I thought these pictures were quite amazing: Manhattan from the late 1800s til 1970s.
Getting a ticket in 1902! (I only wish I had it that good!)
Harlem nightclub.
Woolworth Building.
Ticker tape parade for the first east-west transatlantic flight, 1928.
1960.
Got a new hairdresser and she's great! And only 10 Euros! I kid you not. (She's prego and works out of her apartment. But still, is that cheap or is that cheap?)
I didn't know how good she would be, so I just asked for a trim/angled bob... my bangs were quite long so she left them side-swept but since that was too normal (and by normal, I really mean boring) for me, I just cut weirdo choppy baby bangs myself. I quite like the collective results:
Well ladee-frickin'-da.
Just some photos from a very enjoyable and fun Sunday indoor/outdoor day party in East Berlin.
It did pour for about an hour around 4pm but luckily everyone was able to go under tents or inside the buildings for shelter. Then it was sunny skies again.
Security guards looking lonely up on the wall.
The crew.
So, in 2017, aliens will land--no-- hover peacefully above major cities on Earth, says the UN. Yes, that's the United Nations. They had a secret meeting about it in NYC but the details leaked. Why are aliens coming? Because they (otherwise knowns as "The Controllers") want to solve our problems here on Earth (from energy crisis to war to global warming, etc) and also add us into the new galactic order....but only if we show that we're worthy. Here, read about it for yourself.
I want to believe!!!! 8-)
I copied this from another blog because I thought it was an interesting read.. I try to mix up the fun stuff with the serious stuff on here and hopefully the people that read this don't go "Ugh..yea, preaching again" because I certainly wouldn't want to drive anyone anyway or have anyone think that I preach about this stuff-- I don't. I just like to read a lot. About everything, from scientists that don't believe in global warming to scientologists. Because reading about everything makes you a well-rounded person, right? (Plus it's fun to tell people all about those crazy scientologists! :P ) Anyway, it's funny that I'm a veggie (well, ok, vegan now) because I'm so not an animal person. But I do care about the environment, so I have to care about animals in some way but I guess what I want to say is that I'm not one of those crazy animal rights activists, never have been, and I don't think I can ever can be. I like LOLcats though (it's my all time favorite website. On Earth. And I say on Earth because in 2017, the aliens will be coming and they might have the internet and perhaps a site I'll like better someday. No, really, the United Nations confirmed that they're coming in a meeting last week. But that'll be in my next posting...)
Did You Know?
Pollution: The meat industry causes more water pollution in the United States than all other industries combined because animals raised for food produce 130 times more excrement than the entire human population does - 86,000 pounds per second. A typical pig factory farm generates a quantity of raw waste equal to that of a city of 50,000 people, but without the sewage system. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the runoff from factory farms pollutes our rivers and lakes more than all other industrial sources combined.
Land: Of all agricultural land in the United States, nearly 80 percent is used to raise animals for food. More than 260 million acres of U.S. forest have been cleared to create cropland to grow grain to feed farmed animals. Twenty times more land is required to feed a meat-eater than to feed a pure vegetarian.
Water: Raising animals for food consumes nearly half the water used in the U.S. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef, but only 25 gallons to produce a pound of wheat. Also, the EPA reports that chicken, hog, and cattle excrement have polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and contaminated groundwater in 17 states.
Global Warming: Meat production causes global warming. The massive amount of animal feces produced in factory farms is the largest source of airborne methane in the U.S. According to the EPA, methane traps heat in the atmosphere more than 20 times more effectively than carbon dioxide does.
Energy: Raising animals for food requires more than one-third of all the raw materials and fossil fuels used in the U.S. Satisfying our appetite for flesh requires fuel to produce fertilizer for the crops that are fed to animals, oil to run the trucks that take them to slaughter, electricity to freeze their carcasses, and much more.
Animals: You can't be concerned about the environment without caring about our fellow inhabitants, the animals. They're made of flesh and blood, have complex social and psychological lives, and feel pain, just as humans do. More than 27 billion animals are killed by the U.S. meat industry each year, and they're killed in ways that would horrify any compassionate person.
"If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is stop eating meat. That's the single most important thing you can do."
---- Sir Paul McCartney
It's Euro Cup 2008 season and it feels like the World Cup all over again. People driving down streets with flags, hanging out passenger windows, screaming their country names in soccer chants, elated by a win (or, in some cases, defending their pride after a loss.)
I mean, it's sort of comparable to the football playoffs in the states-- but no one drives down the streets honking their horns for their favorite football team unless they win the Superbowl or something relatively similar. We live on a main avenue in Berlin (which, unfortunately, also gets used as an ambulance expressway-- I'm still not used to that ear-piercing siren and have to put my hands on my ears if I'm outside on street level. We live on the 3rd floor-- but it's the 2nd floor if you're in Europe, since the ground floor is the "0" floor.)
Germany won their first Euro Cup game against Poland but lost in the second game against Croatia. Michi nearly lost his voice (which usually happens after a Deutschland game.) Soccer tournaments is really the only time where Germans wave their flags and other nationally-colored items of Germany (Germany-colored wigs, mohawks, people face-painted and dressed in all black, red, and yellow, etc) with pride. Otherwise it would just be seen as weird and nationalism in this country is still something of a taboo subject.
