Ghazal, my Dear,
You may have not recognized yourself how happy you were looking today. With every single detail of your thesis that you corrected and improved, with every minor spelling mistake or format problem that you could eliminate, your relaxed smile that was rarely visible during the last weeks returned step by step.
It seemed as if a rose that was left dry for days and suffered from drought, was given fresh water and re-opened its blossoms again.
And immediately it released its tantalising scent that was kept hidden behind its grey soft leaves.
I hope so much your happiness lasts for ever, not only untill you see your parents on Wednesday but maybe even untill you return to Munich.
Enjoy the evening, the night, the quiescence or the music, be careful with your blossom leaves, so they don"t brake under the pillow.
Michael
PS: About the movie "The Town", Ghazal: don"t think that I have disclosed any detail of the plot. I just told you it has an happy-end. But the happy-end comes in a complete unexpected (and maybe even un-believable) move. Maybe you prefer to use now the probability terms and call such an unexpected event "against all odds". I don"t think that I have told you too much to spoil the excitement. It is a great movie, it is a crime story I like, its very masculine in healthy way: it is about gaining for wealth, fighting for freedom from poverty and about the an eternal dream to leave behind the misery. The violence done by the gang during their bank robberies is never an aim, it is something that the system and the society are producing by keeping the majority of people in poverty.
At the end, when all the violence finishes, the love between the two main characters survives.
What is bad about this ? We always dream that this will happen, don"t we ?
Showing posts with label orphan recipient. Show all posts
Showing posts with label orphan recipient. Show all posts
5.10.10
1.10.10
Discovery of a habitable planet (also for horses ?)
Ghazal, my Dear,
What a funny coincidence that today, just a couple of days after you speculated about finding a house for us on the moon astronomers from Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C announced the discovery of the first extra-terrestrial habitable planet in the universe. For sure, the moon is much closer to the earth, to your family and friends, and you probably can even spot Sweden from there if it is "Full-Earth". According to the U.S. astronomers, however, the living conditions on "Gliese 581g" as the planet was named, should be much more convenient than the surface of the moon. O.k., I have to admit, you have to spend more for transportation (Gliese 581g is about 20 light-years or 190 billion km away from europe, moon "only" 380 000 km), but I would be ready to spend some extra money for the flight tickets, but have a nice environment instead (like on earth, the value of a property mainly depends on the three factors "location, location and location"). Talking about the living conditions there, of course one cannot expect exactly the same as on earth, but I guess we could easily accomodate to them. For instance, the seasonal year is only 37 days long (whether there ARE seasons like summer and winter here on earth is not known yet). There are, however day and night, that"s for sure. And the day-and-night rhythm seems to be much more human (first estimate is between 25 and 35 hours) than what you have in northern Sweden with their 180 days polar-day followed by another 185 days darkness.
There is one problem, and thats the mass of Gliese 581g: Since it is about 3 times heavier than the earth, physics unavoidably will give everything there a 3 fold higher weight. So the first weeks up there would be quite exhausting, walking, standing or dancing will be a tough physical exercise, untill our skelleton, joints and muscle strengthen and got used to carry this extra weight. The good thing and the best way to get around this stressful gravitational stress is the existence of water up there on Gliese 581g. Calculations show that there will be plenty of lakes, oceans and beaches, and the water should be crispy and cristal-clear. There just was no messy industry or agriculture or human sewage to spoil the water). And swimming, you should know, we would not feel our extra weight any more because of the (hydrostatic principle discovered by Archimedes).
Anyhow, whether you believe him or not and whether you like spending most of your day in the water, it is good that neither you nor me have any weight problems here on earth. This is for sure a good pre-condition to relocate to Gliese 581g, and maybe they even want to see a health-certificate for this when you ask for entry visa up there.
Hope you sleep well, and maybe in your dream discover some extra "must-sees" on this planet.
Take Care,
Michael
PS: You don"t have to prepare you luggage right now. And for sure: You first have to finish your MSc project and got the degree, because this improves your chances to make a scientific career on "Gliese 581g".
