jive talkin'

iPad2 DodoCase for my Birthday

2011-07-11T03:25:00.006Z

Wohoo! My best son in the world Mathias gave me a DodoCase for my iPad for my birthday. It just arrived and it is awesome!

Australia

2011-07-09T21:39:00.004Z

After a little more than four months here a first impression of our new home Australia. I think it is fair to say that Mathias and I are lucky bastards: Melbourne in many ways is a hidden treasure tucked far away on the other side of the world, too far to reach for many, but paradise for those who do make it here. That is certaily just a rosy first impression I have, and in time I will probably find a more realistic description, but for now that's how I have experienced it.

We have managed to hit the ground running because life is easy here: I found a decent job and a nice place to live within three weeks. Everybody is very helpful and has made us feel welcome here.

We found a great school for Mathias, that didn't mind at all that Mathias was out of school for 6 months. He was integrated right from the start, and made many friends already. Mathias actually likes school now, and managed to get satisfactory grades on almost all subjects, some of which he even excells in.

School was one reason I wanted to come to Australia for, and so far I have not been disappointed. Imagine this: Even though the kids get graded there is no failing a class or a grade. Grades only start counting in 11th and 12th grade, where the kids take exams to assess their qualification for university or vocational training.

Besides everything being awesome there are also a few issues that need resolution. I still don't have the full picture of how much the cost of living here is. Every month a some new payment comes up that I didn't expect, and that throws our budget off. Yesterday I got a bill from school over $650 to cover the expenses for next semester. That's a lot of money that I had planned in for other things. Nobody can be blamed, but it is frustrating, because currently we cannot save much money for important Items such as a car.

The other issue on my mind right now is work. I am in one of the most progressive project I ever could have imagined: We are using bleeding edge technology and management techniques. While this is interesting I cannot use much of my hard-earned Know-How from the past 10 years, but have to learn many things anew. I hope the weeks to come things will settle down, and I will not be overwhelmed by all the new things to be learned.

Considering that we just moved half way across the world into a country that we never sat foot in before I think we are doing great. I am looking forward to the months ahead!

Student loans in the US

2011-04-13T02:58:00.005Z

Wow! That makes student loans sound very evil! I guess I am glad that I only had about $1500 in student loans open when I was finished with university.
This is a student loan offer from Sally Mae Bank that a mother annotated. Her son got this letter two days before he wanted to leave for college. He decided not to attend university.

Found at http://four.livejournal.com/

Been there ... done that!

2011-03-16T02:48:00.000Z

That sounds strangely familiar ...

Company hierarchy

2011-03-05T01:13:00.000Z

Oh my God: Enlightenment has struck me on the head with her magic wand! I am sitting here at the kitchen table, drinking my coffee, pondering about my new life and future career, and there I stumble upon this article about The Gervais Principle, Or The Office According to “The Office”. Now everything is so clear!

Street Art

2011-02-19T12:36:00.002Z

Mathias and I were really excited when the Banksy movie "Exit Through The Gift Shop" came out, as we both like street art, and wanted to do our own stuff.

Since then I have been reflecting quite a lot on street art. I am not convinced, that it is such a great thing anymore. The credo of the movement has been "taking art out of the museum and bringing it onto the street." Great idea. But when I read that in Australia this I punishable by law with up to 2 years in prison and up to $24,000 in fines, I began to question if street art is all about bringing art to the street. It is also about angering people who don´t want whatever somebody considers art on their street or their property. That's why making street art is so heavily fined.

Street art is a continuation of the graffiti scene that stared in the 70ies. This graffiti scene has since evolved into mass movement, until nowadays everybody and their brother thinks it to be cool to tag his name on some wall in the city. And not everybody and not everybody´s brother is particularly creative about it. Graffiti has become more a nuisance than an art movement. Hence people who own the walls get annoyed and ask legislature to do something about this nuisance. In the end graffiti "artists" get severely punished.

Now we have street artists, who currently seem to be much more creative than just scribbling their own name on a wall. But who is to say that creative things put on walls with permission have more right to stay there. At the pace street art is going won´t stay particularly creative, either, as everybody and their brother will think it to be cool to do street art. One can imagine what that leads to.

Two things can be observed:

The quality of street art will decline as the pace of the movement will pick up even more
The punishment of of street artist will rise as the annoyance of wall owners rises

I therefore propose he following: Find people who want their walls covered with art. You will solve both problems at once:

The quality of street art cannot drop below a minimal level, as wall owners won´t let prospective street artists just stencil their name on a wall
The street artists sanctioned by wall owners will stay free of punishment

A very important drawback off illegal street art is also solved: Illegal street art is often removed quickly, while legal street art is there to stay! What good is it if a street artist has to employ a videographer to document your art because it might be gone before anyone can lay an eye on it?

Will Smith is a whitie with a black face

2011-02-19T10:17:00.006Z

Will is definitely not ma nigger, but I like this one ...

The Great Adventure

2010-12-16T01:12:00.000Z

We are on the road to Australia, currently in Pakistan, and let me tell you: It is an adventure! We are having a great time with lots of excitement. Strangely everything is going to plan, typical German. The car is running fine, the papers are all in place, and Mathias and I are getting along great. What is an adventure are these gret countries like Iran and Pakistan. Everything is whacky here! I´m loving it. I created a blog just for this trip, just to keep it separate from this blog. In case you don´t know: http://travelingsideways.tumblr.com

Australia

2010-08-12T14:56:00.007Z

It all started as a crazy idea in the beginning of 2008 - one Mathias actually came up with - and now it is becoming reality: Next month Mathias and I are off to Australia. I can´t tell you how excited I am!

The last two years I have spent getting Australian residency and work permit: After all I want to work there as a freelance software developer, just like I do here. And the end of this trip: open. We might never come back from Australia. That´s the plan.

It is one of those things too crazy to be true, and that´s why it is totally in line with my life. God has led me onto big adventures before:

Went to the US alone at age 16; stayed there for six years
Had a kid at a young age, while I was still at university
Became my own boss right out of university, and was successful with it
Drove to Africa and through the Sahara with a beat-up old Volkswagen
...

It comes as no surprise - at least to me - that I am off on a new adventure. And this time Mathias is joining me: Father-son power. We both have never been to Australia, but I decided to save the money spent on a vacation: Everybody says it is a lovely country. Sounds like enough info to me.

But I have moved to countries that I hadn´t even visited before. It works. Nothing new there. So to make this a real adventure we will not fly over there: We will drive. Six months. Fifteen countries. Through Iran and Pakistan. With an 20-year old Volkswagen campervan. Does this sound like adventure?

I think Mark Twain would be proud of us. He supposedly said

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by things you didn't do than by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

I am a bit worried that I am going too far, though. After all I am taking my favorite son Mathias with me, and sure don´t want anything bad happen to him. But it just sounds too good to miss out on this. Sure will give a nice story to tell, So stay tuned ...

Stages of a photographer

2010-07-21T17:42:00.015Z

I found this beautiful diagram of a photographer´s life on Robert Benson´s Blog. It is very funny but also very true.

That "dammit I suck" dip is awesome. I first got aware of this magical moment in the development of any skill - photography or otherwise - when I read "Pragmatic Thinking and Learning", a book aimed at professional software developers. One chapter is about the the five stages in the journey from novice to expert, and how to recognize which stage you are in. The model described there is also universal, not just for professional software developers. Interesting enough it mirrors the graph shown above.

One clear sign that you are in stage 2 - advanced beginner - is that you think you are an expert in your field. Once you figure out "dammit I suck": Congratulations! You are not an advanced beginner anymore. Beware, though: The journey to expert is still long.

The book states that most people never leave the advanced beginner stage in their profession, or any other skill for that matter. Makes sense: To them the journey is over because they already are experts! I just love that insight. Been there ...

Beware: Just saying "I suck" just to feel you are in the next stage does not count. It has to be a revelation!

My 40th birthday BBQ

2010-07-19T16:06:00.006Z

This weekend I had a BBQ party for my 40th birthday. Excellent party! I am very happy for all the nice people who came a celebrated with me: I had a great time.

