taking off

life flies
and we take off
another Christmas
another year



and merry Christmas!
and let hope make softer
the colors of your life
these memories, these years

warm wishes!
as your eyes pose here

abfliegen, Christmas, der Urlaub, taking off

fertig!/i am done/¡ya está!

endlich habe ich meine erste Deutsch Semester beendet
finally i have finished my German 101 Semester
finalmente, terminé el primer semestre de Alemán



leider spreche ich noch nicht so gut Deutsch
ich kenne nur Präsens!
kein Partizip kein Futur
ich spreche buddhistisch Deutsch

unfortunately, that doesn't mean i really speak good German
i just know the Present tense
no Past and no Future tenses
a very Buddhist version German

pero eso no significa que ya hablo bien Alemán
solo sé conjugar verbos en el tiempo presente
no hay pasado, no hay futuro
mi Alemán es muy budista

x-mas

i got my 1st x-mas present!
from el perro's parents



i haven't open it
of course!

they always send me such neat things!
ah mostly wonderful books!
can't wait to see...

cute TV commercial

oh TV commercials can be cool!

love this one from Adidas
my favorite parts
the kid taking the coin from Platini hands
"Hey yo soy el Capitán" he says...

and well the kids giving positions to play
to the super players



cute indeed!
oh i was supposed to write in Spanish
and be all pissed off now
but after some home-made remedies
heh heh
i am not anymore

trouble with the Police

after a long day with
.-much stress and much work
.-many meetings
.-feeling sick all day
.-a 2.30 hr Deutsch class from 7.05pm until 9.30pm
.-being for 12 hours out of my house
.-a pain on my neck that i have for almost 2 weeks now

i start driving back from Mesa college...
still inside the school
a Police car stopped me for speeding!
on a 15 MPH zone i was driving 25 MPH

when you think a day can't go worse
it does

so... too much for me tonight
my only relief by now is to write & cry

so i do that now:
like in the old times
cure the misery by writing
and crying... until it stops
so...

write and cry
write and cry
write and cry

(this is not working)
let's see auf Deutsch

ich schreibe und weine
ich schreibe und weine
ich schreibe und weine
ich schreibe und weine
ich schreibe und weine
ich schreibe und weine
ich schreibe und weine
ich schreibe und weine

Nein! arbeitet nicht
vielleicht auf Spanisch

escribiendo y llorando
escribiendo y llorando
escribiendo y llorando
escribiendo y llorando
escribiendo y llorando
escribiendo y llorando
escribiendo y llorando
escribiendo y llorando

mucho mejor... ah!
y además ya nadie checa este blog
ni en inglés ni español
so why bother huh?

much better in Spanish
and after all nobody reads here
in English nor Deutsch anymore

so...

empiezo mi diario otra vez en Español
tal vez es lo mejor

was just a strange day
seems a stranger night
still in English though
a soundly...
FUCK!

desperation is the English way after all
didn't say that Pink Floyd?

another Sunday

life
in the sky
or on earth
happens every day
busy is the existence of humans
and busy it's the life of birds
and today...
was just another December Sun-day
living in southern California

der Regen, the rain, la lluvia

Wir stehen diese Morgen auf, wieder regnet es
We woke up to rain this morning again
Esta mañana otra vez, despertamos con lluvia

machines

so much we depend on them
this one to keep my food cold...

machines. machines. machines.

today, middle of a rush working day
went home to get a new fridge!

courtesy of San Diego Gas & Electric company

after months of high electricity prices
i enrolled to a subsidiary program
they improved a couple of things already
but over all

they exchanged the old fridge that came with this house
for a new one! even a little bigger in internal capacity
but that uses less energy
and all with no cost neither for me nor for the landlord
good deal on California trying to go green!



old and new (both full size American fridges!)
and for such a small house, is really a treat

and here a little homage to my old fridge
and his full-of-stuff doors
farewell old machine, for a couple
of years you were my machine cold friend



máquinas de hacer frío
kalt-macht Maschine

was ist Arbeit?

was ist Arbeit?
What is work?
¿Qué es trabajo?

as i was studying
die Berufe
(professions)
for the German class

i came across this video
über Kapitalismus Konzept
es scheint ziemlich interessant...
die Graphik sind nett
und ist einfache die visuelle Idee

Leider, ich verstehe nicht alles sie sagen!
hoffentlich verstehe bald ich mehr

bis dass..