..........................................................................................................................................................................
hi michael,
what ???? I don"t wanna go to this extra-terrestrial planet ! I just made up my mind, and after struggling with myself again and again and weighing every pro and con, and talking with my family in Sweden I declined to consider a future here in Munich. Thats 980 km away from Stockholm, and I wont accept any further distance. Not the moon ("only" 380 000 km ha, ha, ha) let alone a planet that is so far away, that even the light needs 20 years to reach stockholm. So then, everything the U.S. astronomers discovered now only shows how this planet was 20 years ago. Things can change so rapidly, michael, just have a look on our earth and ourself: 20 years ago we didn"t had mobile phones, but instead Freddy Mercury and Frank Zappa were still alive. You have been in east-berlin working in the station-bistro and I was a 4-year old baby-girl carried around europe on the arms of my beloved parents. How can we be sure that during the last 20 years no massive industrialisation started on this strange planet, or that global cooling down turn all the lakes and oceans into ice-skating courses ? Thats my last word. This planet is not an option for me.
And by the way, I came along this marvellous horse range this morning, on my way to the lab. It was a mystic scenery, how the horse appeared slowly from the morning mist.
.
When I was a kid, my dad used to read me persian fairytales, in which a white camel played a role, because it rescued Zartusht (or Zaratustra as you call him) from the deluge. I think you mentioned this legend also on your blog entry form July 16th. I fell in love with this camel, and the horses I met this morning reminded me of it. I think their physical strength and mental calmness are similar, and that makes both of them good companions to men. There was a display on the horse farm, and as much as I understoud german, they offered to give you one of the horses for riding out, if you agree to take care of it and clean it and feed it, it wont even cost a lot. So this, I have to admit, was one reason for me to consider staying in Munich.
I doubt that there will be horses on this far planet, therefore I also don"t want to go there.
Hope you understand my concern, michael.
Have a good night, and good dreams.
/ghazal
What a funny coincidence that today, just a couple of days after you speculated about finding a house for us on the moon astronomers from Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C announced the discovery of the first extra-terrestrial habitable planet in the universe. For sure, the moon is much closer to the earth, to your family and friends, and you probably can even spot Sweden from there if it is "Full-Earth". According to the U.S. astronomers, however, the living conditions on "Gliese 581g" as the planet was named, should be much more convenient than the surface of the moon. O.k., I have to admit, you have to spend more for transportation (Gliese 581g is about 20 light-years or 190 billion km away from europe, moon "only" 380 000 km), but I would be ready to spend some extra money for the flight tickets, but have a nice environment instead (like on earth, the value of a property mainly depends on the three factors "location, location and location"). Talking about the living conditions there, of course one cannot expect exactly the same as on earth, but I guess we could easily accomodate to them. For instance, the seasonal year is only 37 days long (whether there ARE seasons like summer and winter here on earth is not known yet). There are, however day and night, that"s for sure. And the day-and-night rhythm seems to be much more human (first estimate is between 25 and 35 hours) than what you have in northern Sweden with their 180 days polar-day followed by another 185 days darkness.
There is one problem, and thats the mass of Gliese 581g: Since it is about 3 times heavier than the earth, physics unavoidably will give everything there a 3 fold higher weight. So the first weeks up there would be quite exhausting, walking, standing or dancing will be a tough physical exercise, untill our skelleton, joints and muscle strengthen and got used to carry this extra weight. The good thing and the best way to get around this stressful gravitational stress is the existence of water up there on Gliese 581g. Calculations show that there will be plenty of lakes, oceans and beaches, and the water should be crispy and cristal-clear. There just was no messy industry or agriculture or human sewage to spoil the water). And swimming, you should know, we would not feel our extra weight any more because of the (hydrostatic principle discovered by Archimedes).
Anyhow, whether you believe him or not and whether you like spending most of your day in the water, it is good that neither you nor me have any weight problems here on earth. This is for sure a good pre-condition to relocate to Gliese 581g, and maybe they even want to see a health-certificate for this when you ask for entry visa up there.
