Welcome
to my Online-Diary
Well,
I won´t get too private here, but some funny anecdotes or interesting news will
pop up here from time to time…
So let´s catch up with a few recent happenings:
Jump to [July]
[June] [May] [April]
September
22nd: The Webradio is working !
Yes
! Finally our master technician got the webradio teststream running on 24h-basis
! Now everyone around the world may listen to my show (and of course any other
of Radio Rheinwelle) - links are on my Magica-Italia-pages. Really glad this is
working now.
Oh and if you´re wondering why there is such a big gap here to the last entry:
a lot of things happened here, but I don´t want to spoil the surprises for
someone... 
August
9th: It´s happened !
Crash
! Boom ! Bang ! That´s what I just heard a few minutes ago - went to the
guestroom where Koko came running out - only to find what I feared might happen
someday: My big shelves with my C64 and part of my Lego collection
completely came off the wall !!! Luckily Koko wasn´t hurt ! Maybe
because I had it seen coming and put a big box under the second board so it did
not crash completely to the floor.
I´m just glad I had already dismantled over 100 sets that had been on that
shelf for years. But the crucial question now is: where do I find someone
with a drill ?
August
6th: My cats have a flower-fetish
Crazy
cats... For
the past 4 or 5 days I had to rescue Lego parts again from my playful
cats - this time almost only those little flower stems with 3 flowers
attached. Seems they dive into my collection and pick only those at the moment
to play with. Don´t ever tell me men don´t like flowers...
August
1st: Women...
Ouch.
Sometimes even I am just like any other woman. Went into the city to pick
up my photos and what was the first thing I bought ? Right, a pair of
shoes... Okay, one of my favorite Ecco models on discount.
If that only had been my sole expenditure that day... Closed a deal on
the web for a beautiful but also expensive item. I must be crazy, but that´s
life. No further elaboration here. Yet.
July
29th: Evacuated !!!
What
a day ! Just half an hour before I wanted to leave for the weekend our whole
office building was evacuated due to a cable fire !!! No damage but
we were shaken. And to add to this chaos we had to leave the building in the
middle of the maddest downpour in the last days ! Thunder crashing
overhead as well. The weekend could only get better...
July
28th: That perfect rainbow - and my first 2-hour show
What
a sight ! On my way to the radio station I saw a beautiful double rainbow -
and due to the elevation of that place where the station is I was able to see a
complete half circle ! Those are the moments when you are one with the whole
world ! No wonder my first 2-hour show (substituting one hour for a colleague)
went quite smoothly.
Forgotten was the slight scare I had when I went to the bus earlier - as the police
helicopter that had been circling low over our town for at least 10 Minutes
already came close to me with turned-on lights and surveyed me for a
minute.
July
26th: The first blackberries
Just
great ! Today on my cycle tour I discovered a third place around
Delkenheim where wild blackberries are growing - and some of them are already
ripe and taste phantastic ! Summer´s coming !!
July
23rd: A great party !
Okay,
we were only 6 people alltogether, but what a party we had 
! My best friends Berna and Necdat, my ex-neighbour Jasmin, colleague Babsi and
(for half an hour) Monika at least came. The catering (from my mum) was
superb, even the beer did go and we enjoyed hours of talk, fun, Carrom (my
postman is still sticky....) and Jean-Michel Jarre - Berna laughed as hard
as I did on that wah-wah-laserharp - and showed us some bass parts she
had learned of his songs...
July
19th: Dozy unpuzzled !
Cats
and puzzles don´t work together ! Yesterday I finished my three
photo-puzzles
in just under 50 minutes - and left them on the guestroom table. What a mistake
- Lesley had his fun picking a few parts out of all of them - but only two or
three on my cats and PRS puzzle - but on the Dozies´ one he completely ripped
off Dozy... Guess I listen to 'Festival' too much...
July
18th: What a birthday - and a laser harp with wah-wah....
Great
! First thing I did this morning: went to the doctor ! 
