Well, it warmed for a moment there but those in the know (read: Me) didn’t get their hopes up……oh no. You don’t wanna do that at this time of year in Berlin, just psychological suicide. It always warms a bit in early March and then what do you know…..KA POW!!….it starts snowing again and being bitching cold as usual……just like now. Well, fuck it I say, bring it on….and you know why? Cause I’m out of here, yes, leaving on a jet plane on Monday evening off to Morocco where there is a fucking guarantee of sunshine!! That’s right, no Whistler or snowboarding this year, I’ve fucking had it with snow.

Well, now that that’s off my chest let’s talk about how fucked up this place really is…..

So, we already know that Germany protects its market better than than the US Army protects their President in Iraq, but I never knew they’d stoop to outright robbery. I’m having a hard time reading through all the crap that’s available online to even work out if what Germany does is the same as the rest of the EU, supposedly but really, I can hardly believe it. Anyway, I recently thought, before kicking the ole’ G5 out the door that I’d squeeze one last micron of performance out of it by installing a new graphics card. Not just any graphics card either, the best graphics card you could get back in the dinosaur days of G5’s, an ATI Radeon X850 XT. This was, in its day a freaking beast. Hell, it does a good job even by today’s standards. Anyway, it was a very limited production run with a very exclusive price to go with it, hence, it is as rare as hens teeth. I dare you to try and find one for a G5, NO, not a PC one, they’re freaking everywhere, I’m talking an OEM Apple verified product here……had a look……find one…….didn’t think so.

Well, as is usually the case, when talking about expensive relatively rare electronic components……especially in the Apple world, a lot of them reside in the States sooooooo, I bought one from a guy in the States off Ebay. For a 5 year old product it wasn’t cheap, $275, but for another bit of life out of the ole’ beast I thought it was worth it. The seller sent it via USPS and if you know their service then you’ll know it’s first rate. I have had large items delivered from Washington to Sydney in the past and get there in three days flat. Well, that is NEVER the case in Germany and how could I possibly expect that from a country that has very little idea about the service industry, yup, couriers are included in that industry… Anyway, 2 weeks later and what do I receive, a delivery slip that says the package is being held at customs because I owe tax on it.

Now, how the fuck can German customs possibly charge tax on a product that is:

1. Second Hand
2. Over 5 years old
3. Cannot be purchased in the E.U.

.
It is serious bullshit my friend, of the stinkiest kind. They say that anything bought oversees that could have been bought in the EU, even if it is second hand, can be taxed the standard rate….i.e. a percentage of the sale price in addition to the shipping price. That’s right, I have to pay tax on the total price. Now is that some god-damned bullshit or what. Do they really think that if I could have bought it here I wouldn’t have?? I couldn’t, simple as that. Tax has been paid on the item already once, why should I have to pay it again, it’s not like it’s a house or an artwork worth millions is it?? Anyway, they want like €66.00 which I’m fucked if I’m paying, that will put this item into the ridiculous amount. I think I’d rather save my cash, take a plane to the States and buy a whole new computer….yes German government, if you are reading……that’s what I’m going to do, try and stop me!!

So great, basically what they’re saying is, if you can’t buy it in the EU you probably don’t want it anyway because we will bleed you dry, now that’s freedom for you. Stupid asses.

Oh, just one more thing to leave you with before I go, if you ever come to Germany to live, never get an internet contract with 1&1, they suck….really bad. The first 2 years they were ok, but now they are just a joke. For example, we pay extra for what is called a phone-flat rate. This means that you can call anywhere in the world and it works out quite cheaply. Well, it’s a joke. If I ever try to call my parents in Sydney I have to try a million times before I get through and even then the line is soooo shitty that we can hardly have a decent conversation together. I think it’s always scary when a company sends through a pamphlet stating they have a new head of customer service and how much they have improved the support. If they sold what they promised their support would decrease, not the bloody opposite, they probably have a million customers just like me, not getting what they paid for…….16000k down stream……yeah right, cheap international calls, you’ve gotta be having a laugh!! Another bunch of asses to add to the growing list.

Anyways…….I’ve let it all hang out here just a bit too long and now it is definitely time for me to go. Until the next bitch session xo.

We are still in the minus for the most part around this place, though because of the temperature fluctuating between +1ºc and -1ºc the snow has a chance to melt ever so slightly on a daily basis. Of course it then turns into super slick ice which the local councils do nothing about. Below is a shot of Treptower Park when the ice wasn’t about and life was actually enjoyable, it looks cold because it was, -16ºc that day.

