Come as you are...

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen!

Sorry for the summerbreak, but intense traveling and general laziness have kept me from updating my blog and feeding you with unnecessary information.

My summer has been pretty exciting, but also sad and sobering. I think I'll start with all the good news as fortunately, there are more good news than bad ones.

Nick

I spent three weeks in paradise, namely Honolulu on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. In June 2009, I met Nick Danger when he was on tour with the Californian band Left Alone. We've stayed in touch ever since and he invited me to visit him in his hometown in Garden Eden. It was amazing!! I was so warmely welcomed by Nick and his friends that I immediately felt at home. Nick's friend Cody, a very funny, very gifted tattoo artist, invited me to stay in the Dollhouse, a house he and his friends have rented together. It's huge and beautiful and all the people that live there are really interesting and the most fun...especially the ladies :-)

Ala Moana Beach

James gave me one of his bikes and I explored the city. Honolulu isn't really that big, so after some days I didn't have any troubles getting around. Everyday I spent time with someone, hanging out at the beach (the beaches are the most beautiful I've ever seen, sorry Australia and Brazil, you lose this battle!), getting coffee at Manifest *clickme* (a bar where several people from the Dollhouse work), going to shows (everyone seems to play in a band there!!), sitting on the roof of the house and enjoying myself as much as possible.

the view from the dollhouses' roof

The weather in Hawaii is soo nice and warm every day that you somehow lose track of what day of the week it is because they're all the same. And I loved the rain, several times a day you get 10 minutes of spray rain that are more refreshing than anything. Cody told me "if you don't like the weather in Hawaii, wait 20 minutes!" and that's soo true.

One day I went tandem surfing with Oliver. It was soo much fun! Most interestingly, I didn't act like a complete moron, but managed to get up and really surf a little. I've have surfed in Australia in 2005, but that's such a long time ago, it feels like it isn't even true anymore. I love it and I should have done it more often!:( Thanks again to Oliver who paddled for two people !! ;-)

The punk rock scene in Honolulu is small but thriving. I  didn't expect to go to so many shows and they even had a two day festival called No Suck Fest *clickme* going on. It's all DIY and really small, but what struck me was that people work and create together. It's all about the music, nothing else. (At least, that's the impression I got, from an insider point of view it might be different!?!) And this is how it should be! Now it seems like the Viennese scene is totally dead compared what these guys and gals got going...check out these awesome Hawaiian bands:

Campfire
Raised by Wolves
Siblings
Die Slow
Black Square
The 86 List
Narwhal

Nick, Cody and Joe aka Campfire

Emily, Joe and me on my last evening in town at Downbeat - the coolest diner in town

After 3 weeks, I had to leave. I was really sad as I'd have loved to stay (way) longer. But I'll go back for sure!! And I hope to stay in touch with all the good people I've met...thanks again for having me, for hanging out with me and for being so welcoming and amiable!! I had such a rad time! Mahalo!

Walk Unafraid

After Hawaii, I had a 3 day stop-over in Seattle. I was really excited to visit the city of Grunge, the place were one of my favorite bands of all times, Nirvana, came from.
I slept in a really nice hostel in Belltown, a cute part of the city with nice restaurants and bar, right next to a tattoo parlor called Under the Needle *clickme*, so as a logical consequence, I got new tattoos on the back of my thighs by Joel Kennedy. He did a great job, don't you think?? I'm so happy!! They are awesome!!

I got my first tattoo during a difficult time. Every tattoo I have marks a specific point in my life, reminds me of certain people and I love all of them...other people buy expensive clothes and jewellery to decorate their body...I get some ink. And the pain of the needle sometimes heals the pain inside or at least helps coping with it.

Kurt's sweater & guitar from the Smells like Teen Spirit video

The weather in Seattle was, as I had expected, rainy and grey. The city is very laid-back and calm. I would have liked to stay a little longer, three days was definitely not enough. I didn't not do so much sightseeing, I don't really enjoy the typical touristy stuff. It's about the feeling and atmosphere of a certain place.

However, I went on top of Seattle's Space Needle, which was cool. Im so proud of myself because I'm really scared of heights! And I checked out the Nirvana exhibition - probably one of the best exhibitions I've ever been to! It features many amazing objects like the first guitar Kurt Cobain smashed or the sweater he wore in the Smells like Teen Spirit video. I had goose bumps all the way through. I felt like I was a teenager again, annoying my mum with Nirvana always on top volume.
The exhibit also had interactive parts with tons of videos and interviews with other musicians, producers and friends of the band. The focus was on the background and development of Seattle as the city of Grunge and Nirvana as the one band that made rock music mainstream. They also had ipods on the wall with bands from the area and I wrote down this long list of bands I need to listen to. Im still not through it...