Thanks for everyone for coming, and thanks for your contributions for our trip: They went straight to our savings account for Australia!!

5. Aachener Kickercup

2010-05-30T21:36:00.003Z

You are invited!

Where Cursors Come From

2010-05-14T11:08:00.004Z

Aaaaww, how cute!! Check out the guy who came up with that: Nathan W. Pyle

Trouble with the blog

2010-05-11T11:22:00.005Z

Because Blogger does not allow publishing blog on your own server anymore, I had to move this blog to another server. This leads to temporary trouble with the images. This should be solved soon. Hang in there!

The right decision

2010-05-11T07:35:00.004Z

I think it was the right decision to remove George Bush from power...

Barcelona Marathon

2010-03-10T16:54:00.003Z

This year will be my 40th birthday. I´d like to think that I have never been fitter than this year. That´s why I decided to run two marathons this year, the first one being Barcelona on March 7.
Did it! My time was 4:42:58, which is an improvement over the Paris marathon last year, albeit not that much. My preparations were off, because the marathon was so early in the year. Go figure.
Now I gotta motivate myself for a second marathon ... to tell you the truth I am not that excited. We´ll see ...

Playing with the Camera

2010-01-01T11:38:00.004Z

The pic is out of focus, but besides that I like it.

Rock Star

2009-12-25T15:50:00.005Z

I had a wonderful foto session with DAS MATHIASTM. He is such a great artist.

Golf

2009-10-29T11:44:00.004Z

Golf afficionado Mathias getting ready for the driving range.

Fashionistas

2009-09-19T16:35:00.001Z

Last weekend Mathias and I went on a Fashion spree to the hip Cologne. Because we didn´t want to spend any money we just ended up trying all kinds of cool clothes (hence the price tags in the pics ;-)

My new baby

2009-09-18T16:09:00.006Z

Sexy bitch, huh?

4th Aachen Foosball Championship

2009-07-01T08:40:00.005Z

Did it again, and had great fun! This time the Moonwalkers - Simon and Alex - won the cup, and even performed a moon walk in honour of the late Michaael Jackson, who had inspired the two to play foosball together in the first place. Click on the champions to have a look at the pics ...

Thanks for pointing this out

2009-06-12T14:58:00.004Z

Priceless

2009-06-02T19:58:00.012Z

One black/white picture poster	EU 20,00
Nine liters of wallpaper paste	EU 4,99
One stolen ladder	EU 0,00
Two hot banditos in a bathtub	Priceless!!

Bad Town Boys done it again

2009-05-17T02:40:00.005Z

Revelation

2009-05-17T02:13:00.007Z

My good photographer friend Frank created a very inspiring series of pictures with the title EPIPHANY. Mathias and I were awestruck by the idea and decided to create our own hommage to the series called REVELATION. Kudos to Frank, you are the best!!

P.S.: Anyone interested in collaborating in REVELATION please contact me.

Bad Town Boys

2009-05-04T20:13:00.004Z

Dried Lemons

2009-04-30T15:51:00.003Z

Flickr stuff from Cookie Rebel

Color Flash

2009-04-29T18:47:00.003Z

US vs Canada

2009-04-23T14:22:00.005Z

[Via ~teehee~]

Floating through the hands of God - Schweben in Aachen

2009-04-22T07:19:00.006Z

Cultural enlightenment in Paris

2009-04-10T09:23:00.003Z

While in Paris Mathias and I soaked up some culture in the Louvre.

Paris Marathon

2009-04-05T18:00:00.002Z

Three years ago I ran my first 10 km race, two years ago my first half-marathon, and now I finished my first marathon!! I ran with Carrie and Iain from Florida, and we crossed the finishline together at 4:56.

I have heard that we now belong to the select group of 2% of the world´s population who has ever finished a marathon. Great, but I have the feeling that the other 98% of the population think it is stupid to run that far in the first place.

3. Aachener Kickerturnier - Yes we can!

2009-03-11T19:58:00.007Z

The 3rd round of the Aachen Foosball championship - drawn out in Mathias room - was a great success: 14 highly motivated and well-trained teams from Germany and Great Britain competed to win the Aachen Kickercup. It was loads of fun and some hot competition, and in the end team Dadson - Mathias and I - just said to each other "yes we can", and won the tournament for the first time.

Have a look at the pictures!

Malta

2009-03-05T22:54:00.006Z

This weekend I was able to take a short trip to the island of Malta, located in the Mediterranean sea just between Sicily and Tunesia. Very nice, especially the current capital Valetta, and the old captial Mdina. Many beautiful buildings and lots of history. The public transportation busses are also quite a looker. Perfect for a short vacation. The whole reason I came is to run the Malta half-marathon. This is one of the few running events in Europe where you don´t freeze your ass off this time of year. It took me 2:04.39 to run the 21.1 km right across the island. Good enough for me :-)

My first Leica

2009-01-25T20:26:00.010Z

Buying this Leica camera was all emotions, no prudence at all: The camera is much more expensive than comparable models, but Leica is style, Leica is sexy, and Leica makes arguably some of the best cameras in the world.

Now I am the proud owner of a Leica D-Lux 4. My first Leica! I just had to have her, even at the enormous price, but let me tell you: She is all worth it. You can take a picture of the sidewalk, and that goddam boring sidewalk will look mysterious, warm, and gorgeous all at the same time with this camera.

Here are some of the pictures I have taken with my D-Lux in the last few days:

BTW: I didn´t post-process any of these pics: no cropping, no color enhancement, nothing.

Finally...

2008-11-28T21:44:00.003Z

I can introduce Vika to the world: She´s our new nanny. She helps me take care of my crazy son, and helps Mathias take care of his crazy father. She is from Latvia and - as the picture proves - is a great addition to the Fasel clan. The picture was taken while we were in Paris, some guy had his bachelor part dressed as a Penis. Tres bon!

Thank you Santa Claus!

2008-11-27T10:46:00.006Z

It´s a miracle: Santa Claus heard the tears I cried each night because I didn´t have the iPhone yet, and now he has made my dream come true early: I am iPhoned! Merry Christmas!!

2. Aachener Kickercup

2008-11-13T10:36:00.009Z

Last weekend was the 2nd round of Fasel´s litte foosball tournament: The Aachen Kickercup. We had a blast, and this time team "die Pokalholer" - my brother Olli and his friend Bernd - were able to take the cup home. I uploaded the pics, so have a look Cheers

I´m alive!!

2008-11-04T21:36:00.007Z

This is just a shout out to the people who read my blog from time to time: YEEHAAW! The reason I have not been posting was trouble with my provider. I now moved the page to a different provider, so expect more from me to come flying at you!

There are still some open issues regarding the move of the website, like currently I cannot post any pictures. Stay tuned to this channel, because I´ll be coming at you full force soon...

Cheerio

Marc

Mathias got a brand new bike

2008-08-22T19:16:00.002Z

Appalling!

2008-08-15T14:03:00.003Z

Knittler

I am all for picking up political issues through handcrafting, but a book with knitting designs of world famous dictators? I think that´s going too far. Are you going to knit cuddly dolls of Idi Amin, Saddam Hussein, or Pol Pot, and place them on your couch for decoration? Or have your children play with them? Things that make you go hmmmm.

Interesting enough the book does not contain a design for George Bush jun. I think that´s fascist ...

3M bitchin´ biker team cross the Alps

2008-08-12T10:46:00.001Z

700 kilometers and more 6000 meters in altitude, from Füssen in the South of Germany via Austria to Lake Garda in Italy, all in 10 days: Excellent stuff! Mario, Mathias and I had a fantastic time in the mountains.

We drove by car to the German town Füssen at the Northern foot of the Alps. From there we quickly crossed the border into Austria, making our way higher and higher into the Alps. After crossing the Fernpass at 1200 meters altitude one of the highlights of the tour was the Uina canyon, where an WWI military trail was chiseled into the mountain by the Swiss. This highly dangerous passage starts at 1200 meters above sea level and took us to the top of our tour of 2300 meters. We quite some difficulties we made it to the top in about 8 hours. Here we saw lots of marmots and Mario was even able to pick an Edelweiß, a rare plant that only grows in remote regions of the Alps.