hier hier ist das Video
(und pardon meine schlecht Deutsch)
y! el trunken englis-ché-ché-ché!

jarritos

oh! i was so happy to find today
a classic mexican "refresco" (soda)
Jarritos - original from 1950!

i got the Tutifruti flavor

meine vier Händer

with the 1st pair of hands
i serve myself a
Stockyard Oatmeal Stout
and with the other 2,
i take the picture

blank

yet was
dark & light & rain
this day

and to go with it
some The Arcade Fire
just 'cause one gotta love them
what an amazing refreshing band!

früh, early, temprano

es ereignet früh
it happens early
ocurre temprano



Frühstück - das Ei und der Tee
breakfast - the egg and the tea
desayuno - el huevo y el té

of nopales and busyness

these past 2 days, uff!
i've been busy!
busy busy busy
go go go
nein nein nein
yes no yes no
die Geschäftigkeit!

busy at work
die Deutschstunde
busy at home

etcetera, etc...
und su weiter

so i haven't had a chance
to get these nopales pictures
out



bald bald
soon soon

one hopes
one always does

einem Sonntag Morgen

mit Sidney Poitier!
while i make das Frühstück
and run errands around the little house
i watch this great movie on the back
"To Sir, with Love"


from 1967... he plays an idealistic
teacher dealing with tough East London teenagers

this one of the final scenes
where the teenagers have invited him to their
High-school Graduation party
he agreed to dance with the blond student
who has a crush on him, under the condition to make it
a quiet song
the band of youngsters surprise him with
this 60's song

good film for a Sunday morning!...

der Herbst rund um das Büro

i know this thought of the day
might sound a bit Klischee (cliché) but...

i think is so true and well it is
a Buddha quote after all
and he is one of the 7 mystic ones
along with Hermes Trismegisto, creator of El Kybalion
and Corpus Hermeticum
and the Hermeticism philosophy
but now i am getting into the dark side
let's go back to Buddha's bright one
he said:

Cultivate a friend whose ways are seven:
1. He gives what is hard to give
2. does what is hard to do
3. bears what is hard to bear
4. he confesses his own secrets and keeps your secrets.
5. in times of trouble he does not forsake you, ...
6. and he does not forsake you when you are down.
- Buddha.

the recipe close-up

as nicely asked by mr. hugh
in this post
http://bereweber.blogspot.com/2007/11/kitchen.html

here a close-up of the recipe
{please click on the photo for a real close up and full-in detail}



it is actually a "Menú"
with the list of mexican dishes
i cooked for my best friend (aka Perro) parents
when they came to San Diego 2 years ago

this dirty piece of paper has been hanging on my fridge
since then! i haven't detach it just 'cause the recipes
are good and the menu came out a success

the Menu included
(images from Google as we ate it all
without pix
1. Ensalada de Nopales
(yes Nopales are those cactus we mexican so much love!)
2. Tinga de Pollo
3. Salsa roja de Tomate
4. Tortillas (fresh-made! ahhh)
i love making fresh hand-made tortillas
5. Agua de Jamaica

it was a nice surprise that mr. Hugh would ask about it!
thank you for your attention to detail

and i know you like Pablo Neruda so you might read a little Spanish?
and this text is in Español as well, so you might be able to re-create
the dishes!... or I can always translate them into English recipes
if requested

the whole menu took about 1 1/2 hr which is not long at all!
for all the dishes we had...

pre-thanksgiving: pumpkin pies

another Thanksgiving dinner
again i join the same friends
that have invited me the past 2 years
they home-made everything
and this year
my contribution to the dinner here
2 pumpkin pies
(the big ones)
the smalls ones
1 for my neighbor and the rest
mit Kaffee ah! für das Wochenende
Frühstück is such a nice Deutsch word!

i baked the whole evening
and even getting the pumpkin
already cooked
i hope next year i can make it from fresher pumpkin
but need to add a couple of hours to the recipe

happy Thanksgiving, an American holiday
i adapted very well, wonder why?
nothing to do with the turkey, nor the mashed potatoes
nor the green beans and pumpkin pie
not at all...


the ingredients as seen this morning
i use always the recipe on the back of the can of
Libby's pumpkin
the recipe is from 1950 and still works so fine!


beating & beating eggs


step 3 of the recipe
mixing all the ingredients


ready to bake
{on the already-baked photo, der Wein glass is gone... hi hi}



finally! here
some whipped cream and café
ah! can't wait...
hope they survive for tomorrow
i have a history of sleeping-walking-eating...

