shrike_15 and nightlight_42 dropped by today for an encounter. Verra friendly people, I must say. 30° C is a bit much, though, even when you walk along a river. So our last station for a coffee, before they had to leave, was



We made an undefined appointment so as to play music together. It's no secret that shrike_15 plays the harp, whereas nightlight_42 has recently started over playing the guitar. I'm looking forward to our next meeting!

In other news, I've assembled all lute music for transitional tunings that I could get hold of. Whenever I get tired or get bored of a situation, I find myself imaging to play in Mace's tuning.

Here's a better pic of the new mistress:

Leisure time is time to get things done. I'm writing and writing again, translating and so on.

In other news, I've been avoiding my usual pub for three months by now after arguments with the keeper. She turned out to be convinced that ethnic Africans smell different because of the colour of their skins.

I was so startled, I couldn't think.

I started to pave her way back to civilization and reason. Kinda "It's hot over there, in Benin, so everything and everyone probably smells a little." Or "People eat different dishes, national cuisine is different," and so on. She wouldn't change her mind. I told her, that opinion is utter rubbish and racists' bullshit. She wouldn't change her mind.

So I had to pay immediately and leave, and haven't entered the pub since. I informed our common buddies and stuff, expecting they talk to her about it. They did, apparently, yet she doesn't change her mind. I'm not yet ready to give up, though.

Yesterday, Rebekka and me visited my friend for the last time. In the early morning hours my friend has passed away. No more pain and suffering, she has been redeemed.

Thomas holds in his hands an exemplar of my designated next booty:



The first part of preparation will be to assemble as many sources of music in transitional tunings as I can. I'm looking forward to probably receiving the copy next spring.

Even assholes read the internet. One of them read my blog and knew no better than to alert and misinform friends and relatives of my ill friend.

It's my fault and I'm deeply sorry I caused that ugly gossip. I apologize, and as a first step, I have turned the two related posts into friends-only.

Beware, everybody!

Bright weather, good start. Rebekka and me are just about to leave on bikes, heading for Ralli and Sabine.
In other news, Mom hasn't answered my calls since yesterday noon. Don't know what that means. I do worry a little. Guess we'll drop by with her today.

Hebrew class was fun. We went through the mysteries of Biblical Atbash (Jer. 25:26; 51:41), Gematria (Gen. 14:14), beginnings of Cabbala etc.

Just enjoying myself. Life is good to me.

Things are fine with me. The new post is alright. Finally, no more professional dates at night, phew...

Tony Bailes's latest CD has drawn my attention to a special type of lute, the so-called two-headed lute

Not exactly exciting playing, but you can see a copy of that instrument in action.

Stephen Barber & Sandi Harris are announcing a series of 12-course double-pegbox "French" lutes (scroll down to the bottom).

David van Edwards has already built them:

Heading for Prague tonight, I'm scheduled to be there tomorrow morning at 8. Going to deliver a little talk on the graphic structure of Exodus 15 in Jewish manuscripts of late antiquity and the Middle Ages, and on the cantillation of that chapter. Can't wait to be there.

Hamburg was awesome. All those friendly people, making music together. Ulf, Michael, WolfgangW, Werner, Ursula, Gisela, WolfgangM, Ingrid, Albert, Carsten, Heike. Lutes, theorbos, recorders, voices. Just lovely.

Rebekka had her first performance in public. As part of the final concert, she sang Now Oh Now, and Come Again (both by Dowland), together with Albert, bass, and me, lute. She was great. I'm so proud of her.

Wolfgang was kind enough to share his recording.

Yes, I'm back home. Yet still on vacation. Until Sunday night. Until then, I'll spend another weekend with my daughter, travelling to Hamburg on Sunday for a players' meeting entitled French.

Just now, I've returned from the movies. I watched Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Such a crap.
Phillip II is portayed as a mixture of an idiot and a religious fanatic, the message reading: Religious terrorists will be defeated, either by the government or by the elements.
Elisabeth and her court lady behave like modern WASP women instead of a 50-something queen and 16th century noble woman.
The most sucking thing IMO was the music. Bombastic exploding orchestra, even when lute players are to be seen in a scene, accompanying a galliard dance lesson.
I mean, if there even is mention in the scene that a galliard basic pattern consists of five steps (HIP!!!), why are the lutes seen but not heard?!
Possible answer: Because only one of the lutes was a HIP lute with back-bent pegbox.

She said she is sorry, kinda.

Whatever, it was a good time.

In other news, I'm on vacation in Bavaria, i. e. East Franconia, if that is a name in English. One week from Friday. So, two more days.
It's here:



I have my 11c lute with me, including the Saizenay ms. and a suite by Lauffensteiner (thanks, Rob!) a booklet about heretics in the Middle Ages, enough cigars for a week--so what more do I need?

