Adapting Effort(less) to my To Do Lists

As I go about my life, I always keep several lists close at hand.  Some are very basic and involve specific tasks, like the list I made this morning for what I need (want) to accomplish today before leaving on my business trip tomorrow.  The list is short, only four items, two of which are absolutely vital to my trip.  In no specific order, the items are:  clean the flat, get cash, go the supermarket, and pack.

Simply writing these items down is sufficient for me to get everything done; if I want to get more specific, then I will make a sub-list for a specific thing.  Like my shopping list for the grocery store.  I actually have gotten better about reusing post-it notes for this task, as I invariably purchase the same staple items.  There is no point to rewrite the same ten items on a new post-it each week.  (However, it has occurred to me that I might be able to improve my penmanship, which could help me avoid standing in the middle of the store trying to figure out my scribble on a crumpled post-it).

Pause for a second as I suddenly realize that I do not see that many other shoppers in my local market carrying around a list, so unless they are concealing it on the inside of their hand (like they are cheating on a spelling test or something), I am pretty amazed that German society is so capable of routine shopping without a list.  Then again, I cannot really measure on the success rate of the other shoppers.  For me, even with my list (again a note to self - improve penmanship), I manage to forget one or two items until I get home to put everything away, at which point I get to say, "Damn, add that to the list for next time."

Of course, next time for me is only a couple of days away.

For list items such as "clean the flat" and "pack," I rarely have to get too detailed.  Usually, clean the flat relates to normal maintenance as opposed to getting out the sandblaster and industrial scrubbers. Likewise, packing is a pretty straight forward thing.  If I will only be gone for a few nights, then it is a simple exercise in counting.  One of the advantages to wearing remarkably similar clothing day in and day out is that I don't have to think about wardrobe combinations very much.  While this makes things simple (if not boring), it does allow for moments of bewilderment among my friends and the super capable shoppers who live in my neighborhood.

Just last weekend, after I had abandoned my effort to get a blog piece posted on account that I was trying too hard with both the title and the content, I walked into the pub only to be greeted with a comment, "Holy shit, Bryan, you are wearing a red shirt."

Later on the same evening, someone else made a similar remark, and I related the abridged account of when I had purchased my Shallow Reign t-shirt at a Monsters of Rock concert back in the summer of 1988.  Chris was there, and he was the one who made me get a red shirt (instead of my usual black or white).  Our conversation quickly touched on the amazing fact that said shirt does not look 30 years old, but, as Erik said, maybe 5 or 6 years old.  No one believed me when I told them how many times I had worn the shirt through the years, though in fairness, I've only worn it once or twice in the past decade.

Anyway, back to lists.  Besides the basic day to day routine lists, I also keep some running lists which are more goal oriented.  Last year, I got a tip from a woman who helped me better understand the importance of specifics.  Thus, instead of simply saying, "I want to read more," she suggested that I quantify the statement.  That way, I would be able to measure my achievement. 

I do take her point on board, but notice that this can sometimes create conflict.  There is nothing worse than setting ambitious goals, then falling disastrously short.  I tend to apply Bryanlogic to my tasks, including goal setting, and am very well versed in attempting to be realistic.  That being said, one cannot forget that, with kids and Bryans, all plans are subject to change.  Therefore, a certain extent of flexibility needs to be present.  This includes accepting whatever happens.

I recently reread the general personal development lists that I made for myself over the past few years.  Not surprisingly, they are all similar, and not particularly specific.  Again, there is no set order for these items, but they include:  read more, improve German language, play more piano, get fitter, smoke less, and write more.

With writing, I keep a sort of personal journal and obviously post pieces on this blog.  Although I would like to get a piece posted each week, I realize (as do any regular readers) that it won't always happen, like last week, for example.  Still, I am able to measure the accomplishment not just by looking at the stats on the blog site, but more importantly, by noticing how I feel.  Just like with lifting weights (part of the "get fitter" task) regularly, I notice how I feel WHEN I have not exercised.  Exercising creates energy for the body, and writing exercises the mind.  Both are really good things.

I am careful to keep these things in a balance, so I do not beat myself up (too much) when I get caught up in other things.   This has been a sore spot for me with regard to learning the German and Spanish languages over the years.  For a while, I really got irritated with myself for trying too hard to keep both Spanish and German languages level as high as possible.  Living in a German speaking society allows for less opportunity to regularly use Spanish; anyone who is multilingual certainly understands this challenge.  For me, I have relaxed the pressure I was putting on myself to try and keep a grasp of Spanish, and channeled the energy into exploring ways to actually focus more on German, which is the logical thing to do, considering where I live.

When I got my new laptop the other month, I was glad to be able to install some German language learning software, and for several weeks was diligently doing some refresher work on various points, like articles, verb conjugation and the like. Of course, it was great to be able to measure the progress via the program, but since August, things have gotten ridiculously busy at work, and I have simply not found the time to go through a few of the exercises as much as I wanted.

Rather than allow myself to feel lousy for not being able to keep up (pause to admire those people who work full time and study full time), I find other ways to stay immersed in German, most recently through German medium.  I am tending only to watch German language programming, and it continues to help, particularly as a refresher for expression and culture.  I won't quite say that it is now effortless, but this year I am noticing even more than before that I am not as conscious of which language I am using.

A couple of nights ago, I was playing the quiz at the pub.  It was sort of spontaneous thing, but our team consisted of  myself, 3 Germans, and 2 guys who only speak English.  I lost track of which language we were speaking most of the evening.  All the Germans (not surprisingly) speak English, but 90% of the time we speak with each other in German, unless there are nonspeakers around, like Thursday night.

It is a great feeling to be able to switch languages back and forth without realizing it.  I had another reminder of this the following day while participating in multiple conference calls, some internal, with German speaking colleagues, others external, with the same colleagues along with some non-German speakers.  The fuzzy feeling just creates great energy, and I am not even really trying.

With piano playing, it is the same.  I have commented frequently on the effortless mastery technique that Kenny Werner writes about, and I think that actually applying to multiple facets of my life is further improving my approach to music.  I am currently working on four new pieces of work, and all of them are challenging, both technically and expressively.  It is a lot of stuff to learn at one time, and can easily be discouraging if I let it.

Playing these pieces with the focus on becoming more familiar with the work (rather than playing it correctly) is accelerating the process.  I am not worried about having all of them mastered before I play them for Grandmother during Christmas holidays, but am simply enjoying not thinking too much about playing them.  Focusing on enjoyment allows me to let go, and simply appreciate the moment. 

I know I have used this personal example in the past, especially with language learning, but it fits. I cannot be the only one who, when learning to ride a bicycle without training wheels, was pedaling along without a care in the world, only to glance over my shoulder, expecting to see my father running along supporting the back of my bike seat.  The shock of not seeing him there (but 50 yards behind, instead, standing and smiling) immediately knocked me back into consciousness, prompting me to wobble and crash the bike.  Had I simply not concentrated, I would have kept riding for another 2 days, or at least until it was time to go in for supper.

Playing these new piano pieces is the same.  I will be moving right through a passage, flowing along as happily as ever, when I suddenly I allow a thought into my head: where am I on the page of music? or do I have the fingering right?

Bam, I lose the flow and immediately have my fingers tangled up. 

So I have to pause, get myself back into the mindset, then start again.  It's actually easy, once you get the hang of it.  And, all four of them are coming along nicely; I only started working on them a few weeks ago.

Now, if you will excuse me, I am going get cracking on my little list for today.  But I am not going to think about it to much. 

see you out there
bryan

Tunes and School

This past week, the kids started back to school in the state of Hessen.  Several of my friends in the neighborhood all have children under the age of 10, and I thought of them this past week as I listened to the sounds coming from the school playground across the street from my apartment.  It's always kind of an exciting time as everyone gets back into the school year routine; getting up early, doing homework (maybe), and starting any extracurricular activities. 

Yesterday when I spoke with my father on skype, he mentioned that he saw all the little kids in his neighborhood trooping off for their first day of the new school year.  Likewise, I have seen a fair amount of "back to school" photos posted by parents on facebook of my younger friends all starting their new grade.  My own nephew is just starting his final year of high school (2-4-6-8 who do we appreciate? seniors, that's who) and I took a few minutes to reflect back on my own school days, all those years ago. 

I was always really anxious on the first day of school, from kindergarten through university, though I might argue that university years were noticeably different from the k-12 era.  But local public school?   Incredible.  Every year on the last night before starting back to school, my folks would have to really calm me down, and then the following evening, AFTER the first day of school was finished, everything was perfect again, and we could all sort of laugh as we (or better said, my parents) would say, "See, there was nothing to be worried about?"

Although I still get a little anxious when starting something new (ie..a new job, a new project, etc), it amazes me how worked up I got all those year ago.  After all, the pressures of being a student these days are considerably higher than they were 30-40 years ago.  Yet most of the photos I see are of smiling kids wearing their new duds and embracing the excitement of the new school year; no one seems as apprehensive as I felt.  Fair play to them. 

Over the years, I have mentioned how how much I disliked high school, almost to the point of being unhappy.  Of course, it had much more to do simply with me being bored, ready for new challenges, wanting to be independent and treated like an adult (but with the safety of still having a place to live and a semi-regular stream of cash flow), but unable to completely express what it was exactly that I was looking for.  This experience is no different from any other student of the same age, but obviously everyone has to go through their own experience.

Like many students before me and after me, I found my solace in music.  It was always about the music, and for sure, music is what helped get me through high school.  My tastes were (still are, for that matter) far away from mainstream, but I found others with similar music tastes, and it was no real surprise that they, too, were equally annoyed with the trials and tribulations of being a teenager. 

We were all searching for answers, and there were so many questions.  But we found common ground in the music. 

