Music for Queen Mary

Strike the viol Henry Purcell

Instantanés

N'est-il pas ?

"A telle enseigne qu'on ne sait plus si son style tortueux et chargé est le symptôme d'un cerveau engorgé de références ou le reflet adéquatement saturé d'une mythomanie omnivore"

La sombra del viento

I don't read a lot. It's true. Not that I don't want to but the choice of a book is by itself difficult. And only the idea of being disapointed makes it harder. At the store there are so many on the shelves that I am tired to read every résumé. Lucky me I have friends and most of the time I read what they suggest me or even offer me for Christmas, Birthday or just because.

I don't read a lot. It's true. Because when I am ready and want to read it's when I am coooollllll in the warmth of my bed, that everything is finally quiet and I am ready to ... fall asleep which I do after 5 minutes reading. Not that I am not interested but just too tired.

But it happens sometimes also that I just can't get enough of the book. Even when my eyes are closing for sleep and I sometimes find my book anywhere in my bed and the light still on after a few hours sleep I just want to know what will come next page.

This happened with the wonderful story of Carloz Ruiz Zafon "La sombra del viento" (Thanks A!). I read it in french so that would be "L'ombre du vent" (thank you to the translators who did not invent another name) and in english logicaly "The shadow of the wind".

I'll make it short : The story starts during civil war in Barcelona. That's maybe also why I was interested with the book because I could easily picture where the actions take place, it makes everything much more "live".

A young boy is taken by his father, who has a book store, in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a secret place, known only by few. The boy is allowed to take one book from this place and it will be the book of his life time. He has to protect it. Thrilled by reading it the boy looks for other books of the author and it is the start of a life of adventures, discoveries, danger, love all this implicated in the history of the city and the Franco dictatorship because a devil is also seeking every copy of every book of the author to burn them.

It is a fascinating story. It's never boring. You're moved and your heart feels the joy and pain of the boy, the young man and the man. You feel this so real that you only wish this character will have success in his quest.

This book, I read. Vamos Muchachos !

Naked Boys Singing

I’m not a big fan of musicals. Outside the classics I saw on TV as a kid like « Mary Poppins » or « the sound of music » I was once at « Cabaret » at the theatre. Naked Boys Singing has something particular : They’re naked (yes they are). Nudity in this show is the main subject and the costume. It means that you forget about it because it’s not related to sex. In a way this musical is very tender. Unlike movies which try to show you a moment of a life time either tragically or funny this musical plays scenes of different stages of a gay life. The guys can sing and you focus most of the time of the story they’re singing so again a way not to watch their penis. Because it’s the only thing you are interested. Of course they are all young and beautiful according to the gay standards. But they do it with pleasure. We feel that they enjoy to do this work and more important It’s a team work and that they support each other. I can imagine playing in front of the public naked is something anyone could not do even as an artist. Critics say it’s good. I trust them although I don’t really make my idea with them. Only sometimes on this movie version I am not sure the public is a real one. Or again It’s very american this behaviour of over reacting (too many smiles, too many cries, standing ovation …). And I just regret the lights and special effects that we really don’t need… and they are too many. Your eye sometimes does not even have time to catch the action. Because the guys are the show so we don’t need any other effects. Mayyyybeeee a bit too « religious » for me because they sing about the jew history but I know that for Americans it’s included in their every day life when for French religion is definitly something we’ll hardly show neither talk about.

