Travelling through history

Yesterday I studied the Berlin map "Das rote Berlin", I had found and bought on Monday. It gives all the places important to workers' movements and union history.
Great to know August Bebel, famous leader of the social democrats in the 19th and early 20th century, lived close to my place on Hauptstraße 97. And the first strike in Berlin was 1844 in Köpenicker Straße, close to nowadays ver.di headquarters. Seems a good idea to walk around downtown following the map. Will do when my cold and the weather are better.
By the way, Iggy Pop and David Bowie stayed at Hauptstr. 155, even closer to my place. Quite a place to be! Read about it here.

Busy Monday

One of those days! You jump around from one task to the other, and in the end you're tired but don't really know what from.
Physiotherapy (helped), deciding on when to go to Spain (March 14th, first to Madrid), booking lots of flights (I hate doing that in advance - why not just hop on? hmm - too expensive), getting a birthday present for my brother-in-law Thommy (psssssst! it's a secret), sorting my wardrobe (lots of single socks, not one bikini that fits), browsing east Berlin shops for my favourite tea (in vain), finding nice new resp old pics of myself on the web (see left for one taken by Maikel at Maastricht carneval), - and forgetting to send birthday greetings to my friend Uli and my former brother-in-law Yannick (sigh).
Heaps of stuff to be done today! Travelling is so much more fun. ;)

Lazy Sunday

A relaxed day of a couchpotatoe, with movies, books and even tv. It almost felt like Berlinale, with three award winning movies: "De battre mon coeur s'est arreté" (a film Franck told me was great, and it was), "Elementarteilchen" (great actors, overly puffed up story - now I know why I never read the book by Houellebecq) and "Million Dollar Baby" (Clint Eastwood - he can't do bad movies).
No chance to stay up for the Oscar Night: The show started at 2:30 am, when I was fast asleep in my cozy bed. Martin Scorsese made it this time, and with "Das Leben der anderen" a german won. "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Queen" both got Oscars as well, have to see them soon, in original version. Cinemaxx in Sonycenter is showing them all now.
Today the parliament will decide on the age limits for work: People are supposed to work until 67. A few years ago it was 60, then 65. Just to save money for the pensions. There are no jobs for workers older than 50 even now! So trade unions demonstrate today in Berlin. Maybe I'll go, after the physiotherapist. My shoulder is getting worse again.
Anyway: It's Monday and a new week started, and I'll book the tickets to Spain today. Off again to my favourite places next month! Yippieh! :)

Desperately seeking

... my favourite tea by Goldmännchen. It helped me in times of need, with warmth and taste and ingredients to cure a cold. They don't sell it anymore! Nowhere! Well, at least not in any of the ten shops or so I checked yesterday all over Berlin center. :(
I found it on the web, and I can order it online, but then I'd have to pay 5 Euro extra for sending. Hmmm. Maybe if I order ten packages? I'll give it a last try in one of the east Berlin shops. Maybe tomorrow.
A very boring day yesterday. I didn't even go to meet Holger and Jose from Hospitality Club at Alex. Too sick for that. Pffff. I'm glad I was outside though. Nice sun and blue sky and almost spring.
Today the sky is grey and rain will start soon, so just right to relax on my beautiful couch, watch movies, and then oscar night tonight. Maybe that'll cheer me up.

Fighting the cold

So cold, I had to put on warm woollen socks and a thick woollen sweater and was still freezing with a temperature of 22 inside the flat.
I cancelled the date with the physiotherapist, but managed to get out in the afternoon for some more tea, a berlin magazine ("tip"), and a few movies from the local video store (still on offer): "Volver", "Elementarteilchen", and "De battre mon coeur c'est arrèté".
Remembering beer is supposed to be a great remedy with colds, I got a few bottles, but without alcohol. Today I found out the alcohol is supposed to help cure the cold - which I doubt. Anyway, now I know Jever fun is quite fine, and Paulaner Weißbier as well, whilst Erdinger Weißbier tastes awful, and I don't like Clausthaler either. I checked a few tests on the web, and they say Tucher is even better than Paulaner. I'll have to try. I really like beer, but don't like the alcohol that much that comes with it. I wonder whether they have a great altbier without alcohol...
In the evening I watched "Volver" by Almodovar, it's a great movie on strong women, having won several prizes already last year, and I hope main actress Penelope Cruz will win an oscar. Reminds me to set the alarm on 2 am this sunday: Oscar night on tv. Hopefully my cold is gone by then.