Earlier this week at Kioskabend, we got to talking about the Sisters of Mercy. A couple of my friends  first got into SoM in the early 90s, which is a little understandable due to the fact that it sometimes takes longer for some music to get to other parts of the world.  As it were, the Sisters were rather obscure in the USA in the mid-80s; it was hard enough for me to my hands on their stuff.  But the Sisters and an associated act, the Mission, had a tremendous influence on me during high school.  In fact, the Mission still drives one of my mantras to this day.  So, I was a little surprised when my friends were talking about their discovery of these bands some 8-10 years later. 

To be fair, we have had similar conversations on other evenings at the Kiosk where I have been the latecomer; a certain band might have been well known (on the underground scene) in Germany for years before I ever heard their music. 

Talking about music is still one of my favorite past times, and it's really interesting to get different perspectives and experiences from the friends I have made over the years.  It's a real positive for me to still have the opportunity to discuss music with folks in Germany, and it often reminds me of those school days, where I felt like I only had music to break up the monotony of being a frustrated adolescent.  As we have all grown up, reflected on our life experiences and shared with others, we inevitably recall a certain tune or certain band that sticks firmly in our memory.

Thus, I listened to the Sisters of Mercy catalog this morning while writing this piece.  30 years ago, I was getting back to start my second year of college with Tim (and playing this stuff non-stop) and today, I am actually thinking about Tim's son and the new chapter in life as he begins freshman year in college.  Likewise for my cousin's kid, who is also entering university.  I have to assume that they all have a go-to group that they listen to regularly. 

I laugh out loud as I bring this piece to a close; I just glanced up on my kitchen wall at a poster that I have had for many years.

Yep, it used to be on my dorm room wall. 

see you out there
bryan

Fernseher und Football

Flashback to August 1998, when I returned to Dallas after having lived in the Boston area for almost two years.  I initially lived with my folks for a few months, but in early 1999 I started the little Goliad experience.

For almost four years, I lived happily without a television set.  I was quite proud of myself for finding other ways to occupy my time and avoid getting trapped in the routine of watching regular shows.  Of course, I spent the majority of my time in a few pubs, which had its share of positives and negatives.  I will take a moment and congratulate all of those students who were able to afford going to college from the income they collected from my generous tips and tabs. As I mentioned the other week, I got tons of great writing and reflection done in those wonderful establishments (2 of which still remain very popular to this day), and that alone is more than enough to justify the time.

In 2002, I did finally obtain a television set, albeit a hand me down from my folks, who had just purchased a new set for their living room.  So, I suddenly had a 13 inch TV that was already about 10 years old.  It served its purpose (I will get to that in a minute), even though it only had one channel that came in clearly; the reception in the area was not all that great, hence only one station.

Within a year or two, my parents again had to buy a television, for reasons I can no longer remember.  But, it meant that I got the next hand me down, which happened to be a 25 inch TV.
OOOH!  I was suddenly excited to have a large viewing screen in my small studio.  I felt like I was advancing in the tech world, and ended up buying a region-free DVD player so I could enjoy international film.  (Despite my averseness to television, I am a huge fan of cinema)

Well, I left Goliad for Spain in early 2006, moving in with my sister and her family.  Midway through that summer, they purchased their first flat screen television, which was quite large (and expensive) for the time.  Again, we all went "OOOH!" when first seeing the beautiful quality of the lovely set.

This "OOOH" feeling is almost identical to the feeling that most people had when sitting in a movie theater and seeing, hearing, experiencing the THX trailer before a movie started.  I cannot be the only one who went "OOOH" during those experiences, and I still have the same reaction every time.

At any rate, once I got to Germany, my furnished flat had a 25 inch CRT television, which was a step in the wrong direction from my previous time in Spain.  Unfortunately, when the television (which was already about 20 years old when I moved into the flat) stopped working, my landlord replaced it with another 25 inch CRT.  By 2007, CRT TVs were on the decline, making them very inexpensive for landlords who had no desire to put an expensive flat screen television into a rented flat.  I can understand their point.

It did not really matter to me.  Soon after, the cable company enforced their service on all the tenants, and those that did not subscribe to the service simply had no television service.  Because of this, I had no problems over the next decade declining to pay my FUNK tax, which is, to put it simply, is the way the government charges you for public broadcasting.  For those of us who love PBS but hate the fundraising drives, the German solution is quite superior; they simply take the money from EVERYONE, regardless of who uses the service.  (Now is not time to get wound up about this practice, reread the blog title if you need a reminder of what we are discussing)

So, for about a decade, I have had a television set without any available channels sitting in my living room, but I certainly used it to watch my DVDs.  Finally, in 2017, during a visit from my parents, I finally decided to invest in a flat screen television.  I checked around and made comparisons and ultimately decided on a medium sized model that fit my price range.  Several friends had already made similar purchases and advised me to for the biggest screen I could possibly get.  I stuck with a somewhat smaller version, which I am still happy with.  Based on the prices of flat screen Fernseher these days, my model is comparable to what some parents might purchase for their teenager as a Christmas gift, which is exactly what happened to my nephew.  He has the identical model to mine. 

But you know what?  I still go "OOOHH!" when I sit in my living room and watch a DVD.

Furthermore, because of the available apps, I have more access to some streaming content, particularly in German.  This has helped improved my language ability, and a small part of me does kind of wish I had done a little more viewing of German language broadcasting in my early days of living here.

That being said, watching programming now (with a much stronger level of the language) is more like entertainment and less like a language study lesson.  In short, I am more used to certain character actors with a German synchronized voice as opposed to the actual film star.  In fact, I regularly forget which language I watch something in.  Sometimes in English, and sometimes in German.

I waited for almost a year before accepting Nadja's offer to share in her Netflix account, and I must say that the additional available content as been very welcome.  I still tend to stick to movies, but as readers of recent posts will recall, I am watching a few more series.

Still, I like the fact that it is on demand programming, and I still do not get enthusiastic about a lot of series that are constantly being discussed by fans and followers.  I may decide one day to watch those shows, too, but for now, I am pretty content.

With one exception.

(Pause while a few readers go "FINALLY.  He is getting around to talking Football.")

Precisely.

The whole reason that I got that little TV back in 2002 was simply to watch the World Cup.  (Yep, Pablo, once again we can reminisce about those cries of "Korea fighting!" and the like)

A few people might remember one of the post-Christmas stories I wrote up after a wonderful visit to Valencia, where I refer to that super month in 2012 when I did not get much sleep, but saw EVERY game of the World Cup, despite the time differences.   I got maybe a couple of hours a sleep a night during the group stage, was a complete grouchy jerk at work, and I loved every minute of it.

And, I saw the all the matches on the one little channel I could get, which was Univision, the Spanish broadcasting channel. (Yes, my Spanish certainly improved during this time, hence the slight regret about waiting so long to get on track with German broadcasting)

After the World Cup was over, I continued watching Univision, and became a fan of their morning show (the equivalent to the Today Show or Good Morning America or whatever).  Because my screen size was so dinky, it was still very easy to turn the set off and do something more productive, like go to the Old Monk.

During this era, I was frantically trying to keep up with English football, particularly the Arsenal.  Back then, my local pubs did show International matches (Qualifiers and such) and we would regularly be at the Dubliner on Saturday mornings for 9am matches that were taking place on nice European Saturday afternoons.  Those were good times, but sometimes a little inconvenient.

One day, Chris mentioned that maybe I could piggy back on his cable subscription service, and after a little contemplation, I had a little set top box and access to hundreds of channels.  All pretty much worthless to me.

But, a network decided to market heavily the fact that they were going to show many of the English league football matches, and finally I was going to be able to have an opportunity to see the Arsenal.  During this time, Arsenal were constantly in the top 4, if not champions, so their matches were being shown in markets where the sport was not so well known (by English speakers).

In order to get access to this one channel that showed the English soccer (yep...we all remember the Fox Soccer Network), I had to call up the nice people at the cable company to sign up for an additional package.  The night I called the lady, she was really nice and pleasant, but still had to charge me 30 extra dollars a month to gain access to approximately 150 additional channels, just so I could get access to the ONE that I wanted.

"But I don't want to watch shows about catching alligators in the Bayou," I pleaded.  "Nor am I the kind of consumer that wants access to high school football games from Wisconsin."  (It was a sports package, I must point out.)

In the end, I paid up, and for probably two years, I spent about 60 dollars a month to have access to one station that I really wanted.  In my opinion, it was again money well spent, and I can recall some wonderful Saturday mornings sitting in my apartment at 6h30 watching an Arsenal match with Chris, who had made the 5 second trek across the backyard.  Sure, we could have watched those matches in his living room, but we would have disturbed the rest of the family, as we tended to get a little jumpy and loud.  Arsenal 5 - Spurs 4.  Nothing else to be said.

About this time, a couple of local pubs started arranging to be open for the early morning weekend matches, and this too, was a great experience to have.  I met a lot of great people, all of them football fans that cared enough to get up at 6am on Saturday morning after 4 hours of sleep, raging hangover (sometimes) to have a little breakfast and enjoy the morning.

The great part about some of this was the fact that a 9h30, when most of the matches were over, one could get on with their regular Saturday activities, particularly those involving people who were not necessarily soccer fans.


Well, in 2006, I moved to Spain.  Lynne and Fran bought their big screen super duper television, and it was a World Cup year.  OOOH!

In my joy of moving to Europe, I had forgotten about the time difference, so there were some challenges with catching the WC matches, as I mentioned in one of my posts from summer 2006.

Once I got to Germany, a county full of football fans, I found no difficulty watching the matches in the pub, as I have described over the past 13 years of my life here.  When matches are not being shown at the pub, or at least, not the matches I want to see,  I would have to resort to using some suspect streaming website to try and follow the Arsenal, usually with commentary in some random language like Cantonese or Swahili.  I had more than one problem with my laptop after using these sites, but again, that's another story.