Back at home, I felt really sad, like usually when I come back from traveling. Because everywhere else is better than at home (which, of course, is not true, but you know what I mean).

But I didn't have much time to dwell in it, as my mum got married on 6 August. Im so happy for her! She has not had an easy life in terms of relationships, but finally she has found someone who really cares for her. We kids approve of Hubert, so they were "allowed" to get married. :-)
My sisters and me dressed up, all in petticoats, 50s style. My mum looked breathtaking in her wedding dress. Im so glad I got her good genes :-)

all dolled up

My mum, her husband Hubert with their witnesses

my older sister Eva-Maria and my younger sister Anna-Lisa

My homie Anda and me...he likes hats

The wedding was a lot of fun, just family and close friends, no big fuzz. I thought I should make my mum and her husband a special present and so I decided to play two songs for her. Inspired by my trip to Hawaii, I asked my friende Anda to play Ukulele. We played one of my own songs called "So tell me" and covered Elvis' "Love me tender". Husband and wife were happy and we had a lot of fun.





 After the wedding I stayed at home for more than a week, wasting my time with my little sister, watching TV, reading and waiting for the weather to get better, which didn't happen. It was raining all the time and it fit my overall pretty depressed mood.

 While being in Hawaii, I was told that a friend of mine was very brutally murdered in Berlin. The police have caught a suspect, who testified, but has not mentioned a motive for the deed or anything. The whole story is really crazy and weird and does not make any sense at all. No one can really believe it. I can not understand what my friend got himself into or why/how any situation could end like this. It sounds like a horror story from Hollywood. But it isn't. It's the pure, naked and terrifying reality.

Since then I feel totally numb. I don't know another word for it. I miss him. I think of all the things and moments we shared. Everyday I hope to wake up and find out that it was a bad dream and that I can call him anytime. I am not sure if I have fully realized that I will never ever see him again. There are so many things I'd still like to tell him.

But this is how we humans are. We don't say things until it's too late.

We had a difficult relationship and his death made me reflect about the past a lot. I feel incredibly bad about many things I've done wrong in my life. I was tangeled up in my own emotional chaos and hurt people. Although I was punished by life in many ways and eventually apologized for my mistakes, I still feel guilty and get pissed-off with myself when I think about how stupid I was. And if I had done better, things mights have turned out differently...

Nevertheless, I am glad that I did learn from my mistakes and that I will not do them again (at least I'll try as hard as I can).
It also made me realize that we should tell people about our feelings more often, be upfront and honest anytime. Don't hesitate to tell someone about your feelings and tell your friends that you love them. Settle any quarrels, it's just not worth it. You can lose anyone anytime. We all have an expiry date, so we should rather make the best out of it. 

I am so happy that I have my best friend Corina who will always be there for me. I fuckin love her. She and her boyfriend Gerald have cheered me up so much in the last weeks. We went to a huge rock festival together and today we go to Munich for the weekend. It's always the best time ever....

Corina and me on the mini ferris wheel at the Frequency festival

So get out there, meet your friends, enjoy your life as much as you can...there is no other thing to do...


Take care of yourselves....
S.

PS: Due to my stay in Seattle, I got into Nirvana again (which is bullshit because I'm always into Nirvana). So this time I chose one of my favorite songs. It's slow but powerful. Come as you are to me is about friendship and the idea that someone is always there for you, no matter if you're "dowsed in mud or soaked in bleach". And that what remains are the memories that no one can ever take away from you...

Fault Line

Dear guys and gals!!

It seems as if I only find the time to update my blog when I'm sick or incredibly anti-social. This time I'm sort of sick again. I think we are playing Sonja vs. her intestines, part II. But later on, I'm going to see my doctor and I hope I don't have to swallow this horrible video tube again...ahh!!

