Here today, gone tomorrow

Ok, actually the 3rd day in Prague now, though the last nonetheless. Sh*t, already rushing to Erfurt on the highway once more after all this time, reading again all the familiar roadsigns, combined with the familiar adenaline rush (bloody late but still might just gonna make it if we only set up the very second we'll arrive), what a flashback of wild days gone (ahem, sort of ;-)!

Same as for passing Dresden then heading into Czech Rep, passing the chemical works at Usti n. L. (unhealthy as ever, still can smell it from miles), finally diving down into Praha -- all those crazy memories coming back. Though the main objective of course being quite different this time, and also no way of hitting the road beyond, no matter how tempting all the names on the signs might read, boo-hoo. Not even for the exhib about Czech Decadence Culture we just missed here but which is now shown in Brno, no sir. Which would've been such a good excuse for cause actually it's firmly tied to our current mission, which of course can be outlined by the by now perhaps vaguely familiar two words 'Paul Leppin'.

(And yes, all on the same road to Olomouc, Ostrava, Cesky Tesin -- see pic here [Warning: GERMAN SOUNDBITES NOT SAFE FOR WORK] --, plus hey, since that's already at the border to Poland, why not all the way to Suwalki!)

Talkin bout Leppin, yeah, the two books overdue since quite a while (not to mention the forthcoming additional 4 volumes of the collected works edition) still didn't finish by themselves, and unfortunately Prof. Hoffmann didn't kill us right on the spot as he should have when visiting him two weeks earlier at the beginning of his summer semester stint in Freiburg i. Br., so now we'll have to complete them ourselves while he's still in Europe m'afraid.

To be more precisely he's right here in Prague at the mo, same as a lots of other people originally from the US, UK and Austria also involved with him directly or else in various Leppin-related projects. So when we got these two gigs not too far from Prague which paid for most of the trip anyway, became clear rather quickly we'll just miss half of the start of the semester as usual.

So now we linked up with Hoffmann again (plus also with swiss ex-pat artist Mark Divo who offered us to stay at his appt) and also got to know a load of other nice folks into the bargain. Bet we'll be back here sooner than we thought.

And hey, btw, tomorrow at least we'll pass Plzen ... ah, sweet memories ...

(Which reminds me, last time I was there, also didn't see more of it than driving in and out, plus the main station while picking somebody up on the way in, plus the inside of the club we played, and that was that. Already pissed me off then, but still loved it anyway.)

DKHF live in Cesky Tesin

'The horror, the horror'

(5th February 2006)

Got these stickers of the blog's logo, and when spreading them, regularly find it amazing how many people assuming the pic MUST be photoshopped despite me sporting those obvious scars.

Just as today at the uni, this student doing a lecture bout blogs, asking who in the class'd be doing one. To my amazement was the only one (actually the guy too didn't seem more familiar than me bit more than a year ago), so he kept focussing on me, what it'd be about? Bandage still on my head, just made my usual joke, 'Well, about plastic surgery.'

After the bell handed him a sticker. Everybody around looking at the pic goggle-eyed, just like they'd probly gawped at me just a while ago, asking, huh, is this really real?!

So nah, this post will not deal with 'Apocalypse Now' (though that's one film that certainly had a great effect on me). Actually the title's just what the assistant lecturer said after I reassured her the photo wasn't doctored but that I really had these things growing on my head just like that.

continue ...

On the road again ...

Actually should attend my courses at the uni, but just like last semester, the very first week, after some days I'm off for some more PigBrother Live Shows.

Am afraid also had a bad relapse regarding the pre-departure chaos. After finishing almost everything, only had to print out the pages of the Leppin book from the individual files. So generated all the printer jobs, queued them up, started the printer and went catching up like 90 minutes of sleep. Only to return finding the printer having gone loco, displaying error-messages regarding 'apple-talk disabled' in mid-job and other assorted b**locks. So I had to start all over again, just with the same messages coming up. Usually the remedy is un- and then replugging the ethernet cable at the printer, but then it starts the job again from the beginning. Well, f**k you very much.

So finally drove off not exactly early, only to find heavy snowing setting in before mid-journey. Minor miracle we still made it just in time (ok, having taken account of some slack from the beginning, too).

Göttingen was nice, T Keller pretty crowded, people laughing in the right places, cool discussions afterwards. And talking bout miracles, hey, the forked us over a bloody gernerous muneration too, in addition to travel expenses, and one for me and my mate each! Woa!

Erfurt also nice today, though they didn't seem appreciating too much my intro where I explain why I think generalisations like A.C.A.B. aren't too clever but actually rather counterproductive. However, all in all was cool, also being back there again, and a nice new squat too (well, new only to us, they're celebrating 6 years pretty soon). Check out their account of the location's history during nazi germany in english.

Actually there's still a party going on downstairs, so I'll better go move some ...

Another by now familiar remark

Usually the follow-up to 'Will the hair grow back?', coming sooner or later after I explained that no, they won't.

In case you didn't guess yet, it goes:

'If you let your hair grow long enough, it'd cover the spot.'

Funny enough, again only noticed I heard that quite a few times by now when the same girl asked me this one, too. (No, were past 'going for a beer' by then, even past 'seeing my etchings' actually.)

Now, well, with regards to the grafted spot at the back of my head, letting my hair grow some inches indeed might work just fine. Though unfortunately there's still the remains of the top lumpies, amongst other things. Not to mention a good part of my hair generally going faster than the amazon rain forest anyway.

So reckon I'll just keep it short by cutting it every week or so -- and live with this remark, too.