Hope you sleep well, and maybe in your dream discover some extra "must-sees" on this planet.
Take Care,
Michael
PS: You don"t have to prepare you luggage right now. And for sure: You first have to finish your MSc project and got the degree, because this improves your chances to make a scientific career on "Gliese 581g".
..........................................................................................................................................................................
hi michael,
what ???? I don"t wanna go to this extra-terrestrial planet ! I just made up my mind, and after struggling with myself again and again and weighing every pro and con, and talking with my family in Sweden I declined to consider a future here in Munich. Thats 980 km away from Stockholm, and I wont accept any further distance. Not the moon ("only" 380 000 km ha, ha, ha) let alone a planet that is so far away, that even the light needs 20 years to reach stockholm. So then, everything the U.S. astronomers discovered now only shows how this planet was 20 years ago. Things can change so rapidly, michael, just have a look on our earth and ourself: 20 years ago we didn"t had mobile phones, but instead Freddy Mercury and Frank Zappa were still alive. You have been in east-berlin working in the station-bistro and I was a 4-year old baby-girl carried around europe on the arms of my beloved parents. How can we be sure that during the last 20 years no massive industrialisation started on this strange planet, or that global cooling down turn all the lakes and oceans into ice-skating courses ? Thats my last word. This planet is not an option for me.
And by the way, I came along this marvellous horse range this morning, on my way to the lab. It was a mystic scenery, how the horse appeared slowly from the morning mist.
.When I was a kid, my dad used to read me persian fairytales, in which a white camel played a role, because it rescued Zartusht (or Zaratustra as you call him) from the deluge. I think you mentioned this legend also on your blog entry form July 16th. I fell in love with this camel, and the horses I met this morning reminded me of it. I think their physical strength and mental calmness are similar, and that makes both of them good companions to men. There was a display on the horse farm, and as much as I understoud german, they offered to give you one of the horses for riding out, if you agree to take care of it and clean it and feed it, it wont even cost a lot. So this, I have to admit, was one reason for me to consider staying in Munich.
I doubt that there will be horses on this far planet, therefore I also don"t want to go there.
Hope you understand my concern, michael.
Have a good night, and good dreams.
/ghazal
30.9.10
Here you go again
Ghazal my Dear,
Before you escape into dreams, give your ears (and your soul) something extra to enjoy (It is not a lullaby, though):
Now here you go again
You say, you want your freedom,
Well, who am I to keep you down ?
It"s only right that you should
Play the way you feel it,
But listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness
Like a heartbeat drives you mad,
In the stillness of remembering what you had,
and what you lost.
Sleep well, Take Care, Michael
................................................................................................
hello michael,
thanks a lot for the link to this nice song. Although I have to admit the lyrics are tough, can"t imagine that this beautiful woman Stevie Nicks wrote and performed this song, that has so firm statements about staying and leaving. The last words :
"Like a heartbeat drives you mad,
In the stillness of remembering what you had,
and what you lost" . I understand this well enough. Sometimes you loose things or people or even yourself, sometimes you are happy and find them again. Sometimes even a stranger finds them and brings them back to you, and brings even something extra for you (like when you brought back the bike that had been stolen, and you had filled the luggage rack with flowers. This was so nice, I did not want to bring the flowers to my room, much more liked to keep them on the bike and drive around and show the people.
I found another great song by Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac. Listen to it, and enjoy the evening and the night.
/ghazal
................................................................................................
Hi Ghazal, Are you still awake, or drifted away into dreams guided by Stevie Nicks song about dreams. I think the very special style of Fleetwood Mac has its roots in the almost family style of their band-members. The most visible and hear-able members were Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks (guitar and vocals), who were a couple, and John and Christie McVie (bass and keyboard), who were married. Mick Fleetwood (drums), who founded the band in 1967 and gave it his name, was the neutral and stabilizing point in this melange full of tension and conflicts. In this sense, Fleetwood Mac was a prototype for Abba. I think the fact that both bands could not leave their very privat feelings off the stage, but brought them to every concert, gave their songs a very authentic style. When they sung about relations, about obsessions or devotions, it sounded not just a live concert, but as if they reflected in their songs emotions in real-time.