However, I got some new traveling stories to tell. My best friend and me went to Berlin again like in November last year. We thought we haven't spent enough time there, so why not go there again!? The city has become my "European San Francisco" as I think these two cities have a lot in common. What I love most about San Fran is that surprises are waiting behind every corner and in my opinion, Berlin is equally surprising. I like cities that are a little dirty and edgy - Berlin is very much so, compared to Vienna that struck Corina and me as being unbelievably sterile...you can almost eat from the floor and there is not a lot of graffiti and street art. It's a great place to live, everything works, there's public transport, etc., but it also seems as if it lacks a little character...

sundown in Kreuzberg

This weekend we did a sightseeing tour by boat on the Spree river...and checked out the huge Pergamon museum in which you can see impressive antique stuff like the huge Gate of Ishtar or original parts of Greek temples. Nevertheless, we got a little bored by all the little old pieces of vases and ashtray-like bowls...

cocktail time

Most of the time we spend sitting in the sun and enjoying the atmosphere of the city. I've never been much of a sightseer. I like to explore places, walk around, drink a coffee somewhere, join conversations with strangers and enjoy my free time in a nice place....but I do not like to hang around with other tourist groups or go shopping in all the usual boring stores...
And we had quite a laugh...there's no person liker her!!!

Laughing frenzy...

But the bad thing about visiting Berlin or San Francisco is that I get all confused when I come back home. I am not sure if I am happy where I am because I'd like to live somewhere else. I've been in Vienna for years now and it's a great city, but I feel like I need a big change soon. It would be perfect to go and study abroad but if I don't get a scholarship, I can't really go to the US. And getting a job there is impossible...which is depressing.

Moving to Berlin would be way easier...but then I'm also not sure if my job is really what I want to do. I mean I love teaching, but nevertheless I feel like I need some more years of something else since I feel like a chicken and not grown-up or responsible enough for this. I'd like to have some years of careless freedom with a job that pays my bills in a place that makes me happy where I can be and do who/what I want. It's not that I am not doing this now...but still, I feel a little trapped and right now, I am confused again about where to go. I will definitely spend another year in Vienna as I already have a contract with my school. So, I will give myself sometime to figure out what the next step will be...or maybe I should flip a coin!?!?

There are always these points in one's life where one has to decide what the next step will be. I know few people who can tell me at any time if they are on the right path...but I think it's enough to know you're heading in the right direction because finally, the path is what it is all about.

I also finished building my bike after months of ordering parts online, getting the wrong ones, reselling them and ordering new ones. It's done, it works, it's a great ride and it is incredibly pretty. I am so proud. It was totally worth waiting!!!
I also gave it a name as it will be my new companion that brings me closer to my destination - it's called "La petite blu" - the frame is French, so I wanted to give it a French touch. And it reminded me of the movie "Betty Blue" (which I can recommend!!). And it looks much more like a girl than a boy...although it's blue...see, I'm not thinking in traditional gender roles! :-) Some riding shots will follow soon...

La petite blu

And I have a little surprise for you. I finally have the guts to post one of my really shitty demos...and let you hear one of my incredibly lonesome songs called So? (*clickme*)...the quality is not amazing, recorded it with my Macbook and no additional tools, no mastering, nothing...a simple plain demo. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know if you hate it or if it's so miserable that you feel morally compelled to applaud :-)

Hope you're enjoying the blossoming spring...I surely will as soon as these rainclouds have left Vienna.
Take care, leave some comments.
S

PS: I couldn't decide which song to post today. So I chose one of my "classics" (there are thousands of classics in my collection!!)...Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with Fault Line.
The lyrics perfectly fit my contemplative mood....ENJOY!!

Hearts of Iron...

 Note: I've written this posting about a week ago, so I'm happy to inform you that I've survived the bronchitis and I am back at work...

Howdy folks!

How are you?? Well, I hope you're doing better than me. I am sick. Stuck in bed since last Friday when I thought I had a bad cold. Over the weekend it deteriorated into a pretty bad bronchitis. Today I saw the doctor and she prescribed me antibiotics and some more time in bed. :(

I hate to be stuck in bed and not being able to do much. I'm a very active person usually, so being sick feels like prison. I sleep most of the time if I can, but reading and watching too many movies give me a headache, I lack motivation to play guitar because I can't sing properly and generally I get depressed when I can't move and do stuff...Lonesome...that's what I am too since most people are working and I get few visitors except for my friend Andy, who provides me my daily dose of movies and Lachgummi (wouldn't get better without them!!). But I better stop wailing, there are people in this world that are in situations much much worse than mine...

