August 2011

Song of this post:
Röyksopp - What Else Is There? (Trentemøller Remix)

What I saw:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (pt 2), Machete (yes, quite the mix!)

What I listened to:
Alin Coen Band, Green Day, Juli, Portishead

What I read:
Started "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger, but didn't get far due to a lack of reading-motivation.

What I did:
More climbing, started slacklining, danced a lot!

What I laughed about:
Myself.

What I said:
"Just be yourself and leave the rest to the others with whom you're sharing your life and thoughts with."

What I noticed:
A first hint of a silver lining.

What I felt:
Careful anticipation.

July 2011

Song of this post:
Jupiter Jones - Auf Das Leben

What I saw:
The Time Traveler's Wife

What I listened to:
Florian Ostertag, Philipp Poisel, BOY, Wir Sind Helden, Absolute Beginner, Trentemøller

What I read:
"The Weight Of Numbers" by Simon Ings, "Last Chance To See" by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine

What I did:
Went to Rheinkultur. Went on a holiday trip to Sweden. Started climbing again. Picked up guitar lessons.

What I learned:
Respect is something earned, loyalty something given freely.

What I laughed about:
Eddie Izzard

What I said:
"Time to move."

What I noticed:
People you love can be ignorant and ruthless. People who love you are neither.

What I felt:
Regret. Doubt. Relief. Love.

I wish...

Song of this post:
Florian Ostertag - Africa I Come

I wish I didn't miss her as much as I do. At least I wouldn't keep cutting myself on the memories of her each and every night.
Though on the other hand I guess the fact that I do miss her this much, even 2 months after the breakup, the fact that I long to be with her, see her, talk to her, hold her, smell her, kiss her, I guess that also means that I really am in love.

I wish loving her didn't hurt so much...

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The wheels of life keep turning...

Song of this post:
Machine Head - Bite The Bullet

Funny, all the things that can happen in a mere 6 weeks:
I developed a major crush on yet another unreachable girl, befriended her and half of the staff and a few regulars at the pub where she works fly-by-style, realized the futility of said crush, got smacked in the face with the inevitable New Boyfriend.
I spent a week preparing for the entry exam of the German Sports University Cologne, which consisted of about 8 hours a day filled with floor and bar exercise, swim training, shot-put, 100m sprint and height jumping, survived with massively sore muscles literally everywhere (and then some) and more than likely with a dislocated rib (I'll know for sure on Monday once I visited the orthopedist).
I set my sights on a real goal - passing that entry exam/sports test and actually returning to University, starting to study sports (of all things!) at 28.
I put together a proper schedule for my every-day life and am so far following it pretty neatly.

I wouldn't say I found "my direction", that'd be a bit much. But I feel I'm on the right track.

Now all I got left to do is clean up my room. Ain't that the story of my life...

Let The Good Times Roll

Song of this post:
Paul Kalkbrenner - Aaron (Original Mix)

I honestly can't remember the last time I was on such a crazy high. Even the downright amazing Drum'n'Base summer in Tampere 2006 wasn't as intense as the last 10 days have been! If this was a movie, there'd just have to be a grand catastrophe incoming, and knowing my relationship with Murphy's Law, I'm losing sight of the scale by which each awesome day potentially increases that looming disaster ... but oddly enough, I just don't care right now.
I guess with the super crappy start I had in 2010, I might just be learning again to take things in stride as they come along; it's a bit like being (mostly) careless 18 again, just with added 10 years of things happenend and experiences made.

Right now, It feels damned good to be alive!

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A decade worth of musical influences

Song of this post:
Kings Of Leon - Closer

With the first decade of the 21st century drawing to a close, I've seen "best of the decade" lists pop up in various places. Since I've been meaning to put something like this together for a while already, I'll use the occasion to show off my own list of those albums that had the biggest impact for me since the year 2000. It's not a "best of", really, since I was only able to reconstruct the year of release for albums and not the time when I discovered my taste for a particular artist ... so don't be surprised if you see a bunch of different styles/types of music mixed together.

I'm not entirely done with the comments for all albums, but I'll add them over time.

Here goes nothing:

2000

3 Doors Down - The Better Life
One of the bands that I discovered close to the actual release of the album rather than later on, I realized I still remember most of the lyrics to 'Kryptonite' and 'So I need you', which were my 2 favorite songs back then.

Thievery Corporation - The Mirror Conspiracy
I actually stumbled across Thievery Corporation only a few years later, in late 2005 or so, via a tip/recommendation from one of the regulars at the pub I worked back then; I remember browsing the net for their discography, and among the 40 or so songs they had released at the time (not counting remixes), 'Le Monde', 'Lebanese Blonde' and 'The Mirror Conspiracy' stuck with me and are still among my favorite songs.

