a Friday night on a hot day of May

after a 40hr working week
and classes
and what it seemed an
eternal/endless running of errands
my Friday night (last night)
came... ah! & time for...

barefoot-lounging...
strawberry-munching...



and a heat wave attacks San Diego today
but i felt victim of conveniences, leaving
the little house anyway

i will come back to reply your great comments
my dear dear friends

was Friday night
and now so sunny warm not so fresh
but the light demands me outside
rushing the soul on a sunny escapade

some kitchen scenes

Montag Mittagessen
Monday's Lunch
el almuerzo del lunes



a traditional
turkey breast, jack pepper w/peppers cheese
red lettuce and spinach mix
over multi grain sliced bread
mustard added

and the whole Lunch set
some greek style fat free yogurt (mmm, creamy!)
and 10 organic strawberries



pretty spoiled...

and some of the room where it all



takes place...
Guten Appetit!
Bonn Appetite!
¡Buen provecho!

a prayer

tonight
regardless of your religion or believes
even if you are an atheist
it would be a good idea to say a little prayer
for the people in China

those devastating earthquakes

and i guess for me is such a touchy subject
'cause i somehow relate in experience

i was 16 years old
when the devastating earthquakes of 1985
brought Mexico City to ruins...

i was in high-school summer vacation
and my mother was getting ready to go to work
she wake me up...
"está temblando, bere, despierta!"
and after surely the hardest earthquake i have feel in my life
the electricity went out and for about 2 hours
we knew not much of what had happened around the city

but about 9 am, a neighbor came with a TV operated by batteries
and i started to see what had happened around the city...

buildings that you have seen every day! on your way to work
or school, were on the ground destroyed now!!!
well-known landmarks, places that you grew-up around...
all in a little over a minute were gone, disappeared for good
and as the weeks went by, another person that you knew
or heard of, friends of friends, and relatives you forgot
added to the list of lost people...

and the telephones, and all communications to Mexico City
for damaged for good, leaving a city of millions in a total
state of chaos and death...
i remember the endless days were the TV channels working
would just report names of families that were OK
so people in other parts of the country could hear from the ones
that were living still in the city...

according to Wiki -that i don't really trust that much, but...

[As a result of the earthquake, according to official government statistics, over 9,000 people were killed, 30,000 injured, and 100,000 left homeless. 416 buildings were destroyed and over 3,000 seriously damaged.]

Many residents of Mexico City dispute the official statistics, and believe that deaths from the quake exceeded 60,000 and more likely approached 100,000. Their reason for doubt is that their one-party government (at the time) was infamous for under-playing negative statistics whenever possible .

the nightmare begun... and my nobody who lived in Mexico City
back then, can say, that the nightmare that followed
the next days didn't changed their lives

and from BBC, one from those old days

[Disaster zone, Mexico City
Most of the damage, however, was caused 250 miles (400 km) away in Mexico City, which was declared a disaster zone.
Telephone links were cut, and a communications tower burst into flames, leaving television broadcasts monitored in neighbouring Guatemala the only source of information.
Television reports said hundreds of people are trapped in rubble, and more than a third of all buildings have been damaged.
Clouds of dust hung over the city centre, and broken glass and chunks of cement littered the streets.
There was a strong smell of gas and the city government issued a radio appeal for people not to light matches.
Collapsed buildings
Several high-rise hotels collapsed entirely, as well as a section of the city's huge medical centre. Many buildings were on fire. The underground system also failed, stranding hundreds of people.
Many people gathered on street corners, several weeping and some fainting. Others joined rescue workers digging through rubble in a frantic search for survivors.]

and some painful images
and i think is worth to mention
that the people that you see digging there
looking for buried victims were not
city workers, they were complete families
helping to look for lost relatives, friends,
neighbors... all Mexico-city inhabitants
worked together to rescue whoever could be
still alive



these are sad memories, but sometimes
is good to remember the bad things to appreciate
what we have every day... and the people of China
is lacking today
a warm home, and the possibility of being not there...

so, for the people in China
i say a humble prayer tonight
and hope you say one too

Saturdays

Samstag zu Hause, am frühen Nachmittag
Saturday at home, early in the afternoon
Sábado en casa, temprano por la tarde

Fernando Pessoa and my mom

happy mother's day!
as a little homage to my mother
[and not that she reads this blog]
i remember today, the Portuguese poet
Fernando Pessoa
one of my mother's favorite writers

Pessoa is a wonderful poet
who lived to authentic life of a poet
immersed always on the darkness of
self-inquisitiveness while turning
his search into beautiful poems
but also some rather painfully wonderful prose
i think his major prose piece might be

Das Buch der Unruhe
The Book of Disquiet
El Libro del desasosiego


[one little dusty shelf at home]

and here some quotes
taken literally form my book
i will try to translate in English
as my Pessoa books are both in Spanish
and they are both a gift from my mom
i sort of requested them from her shelves
and she wasn't too happy to give them to me
as she likes to keep at least a copy for herself
but being an only daughter and she knowing
the treasure that Pessoa is, she handed one to me
and the other one, the purple one with the
Poemas Esotéricos, she left here on one of her visits
es tut mir Leid, my german is not so good
to try to translate these powerful words


318.
... ships passing in the night, not greeting each other, not knowing each other...


