Where Am I?

The Blue Period is over. A new blog has begun.

Arial is being phased out. Say hello to Trebuchet.

More changes to come...when I can find time to do some design work on this thing (right now my creative energies are focused on designing a cookbook, CD covers, and condom packaging, among other things. The blog's design is not widdling its way to the top of my priority list somehow).

Otherwise, I'll still be posting my ever so informative and entertaining posts. Don't go away.

Word

My sister sent me the fantastic book Eat, Pray, Love, and I've been burying my nose in it every chance I've had this past week and a half. Sometimes it's like I'm reading my own thoughts. The rest of the time it just makes me think. Like the part when the author is talking with an Italian friend about how the essence of a city or place can be summed up in one word. The two decide that Rome's word is "sex." They go on to give other cities their words: the Vatican is "power;" New York is "achieve;" Los Angeles is "succeed."

I thought about the places I've lived and what word would best define or describe them. Washington, DC, was easy: "networking." Whether it's someone running for political office, a lobbyist, a fundraiser, a pr professional, or simply a young single person, to me the people in DC are always looking to make connections or meet people.

Richmond could be "charm." It's southern, it's sunny, it's easy, but still has some edge, a good arts scene, and tons of independent shops/restaurants/endeavors. It's got great neighborhoods, river access, and outdoor activities. It's simply a charming place to live.

The word that kept coming up in my mind about Hamburg was "pretentious." Granted, I haven't lived here a long time, but this is how I experience it. It's subtle (which I guess is the opposite of the word's definition). Maybe it's more like "quiet snobbery," but that's two words so doesn't count. There's just something about this city that's, well, pretentious. There's nothing about Hamburg that's particularly distinctive (except maybe the harbor industry), but it's generally tidy, clean, organized (this is Germany, remember?), beautiful, green, cultured, active. It's business and leisure, it's city and state, it has waterfront property (lots of it), it's expensive and it's wealthy. In fact, it's Germany's wealthiest city.

Don't get me wrong, I like Hamburg. It has a lot to offer. I like the waterfront/harbor areas, which are really engaged in city life and not blank voids/dividers like the majority of the Potomac in DC/VA. I love the parks. I enjoy the museums, the food, the cake, the people. But I can't seem to get beyond the word "pretentious." For those of you who have been here, am I totally off? What do you think?

What word do you have for your hometown?

Anja Meet Anja

And so the afternoon began, with Mom Anja meeting the newest addition to the family, little Anja. And in case you are calculating how many months its been since I moved to Germany (ahem...nine)....

I put any rumors to rest. Little Anja belongs to my cousin Jenny and she also has a very cute brother, Finn (age 2).

But that doesn't mean I can't push the baby carriage. I can. And my cousin Mimi's son Kyld can give me rabbit ears. It's okay. I don't mind.

The rest of the gang is taking it easy -- cousins Jenny, Eno, and Mimi are sans kids for once. Eno says, please, no pictures. But Ursula strikes a pose.

And cutie-pa-tootie Finn will smile for the camera too.

Awwww!

You mean R&B?

I was in Germany's equivalent to Best Buy browsing the music selection (not that I buy CDs anymore, but I digress) when next to the Pop section and in between the German-Hits category I stumbled upon the area designated for "Black Music." Yes, there was a sign that said "Black Music." I kid you not. That's their way of categorizing together some of my favorite genres: hip hop, rap, and R&B. It definitely surprised me. I'm not sure what to make of it quite yet -- is it culturally insensitive, politically incorrect, or even just plain incorrect? Or is this how German/European shoppers best understand the music and can relate to its heritage, even though the artists are not necessarily African-American?

Odds & Ends

This is my 101th post. The fall season is in fall swing, the leaves are changing, the air is crisp, and my winter coat is back from the dry cleaner and being put to good use. It's freakin' cold here. And because Germans are thrifty, the heat is hardly turned on anywhere. I sleep with three clothing layers, two comforters, and a blanket. I hear in DC it's still in the 80s. Considering I only wore shorts three times this year (one time being in February in Tenerife, which doesn't count), DC sounds like paradise to me right now. A week ago I was talking to Nina and she turned her air conditioning down during our conversation. I was sitting there wrapped in a wool blanket. A few days ago my mom asked me if I was cold because my lips were blue. Yes, mom, I am cold.

Today I went to the gym after a multiple week hiatus and I was warm for about a nanosecond afterwards. I even cracked open the window a bit as I made my way home. The gym is the only place it will ever be hot indoors here in Germany. Apparently they are too thrifty to turn on air conditioning or fans, so there are tons of people working out, with no air circulation. I sweat a lot, so it makes me think I am doing a really strenuous workout. But if I'm honest it's only because the place is 90 degrees. They are also too thrifty to turn on the lights. They've got a late night lounge atmosphere going on, the lights are so dim. They say they are being environmentally conscious and don't want to waste energy, but they are probably skimping on electricity so they can use our 70-100 euros monthly dues for some really good staff parties. Who knows.

On other news, the movie Helvetica was really interesting. But I don't think you guys are really into fonts, so I won't bore you with more details. Oh, but I will say that one of my favorite quotes of the evening was from the guy who lectured beforehand about his 138,000+ font collection -- he said men with hobbies are harmless. I thought about it and I agree.

For some reason, an unusual amount of people are arriving at my blog from searching "i miss you like the deserts miss the rain." Who knew that phrase/song was so intriguing to people.

Anyway, I hope you guys are enjoying the fall season -- autumn scents, pumpkins, hiking, oranges/reds/yellows, football, and everything else associated with this time of year.