Instantanés

Sweat

Today Il pleut and It's week-end so play it slow Baby. You know by now I like to play the anthropologist studying the human and its characteristics and while talking with friends something funny is happening in France and Germany (and in some other countries in Europe) due to the fact that we can't smoke anymore in public places. I know I already talked about it and I said that it would be nice to create spacies for us smokers outside the bars, restaurants discos and I am sure it will become cruising areas. Actually now it seems that it will even go further (open air ?) because the human discovers another unseen part of his body : his smell. Before everyone was unhappy to go out because we knew that coming back home our clothes and the entire body will smell the smoke (but it covered every other ones). There would be a chance that next table someone will seat and lite a cig and will blow the smoke in your eyes (it hurts ...!). Now the behaviour changes. You're first surprised because when you enter the place something is missing : the halo of smoke (gone) then the smell : cold smoke (bad smell) alcohol (ok I'll get used to this one) and sweat (this is no porn). Disco owners are already angry about the non-smoking policy but if in addition they admit that it smells in their place it's the end of it. So it is a fact : the human smells and sometimes it's no rose perfume. I can understand the smell of smoke is not a good one. When my neighbour is going out of his flat to have a smoke on the floor because his girlfriend can't stand it he forgets that the smell is traveling everywhere. Under the door way and it's infiltrating in my place while already going to bed : not good. And I won't talk about the farters. Don't throw me the first stone Darlin' you break wind too. The difference now is that we know you did ! So in this cruel world is there any solution because apparently our States never thought about those reactions ? not sure but it's like when we discovered the oil crisis in the 70's : french advertising said "we have no oil but we have ideas". This time some try to impose their ideas. Not sure if it is only marketing or if it will work but it's worth having a look : some companies specialize themselves in "good" smells. The idea to cover the "bad" smells is to spray in the disco (for example) fragrances. You have surely noticed that now our world has become smelly. You can't enter any shop without smelling something (most of the time their perfume they want to sell). Smelly marketing is taking place. I remember the french car manufacturer Citroën did it with one of his car but I guess had no success. And it is understood because comes straight away another dilemma : to perfume a place It's of course taking the risk that the smell does not pleased all of us. Our nose is very sensitive and is directly linked to our history and emotions. So to conclude not smoking smells but nobody thought instead of replacing smells everywhere just to change the carpetings and hangings. Soon a non-sweating policy ? I'll keep you posted.

Instantanés

I don't complain, I just explain

I don't really talk about work, not really interesting. But we had a very special week after months of hard work. It's also to give an idea of the gap between both french and german cultures although we are so near. European Community has this wish to make live together so many different populations that I understand why it looks such a mess from outside, nevertheless very strong. But in a way it works. And if I take my near small world I guess it's not easy everyday. When a special event is about to happen you wish to be moraly (at least) supported. Special attention is required and you appreciate that your management comes to say to your team "ok guys, good luck, you've been working hard, we're with you, go for it", or comes in the first day in fire to ask if everything is fine or organizes a french breakfast with croissants just to show affection. That's what expected the team. We spoke about it today. N-o-t-h-i-n-g ! we had nothing. As a french you pay a lot of attention to those details. Not to gain anything, just because, as a matter of respect. It's like all you do is just accepted as normal and the society deserves it regardless the human factor. It's useless. We are still no machines and our facts and figures are ruled because we like what we do. Everytime I look at my team I'm happy to see that we communicate a lot, it's the basis of our good understanding. Trainees, employees, management, all together. Everyone shares and is free to bring any information he thinks for the better. I understand more about the french revolution from 1789 and the meaning of the word. The French does not do the revolution to complain though it is the basis of it but to bring new ideas and to defend them and most of all to bring them to life. The German fights. When I look at the german team it is opposite from us : never shares, keep everything for him(her)self, no friendship, no afterwork apéritif, do things without noticing your colleagues and your bad luck if you missed it (why should I inform you, what does it bring to me ?). And they never stop complaining ... and never act by themselves. There is always someone higher who can take the decision so they have no responsability (ahh ! sorry no, not my mistake, I've been told to do so, did you see the kitchen again ? no one emptied the dishwasher ! but Baby, don't you use the dishes yourself ?) No one believes me from abroad because this country has such an image, and they keep it that way, it's called marketing darlin', that revealing something disturbing for them is puting yourself in isolation tank for ever. They don't work good because they want or like it, they work good because they don't like remarks. We even provoke (well we tried) organizing the breakfast ourselves inviting everyone. Nobody showed up. In the end the team is disapointed and it is sad. But we manage because we know they're like that. They take everything for granted and do not think another way (what are you talking about ?). They ask us to comply ourselves with their behaviour (workwise of course, outside they're happy to find french places to have good food, good wine or good conversations) but this one time only we expected them to understand us, just ... Give me one reason why that did not happen.