After the difficult climb from Füssen to the top of the Uina canyon we crossed the border to Italy, and the next days were filled with light downhill riding along the valley of the river Etsch. Image the Etsch valley to be Italy´s sunny garden, filled with vineyards and ripe tomato fields. For two days we rode along a perfect bike track, well paved and with a constant 1% decline. Image how well the bike runs if you´re riding downhill for such a long time! Interesting enough this part of Italy called South-Tyrol is mainly German-speaking, so it was nice to be able to talk to the locals a bit.

In Bozen we made a turn North-East into the famous Dolomites, said to be the most magnificent mountains in the Alps. We spent three days around the area of the Schlern, until we turned South towards our final destination, lake Garda.

Further South Italy quickly turns very Mediterranean, where cicadas chirp under olive trees, and in the heat of high noon everyone takes a nap. This relaxing athmosphere is very contageous. Another three days and we finally hit lake Garda, and were able to relax in this emerald lake.

Check out the pics and get a feel for the tour ... and then get a bike and travel.

Living Shrubbery

2008-08-06T18:14:00.004Z

Nice way to liven up your city ...

Check out the artist behind this hedge monkey: Filthy Luker

Keeping myself fit

2008-08-05T10:52:00.005Z

I enjoyed South Tyrol - the German-speaking part of Northern Italy - so much during our Alp crossing that I decided to spend this weekend there as well. I participated in the giro lago di resia, a run around beautiful lake Reschen, a spot that we passed on our tour. I had a great time running the 15,3 km around this gorgeous lake surrounded by the snowy Alps in perfect weather.

Mosel Biking

2008-07-03T21:19:00.005Z

Last weekend Mathias and I went biking through the vineyards lining the banks of the river Mosel in the South of Germany ...

Ohh the smell of burning flesh ...

2008-07-03T14:40:00.005Z

How about laser-burning tatoos

What a cute story that somebody commented :

My dentist has a laser she uses for surgery and even removing decay from teeth. On the lower power settings, she can make a little picture like the ones in the article. It doesn't hurt and it goes away when the skin naturally wears away. She says it's great to put a little smiley face on a kid's palm to show them there's nothing to worry about when she sticks the thing in their mouth.

Aachen Vital Lauf Half-Marathon

2008-07-02T10:56:00.006Z

Last year I barely crawled across the finish-line, this year I kicked the ass of this half-marathon and finished with 2:08. This run really sucks, because it continiously goes up and down, all on asphalt. Whoever organizes this run certainly doesn´t run himself, otherwise they would do better with the track. I will never run this piece of shit run again. Word!

1. Aachen Foosball Championship

2008-06-09T10:33:00.005Z

This year the 1. Aachen Foosball Championship will take place in my living room. All 2-player teams are welcome to join. First prize is the famous Aachen cup.

The event takes place on Friday, June 20th, 7:00 pm to open end.

Starting at 8:45 pm we will also show the European Soccer Championship quarter finals between Germany and Czech Republic on a big screen TV.

Extreme Craft

2008-06-06T11:10:00.002Z

Check out knitting graffiti: Also see kittaplease

Triathlon

2008-06-03T16:05:00.004Z

Am I becoming some sort of a sports nut at my old age? I did my first triathlon this weekend:

500 m swimming
22 km cycling
5 km running

1:37 min, good enough for my taste.

3M bitchin´ biker team

2008-05-16T13:51:00.006Z

The beautiful countryside

The 3M bitchin´ biker team (that´s Mathias, Mario, and Marc) were on the road again with our bikes as soon as the first sunny days arrived in Germany. This time we went on a four-day trip through the Eifel, a volcanic mountain range south of Aachen, culminating in the conquer of the Hohe Acht, with 747 meters the highest mountain in the Eifel.

We did it :On top of the Hohe Acht

In the summer we want to cross the majestic Alps on bike, a brilliant trip that my good friend André suggested to do together. Unfortunately he has better things to do this year (he just made a new baby boy and that apparently is more important than our bike trip ;-), so we are going ahead with a slightly altered crew.

This trip was a sort of test: Can we climb an average of 1500 meters in altitude per day, as we will have to do in the Alps? Yes we can! We all passed the test, including Mathias, who I imagine will be the youngest biker to cross the Alps if he succeeds.

Roads Kill

2008-05-08T10:10:00.009Z

True story: In some parts of Australia - places where cane toads are abundand - teenagers play games like "toad cricket", "toad golf", or "who can kill more toads in one night" running them over with their car. Some Friday nights the roads are covered in toad guts, making you slip when trying to cross. While I absolutely condemn such senseless cruelty to animals, I must admit I have an odd - some may call it sick - fascination with roadkill.

I know I am not the only one out there (you know who you are). It is ghastly, I know, but now there is a new, healthy way to deal with this perversion of the mind: Plush Roadkill. Stuffed animals that carry all the gory fascination of a real mangled carcass.

Take e.g. Grind, the squashed rabbit:

The blood and guts and gore are made using the latest, cutting edge stuffing. It's a special new micro-bead stuffing that gives the guts and organs a more malleable, tactile effect. It makes it more squidgy. You can pull Grind's blood and innards through the zip that lines the right side of the teddy carcass.

Isn´t that cute? I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.

Via [Boing Boing]

Tattoo Artist

2008-01-02T11:59:00.001Z

Mathias is currently looking into different career paths. Here he is trying out tattooing on my friend Steffen. I don´t think this career is a good choice for Mathias, though: Steffen didn´t like the result (I told them to draw it with a marker first, but nobody wanted to listen to me).

ATG Winter Run

2007-12-20T10:28:00.001Z

That´s me playing my air guitar at the ATG Winter run here in Aachen last weekend. I finished the 18km run through the beautiful woodlands surrounding Aachen in 1:48, and I wasn´t even that tired. I was even 10 minutes faster than I had expected.

For this year I have fulfilled my running goals, and then some: I ran a half-marathon in September, and now finished this run in a respectable time. I have never been this fit in all my life.

Maybe run a marathon next year? Just daydreaming ...

The only funny thing about "The Simpsons" movie

2007-12-02T22:55:00.001Z

This hillarious picture in a new German magazine called "View" inspired me to watch the DVD "The Simpsons." It shows Homer next to an ancient symbol for fertility high in the Scottish mountains.

Located on a hill near the village of Cerne Abbas, north of Dorchester, England, the guy on the right, measuring 55 metres in height, was carved into the lime stone centuries ago as a sacred pagan symbol for fertility.

The guy on the left holding a Donut is also somewhat of a symbol for fertility, but one of our modern times. He was drawn with white paint onto the grass as a publicity stunt for the movie "The Simpsons."

So I watched the movie and it sucked. The ad doesn´t do the movie justice, beacuse the movie is terribly boring. Don´t watch it! Just laugh at the ad.

Straight outa Aachen ...

2007-11-03T14:54:00.002Z

My son Mathias (on the right with the gun) is now a member of a violent street gang called LPG - the Lindenplatz gang. Here he is with a fellow gangster they call "El Manuelito". Yesterday he asked me if he can get the gang´s insignia tattooed on the inside of his lower lip. I dunno what to say to him. Where is this going to lead to?

Word Up
Marc

Always imagined it that way ...

2007-09-23T13:19:00.001Z

I have yet to meet the Queen of England, but I am sure she is a lovely, approachable lady, that lives an astoundingly normal life ... at least that´s what it looks like to me here.

[via rebel art]

So long my friends ...

2007-08-31T19:36:00.001Z

After three fun years it´s time to leave my friends at the EPO behind and spin the wheel of fortune again for a new project. It was time for a change, and when I got an offer to work in a nice J2EE project right in my hometown Aachen I couldn´t refuse. Working in Aachen will be a great change, since I missed my family in friends back home. I am looking forward to picking clothes out of my closet instead of the suitcase, sinking onto my own couch at night, sleeping in my own bed. I sure will miss the people at the EPO. So long!!!