I actually wanted to tell you about my visit to Milan a couple of weeks ago. Time flies by so fast, sometimes it shocks me a little.
Well, I went to Milan to visit my ex-flatmates from Rome, Gerry and Simona. This lovely couple has made my stay in Rome very much fun as we spend the evenings eating, chatting and drinking cheap red wine as all of us were sort of broke at the time. They're now getting a master's degree in Milan and so I decided to visit them in the financial capital of Italy.

In my opinion, Milan is not as pretty as Rome. It's a nice city, for sure, there's more going on in terms of music and contemporary culture than in Rome. But it lacks the warm historic incredibly impressive charm of the capital and well, I have always considered myself more a Roman girl since I spend half a year there...

On the first evening Milan, Gerry and Simo had prepared a great Italian dinner for me, with some fish (yes, I made a fish eating exception because their food taste just soo good!!!) and a Parmigiana (melanzani gratin) and salad. The thing I love about Italian food is that most things are very simple - you don't need to buy strange ingredients you don't get at your local store. But it's the quality of the ingredients and the way they are prepared that makes the food soo damn delicious!!
The breakfast was also remarkable - Simo had made a chocolate cake that you eat with mascarpone and some perfect Italian coffee!! I get hungry when I think of it. It was the perfect preparation for my goal on that day.

The timing for my visit in Milan was perfect as I was able to get an appointment for a new tattoo with Sarah Schor (click me) at the tattoo convention! The convention was huge and I was lucky to be there half an hour before they opened the doors as the queue outside was really long. I stood in line with some guys and chatted with them in Italian. I was so proud when a guy asked me if I was from Rome!! He said I sounded so Roman...he was amazed when I told him I was Austrian and only lived there for a while. When I finally found Sarah Schor in the huge hall, she showed me the stencil she had prepared and I liked it, so we immediately went to work.

It was my first convention tattoo and I have to admit, I don't like being tattooed at a convention. I felt like I was sitting in the window in a shop and all the time people were staring at me and Sarah, taking pictures, filming...I prefer the quiet and privacy of a tattoo studio. However, after 3 hours of being looked at, the tattoo was done and it came out really good. I am so happy and thankful for Sarah's great work. Here a pic of it. It's the muse of music - as music has always been a driving force in my life.

I checked out some other tattoo artist like dear Miss Arianna (click me) (she's THE queen of traditional tattooing for me and an amazing person) and Davide Andreoli (click me), another great artist from Italy. I'm sure to be back in Italy for some ink!

After that, I went back to Gerry and Simo who took me to a birreria (beer bar) where we meet some of their colleagues from university. We had a couple of beers and chatted about life, love and relationships, the usual important topics....but I was soo tired from the tattooing, so we went to bed.

Next day, we went for a walk in Milan, I took some pictures with my Lomo (I haven't developped them yet) and I had the first ice cream of the year with Simo. It was soo delicious! Italians know how to do it!! In the evening we had some more food and laughs and were generally silly...I enjoyed my time there so much. But it was too short, as it always is when you're having a good time. Sunday morning I had to leave really early and went back to Vienna...

I also have to tell you about a great concert. My friend and great musician Pascal Briggs (click me) came to Vienna again, this time with his band The Stokers. And they brought incredible support musicians - Sean Wheeler (Throw Rag) and Zander Schloss (Circle Jerks, The Weirdos, Die Hunns) who played some amazing tunes. In the end the whole bunch was on stage and performed some songs together...everyone was having a great time!!
Pascal asked me if we could take Zander for a walk in Vienna as he likes the architecture - so yeah, I played tour guide in the centre of Vienna for Pascal, Zander and my friends  - on a freezing cold Sunday night at 2 o'clock! But it was fun!

End of February, we also held our first AaAaArRrRtnight - a night dedicated to doing something together, I think I have mentioned it before. So 7 people met in my apartment on a Friday night and we worked on stencils. My friend Andy showed us how to do them and then we worked together. It was great fun and some made really nice stencils...and sprayed them all over my apartment. But I wanted to paint a wall there anyway, so it was ok....