We saw the first game against Poland at this venue called Zitadelle Spandau, which is a Renaissance castle/fortress surrounded by water:
They did advertise a massive screen (like the one for the World Cup) but alas, it was just a projector screen-- for 10,000 fans watching. It didn't quite light the metaphorical our fire like the Fan Mile did back in 2006. But, es geht. ("It goes.")
Here's a video I took in the U-bahn on the way home:
And here's one of the Turk-Swiss game aftermath just outside our apartment:
They have venues all over the city that are screening the Euro Cup games for free, and many of them outdoors. This is a bad picture but next to the main train station, or Hauptbahnhof, they have a fake beach and two screens (and also a tent with a larger screen indoors.) Since Germany has no beaches, fake beaches (with real imported sand) on the river have been a raging success.
******
Last weekend we went to Michi's hometown and bbq'd in the garden. German gardens are actually a piece of land where each person/family has their own piece of garden but every garden is attached to the next one on the outskirts of town. The size of the land, what you can and can't plant there, size/dimensions of the 'garten' house, what you can/can't have in the garten house (you can't sleep there, for instance) are all included in national/state German law. There is even laws on the height that your grass should be (I kid you not) but luckily they're not too strict with that. *raises eyebrow* Gardens are typically a 5 minute drive from your apartment or house. The word/concept of Kindergarten ("children garden") originates and evolved from these German gardens, where kids would gather and play.
The path down the gardens (gardens on each side of us)
A peak inside someone else's garden.
Inside Michi's family's garden. Tons of veggies and fruits, from strawberries to cherries, spinach, eggplant, onions, scallions, potatoes, zucchini, mint, basil, dill, and more.
The empty water bottles on sticks make vibrations from the wind that scares away lil critters and thus prevents them from snacking on the goods.
Michi and his mom putting German flags on her car. It was a big deal.
Inside the garden house. (It's just one room.)
Me studying the cherry tree.
On the balcony.
Purty.
A medical helicopter landing right in front of Michi's mom's apartment. That was pretty cool (and really loud.) Luckily no one was flown by helicopter to a hospital (so I guess whatever happened wasn't too serious, so that's good.)
We also went to see one of my colleague perform modern Indian dance 2 weekends ago, who danced to a few gorgeous songs that were featured in Bollywood films. He's also performing for the Indian Embassy in September.
What else? I got observed on Monday by one of my bosses (standard company protocol after 2 months of so of employment) so he sat in on one of my classes. (And I figure, this is all good preparation for my upcoming days at Wisconsin, where I'll have plenty of observations to get through!) I thought the 90 minutes went fairly well and wasn't too nervous throughout the lesson but felt ominous vibes from him after the lesson. But I guess it was just my insecurities getting the best of me (yet again.) Yesterday we met for over an hour to discuss my lesson, how I thought it went, how he thought it went and helpful suggestions for the future. And thankfully, I received quite good reviews from my boss as well as my students (they just happened to do routine feedback sheets a week before my observation), which really helps teacher motivation. My bosses really are nice.
Still vegan. 1 month so far, woo! I discovered this awesome cookbook where you can make (very healthy) vegan cheese alternatives. If you're curious, here's some recipes from the book. The other day I made "mostarella" since Michi and I felt like making some pizza and I was quite pleased with the result- it was more of a spreadable cheese and it doesn't have the stretchiness that dairy cheese does but these vegan cheese recipes are more than satisfying my cravings for cheese (and, bonus, I don't have to worry half as much about the amount of unhealthy fat I consume with "uncheese.")
I'm on an early 90s music kick. Sophie B. Hawkins, Cathy Dennis, Jane Child, and Ready For The World (Oh, Oh Sheila!) And I figured out that if I do my hair wavy/curly everyday 1. I not only avoid blow drying my hair in a warm apartment (pretty no air conditioning on this whole damn continent) and thus save time, energy, and sweat, but 2. it's also much harder to tell that I have a slight mullet (ie, longer in back than in front.) And it looks cute.
Not much going on these days, just chilling, experimenting with cooking and baking (see below), drinking wine in the park, and enjoying work. This past weekend we went to see one of my colleagues perform contemporary Indian dance, which was awesome.
Other than that, I can't wait until one of my closest friends from NYC arrives at the end of the month! I already started thinking of tons of things to do while he's here, including renting bikes (critical!) and dune buggies (you can drive these puppies on regular roads, it's so insane!), a trip to swim in one of the lakes, hitting up alternative bike tours (graffiti/memorial rave spots and former clubs), clubbing, and some traditional/essential stuff like visiting the dome of the Reichstag, going to a few art museums, a boat ride on the river (or even canoe on the river!), etc.
This week is the start of the Euro Cup 2008. I (and the rest of this country, pretty much) are hungry-- no, starving, for a rematch with Italy. And the only two places we can possibly meet Italy are in the semi-final..or the Final. Italy and Germany always have good chances and usually get very far in all soccer tournaments, so it's within reach...! It all begins on Saturday-- first Germany game (against Poland) is on Sunday. Already a group of us going to watch it in a biergarten in a park!
...which reminds me... crap, I have no Germany jersey! Gotta go out and get one. It's dire.
(A very delicious, vegan) Strawberry Rhubard Pie (all made from scratch!) We didn't have a pie form (€19,95?! Fuck that!) but a springform worked just fine.
The day after. Hehe.
Michi's famous bröt.
Blooper!
