Happy happy joy joy

It's groan o' clock PM and I'm hunched over my increasingly worn-out laptop pretending to be hard at work while whittling away at this here message to you, the waiting world. Apparently. I mean, apparently you're out there and you actually read what I splurge. Says my wonderful friend a.ndy, whose encouragement and general niceness not only pushed me into this whole blogging kerbungle in the first place. No, besides that he said some VERY nice things to me this afternoon (nothing regarding my looks, appearance or the like, I hasten to add) when MSNing, which is why I'm going to continue blogging despite all the doubts I've been harbouring recently. Fawn, fawn, preen. It IS nice having your back rubbed from time to time! Ahhhh.... So here, suckers - read this! Hah!

(yes, that's me there on the right, making people do what I tell'em - I mean, getting my stage ready for the Himmelfahrtsfestival. Pic courtesy of http://www.teifel.net)

Wichita Lineman

Bleargh! It's that time of the week again - Monday, I mean. Last week was great, if wearying. Thursday saw the Himmelfahrtsfestival - awesome, awesome, awesome! Had a ball chasing my crew around main stage, hobnobbing with friends and fellow musicians, etc. One band I was very impressed with were the lovely Verra Cruz. Just three guys, drums, bass and guitar/lap steel, no loops or fancy trickery, and yet they rocked the house like I haven't seen in a long time. Way to go, guys! Plus, they're a nice bunch of people, which isn't a given. Whatelse? Still killing myself trying to get ancient Hebrew into my ignorant brain. I wish it wasn't the painful, challenging stuff that builds character and helps us improve. Besides Hebrew, everything is good, fun, etc. at the moment. And yes, I am VERY aware of what a lucky sod I am if my greatest worry is whether or not I'll be able to cram enough gutturals by the end of the semester. I guess it also goes to prove my pet theory that it's not the issues you're dealing with that make you a happy or an unhappy person, it's the way you deal with them, regardless of what they are, that defines your state of mind and happiness.

Exterminate! Exterminate!

I want a remote-controlled Dalek, BTW. Somebody buy me one, quick! C can pick it up for me while she's over in Blighty (next week)... Pretty please? With sugar, bows and ribbons on top?

Always beware the Hun in the sun

World Cup fever is spreading; much to C's and my own surprise, we bought a hulking big German flag yesterday while out shopping for other things. Yes, it was dirt cheap, but it still felt a strange thing to do. Cultural conundrum, I s'pose; Germans in general aren't usually seen waving our flag around, not even on bank holidays or anything like it. Slap a bumper sticker with the black, red and gold stripes on the back of your car and you'd be singled out as a Nazi instantly. I kid you not - that's how paranoid "we" are about any national symbols. So, in a sense, it feels good to now have a big German flag residing next to my (even bigger) Union Jack in the flag cupboard. Not sure what C thought about it - it was her suggestion to buy the thing! Who knows, maybe this world cup thing can help Germany recover from at least a part of its national identity crisis? Now, wouldn't that be interesting? This here (courtesy of boystoys.co.uk) probably won't help us overcome our paranoia, though I do find it very amusing. I wonder what the world would say if us Germans started producing that kind of "propaganda materials" with other people's flags on? Culture, eh?

Ha, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive

Okelly dokelly - hi again, bloggin wurld. Let's see - what did I want to tell y'allses about? Oh yes, last week's seminar took place here (nice hotel - large rooms, fine food, staff a bit too brusque for my liking). It was another "The Apprentice"-based US culture one, and a lot of fun to teach at that. After that, I packed up all my gear on Saturday afternoon and headed to this hotel(haven't stayed there, but the food and the service are in a class of their own) for a five-piece-band wedding gig featuring a couple of guys I hadn't played with before. Most notable was guitarist Martin Wüstner, both for his indomitable good spirits and his delectable, groov-a-licious playing. I hope we'll get more chances to play together - it really was that good! I was dead on my feet by the end of it, though - I always struggle to get more than a couple of hours' sleep per night in on seminar days, and playing a gig with new musicians doesn't usually help, either. So anyway, I retired to my parents' house for some crash-out, sleep-'til-you-can-no-more respite. Spent what was left of Sunday at a photo shoot with C (she was taking pics for her sister's wedding). Got to see her granddad, which was nice. Then got back home and flopped into bed, only to awake a couple of hours later worn-out yet unable to sleep (see my last post). Insomnia didn't let up until early this morning, so I skipped Hebrew (again) and caught more of that much-needed shuteye. Zzzzzzz... What else? Oh, I rediscovered a great way of reminding myself of my own significance and importance on this little blue planet. Simply taking a leisurely (bleary-eyed, stumbling) walk through one of the springtime forests of my childhood was an incredible leveller - seeing nature going all-out on its way to springtime glory, hearing the sounds of a million insects and the song of countless birds, feeling and hearing a gentle breeze sway the endless vivid green of a glade of pine trees really helped put things into perspective. I don't know whether you believe in the existence of a Creator or not. Whatever you believe, seeing and witnessing the activity of countless little lives being led all around me within just a fraction of the world we call our own, really helped this musician/trainer remember that, try as I may, I will never be more (or less) than just one small part of a gigantic, complex, beautiful system - life. I have to say I find that thought very encouraging, if somewhat deflating of personal pride. What do you think?

It ain't over 'til it's over

Pheeeewww! Mega exhalations - got through last week's marathon of Hebrew, seminar and gig alright if rather worse for wear. Everything came good on the night, the only ill effects being a temporary bout of insomnia that is fading right now, thank God. More soon, just wanted to check in and let y'alls know I'm still alive. Nighty night!

Good things may come to those who wait

Mayhem. Chaos. Blind, reeling panic. Egad! Whattaway to start the week. This week I have so much stuff to do that sitting down to blog is as crazy a thing to do as listening to the meaningless Michael Jackson song Pandora has decided to churn out at me. "You gotta put your heart on the liiine..." Yeah, er, COMPLETELY whatever. So, what's all the fuss, I hear you ask? Well, mostly, its about cramming Hebrew into my addled grey blobby stuff. That is supposed to be priority numero uno at the moment, and would be, too, if I hadn't foolishly let my kind-of-sort-of-former boss talk me into teaching this three-day seminar from Thursday to Saturday. D'ouch! Plus, I lined up a gig Saturday night, which should finish me off nicely. I got so stressed about it all yesterday night in bed that I couldn't sleep a wink. Which makes for a great Monday morning, of course. In fact, survival instinct kicked in big time about half an hour before the alarm clock - I went and got myself a paracetamol and earplugs, and decided to skip Hebrew this morning. Which has helped, actually. I just wish these primeval urges might fire up a wee bit earlier sometimes. Maybe I would have made it to bed before about 3AM on Sunday morning, then, instead of staying up to listen to C's mum's woes... Then again, if I had nothing left to learn in life, how bored would I be? Okay, gotta go, gotta go, Hebrew is calling... Seeeeeyah!