 

 

 This year, my friends and me also dressed up as 80's rock band for the carneval party in our home town. We looked great! I could run around like this all the time :P

From carneval to a more serious topic - the situation in Japan is really scary. I'm speechless. It makes me feel helpless.
I get angry when I see the comments in newspapers about the financial situation, insurance questions and stock market issues - do they really matter in a situation like this? And then you want to watch a video about the tsunami and what you get is a one minute commercial before the acutal video starts - WHAT THE F**K?? I got angry. I got really angry. This can't be true. Business as usual?? Is that what we want?? And people still care about the latest celebrity gossip...WHY??
My mum told me that my little sister doesn't watch TV at all at the moment as she freaks out every time she sees pictures from Japan - she starts crying and asks my mum "Why does this happen?"....it seems as if we grown-ups have numbed ourselves...

Well, enough for today. It's time to go back to bed...and watch amazing "On the Waterfront" again. I adore old movies, especially with Marlon Brando - ahh, I start drooling when I see him acting :) He was the man!! Here's one of my favourite scenes from On the Waterfront:

So good night and take care, y'all!
S


PS: At the moment I listen to Handsome Furs a lot. My friend Corina introduced me to them. They are a married couple and tour the world together - one of these romantic stories us girls like to hear! And they actually make good music. Here's the song I like most at the moment, it's called Hearts of Iron

MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC

Hey there...

finally, I managed to create my California playlist, for which many people have asked, on Grooveshark. Here is the LINK (click me!!!) and enjoy some good stuff!!!!

Have a great weekend, I'm off to my first jam session with new people, so excited!!!
S

Here Should Be My Home...

Hey there...

How's life? Having fun? I am really fine at the moment, working and enjoying myself and hanging out with my friends and family. But this damn city of San Francisco that has turned my head and made me all crazy, in a good way, so that I am even more motivated than usually...and I owe you the story...

From Las Vegas I took a plane to San Francisco on the new year's first day. I was so excited about it because when I was there in 2009, I loved it! And I wanted to see if I still felt the same. I arrived at the airport, took the BART train to the Mission district, which is strongly influenced by Mexican/Middle American culture. I met my couchsurfing host Isky at Noisebridge, a place where I would spent a lot of time in the next few days. I was a little worried that this couchsurfing host was as much of a bummer as the last one...but at least I was in a city that I knew a little and I knew where to escape to if things went wrong.

But there was no need to worry. Isky is one of the nicest, most lovable human beings I've ever met. He hugged me and then showed me around at Noisebridge (click me), a hackerspace that is open to the public - a huge ware house-like apartment full of computers, weird machines, scientific stuff, a library, a kitchen and an amazing roof (more about that later on)....there were so many nice people around that I didn't feel lonely even if I had a lonely moment...That night, I was too tired to hang out with someone, so we went to Isky's apartment and I moved into his empty closet, my dwelling place for the next nights. I was so tired, I quickly passed out....

Just to wake up to the sound of Mexican mariachi music (click) from the neighbors. Weird scene - me in the totally dark closet, no windows, with strangers around me and the beat of the music pumping through the walls....I started laughing because I just loved it!! It was like I was already caught by the crazy and happy vibe this city emits...

I got up and met another lovely creature called Gonzo...his name aroused my interest since Hunter S. Thompson was the real Dr. Gonzo. He is a very witty theatre student currently enrolled at the university of Santa Cruz and I enjoyed our conversations throughout the whole day (unfortunately, he left some hours after we met...). When Isky was awake, they brought me to have lunch at this tacqueria Cancun on Mission street. I swear I had the best damn veggie burrito in my life (although some claim that there are even better ones)...I love Mexican food...I love the kicks I get from eating spicy stuff...this burrito made me cry and want more at the same time, really intense shit!! And I never had a Mexican coke before Gonzo told me that they actually use real cane sugar for it and not corn sirup as in American coke...after that I basically ate at Cancun once a day while residing in the Mission!

The rest of the day I spent wandering around book and thrift stores on Valencia street. It rained a little so I was not motivated to go exploring and just soaked up the feeling of the Mission...I realized that I had been in this district before in 2009 when my friend Derick showed me Clarion Alley, which is famous for it's colorful murals.

The next day, I was already excited about exploring, my favourite activity when Im traveling on my own (so 99% of the time)...I just walk whereever my feet take me...equipped with my iPod and camera. I had prepared a 100 songs playlist for my iPod which was perfect for my trip! With the sun shining and the usual Frisco breeze in my hair, I did walking tour that was suggested in my guide book.