Ironically, most everyone in the US has almost 100% coverage of all English football matches, now.  This is somewhat convenient for me when I return to the states for a Christmas visit; I am usually able to catch the matches at my father's house.

However, in Europe, the competition for television rights has continued to be brutal, and expensive.

This never was a huge issue for me, since I always had the pub, or as a rather poor alternative, the use of dodgy websites.  Somehow I have continued to be able to regularly see the Arsenal matches, even if the team have not been nearly as exciting as years previously.  Once a fan, always a fan.

Last August, I realized that a web streaming service, DAZN, was offering English league coverage for a very reasonable monthly price.  I have a lot of German friends who are football fans, particularly for the Frankfurt team, and through the years we have discussed the annoying charges associated with subscribing to whichever big network was covering the various Football leagues.  The German league is obviously the important focus for the typical German football fan, so they experience similar headaches and irritations of having to pay premiums just to have coverage of Bundesliga, and the packages they are paying for include similar uninteresting channels like ones that show junior high handball tournaments or some other less popular sport. 

In 2018, DAZN proudly announced that they would show ALL English top flight matches, and I did not need much more incentive.  Okay, so there was virtually no coverage of Bundesliga, but that, too, was fine.  I follow Eintracht, I consider myself a fan, but a fan that can live with seeing a handful of matches during the course of the season. 

My friends who were forced to pay hefty monthly fees for Bundesliga coverage would regularly complain, and I was able to say, "yep, I used to pay about the same price just to see a couple of matches a week back when I was still living in the states."

Well, for 10 euro a month, I had sufficient coverage of the Arsenal during the past season, and even got used to the German commentary.  It is not like the language was a challenge, but more so the style of color commentary.  I have commented on this in previous posts, and it really just comes down to personal preference.  It is no real surprise that the English matches televised in the US markets get covered by a British commentator.  It supposedly "sounds" more authentic, and in fairness, I will admit that when a German native tries to say something like "into the fray" or "what a naughty tackle, indeed," it just is not the same.

And commentary certainly has its place.  My childhood and adolescence is much more enriched because I got to watch Keith Jackson talk about college football (American) for so many years.  Likewise, announcers for basketball or baseball find their niche and their voice.
DAZN would show some of these sports from the USA and although I hardly ever watched, I would always kind of chuckle as I listened to a German announcer try and replicate an American announcer.

I have a couple of favorite announcers for the English football leagues, and I still enjoy listening to them when the opportunity arises.  In truth, I would prefer the English accent when viewing a match, and I was always irritated listening to an American commentator try and call an English league match, since they always tended to make it sound like a baseball game instead of the actual sport on display.  As I mention above, the Germans have a similar difficulty, since it is not as if they are all that familiar with many American sports.  Listening to a German guy talk about "driving the lane" or "going downtown" just sounds, well, almost silly.

Of course, fans of a sport learn to adapt to the environment, and I am the same.  After all, I am fan of the sport not because of the commentary, but because of the sport itself. 

A couple of weeks ago, I got a notice from DAZN indicating that they would be increasing their monthly fees from August 2019, but they would also offer an opportunity to pay the same previous monthly rate (10 euro) if I chose to pay for one full year.  I am still deciding how I want to continue with them, but the price difference is marginal, especially for someone who put 5 people through college just from my pub tabs.  Almost 20 years ago.

What did slip past me with DAZN is that THIS year, they will not have the English league broadcast.  I discovered this yesterday morning when I checked to their schedule to see when they would show the first Arsenal match.  One of the small irritations I had with DAZN last year was (partially my fault) not realizing that when they said ALL matches, they did not mean "live." 

Thus, several times during the course of the last season, I did not get to watch the Arsenal match until a few hours later.  The first time this happened really ticked me off, as I had spent the hour before kick-off cooking a large meal, intent on sitting down to feast during the football match. 

After that mishap, I would always check ahead of time, so knew when I would be delayed or when I could get the live feed.  Still, DAZN showed all of the Europa League matches, and since Arsenal were in that, I still found the 10 euro monthly fee reasonable, even if I was not watching all that frequently.  Additionally, it was not as if I was watching any of their other programing.  In short, I calculated the monthly fee for 12 months against the number of league matches (plus Europa) and came up with a price per match.  Again, very reasonable.  In my economic world.

So yesterday when I suddenly realized that I was in a real pickle, I had to quickly search for other options.  No, I did not want to invest in cable/satellite television, since none of that is very interesting to me.  I have enough options with my streaming channels and Netflix, probably more than enough.

But, I needed a football solution, and came across, gulp, Sky.  This, in fairness, has always been an option for me, and one that I never really wanted to opt for, but I discovered there is a way to get broadcasting without having to get a set top box, and so, I am now a subscriber to their streaming service, which does give me access to all the Premiership games.  Live.  Yes, it will be a tad more expensive than I had initially planned, so I may have to rethink my DAZN deal, although they have the rights to Europa. 

Now, part of the reason I have always liked about NOT having a television is the fact that I never had to deal with the distraction.  I am still very glad that television viewing was very limited in our household when I was growing up.  That is one of the big reasons that I continue to be an avid reader, and still average maybe 20 to 30 books a year. 

Likewise, I do not like paying for something that I do not use, or at least, find some value in.  On the plus side, I am able to pay a nominal fee (in my opinion) for the ONE service that interests me, and I am rather grateful for that.  Sure, I may miss out on the extensive sports package, which means that I will not be able to watch a junior high handball tournament or see some obscure German sport, but I think that will be okay. 

Meanwhile, the English league kicked off last evening with a Liverpool match, and I tuned in to my new subscription. 

I got a little irritated as the German commentator tried to sing "You'll Never Walk Alone," but hopefully he won't do something similar during the Arsenal match tomorrow.

So, with my Arsenal solution in place, I am ready for the season.  With joy, excitement, and hope.

It is a perfect time to say, "OOOHH!" 

see you out there
bryan

Too Hot for Tapas? Never

A couple of weeks ago, we experienced the hottest temperatures of the summer in Frankfurt.  I think most of Europe went through a bit of a heat wave.  It sucked.

I stopped trying to remember previous summers for comparison, even though it was a common conversation topic when I was out and about.  People still make the assumption that, being from Texas, I am used to the heat, and my responses are always very similar.  It sucked then, and it sucks now. 
True, we are not talking about anything like the great heat wave of 1980, when Dallas had about 42 straight days of temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius, including a few days of 42-45 degrees. 

Still, this summer has been particularly humid, which really pushes you to the limit when trying to maintain your sense of humor.  My laptop, which tends to struggle (somewhat desperately albeit bravely) during the warmer months of the year, finally hinted that it was on it's last legs.  So, I made a rather spontaneous purchase and spent one very warm Friday evening waiting for it be delivered.  The online information indicated that the delivery time would be between 10am-6pm; the guy arrived at almost 10h30 that night, sweating profusely.  I, too, was sweating a good deal, myself, so the process of signing for the package was awkward, wet, and gross.

But, I really like my laptop, and like with any new toy, it helped keep my spirits up during the following week, when the temperatures were really soaring. I hardly left the house, preferring to suffer the heat on my own.  After all, it was hot everywhere, inside or outside.  And I did not really feel like going to talk to other people just to reiterate that fact. 

A friend of mine was coming into town, and we had made dinner plans two Fridays ago at a little Spanish restaurant in the neighborhood.  Fortunately, the temperature had dropped ever so slightly from the two previous days (which were above 40 degrees C), but it was still ridiculously hot.  In situations like this, since everyone is suffering, fashion sort of takes a lower priority.  No matter how dudded up you think you are, you are still dudded up and sweaty.  With the humidity being so high, it was difficult to get comfortable.  Sitting at a small restaurant table, even being outside, was a trick.

That being said, we had a really nice evening enjoying the great tapas.  The restaurant is a a favorite of ours, but we just do not get there all that often, for one reason or other.  Max, Susie and I all chatted about how glad we were to be able to have a chance to eat there once again.  The service was really pleasant, and the waitress made sure to bring us bottles of water, almost without asking.  (This is a bit unusual in Europe, especially when comparing to the experience in an American restaurant, where the guy comes by and refills your water glass every five seconds.)

After we had consumed a couple of rounds of tapas, the owner came out to greet us and offer us a Schnaps, making for a super experience once again. 

As the evening came to a close, we decided to try and meet up for dinner again the following week before Susie was to leave Frankfurt after completing her business.  I suggested a little German restaurant which just opened around the corner from my flat, but left things open, as we had time to think about where we would want to go.

Last Saturday, I took a few hours to get some personal writing done, allowing me to reflect on a lot of different things.  I do try and keep a little journal, but it has been a while since I have really been able (to want) to find the time to sit down and allow my thoughts to flood the pages of a notebook.
One of the nice things about the hot summer period is that a lot of people are either away on holiday or simply staying at home because it is too hot.  I took advantage of this and sat in the pub, almost on my own, save for Maria and a couple of other guests.  I enjoyed the time and reminisced about the countless hours I have spent around the world, sitting in a pub, writing in my journal.  If I had to calculate college credit hours, I'd probably be approaching a PHD.  Definitely time well spent.

The weather forecast had hinted at Gewitter; a large storm was supposed to blow into Frankfurt and cool things off.  I was really looking forward to this.   More than once, I have seen a windstorm suddenly blow a patio umbrella out of it's stand and send it tumbling across the terrace.  This alone makes for some humorous (at least for me) excitement.  People always get very dramatic, as they exclaim, "Wow, that could have killed somebody."