220. Painful Pause

To dream, what for?
What have I done of myself? Nothing.
If I could myself spiritualize in the night, yes.
Internal statue without contours, External Dream without having been dreamt


224.
... that episode of imagination that we call reality.

[the rest of the paragraph is beautiful, ironic, and painful too but i cannot translate it all, please look your closer bookstore and buy this book in your language of preference, it will be a soulful companion on dark nights or clear mornings... poetry is never a luxury but a necessity of the heart]

also good companions for heart maladies are his

Esoterisch Gedichte
Esoteric Poems
Poemas Esotéricos

twin peaks / twin bricks / twin beaks

just as special agent cooper
arrested james as a suspect
on laura's palmer murder
because of a reflection on
laura's eye;
the same way, one can tell
sometimes where a person's
portrait was taken
if one find an accurate reflection
of their eyes

so here my 'laura's version eye'
where am i?
not even myself could decipher



and it comes
accompanied by a copied/pasted
transcript of that scene from the
original script of Twin Peaks
[notice is from the TV series, not the film]

16. INT. INTERROGATION ROOM A - DAY

JAMES HURLEY is seated, next to his LAWYER, across from Truman, as Cooper enters and sits down beside the Sheriff.
TRUMAN
James has been advised of his rights.
COOPER
James, you were placed under arrest
for suspicion of murder, the murder
of Laura Palmer. You have no
previous criminal record, is that
correct?
JAMES
None. No, sir.
Cooper turns on the VCR and we see the same videotape of Laura and Donna at the picnic that we saw earlier. James watches the video.
COOPER
James, did you shoot this videotape?
Cooper fast forwards to the freeze frame of the motorcycle reflected in Laura's eye.

and a couple of embedded mini films
from youtube, as is tradition on the
world of the lazy blogger because
what could be easier than just copy an embedded film
and blog about it?
well, i know what
to embedded 3 little films at the same time
over the same david-lynch-esco mood
of Twin Peaks

1. a great found, sort of a mini-7".Minutes-documentary, very interesting and with great interviews (the best of the 3)



2. a rather funny Lego tribute, Twin Bricks
"Diane I am on my 17th cup of coffee and my bladder is about to explode"
"Diane I am on my 37th cup of coffee today and I believe I am beginning to hallucinate"
and don't miss the stoplight scenes



3. when a story is recreated for children wonderfully in Sesame Street, you know it's on it's way to become a classic, part of the popular but still ranking good culture; and one can't just avoid to love the "special agent Cookie", great!



crave a cup of coffee and some pie now?
or to munch more some clueless yet beautiful ala lynch
cinematic lunch?

mir tut der Kopf weh, the modus vivendi

oh it's great to learn a 3rd language
but so hard!!!
specially since my native language is Spanish
seems harder for me to learn German
through an English book/class/professor

the lastest Kopfschmerze is
the reflexive verbs... mmm?
but not even so much 'cause
in Spanish we use these verbs in a reflexive way too!
but then in English not..., so rather confusing
this stuff on my brain

from my mexican brain to English
and then German and then oh well

mir tut der Kopf weh!



aber... i am thankful to learn
every day a little more

at least 1 foreign word per day!
one should learn, they might be helpful
specially if you travel
and
If you like to travel
probably you want to understand a little of other cultures

For me the most fascinating part of learning a new language
Is to understand the idiosyncrasies that form a culture
And never underestimate that NON-power of translation
‘cause many things CANNOT be translated
And language is so closely intrinsic to the modus vivendi
Of a civilization
So go learn something or anything about other cultures
That are not your own!
Just another little suggestion…

una pequeña sugerencia

see? if you study a little Spanish
you would know what says above...

the loved ones: cheese, music, and friends

today my soul was like a piece
of Gruyère
with oh! so many holes

but then
unexpectedly
a voice came across continents
14 Minuten 23 Sekunden
später
i was smiling again

my soul then became soft soft
like a Port Salut or a Camembert
but also felt complete
like a good aged Cheddar

ja! nur 14 Minuten 23 Sekunden
sometimes it's all that it takes

so i advice you
call today a friend or a relative
out of the blue and just tell them
hello, hey! i like you...
even when like cheese you smell
(for example, you don't have to include
the cheese quote at all ...)

and no wonder we call them
the loved ones
die Geliebten
los seres queridos

they can be relatives, parents,
uncles, old-lovers, or warm friends...
sometimes they come even as comments
and notes over the internet!