The Sokos

2007-08-06T19:18:00.002Z

I want to share this song with you that I like very much. I was driving home one lonely night, lost in my thoughts while listening to my favourite radio station, when this candy-coated voice chirped the sweetest song I ever heard through the ether. The girly innocence, the sexy French accent, and the sarcastically funny words made me fall in love immediately. The song was cute and smart and bitchy all at the same time, Lord knows how you manage to weave all that into one song. When got home and searched for the band on the web, and when I found them I dimmed the light and played the song over and over again.

The band is called The Sokos, the song is I'll kill her. Here is the YouTube video of the song. Have a listen, I hope you'll like it as much as I do. For more songs check out her myspace page.

Two Fasels on Tour - The Rhine Valley

2007-07-01T14:12:00.002Z

Touring the world by bike has become my favorite way to spend a vacation. After pulling off my first long-distance bike trip together with Mario last year, it was Mathias and I who toured together this year: Eight days down the beautiful and historic valley of the river Rhine. We managed to ride from Aachen 500 km all the way down the valley to Heidelberg, our destination in the South of Germany.

This trip was particularly a test for Mathias, who had never been on a bike trip before. I am proud of him: He did really well, riding up to twelve hours a day, covering as much to 90 km in one day, and fighting his way up hills with up to 16% incline, all without complaint.

The next tour is already planned: André wants to cross the Alps with me by bike in the summer of 2008, and I am hoping the Mathias will come. I am sure he will be fit enough. The tour will take us from Germany via Switzerland 1000 km to Milan in Northern Italy. The challenge will be the crossing the majestic Alps, a mountain range with elevantions as high as 4800 meters. This will be no Sunday stroll, but I am looking forward to this adventure already.

PREACHING STREET ART IN AACHEN

2007-06-12T12:54:00.001Z

I am your preacher and I give you the gospel: Break through negativity by the use of creativity! Let your determination feed your perspiration to give inspiration to this great nation! Hallelujah, praise the Lord!

He that winneth souls is wise. --PROVERBS xi. 30.

NERD TATTOOS

2007-05-26T10:51:00.001Z

I am thinking of breaking into the tattoo scene, and was looking on the internet for inspiration ...

SPRINGTIME IN THE HAGUE

2007-05-23T12:10:00.001Z

I've been working in The Hague for over 2 years, but never noticed this beautiful little poppy flower bed right in front of my workplace...

ANDSCHELA ÜBER TOKIO HOTEL

2007-04-15T19:55:00.001Z

Sorry that this is only in German, but I had to post this: Andschie is the best.

HANDICRAFTS WITH UNCLE MARC

2007-04-03T18:34:00.001Z

At my current workplace it often feels like a real circus, where we consultants are the animal trainers taming the wild beasts called managers. During meetings we pass the time by teaching them tricks like "sit" and "roll over", and rewarding them with a cookie and a "good boy". Sometimes we even stick our head in their roaring mouths for kicks.

A consultant friend of mine recently left this project, and I didn't want him to miss our circus numbers at his new project, so I built "Torsten's little EPO circus". It's a beautiful cardboard stage with two of our best managers, accessories like handys and badges to dress them up with, and a little whip to make them do tricks just like the old days.

I am very happy with the result ... considering changing my career to puppeteer ... hmmm

[pic courtesy of Torsten]

HASSELHOFF DO's AND DON'TS

2007-03-14T14:59:00.001Z

BACK FROM A GREAT ADVENTURE

2007-01-26T11:42:00.001Z

The trip to Africa was great. If you want to see pictures have a look at the blazing veedub website.

ON THE ROAD TO AFRICA

2006-12-31T10:17:00.001Z

Hi, I'm finally on the road to Africa on our Plymouth - Banjul challenge. Check out live reports from the road at www.blazingveedub.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2006-12-19T00:57:00.001Z

Hi,

we´re Marc and Mathias from the band DADSON, and we wish you a merry rockin´ Christmas and a happy new year. Keep it hardcore!

tags: guitar hero

NEW WEBSITE FOR THE PLYMOUTH-BANJUL CHALLENGE

2006-12-15T17:06:00.001Z

I decided to create a separate website for all the infos about Fabian an my excellent adventure to Africa. I named it after my trusty old car that - with God's blessing - shall take us deep into the heart of Afrika: The blazing veedub a.k.a. the Flammengolf.

Go check it out and let me know what you think: Blazing Veedub

The site contains all the infos on the challenge, the crew, our preparations, pictures, video, and will have a live blog from the tour when we're on the road. Have a look ...

Like to hear from you so leave comments!

Yours truly,

Brad Wurst

tags: Plymouth-Banjul , Rallye, Paris-Dakar

PLYMOUTH - BANJUL CHALLENGE: T-22

2006-12-04T02:38:00.001Z

Africa get ready for us

We´re at T-22 preparing for our grand adventure: The Plymouth-Banjul Challenge.

Preparations are well underway: Fabian and I are getting vaccinated by the dozens every Monday now - think Yellow fever, Rabies, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hepatitis A, and plenty of other viruses - at a maximum rate of four: One for each extremity! The result is that we basically can´t use our arms and legs for the rest of the week. No more Friday night dancing for us until we leave!

Mathias and I have successfully installed the luggage rack and glued on the official Plymouth-Banjoul stickers to our trusty car - the Flammen-Golf - today. Still we have lots more to do.

Tomorrow Fabian and I will try to get the international drivers licenses, international insurance, book the ferry to Marokko, and apply for visas to Mauretania. Time is running out for all our preparations.

Tonight I devoured the diary of team Fox Tango reporting from last years challenge, the Plymouth-Banjoul Challenge 2006. Now I seriously can´t wait to hit African soil. I´ll keep you posted on the progress.

tags: Plymouth-Banjul , Rallye, Paris-Dakar

GUITAR HERO

2006-11-27T22:48:00.001Z

Mathias is rocking

I admit it: When I am alone I secretly shred a mean air guitar to my favourite rock tunes, still hoping that someday I will be a famous rock star. And now it is all coming true. Well, sort of. Guitar Hero is an awesome PS/2 game that lets you play rock tunes on a mini guitar controller. Aim is to make a career as a rock star by playing the songs at virtual gigs. You earn money, fame, and respect for playing well, and move on from one gig to the next.

The game comes with an ingenious guitar controller, a miniature plastic Gibson SG guitar complete with whammy bar for extra tremolo. On the guitar´s neck there are five colored keys representing chords that have to be played at the correct time by strumming the pickup. A simplified representation of the notes is scrolled by during the song to guide you through the song like karaoke.

The game comes with 40 songs, many are classic rock jewels like Deep Purple´s Smoke on the water or Ozzie´s Iron Man, but some are from other generes like Iggie´s Search and Destroy or more recent stuff like Take me Out by Franz Ferdinand.

Because of the simplifications you cannot learn how to play a real guitar with this game, but the feeling of rocking this plastic guitar in front of the TV is as close as I have ever been to being a rock star. The fun Mathias and I already had with this game is more than I can put in words. We own both Guitar Hero I and Guitar Hero II, complete with two guitars, and there is not one night that we don´t practice playing together in our new band Pig Rectum. I put my trusty air guitar in the cellar for now, I´m sure I won´t be needing it for a while.

tags: guitar hero, playstation 2

WANNA SEE MORE?

2006-11-18T01:03:00.002Z

Click on the pic ...

tags: rasterbator, sexytime

SHORTBUS - AN EPIPHANY OF SEXUAL FREEDOM

2006-11-05T23:41:00.001Z

[Epiphany: A realization or comprehension of the essence or meaning of something].

Come

Wow! I just had the most marvelous revelation come to me in form of a movie: Shortbus. This is an 18+ flick mixing real movie acting with explicit sexual scenes to create a profound masterpiece of modern cinematography. Read the synopsis: "[...] Shortbus explores the lives of several emotionally challenged characters as they navigate the comic and tragic intersections between love and sex in and around a modern-day underground salon."