sweater-season

Gott sei Dank
es ist kühl

therefore
sweater-season!
sweater are some of my favorite pieces of clothing
comfy and soft
and big, ahhh!
ready to nap anywhere

here an old favorite
of mine
soft, beige, turtle neck
yep
i could nap on this one
anywhere!

my drinkable/edible Om(s)

so i much enjoy
the littleness of things
the quiet fragrances
of a humble cup of tea
of a hot cup of café
because
the seconds
the minutes
of the light

of how a warm cup
heats the space left in my hand
to hold it

the warmth travels from the tea
or the cafe all the way to my nose
to my heart, the aromas or warm love
the respect of making my own drinks
my little Oms

every minute that i fret
every minute that i breath
and when i think of you
or when i not
or if smile, or get sad
or have a bit collapse
of mild or severe wrath

and middays
sun and a small
gift comes and go every day
and every morning
with the opportunity
to live again
and i run then
to
every midday fulfill
with the aroma
and preparation of
my spontaneous escape
a cup of sunny tea
or some tasty meal



and surely i delight
in this pretty view
the prettiest tea i owe!
an Earl Grey de la Creme
the little blue flowers
{if you are curious to click-look closer in the picture}
are blue mallow blossoms
they blink-blue and jump
among the black leaves of the bulk

tea is always good
a moist throat in case you talk...
and good for sun strucken foreheads
if i would know!
living in California and with this big
head of mine

and was on Sunday afternoon
after enjoyed lunch
too
a salmon kabob on pita bread
a $4.95 to go, big chunks of
grilled salmon + fixtures
with a Stockyard Oatmeal Stout
maybe wasn't the best match of beer
for the salmon, but it was the only one
in the fridge...



and the matter after all
was to enjoying the littleness of life
nothing too sophisticated
nor complex nor ambitious
just a ray of sun filtering thru
a glass of beer
or warming up my cheap
cup of pretty flowery tea

josé sombrero= mothership

so obvious
the proof!
that mexicans are aliens

el sombrero de josé
a mexican sombrero
so resembling of
a mothership...
see?

finally watching this
A day without a Mexican
on DVD
i am 1/2 way thru
but i made a web-stop
the movie is just OK
but has very funny moments
even if its packed with old clichés
here das Trailer



had NO idea the director
of the film
is from Botellita de Jeréz!
one irreverent Mexico-City band

heh heh

niebla

it is foggy this morning
in San Diego



der Nebel
fog
niebla

kitchen

life and mood
so changing on the same day
a filter of light during the early day
then the sepia
and the gray falling into
this mental landscape

my kitchen this morning
your voice
and then a soft
fairwell
all was ok

then the cold
and the lateness
of the day came

like a bitter
but soft sepia
tastes the bread

the distance
and the yearning
the unfilfilled desires
of a distant caress
is not sweet not here
is just
like warm old cup of café

the sun reflects
but warms not
not today
just another
strange-lighted
novemeber sunday

los hermanos Coen

are back!
i watched tonight
No Country for Old Men
it does felt
like a Coen bros. film
recommended
Tommy Lee Jones and
Javier Bardem acting are remarkable
but sadly Woody Harrelson, was just
"whatever", I do respect and admire
Harrelson, specially for his acting in
The People vs. Larry Flint

but anyway
No Country for Old Men
felt like a good-written but on 80's western
with a psycho twist
an enough-confusing violence to make it drier
great photography and much texan speaking
worth the 2hrs on a Friday night

Jan Svankmajer

when i saw the version of
Alice in Wonderland
by Jan Svankmajer
i knew his world of animation
had to be a very surreal one
of course my favorite character
has to be the White Rabbit
here the scene of how he came to life



and
i found tonight
this little weird animation too
tma/svetlo/tma
(darkness/light/darkness)
from 1989!

ich trank dies Bier gestern

i got it from Trader Joe's
probably my favorite grocery store



the "commercial" description here:

"Hofbrau" in German means "the brew of royalty." Trader Joe's Hof Brau Bock is a fine example of the regal brewing traditions still found in Germany today. This outstanding bock is golden in coclor, very rich and moderately hopped. 22 IBUS. Brewed with three types of imported malts, Hallertau aroma hops and lager yeasts.

And I would say...
it was pretty decent for a grocery store beer

here a complete review from some Bier "Connaisseurs"

Dunkin' Donuts is not just about the donuts

this whole-bean coffee is a medium roast
and makes the best traditional
American breakfast coffee
that goes very well
with or without the Donuts...