Sure, freak accidents do happen, but usually not with such an extreme result.  Of course, the same people that makes those kinds of comments are also the ones that immediately start going "AAAGGHHHH, It's raining, I am getting wet" when a sudden thunderstorm starts bucketing down, drenching everyone.  These are the same people who, just a few days prior, had been staggering around in the 40plus degree heat like zombies, saying, "AAAGGHHHH, I am dying."

But, I digress.

I am the kind of guy that does enjoy seeing people slip on banana peels, or in this case, seeing someone get clocked by a large piece of patio furniture hurtling across a plaza.  Likewise, I love getting soaked in a rainstorm, so long as I am not on my way to a business meeting, a wedding, or some formal occasion. 

Alas, by Saturday evening, we still had no rainstorm and the temperatures were still a bit warm.  Late that night, we had a little bit of rain, but nothing like what the forecast had called for.  Thus, the humidity continued.

This humidity continued into this past week, and it did absolutely nothing to help my mood, which was darkened by a lot of political crap at work.  People changed their minds some 400 times during the course of three days, and I was really struggling to stay true to my mantra, "take it as it comes."

Meanwhile, the humidity wreaked havoc with my espresso machine; the coffee started getting really bitter, the milk wasn't foaming properly, and I was getting really irritated.  

By Thursday evening, I was desperate for the weekend, and ventured over to the pub for a couple of pints.  Since I had been a bit of a homebody the previous week, I was eager for a little company, and was glad to run into Mono, who hates the heat more than I do.  We had a brief, humorous discussion about the Love Boat (tv series), which was rather out of character for both of us, as we normally stick to more mundane conversation topics like what would happen if a patio umbrella flew up and knocked somebody over, and who would we want that somebody to be...

At any rate, I had just completed my lipsync of the Love Boat theme song (complete with choreography) when Erik walked in.  Erik had been away on holiday in Thailand for most of July, so he was particularly upset to return home to really warm, humid weather.  As we were speaking, I thought about a friend of mine who had just spent the last couple of evenings in hospital after an operation.  I knew she was glad to be back home in the humid comforts of her flat as opposed to being in a stuffy hospital. 

Thursday nights are quiz nights at the pub.  Normally I go home about the time the quiz gets started, but I ended up sticking around and forming a team with a few friends.  We ended up winning the quiz, but more importantly, I simply enjoyed the evening, and it certainly distracted me from all the challenges of the work week. 

I woke up Friday morning definitely ready for the weekend, and got through the work day without too much hassle.  Susie, Max, and I had decided on the little German place after all, and after a quick drink in the pub, headed over to find a table.  This place serves what they refer to as German tapas, and in short, offer small traditional German dishes in tapas portions, but with a Mediterranean twist.  For example, you can get a little tiny schnitzel, or a bit of sausage resting on a little potato salad; perfect tapas portions.  The three of us went through two rounds of tapas, and were really satisfied.
The place has only been open about six weeks, and I had already been there a couple of times.  I was glad both Max and Susie enjoyed the meal, also.  There are a fair amount of cafes and restaurants in the neighborhood, many of them excellent, but it's always nice to find a new place. 

Afterwards, we headed back to the pub for another couple of drinks, where we met the traditional Friday folks.  I ran into a few friends I hadn't seen in a while, so the evening was great.  And, the temperature finally broke, and things cooled off considerably.

I went home at a reasonable hour, thoroughly content with the company and food of the evening.  Not surprisingly, I slept very soundly, and woke up this morning to delightfully cool temperatures.  I got my espresso machine sorted out, so the coffees are tasting great, and as soon as I finish this post, I will book my flights to Dallas for Christmas.

It's a great way to continue the weekend. 

see you out there
bryan

Using the Bus and Getting Out of My Comfort Zone

Once again, it has been an action packed week, packed with plenty of frustrations and a heck of a lot of chaos.  We are starting a new project at work that I will be actively involved in.  Things have not gotten off to a particularly stellar start, and I allowed my frustrations to get the better of me early on in the week.

One of our customers is expanding their sales into Germany and has an aggressive target for "go live."
While this is nothing new, I found myself getting really worked up about things, particularly since my sales colleagues (and various other colleagues) have said yes to a whole lot of things that are actually beyond our control.

Again, this is nothing new.  In my line of work, it has ALWAYS been this way.  Everything ends up falling on the ops guy, who happens to be me.  For the next couple of days, I was in a funk and couldn't stop asking myself why people kept throwing me under the bus.

During my lunch break Tuesday afternoon, I watched a video of my cousin's recent sermon.  My cousin has just started a new appointment in a church in Saint Louis, and it's a bit of a new challenge for him.  He had been at his last appointment for 11 years, and his new church has a bigger membership.  He had to move out of his old house, move into the new house, and get started in the new role at his church: the sermon I viewed was only his second week there.  That is a lot to happen all at once. 

Andy's message had a lot to do with being put into uncomfortable situations.  Later that evening, I had a chance to put things in perspective.  My cousin, like all gifted ministers, used personal experience and common everyday examples in his sermon.  Moving house is never an easy task, and one that few people look forward to, but from time to time you have to do it.

I thought about my current challenges with the job, and realized that part of my frustration was simply getting pushed into a new, uncomfortable situation.  Even though I am familiar with the upcoming tasks, I do not like being forced to move faster than I feel is realistic (cautious) to accomplish something, and I really do not like working with other individuals who made decisions in effort to please the customer rather than try and understand the reality.  To me, this always means that we are setting ourselves up for failure, or at least, not achieving optimal results.

For the rest of the week, I tried to focus on what was really driving me nuts.  During the evenings, I got interested in a Danish-Swedish crime series, one that involves a detective who has Asperger syndrome.  Like most other Nordic productions, it is slick, dark, and gripping.   The detective is extremely competent:  by the book and very thorough.  However, she lacks a lot of social skills, which presents conflict between herself and her colleagues, as well as with suspects and other people she is in contact with.  Because of her lack of emotion, she does not always understand why people react negatively to her comments. 

My awareness of this disorder has really grown.  I have read up on the subject, and am somewhat glad that a dramatic television series has helped raise this awareness.  While I fully respect the seriousness of Asperger syndrome, there are some humorous moments that come up in the series, because of the circumstances. 

For example, in one episode the detective has to speak with a distraught parent about a kidnapped child, and rather than try and comfort the parent with  hope, she ends up bluntly stating that the likelihood that the child is already dead is very high. 


The partner of the detective tries to assist her with her tact, suggesting that she thank her colleagues for their efforts, etc.  He goes on to suggest that she try and personally interact with them, which prompts her to join a group having a coffee break and state matter of factly, "I got my period today."

This became rather awkward for the other colleagues, who did not really know how to respond. 

As you can imagine, the detective struggles to understand why other colleagues don't approach the job like she does, why they aren't willing to work nonstop through the night, etc.

I recognized some similarities in my own professional situation.  I, too, get frustrated when colleagues don't do things "my way," and the more I thought about it as the weekend approached, I realized that this was driving a lot of my anger.  

The fear and anxiety with the work project is coming from not only me not wanting to let the side down, but also because I don't like being told what to do, especially when the instructions are to implement a plan that I did not have a part in developing, and one that seems unrealistic and destined for failure.  Why? Because I have the feeling that I am being held responsible for something that is outside of my control. 

What do I do about it? 

Well, for starters, I reminded myself just how capable I am as a professional.   My efforts and experience have got me to this point, and even though the past months have been a little quiet on the job front, with too little to do, I reminded myself that having to kick into gear sometimes means that you have to accelerate much faster than you'd like.  However, the contrast here has more to do with the fact that things were simply so slow during the first half of the year.  Suddenly having to go at full speed is a bit of a shock.

My mother always stated that she felt like she had been shot out of a cannon when waking up in the morning.  She was not what people would call a "morning person,"  one that could awaken and start the day with fresh zeal.   This was particularly noticeable when compared to my father, who tends to rise early, get in a workout at the YMCA, read the paper, do the tax returns, schedule 5 appointments, then have breakfast.  All before 7h30. 

My parents were always aware of this difference and often laughed about it.  More importantly, they learned to live with the difference.  Maybe saying that the embraced the challenge is a bit of a stretch, but I'll still use the example.

Rather than getting irritated with my colleagues approach the task differently than me, I will rise to the challenge, and embrace it.  In short, rather than allow myself to be thrown under the bus, I will slide into the driver seat and take a bit more control.  And accept what comes.  With joy, with anticipation, and with excitement. 

Sure, right now it is not so comfortable, but as it gets more familiar, it will once again become easier. 

Effortless mastery in action.  Why not?

see you out there
bryan

Bad Karaoke and Squeaky Sambas

After my last post, I spent the Saturday evening watching a couple of movies that I first saw as a teenager back in the 80s.  I came across Conan the Barbarian as I flicked through the available stuff in Netflix and ended up watching it all the way through.  Afterwards, feeling the need for something to stimulate my mind, I made it a double feature night and proceeded to watch Driving Miss Daisy. 

I have always had a tendency towards extreme contrasts.  If I happen to watch a movie that absolutely scares the shit out of me, I immediately watch something like Brother Bear or Finding Nemo to help bring the warm fuzzies back.  Even though my record collection is filled heavily with a lot of punk and darker rock and roll, I am able to (rather happily) have an in depth conversation about the compositions of Rodgers and Hammerstein at any time.  And I am certainly not the only person who finds need for something a little salty (like peanuts or potato chips) after eating a really sweet dessert.

On Sunday morning, I woke up thinking, "Gee, I probably could have waited another 30 years before watching Conan, but why did I wait so long before watching Driving Miss Daisy?"