Arrrgh,
looks like a sting from a wasp or the like - my left calf is twice
it´s usual size...
On the positive side I got a new DVD from Necdat and so spent a great
evening watching Jean Michel Jarre´s concert in China last year
yeaaaaaaahoooo ! Working with 260 musicians on stage - including old
fellows Francis Rimbert and Patrik Rondat (on guitar - playing Vivaldi´s
'Winter'...) and the man himself playing his usual bunch of sythies - including
the theremin and his laser harp - this time even with wah-wah-effect
!!!
July
16th: Ricky´ing and Rocking !
Aaaaaah,
my fingertips.... Necdat and Berna joined me today for a few hours´ jam
session - a roomful of great guitars: my Ibanez and PRS, Bernas Takamine and
Necdats Yamaha and Rickenbacker ! Wow ! We managed to play some songs
(finally I got to the level where I can join in quite fast) and Berna and I even
came up with a new one... Oh and the Carrom session afterwards brought
some really big laughs ! Looks like I´m a 'Plingon' now ("Take
care of your glass !")...
July
12th: Recording my own songs...
Finally
I have found a freeware to record some of my music on my PC - it´s not much yet, but now
I get to work on my songs in a completely different way. Only problem: I am cramping
my hard disk...
July
7th: What a black day
I
am just SICK !!! Just heard about London. So awful... So many
innocent people... I only hope none of my friends or their families over there
are involved.
My thoughts are with everyone there now !
July
5th: What a LOVELY one - Cu22/12
Cologne
once more... How comes I always get some excellent music inspirations
from there ? I was in the MusicStore again and apart from buying some small
things I even had the time to try a PRS McCarty Hollowbody II and a Custom 22 /
12 String.
Well... The HB was okay... But the Cu22/12 - WOOOW !!! BANG
! What a sound ! What a lovely lady ! 
Although they made me turn down the volume really hard I heard all those
beautiful sounds ! And even lighter than my Cu22 ! Incredible ! And a dream to play !
So what can I say... The next one on my Birthday Wish list 
July
2nd: Smokie and the Sweet live
What
a great concert ! All of the usual First-rowers were there - and I got my camera
in again. It was an Open Air just half an hour away from me and turned out to be
wonderful - the weather was fine - not too sunny but no rain. And the three
bands were really good. The opener was a regional band called "Low
budget" - four funny guys presenting good old Rock´n´Roll, with a drum
solo that Necdat yet has to beat.
The Sweet were loud as ever but absolutely good - This time
I could enjoy Tony (the new frontman after Jeff had left) on stage for a
change...
Smokie closed the show around ten o´clock (it had started at four) after a
magnificent programme ! Three songs from the Wire-Album, Rosa-Lee back on stage
and even a song from their 29 year old album Midnight Café: What can I do -
last time I heard that was in 1994 still with Alan Silson. Think of memories...
Well and the hotel overflowing with fans as usual - but with Martin and
John (Smokie´s Manager) and all the others down in the Restaurant it was a
really fine evening. And enlightening in the regards of PRS (So I was
right about those McCarty tuners !) and
home-recording...
June
27th: I got rid of it !!!!! Whew...
Baaaaah...
I am done ! After sitting on my PC the whole Sunday I have finally killed that
damn virus ! Such a nasty bastard ! I suppose if I had not known so much about
computers I might have had no chance but to go Format C - it was close but I
managed without that.
Thanks to that Online-Forum - they really helped a lot. Now
I guess I will be more careful when I am online... ahem...
June
25th: Meat Loaf - and Mark Gillespie
A
very welcome distraction from my Virus-Problem: I was on that Meat Loaf Concert
with Elke and Ulli in Mainz - almost a home show for me. Okay, we had to endure
an hour of rain and some very unfair Fanclub people - but we were in the first
row again and the show was great !