So cold!

It is! All of Germany enjoys an early spring after a very short winter, and Berlin is freezing. Me as well, even though the flat is nice and cozy, thanks to the gas heating I had installed before moving in a few years ago. Coal ovens and a crackling fire is all very well, but not if you have to get up early to light it.
No, it's due to the not-as-bad-as-flu cold that keeps a tight grip on me since a few days. Even yesterday I only made it to "Tiziano" at Ostbahnhof for a coffee with Heide from ver.di (who had a huge and delicious looking, but verrry cold icecream, brrrr), and later to ver.di to see a few friends and collegues. I couldn't even stay for the evening program, but talked to Ibrahim a bit and then went back home early. Today we meant to meet again, but I'll go back to bed. Sigh.
Wish you are feeling better, whereever you are!

Dä Hoppediz is doooooooot!

Ash wednesday - the day after the burning of the nubbels in Cologne and Hoppediz in Düsseldorf. No more carnival now, the following weeks are traditionally time for lent and fasting. So on ash wednesday everybody goes to eat special fish dishes (which are great helpers against hangovers from all those beers, alt and kölsch).
I didn't join in the fun, but took the train back to sunny and cold Berlin. My old collegue and friend Ibrahim from Düsseldorf (!) called in the afternoon, he's in Berlin to attend some ver.di meetings, and invited me to join them this evening. Looks like I'm definitely back! :)

News from India

Whilst I'm curing my shoulder, not daring to travel a lot, other lucky guys just go and see the world, despite being sick with measles or whatever.
Paul aka djdirect got to India some weeks ago and is writing about it in his blog. He manages to give some colourful pictures besides writing about booze. Sometimes.
Yesterday Franck sent me an sms from India "Yes! Our film won!" - so the good news on "Tuya's mariage" winning the golden bear had got to him after all. He's travelling around ths huge country for a month now.
India! Sigh! I had been invited to go there as well. But it was not to be. (Frigging shoulder!) Hopefully Spain again next month. And today: Back to freezing cold Berlin. How about staying at home a while, just reading and sipping bucketsful of tea? Might work.

Kamelle! Dä prinz kütt!

Carnival monday, to the parade, and been thrown at with verrry hard sweets, flowers, and all kinds of other small items, like rhinefire balls, whenever you shout "Helau!". As everybody does these days in Düsseldorf.
My sister and I met Cathy, her son and quite a few friends at Schwanenspiegel, a great place to watch and enjoy. As soon as we found them, there was the parade! More than 5 kilometers, more than 1000000 people watching and cheering, tons of sweets! The waggons were wonderfully done, check some here.
Back home early in the evening, to watch the news on the parades in Mainz, Cologne and Düsseldorf, once more, and for a quiet evening at home. The youngsters stayed longer, of course. Age and old bones! ;)
Today is the last day of carnival, but in Düsseldorf following tradition there are no big celebrations any more, some hardcore singers and drinkers in the pubs. If you want to enjoy some more, try this carnival game. Helau!

Carnival sunday with Ganza Absurdo

Sunday is the day for neighbourhoods, friends and families to go downtown and enjoy carnival in the streets with veedelszög and walking around all day, dressed up in fancyful disguises, of course.
Since many years my sister is playing with her samba group "Ganza Absurdo" then, and I accompany them when I'm around. From the meeting at 2 pm until after sunset we walked and danced the streets, attracting people all around to swing and jump to the rhythm.
It was rather cold, no sun at all, grey sky, but that didn't keep anybody from having fun.
Today it's Rosenmontag, so back again downtown to watch the parade, cheer the carnival people, and sing all the carnival songs. And try to catch the sweets and small gifts thrown from the parade waggons. Kamelle!!!!! :)

Congratulations and happy new year 4705!

"Tuyas marriage" won the golden bear at Berlinale! Yesssssss! I was so right in really wanting to go there, and was lucky to be at the world premiere with the director and the main actress.
It's a movie to be remembered because of beautiful pictures of a vanishing culture and landscape, the actors but Tuya herself people from the Mongolian countryside. Their life is changing fast with industrialisation. What's the use in the country becoming richer when the people are losing their history and are so much poorer in the end?
"I'm a cyborg" won a silver bear! All this and more you can read on the offical website on the Berlinale winners.
I'll be there again next year for sure!
But for now it's "Happy new year"! The chinese year of the pig 4705 started today. I wished it was a lucky one for all of us!