There is a nice interview from 2004 with them.
This is perhaps my last message for tonight, sleep well, my dear.
Michael
Before you escape into dreams, give your ears (and your soul) something extra to enjoy (It is not a lullaby, though):
Now here you go again
You say, you want your freedom,
Well, who am I to keep you down ?
It"s only right that you should
Play the way you feel it,
But listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness
Like a heartbeat drives you mad,
In the stillness of remembering what you had,
and what you lost.
Sleep well, Take Care, Michael
................................................................................................
hello michael,
thanks a lot for the link to this nice song. Although I have to admit the lyrics are tough, can"t imagine that this beautiful woman Stevie Nicks wrote and performed this song, that has so firm statements about staying and leaving. The last words :
"Like a heartbeat drives you mad,
In the stillness of remembering what you had,
and what you lost" . I understand this well enough. Sometimes you loose things or people or even yourself, sometimes you are happy and find them again. Sometimes even a stranger finds them and brings them back to you, and brings even something extra for you (like when you brought back the bike that had been stolen, and you had filled the luggage rack with flowers. This was so nice, I did not want to bring the flowers to my room, much more liked to keep them on the bike and drive around and show the people.
I found another great song by Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac. Listen to it, and enjoy the evening and the night.
/ghazal
................................................................................................
Hi Ghazal, Are you still awake, or drifted away into dreams guided by Stevie Nicks song about dreams. I think the very special style of Fleetwood Mac has its roots in the almost family style of their band-members. The most visible and hear-able members were Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks (guitar and vocals), who were a couple, and John and Christie McVie (bass and keyboard), who were married. Mick Fleetwood (drums), who founded the band in 1967 and gave it his name, was the neutral and stabilizing point in this melange full of tension and conflicts. In this sense, Fleetwood Mac was a prototype for Abba. I think the fact that both bands could not leave their very privat feelings off the stage, but brought them to every concert, gave their songs a very authentic style. When they sung about relations, about obsessions or devotions, it sounded not just a live concert, but as if they reflected in their songs emotions in real-time.
There is a nice interview from 2004 with them.
This is perhaps my last message for tonight, sleep well, my dear.
Michael
26.9.10
The excited Explorer
hi michael,
you send yesterday the article from "The Onion" about the first people on the moon. i was very shocked initially by the rude language. i could not believe that an educated person such as you reads and even circulates such a primitive conversation ? But then I reconsidered and tried to understand what the article is mainly about: O.k., it uses a lot of blasphemic words, like you hear on Octoberfest. But when we ignore those, what remains from this conversation of Armstrong and Aldrin during their first walk over the moon is: They were just emotionally overwhelmed. And there is absolutely nothing bad about this, in opposite: I find it bad if somebody who discovers nature, explores the unknown and steps into a sphere no one else has been before, if he (or she) does not allow any expression of excitement.
Therefore, if Armstrong and Aldrin would have indeed shouted "Fucking Christ, we"re on the bloody Moon", I would 100% feel with them. They were human as we, and why shouldn"t they go absolutely mad walking on the moon, if we are already so much excited just looking on the moon from here.
So who knows, maybe once we discover a gene for a strange disease, we will also shout in the lab "Holy shit, I found this fucking mutation".
Enjoy the evenig, sleep well
/ghazal
you send yesterday the article from "The Onion" about the first people on the moon. i was very shocked initially by the rude language. i could not believe that an educated person such as you reads and even circulates such a primitive conversation ? But then I reconsidered and tried to understand what the article is mainly about: O.k., it uses a lot of blasphemic words, like you hear on Octoberfest. But when we ignore those, what remains from this conversation of Armstrong and Aldrin during their first walk over the moon is: They were just emotionally overwhelmed. And there is absolutely nothing bad about this, in opposite: I find it bad if somebody who discovers nature, explores the unknown and steps into a sphere no one else has been before, if he (or she) does not allow any expression of excitement.