In saying that, yes, I have slipped/fallen over, I have seen other people slip/fall over (pretty much on a daily basis) and I think the general consensus is that people are totally sick of the ice (as am I). But lets not forget the ice cold puddle of water you might be lucky enough to land in on the way down, like being cold isn’t enough, you’ve gotta be wet too. I guess the worst was the other day when I slipped over directly in front of my office building. Embarrassing!! It just makes getting around so much more difficult……

On top of that, for the first time in the last year I have become very ill. I think it is just the flu but boy is it a bad one. I had Wednesday and Thursday off but went in today because I had some meetings that I couldn’t miss. Unfortunately, once I had started to make my way to work, I realised I was quite a lot sicker than I had anticipated. Sinusitis, congestion, headache, fever and nausea. Oh yeah, I’ve got a real good one this time!! So I stayed at work for half the day, got through all my e-mail and had a couple of meetings and am now back home again lying down feeling terrible.

I hate being sick!

On top of this is the fact that the Transmediale festival is on at the moment and other than being completely ill, I think I am relatively run down and probably wouldn’t have made it anyway. So unfortunately I have missed out on seeing Mount Sims, although I have seen him before, and tonight I will miss out on Fourtet. I think there are certain signs to tell when you’re depressed, one of those is the feeling of reclusion which I have quite hardcore. I just can’t be bothered seeing anyone nor do I care about anyone or anything. The only thing I’m good for at the moment is working and because I’m stuck in bed it leaves far too much time to think about stuff. And let me tell you, I am seriously unhappy with a lot of stuff.

My life here is just so much more of a pain in the arse than living in the States or Australia. It’s really difficult to put into words as well because it is such a culmination of so many little things. For example, I’ve been here for 4 years now but still do not have a dishwasher and I am god damn sick to death of handwashing dishes…..it is literally causing issues at home…..I hate it. Why don’t I just get one you say, well, the cost plays no role in determining whether we can have one or not, it is the stupid kitchen. Firstly, most rental apartments in Berlin don’t come with a built in kitchen as is typically found in other parts of the western world, no, just a sink and oven if you’re lucky. If you’re unlucky guess who’s buying a kitchen for an apartment they don’t own? You got it.

Luckily (or so I thought at the time), our kitchen area had both a sink and stove. Well, after experiencing just how crap the oven is and how low and back-breaking the sink is I think I would’ve preferred it completely without. There are logistical issues too. The sink doesn’t match any of the rest of the kitchen (that I had to install and pay for myself) and takes up an awkward amount of room. This in turn means that there is not enough room for a freaking dishwasher. I won’t go into the other specifics of this place, but there is more than just that shitting me…… I mean, I could bring up the fact that Berlin is full of dodgy property managers, trying to rip us off with the heating bill, paying for a building cleaner who doesn’t do his job (I mean our garbage bin wasn’t emptied for 2 weeks because no one had cleared the snow from around the bin and it was impossible to move), I could go on. Well hell, I could go on about the fact that in Berlin I need to visit 3 freaking supermarkets if I want to get my grocery shopping done. What the hell happened to a supermarket that has it all with an excellent selection? I mean, I shouldn’t be too negative because they do exist but are usually a little further out (read – VERY inconveniently located), and require a car to get to them.

Anyway, let’s get back too the kitchen issue because it seems I am left with the following two options:

a.) I can either move to another apartment that has the things that I want (if I can find one) that will hopefully also have a good property manager (although I’ve heard on the grapevine that they’re all dodgy here!).

or

b.) I can remove the only kitchen items that were provided with this apartment and replace it with matching gear to the other stuff I’ve already installed (i.e. cupboards, bench, shelves), which essentially means I have built-in and completely paid for a kitchen.

The benefits of both options should be obvious, decent oven and stove-top and a dishwasher. Either way it will involve more cash that I’m not particularly flush with at the minute, and if building into my current apartment, will go entirely against my principles.

Anyway, that is my whine for the minute, just had a call from a friend who’s flying to Dubai tomorrow, and as much as I don’t love that place I’d still love to get the hell out of here for some sunshine. No skiing or snowboarding this season, no fucking way!

This has got to be one of the best remixes of a hip-hop track that I’ve ever heard. Haven’t you ever wondered about the science that goes into lyrics like this? And in saying that I mean no disrespect to Snoop Dogg, I like his hip-hop and his style of rapping but this remix is just excellent, it definitely adds something.

First, take a quick listen to the original from 1995, which was the sec0nd single released from the debut album “Doggystyle”. The song essentially pays homage to Seagrams and Tanqueray gin.

And this is the remix:

Snow that is…….. a little warmer today (-1ºc) which means there is a perfect opportunity for more snow and guess what? It’s snowing pretty hard once again. I just took a photo but it hasn’t appeared to come out too well so you’ll just have to take my word for it.