Alaaf! Fastelaovend in Maastricht!

After a take-it-easy family day, my niece Cathy, her son Marius and I went to a very special carnival in the south of the Netherlands, Maastricht carnaval. Being protestant, carnival is totally unkown everywhere in NL, but Limburg which is close to Aachen and not too far from Cologne, and having been catholic, kept the tradition of carnival. Well, a very dutch way of celebrating, nice, but somehow quieter than we're used to in Düsseldorf.
We had fun though, Frank from Hospitality Club had done some great job on organizing a meeting, and I met Maikel, Jeldridge and Randy again. And lots of other members, of course.
Maastricht is a great little town, the oldest in the Netherlands, from roman times, and well worth a visit. Even more so on carnival, when on saturday the prince is given the keys of the town outside the town gates and drives to the townhall accompanied by hundreds of musicians and followers in disguise, and fun starts to last until ash wednesday. Everybody and everything is wearing his colours: red, yellow and green. To enjoy best, people go to the vrijthof, the churchyard (!), join them for great carnaval here!
Still, since we three from Düssedorf were all rather tired, we left after five hours, and arrived back home in time to do some window cleaning (Cathy) and watch Berlinale (me).
Tomorrow it's carnival in the streets of Düssedorf old town again. Helau! :)

Helau! Wieverfasteloovend!

Women's day in carnival. At 11:11 am precise women took over on the market squares in rhenanian towns, cutting all ties they can get hold off, to proudly show their power.
I went to Düsseldorf old town, not Cologne Heumarkt after all, because of my cold - if it got worse, it's faster to get back to Eller from here.
At 11:11 (!) I was at marketsquare Karlsplatz to join the crowd, shouting and greeting with "Helau!" as is the tradition in Düsseldorf. (Never "Alaaf!" as in Cologne! That's a no-no here!)
It was a marvellous day, bright sunshine, and lots of singing and cheering people in colourful disguises crowding the narrow streets and pubs of Altstadt. I was going with the flow, admiring the beautifully done up women, mostly "Möhne", early 20th century style as is the fashion on women's day. Riewkooche (potato pancakes) and Äärbsesupp (peasoup) to eat, and a few Alt, the local beer, to drink. I had taken water and fruit in my small backpack as well.
With a weather like this, I was mostly outside, but tried a few pubs with music and dancing inside as well. My traditional place to go to during carnival is "Till Eulenspiegel". It was fun to stay there, as ever, but I learnt they close down on ash wednesday for sure, after 45 years of digger in old town. Such a pity! All my favourite places vanish eventually, rents are getting too high and the owners are older and give up work. :(
Outside in the bright sunshine, market square, town hall square, castle square, and around Uerige are traditional places to stay and enjoy the performances of carnival singers and groups. They filled up fast during the day, and when I left at around 6 pm there was hardly space to squeeze through. Too many broken bottles on the streets, too many drunkards as well, so I left for home.
The day (not the few beer) must have been hard on my health, I slept for more than twelve hours! But now I'm ready to go again, though happy that friday is a quiet day of rest before the three main days of the carnival weekend. Family day at home! :)

Drop the case!

Berlin was in perfect sunshine yesterday when I left by train to the carnival weekend in Düsseldorf, Maastricht and Cologne. Rainy days there, but carnival will bring fun and sun.
Before leaving and switching the laptop off, I received a mail about an action by "Medecins sans frontieres" on an urgent campaign. They asked me to sign a petition to help protect access to affordable medicines.
Pharmaceutical company Novartis is taking the Indian government to court. If the company wins, millions of people across the globe could have their sources of affordable medicines dry up.
Money is more important than people? Not to me! So I signed, and hope you will too here.

Last day at the movies

For me only. Everybody else is still enjoying some great cinema screenings. But I'm on my way to Düsseldorf today, it's carnival time this weekend! You have to set priorities...
Yesterday morning Holger called; he had more tickets for some more movies. His guests are journalists from Hungary, and get all kinds of tickets for free. They can't do more than six movies per day, so he's the lucky winner.
"Getting home" is a lovely roadmovie on a chinese country guy, having lived and worked in the big city, where his friend died. He had promised to get him home to be buried where his roots are, and so he does. Without money, but with lots of typical countryboy's humour. A very successful movie in China, with popular movie stars, and wonderful pictures of chinese landscapes and life. Makes you want to start travelling there.
I'm glad I decided to squeeze it into my busy day. The rest of yesterday I spent going to doctors, physiotherapists, book stores, having my hearing aid repaired, and my hair dyed. A brighter red, of course. Did you check the pic with me on the red carpet? And did you admire my new haircut? I hope so! Well, lots of people I met by chance on the streets told me it was great. :)