Interestingly enough, back in high school, I can't remember anyone admitting that they saw the Oscar winning picture, but EVERYONE had seen Conan.  In fairness, I can recall standing around at a punk show in a local club, wearing a Clash t-shirt and electing NOT to bring up the fact that I had watched The Sound of Music the previous evening. 

At any rate, I have spent this past week thinking about contrasts, particularly musical contrasts.  I continue to work on some songs where I am adding vocals.  Last month, I sat down and listed all the songs that I felt like I wanted to experiment with.  Almost all of them are songs that I first heard (and loved) back in the 80s, and over the years I have played around with a piano interpretation of the original song.  True, with several, the original was also played on piano, but in a couple of cases, the artist did a piano adaptation a few years after the original was released. 

Rather than attempting to find the original sheet music, I learn the basics by ear; listening to the song over and over again.  Sometimes I scratch out a chord progression first, then adapt as I play around with the melody.  This is a fairly standard approach, and completely different from how I play pieces that are more classical (and without lyrics), where I stick with the original notation. 

It is a very fulfilling experience, playing a piece by ear.  Sometimes I will change the tempo, playing faster (or slower), and other times I will change the octaves.  Every once in awhile, I will change the key, and this has been particularly relevant when adding vocals.  However, I recognize my vocal range, and like to stick to the original key when possible.  This can be a little limiting, especially since my voice is kind of deep. 

Because I apply a certain element of improvisation to the songs, I do not always play something the same way (with the same notes) each time.  I play around with a piece for a while, then listen to some of the recordings, then gradually settle on a sort of final version. 

Then, I start working on the vocals, which, in my case, requires a lot of focus, and a shitload of reminders from Kenny Werner; "Every note you sing is the most beautiful sound in the world."

I got thrown off track (literally) this week when listening to a couple of my recent tracks.  One track that I had hastily recorded the day before really stood out as a prime example as to why karaoke is never a good thing.  I was standing on my balcony, cup of coffee in hand, listening and thinking, "Geez, who the hell is singing that?"

It was if Grape Ape and Baby Huey had a small skirmish before entering the studio to sing. 

I laughed out loud, then reminded myself of a few important words of wisdom.  First, the mental note to work on pitch.  Second, it's all easy, but not familiar.  As it becomes more familiar, it gets even better.  Third, it's all about perception.  If you tell yourself that it sucks, then it will suck.  Fourth, another mental note:  close the windows in the living room before recording vocal.  At least there won't be the sound of a passing motor scooter in the background.

Home studio recording is still a work in progress for me.  Recording piano is very straight forward, as I can send the audio output directly to a mixer/recorder. Vocals are more challenging, and even though I have some quality equipment, it is quality equipment set up in a living room.  My flat is a grown up version of my place at Little Goliad, and both places are not unlike a college dorm room of someone with a little more money.  I suspect that the Erhebungsbeauftrager (yep, that one is really fun to say out loud) who came by to collect some information earlier in the week for the microcensus was thinking about that when he glanced at the Smiths poster on my wall. 

The microphone in my living room is next to the piano, and connected to a small mixer, which connects to a computer.  I make it work, and am satisfied with the current set up, all the while knowing that I would love to have the space and the funds for something a bit more extravagant.

On the other hand, I hold the belief that the skill lies with the individual; anything else can only serve to complement.  For example, a guitarist with minimal experience can play the finest Martin guitar available, and still sound inexperienced.  True, the quality of the sound produced might be better (probably a lot better) but it will not make the player a professional.

I consider myself more skilled in playing piano than singing, but I enjoy both activities.  Due to my interest in doing (spoken) voice-over work at some point in my future, I am actively getting to know my voice better, and that includes the singing.   Hence, the recent(-ish) time spent playing rockstar at home. 

On top of that, I am learning just a little bit about the finer points of sound engineering.  Again, it's unfamiliar, and will only get easier as it goes along.  This week I decided to bring out my new Sambas, which had been sitting in their shoe box for the past couple of years, waiting to be worn. I'd actually forgotten about them until I discovered them at the bottom of the closet. 

Like with a lot of new shoes, they squeak; something I discovered immediately after putting them on and walking around on my hardwood floors.  This made for some rather interesting additions to one of the vocal tracks.  I was both extremely impressed by the quality and sensitivity of my microphone, but equally irritated that currently anyone can hear me walking from a good 10 meters away. 


But, if these are the kind of problems that I am going to have, I can live with it.  After all, they are solvable problems. 

The rest comes down to perception, and again, I take the time to reaffirm a few concepts:

It's the best sound in the world.

Don't try so hard.

It only gets easier as it becomes more familiar. 

One of the best things that came from all this adventure (ie..Grape Ape walking in a rainstorm) is that I was able to key in on a couple of improvisational music passages that I had been struggling with, and I am really pleased on how they have improved. 

It's almost effortless. 

see you out there
bryan

Turning Up the Heat...Again

Have you ever had a boss who says, "Hey, do NOT call me unless the building is on fire!" just before leaving on vacation?

When I arrived in Germany, I did not immediately grasp the concept "Urlaub means Urlaub."
I have made frequent references to this over the years and have gradually come to terms with it.  At least, I better understand (with a bit of envy) that when people go on vacation, they switch off from work, leaving any concerns and job challenges behind them. At least, for the period that they are on holiday.

During my father's visit a couple of months ago, I really felt like I, too, was finally able to switch off from work, and, as you will recall from the recent posts, was able to simply enjoy my time on vacation.  As I have seen photos posted from various friends who are on holiday in Thailand, Hawaii, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Idaho, Pennsylvania....just to name a few places, I hope very much that they all switched themselves off and enjoyed themselves.

Over the past couple of weeks, we have had really high temperatures here in Frankfurt, which is never something that I enjoy.  But, we have to persevere (clothing is optional, especially if you work out of your house) and in fairness, it is not as if we are going through weeks and months of excessive heat.  Instead, we go through a couple of days of 30-plus degrees (Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion makes this mid to high 90s), then the heat breaks and we get back down to something a lot more pleasant. 

Last week utterly sucked, particularly last Sunday, but then on Monday things improved dramatically, and this whole week has been very nice.  The temperatures definitely hovered around my summer sweet spot, which is probably a tad cooler than other folks might prefer, but to each his own, right?

All my living room windows are open, and combined with my open balcony door, I am able to get a little breeze that flows through the flat, much to my great enjoyment.

Tuesday afternoon, however, I started to smell something burning, and initially thought that a cigarette was smoldering on my balcony.  But, the smoke was really acrid and is it grew stronger, I realized that things were a little more serious.  Right about that time, I heard the first sirens from the fire trucks blaring.  I peeked out my front window and saw trucks heading up Berger Strasse, seemingly stopping just around the corner from my flat.

Police were quickly on the scene, blocking off the street, and more and more trucks converged on what now was clearly a building on fire.  The police tried semi-successfully to keep people from heading in the direction of the fire, and once again I was amazed at people's tendencies to rubberneck. 

This went on for the next couple of hours, but fortunately the fire was extinguished fairly quickly.  I did venture downstairs as things started to calm down, and ran into my friend and neighbor, Jens, who was not looking particularly thrilled.

During our brief conversation, he told me how his day had been going.  Jens works in a little wine bar about 2 minutes away (on foot) from the front door of our apartment.  It turns out that said wine bar is the building that burned, at least the back part where the courtyard of the establishment is.

Jens went on to explain that the owner (his boss) was currently away on vacation in Scotland and Jens was left in charge, and now had the burden of having to deal with the situation at hand. 

"Did you call your boss?" I almost asked, then wisely refrained. 

Now, to be clear, das Lokal is not a total write-off, not like what happened to the Greenville Avenue Bar and Grill back in 2010.  In fact, Jens rallied the staff to help get things cleaned up and they are set to reopen (partially) later today.  That is very good news, particularly to the staff, some of whom I'd spoken to during the course of the week; the inability of the place to open for business gave them a few nights free, which they used to gather in the pub. 

It is not yet clear as to what caused the fire, but I am sure that more details will become available in the coming days.  Meanwhile, the owner is still on holiday, and I just checked the weather forecast. 

My sweet spot is set to continue. 

see you out there
bryan

Tickling Ivory, Learning to Feel Without Trying Too Hard, and a Couple of Sniffs

Ah, the joys of public holidays that occur during the middle of the week.  Yesterday marked the final public holiday in Germany until October, which seems awfully far away right now.
Earlier in the week, I decided to take a "bridge day," where I elected to extend my weekend by consuming another vacation day on this Friday after Fronleichnam.

Taking a bridge day is a very common practice in Europe, but somehow I never have really done that myself.  But, I had been reviewing my vacation usage for the year and realized that I needed to get a few more days booked, lest the vacation police (otherwise known as the HR department) come after me.

Wednesday night, I kind of smiled as I sat outside the pub, knowing full well that I had the next four days (including weekend) to do whatever I felt like doing.
Yesterday I did not do too much, though I did enjoy several episodes of a Swedish detective series on one of the German media networks.  There is something about the quality of production that comes from Scandinavia that I really like; the plots and characters seem much more realistic.

The other thing I did on Thursday was listen to a little play list of music I have recorded so far in 2019.  I kept the media player running for most of the day, even when I was sitting in another part of the flat.

Over the years, I have regularly played piano: pieces by various composers, songs from some of my favorite contemporary musicians, and from time to time my own improvisation.  To anyone who knows me, this comes as no surprise.

In 2017 I concentrated most of my efforts on learning the music from the composer Ludovico Einaudi.  Almost from the start, the music just grabbed me.  It flows with such feeling and emotion.  One of the best descriptions of his music that I ever read was that listening to his stuff is like taking a walk in your head.  For someone who thinks a WHOLE lot, this is really fitting.

Despite my reluctance to play piano in front of others (Nadja can still attest to this), I made a little playlist of Einaudi songs for my Grandmother's birthday, and was really glad to share it with her and the rest of the family.