2001

Blink 182 - Take Off Your Pants & Jacket

Jack Johnson - Brushfire Fairytales
Jack Johnson was another "late discovery". I believe I found him after a friend's recommendation some time during 2006 or 2007, while I was abroad in Finland, and instantly took a liking to the relaxed vocals.

Quantic - 5th Exotic
If I recall correctly, Quantic was a complete freak discovery when I did something I usually don't do and randomly went through several layers of "Similar Artists" links somewhere on the web; at some point I ended up at Quantic, listened to a few samples and decided to go for the album. Whenever I put it on my mp3 player, it's destined to be played daily.

2002

30 Seconds To Mars - 30 Seconds To Mars
30 Seconds to Mars was another late discovery, probably some time around late 2005. I remember putting together a mix CD for the pub I worked at and it contained a few songs from their debut album.

Kettcar - Du und wie viele von deinen Freunden
Kettcar was the kind of music I listened to during my last year of school, and I probably was first introduced to the band by my then-girlfriend, who is to "blame" (;)) for my general introduction to German pop music.

Manu Chao - Radio Bemba Sound System
Another artist in general and album in particular that I came across long after its release, and another one of those "pub encounters". We had (and still have) this CD on the rack in the pub, and it's still guaranteeing good mood and cheers from the regulars.

Metallica - St. Anger
Having been a Metallica fan since the late 90s, I went and got their new album as soon as I could, and I most certainly liked it, despite many arguments about the album being "not really Metallica".

The Streets - Original Pirate Material
Definitely a late find too, but I have no clue anymore when I came across The Streets, although it probably was around the time I first listened to Mattafix. 'Original Pirate Material' is their best album IMO, although their other albums are pretty nice as well.

2003

Billy Talent - Billy Talent
Yet more pub-found music; I think I first came across Billy Talent earlier this year, but instantly took a liking to his then 2 albums. I had it playing on my mp3 player in a more or less constant loop, and only lately have I grown somewhat fed up with listening to it continually.

Dashboard Confessional - A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar
Dashboard Confessional was the non-German counterpart to bands like Kettcar and like them belongs to my last year of school and the following 2-3 years.

Dropkick Murphys - Blackout
Another band I only consciously started listening to a few months back, but instantly took a liking to. Blackout has been on my "most played" list for months now, 'Bastards On Parade' and 'As One' being my favorite songs of the album.

2004

Audioslave - Audioslave
Despite my declining interest in their music after their second album 'Out Of Exile', I still enjoy listening to the debut album a lot, and they definitely deserve a spot on this list for well-done drums-and-guitar-driven rock music.

Beastie Boys - To The 5 Boroughs
I had been a long-time fan of the Beastie Boys when I found out they were to release a new album in 2004 ... and were actually stopping with their "Pageant" tour in Düsseldorf, only half an hour from where I had just moved to during summer. Their gig was awesome, and so's the album!

Juli - Es Ist Juli
Yet another part of the re-emerging German pop-culture, the debut album contained a lot of very nice songs, some with quite thoughtful or funny lyrics. The hit single 'Die perfekte Welle' (German for 'The perfect wave') caused some controversy in Germany in late 2004, when South-East Asia suffered from the catastrophic tsunami disaster, and was taken out of rotation for several weeks.

KoRn - Greatest Hits Vol. 1
I only found this compilation earlier this year, but since it contains most of the songs I like by KoRn, it takes the spot on this list. After having seen KoRn perform at Rock am Ring 2009, they rock just so much more.

Slipknot - Vol. 3 - The Subliminal Verses
Slipknot somewhat rekindled my love for the more aggressive parts of metal music in early 2005 or so when I finally took the chance of buying their latest album despite only knowing one of the songs, the single 'Duality'. I never regretted buying the album, and soon after bought their debut album as well.

The Crystal Method - Legion Of Boom

The Prodigy - Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned

Wir Sind Helden - Die Reklamation

2005

Foo Fighters - In Your Honor

Gorillaz - Demon Days

James Blunt - Back To Bedlam

System Of A Down - Mesmerize

The Chemical Brothers - Push The Button

The Herbaliser - Take London

2006

Muse - Black Holes & Revelations

2007

Boys Noize - Oi Oi Oi

Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience And Grace

Groove Armada - Soundboy Rock

Infected Mushroom - Vicious Delicious

Róisín Murphy - Overpowered

Serj Tankian - Elect The Dead

2008

Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night

2009

The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die

What to do on a summer day

Band of the afternoon:
The Herbaliser - Verbal Anime

1. Get up early
2. Waste time doing nothing productive until you're almost late
3. Shower and shave, even though you only shaved 2 days ago (girls and what you do for them!!)
4. Hurry out to buy all you need to cook red curry for 7 people
(4.1 Forget keys)
5. Cook curry and only be 30 minutes late
6. Get home and realize you forgot your keys
7. ...
8. Sit in the sun and enjoy the first great day of the week
9. Profit!

Mobile Blogging from here.

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