so that was 2006 huh ???

kind a lame huh, the year went by just like that. The older I get the quicker time runs. And thanks for the worrying mails from Germany, I did have a nice chrismukka. Looking back on this year makes me happy/sad. But hey, looking back at the end of something always does that, right. John and I talked about New Years resolutions and he told me. that he doesn't like them because one forgets them on new years day alright. But he started to find topics for the years. For example 2006 was his year of reason and it apparently really was. So looking back now, I tried to find a topic under which my personal 2006 could be seen. And it works. 2006 was the year of emancipation. Emancipation from habits, neurosis, pattern, blockades. New York actually added the icing to the cake of emancipation. And artistic emancipation. And I’m not trying to suggest: I am all done, I can settle, I totally know what I’m doing. But I think I found the little tiny bit of creative potential that I didn’t trust in for a long time. But hey…No. I do have it and it’s sure useful. I can actually trust my aesthetic instinct. For some reason I find myself on an up-town train. So there could be a new topic for next year. Maybe the year of focus….
Hell I’m happy

the orthodox jew and santa claus's girlfriend

Yesterday I worked at the registration desk for the DSY Graduation. It took place at the Credit Suisse at Madison Avenue & 23rd, and yes the place looks like it sounds. Around one I headed out for lunch and, coming back, bumped into an orthodox Jew, who was coming out of the Credit Suisse. He stopped, stared at me an asked, if I were Jewish. Without waiting for a reply he asked if I was an orthodox Jew. Again not waiting for a reply he wanted to know if I had a job or if I would like to become his private secretary...huh??? what an impatient guy. I mean excuse me????

Later on we went to a rock show and here I have to say, sorry Maike and Judith for all that time me being a boring jackass and >>Spielverderber<<, I did like it and I’ll make up for all the times I canceled on you or dropped out of things. After that I went to Queens/Astoria for the first time ever. Apparently Santa lives there. It's a really cute little neighborhood and while we sat in a Starbucks I watched a girl standing at the corner, smoking and waiting for someone. She seemed very impatient, as she kept looking at the time, or someone was really not on time. Well anyways, all of a sudden Santa Claus appears. With his huge belly he slowly staggered across the street, in each hand a bag of shopping. I though: if he kelps walking like that, he'll totally bump into that poor girl. But he didn't, that was because he stopped. He stopped to hand over the grocery bags, take her cigarette, take a smoke, put it out and kiss her. So not only that Santa has a girlfriend, he does the shopping and both smoke. That seemed like a pretty cool discovery to me...

killing someone seems like a joke, compared to nearly get killed yourself

You know Tom Waits, as a musician, he's briliant. I just discovered, that a couple of weeks ago. Matt gave me three Tom Waits albums. Blood Money sound-illustrates Buechners Woyzeck. So i was on the X12 (bus), riding home. I was listening to 'God is away for buisness', which at that very moment alienated me from reality. I got off at Fordham Plaza and found myself within a group of very agressiv, young men, all facing me. They were all wearing skimasks or trying to hide their faces otherwise. I didn´t really feel all nice and comfortable, standing in this gang-like group. So i kept walking, but had to stop at the next raffic light. I sensed a hectic movement as soon as i stopped, turned around and saw these guys running down the road for about 32ft and then very abruptly turning and running towards the bus - which doors just closed. Now the group split, which caused a traffic turmoil. I was shocked, to see them take out weapons, first looking like guns, but quickly i realised they were 'just' big knifes. Obviously they wanted to stab someone, who was on that bus. They surrounded the bus and tried to break open the doors. This caused stress inside the bus. I crossed, as soon as i could, the street and quickly left the scenery. I wasn't scared or anything, within this very moment, but after a while thinking about what happened...i'm not sure if i wanted that much of a New York experience. That is worse, then having a cockroach in the kitchen.

i nearly killed a guy today

yes, I actually did and it's rather on the edge of understatement. I was working on the lightning design of a new show, opening on Saturday, and a 'fragile' person like me can be carried away by the weight of a 8 to 10 ft ladder. I tried to up fold it, to take it into a different room and bam it slipped out of my hand and guess who was standing below it? That guy Rick… I tried to fetch it but again didn’t calculate my strength right and for if he himself wouldn’t have caught it just in time, the ladder would have crushed his skull. And I would be guilty of man-slaughter. Dude i'm happy that didn't happen... i'm never gonna touch a ladder again.

If some people could press the knob, Germany surley wouldn't exsist

Today, i had lunch with Mr. Friggle. "Thank you very much". We talked about creative potential, which is or isn't activated by this very city. David told me, that he knew a couple of people who took a while, being paralized and/or intimidated by this vibrant city, to find back to their creative potential. I have to admit i didn't have that problem...not because of being very cool and special and artsy. But rather because i learned, thanx to my uni, to be observative of "reality". The art-medium will be suggested by my observations and each medium, through its unique characteristics, eventually transforms the observation into something unexpected. So everything happens partly by chance, which makes me less responsible, which lowers the border of respect for ny's energy and creativity, which makes it easy to produce. After that i started wondering about in Greenwich Village. At some point a little, old man stopped me and asked for the direction. I couldn't really tell but had a map... so we took a look at it and figured that we had to go the same way. He asked me if i was from England, i don't have to explain why, do i. I told him were i'm from and he replyed in German -which really suprised me. But it isn't suprising after all, because his Grandmother is from Vienna. Well randomly he said: "I cannot understand how jewish people can live in Germany." And no he was no jew. I was to astonish to reply. He kept raging: "The jews take advantage of the fact, that the germans have to be nice to them to make it up." Excuse me, i doubt that even a whole country being awfully-painintheass-nice for years couldn't make that up, right. Well, he finally told me, if he had the power over the red knob, he'd have blown Germany to bits and pieces, allright. Mhhh, nice guy. So here is the thing: Please, stop worrying about Germanys past -we can handle- and start worrying about Americas future, this seems like the more frightning danger. And i wont say, don't vote for Bush, or the Conservatives... I'm not in the position to do so. But start thinking about the puppet mashinery of your whole election system, please. That might save the world, cough, cough...