Therefore, if Armstrong and Aldrin would have indeed shouted "Fucking Christ, we"re on the bloody Moon", I would 100% feel with them. They were human as we, and why shouldn"t they go absolutely mad walking on the moon, if we are already so much excited just looking on the moon from here.
So who knows, maybe once we discover a gene for a strange disease, we will also shout in the lab "Holy shit, I found this fucking mutation".
Enjoy the evenig, sleep well
/ghazal
24.9.10
Moon is back (now on Google Moon)
Hi Ghazal my Angel,
A month ago the same moon looked down to us, and for sure could not turn away its eyes from this spot on the Isar river banks, where we were sitting at the bone-fire the whole night through, whispering secrets, feeling the heat of the august sun that was stored in the pebbles on which we layed down. Since then, I call the Isar the Moon river, and every morning I pass the river on my way to the institute, I do a short stop there and slide a flat stone over its surface, as you have shown me to do.
[caption id="attachment_1055" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="Full Moon 24-09-2010"]
[/caption]
Now we are a month older, it is already autumn down here, but up on the moon there are no seasons. Unlike our 24 hours day, every spot on the moon has a day as long as 15 days down here, followed by 15 nights in a row. Could you imagine, this would mean exchanging some mails and early night dialoges only ones in month, and then 360 hours long darkness.
Maybe you recognized that I could finally revert to you real name. I had to hide it for two month to protect your privacy from the nosy Google-machine, which somehow disclosed your real name and linked it to the blog. Therefore I used another pseudonym in the blog, which had only slight resemblence to "Ghazal". It sounded similar, but looked quite different, and Google still does not recognize similarities by sound. But I"m sure, there soon will be a Google-Sound search machine, and this one will find out that "Azal", the pseudonyme that I used for two month, sounds very similar to your real name "Ghazal".
Are you o.k. ? Are you still studying so late at night ? Don"t miss your dreams, some actors therein might desperately wait for the main character, the blue-eyed persian cat.
Sleep well, Take Care
Michael
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hi michael,
I dont know if it was the picture of the moon you send in the evening, or my fear to meet some strange people in my dreams: either of the two did not let me sleep. but didn"t you once said that the full moon itself can also directly interfere with my emotions. maybe it is this what happend. finally, I went out for a walk over the fields behind the guesthouse, I think it was already 6.30 a.m. could see the moon, but not a house there ;-). I did a photo of it, have a look. If you find a house on it, show it to me. Does it mean you"d like to send me to the moon to live there ?
Have a nice day (I may come a bit later to the lab today, hope thats alright).
Take Care, michael
/ghazal
PS: If you click on the photo, there is a nice song about the moon. I only know its by Pearl Jam, don"t know the title.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Ghazal my Dear,
You came here on your angel journey half a year ago, arriving from somewhere far away. How could I ever send you back alone ? If, however you would suggest to take me with you somewhere in the universe, I would get my luggage ready today. A nice house on the moon could be a first step.
By the way, the moon is not only fascinating by its yet poorly understoud influence on females psyche but can make man equally crazy. Have a look at this alternative record of what the first astronauts said when they put their feets there.
Enjoy the day, recover from the sleepless night,
I"ll tell everybody you work on your thesis.
TaKe CaRe
Michael
A month ago the same moon looked down to us, and for sure could not turn away its eyes from this spot on the Isar river banks, where we were sitting at the bone-fire the whole night through, whispering secrets, feeling the heat of the august sun that was stored in the pebbles on which we layed down. Since then, I call the Isar the Moon river, and every morning I pass the river on my way to the institute, I do a short stop there and slide a flat stone over its surface, as you have shown me to do.
[caption id="attachment_1055" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="Full Moon 24-09-2010"]
[/caption]Now we are a month older, it is already autumn down here, but up on the moon there are no seasons. Unlike our 24 hours day, every spot on the moon has a day as long as 15 days down here, followed by 15 nights in a row. Could you imagine, this would mean exchanging some mails and early night dialoges only ones in month, and then 360 hours long darkness.