But Shortbus is so much more than that: It´s really a love song to individual sexual freedom and acceptance. The movie explores sexuality outside of accepted norms. The characters in this film are real, real in the sense that they don´t try to hide their inner turmoil about their sexuality. Nothing is as it seems on the surface.

Shortbus is about sexual freedom, whether it is a sex therapist that never had an orgasm in her life, or a dominatrix that years to feel connected with someone. Its about breaking the boundaries of sexuality, and just being yourself, with all the contradictions life entails. As such it is a wonderful movie.

For me, movie goes further than that, though. It is not just about sexual freedom, it´s about a more general freedom, a freedom of mind. And the movie is using sex as the gateway.

The truths we learn about sexual freedom also hold in the rest of our lives. Sex is used as a gate, since we all feel freer in sexuality than in any other part of our lives. Sexuality gives people a way to express themselves freely, a parallel world where everything is possible, in contrast to the real world, where everything must be logical and explainable. We all are more open and accepting of personal differences when it comes to sexuality. Sexuality is about just being yourself in front of somebody else. And that means to go beyond what you can explain in words, to be a whole person including all the contradcitions your personality holds.

Especially here in Germany we are so trapped by a system that only allows people to be something if they can logically explain. They have to be able to convince critics about themselves using worn-out justifications, as if things that cannot be explained don´t exist. There is only black and white, only drawers to fit in or not, either you are totally one way or totally the other.

An example: If you are a homosexual, then you have all the logical explanations of homesexuality ready, but you could never be a heterosexual who loves getting dicked. Just the same there is no such thing as a man who has a mutually loving realtionship with dolphins, but can´t explain why. That category just doesn´t exist, so you the man just hasn´t found his true identity. It is just not possible even if your heart tells you otherwise.

Through sexuality we can understand ourselves as contradictory beings. Don´t reduce yourself to a character, accept the inner turmoil that is life: We all are paradox human beings that cannot be reduced to a set of explanations. We are are anything and everything at different times in our lives. Accept this reality in your life. You see it best in your own sexuality, of how completely different you are from everybody else on this planet: This is the beauty of the individual. Be thankful for this diversity, and try to make it part of the rest of your life as well. You are different, and that´s a compliment!

If this means anything to you, please open your mind and go watch the movie, you´ll understand what I mean. You have the gift of choice of who to be. Use it!

tags: sex, adventure, shortbus

GREETINGS FROM LONDON

2006-10-31T22:31:00.001Z

Mathias and I spent a few days in London doing synchronized moonwalks in the tube and spicing up English food ...

English Breakfast

Ouch!

What´s left of Hamburger and Fries

tags: London, English breakfast

CUT OUT YOUR AGONY AND SPRAY IT

2006-10-25T12:03:00.001Z

You know I love street art, right? Here's a new and inspiring website, STNCL*RVLTN [say STENCIL* REVOLUTION]. It shows you how to become a regular graffitti gangster: Pick image, cut out stencil, spray it on your favorite wall, and get the hell outta there.

LIVE BY THE BLADE

Destroy the shackles of lethargy ... liberate your creative potential! The hunger is in you, I know it. To release it you must stop soaking it in alcohol and TV until you no longer feel. Go out there, leave your mark on world, celebrate the power of indiviudal expression.

Need support? A helping hand to get you started, to keep the devil of apathy from your couch? Try STNCL*RVLTN

STNCL*RVLTN is a do-it-yourself shop and gallery for urban stencil art. Stencil art pictures are sprayed onto walls by the use of one or more stencils, each representing only one color. Reducing the color palette like that simmers images down to their bare essence and amplifies the raw emotion behind them, making this type of graffitti a loud soldier for your message. Try it, you'll like it!

STNCL*RVLTN inspires with kick-ass logos and in-yer-face graffitis sprayed on the walls of enemy camps. This shit brings out the soldier in me. I love it ... go fight the battle!

tags: street art, guerilla, art

AACHEN PARIS BIKE ADVENTURE: BEAUTIFUL PARIS!

2006-10-20T18:13:00.002Z

Click on me to see foto album

Six days, six hundred kilometers, two bikes, two tents, and no comfort. We did it, I can't believe it! What a great feeling, especially in this magnificent city. We spend another four days enjoying original French joie de vivre: Lounging in the city's delightful parks, sipping on cheap French wine, pondering about the meaning of life using grand words. What more can you ask for?

Pondering

Paris is great, and this is love letter to you, to you and your beautful women. I fell head over heels. What is it about you that makes the women here so beautiful, so sensual, so erotic? Is it the warm breeze that playfully lets the leaves dance around the feet of your ravishing ladies, the balmy summer sun that glows around their silouettes, or the grand atmosphere that adds a dramatic touch to their appearances?I don't know. I just adore it, I simply adore the women.

It's not just the Parisian women, either, it's all the women I see on the streets, french ones or tourists, all have this light touch of magic about them. A blouse that is just a tiny bit more revealing than usual, lipstick that is a tad more brave, or jeans that makes the cheeks just a touch bouncier.

And the curls! The streets are full of curls, delightfully untamed and natural. You just want to run your fingers through them, bathe your hands in their frivolous, shiny loops. Nowhere on Earth have I been so captured by female beauty, nowhere does it fit a city so well. Paris, you truly are the city of love.

Au revoir! Thanks for the wonderful time I spent with you. Can't wait to return...

tags: adventure, bicyle, aachen, paris, beauty

AACHEN PARIS BIKE ADVENTURE: DAY 6

2006-10-10T17:41:00.003Z

Click on me to see foto album

Today we want to start early to make sure we reach Paris. We have about 70km left, at least that's what we estimate. Enthusiastically we leave our private beach behind and head South.

Our tempo is high today, somehow we are driven by the thought of Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe. The bike hums like a well-oiled sewing machine as I push steadily into the pedals: Whrr whrr whrr. My eyes are tacked to Mario's back wheel and we roll in unison along the French countryside. I feel like a machine, a part of a train that is ceaselessly plowing forward: Whrr whrr whrr. Even though clothes are damp and my joins are aching, nothing matters right now, just the sound of the chain moving the bike: Whrr whrr whrr. I push forward towards Paris, getting closer with every turn of the crank. I am totally focussed.

My ass is sore, my wrists ache, my knees hurt, but I bite my teeth. "At one point the pain will subside", Lance Amstrong once said about the Tour de France. He is right: The pain will subside in Paris, and the anxiousness to reach our goal overpowers everything else. Just keep on going.

Rain showers

We pace along but are stopped frequently by rain showers. To pass the time we play cards huddling under small roofs. When are we going to reach our goal? We are already past our estimate of 70km for the day, but no city in sight, only the orange-yellow of wheat fields as far as the eye can see.

At last we find the Eiffel tower on the horizon: Barely visible it looks mighty far away. Now frustration builds up as my energies run lower and lower. We have no idea how far it could still be. To make matters worse we keep on getting lost trying to find a small road to lead us into the city, but the national road seems too dangerous in the mist and heavy traffic.

Our odyssee goes on and on, but at dusk we are finally standing in downtown Paris. At this point we have gone 115 km today, by far the longest day trip yet. it is still about 30 km to the camp ground, the Bois de Boulogne on the outskirts of the city. I decide that I've had it with camping out and deserve a hotel for the misery I've gone through. Mario of course wants to set up tent. I quickly find a small hotel, while Mario rides on to the camp site. We will meet again tomorrow.

Paris: We finally made it. I should feel relief, triumph, invigoration, but all I feel is exhaustion. All other emotions are drained. Shower. Clean clothes. Bed.

tags: adventure, bicyle, aachen, paris

AACHEN PARIS BIKE ADVENTURE: DAY 5

2006-09-21T17:20:00.001Z

Click on me to see foto album

The trip starts with a almost non-existent trail along the canal. What a pain in the ass: We can barely get our bike through the thick grass, but we fight on to reach Noyon around noon. As we enter the city we see the first road signs for Paris: Excellent! Our adrenaline starts rushing like that of a marathon runner getting his first glimpse of the finish line. Can we reach Paris by night? We have no idea, but we are in good spirits. We will be riding under the Arc de Triomphe soon.