I started downtown, at the cable car turnaround on Market Street and walked up to Chinatown. I checked out the colorful small alleys of this Chinese area until I came to a little street called "Jack Kerouac Alley" and there you can find some quotes by him and other writers written on the floor. I am a huge fan of Kerouac because he wrote some of the most beautiful and vibrant lines of American literature. At the end of this little street, in the area called North Beach, you can find the famous City Lights book store where the Beat poets were first published. Howl, one of the best-known poems by Allen Ginsberg, was first read inside this book store at a reading where "all" the beat poets were present...Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gregory Corso, etc....

I felt like a cheap tourist, but I had to buy a copy of Allen Ginsberg's poem! I like it so much as it's really intense if you read it out loud and it reminds me of my final exam where I cited some lines to impress my professor...

Then, my guide book advised me to get some food in one of the Italian delicatessen shops in this area. I stepped inside this place called Molinari and I was surprised by the fact that the guys behind the counter really spoke Italian. Being a smartass, I couldn't help but order my sandwich in Italian. First reaction: "Ma sei italiana?". But I had to dash their hopes, I am only Austrian...I then felt the strong need for coffee and went to Cafe Trieste and got a really good Italian style espresso that would help me climbing Telegraph Hill to get a great view of city. I walked up and I tried to take pictures of how steep the hills really are, but you can't catch it with a crappy mobile phone camera.

On top of the hill, I sat down...and opened myself to the amazing view. I was overwhelmed by the beauty. The sun was shining, it was even a little warm...I sat there staring at the city, the bridge. It was so pretty, it almost made me cry. I had this pain in my chest, like my heart was aching for me to stay there...like it was saying "don't leave, stay...just for a while..." I even texted my best friend because I wanted to share this moment with somebody...but Austria was sound asleep...So I sat there and ate my sandwich (which was delicious...Italians know how to do it!), being as happy as I could be. 

 

I moved on to Russian Hill, climbed some more hills for some more views, some more feeling of "Damn, I wanna stay here...". Then, I just walked...I passed by some cable cars...went down some hills to Fishermen's Wharf. There I sat down and listened to some music. I was so calm and happy...I never felt lonesome in this city although I was alone most of the time. And I love the fact that there's surprise around every corner...if you open your eyes, you can find something new, interesting, exciting, funny or heartwarming in every street.

 Then I felt like I had to return to an area of the city that I've explored a lot in 2009, the Haight. It used to be THE hippie spot in the 60s. Today, it is more of a tourist trap with a lot of weird people around, but I like some of the coffee shop's and the Ben&Jerry's store there. As well as Amoeba records (click me) where I can spend a whole day. I went there and bought a vinyl for my best friend Corina, actually the only present I bought during my holidays. 

I went back to Isky's. And we were a little bored and bought some beers. We then climbed up a ladder to the roof of Noisebridge, for me a huge effort as I am very afraid of heights so that I usually don't even climb up ladders. But Isky informed me that we had to climb up 2 more walls to get the full 360° view. So he actually pushed me over two (in my opinion very high) walls. I have to admit that this effort (fear crept through my veins!!!) was totally worth it. On top we could really see the whole city. We sat down close to each other, wrapped a blanket around our shoulders (the nights were pretty cold) and had some beers (one organic rasberry infused beer, loved it!). It was marvelous! It's so pretty to see the Muni buses climb up the hills at night...

It's cheap and good. First bought it because I thought the label was pretty :P

Next day, I decided to check out Japantown. So I walked up Pacific Heights to see some nice Victorian houses (they are soo pretty!) and then straight to the Japanese "district". Actually, I was a little disappointed because it is not very much - a couple of streets, Japanese shops and restaurants and I felt a little weird because there were no people on the street except for some old Japanese ladies that looked at me like they had never seen a creature like me. After my visit, I was told that the coolest thing in Japantown was the mall because they sell a lot of crazy stuff there. I should have known this before!

It was a very pretty day, so I decided to take the bus to Ocean Beach, one of SF's beaches. It's was really beautiful! I walked up to the Cliff house, explored a cave in the cliffs and then walked along the coast for about two hours towards Baker beach and the Golden Gate Bridge. Stunning views in the sunshine, green grass and huge trees...I was delighted! And this damn bridge is so pretty in the late afternoon light. I couldn't stop staring at it...unfortunately, I lost my camera, so I couldn't take proper pictures of it. But I saved it inside my head which is even better than any camera could depict it!

