Ok Itunes I take it back

A while ago I wrote a few posts lambasting Itunes.  You can read those Here and Here. But today is a new day, and I would like to apologize because Itunes totally redeemed itself.  No they did not buy me chocolates and and say “baby baby, I love you” after smacking me across the face. What they did do was start offering Itunes U, which has been around a while, but is new to me.  What is it? It is a bunch of lectures offered for FREES in the tunes store (they are located on the left side of the home page under itunes latino).  I just listened to a Stanford lecture on the literature of Crisis. It was awesome, and there are 25 more.  The reason I am so jazzed, is that one of my greatest fears is a lack of intellectual stimulation, and when you are abroad and outside the ivory college gates, this can seem like a really legit prospect.  But thanks to itunes my fears are assuaged.  They are not only giving anyone with internet connection an opportunity to see what a lecture at stanford might be like, but also providing people like me with fodder for dinner conversation…no longer will we have to solely rely on the Ny times, npr, the new yorker, and the atlantic monthly for our material.  So thanks Itunes, you really aren’t so bad.

Makes Me happy

These past few days I have had some ups and some downs.

But through it all I can always rely on these 5 things to make me happy/smile

1.) Rap.

2.) A crescendo in a song. Broken Social Scene in particular

3.) Kids 10 and under who wear back packs

4.) Making someone else laugh…really just this one person.

5.) Food. ice cream, burritos, hamburgers, and bbq chicken pizza.

Graff and Important German phrases

I never thought that the most important phrase for me to learn would be “i am just taking photos.” But since even documenting graffiti requires you to “theoretically” hop fences this is a pretty useful thing to know.

In other news, it may sound strange, but I have actually never wanted to paint less in my life than since being here. Something about seeing graff everywhere just takes some of the appeal away.

I will expound on both these statements and include some more critical thoughts about my research once a week..probably on sundays.

For Mom

I have been out of the country a lot because my mom has always valued the educational aspects of world travel. However, I have an awful habit of not taking photos, and so time and time again I returned with nothing to show her.  This has forever disapointed her. So, this one is for you mom. I love you.

Just two days of site seeing. More to come. Oh and mom there are more on the comp, but because wordpress takes forever to upload I am only showing a few.

In The Future Perfect

“When one is in Germany and one happens not to be be German one is confronted with the problem of determining the relevancy nad to a certain extent the lifelikeness of everything one encounters.  The question one keeps asking oneself is: How German is it? And, is this the true color of Germany?

-Walter Abish, In the Future Perfect 1977

“Does one expect an experience of a foreign country as a whole to be more like art than life, and hence not lifelike, unreal? Or is it that we don’t see it so much as art though more sinister political and stereotypical preconceptions?”

-Christopher Butler

Highest Ollie

Today I am walking around Berlin snapping photos, when i realized something profound. Having a digital camera does not make you a photographer. In My case it makes me a tourist. But don’t worry mom I will upload the fotos soon.

What makes a Photographer, Shooting Pics like this:

This is a flick of Luis Toletino Breaking the world record for Highest ollie.

Photo by Dave Rosenzweig (Hollah at yah Boi)

http://david-rosenzweig.com/

Neighborhood Graffiti

Around the Block

Went wandering around the neighborhood. Big Accomplishment of the Day…Found the Grocery Store. I am not being sarcastic at all. But it was closed…(sunday). Better luck tomorrow.

I have more graff flicks but WordPress is being a jerk. Later…later.

Day 1 Berlin

Being here has been strange already.  I think that being in a foreign country without much of a grasp of the language, which is an overstatement for me, is like being in a loud and silent environment at the same time.  I hear all of these voices and see all of this activity but have no idea what it means. I see buildings, but they lack meaning cause I have no idea what they siginify.  I see the city breathing, but I cannot hear the pulse.  As someone who is a talker, and is very much comforted by language and understanding, I feel very vulnerable right now. I practiced a very simple phrase on the plane for a while, and I told myself I was going to use it, but when it came time to perform I totally copped out. I know I know I know. I feel quiet and it is a really strange and foreign feeling.  I know this will change in some time, but for now it is crazy–particularly cause it is just me…no other program mates to comisserate with.

Off for a walk…

Oh and Here is my place

Knob Creek and I am a Dork

When did it get to be 1am? How knob creek and giner ale distort things. 

I leave in two days. 

I started packing today and what I learned is that I am a dork. Why?

Cause I am packing more books than clothes.

What am I bringing?

A theory of everything

sex work and sex work

essays in existentialism

discipline and punish

some deleuze

an intro to postmoderism

Beautiful losers

Some Gramsci

an issue of Inked, 

and some more stuff