The Abbeye de Ourscamps

In the afternoon it´s around 37 degrees again and riding becomes quite exhausting. We reach the Abbeye de Ourscamps, an beautiful ancient monastery that is still inhabited by quiet monks in thick brown robes. As we ride through the gates of the Abbeye we see a group of them peacefully glide through the gardens. This could be a scene right out of Umberto Eco's The Name Of The Rose. We take an unscheduled break to explore the monastery and the remnants of a burned-out gothic cathedral inside it, then rest in the shade of an apple tree.

We reach Compiegne by 17:00, way to late for the 55 km we only covered today. Here we find out that Paris is at least another 80 km, too much to reach tonight. What a disappointment. We still try to keep the break short in hopes of getting as far as possible, but 15 km outside of Compiegne I suddenly break down from exhaustion. We stop and I sleep for two hours straight.

Our private beach

After this power nap I feel better again, but I am spent and we call it a day. Looking for a place to set up the tents nearby, we stumble across a little piece of paradise: We are suddenly standing in front of a private, fenced-in lake full of clear green water that just looks perfect for camping out. The gate is not locked, and as we ride around the lake we can´t believe our eyes: The lake has it´s own beach, a strip of pure white sand that could rival the beaches of the Caribean. The owner must have trucked the sand in to create his own little resort complete with barbeque, lounge chairs, and surf board. And nobody is around. This must be a sign from God.

"We´re are lucky bastards" I think to myself as I take a swim in the lake's emerald water, while Mario is relaxing in a beach chair sipping on some red wine. What more could you ask for ...

tags: adventure, bicyle, aachen, paris

AACHEN PARIS BIKE ADVENTURE: DAY 4

2006-09-20T18:48:00.002Z

Click on me to see foto album

The ride is tough again, but by now I am used to it at we make good time. The day goes by quickly. We choose Chauny for our night camp because it has a little marina where I can take a shower in the morning. Excellent prospect, I am really looking forward to this!

While setting up tent I hear some music far away, so we take our bikes to find out what it is. We end up at a open-air movie viewing of Buena Vista Social Club. What a perfect ending to a though day riding: A breezy summer night, chatty French locals, cold blond beer, and the heart-warming Cuban music of the movie make for a perfect evening.
A votre Sante ...

tags: adventure, bicyle, aachen, paris

AACHEN PARIS BIKE ADVENTURE: DAY 3

2006-09-11T18:01:00.002Z

Click on me to see foto album

In the morning we cross the French border and instantly the bikepaths along the canal worsen from the nicely paved roads we had throughout Belgium to rough grassy trails, sometimes even nothing at all. We are riding through wetlands, and heat, flies, and the bumpy trail are becoming unbearable. Again it's me demanding a change, Marion thinks everything is just swell.

We move away from the canal to ride on country roads, making sure we keep the canal in sight to give us direction. The roads turn out to be a welcome change, much easier to make distance, and a nice variation to the dull, straight canal route. We pass quaint little villages patched into the undulating countryside.

In the afternoon we allow ouselves a chilled beer at an old pub in a village we pass. The place is filled with locals engaging in a card game tournament. All the old folks living in the village seem to be here participating. We enjoy watching these simple people so delightfully engaged in their game. The locals leave us alone for most part, but as we leave curiosity gets the best of them. They strike up a conversation, asking us about our bikes, where we are from, and where we are headed. They call our endevor to Paris "courageous", which makes us a little bit proud. Spirits are high as we estimate only 200 km left for Paris, two days of riding.

To spice things up I suggest we make a barbeque for the night. Mario agrees and we set up a fire and barbeque a steak, first hot food during our trip. What a delicious exception to our dreary meals! So far we´ve been eating baguettes and Salami and maybe a can of cold Ravioli morning and night. This primitive lifestyle is saving us money, but it also sours the experiece a bit. Our barbeque did not cost much more, but was such a satisfying change. I make a mental note to be more creative about the food from now on.

Now I just want a shower to feel alright, but you can´t have it all. Poison for the night: Vodka and orange juice.

tags: adventure, bicyle, aachen, paris

AACHEN PARIS BIKE ADVENTURE: DAY 2

2006-09-05T11:47:00.001Z

Click on me to see foto album

To make 100 km per day means that your aim is to ride 50 km before lunch, take a long lunch break, ride another 50 km after lunch, and set up camp in the evening. In between you take some smaller or longer breaks as needed.

Today we try to reach Charleroi in the South of Belgium by lunchtime, but without a map we have no idea how far it is. It turns out to be 70 km instead of 50 km, and at 37 degress blazing sun it is just too much for me. This is supposed to be fun, not torture. I feel like a rider of the Tour de France forcing his way ahead through pain, sweat, and fatigue, except there is no prize for me if I make it to our midday goal. Shortly before we reach the city I've had it: I throw the bike on the ground and demanded a break. Mario is a little surprised at my reaction, but agrees to stop for some food and drink. During the whole tour he is totally immune to pain or exhaustion, and I feel stupid that I always have to be the one calling for a break.

Riding the bike we get to know the country-side we passed quite well. We see big differences when we cross borders into another country, and even individual regions all have their own character: Rich or poor, medieval or modern, rural or metropolitan. The sourroundings pass us in slow-motion, and we have plenty of time to soak up their personaliy.

Many parts of Belgium we pass are quite depressing, brimming with heavy, rusty industry totally disfiguring the nature around. Especially Charleroi in the South of Belgium is a poor, dirty, industrial monster, with smoke belching factories, rusty old cranes, and scrap metal disarrayed everywhere. The worker's homes have all taken on the color of the rusty brown smoke from the factories' old brick chimneys. These conditions are so far away from the comfort my workplace provides, and I imagine what this dreary environment does to the people.

Much to my surprise the Belgian people turn out to be nicest of all the people we met along they way, very friendly and laid-back. There was not a single person that doesn't greet us with a "bon jour" as we pass by, or takes the time for a little chat with us about the tour. For me that is an important part of the trip: Getting to know a little bit more about the countries and the people we pass.

The last 10 km or so before our chosen camp site we always ride on eggshells. That´s when we have bought or fix of alcohol for the night, and neither of us want to see a bottle break from heavy riding. Tonight it´s two bottles of red wine. We camp at one of the 18th century sluices regulating the traffic on the canal. A bath in the mucky canal is all I get this evening, but it is better than nothing.

tags: adventure, bicyle, aachen, paris

AACHEN PARIS BIKE ADVENTURE: DAY 1

2006-08-31T17:05:00.002Z

Click on me to see foto album

Sprained wrist

Good start! We managed to go beyond our daily goal and ride 107 km without much stress. Never having ridden that much in my life worried me, especially after totally exhausting myself going up the first little hill still in Aachen. I was too anxious and went up too quickly trying not to fall behind well-experienced Mario. It turned out to be the hardest climb of the whole trip, after that I found my own tempo and kept up quite well.

At least until we hit the city of Luettich, Belgium, where I slipped on a patch of thick black oil in midst of heavy traffic. I was lucky not to get run over by trucks behind me, but took away a sprained wrist along with some scratches and bruises. We took a break to assess the damage, but I decided I was going to clench my teeth and ride on.

Wild camping

The day turned out to be hot and sweaty, but at the end I got the reward of taking a soothing shower at a campground near the place where we set up tent. I never thought a would appreciate a shower that much. I felt relief as the cool water ran over my aching body! Afterwards I felt good, clean and happy. Some vodka-coke and a nice talk about life and Mario and I went to sleep.

tags: adventure, bicyle, aachen, paris

AACHEN PARIS BIKE ADVENTURE

2006-08-29T23:12:00.002Z

This was to be no ordinary vacation. Six days, six hundred kilometers, two bikes, two tents, and no comfort. My friend Mario and I wanted to challenge ourselves for vacation, and we set off on a bike trip from Aachen through Belgium and France to Paris.