Maybe you recognized that I could finally revert to you real name. I had to hide it for two month to protect your privacy from the nosy Google-machine, which somehow disclosed your real name and linked it to the blog. Therefore I used another pseudonym in the blog, which had only slight resemblence to "Ghazal". It sounded similar, but looked quite different, and Google still does not recognize similarities by sound. But I"m sure, there soon will be a Google-Sound search machine, and this one will find out that "Azal", the pseudonyme that I used for two month, sounds very similar to your real name "Ghazal".
Are you o.k. ? Are you still studying so late at night ? Don"t miss your dreams, some actors therein might desperately wait for the main character, the blue-eyed persian cat.
Sleep well, Take Care
Michael
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hi michael,
I dont know if it was the picture of the moon you send in the evening, or my fear to meet some strange people in my dreams: either of the two did not let me sleep. but didn"t you once said that the full moon itself can also directly interfere with my emotions. maybe it is this what happend. finally, I went out for a walk over the fields behind the guesthouse, I think it was already 6.30 a.m. could see the moon, but not a house there ;-). I did a photo of it, have a look. If you find a house on it, show it to me. Does it mean you"d like to send me to the moon to live there ?
Have a nice day (I may come a bit later to the lab today, hope thats alright).
Take Care, michael
/ghazal
PS: If you click on the photo, there is a nice song about the moon. I only know its by Pearl Jam, don"t know the title.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Ghazal my Dear,
You came here on your angel journey half a year ago, arriving from somewhere far away. How could I ever send you back alone ? If, however you would suggest to take me with you somewhere in the universe, I would get my luggage ready today. A nice house on the moon could be a first step.
By the way, the moon is not only fascinating by its yet poorly understoud influence on females psyche but can make man equally crazy. Have a look at this alternative record of what the first astronauts said when they put their feets there.
Enjoy the day, recover from the sleepless night,
I"ll tell everybody you work on your thesis.
TaKe CaRe
Michael
10.6.10
Eternal Music
Hi Ghazal,
Did you enjoyed the music that I gave you ? I don"t know if it matches your taste. The "Friday Night in San Francisco" concert was recorded in 1983, and was very popular than and still is considered a mile-stone in popular music, although it is rarely played nowadays in radio. But I think when you were born, it was always on air. There is a theory saying that music, that was around during somebodies early childhood influences your taste for the rest of your life. Maybe you know that there is one hypothesis saying that even the unborn embryo in the mothers womb is already very much exposed to sounds coming from the outside, and that there is an unconscious memory to the music from this prenatal period of life. If this is true, than you might like this "Friday Night in San Francisco", assuming that your mom listened to it when she was pregnant with you.
The other two records are by singers that belong to two different generations. One made her big debute also about 25 years ago, the other is much younger (first appearance on stage in 2008). I would be very curious if you can tell who of the two (one is Asa and the other is Sade) is from the 20th century and who is from 21st. Of course you might click on their webpages (which are also stored on the CD) and look it up.
Yours Michael
PS: These hype around Football World-Championship is awful, don"t you think so ? How can get people so occupied by the question which nation kicks a ball more frequently. I have the battle for a ball every morning with my dog, but would not build my whole mental energy around this game.
Did you enjoyed the music that I gave you ? I don"t know if it matches your taste. The "Friday Night in San Francisco" concert was recorded in 1983, and was very popular than and still is considered a mile-stone in popular music, although it is rarely played nowadays in radio. But I think when you were born, it was always on air. There is a theory saying that music, that was around during somebodies early childhood influences your taste for the rest of your life. Maybe you know that there is one hypothesis saying that even the unborn embryo in the mothers womb is already very much exposed to sounds coming from the outside, and that there is an unconscious memory to the music from this prenatal period of life. If this is true, than you might like this "Friday Night in San Francisco", assuming that your mom listened to it when she was pregnant with you.
