Rain Strike

From my title, you could think that I am planning a strike against the rain. Oh how I wish such a strike could ever be possible! I'd strike, organize sit-ins, teach-ins, and any other type of protest technique to get this rain to go away. Maybe a rain dance can work in reverse? Because yes, it continues to rain a it every day...and the rain, rain, rain won't go away! I woke up this morning to rain, yesterday was glorious but for a few scattered showers, and I believe we have weeks more ahead on the forecast. Why does summer have to be a rainy season for the majority of the world? I just want dry heat and sun beaming down on me. I'll take the extreme heat, just keep the rain at bay. Today I was hoping to go to the park and catch some rays, but at this point it seems as though that won't be on the day's menu. The rain, rain, rain, comes down, down, down, and I keep hoping it'll go away. Maybe I'll have some luck this weekend. I'm not going to hold my breath- but I'll keep the hope burning in my summer storm lantern. I also have a new theme song, The Blow's Come on Petunia, give it a try, it incorporates an awesome sample of The Police's Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.

If I am not striking in protest of the rain, no need to fear, for I'll get my fill of strike next week. Next week kicks off a week long education strike in Germany- Bildungsstreik 2009! There are teach-ins planned (although not called teach-ins, I know that is what they are), seminars on how to have a proper demonstration, and a big demo planned for next Wednesday at Berlin's Rotes Rathaus, Berlin's town hall. Now you may ask, why are we striking? The rising cost of education (absurdly low in contrast to the US), elitism in education, etc., etc... Although I do agree that these issues are problems, growing ones, and that they should be addressed- it seems like we are striking just for the hell of it. I for one, think I should bring this strike/protest ethic back with me from Berkeley. It seems California's financial woes may affect me directly when I return to the gold and blue. The Terminator is threatening to phase out CalGrants- now while I don't receive a CalGrant, the university has informed me that should CalGrants be phased out, all students receiving financial aid will be negatively affected. I'll share the burden with everyone else- to the tune of an estimated $1000 per student. Let the fun begin.

Summer

When the sun shines, filtering through the myriad green leafs of Berlin's street lining trees, Berlin in summer is glorious. Amazing, breathtaking, and worth the long winter. But, as I've been told, most of the world also involves rain in the summer. This is indeed true about Berlin. For the last three weeks, we've been blessed with glorious sunshine and far more often- intense thunderstorms and driving rain. They tend to be of the afternoon/evening variety. I was looking at some climate data for Berlin and also learned that June is Berlin's rainiest month of the year. Bummer man. It really shouldn't rain in the summer. Here's a bit from a poem I recently wrote, summing up my thoughts on summer and rain:

If I had to chose between
White noise and a muffled maybe outside rain,
Tonight it'd be the grey buzzing fizzing fuzzing cacophany
And not that entirely normal, but to me more than slightly alarming thing they call
Summer Rain.
A joke, right?
It isn't supposed to rain in the summer.

I'm not going to believe it can rain then-
Summer is scorched earth,
Drough water regulations,
Evens Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday,
Odds Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
It's wishing for hot wind to make it drop to 105,
Planning errands before 9am,
And watching sprinkler drops scatter across concrete
Like sizzling pancake heralding waterlets on Sunday mornings.

Spring

And the rain rain rain came down down down...

To me, spring is usually just a more mild form of summer, no rain and slightly lower temperatures. But, this is not what spring is to the rest of the world- rather is a changeable thing, sunny one moment and rainy the next. As glorious as Berlin has been for the last two weeks- sunny and warm- we are now in a grey rainy period. I understand the logic and necessity of a spring jacket for the first time in my life! As much as I understand the rain is needed- I do wish it wouldn't.

It hadn't rained for a few weeks, and this weekend when I was riding the S-Bahn out into Pankow for a friend's BBQ, the drying landscape gave me the strongest feeling of homesickness. For the dry summer landscape and "golden" hills as you drive out in the country. For the dry heat warming your skin and baking sidewalks you jump across barefoot to get the mail. If the rain hadn't come, I could see Berlin's landscape turning into the scratchy hard pan, jittering and dusty in a hot dry summer gust. But the rain has come, and I think Berlin is going to stay green, I guess that is what most people tend to go for. And as lush and green as it is, I still can't help but find spring and summer rain a bit disconcerting.

So I carry my umbrella and sunglasses around with me at all times, and hope the sun'll come out to play. I promise to be nice.

And the rain rain rain came down down down

Whenever it rains, I think of that song. Maybe you know the one I mean, the one from the beginning of the old Winnie the Pooh movie, I believe Winnie the Pooh and the very Blustery Day. When it is pouring buckets in the Hundred Acre Wood and everyone's houses fill up with water and Piglet spins around and around. I can only find the video in Swedish, but you get the idea nonetheless. Well, today has switched to rain. It had warmed up and the rain rain rain has begun to come down down down. This is good news for me. It makes it a bit easier to bounce around town when the bouncing is not taking place on a sheet of ice. It was getting to the point that if I had a shovel, I would have gone put there and scrapped that ice off the sidewalk. It was ridiculous, and quite dangerous.


This "advertisement" has been in my local U-Bahn station for some time now. It is quite clearly meant to be a joke (showing the old Soviet Trabant as the car of the future), but the hints stop there. There is no small indicator at the bottom to reveal the creator of this joke, nor has there been a follow-up ad in my station stop. Just this one, for months and months now. I am quite confused. Around the time that this ad originally appeared, there was an equally puzzling, but far more disturbing ad for lobotomies. It has disappeared and I unfortunately did not manage to snag a photo. I did, however, right down the tag line: Jetzt alles in Ordnung bringen mit einer Lobotomie! In English essentially: Now bring everything in order with a lobotomy! If I ever discover the mystery of that one, it'll be a happy day indeed.

My Bed is Very, Very, Comfy

I am sick. I haven't left my bed for much for the last three days. That said, beyond being sick, it is nice to take a break. My mystery German meds work rather well, and I am living pain free, just also energy and motivation free as well. My classes start Monday- so I feel little motivation to do anything until then, I'd like to be better when classes begin.

Outside is cool and rainy, so I don't feel like I am missing much, but it would be nice to venture a bit further than the mailbox everyday. Okay, that sounds like I am feeling very sorry for myself- but it is totally not the case. I am working on my scarf with the Alpaca wool Lindsey brought me back from Peru, and listening to lots of N.W.A. Is there a better album that Straight Outta Compton when you are sick? Well, when you are me and love Gangsta Rap, no.



It is funny, I've been more and more drawn to the early 90's California hip-hop scene than ever before. I told my mom I'd love Dr. Dre's classic The Chronic for Christmas, but I think she was unwilling to purchase such an album for me.


Bummer! I'll just have to get it for myself. How can I resist? Dr. Dre and early Snoop- working together and laying down the tightest beats in G-Funk. I mean, it is the creation of G-Funk. Maybe she'd be down with People Under the Stairs. I don't have "O.S.T.", and I'd like that album.

Hmmm...they are less violent and more underground. Which means harder to find, scratch that. I guess I'll just be surprised.