End Game

Or: game over. In any case, I am soooooo (no, wait, SOOOOOOOOOO) bored with Vampire Wars that I am categorically refusing to go back there any more. As long as the farming’s fun, you’ll find me in Farmville or looking for eggs to feed the Hatchlings, but this idiotic, pointless collecting of “powers” and beating of unsuspecting players has to end now.

For those who remain unconvinced that I actually do have an offline life, you may go visit Flickr for the latest travel pics.

Welcome to Monday.

The Little Girl and the Sea

If you’ve paid attention to European news during the last couple of days, you’ll have taken notice of 13-year-old Laura Dekker from the Netherlands who wants to take two years off from school and sail around the world. Perhaps people would just kind of coo and say something admiring, if she weren’t planning on doing it alone. Laura wants to beat the world record for the youngest person to circumnavigate the Earth solo. Her parents firmly support her wish. The Dutch government, however, has pointed out that she is obligated to attend school, since she is a minor, and has threatened to take her away from her parents. The enraged parents, in turn, have stated that if their home country attempts to prevent Laura from sailing, they will leave and go to New Zealand, where the girl was born (incidentally, on a boat).

Opinions are pretty much split down the middle. One half of all comments calls the parents idiots and unrealistic dreamers, point out how dangerous it is for someone that young to just gallavant off by themselves for two years, and more along those lines. The other half adopts the rather American attitude that individual freedom should weigh more than the supposed needs and wants of a government that should rather keep its nose out of people’s private business.

If I were a parent and this were my daughter, I’d be supportive too. But I’d also be scared. 13 is very young. Girls (and boys, for that matter) at that age are still children, no matter how mature or knowledgeable they may appear. However, I am not familiar with the rules and regulations of this kind of adventure. Perhaps “alone” wouldn’t really be “alone”. Laura would need supplies, for example. At some intervals, she would have to have contact with other people, seafarers or otherwise.

I’m not convinced that something like a solo trip around the world gets any less dangerous the older you get. Perhaps it also depends on the route you take, but as we know, Amelia Earhardt, Roald Amundsen and a host of other famous explorers disappeared, despite their experience.

It’s also not true that Laura would simply abandon school for two years. With the help of satellite connections, she apparently has developed a plan for remote instruction. So schooling and homework remain part of her life. She would not necessarily fall behind on anything. Here, it is merely the rigidity of the Dutch school system that is keeping her from a more flexible way of getting her education – somewhat ironic in a world that makes the demand of flexibility of adult employees.

Someone mentioned in a comment that rescue, should it become necessary, would be expensive. Who should pay for it? This somewhat caustically assumes that a teenager will most definitely get herself into trouble, whereas an adult (or an older teenager) would not. I’m quite certain that whatever insurance Laura’s parents have will have something to say about that, and that her parents, experienced sailors themselves, have considered this extensively. Whatever the cost would be, it would be the same for any other sailor in distress and is therefore, in my opinion, not an argument against this trip.

Despite all this, though, there are only two arguments for Laura’s cause: first, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, truly. She will never be 13 again, and the chance of beating this particular record will never come again for her. Second, sailing is in her blood. It is her passion. I believe that even with 24/7 supervision, taking her away from her parents and locking her up in a home will damage this girl or turn her into a juvenile delinquent.

Still, forming a valid opinion is nearly impossible. Of course, the media only represent the barest of facts in the case. No side is being argued out but in hints here and remarks there. The decision on what will happen to Laura is scheduled to be made tomorrow.

Kinotag, Heimkino and a bump on the Head

Where have I been all week? Sweating with the oldies! It’s HOT in Germany, don’t you know. But you won’t hear me complain, nu-uh. In case all those whiny krauts haven’t checked the calendar lately: it’s August. It’s supposed to be hot.