I usually prefer darker roasts
French or Italian, Espresso too
but this lighter roast
is a good fresh change now & then
and being Dunkin donuts
such a traditional brand
it was a good find at the supermarket!
whole bean on sale for $4.99 the pound

very fresh and very nice
now it's gone and while i sip on a darker roasted
i missed having a third cup, which i could have
allowed myself with a mediumer roast...

oh well, tomorrow will be another morning
another warm cup, another humble blend

here an 87 points (out of 100) review
from coffeereview.com
on this popular Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend

und diese Woche

Wortschatz 2
Geographie und Landschaft

to do list

'cause no matter how much you do
there is always a to-do list
waiting for you

but somehow
it is a good thing...
to have something to do

a funeral of lights

"No matter how rich you become, how famous or powerful, when you die the size of your funeral will still pretty much depend on the weather."
- Michael Pritchard



and that's why i don't care about
being rich nor famous...
is not 'cause i am lazy, heh heh

ich feier der Dialog and a Cold War Kids song

tonight i had my
Oral Exam for German 101
ich feire sehr gern!
meine Professorin sagen: sehr gut!
Wahnsinnig gut!!!
18 0ut of 20

sehr gut! then... i guess heh heh
so i drink cheap Kalifornien rot Wein
Charles Shaw
yes the infamous Two Buck Chuck



und jetzt höre die Rockmusik
[i find so funny/cute the word Rockmusik...
the fact that is one word, oh germans, nice!]

anyway
i freaking love this song!

these Cold War Kids
i just know these song by them
but i think is a great song
great lyrics and nice
even-though high voice
and great song-writing



good mixture of catchy
and good high rock
nice for some rot Wein
und sprechen das defekt defective 'pobrecito' Deutsch
i like the video idea
too

gotta find more of these Cold War Kids
in the meantime
cheers, salud, und Prost!

alien night and William Blake

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.

- Auguries of Innocence, William Blake


official sunset time for today
4:53 PM / 16:53 Uhr

and my camera
was set on "sunset" mode

the schon/already night
an alien night
came about

meine rot Schuhe

and as i realized yesterday
i am broke...
i have about $200.00 cash
to survive for about 2 weeks
of course i have little savings
and cc, but that's not the point...

so what do i do to relief stress?
i flake on my german class
and instead a car crash (8 cars involved)
guided me to a department store

1 hr later i am 20 bucks
more broke
and i got these adorable
red shoes to go to work...

die Montag manzanas / a Brian Eno song

i called these
the Montag manzanas
-the Monday apples...

fallen from a co-workers tree
i stocked up for das Woche

Needle In The Camel's Eye - Brian Eno

arthur machen, droste cacao, and kahlúa

good remedy for a new-daylight savings time

yesterday we switched to winter schedule on the clock

today i walked out of the office at 5.30pm (17.30 Uhr)
and it was already night

i came home and sulked
i am not really depressed but really sleepy this Monday
an for a good November not even a little sunlight, ah! sighs
so i switched from sandals to black tights and black shoes


my stinky feet, my old-lady shoes, my "new" book

but here at home i got into reading
wonderful Welsh author Arthur Machen
surreal and dark
the literary Gothic...
perfect to set for wintry nights

and to keep the body warm
hot milk with 100% cacao Droste
from Holland! mmmm!
the nederlands yum!


all in the blender with a shot
of Mexican Café Liquor
Kahlúa

a week's supply

on weekdays / otra semana / unter der Woche



have a good week!

Pan de Muerto

lo encontré...
i found it...
ich finde es...

here on my table, ah!
my big Pan de Muerto, my plant
and my warm cup of hot chocolate



and to go with the Pan de Muerto
i made some traditional Mexican Hot Chocolate with milk
i blend the boiling milk w/the typical chocolate Ibarra



now this is a good night on a Friday
[uh ah he]

Día de Muertos

altar en la Biblioteca de Mesa College

un camino fragante de Cempaxóchitl
que desde la puerta de tu alma
hasta la tumba eterna,
en una noche fresca,
me habrá de guiar

----

guided shall i be
from the doorstep of your soul
into an eternal grave
by a Cempaxóchitl fragrant path
imperturbable shall be that night

----

the 2 little poems above
are my foolish attempts
to honor, in Spanish, and English
the Death, my own,
and the death of all of us,
of all the rest...

