Real life is the weirdest thing. Today I did a little shopping and when I was on my way back home, I passed a bakery near the tram. This bakery just got delivery and the empty plastic boxes, in which the fresh rolls had been delivered, still stood in front of the bakery. I read the text on the boxes and was surprised to say the least. The text said: "stolen from bakery xy". No, today we don't say "property of bakery xy", we assume the worst case scenario. I hope the delivery man does not feel like a thief all the time.

I've got a cold again and I feel like a really fat sumo ringer played basketball with me. I hate it! The worst part is, I only get ill when I have a free day. The whole week I worked and went from one place to the other, I presented a paper, I met some friends, I had a compact course and today I wanted to do nothing. Bham! Scene cold!

Anyway, at least I can surf the internet from my bed. On boingboing I found this supercute video, which I want to share:

It's a baby pygmy hippo




I also did some crocheting today. This may sound weird, but it's not. On Wednesday I found a book about Amigurumi in my local bookstore and I was instantly in love and wanted to create something like this. So I use the late or early hours of the day to crochet a penguin. I already finished the head and body. Now I only need the wings and feet. ^-^

I know what you think, when you read the title of this post. Shame on you! You have only one thing in mind, really! "Strip around the world" is not an order to get naked, but the name of a project. I'll post the summary, so you know, what's behind the slogan:

"ALL THE ARTISTS AND FRIENDS OF COMICS FROM AROUND THE WORLD CAN MEET HERE AND CREATE A UNIQUE PIECE OF ART: THE LARGEST AND LONGEST COLLABORATIVE COMIC THAT HAS EVER EXISTED – IT IS SUPPOSED TO REACH AROUND THE WORLD ONCE AND BRING PEOPLE AND NATIONS TOGETHER! BE A PART OF IT"

Don't you think this is interesting? The longest collaborative comic strip in the world. If I find some time, I'd like to contribute. Some works are already uploaded on the site. Unfortunately the navigation is horrible. I wanted to be able to scroll the whole strip comfortably, but the tool to do this is a tiny little paperclip on the top. The pics just fly by, because I am not very well coordinated. T-T

Eigentlich wollte ich gestern schon einen Eintrag über den Versprecher eines Dozenten schreiben, aber es ist mir total entfallen. In Nachhinein will ich aber trotzdem davon berichten, weil es einfach zum Lachen ist:

Mein Dozent wollte den Kurs klarmachen, dass wir alle einen Inhalt auf Dauer im Gedächtnis behalten würden, wenn er uns diesen Inhalt penetrant jede Woche wieder aufbereiten würde (Lernen durch Wiederholung). Anstatt dies zu sagen, verwendete er allerdings diesen Wortlaut:
"Wenn ich euch jede Woche penetriert diesen Inhalt zeige, dann werdet ihr euch das merken."

Ich hätte beinahe laut losgelacht, die restlichen Leute in meinem Kurs hatten diesen Versprecher aber nicht bemerkt oder sie haben sich alle im Griff. Ich hab dann leide in mich reingelacht und versucht, mir in Gedanken keine Bilder vorzustellen.

I knew the presidential elections in America are heated up, but this is heavy stuff. If they consciously intended to compare Obama and Osama bin Laden in the election campaign, I am quite shocked.

Angestachelt von mllesatine's vorbildlichem Verhalten, habe ich heute die Stadtbücherei erforscht und mir einen Benutzerausweis ausstellen lassen. Ich habe mir drei Bücher ausgeliehen, darunter ein Gedichtband herausgegeben von Marcel Reich-Ranicki, der ja im Moment in den Medien in aller Munde ist, weil er diesen sinnlosen Fernsehpreis abgelehnt und alle aufgeblähten Egos mit einem kritischen Strohhalm angepikst und zum explodieren gebracht hat.

Ich habe in der Straßenbahn bereits angefangen, die Gedichte zu lesen und es ist erstaunlich, wie man sich in die Texte vertiefen kann (noch nie war ich schneller zuhause). Ein Gedicht, das ich sehr beeindruckend finde, ist dieses hier:

( Die beiden - Hugo von Hofmannsthal )

Do you know the song "Allein, Allein" by Polarkreis 18? I love this song. My radio plays the song daily and every single time they point out the mix between English and German. Okay, I don't see the big deal. Those few words hardly count as mix in my opinion. Anyway, the song is nice.

Watch the video on youtube!