How to cook your life

We learned a lot in this movie by Doris Dörrie, on Zen and cooking. Holger had tickets, so we went. The movie was done wonderfully, and what we were taught about food and life as well. The director was there to talk with us, and Zen teacher Edward Brown came as a special treat and surprise guest after the show. A great man saying difficult things in a simple way.
Be patient, be attentive, live every moment to the fullest, do whatever you do with all your mind and body and heart, listen to what the world, and even the humblest things around you tell you, they will change you, food will cook your life.
We had to leave early to make it to the next movie, which we just about managed. "Goodbye Bafana" by Bille August, based on the novel by James Gregory, warder in charge of Nelson Mandela for twenty years, who changed from a strong believer in apartheid into an ally of the free South Africa.
It was 2 am by the time I was back home, and had had not much sleep, since I'm off to the doctors again now. I wished I could sleep a bit more. But it's not to be when Berlinale is on.

Ahhhhh Pariiiiiiiiiis!

Only in the movie, though. "2 days in Paris" in one of the Cinemaxx cinemas at Potsdamer Platz, buzzing with movie freaks. Here's where the Panorama movies are shown, and lots of other interesting films that quite often are more fascinating than the official competition ones.
Not "The good shepherd", that was a great movie we missed, and no tickets for excellent, outstanding "Goodbye Bafana" on Nelson Mandela and "Letters from Iwo Jima" by Clint Eastwood either.
Back to Paris! We had had no chance to get any tickets for the premiere the night before, and missed seeing the director, writer, actress and musician (!) Julie Delpy. But again, as always, we were so lucky! She came on stage after the sunday show as well, and we enjoyed hearing her views on the movie, love and Paris. The film is a romance, but still rather like a cynical documentary on the french way of life - and love. We liked it.
After treating Franck to some german white beer and white sausages at "Lindenbräu" in Sony Center, and showing him around Potsdamer Platz, Holocaust Memorial and Brandenburg gate, we took the bus 100 to Zoo, where we split for the day. He was off to some more movies, and I went home for a nap. My cold is still strong sometimes.
Franck left this morning. What a nice weekened we had had! We will meet again in Cannes in March. I'm really looking forward to it.
Before going back to bed, I checked my mails, and found Holger had invited me to "Goodbye Bafana" today. And "Eat, drink, watch movies". I texted him to say I'd love to go. Looks like another day of great movies!

On the red carpet

Here's the picture to prove I was walking on the red carpet, cheering crowd right and left. They were waiting for Robert de Niro, and all they got was people leaving the cinema. :)
Ahhh, what a day filled with big movies! "O ano que meus pais" at Urania to start the day, sipping coffee to wake up whilst waiting for the doors to open. We're always lucky in getting in early and having places right in the back and right in the middle. It's a great movie, but no chance to be one of the winners.
Then on to Zoopalast - no tickets for "2 days in Paris" for the evening. So on to Berlinale Palast queueing up for "Tuya's marriage", a mongolian movie. One hour later and we were proud owners of three tickets! On to Potsdamer Platz Mall, so Franck could see what it was like there with all the hustle and bustle of Berlinale ticket sales, and to sell our tickets for the sunday morning show of "Tuya's marriage". The first couple we asked bought them: they had been queuing up just to get any tickets. Back to Zoopalast to sell our tickets of "Man in the chair". Seens to be a great movie, but at Berlinale you have to pick your choice. It's either - or. After the screening starts, you can't get in. But lots of teenage girls had been waiting for spare tickets, and the two we gave them to were so happy!
At the local Tchibo coffee bar we met Holger from Schöneberg who hosted Ian from Brazil (who almost would have been my guest, but for the cold), and Ian himself. He's a great young guy, i'm sorry I couldn't host him, but we will meet again at Las Fallas in Valencia in March.
After a quick tour of the city by bus 200, we went back to Berlinale Palast and the world premiere of the mongolian movie with Holger. It's a great story on the fast dwindling traditional life and culture in Mongolia, the 1800 people in the cinema were clapping like mad and really loved it.
We didn't make it to the premiere of "2 days in Paris", so had some indian tasties, and then off to east Berlin cinema International (we almost got lost looking for it, and a few others as well), and "The Good German" with Cate Blanchett and George Clooney on Berlin in 1945. Done nicely in black and white techniques of the time, but the story isn't worth winning any prize. Very weak, and so no standing ovations at all.
Then back home, to bed, and now we're tired but ready for another day of movies and - snowwwwwww!! :)