Some vin rouge to keep us happy

Well, it turned out to be quite an exciting quest, full of beautiful countryside, burning ass-pain, and a lot of adventure along the way. All the ingredients to make a great vacation. Mario played the part of the experienced guide. He had done the trip to Pairs two years earlier, but it had taken him and our friend Frank a sluggish eleven days to reach Paris, and he couldn´t stop thinking back on this disgraceful pace as we were to set the record straight. His goal was to get to Paris as fast as possible with a newbie like me in his tow. At the same time he wanted to use as little money as possible. Back to basics was his motto. Wild camping, cheap food, and cheap drink was his thing. He was kind enough, though, to take my capabilities as a greenhorn bike tourer into account, and we came to a good accord on the trip. We managed to keep a medium 100km per day pace.

Mario was very keen on keeping the bill down, so much so that he opted for wild camping on the side canal and swimming in it´s dirty-green waters instead of putting up tent in nice camp-grounds with toilets and showers. We also didn´t take a stove with us, so my food consisted of French baguette with salami and the occasional can of cold Ravoli, while Mario even went a step further by taking six rolls, 6 pieces of salami, and 3 camemberts with him from Aachen, and living off of this alone for quite a few days along the trip. Just imagine fresh camembert grilling for three days and blazing heat in his bike basket, and you can imagine how much he went back to basics.

Nice cold drinks to combat the heat were also not part of the plan. Instead we each would fill up two big bottles with luke-warm water from faucets we found along the way. The water would last us about half a day, but were far from refreshing, as they heated up pretty quickly in the blazing sun. But hey, it was for free, and that´s what seemed to count.

Mario and I under the Arc de Triomphe

Despite the hardship the trip was all worth it. We got along great, with Mario being quite considerate to my ideas, especially when I just about had it with the back to basics stuff. On day 6 at 21:00 in the evening we finally were in downtown Paris. We made it! At that point my ass hurt so much I couldn´t even appreciate reaching our goal. I decided to hit a hotel to reward myself for the long ride, while Mario camped out at the nearby Bois de Boulogne camp ground. We spent four wild days and wild nights in Paris to celebrate our trip.

In the next days I will post the diary of the trip that I recored along the way, so stay tuned.

tags: adventure, bicyle, aachen, paris

REBEL STREET ART CELEBRATION

2006-08-28T19:12:00.001Z

I have a weakness for steet artists, people who leave their mark on the cities of this world by putting their art anonymously on the streets. These beautification terrorists sneak through the night like bandits, spraying, tagging, knitting, planting their ideas for the enjoyment of everybody, taking charge and asking no one.

I have spotlighted some projects here already - like LED throwies, Punk Knitta or the PARKing project - but take a look at what I dug out tonight: The Wooster Collective, a nutty group originating in New York's Wooster street who believes street art is the shits and loves to show every piece it can find.

Doesn't that inspire you? So go out and do something!I know I will :-)

[Via Rugged Magazine]
tags: street art, wooster collective

TECHNORATI CLAIM MY BLOG

2006-08-24T09:22:00.001Z

Dear readers, I want to become famous. I want to be recognized on the streets, want beautiful yet shy girls whisper to each other "that's him! That's Brad Wurst. He's got that killer blog. He's so funny. I wish I wasn't so shy. Then I would just go up to him and kiss him."

I thought this would happen by itself, by just writing witty, original articles about delightfully funny things. Well, not quite. What's missing is marketing. I need to do is advertise the existence of my entertaining little baby, e.g. on Technorati. Well, I did, so now I am waiting for people hungry for my original humor to start pouring in. "Hello, I am Brad. Brad Wurst. I am ready."

THE THREE STOOGES

2006-08-20T22:57:00.001Z

Getting drunk in Baad Aachen

BULLSHIT BINGO OR HOW TO SPICE UP BORING BUSINESS MEETINGS

2006-08-15T14:04:00.002Z

Working as a freelance software developer for a large international organization is a curious thing: Unmotivated permanent employees called managers suck all motivation out of the freelance nonpermanent staff called developers, until the freelancers are fed up and leave. Our small team of freelancers decided to spice up our time here by adding some fun to this dull, draining routine.

Our days as developers here are boring, uneventful, tedious and annoying. An animating exception to our daily rut are our weekly progress meetings with management. This is the time when management - the permanent staff - manages to suck all the motivation out of us, little by little. Slowly, ever so slowly you realize that they have no idea about software development, no clue how projects are managed, and that all they do is confuse everybody around them while at the same time grind all projects to a halt.

Our little team now came up with a particularly cunning way to pass time during those meetings. Our project is managed by Rashid, an extremely fine example of managerial incompetence. He is a big, dorky, 40-year old guy, who leaves the impression that he is a bit slow in his thinking. On top of the apparent lack of capacity, our project manager is of Tunesian descent, and has a bit of a problem with the English language: He does not speak it very well, nor does he understand it - or anything else for that matter - very well. His native language is French, but I have been informed by native French speakers that his French is not very good, either.

His English is so bad that we don't even try to understand what point he is trying to make anymore. Let's face it: It's most certainly some ridiculous idea anyway. So we started collecting original quotes from him as a way to pass time. We write them down, collect them, trade them like kids do with baseball cards. We even started imitating his liguistic disasters during lunchtime to entertain colleagues from less fortunate teams.

To get a feel for the magical mishaps we are lucky to parttake in each day here is a small selection of Rashidisms - named in honor of the perpetrator - and the translation that we have agreed upon (Try pronouncing them with a thick Tunesian accent for laughs):

Error of message, aka message of error - Error message
We haven't to waste time - We shouldn't waste time
Time is really money - And e=mc^2
Compound - Component (big difference in the world of computers)
Go down by the button - We still don't know what this means
SOAP massage - SOAP message
NilPounter - NullPointer
future - Feature
IPI - API (Application Programming Interface)

To round off his speeches our project manager likes to sprinkle them liberally with the phrase in fact at the most inappropriate places, just to make it sound like he made some important discovery.

After collecting enough Rashidisms we started designing games around these words. First game was Bullshit Bingo: Draw three-by-three squares on a piece of paper, fill each square with one of your favorite Rashidism, and then cross them out as they occur in the meeting. The first one to get three in a row jumps up and yells "Bingo!" We even developed a Java application to print out the bingo sheets.

After getting bored with this game we now devised a new one: The aim is to diligently weave as many Rashidisms as possible into our own speeches during a meeting. A tallysheet is kept and the winner is announced after the meeting. Of course each one tries to outdo the others with sentences full of Rashidisms when it is their turn to explain what they are working on.

Imagine seriously explaining to your project manager and your eager colleagues - while keeping a straight face - that you went down by the button to find the NilPounter in the IPI of the compound, but in fact you were not able to reproduce this error of message, because it is not a future of this compound. Finish off with the conclusion that you haven't to waste time on that anymore, because you know time is really money. It is sure to get you a high score on the tally sheet, and the respect of your peers.

I think our project manager knows that something is going on, as we developers constantly mark things on pieces of paper, giggle around, and make incomprehensible statements, but owing to his wit I don't think it elicited more than a "uhh?" in his brain. At least he never questioned people jumping up jelling "Bingo" at inappropriate times.

So if boring meetings and incompetent management sound strangely familiar, try devising games like this for yourself! Trust me: It will make your drab meetings almost thrilling :-)

P.S.: Another beautiful Rashidism for the road: Don't say what I am not saying

Family guy

2006-07-13T14:22:00.001Z

Peter: I'm gonna go microwave a bagel and have sex with it.
Quagmire: Butter's in the fridge!

Don't know this comic series "Family guy", but that's a keeper.

[via Jan-Paul]

The Plymouth - Banjoul challenge

2006-07-11T13:38:00.001Z

"If you have lots of money and a sense of adventure then the Paris/Dakar Rally could be your cup of tea ... if you have a sense of adventure but relatively little cash, then the Plymouth-Banjul Challenge might be up your street!" -Julian Nowill, founder of the Plymouth - Banjoul challenge

My beloved car - a 1991 silver Volkswagen Golf with deep-tinted windows, murderous fender flames, and a nice pair of fuzzy-tits hanging from the rearview mirror - has passed the 300.000 km mark. That's quite a lot of kilometers, especially for a regular-fuel car. I decided the car deserves a nice retirement, and what better way to retire a car than to go on one last adventure together!