Today is much better. I got a place in a seminar in the morning and could cancel one in the afternoon, so I can be home earlier. My boss at work is a little strange lately, but I think he has much to do and is stressed. Anyway, no need to take his moods out on the staff.

I promised to post something interesting. In this case it's a nice little video I found on youtube yesterday. I only wanted to listen to the song "Your soul" by Ivri Lider, maybe you know it from the movie "Yossi & Jagger". But I also like to click my way through the sidebar with similar videos and found this wonderful song and video:

Jesse by Ivri Lider


I think Ivri Lider has become one of my favourite insider tips. I also recommend the video to "The Man I Love". The song is fantastic and I think in the video you can see Ohad Knoller, who played Yossi. I want to know which movie or series the video material is from. But I'll also warn you, in this video sound and image are not completely synchronised. Don't be surprised or disappointed.

I am absolutely exhausted. My last weeks killed me almost literally. First I had to finish my final paper. It's done, so yeah! Thanks to everyone who took the poll I posted. Your answers helped a lot.

I also had to plan my new schedule for this semester, because I want to do the advanced courses and reach "Master" level. Of course I only got into half of the courses I wanted. I so wanted to take a course about podcasts, but so do many others it seems. Well, can't help it.

Then I went home to my parents and grandparents to at least have some free days and see them again. It had been six months since my last visit. My mom tried to feed me to death and so did my granny. The one day I even had to take something for my stomach, because it couldn't handle the splendid meals. I met up with my brother and mllesatine and an old friend from primary school. They made my days!

I also love mllesatine, because she saved me from hours of tremendous boredom and excrutiating madness (No, it's not Sparta!). Never has misfortune be more amusing. Thanks a lot! &hearts &hearts &hearts

Yesterday I travelled back and after seven long hours in overly air-conditioned trains was here again. There was no time to relax, because today was my longest day in the week with work, language course and two seminars. I think nine hours at university are enough to drain me, especially when I have no breaks in between the seminars and have to run from one place to the other. Now I just want to sleep and maybe tomorrow I'll post some interesting things.

My favourite activity while going by tram somewhere is reading some magazines. I often read interesting facts and then think about posting them here, so that's what I want to do today.

News 1: ( Sexual orientation and body posture )

News 2: ( Surgery )

News 3: ( Weird facts )

Some days in life are strange, some days are good or bad and some are just mysterious. Mysterious as in "there was a book in my mailbox, no note, no nothing and it's not mine". Well, this is what happened to me. I had a book (seems to be pre-owned) in my mailbox and I don't know why. I guess, someone in my house lent it to a person and this person did not get the right mailbox, but ... this book ... it's ... one of those historical love novels. You know, the ones with a blond and attractive noble man holding a pompously yet lightly dressed damsel on the cover, both have a look of either deep affection or progressed dementia (you never know) on their faces while they look at each other. Of course he is taller than her.

You can imagine the good laugh I had, when I checked my mailbox? Who in hell?
I recommend reading the blurb of the book ("To Catch an Heiress" by Julia Quinn):

( English blurb )

( Deutscher Klappentext )

Ah, and please take a look at the German cover! Cover is here

Due to my final paper in media pedagogics I'd like to start a little poll about learning processes in fannish environments. It's a topic I became interested in, because I am very proud of being a fan myself and I love dynamics in fandom. I like to be able to talk about my fandoms, my interests. I also admire other fans for providing me every day with new, creative "fan products" such as fanfics or fanart. One of the most fascinating things is the ever present wish of authors, artists, fans to improve. While we present ourselves as fans on IJ or LJ or some other site, we show our fannish interests and bridge the gap between passive consument of media and active subject with the desire to be productive. I'd even say, we start to deal with some things just because we are fans. I myself started learning a foreign language, because my fannish obsession wanted to run wild.

To make it short, I am curious as to what your experiences are. Did you learn, because you are a fan? What did you learn? How did you learn? Please, tell me! If you don't think your being a fan does have no impact on your learning, I'd like to hear your opinion, too.

( Do the poll! )

Hoho, you are so sly, cover designers of STERN! Who the fuck would not buy this latest copy for the cover alone? I admit, you make me want to spend my money on this and sit for hours studying all the different positions.

Yesterday I found this damn cute video on youtube. It's just about a little bunny, but I could watch it again and again and again, because the bunny is so fluffy and soft and cute.