Cannes in Berlin

Franck aka Acidrongeur arrived at Schönefeld yesterday afternoon. My guest for the weekend. From Cannes, city of the famous film festival!
He's a moviefan as me, so we were hardly back home in my flat, when we left again for "La vie en rose" at Urania on the life of great french singer Edith Piaf, and then felt like some starseeing at Berlinale Palast. Went inside just to have a look, saw the ticket booth open, and bought tickets for "I'm a cyborg" - well, we had sold our own tickets just a few days ago. The new places were better! ;)
They had french translation headphones, so everything was fine. Director and actors were sitting in front of us, and we met the director of the Berlinale! Aren't we lucky!
Came back home late for a last beer at Cafe Mirell and a snack of reheated potatoes at home, and are off to sleep to be bright awake for the next movie starting at 9:30. :)

More movies

Waiting yesterday was really relaxed! I got to the Haus der Berliner Festspiele at 7:45 am, where about fifty cineasts were already waiting in the freezing cold and snow. Luckily soon later the doors were opened, and we got into the warm hall with tables and chairs to spend the time reading and chatting, and coffee and cake for breakfast. So different from Potsdamer Platz queuing in long rows standing for hours.
But the result of three hours waiting was the same as ever: "Goodbye Bafana" was sold out ten minutes after the booths opened. Later we found offers on ebay selling tickets for more than 100 Euro each! Incredible!
Well, we bought a nice mix of light and heavy stuff, and still have enough time in between to do some sightseeing. And starseeing at the red carpet of the Berlinale Palast.
In the evening I watched the opening of the Berlinale on 3SAT, and then instead of enjoying the winner movies they show during the Berlinale, I was off to the couch to read a book I had bought wednesday night: "The Good German" by Joseph Kanon. The story the movie is based upon. It's in the competition of Berlinale. And we got tickets! :)

...and cut!

Second morning of buying tickets for movies at the Berlinale. To spice the waiting procedure up a bit, I chose a different location, this time Potsdamer Platz. Proved to be a fault: it took me a lot longer. And of course all the best movies were sold out! "2 days in Paris" only a few seconds before it was my turn at the ticket booth. :(
So today I'll be at nice and reliable Berliner Festspiele as early as 8 am, with a book to read until 10. I hope that will work, and I get some tickets for "Goodbye Bafana" in the Berlinale Palast.
When queueing, we were filmed by RBB tv, by the way. Hence the title of this posting.
There is a second reason: I felt like going to the hairdressers, and have something nice done to my hair, leaving it curly and red, of course. Hah! They did something to my hair for sure, cut it like mad, and now it's hardly curly at all! I was lucky I hadn't asked them to refresh the colour as well. Might have made me look as dull as a hedgehog!
Now I look like a hedgehog with flaming red bristles. And an old one, too. ;)

Berlinale fever

My cold hasn't gone yet, but a new fever took over: Berlinale fever!
It's spreading fast, this morning hundreds of people were getting up very early and queueing in several places all over Berlin for hours on end, just to find they won't meet George Clooney after all, and the South Korean Cyberborg is sold out as well.
I was one of them, alas, and was stupefied to see that after two hours of waiting and the ticket booths opened for not even 15 minutes, the tickets for the opening show of "The Good German" were all gone. Half an hour later there was only one chance left to watch the movie at all (not the actors, sigh), and that was Saturday evening at 10:30 pm.
Everybody was checking for new timetables and new movies, scribbling away, crossing out, checking again, calling friends and family on their mobiles to figure out how to deal with the new situation.
After four hours of heavy stressful work I was back home and telling my friends in the hc-forum which tickets I finally had managed to buy. They were not exactly those we had agreed upon the evening before.
Same tonight. It took us two hours to check the schedules and options, and then we found we had got the wrong tickets. Berlinale Palast and first show and actors and directors the lot, but with german subtitles, not english. So Franck who'll be coming from Cannes to enjoy a weekend of movies with me, wouldn't understand a word. Hope we'll be luckier tomorrow!