During 2018,  I continued building my repertoire on piano.  At some point, I also discovered another composer whose works immediately grabbed me.  I started learning a piece from Luke Faulkner called "Daydreaming," and was glad to be able to play this, along with my other stuff, for my Grandmother in the lobby of her residence during Christmas vacation.  As I have noted previously, this was one of the few occasions where I "performed" publicly.  And lived to tell about it.

Another activity I worked on during 2018 was some vocal practice.  My interest in working in the voice-over industry has returned with vigor in the past couple of years, particularly as I try and rediscover what I want to be when I grow up.   A couple of colleagues had provided some suggestions to me, including the practice of "getting to know your voice."  This could be done by reading an article, a news report, a blurb from a book, etc.

Though I did this from time to time during the latter half of last year, going so far as to make a recording of the exercise, I never really listened to any of the recordings.

In fact, I did not make too much progress on my voice-over development whatsoever.  Like with many things, I tend to procrastinate, and this was no different.  The common blocker here is me.  I am really good at getting in my own way.

At the start of 2019, I encountered another piece by Luke Faulkner that absolutely knocked me over, a piece called "New Beginning."  Chris is right, it is a bit technical, and proved to be a great challenge for me.  I took another piece of advice from Kenny W where he reminds you that the music is not hard, it is just unfamiliar.  It becomes easier as your familiarity increases.

I quite like the fact that the piece is aptly titled, but for what it's worth, it is such a wonderful work that it could have been just as easily called, "just another piano piece."  That said, I have used the piece to motivate me to do things a bit differently than before.

In February, I realized that I was starting to play a few more piano tunes that involved vocals, not that I was singing.  However, after a conversation with a friend of mine about her upcoming visit to her home country, along with my own brief moment with Heimweh, I challenged myself to add the vocals to one of my favorite Joe Jackson songs.  Since my friend was going to be traveling very soon, I had jump into action and lay down both the piano interpretation and the vocals.  I managed it without too much delay, and was able to share the song with her before she left on her trip.  Back to her own "Hometown."

It was a good feeling to record it, and I listened to it over and over again during the next little while.  About that same time, I realized that it might behoove me to start my spoken voice practice sessions again, so I started doing some daily diary recordings, which are really nothing more than me standing in front of my microphone in my living room, talking about whatever the hell is on my mind.  Then, I save the recording and go back and listen to it a little later.  This is a very beneficial exercise on two fronts.  First, I get a chance to get a few things off my chest (e.g. "daily diary 2019xxxx" where I blasted away with all my frustrations about work) and perhaps more importantly, I get a chance to become more and more familiar with my voice.

On the technical side, I can listen to how I breathe, how fast I speak, how I enunciate, etc.
I do this both in English and in German, and it is still startling when I listen to the recordings later.

On the personal side, I can recognize when my voice sounds forced, or lacks in emotion, or is just plain goofy.  Again, it is open to interpretation, and I am still pretty good at getting in my own way.

But, as Kenny W repeatedly says, the music (whether that be a tune or spoken voice) simply becomes more familiar.  And furthermore, it gets easier when you simply believe that it's a great sound.  And to believe it, you have to feel it.

As I have listened to the guys who gather each week in the pub to practice their music, I notice that the songs I like the best are the ones where I sense their feeling.  Likewise, the young woman who sat down and sang a couple of songs with them the other month just amazed me, as she clearly was feeling what she was playing.  She believes.

In a post from April, I mentioned that the guys had done a really great cover of a Waterboys song, and I had an urge to do my own interpretation, with vocal.  True, it is still a work in progress, as is just about everything I am playing right now.  But, I keep listening to it, and it becomes more familiar.  And I believe more.  I actually shared my cover with the guitarist of the group, and he was most impressed.  (The other night he mentioned that we would need to sing it together one evening)
I went on to share it with a few other folks, and continue to be flattered by the feedback.  True, I try to stay realistic, almost to the point of defeating myself.  Too often when I share my work, I preface the mp4 with a statement like "thank goodness I work in repair ops" or something else that is a bit defeatist. 

It comes down to interpretation, and I need to remember Pablo's words.  You take the experience, your belief and your feeling, and it helps create your voice, not only how the voice sounds, but the actual expression. 

Just last Friday, some other friends of mine played a one-off gig in the pub.  Roland had been talking to me for months about how the band were nearing a point where they could do a performance.  Roland is an Englishman who lives in the neighborhood, and always talked football until he realized that I had a bit of a musical background, and suddenly we talk more about music, as he is a guitarist. 

My plans did not really involve making a late night at the pub at the start of the weekend, but I had bumped into one of the other members of the group on the street and he told me that they were going to play that night.  So, I changed my plan and made sure I was there to support them.

By chance, an old friend was back in town to visit family, and she stopped by the pub before meeting a couple of other girls for dinner.  Mona and I had a quick drink before she met up with Anne and Nadja at a local restaurant.  Meanwhile, I stayed in the pub to listen to the guys play a few sets of rock and roll songs, Beatles and Rolling Stones, mostly.  (Pablo, you would have enjoyed it)

Despite the fact that I am neither a Beatles nor a Stones fan, I really did enjoy listening to the guys play.  All of them are a handful of years (if not two handfuls) older than me, and were playing just for fun.  They all have their own careers outside of music, but clearly music has a great influence on them.

I certainly felt the personal connection, and really could see how much fun they were having playing and seeing.  Of the four piece group, two guys are English and two are German.  All of them invited friends and family to come fill up the pub and watch the performance.  Thus, the guys had an appreciative crowd, which always helps in such situations.  (How many concerts have you ever been to where the opening act sort of gets irritated because all the fans for the main act haven't arrived to the venue yet, or worse, are not bothering to come inside to listen, preferring rather to hang out in the bar?  Yep, I have done that a fair bit, myself.)

As the band neared the completion of their final set, Anne, Nadja, and Mona came into the pub for an after dinner drink.  We chatted a little bit as the band finished up.  Anne knows the same guys as me, and once things were done, the guys all came outside to greet the guests (and to get out of the cramped stuffy bar).

I had a chance to chat with the singer James, and told him how much I appreciated getting a chance to listen to them play.  Furthermore, I pointed out that I was not really a fan of either of band that they'd just covered, but was all the more impressed because of that.  Probably Pablo understands this comment more than other people: it's not that I totally dislike either of those groups, and in fact, am very familiar with all their works, but my tastes are different.  

The atmosphere outside the pub was pretty good and lively.  The weather helped, and people just enjoyed standing around outside in the summer evening.  Anne, Nadja, and Mona included me in their girls' night out, and we chatted about various topics that were certainly outside of my normal routine.  This was a good thing, and I was enjoying their company. 

Things rose to a new level when Anne, while hugging me as I told her Happy Birthday, exclaimed how much she liked the smell of my shirt (which was freshly washed).  I will take this moment to thank my fabric softener for being such a entertaining part of the next 15 minutes, as suddenly all three women were having a group hug with me, sniffing my shirt. 

Although I am about a head taller than all of the girls, it still looked a little like a rugby scrum.  At one point, I caught eyes with some other lady standing across the patio and just sort of smiled and shrugged.  What can you do?

Even singer James got into the action on sniff number 14.  It was it this point I reckoned it was time to make my way home; I am not sure if it is possible to overdose on a Lenor product, but didn't want to find out.  The girls headed in their direction, and I started making my way through the other pub guest to head home. 

I ran into Roland, the guitarist, and told him how much I had enjoyed hearing them play. 
He said, "Bryan, we made so many mistakes, so many different times.  But we really enjoyed ourselves."

I responded that it really showed how much fun they were having, and that was precisely why I had enjoyed it so much.


This week, I did the vocals on another song, one from Peter Murphy.  And I made so many mistakes, so many different times.  But I really enjoyed singing it because I can hear my voice. 

If you believe it, it really is the best sound in the world. 

see you out there
bryan

Updates and Plans

I'll begin this week's post with a quote from a book I have been re-reading called Effortless Mastery.

"Imagine looking at your life with joy, anticipation and excitement, because you don't know what's coming.  As you accept whatever comes, your life becomes truly exciting.  The music becomes truly exciting."

I may have read this passage hundreds of times over the past months, but last week it particularly grabbed me.  For the rest of the week, I asked myself if I honestly believed that I was doing this; looking at my life with joy, anticipation and excitement.

The short answer is no, not like I did years ago.

Rather than beat myself up about it, I spent a few days paying more attention to how I was reacting to "whatever came."

True, I tend to lean in the pessimistic direction with some regularity, but this is not to say that I simply resign myself that everything is doom and gloom.  I also fully respect and comprehend the concept that it really comes down to how one views things: the world, one's life, one's job, etc.  It can be as shitty (see what I mean) as you want it to be.

I am reminded of a girl that works in the pub; she's quite young and also works as a flight attendant.  As you might imagine, she is rather perky.  Initially, I wasn't quite sure if she was being genuine or not, but the more I have gotten to know her, I realize that this is just how she is.  It is refreshing to hear her greeting other pub guests with a bubbly smile. 

So maybe I am not quite that bubbly, but taking a look at things from a more positive perspective certainly improves my mood, especially on those darker days.  Last week, for example, I received a couple of packages from the delivery man.  I was excited to receive my new clothes drying rack (to replace the one that I sort of broke the week before during a small incident where I lost my balance while toweling off after a shower.  If you must know, I was doing the "psych it up Bryan dance" which got a little out of hand, resulting in me having to lean on the drying rack.  Unfortunately, those racks are not designed to bear 85 kilo.  Thus, a quick on-line order to replace it.) but was NOT so thrilled when the guy asked me to sign for three other packages. 

