A pack of wild horses

I am sitting here in Berlin, a city drenched in rain and listening to the cars drive by on the wet pavement. I am trying to think clearly. That seems to be difficult this morning. One reason could be that I haven´t had my morning coffee. I checked the container we keep the coffee beans in and it wasn´t enough to make a full cup. I am also not in a mood to run to the store. So it goes.

I read this article in the New York Times. Its shocking and eye-opening while at the same time only really yawn provoking. Its about all the lies that Americans believe about Obama and the Democrats at the moment. There are some things there that I can only hope we will be laughing about in ten to fifteen years. There is this feeling in my gut though that we may not be in the end. That when these lies keep popping up in the future we´ll have to grown and wonder what kind of mindless idiots we are dealing with. In this day and age, and with the access that americans have to the internet and news sources, the fact that so many of them are capable of believing these kind of lies says a lot about the nation as a whole. For me its once again a reminder of why I am where I am.

_________

The children running the orphanage or the Ground Zero Mosque manufactured controversy

There is a mosque being built in a location near the area in New York known as Ground Zero. That is the spot where the twin towers used to be. Remember those buildings that had two planes flown into them and then collapsed once the heat proved to much for the steel girders. A tragedy and an attack all at the same time. Now there is some controversy about one of the buildings in the area. Sometimes I wonder how America became as strong as it did. I wonder how it got so many things done when the politicians are arguing about this kind of garbage.

Arguments I have heard against it: Islam(or muslims) were the ones who attacked America. Actually this is a crock of you-know-what, it was Al Qaeda that attacked, not a religion. Religions are not tangible objects that can attack buildings. Its insensitive is another argument. Muslims died there as well so this makes it even stupider. Plus its private property and the owner is not a radical but a very big moderate. Not allowing it would be an act of bigotry and intolerance. Another argument: more than 50% of americans don´t want it. Majority is always right? guess we´d have no interracial marriage then either, or still segregated schools, and the list goes on. To be honest I haven´t heard a good argument yet. What a bunch of loonies running that country. Further proof that for all the talk, most of the time you only tolerate things that are similiar to yourself.

________

In search of the Aha moment

It could be called a quest. Or some sort of journey. Or maybe, when over-analyzed, a goal driven search for a meaningful occupation. Translation: I am looking for a job. I spend my days, in between working two restaurant jobs and trying to occasionally skateboard (not happening today) looking for work. I am not just interested in a job for its own sake, though at this point a more solid income that doesn´t rely on the weather wouldn´t hurt anyone. I want a job that when I wake up in the morning I don´t lie there in bed thinking; shit I have to get dressed up in uncomfortable clothes and go to a workplace somewhere far off where I do something I don´t even enjoy. Millions around the world face this dilemma. I have faced it before (though arguably the pay wasn´t as good back then).

What is all this about then? I am looking for the Aha moment: that point in time when I am looking through job adds and I see a position that really gets me going. A job offering that has my name written all over it. A job whose central work area is something I will take to like a hobby as opposed to a career. Does it exist? Well not so far, or someone else has it and isn´t willing to let it go. As Kurt Vonnegut would say: "So it goes."

________

Saturday Clouds

Its been raining bad weather since sometime yesterday morning. You wake up slowly, stumble around the house trying to figure out what all you have to do. Get dressed, go to the market, and then go to work for a few hours. The rain starts pouring and your shift gets cut short. No big deal really, a bit more free time is always appreciated. Though the money would have been nice as well. Every month is a massive effort that seems to end with just the right amount of money on the positive balance. A term one could use is making ends meet, or scraping by. Anyway you want to look at it, it comes down to survival. I don´t look at it that way though. I pretend I am in some form of bohemian lifestyle.

After the month and a half football withdrawal following the end of the world cup, two of europes leagues are back in business today: the French and the Dutch. Not that I will watch any of those games though as that would entail piss poor streams on some server that is going to crash at any minute. Too bad, but Bundesliga is just around the corner. There is also a national team friendly next week. Sweden meets Scotland. Zlatan is back. Its going to be fun.

__________

Have some Tea, America!

When I read any article on any news site about the current tea party phenomenon I remember exactly why I left the United States. I left the loon bin to the loonies. Don´t misunderstand me here, Europe is full of loonies. Its crawling with them. The difference is that they don´t have the same loud screaming presence that they have in the US. They don´t have someone like Limbaugh or Beck poisoning the airwaves with their constant spewing of hate and rage (as they make millions from it).

The Tea party claims to be real americans. Sarah Palin claims to be the real america. If that is the real america: this conservative, pseudo Randian America, then I want no part. Period. I want out. If the republicans storm back in to office and fall all over each other trying to help the rich people out and at the same time trying to encourage only the kind of lifestyles that Dr. Dobson prescribes, then I want out. I am sick of a nation that talks about its tolerance and then does the opposite. I am sick of a nation that talks about peace when holding a gun to someone else´s head. Sick to death.

The republicans are looking good the polls say. Says a lot about America doesn´t it!

_______