This Land is Your Land

I just finished reading Bill Bryson's hilarious The Lost Continent, a travelogue of his 38-state journey across America in a creaking Chevette. It's actually packed with educational information (like that the Great Lakes -- equaling about the size of the U.K. -- form the largest expanse of fresh water on Earth), but his anecdotes were what made me laugh out loud...and awakened a sense of nostalgia.

Maybe I liked it so much because I am so far away from home and all that he writes about, but I recommend it nonetheless for anyone who wants a fun, breezy read and some good laughs.

36 Hours

The New York Times has a great "36 Hours" series where they suggest a 36-hour itinerary in a specific city. Thanks for passing along the October 7th article on Hamburg, Jamie. I will have to take them up on their suggestions. And I invite you to do the same!

From The New York Times:

36 Hours in Hamburg
"HAMBURG, the maritime and media center of Germany, is a city of jarring juxtapositions. The industrial waterfront heaves with rusty docks, while its center is filled with emerald parks, blue lakes and cream-colored villas. Sex workers ply their trade along the neon-lit Reeperbahn, while old-money families have made this Baroque port into Germany's richest city. And despite playing second fiddle to the cultural juggernaut that is Berlin, Hamburg breeds its own brand of the cosmopolitan cool — with a large Turkish population, gay enclaves and fashion centers — who mingle at chichi restaurants and steamy underground clubs. Where else but this high-low metropolis can you window-shop for Cartier diamond necklaces during the day and slum it with punk rockers at night?"

Design in Hamburg

Hamburg's second design festival starts tomorrow, with a week of exhibitions, open houses, lectures, seminars, and other events, on all things design (fashion, furniture, product design, communication design, architecture, etc.). Our classes have been cancelled for a few days so that we can participate in the various activities and I promise to do at least one thing (the ambitious person that I am). Next week I'm going to a screening of Helvetica, a documentary that uses a single typeface as a springboard to explore the past 50 years of graphic design and our "global visual culture." I'm really looking forward to it, as I've been itching to see this film for a while.

In case you are wondering, Helvetica is a sans-serif font similar to Arial (the typeface I use for the body text of my blog) that grew immensely popular in the 1960s. You have probably seen it numerous times today -- on everyday signs that say No Loitering, Push/Pull, Exit, Ladies/Men, etc.. Otherwise, think of Toyota, Panasonic, the Gap, or Lufthansa -- these companies all use Helvetica to represent their brands. The font is either praised for its clean, crisp lines and modern aesthetic or blasted for being "bland, unadventurous, and unambitious" (ueberfamous graphic designer Neville Brody).

Okay, because I should know that a picture is worth a thousand words, why don't I just show you.

Subway sign in New York City:

Poster for the film:

Now that you know more than you ever wanted to about Helvetica, what say you? Universally appealing or standardly boring?

Promoting Stereotypes

I found the list below on Facebook (which I am now mildly addicted to, thanks a lot!). The items in bold I find particularly funny and/or true.

--

YOU KNOW YOU'RE GERMAN IF....

You separate your trash into more than five different bins.
Your front door has a sign with your family name made from salt dough.
You carry a "4You" backpack.
You eat a cold dinner at 6pm.
You call your cell phone "handy" and a projector "beamer".
You have no problems with nude beaches and saunas.
You have asked your Asian-American friend, "No, but where are you *really* from?"
You have gotten splinters from environmentally friendly toiled paper.
You call an afternoon stroll "Nordic Walking".
You are shocked when you have to pay for dental care.
You own a pair of jeans in a color other than blue.
People start talking about Hitler and Hofbräuhaus when you tell them where you're from.
Tenth grade was all about dancing lessons.
You work 40 hour weeks and have 6 weeks of vacation a year, but complain about hard times.
Your childhood diet consisted of Alete and Zwieback. Your college diet consisted of Miracoli and Döner.
You were educated about sex by Dr. Sommer.
You yell at people for jaywalking.
You grew up watching "Löwenzahn" and "Die Sendung mit der Maus". And Baywatch.
You think college tuition is an outrage. [JN note: they just instituted a 500 euro/per semester tuition fee last year or something and indeed people are outraged. 500 euro. that might buy you one credit of a three-credit course at a private university in the States.]
You routinely go 100mph on the highway and tailgate heavily.
On your last day of high school you made your teachers sing Karaoke and jump through hoops.
You wear brown leather shoes.
Your first audio tape was Benjamin Blümchen and Bibi Blocksberg.
You have ended an English sentence with "..., or?".
You can tell at least one Manta joke.
You're a college student in your 11th year.
Your first sexual experience was on Sat1, Saturday night at 11pm.
You spent hours in school learning to pronounce "th".
You expect chocolate in your shoes on December 6th.
You complain that in other countries everything is dirty.

October 3rd

Tomorrow, October 3, is the "Tag der Deutschen Einheit" -- the national holiday celebrating Germany's reunification in 1990.

Brief background from wikipedia:

"An alternative choice [for the day of German unity] would have been the day the Berlin Wall came down, namely November 9, 1989, which coincided with the anniversary of the founding of the first real German Republic in 1918 and the defeat of Hitler's first coup in 1923; however November 9 was also the anniversary of the first large-scale Nazi-led pogroms against Jews in 1938 (so called Kristallnacht), and the day was thus considered inappropriate as a national holiday. [Um, yeah.] Therefore, October 3, 1990, the day of formal reunion was chosen instead.

Before reunification, in Western Germany the "Day of German Unity" was June 17; this was an interpretation of a failed 1953 revolt staged by East German workers mainly against a raise in work quotas. The revolt was crushed with Soviet aid; the exact number of fatalities is unknown, but estimated at somewhat above 100. In East Germany, the national holiday was October 7, being called Day of the Republic (Tag der Republik)."

So, yeah, we get the day off. Wohoo!