in the States.

Oderplatz

This is Oderplatz, a nice little square in F-Shain.

German SUV's

Just kidding...these are Smart cars...I think Smart means very small in German. It's hard to overstate how incredibly small these cars are. They look to be fairly roomy inside, though, believe it or not, although I haven't actually been inside one myself. I'm not sure how "smart" it is to drive a car whose wheelbase is shorter than your height by more than a foot, but then again I pay over $40 to fill up my Mazda 626, so what do I know. These are really cool-looking cars, though, and I'd like to ride in and/or drive one of these at some point.

One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others

On my way to catch the bus to work in the morning, walking through Wismar Platz, I saw a bunch of little brown birds and this one bright-green parakeet flying into a tree. I guess he escaped the cage and converted from domesticated to wild. That's a tough transition, but he seems to be doing well.

Pooper Scooper?...Nein, Danke

I like Berlin, and I like F-Shain, but I'm mystified by a culture that separates their garbage before throwing it away(4-way recycling/garbage cans), conserves energy, drives small cars, etc., and yet, by and large, lets their dogs crap all over the place. The dogs do seem friendlier here, though I'm not sure if that is related.

Graffiti, Thy Name Is Friedrichshain

F-Shain has more graffiti per capita than any neighborhood in the world...of course, I just made that up, but seriously, there is a lot of graffiti here. If I decide to move here and start a business, I think I'll open up a little shop that sells cans of spray paint.

Monday, August 7

Hey kids, Joe here. Had a pretty good weekend, but I stayed out too late and I'm tired now. Met some Burns Fellows on Friday at Prater Biergarten, that was cool. There weren't very many people there, surprisingly. Maybe because it was chilly that night. Saturday, I went to a party at Moritz's house, that was a lot of fun. Then last night, I just bummed around F-Shain all day, hanging out at cafes and wandering around.

Today is one week since I arrived in Berlin, and I like the city a lot.