Facebook, spells trouble

Hi there. I have just recently join facebook, after some gentle convincing from facebooker. That thing is sort of addictive. I have found people I had no clue where they were. First there was email, now there is Facebook. They do sell your personal info, unless you click an obscure box in a deep-down page.



Enjoy.

j.o.

Muzik ctrl-c, ctrl-v

Please, if you work in an office and enjoy copy-pasting lifestyle, hear the song that plays when one open this website: http://www.myspace.com/plasticoperator

(entendu sur la trame sonore de l'horloge biologique)

I went to the woods

Hi there.

Freiburg proved once again that it deserves its title of 'sunniest city' in Germany. I woke up to a summer-like sun and temperature.

I helped my roomate Ewa move out. Today she went to Berlin to start dance school for five months. I will then move in her room. The girl from whom I currently sublet is coming back to 29 Scheffelstrasse in a week.

After a few episodes of the very american show 'The West Wing', I went to the woods. My home is located close to the Black Forest. I thus went for a walk also documenting my surroundings for your viewing pleasure.

Enjoy.

My home is the first one on the left. My room window is above the graffiti. 29 Scheffelstrasse, Freiburg, 79102, Germany.


Freiburg, from the surrounding hills.
It's spring here. Or it sure feels like it.

I have always like tree at dusk. Even better when they are vertical.

An owl in the woods. Made out of wood. huh?

Have a great week.

Ma soeur à Freiburg

Agissant sous une impulsion des plus imprévue, Catherine, ma soeur, décida de venir me visiter dans mon patelin de Freiburg en compagnie de son amoureux Cyrille.

Belle journée! Nous avons dûment complété le circuit touristique de Freiburg qui inclut une photo face au Munster, la gigantesque cathédrale de pierre roses, véritable emblème de Freiburg.

Et voilà le résultat.
Il y avait un air de fête dans la ville - avec raison puisque la saison du carneval bat son plein. Litérallement. Partout dans la ville des musiciens jouent des pièces de musique très allemandes. Tout pour vous donner l'envie de boire une bière et mangez des saucisses grillées.



Partout des gens costumés surgissent attriqués disons...étrangement. L'histoire derrière ce carnaval est (historiquement) d'inverser les rôles de la société. Le riche peut agir impunément en pauvre, puisque masqué personne ne pourrait le reconnaître. Le pauvre peut abuser de la réputation des riches, des puissants, lui aussi impunément, les autorités étant elles-mêmes trop occupée à s'ennivrer dans un p'tit coin noir. Aujourd'hui, les Allemands, prennent la chose plus au sérieux. Ils en font une opportunité de créer une équipe dans chaque village qui s'ingénue à être plus...particulière que l'autre.

Poor, but sexy. Berlin, la Montréal de l'Europe.

On 2-4 February, with a couple colleagues we went to the capital of Deutshland, Berlin. We had a great time finally being in a big city, enjoy the cheap life in Berlin and not feeling like criminals for jaywalking. (note: jaywalking is a big deal in Germany. the cops are fining offenders, like, a lot.)

Nous sommes restés dans une auberge de jeunesse représentant bien la 'renaissance' de ces endroits privilégiés par les voyageurs. Dans ce cas, l'auberge s'accomederait bien sans 'de jeunesse'. Nous y étions agréablement logés et sans les inconvénients typiques des ces lieux. Mais le mieux reste que l'auberge est située au coeur de l'ancienne partie Est de la ville, historiquement chouette.


Most of the city is located in the former East Germany, also called before 1989 the German Democratic Republic. Democratic is misleading, this was actually the Soviet part with its love of imposing state architecture and disregard for personal comfort. Berlin is therefore refreshingly free of the typical European sight: antique buildings with their fancy stoneworks and a certain pursuit of perfection that gets to me at times. One person captured well how Berlin looks. It has three colors: brun, gris et brun-gris.

We took a brilliant walking tour around Berlin. We saw the sights, learned about its history. My favorite was the Memorial for the Dead Jews of Europe. From the streets it looks like a field with flat black stones. But as soon as one gets closer, you realise that the flat stones are only the top of giant stone columns forming maze that one can walk through.

We enjoyed some serious night out especially at the "Zu mir oder zu dir" literally meaning "My place or yours" ou "Chez toi 0ù chez moi". The next night we hit "Broken Donuts" an electronic music place. The exact kind of night spots absent from my town, Freiburg. It was fun to take a look at what seems to be 'the scene' and pretend for one night to be a berliner out in a bar on Sunday.I am really thinking that perhaps Berlin should be my next home. I'll see.


Many more photos online @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/jean-olivier/sets/72157594528043091/

First Post - hello world

The other day, while taking a shower, I realized I would not get many stars for my keeping in touch habits.

Therefore, welcome to my new blog.

Since I have troubles with mass emails, and only so much can be written in my postcards, I think a blog might be good. You tell me.

J'hésite un tantinet quant au language. Quoique l'Allemand est pour l'instant hors de question, l'anglais et le français se font compétition. J'espére que vous me laisserez savoir vos opinions sur la chose.

From Germany, with love.

j.o.