Improving my health

At least I try. Berlinale starts soon, and I really want to enjoy the movies then. So it's hot baths, lots of juices, vegetables, bucketfuls of tea, lemon, vitamines, minerals - no coffee, no beer nor wine, no bread, no sweets, no chocolate (!). I try to eat less acid food, more basic, that should help my teeth and bones as well.
Here's the delicious vegetable dish I cooked today between sleeping and naps. Tasty and sooooooo healthy!

Caught a bug

My flu - or is it a cold? - is back, and annoyingly caused me to stay indoors all day, sleeping a lot and living on hot tea and orange juice.
Not much reading, no tv at all, not much chatting, I had to postpone the flat redecorating program, and to tell Ian from Brazil he should rather stay with somebody not spreading germs when in Berlin this week on his trip around Europe.
After a long night, I have more tea and juice, and now am back to bed. :(

Cologne in Berlin

Sleeping a lot helped to overcome my cold enough to feel up to some fun, so I called Uli and asked about the carnival singing session in "Stäv". It started at 5, doors opened at 4, and we were supposed to come dressed up for the event. Two hours left until then - time enough to get a witches hat and some decorations, put on a black and purple dress and fancy jewellery, wash and blow dry my hair to make it look more witchlike, and add heavy purple and black makeup.
People were staring at me, but not much, since Berlin is not a place where you wonder about what others look like, and in the pub everybody was rather special.
The words of the songs of this year carnival in Cologne were printed in leaflets given to all of us, and listening to the music it was really easy to join in with the crowd, merrily singing old favourites and new songs, laughing, dancing, cheering and drinking. Kölsch, of course.
And shedding a tear or two, remembering their hometown, old neighbours, old friends, with a love and pride that you don't find in many places.
Our chosen favourite was "Du bes Kölle" by Tommy Engel, followed by Höhner "Dä Kölsche Pass", Paveier "Schön ist das Leben", and Bläck Fööss "Am Bickendorfer Büdche". You can hear all the songs on the "Lossmersinge"-website, and if you're in Germany at carnival weekend, you can even watch us on tv, WDR, saturday afternoon!
We had lots of fun, but had to stop the music at 10 pm, because some neighbours had been complaining in former years. Well, it's Berlin after all, not Cologne!

Visits

Friday evening at around 8pm, I had nine visitors, from distant places like Beijing to the east (three!) and Arizona to the west, and lots from Europe. Not at home, on my weblog!
I noticed them on NeoEarth, posted on the right side of my website. It's for free for a month, so I tried it. Weird feeling, so many people from around the world reading my stories on everyday life.
No visitors at my flat right now. And I'm not visiting anybody this weekend, either. A small, but very fast growing flu took over, and taking a bath and staying in bed all afternoon didn't help. So I'm not going to Den Bosch (sigh!), and will not celebrate my sister's birthday in Düsseldorf (sigh-sigh!)
Instead, I'll stay at home and try to get better soon. Berlinale next week, I have to be fine by Thursday!

Changes

This is the Eiffel tower at 7:58 pm last night. Paris is pitch dark. Why?
There was an action in France yesterday, when everybody was asked to cut down electricity and turn out the lights from 7:55 to 8 pm. Not to save energy, but to create global awareness towards the dangers of the climate change. Even the Eiffel tower and the Paris Hilton where UN delegates were staying were not illuminated then.
Over the years, the United Nations had become more aware of the climate change (check here), and today the Intergovernmetal Panel on Climate Change will launch the first volume of the report "Climate Change 2007" in Paris.
I did participate in the action that spread all over Europe, but still I'm using up too much energy, by flying f.e. So I should start changing, as well. Will it help?

Rainy day is movie day

Yesterday was a rainy day, not cold, but rather windy. Just right to watch the movies I had got at the videoshop on monday.
In the evening news I saw the protests against the government plans to start pensions at 67. So far I only knew about the actions planned for February 26th. I'm lucky I signed the contracts the year before last already, to finish work at 64, with the last six years working part time (working 50 per cent, getting paid 85). I'll do three years of work, and three years of sabbatical. Less money, more time.
The rest of the grey day I spent redecorating, since my shoulder is getting better. No IKEA art, but frames for some of the posters from my large collection, and more lamps.
Today in between dentists and physiotherapy, I'll start on spring cleaning. Might as well use this rare spur of energy for work before going to the free evening at Berlin museums.