Sorry guys,
nothing happens around here. Well, I mean, I will try to think of something, but so far nothing has come to my mind.
I almost bought an ancient clarinet yesterday (for 100 Euros), but fortunately I was reminded that (a) I had no idea how to assess the quality of that instrument (I couldn't even figure out how to play the high octave) and (b) that I had already been called by my bank, telling me unpleasant things about the state of my account. I guess, I had underestimated how expensive it was to leave the USA -- paying for additional luggage, the flight, etc.
Anyways. I'm meeting a bunch of old friends, which is kind of nice. And I'm gonna leave for Paris in a month, which by now seems really crazy to me. Man, Paris. I haven't had a second to further search for an internship there. What will I be doing then all that time? I guess, I should write a philosophy paper on Kant. But that will inhibit any improvement in the French language. Writing in French on Kant, though, would be really ridiculous. But I already wrote on Descartes, I think, and I feel that most other French philosophers are not very highly valued in Göttingen... Also I can only think of one professor who might accept a paper in (bad) French. Whatever. We'll see.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
automatic cars
did i tell you that when i first arrived here i seemed to have forgotten how to drive a non-automatic car? when i started a car here for the first time i forgot to step on the -- what is the word for that? -- coupling/ clutch/ connector (?) and only stepped on the break as you do in in the USA. the result was that the engine started and just switched off again. -- and i was really surprised. i then looked majorly puzzled at my sister -- who burst into laughter. only then i understood what i did wrong. actually, i killed the motor several more time during the following drive, as i only stepped on the break when my sister wasn't reminding me in time...
i needed three days to re-learn it, i.e. to get on the same level of automaticity concerning the steps on the right treadles.
i needed three days to re-learn it, i.e. to get on the same level of automaticity concerning the steps on the right treadles.
common sense
i adjusted my schedule to common sense -- in the sense that i tend to sleep a little longer (6:30) and drive a little further by car, before getting on the train. also, i won't go an hour earlier on thur, but be 10 min. late for the orga meeting.
sleep!
sleep!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Most funny article I saw today:
Motivated closing of the mind: left-pointing-double-angle seizingright-pointing-double-angle and left-pointing-double-angle freezingright-pointing-double-angle.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The sax.
I already told you that I ordered a Chinese saxophone, right? It had already arrived, when I came back here two weeks ago. But only today I took (I could take!) the time to understand how to play some little things. In a way it's similar to the flute (the keys), so I don't have a hard time to read the scores (although there are so many more keys!). But I hadn't expected that it's possible to play out of tune with it. It's actually pretty hard to play in tune. And I don't know yet how to better control that...
Actually, I found the violin easier, and way less frustrating, when I picked it up on 4/20. (Well, on such a magic day...) ;-)
I still need teachers. I might have a sax lesson next Sat, but I really want a violin teacher...
(I also need an internship in Paris and a university place in Berlin...)
Actually, I found the violin easier, and way less frustrating, when I picked it up on 4/20. (Well, on such a magic day...) ;-)
I still need teachers. I might have a sax lesson next Sat, but I really want a violin teacher...
(I also need an internship in Paris and a university place in Berlin...)
The weekends...
...haven't been too relaxing so far. Last weekend I went to Göttingen (5-6 train hours) and this weekend it was my sister's graduation from high school (GPA 3.9/4.0 -- Congrats!).
In Göttingen I met some old friends -- unfortunately in a rather non-calm environment (some kind of a festival) which didn't always allow too much communication. I didn't have the impression that too many things changed, but I guess this verdict is a little unfair, as I totally only looked from the outsider's perspective at everything. I became a little melancholic, because Göttingen seemed so well-known and friendly and also it has a very special smell in summer, which I really like. It's a really pretty little town and I felt reminded of some beautiful summer times...