I tend to become irritated when the delivery man hands over additional packages to me, as I suspect that he simply did not try to deliver the package to the intended address.  Additionally, I get a little irked when I think of the people who placed their order in the first place, knowing full well that they would not be at home for the delivery.  This irritation comes from 20 years working in repair logistics, where I have spent countless hours having to find lost packages and solutions for customers. 

Later on that afternoon as I was setting up my new drying rack, I realized I was being a bit selfish.  After all, since I am at home during the day, I am able to collect packages on my neighbor's behalf, and were I in the same position, I would be rather grateful to know that someone was doing me a similar favor.

In fact, during the weekend I was rather touched when one of the neighbors left a little thank you gift at my front door.  He had been most thankful the previous evening when he collected his package from me, but I was floored to open his gift and find a nice bottle of wine and some tuna fillets.  I had not expected that kind of gratitude at all, and all things considered, had been happy enough with the verbal thanks.  One might say it was joyful and exciting.

I cite another example of "accepting whatever comes," this time involving celery.  Since the beginning of the year, I have stayed on my celery kick.  A couple of months ago at a party, I was discussing this with a friend of mine, and she was amazed.  It turns out that most Germans refer to the celery root when referring to celery.  The thing is, I had never seen a celery root before, so once I actually saw a picture of the lumpy turnipy looking thing (the root, as it were) I realized why she was so amazed when I said I was eating so much celery every day.

Well, last week at the grocery store, the usual stalks (you know, the little packaged version of the cute little green things that get cut up and put into kid's lunches for crunchy snacks) were not available in the produce section.  I actually spent a few minutes looking through all the vegetables and finally came across some enormously leafy bunches of celery.  Although I do like to get the crunchy stuff myself, I picked up several bunches to cover me for the next several days.

I must say that I am quietly impressed.  Maybe it is a bit extreme to say that it is exciting and joyous to be eating the equivalent of a rain forest each morning, but it's been pleasant.  A nice reminder to accept whatever comes.

Like with kids, even for a 49 year old, all plans are subject to change.  Sometimes the stuff you want at the store is not available.  Sometimes a neighbor surprises you with a gift of gratitude.  Sometimes you stay out later than you expected. 

Last evening, I met up with a friend at the pub, and we got to chatting about our careers.  I do miss talking shop with friends; this is something that does not happen so often in my German circle of friends.  At times, I am glad that it is this way in Germany, but sometimes I really need the heart to heart.  Ali and compared notes on how things are going in our jobs presently, and also discussed our future plans (or lack there of).  I related my frustrations with my sister and her family about their own future plans (or lack there of) and during the conversation I realized (once again) that perhaps it would be best if I focus on my own situation and simply accept what comes.  That is not to say that I do not have a plan, but I also recognize that I need to alter my plan a little, and perhaps more importantly, alter my mental approach.  It makes sense to look at it with a sense of anticipation, joy and excitement, just as Kenny Werner says. 

We had a really good conversation, and while I did not plan on staying so late at the pub, it was the right thing to do.  First, the conversation was good.  Second, due to a water main issue on my block (directly in front of the pub, where water started bubbling out of the sewer and running down the street with alarming pace), the water company had to turn off the water on my block, and spent from 10pm until very early this morning solving the issue. 

Anyone who has had the city come out and solve this kind of problem is aware that the solution involves using jackhammers to cut into the concrete and dig up the pipe and figure out what is blocking things.  The noise rules in my neighborhood are pretty rigid (after all this is a community where one should not run electrical appliances like dishwashers or washing machines after 10pm), so when Mainova started their digging, it was extremely loud.  People several blocks away walked down to see what the hell was going so late at night.

From my situation, the issue was that there was no water in my flat.  The issue was compounded because of the fact that I had already consumed about 3 liters of water during the course of the day, and had spent the evening drinking water with black currant at the pub.  Six pints of water was sufficient to keep a clear head, and the need to visit the gent's every 15 minutes.

Since we had been informed that there would be no water service for about 8 hours, I was faced with a small dilemma. 

I will spare the gritty details, because it all worked out in the end.

Yes, I did go home at midnight, and yes, my restful sleep was regularly interrupted with a few trips to the little boy's room.  I elected not to flush, but this was not a huge deal. 

In short, I took things as they came, and the situation resolved itself this morning when I got out of bed.  I checked to see that I had water running, and after doing my business, and with a bit of joy, was able to flush.

Talk about truly exciting...

see you out there
bryan

Yep, It Goes Quickly!

So here it is Tuesday, a rather warm afternoon in little Bornheim.

Just one week ago, I was back at work after the two week holiday that I took while my father visited.
Like always, I needed a few days to recover from the let down that I experience after a good visit with family.  Now, a week later, I am still having nice moments where I smile and think about Dad's visit and all the stuff we did.

I sometimes feel it is a struggle to explain the comment "all the stuff we did," because on some levels we did not do THAT much.  People still tend to think that when someone comes to visit me in Germany it's all about tourism and hectic schedules to run around and see stuff.

My struggle comes a little bit from the perception I have that people assume that visiting Europe means being a tourist.  My case is a little different, since I just happen to live here.  I have a friend who is Japanese, and every two years she takes her teenage kids to visit her parents in rural Japan.  It's not as if they go over there and try to see all of Asia. 

It's the exact same for me when I visit Dallas.  The last time I went to Reunion Tower was probably 40 years ago; no real need to keep going to see that each time I visit. 

Fortunately, my father shares my sentiment, so coming to Germany to visit means, "come to Germany and hang out.  We will do whatever we feel like doing."

Anyone who has seen some of the recent Facebook posts from my Dad already has a pretty good idea of "whatever we feel like doing" entails. 

More specifically, this means lot of pub time, sitting around watching movies, lots of talking, and visiting with my friends, neighbors, and acquaintances.  My father knows tons of people in my neighborhood, so that alone takes up a lot of time when we get a chance to have dinner or a few drinks with folks.

My father and I did decide to go visit Vienna for a couple of days, so during the second week of his stay in Europe, we took the train to Austria, and fully enjoyed getting to know that city.  I arranged for us to have a very central hotel just across from St Stephan's Dom, and that was a wise choice.  We had complete access to the inner ring of the city just by walking around.  We did not try and exhaust ourselves and see every blessed thing in the city, preferring instead just to wonder around and find stuff.

Each day we found a new little place to see that we hadn't seen the day before.  The weather was maybe slightly coolish, but that was perfect for the both us.  When it started to rain a little bit, we found a Coffee House to spend time in.  The one particular favorite that we liked was Kaffee Alt Wien, and we ended up having a few beers one afternoon.  The place was filled with regulars, and we didn't feel like we were tourists whatsoever.  It was a great way to spend a couple of hours.

The rest of the time we spent in Frankfurt, doing a cookout with Ali, having tapas with Nadja in a local favorite place, just for a couple of notable evenings.

Throughout the two weeks, my Dad and I were able to catch up on all sorts of topics, family, life, etc. It is really nice to be able to have those talks in person (ie..not via Skype, although I am quite grateful for Skype and the many conversations I have with Dad) as we have more time to collect our thoughts and not try and fight time.  Sometimes when you are on a video call, you don't have all your topics lined up for discussion.  After all, it's not a conference call.

Of course, like any good time, the two weeks passed very quickly.  Suddenly it was the last weekend before my father would return to Dallas.  During my last stateside visit, I had inadvertently told my Grandmother that I was interested in getting a new frying pan.  Of course, during the Christmas holidays, she wanted to get me a skillet and have it wrapped and under the tree for me.

I had to point out that I was not interested in lugging a heavy pan back to Europe, but preferred instead to find one locally.  There is a little shop close to my place that sells a lot of kitchen and household items, so my Dad and I went to the local street market on his final Saturday, had a bratwurst on the plaza, then popped into the shop, where I spent all of 35 seconds selecting a new skillet.

And I LOVE it. 

Over the past several years I have become more adventurous in my tiny kitchen and have enjoyed cooking more and more.  The two pans I had been using were a little worse for wear, so this latest addition was quite welcome.  Of course my father took a photo so that he could share it with my Grandmother.  Another excellent Christmas present.

Additionally, my dad wanted to take me out for traditional birthday dinner.  The tradition has more to do with saying it is a Birthday Dinner than with actually celebrating on the actual date.  Obviously that wasn't possible to do this year since my father came a month later than he has done in the past.

I am lucky to have a proper Spanish tapas place in my neighborhood, and with a little luck I was able to get us a table Saturday evening.  Dad and I just rocked things up with a bottle of wine and some wonderful tapas. The conversation was also good (no surprise), and after we finished dinner, we headed back to the pub for a bit of extended celebration. 

Not surprisingly, we ran into a few of the usual suspects, so enjoyed a pleasant evening outside, sharing a couple of whiskeys and beers.

48 hours later, Dad was texting me from the airport lounge with an Auf Wiedersehen, and once he was back stateside, we talked via Skype just about every day last week.  He too, goes through his let down period, but by the end of the week we were almost back on normal service and routine.

I will purposely avoid any commentary about the Europa League final; it's time for a few months without any football. 

So now it is the start of June, and once again I am amazed that 2019 is zipping right along.  The weather has turned more seasonal (summery) in the past couple of days, and I must say that I am embracing the time to spend outside in the cafes and the pubs.

Last Sunday, I spent a few hours jotting down some thoughts and ideas, and it was really a pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

It's kicking my June off with a nice little hoopty doopty!

see you out there
bryan

(a few people are probably wondering wtf hoopty doopty means....and I can simply say, "whatever you want it to mean.")
 

When Cleaning Your Flat, Always Pay Attention!