But moving on…. I don’t feel like a complete post to review Ice Age 3D, because it’s been a week since we went to see it. I will say this, however: for about 90 minutes, it was good entertainment. The story was ok, although I’m sure I’ll forget it as quickly as I did the two predecessors. It was about friendship and family and the fact that we’re all a little patchwork. This was my first 3D flick, and I’m looking forward to the next one. Since you’ve read this blog long enough, you can guess what it’s going to be. Yup. G-Force! Since I can’t seem to catch the 3D versions in OV anywhere, I suppose I’ll have to forego hearing Bill Nighy (big fan, me, in case I hadn’t made that clear previously) and just live with whatever German actors they scrounge up.

On the homefront, I wasted $2.99 on iTunes to rent Paul Blart – Mall Cop. Sadly, this movie marks a return to early Adam Sandler films, all of which can be collectively forgotten, unless you’re very young or immature enough to enjoy fart jokes and being whacked over the head with a stupidity hammer. Watching Paul Blart was a similarly excruciating experience as the one time I made the mistake of paying money to see Dennis Spade in Joe Dirt, although as far as I know, Adam Sandler cannot be blamed on that one (his company produced this thing). Sorry, Clifford, but I have to disagree with you on this one. It’s not a complete catastrophe, however, because Kevin James (Paul) and the adorable Jayma Mays (Amy) actually have chemistry. Next up on the home movie front: The Edge of Love. For the heck of it.

Otherwise, I am dismayed about being stuck at lesson 20 in Welsh. I am attempting to correct minor listening mistakes before they accumulate, while at the same time I can’t seem to muster the concentration to really get through the lesson. I’ve started three times and abandoned it halfway each time. There are only six more after this. So close, and yet so far…

Werewolves, Vampires and Uncle Sam

Three days off are a splendid thing! Friday was spent doing all those things I don’t normally have time for, like almost re-registering my husband’s Jeep and soaking in the sun while the dogs splash in the river. Saturday was glorious, so the pigs and I kept the doors and windows open all day and enjoyed the warm summer winds while I frivolously whiled away the hours on the laptop, fighting and killing my way through one of two incredibly boring levels of Vampire Wars. I want my missions back!! On the slightly more bright side, I found a new way of killing time with pointless pursuits. Hatchlings is the name of the game, and all you need to do is click around and find Easter eggs hidden in Facebook pages. I really don’t care about ranking so much, but I love all the special edition eggs!

Sunday was gloomy and wet, so I got caught up on my reading and spent relatively little time online. I discovered, however, that whilst collecting eggs, I’ve also earned shells, which in turn can be spent at the Warehouse to purchase retired special edition eggs. After incubating my 4th-of-July egg, I now call a tiny Uncle Sam my pet, and I have to feed him eggs to keep him happy…

I rented my first movie from iTunes. It was really easy and didn’t take nearly as long to download as I had feared, considering a 45-minute episode of 24 once took me nearly two hours. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans completed the trilogy for me, but I have to say, this could have been a straight to video release without losing anything, mostly because there’s nothing to lose. The story is so predictable, I could have written the script for this film. An underchallenged Bill Nighy is stylishly menacing, although his most memorable feature is that he wears those creepy contacts all through the flick. Michael Sheen, although reprising his role as Lucian, was woefully miscast as the Lycan leader. Not that he didn’t act well, he’s just had too much exposure in other stuff in the past few years, in my opinion. I’m not even going to talk about all those rapid changes from day- to nighttime; it certainly is convenient that Sonya (the incredibly sexy Rhona Mitra) and Lucian get caught at night, she gets executed in full sun a short while later, and only a few seeming minutes after that, Lucian gets to try his luck fighting Victor in the full moon.

Fortunately, it turns out that this is something like a prequel to the other two, so we don’t really have to fear any more sequels…

Kinotag: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

It’s come to this: I’m at the point where I’m enjoying the movies more than I did the books. I suppose that’s not necessarily a bad thing, although I’m still wondering why the drawn-out, partially quite dry and boring last novel warrants a two-parter.