That evening I met Mark, who was a guest in the hostel I worked in last summer. We went to the Elbo Room, a bar in the Mission and had a couple of drinks. It was so cool to stand outside the bar and look at what was happening around me. It was rather quiet, almost no cars passed, only bikes and skateboards (the noise of skateboards always make me feel like a teenager)...but I was so tired and drunk that I soon returned to Isky and the other couchsurfers who had arrived. Suddenly, Isky's room was full of people - Helena from Portugal, a girl from Korea (I'm so bad with names...), Coco (a girl that had recently moved to Daly City), Isky, and me in the closet. I felt like a goddamn hippy and loved it...

Next day Coco joined me for the exploring. As soon as we stepped outside the building, we saw tons of papers on the floor, some clothes and a pair of nice leather shoes. One thing I love about this city is that people throw stuff they don't need anymore on the street - sometimes you can find couches, books, suitcases, notes, shoes, etc. on the sidewalk and if you like it, you can take it. Coco tried the cool leather shoes and took em! The night before, on our way to Isky's place, we jumped on a couch that was standing right in the middle of the sidewalk....

Coco and me went to a large thrift store where I bought a really cool San Francisco Giants shirt for 2$. I still have to cut it out and sew it to fit me because it's for men. Then I brought Coco to the Mission and Dolores park. I was really proud that I could play the tour guide and show her this lovely spot as I spent some hours there in good company in 2009. 

We got some food and then I decided to visit my friend Derick at Picture Machine Tattoo (click me if you like tattoos). I surprised him at work. We went to a bar, had some drinks, went to another bar, met some of his friends and had some more drinks and a slice of pizza (that saved my life because we drank like pirates)...it's so good when you meet friends after a long time and it feels as if no time has passed...

one of my first lomo diana shots

The next day, I was too lazy and hungover to do much and actually Isky was sick, so I took care of him. We sat at Noisebridge and went to bed early. Next day, I went to Golden Gate Park...I walked around, took pictures with my Lomo camera and soaked up as much sun and good vibes as possible as it was my last day in the city...I was a little sad that I had to leave.

I went back to Isky's and Helena and me decided to hang out together in my last night and make it something special. We went to Dolores park and listened to some music and had some beers. We made friends with a rat (we called him Ratatouille) that was carrying food from the park to his home...he ran back and forth a couple of times. I offered him some beer but he refused. I guess he doesn't like to drink while being at work. Helena and me sang along, we told each other stories and laughed a lot. When we were singing California ueber Alles by the Dead Kennedys (click me if you like punk rock), we heard 3 shots. We thought these were fireworks. But about three minutes later, cops and ambulances arrived about one block away from were we were sitting. So it was clear that something bad had happened not very far away from where we were having fun. Helena sent me this article (click me) a couple of days later.

The next day, I got up early and went to the airport. I was really sad that I had to leave my newly made friends, first and foremost Isky and the people at Noisebridge who were so nice and open...I was really sad that I had to leave this city that inspires me so much. Each time I feel like I wanted to hug the world, go crazy and be creative as fuck. I really got infected with the artistic and creative mood that hangs over the Bay like a big puffy cloud. (How much I'd love to be able to create something like this (click me!!!))

I want to say thank you to all the people that made my vacation so special, memorable and beautiful! Thank you guys and gals!! If you wanna visit me in Vienna, you're welcome any time!!

So when I got home, first thing I did was starting a project called AaAaArRRtTnight - I'm planning a monthly gathering of creative friends who are as bored as me with sitting around and drinking beer...instead I would us to meet and work together on something, art, crafts, writing, music, whatever...and the first date will be on February 25...I will keep you updated on that...

Well. I guess that's the story....no important insights in this one since the text's already so long  and I don't want to overdo it...I tend to overdo it, whatever I do. I'm all or nothing - which is a blessing and curse. But that is me. I'm getting better, though. Hope you too...

PS: I couldn't decide for one song this time, so I show you two of the songs that I listened to a lot while being in San Francisco. One band is called Beach Fossils - they make indie guitar stuff which I find really relaxing, joyful but also a little melancholic. The song is called Vacation...created the perfect mood! 

I'm out here on my own
I might not come back home

The second one is a Noise-Indierock band called No Age, the song's called Here should be my Home....I love this one because of it's lyrics...although Kurt Cobain said that "music is what counts, lyrics are secondary", I do like words...and don't forget to turn up the fuckin volume!!!

If I'm around here then here should be my home 

(But it's not at all)