The first opener was rubbish but then came Mark Gillespie - a guy
from Manchester with just a
guitar in his hand (aaaarggh it almost looked like a Godin - but I think I read
Gibson on the headstock - now I wonder...) - playing good music - somewhere
between Blues, Rock and Jazz - and with a charisma that won everybodys attention
- speaking German often and making jokes about that other opener and why they
would not offer CDs... I absolutely liked him !
Well... And Meat Loaf... Years ago I was sure he did not
care about the fans... Well, he was completely different from the show back then
in 97. Power non stop, sometimes 4 guitars working live - and a perfect show !
Often facing his audience - even threatening to kick some of them if they
would not start singing along. So what can I say ? Terrific ! Just a pity that it lasted only less than 2 hours...
But so I was able to jump into the shower even before midnight. And I got a
plectrum again he he...
June
22nd: HELP
! A virus !
Guess
it just happenes once in a while - now it was my turn to get a virus. Should
have been more careful... 
And even looks like a nasty one -
I´d better get some help here. Grrrrrr...
June
19th: Oldie Night in Weilburg - and an Odyssey through
Limburg...
Hessentag
time again ! Necdat and I drove to Weilburg for a fine Oldie Night again - Three
Degrees, Smokie, the Drifters and Suzi Quatro. Well, we left halfway through
Suzis show, but the other three were great (not that Suzi isn´t too, but I have
seen her just too often..).
The Three Degrees were even better than in Stuttgart in March
this year, again with a 7-men band - although one of the girls had trouble with
her voice at some point. I really enjoyed them, especially 'Dirty old man'.
Smokie were ... well... good - nothing more. Only the old hits, plus 'Have you ever seen the
rain'. Really a pity, I keep saying it was Suzis influence that they had not more
time...
After that some of the first row people already left - but I wanted to see the Drifters
this time (in Oberhausen last year I had only seen some of them in the hotel bar
later on...). So we stayed - and enjoyed it ! Oh they were absolutely great !
I knew most of the songs, and those four guys (plus a band of 7 again) really
had voices, phantastic - movement all over the stage and everyone joining in !
Want to see them again !
Well, after a much to long switch break Suzi Quatro started - and somehow I
totally did not tune in to her music this time. I guess I was still tuned into
that soul music. So about halfway through we decided to go as well - and start
our journey to the hotel. First we had to get out of Weilburg and in the
direction of Limburg, which already took almost an hour because of road blocks.
And then - someone had given us driving instructions - somehow we ended up driving
circles through Limburg ! No hotel direction signs anywhere, no one on the
street to ask - If I get that one who gave us those directions... 
-
when we finally made it to the hotel, most of the guys and fans were already
gone - no wonder: two hours after we had left the tent....
June
17th: BLUESY IS HERE !!!!
Finally
!!! After I had received a notice from the customs office yesterday I was
able to pick up my PRS today ! Monika drove me there in the early
morning (since I had to attend an important SAS schooling that would go
until 5 p.m. and the office hours were from 7:30 to 2:30 and I did not want to
wait until Monday afternoon) and then I had barely enough time to open up
the package before I had to leave for work.
Oooooh what a babe !!!! What a beauty !!!!! I don´t regret it, not even
one cent I´ve spent ! That one is just what I wanted !!! With only two minutes
to go I just played a few chords unplugged - and that already felt great.
So the SAS schooling was a torture - no wonder I ran like hell
when they said they were through at 4 already - got the bus and then picked
up my PRS, outfitted her with a strap, plugged her into my Roland Cube and
started to play !
WHOOOOOOOSH !!! Great !!!! A dream !! Felt like heaven ! Finally a good
electric guitar - and what a rocker !!! I tried the different settings
with that three-way-toggle and kept on playing and playing and playing.... Well
until Necdat arrived at 7 p.m. - after I had demonstrated Bluesy then I was
ready to call it a day in the regards of playing - my fingertips were
protesting....
June
6th: Finally: Koko gets touchy... OUCH !!!
Aaah,
looks like Koko´s trust in me is growing rapidly - he played with me
tonight for over 20 minutes: Trying to catch my right index finger with
his paws and even trying to bite it off !!