Anyway, HP was a thorougly enjoyable, well-directed and well-acted (even by Daniel Radcliffe) film. Especially the ups and downs of teenage love were portrayed in a sensitive manner. Dumbledore’s demise was dramatic and sad. Really, the only critique I have is this: where the heck was the half-blood prince in this? He appears in name when Harry receives the potions book, but even after Draco is nearly killed by the mysterious spell (in a POTIONS book?), nobody makes any effort to unveil the prince’s true identity. Now, I’d be curious who this master student was who concocted such a deadly weapon, apparently while doodling in an unchallenging class. And even when the prince reveals himself to Harry, we get no backstory at all! So, this movie could have been called Harry Potter begins the Search for the Horcruxes or Harry, Hermione and Teenage Romance, and it would have been more on point.

Still: if you’re a Potter fan -or even if you aren’t, but like dark movies- go see this.

There’s no such Thing as too much 4th Street Traffic

Back in February, I was in Cardiff, my very first trip to Wales ever. I was there to see Mike Peters of The Alarm, who -nice guy that he is- put on an acoustic birthday concert for himself and let about 200 fans attend, as well. The place was Clwb Ifor Bach, a happening place in an alley right across from the castle, easy to find and as divy as one would expect from a happening club anywhere. Opening for Mike was a Welsh band named 4th Street Traffic, billed as “and friends” on the announcement (as in, “Mike Peters and friends”). Four kids were not what I had expected, but I was up for anything, even though they had an oddly dressed, short, skinny guy for a lead singer. The band started to play. The short skinny guy opened his mouth. And I was blown away. I had not expected a big voice like that! They played for about an hour, and they were great! Unfortunately, there was no CD to be had, and even online, they didn’t really have much of a presence besides their MySpace site.

Fast forward to Saturday. I’m at the town festival in Ludwigsburg. Apparently, there are also a bunch of visitors from its various partner cities around the world. One turns out to be Caerphilly in Southern Wales. And on the program for the evening, who should I spy but four kids from Caerphilly called 4th Street Traffic?! What can I say, the audience was treated to a good hour and a half of solid rock, and this time, they were nice enough to bring copies of their brandnew CD, Kick the Habit.

Find them on Twitter.

Visit them on Facebook.

So, if you get a chance, listen in. And if you should be lucky enough to catch them live, jump in and enjoy.

Kinotag: Star Trek

How do you write about a movie without revealing plot details? Should I just bank on the fact that by now, most interested parties have seen J.J. Abrams’ vision of Star Trek already, anyway? Nah. If you haven’t seen it, go see it! I consider myself a Trekkie, albeit a less nerdy one than those wannabe future engineers who know the Enterprise’s specs inside and out, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Plenty of action keeps you on the edge of your seat, so that the two hours fly by.

I would only like to remark on two points: 1) in a recent review, the reporter wrote that Uhura gets to smooch on Spock and Kirk. Unless he saw a different version than I did, I’m afraid the Uhura – Kirk canoodling will have to wait until further down the timeline. She is true green to her Vulcan mentor in this flick. 2) I’m not convinced that Simon Pegg with his detectably phony Scottish accent was the best choice for Scotty. Don’t get me wrong: I like Pegg. I also think that character-wise, he’s perfect. And yes, I know that James Doohan wasn’t a real Scot, either. Still: I would have thought an Englishman could have pulled this off better.

I briefly wondered whether Anton Yelchin, being an actual Russian, found it difficult to imitate the “Russian” accent cultivated by the original Chekhov, Walter Koenig. After all – as I found out many, many years after my crush on the Beatlesquely coiffed Koenig – real Russians don’t sound like that at all. Vell, I vas only wexed for a minute…

For more on the movie, visit the official website.

Kinotag: The Boat that Rocked

When a good movie comes along, one you really enjoy, it would be a crime not to recommend it. That’s why we’re here today. On Saturday, I watched <em>”The Boat that Rocked”</em> at the wonderful foreign-language theater Corso in Stuttgart-Vaihingen. The story is simple: in the mid-Sixties, rock’n'roll was taking over the world. It was the music of the masses, the voice of the young, yet conservative BBC Radio dedicated only a tiny slot of its daily programming to the rock revolution. So, groups of DJs literally took to the high seas and began broadcasting from ships moored in the North Sea: pirate radio was born. As short-lived as the phenomenon was, it signaled the beginning of private radio and fulfilled a need by providing a 24-hour music channel to Great Britain.