Instantanés

To kill a myth

It's a myth to believe you can drive as fast as you want on the motorways in Germany. It is only true for some portions and be careful because the police is controling very hard (respect the 30 km/h speed limit even in the middle of the landscape). And even when it is allowed for a few kilometers the traffic is so dense you can't enjoy the horses of your engine. You always will find on the way a snail who enjoys his place on the left side. There are also only two lines. Take for example the one from Basel to Hamburg between Freiburg and Karlsruhe, you can forget even to drive more than 100 km/h. The trucks of course, the buses then, and the one who believes his Renault is faster than your Audi. Unlike France where motorways cost a fortune (but I never saw anywhere else in the world so beautiful and secured roads (maybe Switzerland ?) german motorways are a state issue. In France it is a private system and that's why you pay (and again you understand why) but in Germany it is free (and you understand it as well) meaning that there are "work in progress" for hundreds of kilometers. If the winter season is bad they have to rebuild everything. In the end, it never ends. There is also this "Umwelt" policy (only activists care) which means that protect the birds, the trees and your neighbour from smells and noises and you understand the speed regulation 60 kilometers away from the nearest city. And Germans loooove their car. Even when it's clean it needs to be washed. The federalism system of the country allows you to travel by car because you find big cities almost in the whole country, that explains the density of the traffic. So if you expect to play the Fangio, if your car wants to free the full power of its engine, if you think you will race against time, that nobody will put you on your nerves, that you will save money, that you will enjoy the journey, that the weather will be beautiful, that you will find toilets when you need a pee, or a gas station when your car is thursty, my advice, take the train : It's safer, cheaper, you travel everywhere, you even can sleep, toilets is easily reachable, there is a bar, the speed limit is more than 300 km/h (and it caaaaan drive that speed Yeah ! Baby) and you even can bring your bike that you will use once you reached your destination. Maybe as far as the last train to London ?

Instantanés

Hidden playgrounds

Because I like to wander in the city I sometimes make discoveries for my own pleasure. It can be a park, a bar, a place, an old building, a face in the street, a sign on the wall, anything that catches my eye and I am thankful to the camera to put on screen so I can share all this through "Instantanés". Some people go further and created hidden playgrounds. I discovered this in Franfurt and am happy to see that the idea follows in Berlin. It's not big yet but I wish it will go further because I find the idea very good. It's worth a visit, wherever you are.

Le "Tout"

"... le seul point que vous ayez su éclairer est mon support pour cette conception qu'une révision de la physique du point de vue si gratifiant de l'approche qu'ont Gans, Derichle et Rienman de la topologie et de l'électrodynamique nous autoriserait le luxe non seulement d'une vision plus précise de l'approche de Maxwell et Bolzmann, mais aussi une approche plus directe de la compréhension des principes fondateurs du "tout" ... "

of course ...

Sometimes I just love my language. It can be so hermetic that even if the words mean anything to you you just can't understand the idea and worse can't even relate to anything nor explain whatsoever. I am nearer now of the so called "intellectuals" : they don't understand each other that's why they all talk together !

Benefit party

The party world of the city, the gay one Darlin', is mostly ruled by trans. Those know how to party and we expect them to be at every place we go to have fun. As far as I remember I always knew them so I guess we must have more or less the same age although they know damm well to put make up (and a dress) when I hardly can do my eye brow (even with the shaving machine, it's catastrophy). We feel nevertheless that when after the party we go quietly home and find our "normal" life back, they have to carry on with their "normal" life. Again lucky us in this city there is not too much a problem and when you're used to live at night you don't see the sun anymore (when there is some...) so don't worry about the look of the neighbour . After all those years of occupying the scene they've become more popular and that's why we join most of the time the same parties and you're happy to meet them again. It's like the teacher entering the school class for the first time of the year every year. The students are new and they become younger and younger every year just because you're getting older but your colleagues grow old with you and you say again that it will be a good year. You feel as well that they are in a very small world. They are always together and that is why when anything bad is happening to one of them the other ones show solidarity because they know what it's like. And that is when you take contact with their reality. Let's take the example of Polla Disaster. She's in the city for years and we just learn that she moved back to Poland (her original country) because that is the only place she has health insurance. The system in Germany is quite complicated, heavy ... and very expensive and because she doesn't have any she can't cure her cancer. The benefit party last week at Klub International was for this purpose. Although we had the monthly party at Klub International which is a fabulous place the week before we had to go back to show that we still like to party and have a heart to share. I guess It keeps you running and you don't feel like giving money without return that you always expect. I know people spending money not to show solidarity but to get a tax refund (but this is another story). I only wish that every one at this evening had a little thought for her and that she can join the next party this week-end at Geburtstagsklub "Irrenhouse". I know it looks like party freaks but why not having fun ? It gives good memory, you're with friends and we forget all worries for some hours. This is not too much to ask to be happy.

Instantanés

In the ghetto

Abend Brot

The advantage of going out for dinner with colleagues you have no special acquaintance with is that you know it will not last long. Especially in Germany where there is no dining out but what they call "Abend Brot", meaning that you don't really have a meal but more like some sandwiches to give you the idea. So don't expect it to last more than 45 mn at the most. I only had a glass of wine and one cig, since we can't smoke inside anymore. I went with the bicycle so I guess I can tell myself at least I did some sport ... They don't have this culture of re-inventing the world each day and talking about sex or politics at the table is just out of the question. And they definitly have no sense of humour. Next time I'll be busy.

no complaints