as for the Day of the Dead
is a homage to death as is
death intrinsic to life

a summoning Mexican -not holiday
but Holy Day

ich möchte nächstes Jahr
kann ich eine kleine Gedicht
über Tot, auf Deutsch
schreiben
... ja! hoffentlich... nächstes Jahr

Día de Muertos is about "Calaveritas" too!

little poems or riddles that people exchange
we write on each other's friends life and likes and dislikes
little lyrics that make fun in a very ironic way
of how we imagine the "Death" will come and pick you
according to what you do in life

so i exchanged "Calaveritas" with Euzmar
a mexican girl living in Barcelona
from 23hq.com

here she wrote me one here
in this photo of mine
http://www.23hq.com/bere/photo/2531575

"Tan bonita Berenita..
ya la llevan a enterrar...
entre dulces y tequilas..
Sus amigos lloran ya...

Dicen que le gustaba cantar..
dicen que le gustaba reir...
pero lo que más le gustaba..
era fotografiar!"

and i wrote her one back tonight:
http://www.23hq.com/euzmar/photo/2524241

"estaba euzmarsita bonita
con su mami muy bien sentadita
cuando la muerte la vino a buscar

pero la euz le dijo
oye muerte? no te puedes esperar?
mira mídete estos anillos
y si te gustan
te los puedes tu llevar en mi lugar

pero la muerte le dijo
si quieres linda euz
de mí muchas fotos puedes tu tomar
pero con todo y anillos
a tí, con tu linda sonrisa
también te puedo cargar!"

these Calaveritas are in Español
no other way for Calaveritas

some fantastic photos
of Mexican people
with ofrendas at the graves
here

y Feliz Día de los Muertos
i hope i find some
Pan de Muerto
around für Frühstück (heh heh)


detalle Frida Kahlo- altar en la Biblioteca de Mesa College

Halloween night: The Innocents

tonight is Halloween

top of my looong list of 2 films
here is the first one
a masterpiece from 1961

The Innocents



based on a Henry James novella
named The Turn of the Screw
[a download version of the book]
and with a script adapted by
William Archibald and Truman Capote

yes...
Henry James filtered for the big screen
by legendary Truman Capote
with Deborah Kerr's superb acting
and directed by Jack Clayton

this is not your common gory bloody
horror film
this is more of a psychological thriller
this films travels along that gray fine line
between the ghost world
and the darkness of human soul

apart from a wonderful darkish
black and white photography
that makes it another visually unique piece
this film is full of excellent moments
of noir literature



for more here
9'45" edit highlights of the film

and have a spooky Halloween!

Tuesday

[click on ► to hear this Tuesday's sound]
Hatchet - Low

Sunday

[click on ► to hear this Sunday's sound]
Funky For You (Spacehopper Mix) - Deadbeats

Halloween nights: Suspiria

a classic American Holiday
is here
Halloween weekend!

to celebrate
i will make a list of good horror films
the 'cult' ones...

1st of the list

Suspiria
year 1977 and directed by Dario Argento

a color and unusual views masterpiece!
surreal colors, strange visuals and sounds
an acid trip from the late '70's

a young ballet American dancer
goes to a ballet academy
in Germany, where very strange things
happen to her

the use of color on the film is great!
and the movie is really scary
good to watch on Halloween



and the trailer

sky

Today, October 26, 2007, 6:05:02 pm

Bart Simpson's chalkboard

fires, doctors, bad days
long days, distance
all other maladies
much better
w/ milk and cookies
and a 2-presentation
of The Simpsons!

then all
Western and Easter
thinking, beliefs, and philosophies!
re-united on
Bart Simpson's Chalkboard
"I did not see Elvis"

"Fires down, not out"

that is today's
San Diego Union-Tribune
header

on my way to work and back
i drive by Qualcomm Stadium
i briefly stopped and got this pictures
of the stadium last night
by now just a few hundreds of evacuees are
staying there, in tents or Motor-homes



a few tents at the parking lots



supplies and more parked cars, most of the people
are staying inside at the grades



the supplies



and as they said, some "pinche" fire facts
from this morning Oct 25, 2007
40% contained, is much better than Tuesday morning
when it was 0% contained...



the active fires are not in the city of San Diego
but in San Diego County, where there are many homes still
but the areas still in danger are fully evacuated
they think by Tuesday next week, the fires could be fully contained
but the dry season is still going on so lots of care and resources
for the burned areas are needed still

things are getting better however every day