but the voice of a loved one
and the daydream starts again...



easy happy music
a good cover
and good live performances
nothing too big deal though
another day another song

and if you are interested on Cheeses
check this blog
365 Cheeses
superb documentation by a non-gourmet!
the about information is soft and candid
as the reviews are too! yep again
like a mild Port Salut, almost cream cheese
great site!

am Dienstagmorgen

I just called this post
Am Dienstagmorgen ‘cause the last one was
Am Samstagmorgen and not that is not
Dienstagmorgen heute
but the idea was more to follow up
with the days than with the German
My mind is not really into Deutsch today
and bad timing 'cause i have class!
but
Actually my mind is really into nothing, but…
it is that just last Samstag the licking sun
And that love and energy that were around me
Now are faded
Why feelings seem to wash-out?
Just like dusty sidewalks under rain
I feel a little washed-out today
Tired, and yes, it’s the weather! i know...
But when I was 20, I could be in the middle
Of a hurricane and mute
Nowadays, the traffic, the weather
The working hours, if is cold the café
all seems to be more annoying and well...
Old people talk, mostly all these minor complains



Yet… behind the melancholies of the rain
I find always a little hole, a peaceful secret
That keeps me warm, when in or when out
I take some pictures, then upload and type
Type type, and click again
And the cold wind on my face
With sparkles of solitude actually feels fine
We humans are like little mice lost on labyrinths
Always searching for an entrance or an exit
Always searching for something to roam about
Today, I stop, and I don’t search feelings
Nor wonder no more… I just seat back
And look at life going by, from my spot
On this my curious little life on
This gloomy cloudy Californian rainy day

OK gotta go out to work!
wet californian freeways are not fun...

am Samstag morgen

and der Samstag Morgen came along...
through my door i peek outside
and rays of sun and cheerful greens appear
inviting me of barefooted-ness and easy smiles



there's a festival at the corner of my house too!
here another year came along too
and time for the
The Adams Avenue Roots and Folk Festival
music music and food food
so here we go again and today...
breathing is easy when we are on

ein schöner Samstagmorgen
a beautiful Saturday morning
una hermosa mañana de sábado

(please note that in Spanish, unlike English and German
we do not capitalize the names of days, nor months)
[ich habe gesagt!]

visuelle Ode an das Bier

and i am liking the digital macro
of this canon-sita

the victim/model was a
Spaten Optimator
The classic German dark beer, bottom fermented 'Doppel Bock'.
Flavor profile: Full bodied with a deep dark color and rich roasted malt flavor.
Original gravity: 18, 2 %
Alcohol content: 7,2 %

sehr sehr gut!

Albert Hofmann dies

thanks to my friend
the fountain valley lounge lizard
who daily sends e-mails to a group
of friends, 'the dj-list' as we refer to it
packed with music news and music related
events, i found out today that
Albert Hofmann, the chemist who synthesized LSD
died yesterday at age 102

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/04/lsd-inventor-al.html

and strangely enough just 2 weekends ago
i saw a documentary at the History Channel called
from Peyote to LSD: A Psychedelic Odyssey
where this scene was recreated:

{Edward's text}
"Hofmann was a synthetic chemist who worked for Sandoz Laboratories, now Novartis, in the 1930's when we began studying chemistry of ergot, the common name for a fungus that grows on rye, barley, and some other plants. Hofmann devised a technique, making a series of derivatives of lysergic acid and began looking for medically useful compounds. His 25th compound synthesized in 1938 was lysergic acid diethylamide.

On April 16, 1943 Hofmann would return to the 25th compound and began testing the compound on himself. Three days later on April 19th, he would ride home on his bicycle after an "extremely small dose" which left him to highly psychedelic experience. To this daysome celebrate April 19th as "Bicycle Day".
{end of Edward's text}

{from}
"I had to leave work for home because I was suddenly hit by a sudden feeling of unease and mild dizziness," he subsequently wrote in a memo to company bosses. "Everything I saw was distorted as in a warped mirror," he said, describing his bicycle ride home. "I had the impression I was rooted to the spot. But my assistant told me we were actually going very fast." Upon reaching home, Hofmann began experiencing what he called "wonderful visions." Three days later, Hofmann experimented with a larger dose. The result was the world's first scientifically documented bad trip. "The substance which I wanted to experiment with took over me. I was filled with an overwhelming fear that I would go crazy. I was transported to a different world, a different time," Hofmann wrote.
{end of from}

I think is worth mentioning that Hofmann was never
and advocate of the use of LSD as a recreational drug
he actually referred to LSD in his book as "his problem child"

but regardless of his intentions surely
the psychedelic area was product of hallucinogenics
the 60's came and tickled our perception
revealing some beautifully (and sometimes painful)
sensations, altering the conscience of humanity forever

i have never personally tried LSD... but
sure i have had one or two mild psychedelic experiences
and i am an advocate and approve of responsible and sensitive!!
experimentation, and of alternative methods for
psychiatry and mental health

and talking about experimentation
so here i experiment with my broken camera
an altered purple at the end
of my little canon who really is 'tripping'
into a limbo-ish state...