Just kidding. First two days were kinda hell because I felt terribly lonely. Then I went travelling to Würzburg. Not bad for a start. Würzburg is an ugly city, though. Tasteless blend of medieval huts and churches with modern and post-modern banking building and stuff.

Today, I went wandering to Marktbreit. Typical Franconian town. They even keep the front of the former synagogue which was destroyed Nov 10th 1938. No hints on who were the leading nazis there, yet the synagogue front. WTF.

This is where the local museum is stored:



Three hours or something through thick forest. Bears and wolfes kept off as they heard me sing. Yes, today was nice.

Tomorrow, there's a service scheduled for 8:00 pm. Guess I'll offer a hand in playing the lute.

I think today I saw her for the last time.

She has kept silence until now.

So I dropped her a few lines, wishing her all the best and saying good-bye.

Miser Catulle, desinas ineptire,
et quod uides perisse, perditum ducas.
...

I should have known I shouldn't do it.

Why did I tell her about my feelings?

I know why I did. I just couldn't stand not to.

It was wrong, and it is so right.

If she turns away because she's aware what I feel for her, it'll be alright. I'll have to stand it. I just couldn't stand the word to be left unsaid.

I feel so week, it makes me strong.

OMFG I think I'm running berserk. Cool down.

... the Christmas tree. Brought it down into the cellar today. Could have left it in the sitting room until Jan. 6th or even Feb 2nd (if I were Catholic, that is), but I couldn't stand seeing it any more. So down with it!

Rebekka is back with her mother. She gave Rebekka a kids' cell phone for Xmas, so Rebekka now and then sends me messages. That's a good thing.

When I had returned her yesterday, I dropped by with Heiko's. We watched Bourne Identity and Bourne Supremacy. After that, my little after-kid-phase depression was gone. I had her with me for six days, and when I have to return her, each time it's like I have to get used to not being with her again. I guess it's the same for her, and I regret it.

Today was my official day off. Additionally, this weekend is free. I'll have to get done done with those translations, finally. Time to play the lute.

Half an hour to go, and I'll go watching

Edit: My Best Friend is a moderately funny movie. Good for one night, and thn forget about it.

Rebekka has been here since 29th. Today, we watched Keinohrhasen ("Rabbits without Ears")




The trailer

and were tickled pink.

Each year on Dec 27th there is an alumni come-together at my old school. Each year two weeks in advance I start dreaming about school. Crazy.
This year I met the old headmaster who is pondering on joining my Hebrew class at university as he has come to know that his colleague, my former Latin teacher, did so a couple of years ago. Crazy.
Each year, I get to know something about class mates that I hadn't known before. It's 23 years back, and there's still news about it. Crazy.
The staff decided to rename the school last year. What previously was SZH (Schulzentrum Huchting) is now called Alexander von Humbold Schule - Gymnasium. German-teachers obviously were off-duty when that decision was taken as the name is wrongly spelled. The correct spelling would be Alexander-von-Humbold-Schule. Weird, indeed.

Anyway, we had loads of fun. Besides my buddies, I'm fond of meeting the girls whom I liked back then, now seeing them to be wifes and mothers. Those who remember, more often than not show the same old feelings like then. One night of nostalgic romance isn't too much once a year, I hope.

It's funny how all of the old relationships, sympathies, antipathies, that once were between us show up that night as though we had left school only yesterday.

Merry, merry Christmas, everybody! I hope you are having a joyful time.

Rebekka is scheduled to be with me for tomorrow. Another model plane, a Lola book (Lola is her favourite heroine), a varnishing set for the model plane. And just in case we'll get bored (which will certainly not be the case), Pirates of the Carribean II.

In other news, I'm looking forward to seeing my lawyer so as to prepare my case against the leading committee. They made a formal mistake that will prevent them from moving me. Happy new year, supposedly... >B)

Got the cell phone and the bag yesterday, will forward them tomorrow, on Friday. Phew...

Gonna pick up Rebekka from school at 4 pm. She will be with her grandparents for Xmas, I'll see her on 26th. So that's that.

Feel confused and in a hurry, although I'm done with most of my tasks for today. Hm, no idea why this is so. I suppose I'll get settled and calm once she is here.

IMO weekends start on Fridays. According to Rebekka's mother's decree, weekends don't start before Saturday 9:30 am. That's when I'm supposed to pick Rebekka up from her mother's flat every two weeks.

This time, things are different because Rebekka has been invited to a birthday party on Saturday, taking place from 2:00-7:00pm. I was lucky to make her mother understand that this time weekend has to start on Friday. The operative term was "for Rebekka's sake".

Now she is here, soundly asleep. In the afternoon we watched


It took a little while until we found out why we didn't like it: This movie entirely lacks facetious scenes. And it is fraught with violence, be it physical or psychological. I had been under the impression that it is a fantasy movie for teenagers, but it isn't.
Rebekka and me talked about it for a while and finally concluded that The Golden Compass has been badly made up because the core idea of souls walking as animals is faulty. It's as simple as that IMO.