Sevice to be resumed shortly

Oh noes, been down and out blogwise for a while now. Just too much other stuff wanting to be done. Also only went exercising in the woods every forthnight for over a month now. Bad bad bad.

(Though you can be sure baby's keeping me up for certain other 'sportive activities' plenty, and while that might be a reason for not losing more flesh yet, still, as my sore muscles tell me, doesn't really help gaining either I'm afraid.)

However, looks like I got some substantial portions off my neck now. Like having delivered all the monthly dole formularies with my usual grace, having worked up plenty hours on this semester's uni job, kicked off another presentation there, prepared some german webpages for forthcoming updates, and, best of all, yesterday sent the file of our first Paul Leppin book to the printing office, woooo-haaa!!!

Make no mistake, of course that's just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Like I'm still on the dole and hating it, there's two expositions I've to deliver for the uni in the next 3 months, there's the second Paul Leppin book (a much bigger bastard) I should've finished for years and latest this month (and today's the 31st), there's two more books I'll have to design and execute for the Institute of Popular Cultures (for these I'll even get paid, imagine), got loadsa folks breathing down my neck when we'll be putting out the next volume SUN KOH (those not yet talking about 'if', that is), and so on.

Still, though sometimes inbetween seems necessary, working too many hours while neglecting too much other stuff won't do it in the long run, no sir.

Spot the difference?

..........................Tages Anzeiger, 25 August '05 © Beat Marti

.....................Murnauer Tagblatt, 8 May '07, © Roland Lory

No, it's not the presence of Helmut K. Schmidt on the 2nd pic.
Nor the different locations. And no, not the wardrobe either.

Not at all.

Negative is positive

Teeheehee -- well, at least everytime it comes down to an HIV-test, that is. And am I not happy in the last years technology advanced as much as that now you can get the results in less than 24 hrs without extra charge?

Funny, still the same guy on the phone delivering the results. Though I'd bet this time he had way less hard news to break. You can tell by the way he does this little break when saying, 'The result is ... negative.' Last time the intermission was just a wee bit longer, and you could clearly hear that he was kinda happy too, not having to tell me else. So I remember thinking like uh-huh, sounds like lotsa bad news today.

Baby was even faster getting the results than me. Less than two minutes after the hotline opened and she'd already sent me the good news by txt. While silly me had to get the number from the net again first, since by accident I put the paper together with the trousers into the washing machine today.

At least no problem remembering the code word, haha. Sometimes folks at the hospital indeed do show some sense of humour. Like they'd seen us arriving there together, and when we went each with somebody for the preliminary quiz, gave me the codeword 'eel', while she got 'zone'. Hawhawhaw.

However, you can bet we'll be doing plenty of eel'n'zone jokes for quite a while ...

(to be continued ...)

Bad karma & just plain stoopid

Guess we all heard bout safer sex for quite a while now, don't we? All agreed?

Or at least that's what I'd like to think myself. Which is why I'm sometimes a wee bit confused when again having to remove some girl's head from my private parts in bed, explaining why. Not to mention then hearing things along the lines of, 'Oh, really?' (Which in my experience usually includes even the ones used to taking a bit more responability in bed that the average lot, but that's another story.)

Something I'm in all modesty slowly getting kinda familiar with. Until very recently, that is. Not that the situation had been different for a start, I'm afraid. Only insofar that I just didn't.

Man of principles, hawhaw. Not even a special excuse or anything. Actually I'd be in trouble only explaining why instead of merely processing the fact.

Bad karma in my book, both. Even worse, didn't take too may days and I also engaged unsafely in other stuff just so as well. Something I've never done before in my whole life! And despite this time at least there's something like a minor cheap excuse, in the end still boils down to lack of wits and patience, but again, still no real reason. And there I was, thinking people becoming more calm and mature when getting older. Colour me double-perplexed and very ashamed of myself. Not to mention havin been just plain stoopid, again.