[purple]

and recommended reading on the 60's
some literary journalism mixed with
hysterical realism mister Tom Wolfe's
anecdotes "on the Bus"
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
my wrenched paperback

café tacvba rocked Coachella

one of the best performances of
Cafê Tacvba that i have ever seen in my life

Dejate caer
let yourself fall

check out the little dance
respect for los pinches Tacubos
they were great!



"our grandfathers and grandmothers, they said
that is not true that we come here to live,
we come just to dream
the best medicine,
the best medicine is a simple as

dejarse caer, let oneself fall"

and i recommend you to watch until the very end
you might even dance too...

ah, i still cannot believe i was right there
i remember these moments oh so well!

and here my own home-made version of
Las Flores, unfortunately i wasn't still
skilled enough with the movie features
and it's a trunked song, oh well
read above... the stupidity? ;)

a woman, and some wandering stars under a desert sky

what i saw on saturday
and she just wants to be a woman...


thank you youtube users!
i have a complete version of the song too
but trapped on my hard drive...

and also the by-now infamous
plier-acoustic version of wandering star
the guitarist was playing the neck of his guitar
with a set of pliers, for a violin effect? amazing!
and dont' miss the ending of the song with
Beth's amazing voice... a night, i will never forget!



i cannot stop repeating
"i was there!, i was there!"

Coachella 2008

Coachella, was a great experience
i can still feel the electricity going thru my system
even if a long hot trip
it was all worth it
we got there around 1PM and saw the imponent
main stage, the Coachella stage


announcing its delights


i will try to get more into detail as i post
more photos and movies i took during the event
but for starters...
here some of the art displayed...





surely the main events of the day/night for me
(and i am suspicious for most of the Coachellos...)
were 3 the main events

during the hot afternoon
Café Tacvba!
they delivered a right on fun set
mixing Spanish and English while exploring
their mexican wittiness... the crowd was great!
specially when the singer called the event:
Mexi-Co-Chela



also great were the guys from Man Man
they sound a bit like older messy songs of Tom Waits

secondly, the german godfathers of electronic music
die Herren Kraftwerk
i have seen a complete Kraftwerk set at the Hollywood Bowl
a couple of years ago, so i was happy to see them again
delivering their computerized beauty and wonderful videos
and they were a great mood setter for what came next...
also i got to practice my German since they open the set
with a "hearthy machine-read" Guten Abend
and finish it with an Auf wiedersehen...



but truly the magic of the night was
Portishead!
a flawlessly delivered set
mixture of the old melancholic moody songs
like Glory Box or Wandering Star
(an acoustic version with just a guitar, some pliers
and wonderful Beth Gibbons voice...)
that mood of oldish spy noir film they deliver
battered in the new more noisy experimental album
borderlining sounds almost ala Autechre

they surely stole the night
Beth Gibbons puts her heart and soul in every single note
and so her band... i would drive many hours thru the desert
to see them again



surely, was magic at night in Coachella this past Saturday

and impressive was the set of mister Prince too!
back singers, horns sections and the party on!
unfortunately i didn't stay for his whole set
as we needed to drive back to San Diego, but i got a little taste
he really puts the party where he goes
also he puts corny silver hearts around the stage
but what an impressive set of musicians!

leaving for Coachella

the menace of an over heated desert
stands firm! 100° F (37.77777777777778° C) at the
Coachella Valley

but then, often happens that what appears
so threating, ends just as a soft memory
like this April's 15 sky... its threat faded
in some drops and moisture and now so dry
again... so



no fear! and in a couple of hours i head to the festival
and while i am gone
in this little meantime i leave you some music here
my friend perro (aka dj ix, aka my boss at work grrr)
has been writing and producing electronic music
for a while now, at least since i met him in 2001
listen here his latest song
and for some more, click on looprication

and now to sleep a couple of hours
before driving into the desert
the Coachella Valley that will be
a sizzling sea of desert full of adventurers
swimming among the sweet floating music

and shall i wear flowers on my head?
no! i am not that hippie...

Willkommen in Kalifornien!

ich freue mich auf diesen Sommer!
I look forward for this Summer
Espero con gusto este Verano

very happy today!
since i got confirmation
on two joyful Deutsche visitors
coming this Summer
hopefully they will have a great time
in San Diego
[here San Diego's Trolley at American Plaza station]



and i hope we can take over the rest of the
Golden California Republic!
from South to North, and back South
all the way to the North of México... ahhh



and why not? maybe even some
New Mexico and Arizona...