Notes from Germany
I am an American expat living in Germany. It's a far away land on the other side of the ocean. It's interesting and often weird here. If you read this and want to comment then email me at nate(the at symbol)chillmost.com. If you find any spelling or grammar mistakes, you can keep them.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Carlos and Dimebag
I found out recently from my friend Amy that an acquaintance from my Chicago days committed suicide in October. Carlos and I weren't really close but I was upset when I found out. We haven't seen each other in over four years. He was a talented tattoo artist and musician/DJ. He was fun to talk to about music. He always had some new record or band to tell me about. I bought my first real mixer from him.
It is sort of surreal to go to his website (www.cfus.info) and see his artwork as if he was still maintaining the server. It will probably stay like that until the provider doesn't get paid and then they will shut it off and the pictures and content will be deleted and gone forever. Sad.
Another thing that upset me last week was the insane and brutal shooting death of Dimebag Darrell and 3 others in the Ohio nightclub. I was not a huge Pantera fan but I really admired Dimebag's skill as a guitarist and his attitude towards his fans and towards his music.
RIP Carlos and Dimebag!
Plop! Plop! Plop!
From The New York Times:
"Fischer also cultivated a good personal relationship with Colin Powell. When the American traveled to Berlin two months after the beginning of the Iraq war, Fischer spoiled him with Wiener Schnitzel and Flensburger Pils beer. The former general learned to love the brand's old-fashioned, ceramic caps during his years of military service in Germany.
It's been a year and half since Powell's visit and since then Fischer has religiously brought along a few cases of Flensburger on each of his visits to the United States. 'Shipment arrived,' he likes to whisper to Powell during meetings, as if the two were part of some conspiracy."
When they get together it may sound like this.
Monday, December 13, 2004
U.S. Expatriate Hipsters Plug Into the Buzz of Berlin
U.S. Expatriate Hipsters Plug Into the Buzz of Berlin :
"There are, of course, those annoying quintessential German moments: the icy stare for crossing the street when the little man is lighted red, and the 'tsk, tsk, tsk' awaiting those who fail to separate dark glass from clear glass in front of bewildering rows of recycling bins. But most expats consider these amusing idiosyncrasies in a city full of verve."
I find that if you stare at them with a raised eyebrow like The Rock and twitch your upper lip they leave you alone. That's just me though. Your mileage may vary. If you do this while there are children around and you make them cry, you get extra points.