Okokok, we both had more or less valid reasons to assume we're probly both still negative. (Not to mention then we didn't do what's considered the classical high risk sexual practice yet.) However, imho there's some things in life when even 99% just isn't enough, and guess what's being the prime example, hm?

So high time coughing up the dosh and going for another test plus negotiating the usual minimal guidelines (a.k.a. if you'd ever do something unsafe with somebody else at least tell me before doing so again with me, which I promise you too).

If we actually find the time going to the test at the required hours, not to mention the results being still in favour of any such things, that is ...

Not that I'm really nervous, but ... still would be better being 100% sure already, now wouldn't it?

(continued ...)

Murnau

Just after hearing local parliament having given the green light for doing this exhibition about author Paul Alfred Müller (german bio) at Schlossmuseum in Murnau, the Bavarian town where he'd lived from 1948 till he died, driving back exactly there for another book presentation @ Antiquariat Hannak, again together with Müllers fellow local scribe Helmut K. Schmid. (Like the famous german expressionist filmmaker of the 20ies, PAM also once adopted Murnau as nom de plume.)

Nearly no actual audience (i.e. people not involved in any of the projects) turning up, and absolutely no turnout financial wise. And for that alla the preparations, not to mention getting up before 8 after almost no sleep ...

However, taped the conversation with H. K. Schmidt, and -- tadaaa -- also got this nice review in Murnauer Tagblatt, which eventually made it all quite worthwile.

Cause besides the pulp scifi stuff we're doing already, both he and P. A. Müller also wrote yet-unpublished nice regular novels with a local touch, but until now we never got an angle getting through to that kinda audience. So the first article in a local newspaper and the exhib coming up in a place were also plenty tourists show up is something to be celebrated.

Which later at night I indeed did. Well, erm, kind of. Together with with a certain kinky babe, to be a wee bit more precise. Though not that I'd let you in on the details here ...

But instead urge all local lurkers to check out this lovely early sixties pulp novel by Schmidt called Hellbreed.

H. K. Schmidt and fan with signed portrait in our PAM-Bio
@ Antiquariat Sammelpunkt Zurich, 25.11.06
© Ingrid Tomkowiak

Keeping the neighbours awake

Ah, reckon this was just bound to happen sooner or later. Neighbours complaining bout this baby and me having too much fun, that is. Not to mention too long and way too often, too!

Surprisingly enough not the neighbours I had suspected most, but the single mom from the apt. below ours. Nonetheless strictly by the book. I.e. first banging at the wall from below in the still of night, probly waking up everybody a few floors in both directions. Then the next day ringing while my mate still sleeping, complaining 'I didn't get a wink of sleep for two days now.'

Actually the night before Baby and me had been practicing the explicitly romantic variety, contrary to like three nights ago, probly having been he loudest while staying in my apt., but nevermind. And just for the record, even then, though we weren't gagged nor stifling ourselves, weren't actually loud either.

Definitely quieter than them regularly banging up the roller blinds plus stampeding through the apt. and slamming doors when they're late and in a hurry getting off in the mornings. Both things I'd stopped counting how many times they woke me up a long time ago (not to mention even the old lady from above asking them to be a bit more considerate about in vain since way we moved in anyways).

And though this baby and me definitely not being into the 3-minutes way of things clocked from foreplay to falling asleep, during the relevant timeframe 'all night' was still be a wee bit exaggerated too, 'mafraid.

Tellingly she also didn't mention us waking her up, but just her being unable to sleep.

Now despite the house itself, contrary to the doors inside the apts., being built quite solid, I'm aware, if you listen closely, you'll be able hearing it no doubt. Just like loads of other noises, incl. stereos, tvs, kitchens, bathrooms, and also planes and cars outside.

Which is why my educated guess would be the problem being probly more the nature of the sounds than the actual volume.

Or, after I had apologised politely, declaring it hadn't been our intent to cause her discomfort (even true), as Baby put it with an innocent smile, 'Perhaps she'd need 3 earplugs: 2 for up and one for below.'

(continued ...)