Our group of musical outlaws faces a tough challenge in Minister Dormandy and his go-to man, Twatt (a wonderfully sinister Kenneth Branagh, supported by sexy Jack Davenport in his usual straight-man role), who do their very best to discover any and all legal loopholes they may use to disband Radio Rock. The cast is simply fabulous; one has to experience the mystery of Midnight Mark, marvel at the stupidity of Thick Kevin, wonder at Dr. Dave’s success with the ladies and suffer Simple Simon’s heartbreak when his wife of 17 hours leaves him for the foppish Gavin. “Boat” boasts three A-listers who complement each other so well, it is a joy to have one of them on screen all the time. Rhys Ifans as dandy Gavin is incredible, and Gavin’s rivalry with Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s American DJ “The Count” is over the top. But if Hoffman’s character is the Count of Cool in the music world, in real life this title clearly belongs to Bill Nighy (Quentin) whose humor is drier than the Sahara and who is a pleasure to watch every time.

Naturally, the music is (still) hip, all ends well despite the inevitable catastrophe, and at the end of the film, you’re ready to go for a second round.

Official Website

First Class Snob

My friend Anne gave me two books on snobbery for my birthday. She made light of my concerns, telling me she felt this was “your kind of humor.” I’m not sure if I should be insulted or re-assured.

Recently, I was able to exchange some of my copious bonus points with the Deutsche Bahn for a reward, more tellingly, a free upgrade to First Class. If you’ve ever ridden second class, also known as economy, you know that it’s really not bad. Usually, there is more than enough legroom, on some routes, you still get offered coffee at your seat, and most times, you don’t need a reservation, except on holidays and during event season (e.g. September during Oktoberfest).

But First Class… why, it’s a different continent! Generally speaking, you ride all the way in front or all the way in back of the train. You’re always located near the bistro. There is no such things as a Grossraumwagen, so the most bother you’ll have is with a maximum of five other travelers in the compartment. The seats are wide, the headrests cushioned, and a nice Bahnmitarbeiter will come and take orders for drinks and snacks (I highly recommend the cherry cheesecake, fluffy and slightly warm!). And although I did not have a reservation -at the beginning of the Easter holidays, which means second class was packed- I was alone in my compartment, feeling rather like royalty, indeed! Should I, perhaps, upgrade my new Bahncard to First Class at renewal time in November? I cannot fathom going back to the rabble!

I can tell you, however, that riding first class on the S-Bahn is much less glamorous. I shared the small space with two DB-employees from Berlin, wearing the railway equivalent of construction worker vests and work pants, and the distinct stench of old vomit, not really an improvement over the smell of the unwashed bodies of two elderly people who grazed me on the journey down South.

Perhaps next time I’ll be lucky enough to catch a borrowed car from the Swiss railway again. There, even Second Class has the look and feel of First.

Apparently, Anne was dead on about my humor…

To Everything, there is a Season

I just realized I should have kept this for a post about cooking and called it, for everything, there is a seasoning. Oh well, too late.

Things come in cycles, they say. I must be on mine, because this is an odd time. On the bright side, we picked up the vivarium on Sunday, and it is awesome! The downside to that: after the beating Carly took in the play area last night, I doubt Minnie and Emmy will tolerate her in there. Also, I attempted to order a totally cool feeding station, only to be notified this morning that they’re not shipping anything right now. Then again, my dad called yesterday to let me know the piggie castle for the play area will finally arrive in the next couple of weeks. Yay!

Apart from that, I really can’t wait to get out of the job. Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but not only am I really tired of working this crap job, I’m getting seriously p.o.’d with my company which has now decided to double-tax me instead of streamlining the pay process. At this point, I just want to leave. Let me go back to PetSmart, at least, I enjoyed working there.

And since Sunday, I’ve been largely immobile due to incredible back stiffness. I guess those two slamdowns in the past three years were not appreciated by my spine as much as I had hoped. I’d like to report that I’m doing appropriate exercises for that, but since I can’t move, that’s a bit tough. Might be time to find a chiropractor.