On the other hand, I realized that I still don't really want to go back there. First, it's stupid to come back for old friends, as everyone is going to leave at some point (soon) and I always carefully avoid to be the last one to leave, which I find a depressing option. Second, I don't wanna go back to school there; there are a bunch of people I do not especially like and I hate the coterie I know of (although I guess that's the same everywhere).
Of course, there are very many reasons on both sides. I won't spell them all out here, but I'd better start a list for myself soon... Such an important decision...
The graduation this weekend was pretty much as I expected it to be. But I had looked forward to talking to some old teachers of mine, which I also did, but which turned out to be very disappointing. They all remembered me (or successfully pretended to), but many of them I had really liked and thought of as interesting and inspiring people -- seemed not to be like that anymore. It is not that they changed; I guess, it is rather the other way round. They didn't change. But my eyes have changed since and not only I didn't have anything to talk about with them (-- They had no more questions after hearing I was fine and where and what I studied.--), but also they seemed so provincial, so freshwater to me. That's mean. Maybe the occasion wasn't good. Maybe I should have asked them about their respective subjects or the like... But still. That experience was kind of said. I really liked my school time. And now it's a little bit disenchanted...
In Göttingen I met some old friends -- unfortunately in a rather non-calm environment (some kind of a festival) which didn't always allow too much communication. I didn't have the impression that too many things changed, but I guess this verdict is a little unfair, as I totally only looked from the outsider's perspective at everything. I became a little melancholic, because Göttingen seemed so well-known and friendly and also it has a very special smell in summer, which I really like. It's a really pretty little town and I felt reminded of some beautiful summer times...
On the other hand, I realized that I still don't really want to go back there. First, it's stupid to come back for old friends, as everyone is going to leave at some point (soon) and I always carefully avoid to be the last one to leave, which I find a depressing option. Second, I don't wanna go back to school there; there are a bunch of people I do not especially like and I hate the coterie I know of (although I guess that's the same everywhere).
Of course, there are very many reasons on both sides. I won't spell them all out here, but I'd better start a list for myself soon... Such an important decision...
The graduation this weekend was pretty much as I expected it to be. But I had looked forward to talking to some old teachers of mine, which I also did, but which turned out to be very disappointing. They all remembered me (or successfully pretended to), but many of them I had really liked and thought of as interesting and inspiring people -- seemed not to be like that anymore. It is not that they changed; I guess, it is rather the other way round. They didn't change. But my eyes have changed since and not only I didn't have anything to talk about with them (-- They had no more questions after hearing I was fine and where and what I studied.--), but also they seemed so provincial, so freshwater to me. That's mean. Maybe the occasion wasn't good. Maybe I should have asked them about their respective subjects or the like... But still. That experience was kind of said. I really liked my school time. And now it's a little bit disenchanted...
My internship.
... is kinda cool.
It is the Max-Planck-Institute for Research on Collective Goods I'm interning at. It's an interdisciplinary group of lawyers, economists and psychologists. Actually, it's three (sub-)groups and I'm, of course, with the psychologists. They are called Intuitive Experts.
The Max-Planck-Intitute has so much money! The Intuitive Experts have a mobile lab which is set up every once in a while, when it is needed. That is, different to most university labs, they do not do their experiments all the time, but rather once in a week or every other week for a whole day. The mobile lab has 12 booths -- and also 12 laptops. That's crazily much: in Göttingen the Cognitive and Decision Sciences Lab had about 5 experimental computers (I think) and the Concepts and Cognition Lab at Berkeley had 2. So just in case anyone wants to do research in Germany: go for a MPI instead of any university.
Also, the whole thing is located in a beautiful villa with a luxurious garden (I'll post photos soon). We have ducks, too. ;-)
What I'm actually doing, I'll better tell you some other time. But they do really care and do not only give us boring tasks, but try to let us do stuff, we'll actually profit from, too. I'm saying "we", because we are two interns. And apparently the first ones ever. There are also some stories about that...