Today I am finishing up the last minute cleaning of my flat.  My father arrives tomorrow morning, and like always, I prefer to present a reasonably tidy flat.  Sure, maybe there is a bit of bachelor influence, but I would tend to say that most female guests (and both of you pat yourselves on the back!) have not had any reason to complain.

The reason that I felt compelled to jot down yet another quick post is merely because this morning I sprayed windex (or the German equivalent) all over my mirrors and windows.  Throughout the day I have been little irritated, as the window has continued to be streaky, and the mirror itself is really cloudy.  The product boldy states that NEITHER of those things would happen in use.  And, I have been using this product since I have been in Germany, without any problems at all.

This afternoon, I ran to do a quick plant watering job at Nadja's place, then returned home and decided to do the countertops in the bathroom again.  As I was spraying and wiping, I realized where things had gone a little wrong earlier in the day.  You see, I actually two spray bottles, both for the same glass cleaning product.  I cannot even remember why I had two of the same thing opened at the same time. However, last weekend during the BIG sandblasting cleaning escapade, I had finished one of the containers and rather than send it to recycling, I decided I would use as a "refill" bottle for my general purpose bathroom cleaner (the stuff you use on sinks, showers, etc).  I already had a little refiller packet which, when added with a little water (into a container), becomes the full strength product that you could normally buy at the store.  Cutting down on excess waste and all that.  I try to do that whenever I can.

What I forgot is that I now have two bottles that show that the contents are glasscleaner, but only one of them actually is used to clean glass.

As you might have already guessed, I spent the majority of the morning happily hosing down my mirrors with all purpose bathroom cleaner, hence the cloudiness.  No, it is not THAT big of deal, but more than once today already I thought to myself, geez, you need to get your eyes checked, Bryan.

I do not think this is quite as serious a faux pas as, say, cleaning your dishes by hand with toilet bowl cleaner, but it is up there. 

Now, the issue has been resolved, the mirrors are sparkling, and two seconds ago I almost accidentally walked through my patio door, it's so crystal clear.  Result!

It's time for Pop, so see you out there
bryan

A Week on the Pitch

It was all about football this past week.

Last Sunday, I watched Arsenal blow their slim chance of finishing in the top 4 of the league. During that same little period, I watched Eintracht get walloped.

Monday evening, City played their second to last game, and all Liverpool fans were hoping for City to slip up.  City did not slip up, and it looks like they will finish as champions of the league again this year.

Tuesday evening, I watched perhaps the finest match I have ever seen.  Liverpool, who were down 0-3 after their first leg of the Champion's League semi-final, turned out in full force (along with their fans) and won their match 4-0.  This puts them in the Champs League final, sending Barcelona (who were the clear favorites) crashing out.  This was a particularly special night for Liverpool and I was very pleased for all my friends who support the Reds.  It was one of those magical games where even the disinterested spectator cannot help but get drawn in to the excitement.

Wednesday night I went to the pub, where I did not see any Liverpool fans, on the grounds that they had celebrated heavily the previous evening.  I did not actually intend to watch the other Champs League semi,  but I got to talking to a buddy and we ended up keeping an eye on the match.  I was also interested in the result of the match, but I had been watching a match each night and was needing a bit of a breather.

For reasons that only Arsenal fans will truly understand, I was devastated at the surprise result.  I had really wanted to see Ajax get through to the final, and in the end, they simply showed their inexperience.  Most people watching the match in the pub were neutral, but NO ONE wanted Ajax to lose.  So, in the very last minute (of stoppage time) we saw Spurs get their goal, and their win.  All of us sort of cried "Nein!" right when it happened; talk about the agony of defeat.

Yesterday morning I woke up with a fuzzy head.  I drank lots and lots of water during the course of the day, but was still feeling a good ways off from fresh and perky when I headed back to the pub to get ready for the semi-finals of the Europa Pokal.  Arsenal, the team that I commented on in the last post as being particularly annoying as of late, were to play Valencia, with a 2 goal advantage. 
Meanwhile, Eintracht were in London against Chelsea.

I was in the pub two hours before game start, and after the first beer switched to water.  I chatted with a few friends and waited on a couple of Arsenal fans to get to the pub.  Because the matches were played at the same time, the Arsenal game would be shown on one small TV in the corner, with the other 3 big TVs showing the Frankfurt.  This is completely understandable, and of the readers from the states, Chris is probably on the only one who can imagine just what it was like in the pub.

Full.  Bursting at the seams.  Maybe a potential fire hazard. 

If you don't like cozying up to people, this would not have been the place for you.  I am not the biggest fan of being in crowds, but when your team is playing, you have to step up and do what you do.

About an hour before the game, little Mark called over to me from behind the bar to tell me that he had just spoken with a guy and his son who were on the way to the pub from the airport.  The guys had been on their way to Valencia (via Frankfurt) from London.  Due to a problem at the airport, their flight was delayed, then cancelled alltogether.

Being Arsenal fans with tickets to the match in Mestalla, they were none too pleased.  However, we welcomed them to our little table in the corner, 6 of us crowded around a table better suited for 3 or 4 folks.  We traded Arsenal stories as we watched the pre-game stuff, and meanwhile the pub just got fuller and fuller.


Full.  Bursting at the seams.  Maybe a potential fire hazard.

I always feel for the waitstaff on these nights, because they really have to fight to get to all the tables and serve the people.  What is always amazing (at least in my local) is that despite the close quarters, no one really gets bent out of shape, even though the match is going on in full swing, which tends to get passionate fans even more spirited. 

Well, Arsenal were behind by a goal after 10 minutes, and we weren't very thrilled at our table.  When  we equalized, we all calmed down a little, and we were even at the half time break.

Eintracht were behind by one goal, themselves, and were desperate for an equalizer of their own. 

Because I had been drinking ridiculous amounts of water during the course of the day, and was still on water in the pub, I was having to make regular trips to the gents'.  However, because of the number of people, I simply went home, took care of business, and popped right back over.  And if you are ever looking for yet ANOTHER reason why it makes sense to live next door to a pub, there you have it.

So, Arsenal turned things up a bit in the second half (2 trips home) and won their match 4-2, putting them in the final of the Europa Pokal.  I am pleased.

Obviously we were following the Eintracht match, and it, too, became a barn burner.  (thanks for allowing me to use a particularly American expression)

Eintracht got their equalizer, which resulted in a crazy finish to the match.  Both teams had to fight for a winning goal, as they were level on points over the two matches.  Eintracht had their chances, and it was quite special to be standing next to so many fans all cheering for their team.  The language is colorful, for sure. 

Extra time came and went, and then it was time for penalties.  I was having a few struggles myself, namely because I am a fan of Eintracht.  Perhaps not a huge fan, but I certainly am pulling for them.
And, I really wanted them to beat Chelsea.  But, that would also mean that we would be playing against each other in the final. 

I had already struggled with the Arsenal-Valencia, since I am also a VCF fan. 
But, as I no longer live in Valencia, it was easier for me to stay 100% behind Arsenal.

But, Frankfurt is home, so my favorite club would potentially play against my home club. 

And, the whole Pokal season, I had been regularly discussing this potential showdown with my Eintracht friends.

So, the shootout took place, and I watched Eintracht crash out, along with everyone else in the pub.

Those who truly follow the sport totally understand just what a crap feeling it is to go out on penalties, and it doesn't matter what language or culture, everyone says the same thing.

Yep, that is football.

It is a bittersweet moment to have your heart rate racing in anticipation, and then in an instant, you are brought crashing down.

Emotional overload. 

But, the really special thing is this:  Eintracht played out of their minds, not just in the evening's game, but all season.  They have totally surpassed expectations, and the supportive fans have got a team that they can be really really proud of.

Over the years, I have always sort of joked that it always seemed that the German fans (for Eintract, at least) tended to vacate the premises immediately after a match, whether they won or lost. 
This has always been a bit curious to me, because my match watching experiences in pubs tends to be a multi-hour event.  We ALWAYS stick around for a few minutes (if not an hour or so) to discuss the match. 

Last night was a little different, and understandably a bit more special. 

The Eintracht players took their lap of honor in the London stadium, and of course went to the away end to show their appreciation to the travelling fans. 

In the pub, we all stood and clapped, just like we were there in person. 

Because the game had gone to extra time and penalties, it was going past midnight (on a school night, no less), so the pub did gradually start to empty. 

I stuck around for a celebratory beer (for Arsenal) and went home at last orders. 

This weekend is the last league game for England, and the second to last for Germany.
The Europa Pokal final is on the 29th of May, and the Champ's League final is on the 1st of June.

As exciting of a week as it has been, I am ready for the football to be over.  But I will hold on a couple more weeks.

see you out there
bryan

Yikes! What Happened to April?!?!

I feel like I say this over and over, but time just seems to be flying by.  April?  I had to look at the entries in  my daily diary to be sure that the month happened.  OK, with the Easter holiday and my birthday it made for a sort of  an action-packed month.  The shorter working weeks were greatly appreciated, particularly because things are a little idle at work.  Having a public holiday removes some of the guilt associated with sitting around trying to find a way to be busy.

And, it was a fun month, so there is a little truth to the old saying.  Nothing spectacular happened, but all the same it was rather enjoyable, with the exception of Arsenal football.  That was complete crap. 

Meanwhile, Eintracht have created a bit of a fervor.  Somewhat unexpectedly, they have played their way into top 4 positioning in the league, and they are in the semi-final of the Europa pokal.  The fans are really enjoying the experience and the team clearly appreciates the support.

Regardless of what happens to them this evening and next Thursday, they can be proud of their efforts. 

Like the month of April, this post is going to be rather short. 

Yesterday, I started the month of May with a trip to a friend's garden for a cookout.  It was a good afternoon with friends and good food, and  who I am to complain about yet another short working week?

See you out there
bryan