But what does one endure just to make sure he is getting closer...(But
I´d better take care he does not catch my left fingers - I will need those soon
enough hehe !!)
June
4th: WAITING... for Bluesy !!!
Now
I can sing that specific Dozies´ song over and over: Waiting !!! My
money arrived and now Bluesy will be sent on her way !!!!
Aaaaarrgh ! Up to two weeks now to go... I can hardly wait !!!
May
31st: Poor again 
That
was a bank transfer that was not easy... But on the other hand - what will I get
in return !!!! I wonder when it will arrive in the U.S....
May
30th: It is settled !!!! My PRS....
Hah
! If I had been at home it might have taken a few days less. But anyway, I have
an agreement on a fine, gorgeous PRS Custom 22 !!!! Now all I have to do
is send the money and wait...
May
29th: Un(n)a Festa Italiana
Oh
what a 5-day-weekend that was ! Whew ! Visiting Necdat and my Aunt
in Werne, shopping in Oberhausen, strolling over the biggest fun fair in Europe
and - most of all having a look at the big Festa in Unna !
Over 5 days of 100.000 Lights, great live-music acts on three stages and
many many stands with all culinary delights that Italy has to offer ! And
the best was that you could sample everything ! Oh it was great (I
just can´t explain where I may have gained those two kilograms.... 
)
May
25th: Maybe a PRS after all ???
I
love the WWW !!! Looks like I MIGHT get my baby sooner than expexted
after all... stay tuned... I´m working on the details...
May
24th: No PRS but some sheet music...
Well,
after that purple Custom 22 went to someone else on Saturday evening - okay, I
was not too sad about it, since it went quite high for a color that is
not in my top favorites - I got at least five of the last few sheets of
DDDBM&T-Songs that have been missing in my collection last night - even
the rare "No time" !!! Now I wonder if one can learn that song
without having to try that risky choreography the Dozies performed
back then... ;-)
May
19th: The unknown photo !
Just
got a small present today ! I finally picked up my slides from the last Oldie
Night (they had not prepared that image-CD as requested when they were first
developed, so I had to give them away once more) and guess how surprised
I was when I saw that there were actually 37 images on the CD instead of the
expected 36 ! When I had gotten the slides first I had watched them - and
knowing that my camera so far has never managed to squeeze more than 36 photos
on a roll, I had never even thought of taking a look at slides no. 37 and 38 -
they should have been black as usual... Well, to my surprise no 37 was not ! And
what a phantastic shot of the Dozies during Bend it that turned out to be
!
May
16th: Cats will be Cats !
Have
you ever tried to cut turkey breast for a soup – with two Siamese nearby ? Well, I WOULD
have closed the door to the kitchen – if I had one – but I had to fight two
crazy animals who put on their starvation act – and who would steal
anything they could grab if I had not been fast enough !
Just my luck that those gourmets were
interrupted by an invading fly – one of those big black ugly ones that can
drive you crazy with their buzzing – but Koko and Lesley had their fun,
chasing it, flying over tables and chairs – until Koko put an end to it –
chomping on it like it was dessert – did I really write that they are gourmets
???? Brrr…. Cats !!!
May
14th: Cross your fingers: I MIGHT have found my PRS Baby !!!
Well,
one
week to go and then we will see: I have found a fine PRS in
an auction ! Not my absolute favorite color, but a real beauty and – still –
at a good price. So keep your fingers crossed for me !
May
13th: Oooooooh what a PRS !!!!
Aaaaaaaaarg
! It´s just not fair !!!! Why can´t I just win the lottery tomorrow – I have
seen an absolutely GORGEOUS Whale-blue PRS
! Everything as I would like – except that it is an Artist Package – not
that I would not like that – I LOVE IT
!!!! – but it´s simply way above my budget….