So, I'm really happy and it's so much better than I expected. It's really exhausting, too, but rather for the commuting reason, you already know about. I'll tell you more soon!
It is the Max-Planck-Institute for Research on Collective Goods I'm interning at. It's an interdisciplinary group of lawyers, economists and psychologists. Actually, it's three (sub-)groups and I'm, of course, with the psychologists. They are called Intuitive Experts.
The Max-Planck-Intitute has so much money! The Intuitive Experts have a mobile lab which is set up every once in a while, when it is needed. That is, different to most university labs, they do not do their experiments all the time, but rather once in a week or every other week for a whole day. The mobile lab has 12 booths -- and also 12 laptops. That's crazily much: in Göttingen the Cognitive and Decision Sciences Lab had about 5 experimental computers (I think) and the Concepts and Cognition Lab at Berkeley had 2. So just in case anyone wants to do research in Germany: go for a MPI instead of any university.
Also, the whole thing is located in a beautiful villa with a luxurious garden (I'll post photos soon). We have ducks, too. ;-)
What I'm actually doing, I'll better tell you some other time. But they do really care and do not only give us boring tasks, but try to let us do stuff, we'll actually profit from, too. I'm saying "we", because we are two interns. And apparently the first ones ever. There are also some stories about that...
So, I'm really happy and it's so much better than I expected. It's really exhausting, too, but rather for the commuting reason, you already know about. I'll tell you more soon!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Being a commuter.
... is crazy!
My commuting schedule is as follows:
* get up at 6am (on Thur at 5am)
* drive the car to Bad Münstereifel (20min.; 15km), where the next train station is (and, actually, the first signs of civilization -- marked by schools, supermarkets and the like)
* get on the train at 7am (or 6am on Thur)
* reach Bonn at 10 past 8am (or 7:10 on Thur)
* buy a snack and get on the bus at 8:31 or 8:41 (one hour earlier on Thur)
* reach the Max-Planck-Institute (MPI) at quarter or 5 to 9am (one hour earlier on Thur)
-- intern, intern, intern --
* lunchbreak from 1-2pm
-- intern, intern, intern --
* leave at about 6:10pm
* get on the bus
* get on the train at 6:47pm
* reach BaM at 8pm
* drive home, arrive home at 8:20
* eat, sleep (no music!)
That's exhausting and there's no time at all to do other things. But I'll try harder. -- There's a bunch of stories to be told! Stay tuned!
My commuting schedule is as follows:
* get up at 6am (on Thur at 5am)
* drive the car to Bad Münstereifel (20min.; 15km), where the next train station is (and, actually, the first signs of civilization -- marked by schools, supermarkets and the like)
* get on the train at 7am (or 6am on Thur)
* reach Bonn at 10 past 8am (or 7:10 on Thur)
* buy a snack and get on the bus at 8:31 or 8:41 (one hour earlier on Thur)
* reach the Max-Planck-Institute (MPI) at quarter or 5 to 9am (one hour earlier on Thur)
-- intern, intern, intern --
* lunchbreak from 1-2pm
-- intern, intern, intern --
* leave at about 6:10pm
* get on the bus
* get on the train at 6:47pm
* reach BaM at 8pm
* drive home, arrive home at 8:20
* eat, sleep (no music!)
That's exhausting and there's no time at all to do other things. But I'll try harder. -- There's a bunch of stories to be told! Stay tuned!
--- Apologies...
Hey guys, I really wanna apologize for posting so scarcely. That's not only different to what I promised, that's also different to what I expected myself. But there are very compelling reasons for that -- about which I will write very soon...
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Retrospective: the first weekend.
Tim picked me up from the airport (05/30). That was very sweet (and necessary luggage-wise). Unfortunately, though unsurprisingly, I was terribly tired and not very entertaining.