(Which reminds me, haircut!, just another small item on my list before leaving for some more shows in about seven hours, so guess I'll better get started ...)

continue ...

Back on track

On the sawdust track, that is. Or back to the laughing stock of it, considering everybody no matter how old or outta shape still beating me squat. Ah, the times I ran double the mileage in less time ...

See my eyes are older now, broken dreams behind ...

However, I'm not there to compete with anybody except myself in my current shape anyway. (Wouldn't be a wise thing to attempt either.) Also still remember just too well less than 2 years ago, game over after less than 2-300 yards.

So as it goes, still am happy running however little, gearing myself up by running every 2nd or 3rd day for 2 1/2 weeks now.

With all the surgery and complications finally done with, reckon it's about time I try harder getting back in shape. Et voilà, this week was back on the track 3 times as should be always, and YES, never failing to complete my meager 'regular number of rounds'.

Actually, end of last July was the last time I was able doing so (just before having cut off the lateral lump on 2nd of August), and before that early April (after recovering from the the first one on the forehead). And these were the ONLY two weeks last year AT ALL.

I know forgiveness is the key, not pride
I want to heal this pain I hide inside

So at least running wise I'm back at were I left, while regarding the weights, pull-ups etc. am still only at 70% of what I was able pulling off last year, which again was considerably less than before airport prison.

So, still quite a way to go, m'afraid. Not to mention late in 2005, before changing my mind regarding postponing the surgery for another while, was just about having a serious stab at increasing the rounds to 150% for good pretty soon. Well, hopefully this year.

Fill my heart with precious love, I know it's there to find ...

(And while most of the rest of the song is a wee bit way over the top religious for my tastes, every time I'm running more than a mile a piece even with some slopes in-between, hell, I'm still just f**king grateful to whom-or-what-ever and never fail to say thanks. Same as for every day I still got some tears or feelings left. Sometimes endorphines is a human's best friend ...)

15 minutes of sun

While it got cooler again, northern wind setting in, frost in the mornings, on the other hand finally the sun came out for a few days. Though I still have to go through a thorough sun-blocker session before being able to enjoy. Sun mixed with scars less than 6 months old tends being no fun for the bearer. But hey, unlike last year, glad am able getting some sun at all! Even despite my tendency of initially forgetting about the real bastard scar one on my left hand, though.

So, for a few days was busy even catching up some. Actually whole decades of my life virtually never went sunbathing. Only started past 30 when my ageing body and my then girlfriend (the one with the allegedly 'fattish legs') persuaded me considering a slightly healthier lifestyle incl. keeping in shape. And after a while started enjoying both working out and getting some sun, since it gives this nice feeling inside, almost like love (but without the trouble usually attached to the latter, though that'd be another story).

Especially sunbathing is nice, just lying there, feeling the warmth on the skin and inside, maybe reading a bit in a good one or just closing the eyes, enjoying the bliss. Best of course is getting it daily, starting as soon as possible in winter and going on as long as it lasts, even with a sweater wrapped around the kidneys and thick socks on to prevent freezing.

Ok, got this skin that gets sunburned quite fast, and never deeply tanned unless it'd probly be considerably less fun living inside. So my preferred daily dosage would be about 15 minutes, respectively 4x4 minutes turning around.

Usually was doing it on the roof or in the garden. Once a dentist from across the street demanded I'd put on some shorts as his customer had complained, only laying off when I stood up on the roof so he could clearly see that, as a law-abiding citizen I indeed did wear some already (though not exactly boxers).

No more amusing episodes like that in the flat we're living in now, I'm afraid. Cause one of it's pros is the 4th floor balcony almost perfectly towards south and equipped with a massive concrete/frosted glass railing. Will say no more.

Except that it's been a nice row of days me lying there, first time since quite a while, probly 16 months. Already started dozing off less after meals or else in-between. But hey, didn't miss out on a single day.

Until now, that is. Bad relapse sleep pattern wise. 2nd day in a row I got up way too late. Bad bad bad bad bad.

As for tomorrow, forecast's sh*te.

Back in realtime (well, sort of)

Hey, I'm still alive, no sweat! Just a wee bit way behind with almost everything. Regarding this blog, according to the original concept of posting everything strictly in faked chronological order, meanwhile actually to the point of it kinda defeating the purpose (not to mention cutting substantionally into the fun part).

So I'll start posting in non-chronological order, older stuff filed first under the pub date for a while, with the actual date mentioned in the first line, then after a while faking the pub date, i.e. older posts will be in reverse chronological order as before (though with gaps eventually to be filled later). Trying to maintain the chronologigal structure design, yassuhmam.

Oh yeah, and how about starting labeling and interlinking each post, enabling different ways of coherent access and navigation? Who needs sleep or food anyway. Cool new features, and all "for free"!

Yup, google forced my sorry ass too to ubdate to blogger beta anyway, reckon cashing in on my private personal data sniffed out by the obligatory cookies.

Welcome to the 21st century, again. And puleeeeeze, no more kidding about the middle ages, or else ...

'Will the hair grow back?'

Earlier went 'for a beer' with this girl, when I realised that's a question I'm kinda familiar with by now (and probly will have to brace myself for this just staying that way).

Funny how without further ado, it's usually perfectly clear it's not about the growing bald spot at the top of the back of my head, but ...

Of course the answer is 'no', at least not significantly, cause it's grafted skin from the throat.

Actually I'm quite happy at least the hair around the graft returned, which was all gone for almost an inch (WARNING!).

continue ...