Walls

Looking at paint colours for our new flat, my flatmate and I have opposite tastes. She likes pale salmon, I like greys. I hate pale salmon, she detests greys.

So we both did a personality test to determine our 'perfect colour trend'. We both got 'Coastline' (*click*). (A contemporary take on classic coastal decor, this colour trend celebrates shimmering seas and bold skies. Coastline is a laid-back look that combines flat blocks of colour reminiscent of oceanic horizons, with water-dappled painterly effects, using a harmonious colour palette.)

And no, we don't have a moving date yet. At the current rate of proceedings it might not happen until spring.

Jazz festival #5

I volunteered at the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival for the fifth time - ten days of sleeping in, half-days at work, hanging out at gigs, showing people to their seats and the loos, keeping musicians happy and hydrated, pointing at things. Happiest ten days of my year, can't wait for the next one.

Spiegeltent on George Square / Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

Spiegeltent during gig

Spiegeltent during sound check

Heatwave!

The temperature outside has reached 24°C and it feels just like a few weeks ago in Athens at 40°C. Too hot. I couldn't find my shorts. I must have got rid of them since the last summer which was three years ago. I feel taken back to that time, my first summer in Scotland, when my impression of Scottish summers got seriously skewed.

But how lucky am I to have taken this week off work?! It's the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival again, and I'm volunteering, going to gigs, hanging out with the musicians. Highlights so far were catching up with the other volunteers and staff, many of whom I hadn't seen in a year. Wandering from venue to venue, never knowing who I would run into. Announcing the bands to thousands of people at the free open-air event. Of course hanging out backstage with the musicians - so cool, I'm still getting star struck all the time. An amazing drum solo by EST's Magnus Ostrom, which might have been two, five or ten minutes long, I couldn't tell, but I wouldn't have minded if it had gone on for much longer - it was so good. Seeing him in his underpants before the gig. Cycling home at night in a T-shirt - no jumper needed! The discounts on drinks in the festival venues. All this music, all this skill!

Good times.

Tax return II

This!

Isn't she adorable?

Tax return I

Every April, I get a huge tax return. This is because HMRC got my tax code wrong. I have now taken steps to get it fixed, but that means the end of my annual cash surprise.

This year, I treated myself to something special. It arrived last week in this funnily shaped parcel. Can you guess what it is?

The Piece of Art That is My Sock Drawer

Socks, yes, and a few knickers...

"The life changing magic of tidying" by Marie Kondo is the book that inspired me to arrange my socks in this particular manner, among other things.

The title of the book pretty much summarises a number of outrageous claims she makes about the effects of tidying. However, these effects do not follow from any kind of tidying, but tidying the Marie Kondo way. Going through the process of tidying the Marie Kondo way leads to a new-found awareness of, and an increased appreciation for your belongings.

Another benefit is that - if done correctly - you tidy once and as if by magic you never have to tidy ever again. This is because now, every single item, from your guest duvet to your collection of multi-colour paperclips, has now a designated home in your house. Therefore, you'll never again have to wonder where to put an item.

A side-effect of following the step-by-step instructions in the book is that you'll also get rid of loads of stuff in the process. Stuff, you don't love anymore. And this is the only criterion by which you decide whether to keep an item or discard it: Holding it in your hands, and only if it brings you joy you keep it.

For example, the super hip boots I bought in Berlin on a lovely long weekend with a past boyfriend, while still bringing back happy memories, don't bring me joy anymore. This is because I have hardly ever worn them since my cobbler refused to fix the hole in the sole. He refused out of work-ethic - they were irreparable - and maybe because they smelled. So away with them! I said goodbye, and it was sad, but I don't miss them.

Other things are more difficult. Some postcards and letters for example. However, once you've been through clothes and books, you'll have learned more about your relationship to your belongings, and it gets easier to make the decisions.

And there is a whole lot of direction on how to store things - vertically if possible.

But other people have written about this much better than I could, and like mine, this article features a picture of a drawer with vertically stored clothes! *click*

Sing sing sing

Can I add an item to my new year resolutions list retroactively? 2016 will be the year of singing! I expect some synergy with my resolution to laugh more.

I've always wanted to sing in a band, and having started off last year with a singing quartet (*click*) which didn't live for long, I was then asked a few weeks ago to join another group to perform at a one-off cabaret evening / talent show event. The first rehearsal was fun and had me at some point curling up on the sofa laughing tears.

But now, friends told me how they meet up to make music together, playing the piano and the saxophone, doing jazz standards, and I invited myself to join them and sing. And we did and mostly mocked around but I can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Life Drawing Class

I somehow ended up on this email distribution list of the Talbot Rice Gallery, and they invited me to a one-off life drawing class to celebrate their current exhibition "Live". I happily signed up and then someone told me that this meant I would draw a naked person!

Oh well, why not. It was a two-hour class in the gallery between all these paintings of naked people. There was an introduction and some explanation, targeted at beginners, but I think I was the only one whose last attempt at drawing anything dates back at least 20 years. When the teacher made her round and stopped by my easel she immediately guessed correctly that this was my first time doing a life-drawing, and she then corrected the position of my easel.

By the way, I never thought I'd use the word easel in this blog. Great word! Sounds like weasel, but totally unrelated!

Anyway, here are my master pieces in chronological order of creation. The last piece was easier because the ding-dong was covered from where I was standing. Ding-dongs are hard!

My first study, charcoal

My second study, charcoal

No Ding-Dong, chalk

Ho Ho Ho

Happy advent everyone! And a special happy Nikolaus and wedding anniversary to Maria and Dirk.