My family then picked us up from the train station and we had (mediocre) Thai food. On Saturday, Tim, me and my sister drove to Bonn (by car) to find the place where I'd intern the next week. (The place is beautiful -- I'll post photos soon.) On Sunday, Tim and me went to visit his mum, who (kind of) accidentally was in the area.
-- I should post a map for you guys and have all the important places marked. Germany doesn't seem that big, but commuting is still annoying and really crazy. I'll tell you more very soon.
My family then picked us up from the train station and we had (mediocre) Thai food. On Saturday, Tim, me and my sister drove to Bonn (by car) to find the place where I'd intern the next week. (The place is beautiful -- I'll post photos soon.) On Sunday, Tim and me went to visit his mum, who (kind of) accidentally was in the area.
-- I should post a map for you guys and have all the important places marked. Germany doesn't seem that big, but commuting is still annoying and really crazy. I'll tell you more very soon.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Retrospective: the flight back.
Eva and Michelle brought us to the airport. That was great. Not only for the accompaniment, but also, because I would never have managed to move all my stuff. Jochen had two suitcases. I paid 120 $ for an extra one. Although I left so many things for the free pile at Loth. How did that happen?! Is it a natural law that women have more luggage than man? Because they have more clothes? Because of all the make-up, they carry? Maybe, because they have more shoes, at least.
I think, for plane 'rides', people should be allowed a certain amount of total weight (say, 180 kilos), which would include their body weight. I mean, airlines were already thinking of taking extra-fees from very heavy people! That seems so mean.
My suggesion would solve three problems: (1) the extra-heavy people problem (from airline perspective), (2) the problem that these might feel discriminated (-- because in the 'total weight set-up', they could avoid the extra-fee by simply taking lighter luggage with them) and (3) the above problem with women needing more luggage -- they could just counter-balance it with their (on average) lighter body weight. That would be so much better! (And also probably good for the shoe-industry.) ;-)
Well, as to the melancholic part of the departure: we didn't really have the time for crying. Which is no good. (I know, I said something else before, but now I think that having enough time for crying (and actually doing so) is very helpful and relieving.) At least for me it felt as if I was just thrown into another world, having no time to emotionally say good-bye to the old one. I guess I will have to catch up on that some time.
In the plane, Jo and I watched on average 3,5 movies (each of us different ones). My favorite one was "Dan in Real Life". An easy and really funny, maybe a little bit moving family comedy.
It was grey in London, I think. It was definitely grey in Germany, when we arrived. And rainy. But hotter than in Berkeley. Sticky. We luckily didn't fly through any thunderstorms, though. I guess, we were welcomed by the (cliché) typical German weather (the greyness part).
I think, for plane 'rides', people should be allowed a certain amount of total weight (say, 180 kilos), which would include their body weight. I mean, airlines were already thinking of taking extra-fees from very heavy people! That seems so mean.
My suggesion would solve three problems: (1) the extra-heavy people problem (from airline perspective), (2) the problem that these might feel discriminated (-- because in the 'total weight set-up', they could avoid the extra-fee by simply taking lighter luggage with them) and (3) the above problem with women needing more luggage -- they could just counter-balance it with their (on average) lighter body weight. That would be so much better! (And also probably good for the shoe-industry.) ;-)
Well, as to the melancholic part of the departure: we didn't really have the time for crying. Which is no good. (I know, I said something else before, but now I think that having enough time for crying (and actually doing so) is very helpful and relieving.) At least for me it felt as if I was just thrown into another world, having no time to emotionally say good-bye to the old one. I guess I will have to catch up on that some time.
In the plane, Jo and I watched on average 3,5 movies (each of us different ones). My favorite one was "Dan in Real Life". An easy and really funny, maybe a little bit moving family comedy.
It was grey in London, I think. It was definitely grey in Germany, when we arrived. And rainy. But hotter than in Berkeley. Sticky. We luckily didn't fly through any thunderstorms, though. I guess, we were welcomed by the (cliché) typical German weather (the greyness part).
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