The Plymouth - Banjoul challenge is just the right adventure for this: Drive from Plymouth in the South-West of England to Banjoul on the Westcoast of Africa. The rules are simple:

Competing cars must cost less than £100
Maximum budget for the vehicle Rally Preparation: £15
Once the Rally is underway, there will be no form of formal assistance from the organisers in any way - Teams are ON THEIR OWN.
All of vehicles that make the full distance to Banjul must be handed over to the Challenge Control Group to be auctioned under controlled conditions (reported to The Gambian Government) in aid of local Gambian Charities.

Sounds like fun to me! This weekend was kickoff-party in Plymouth, and co-pilot Fabian and I mastered the first test of our globetrotter survival abilities: Drive nearly 800 km to go meet fellow participants, party, drink lots of alcohol, pass out, and drive back 800 km in less than 48 hours. Done that.

The real odyssey of 6.000 kilometers through dusty deserts and juicy jungles will start on December 26th, and we're hot and ready to go. Now we need to spend our £15 wisely to prepare the car for the ride of a lifetime. We were thinking of buying mudflaps for the money ...

Take a look at these great pictures of last years challenge I found on the internet.

Meet Precious

2006-06-12T01:09:00.001Z

Petzi, a Designer friend of mine, had her last exhibition broken into. There was quite a lot of stuff stolen. I didn´t appreciate that. So I gave her Precious, the attack dog. Precious is a ferocious beast and a killing machine. He only eats out of my hand. He would rip off yours at the chest. He comes complete with the warning sign.

Woof!

Thank the Snake!

2006-05-31T19:44:00.001Z

I love animals. I am quite an animal myself, and therefore have a great appreciation for wild creatures. You can learn so much from them. Each one has a unique, dominant characteristic: Lions are brave, monkeys are playful, elephants are gentle, and snakes ... are sly.

Take a look at this particularly cunning snake. She sure gets the best of this cute girl. Gotta thank the snake for that. I sure did!

If you want to thank the snake just go ahead and leave a comment. BTW: I also like clams.

[via Jan Paul]

Gotta luv them Japanense!

2006-05-21T02:00:00.001Z

I see my myself as a world citizen: I have had the pleasure of experiencing a number of different cultures first-hand, be it American, South-American, Dutch, or whatever. It has been a great experience, since each gives it´s own flavor to the world, and I appreciate each one of them.

What I have always been intrigued with is Asian culture, in particular Japanese culture. Getting a glipse of it through the Internet I have long learned that Japanese men sure are even whackier than Germans when it comes to sex. But my interest for this secluded country has recently been sparked again by some great footage of japanese girls worshipping men on national television. Great stuff, gotta love these girls! makes this country even more intriguing :-)

Well, tonight I ran across some cutesy cute (you know I love cute, right?) stuff that only can come from Japan: Cat fashion! Brilliant stuff, and it sure can only come from these whacky Japanese. I think I have to get me a cat and visit this great country ...

Ole Alemannia!

2006-04-24T01:47:00.001Z

My home-town soccer club - Alemannia Aachen - has made a dream for me come true: They will be playing in the German premier league 1. Bundesliga next year. Congratulations!!

No matter how much I travel the world my heart belongs to my home-town Aachen. This town and its original Öcher Minsche represent working class simplicity, loyalty, and toughness paired with the joyfulness of the rheinische Frohnatur. And nothing shows the true Aachen spirit like it´s soccer team, Alemannia Aachen. Simple, loyal, hard-working players with a great sense of humor.

This describes the team as well as their diehard fans. Even though we have been scrounging the lower leagues of soccer for years now, the teams has always fought to its limits, and the fans have gone through thick and thin with them like no other. The bond between fans and team cannot be broken, we stand behind our team forever.

The Tivoli stadium - known as the witches cauldron (Hexenkessel) - is has consistently attracted the most fans in any second-league team, and is known to be one of the toughest arena to play in because of the huge fan support. This year, with a measly budget of 8 Million Euro, a lot of team spirt, and the superior fan support, the Alemannia finally - after 37 years - managed to fight their way up to the premiere soccer league in Germany, the 1. Bundesliga, again.

As a die-hart fan Mathias and I want to congratulate the team to this heroic archievment!! I am so proud it brings tears to my eyes. I cannot believe that I am able to witness this in my lifetime. Thank you Alemannia.

SEXUAL CRAFTS - iVag

2006-03-22T17:07:00.001Z

I must confess to you: For a long time I was a tormented man, torn between two opposing sides of my personality, two hidden passions constantly pulling my soul apart: Sex and needlework. Ohh, the agonizing guilt of being haunted by such unspeakable obsessions! On the edge of a breakdown I didn't want to live with the guilt anymore.

Finally it was the Internet - this compassionate community of mankind - who has has given me salvation. To my surprise Google helped me find many people - male and female - on the web with the same fetish combination. I can now finally reconcile these haunting deamons, and put to rest my trembling soul. I am free now.

I had already hinted at my dark side with a blog entry on knitting art, but now it is all in the open, and I feel great.

So here is my newest fancy: Vaginal ipod cozies - iVags - to slide your ipod in nicely, and carry it around with you. Yarn labia, crocheted by Superphoebe. Sexy stuff. Check out her Flicr Stream.

And be sure that this won't be the last piece of whooly sex you'll read here ;-)

I LOVE BACON

2006-03-10T15:36:00.001Z

Is this what they use in the meat packing plant if they cut themselves trying to slit the throat of an innocent little baby-calf? These people are sick! But on the other hand: Gotta love these bandages. I mean: It's bacon, and who doesn't like bacon?

I'm just really curious about the toy. Why do they put a toy in there? Is this the butcher's version of "Kinder Surprise" (Kinder-Überraschung)? What could they put in there? Maybe a mini pigs foot key chain? A cow eye sqeeze toy? Woha, now my imagination is running wild. The possiblities are endless!!

LED THROWIES

2006-03-06T20:02:00.001Z

Graffiti Research Lab came up with a cool guerilla art project you and your gang can do to beautify your city and have loads of fun while doing it: LED Throwie parties.

The website has intructions on how to build inexpensive LED throwies - an LED light, a batterie, and a magnet - and throw them in bunches onto your favorite metal surface. The little critters cost about EU 1,00 a piece to build, and come in all colors. They made about 300 of them, got a gang of people together on a nice New York City night, and had fun throwing them against a metal building wall in the city. The video from this event is awesome! Those throwies look stunning.

Go get some people together and throw your own throwie party! I know I am ...

JÄGERTOAST

2006-02-28T15:33:00.002Z

I'm not a big fan of Jägermeister, but isn't this a great product? A nice toast from this machine to get you going in the morning.

Well, come to think of it: I'm not sure if this would help recuperation from a Jägermeister hangover of the drinking binge the night before. I just imagine myself coming into the kitchen with a splitting headache and Jägerbreath: Seeing that lovely deer - again - might have the effect that I remember that night before, remember all the Jägershots we had, and start getting sick uncontrollably all over the floor. And the table. The toaster. The walls. My slippers. Your slippers. Your bathrobe. There will be puke everywhere. It will be disgusting. Gross. I think you get the picture.

Still a great product, but maybe it's better if I don't get this toaster :-)

TATTOED PIG

2006-02-16T22:15:00.001Z

I wonder if adding a few tattoes to my skin will up my chances to score chicks? I wish I could ask this dirty pig. I mean I don´t ride Harleys, but I would consider writing it on my skin if I got laid more often (preferably with permanent marker only :-).

This cute piggy is actually the work of Belgian artist Wim Delvoye. See la vache qui rit on this pigs ass? Great shit! And this guy actually has a whole tatooed pig farm ...