I found this in the kitchen one morning a few days ago:

 

Winners and Prizes

Now, that I got my blog mojo back and the comments keep coming in I'll have to think about the grand prize for the 1000th comment. As I am not rich yet it will have to be something hand-crafted or homemade. A poem, a jar of pickles, a loaf of sourdough bread, a sonnet, a German cake, a short story, a painting, a dinner, a photo collage - any preferences or other  ideas?

Cultural

When a few months ago my flatmate's mother passed away quite suddenly, my flatmate found a bunch of concert tickets at her place for the current season of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra that her mum had bought for herself and a couple of friends with whom she usually went to these things. My flatmate kept her mum's tickets, gave me one of them, and gave the others to said friends. So when I went to the concert last night two ladies in their eighties (the friends) were seated next to me, Mary and Margaret, who turned out to be lovely concert company. The concert was Schumann's first and fourth symphony as well as a Mozart piano concert. I wasn't impressed by the Mozart, and got easily distracted, but the Schumann symphonies were great! I had been worried about the length (30 min each) and that I might get bored, but when they were over it didn't feel like much time had passed - it was so good! Now here's to hoping that my flatmate can't make the dates of the residual concerts.

Bobbles

It was strangely satisfying to produce a large pile of lint when shaving the bobbles off my old fleece. I can now relate to my former flatmate Sally's excitement when confronted with the task of shaving a whole couch. (At the time, she seemed nuts, sitting in front of the sofa, buzzing away for hours.)

Choir Rehearsal

I joined a choir, and so far it has been very enjoyable. I like to sing, and singing a great arrangement in different parts sounds so nice. I'm actually surprised how well we sound, I expected much less. As we were founded only three weeks ago, there is no established culture yet, most people don't know each other, the repertoire is very open, and so is the purpose. We have been about 30 people each week, enough sopranos, many altos, a couple of tenors and basses. Since people are allowed to drop in anytime, numbers and proportions are dynamic.

More Barcelona

And here's proof that I didn't just steal the Barcelona pics from the Internetz but actually went there myself. For this I had to steal Kaitlin's pictures though.

Barcelona

Fat baby at Placa de Catalunya

MONA in Hobart

The MONA is a collection of "new and old art", and the main tourist attraction of Hobart, Tasmania's capital. It is privately owned by David Walsh, a professional poker player and really rich guy who has been in the (Tasmanian) news lately because the Tasmanian government changed their tax law and wanted to backdate it so that Walsh's poker winnings from the past 10 years could be taxed.

Anyway, the museum is a fun place, and Mr. Walsh seems to be obsessed with genitals. I took pictures of the works of art that touched/amused/impressed me.

I really liked Jon Pylypchuk's installation, funny little guys humping trees:

You asked me to come and see your routine, you call this a fucking routine? 2006

Jon Pylypchuk

 Also, Balint Zsako's watercolors which are full of penises and boobs:

Group of Balint Zsako Works 2006–9

Balint Zsako

 

 

This is a bike and paint.

Fahrrad mit Farbe 1995-2003

Roman Signer

These 30 Madonna fans were asked to sing one of her albums solo and a cappella. They do with such passion and facial expression that watching and listening to this must be really painful to other Madonna fans since it is massively ridiculous. I found it hilarious. Apparently, the artist did that to Michael Jackson and John Lennon as well.

 

Queen (a Portrait of Madonna) 2005

Candice Breitz

 Scary:

unwritten #8 2008

Vernon Ah Kee

 

These are real live fish. One is hiding under the knife.

Untitled 1991/2011

Jannis Kounellis

A library full of books with blank pages. They had to put up a sign so that visitors won't write into the open books on the tables.

Untitled (White Library) 2004-6

Wilfredo Prieto

Glasgow

To me, travelling is more about making experiences and meeting locals than checking off a list of sights. Having spent three weeks in Glasgow now I don't think I've seen a lot, but I've sure had a good time.

• We went to a theatre play in Oran Mor, a converted church, which is now a pub and an event venue. First time I went there was last year after walking the West Highland Way with Kat and Ella, when a friendly Scot we had met on the trail showed us around Glasgow. Turns out he had ulterior motives and eventually succeeded in making me his lady... Anyway, we went to A Play, A Pie And A Pint, where we saw Ubu Roi - freaky but entertaining, had a pint of beer and a pie, pastry filled with meat. A good concept I think.
• We also went to another play, Whatever Gets You Through The Night, in The Arches, a venue below Glasgow Central Station, so that we heard the rattling of the trains during the play. Very atmospheric. The performance was great. One of the best things I've ever seen on stage. Very musical, great setting, awesome acting and dancing, moving stories. As a bonus, we got the script as a book and the soundtrack for download.
• I've played cards with Paul and roomie Pete A LOT. And watched a lot of soccerfootball. One night, we watched a Germany game in a pub with a few guys, which is the only way I don't mind watching football: In a pub, with a reasonable beer supply, and fun people to get drunk with. Well, we did, went to our place, and played cards until 4.30 am. One of my best nights here.
• Last weekend, I went out to Glasgow's Mela festival with Paul and a bunch of his lady-friends. The Mela was a multi-culti outdoor event with food stands, a few dance and musical performances and a beer garden. We ere quite lucky with the weather, considering that it has been shitty lately. Paul had to leave early and I, having a good time, decided to stay with the lovely ladies who got increasingly drunk, were very sweet and took good care of me, but refused to reveal any embarrassing anecdotes about Paul.

Next week, I'm going to leave Scotland for Sweden.