So the big search continues (I´ll never mention that I am a fan of the Searchers
once more...) So far it´s been 9 days of frantic search, raising havoc
among the big guitar shops in Germany with all my inquiries about that Custom 22
– it´s crazy – you can get almost any guitar, except for the one with my
preferred configuration (that is if you don´t want to spend 3000-4000 Euros),
but I don´t give up yet…
May
4th: My favorite PRS Custom 22 Guitar
Haaaaaa
! Finally I know what I want ! After a PHANTASTIC 2-hour session of
trying out different guitars in a shop in Frankfurt (among them 5 PRS !!!)
I have decided what kind of guitar I want – not that that decision would it
make any easier for me go get one in exactly that configuration – okay, I
could simply order it, but I am still reluctant to spend so much money when a
good used one would do as well… So anyone wants to sell a Custom 22 with
wide-fat neck, bird-inlays, tremolo and quilt-top in one of the bluish colors
????
May
1st: WHAT A WEEKEND !
Back
home again after a 2-show concert weekend ! And what GREAT days those
were… Even an 8-hour trip back home could not diminish that experience ! And
if I think of what travels the Dozies had to endure those 3 days I should really
keep my mouth shut. Anyway I am still elated (watch out for the upcoming concert
review for details he he he) and now more than ever gung-ho to get my own PRS
guitar !!!
April
25th: Bad News in my company…
Well,
that was about to come: 550 jobs will be cancelled in my company until end of
2007 (out of a 3800 !) – that is if they manage to increase their selling
figures by then – if not nobody can tell how many more people will have to
go…. aaaaaargs… I think I´ll prepare a big chocolate pudding now to boost
my spirit again…
April
15th: A Siamese Revenge
NEWS
BULLETIN: A Space Shuttle together with all Rockets and even the ramp was blown
to pieces…
…. by a raging Siamese Male…. Well, I suppose Koko was still angry with
me, because I had chased him earlier that day (for half an hour, with my friend
Monika even getting some scratches), forced him into that big dark carrier, had
taken him (and his half-brother) to the vet for neutering. So after he had
regained consciousness he shocked me when I only heard that big crash in my
guestroom – he had pulled the whole set (Shuttle, Booster rockets and ramp)
down from the windowsill…. Well, at least then I was sure he would recover
from that operation soon enough.
April
13th: A petty thief
Sorting
Lego and preparing it for the shop can be quite a task, especially with all
those tiny technic parts – so far that was always okay with me – but today I
really had to fight – I had just prepared a bunch of those technic parts –
sorted them on my desk – when out of nowhere Lesley came flying and landed in
the middle of it all – pushing everything into chaos with his paws and even
trying to steal some parts directry from under my nose. That cat !!!!
April
9th: Guitars, Guitars, Guitars…
Public
day at the big musical trade fair in
Frankfurt ! Yippieeh ! I thought that finally I could try out a few
different PRS guitars !!! But no –
almost everywhere you could try out the guitars, but not at PRS – grrrrrrr !
And what a bunch of blue matteos they
had there – Custom 22 and 24 alike, and with some really gorgeous quilt tops,
aaaaargs it´s just not fair !!!!
Well, but at least I tried a few other good guitars (a nice Johnson 12-String,
some ESP and Ibanez and a completely unfamiliar Farida, but that one felt really
great, got to look for that one now as well) – Berna had a chance to try out
that new Takamine limited and Necdat scouted for a new Hi-hat.
So altogether it was a great day, having fun with my two best friends Bernadette
and Necdat, watching BAP (I didn´t realize Berna could run like THAT),
collecting TONS of catalogue materials and of course picks, picks, picks (Thanks
Berna for telling me….)
April
3rd: Everybody loves Mika Hakkinen
Well,
looks like my cats have joined that club as well – after choosing a place
under a lamp in my guestroom for their naps which is very well concealed behind
my Mika (you know, that cardboard-comrad – who still stands on Warsteiner,
hihi greetings to Berna) I confronted them today with my remote control
Hakkinen-A-Class ! But instead of running away like my old cat Peter they really
had their fun – Lesley was even bold enough to chase that car himself and
giving it a few whacks with his famous right paw…