( Bunny video )

And while I am at it, last week one of my friends showed me a very cruel short film about bunnies (he had warned me). Maybe you know this one: "The Runt" by Andreas Hykade. It's about a boy and his rabbit, or on another level it's about rural life. A young boy watches the birth of rabbits with his father and saves one of the newborns from his uncle, but he has to make the promise to care for the rabbit and butcher it in one year from then on. So the boy cares for the rabbit and you know, where this is going. There is no happy end, unfortunately.

( The Runt by Andreas Hykade )

I snatched this meme from my flist on LJ. amai_amaya presented her answers there and I instantly was intrigued.

Instructions:

[1] List your top 10 character ships.
[2] Put all of them IN ORDER of your love for them. (10 to 1, 1 being my main fixation)
[3] Say which movie/show/thing it was that they're in.
[4] Supply photos for said people.
[*]Extra, share recs to your favorite fanfics about these pairings.


( A meme this way comes )

Once again I'll share some funny videos with you. And what could be more funny than a hilarious highschool, some guys, who are not allowed to laugh, and a good spank for them, if they have the audacity to laugh? :)

( Of course, it's Japanese tv, what else? )

Enough is enough! I can't take it anymore! Here is my latest personal must not read.

Title: Lost in a Memory
Author: Stavi
Fandom: Naruto
Rating: M
Pairing: SasuNaru
Other Pairings: none
Warnings: slight yaoi
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3151691/4/Lost_in_a_Memory
When did I stop reading: chapter four
Why?: Well, my first "moment" was in chapter one, when a boy - we all know instantly it's Naruto - starts singing a sad, sad love song by a waterfall and incidentally Sasuke watches the boy and is enthralled. Following: a confusing dialogue with some more foreboding sadness and a nice!Kyuubi. Okay, I thought, maybe it will all become clearer. That was before Naruto broke down in chapter 2, awoke in hospital and had a mental breakdown in chapter 3, which caused Tsunade to get all emotional and finally led her to tell the sorrowful teammates all about Naruto's bad past and what strong boy he is. Ah, I almost forgot, while she tells them, Naruto stands behind the closed door, hears everything, weeps and then steps into the room to be comforted by his team commiserative admirers.
What really bothered me: "Oh my God, his past was hell! And we didn't know! We need to buy him sweets and fall in love with him. Sasuke, you stop calling him an idiot! By the way, take off your clothes, we need to COMFORT him really good as in cure his emotional scars! I'll bring you the cigarettes for the after-comfort-sex-smoke!"
How could the author save this fic?: I really don't know. It starts with the characterisation, I guess. Misery is good, but you have to measure it. Too much is too much. And personally I think, misery is the wrong tool to make people admire others.

So, I am still working on my final paper about fan identities and processes of learning. While on the one hand I read some very interesting texts and books (try "Fans, Bloggers and Gamers" by Henry Jenkins), there are still some very irritating papers.

I understand, why people, especially academic writers, would like to differentiate between different kinds of identities and group identities, but to put Star Trek fans into one category with campari drinkers and nike shoe wearers is beyond me. Okay, I see, where this was supposed to go (something like, it's a group, which shares an interest for something, blah blah), but really. To be a Star Trek fan requires far more than being a campari drinker. Have you ever seen campari drinkers discuss about the emotional depth and characterisation of their drink? No? Well, then I am relieved.

I am not a Star Trek fan myself, but I still feel offended by this categorisation. o_O

ETA: Who would ever call a body "skin bag"?

I just stumbled upon an absolutely fantastic animation project called "Fear(s) of the dark". Six different graphic artists created their own interwoven stories of fear and horror. Because of the black and white look, you really get scared.

Here's the trailer from youtube:



Because the quality of the trailer on youtube is kind of bad, I'd recommend the official site of the film:

Official Site (trailer and information)
Peur(s) du noir on myspace (short teasers of some of the episodes)

Ha, I wondered when this would happen, but finally I got my very first annoying spam comments on IJ. Yeah, anons telling me something about the greatness of my site and what a good job I am doing. Sure! But what has that to do with ringtones? *click delete*
I hope there won't be more spam comments.

I also was a bit disgusted, when I read my flist on LJ this afternoon. Why does someone write a Naruto fanfic with the title "mind, body and heart" (the lowercase is not my typo)? And one of the pairings: Haku x Garra (again, no typo).
Not only that the concept of "mind, body and heart" has repulsed me since I started reading fanfics, no. There also has to be this constant misspelling of character names. It's Gaara, long A short R. Gosh!