The other two records are by singers that belong to two different generations. One made her big debute also about 25 years ago, the other is much younger (first appearance on stage in 2008). I would be very curious if you can tell who of the two (one is Asa and the other is Sade) is from the 20th century and who is from 21st. Of course you might click on their webpages (which are also stored on the CD) and look it up.
Yours Michael
PS: These hype around Football World-Championship is awful, don"t you think so ? How can get people so occupied by the question which nation kicks a ball more frequently. I have the battle for a ball every morning with my dog, but would not build my whole mental energy around this game.
31.5.10
from Berlin with Love
Hi Ghazal,
This short letter comes to you from my visit to Berlin. It"s a bit rainy here, but the city doesn"t loose its charme even if it"s grey. I hope you will find time during the few month of your project to visit Berlin and its cultural wealth.
I hope you have a good time in Schweden and will be back on Wednesday without too much homesickness.
Greetings your Michael
PS: I attach images of two of the world-most-famous archaeologic objects that attract millions of visitors every year to the Berlin museums. My favorite is the Ishtar-gate from Babylon. I saw visitors from Iraq here in the Pergamon-Museum, who bursted into tears when they saw it:
[caption id="attachment_98" align="alignnone" width="350" caption="Ishtar gate from Babylon"]
[/caption]
The second is the bust of Nefertiti, the un-unoffical miss-universe since 3000 years.
[caption id="attachment_99" align="alignnone" width="350" caption="Iconic bust of Nefertiti"]
[/caption]
This short letter comes to you from my visit to Berlin. It"s a bit rainy here, but the city doesn"t loose its charme even if it"s grey. I hope you will find time during the few month of your project to visit Berlin and its cultural wealth.
I hope you have a good time in Schweden and will be back on Wednesday without too much homesickness.
Greetings your Michael
PS: I attach images of two of the world-most-famous archaeologic objects that attract millions of visitors every year to the Berlin museums. My favorite is the Ishtar-gate from Babylon. I saw visitors from Iraq here in the Pergamon-Museum, who bursted into tears when they saw it:
[caption id="attachment_98" align="alignnone" width="350" caption="Ishtar gate from Babylon"]
[/caption]The second is the bust of Nefertiti, the un-unoffical miss-universe since 3000 years.
[caption id="attachment_99" align="alignnone" width="350" caption="Iconic bust of Nefertiti"]
[/caption]
27.5.10
... a bit angry
Dear Ghazal,
It is always a pleasure to get a massage from you, even though it is a sad one saying that you have to stay at home today. I hope everything is o.k. with you.
When I cought Prof. T. yesterday "red-handed" requesting a project-description from you, I might have appeared a bit angry. In general I always complain if others try to set up a new agenda during a running MSc project. He was perhaps looking for me earlier, but maybe could not find me.
He might have little understanding of privat matters, but I don"t want you to sit the whole weekend and prepare the project description, while your friend is here.
I will write you a single page in short, key-word like form of the project, and maybe you just "decorate" it with your own words. Don"t misunderstand me, Ghazal, I have absolutely no doubts you could write the paper yourself easily, but I"m sure you have other plans for the weekend. So maybe you can use the short outline of the project that I am going to send you.
Take care
Michael
It is always a pleasure to get a massage from you, even though it is a sad one saying that you have to stay at home today. I hope everything is o.k. with you.
When I cought Prof. T. yesterday "red-handed" requesting a project-description from you, I might have appeared a bit angry. In general I always complain if others try to set up a new agenda during a running MSc project. He was perhaps looking for me earlier, but maybe could not find me.
He might have little understanding of privat matters, but I don"t want you to sit the whole weekend and prepare the project description, while your friend is here.
I will write you a single page in short, key-word like form of the project, and maybe you just "decorate" it with your own words. Don"t misunderstand me, Ghazal, I have absolutely no doubts you could write the paper yourself easily, but I"m sure you have other plans for the weekend. So maybe you can use the short outline of the project that I am going to send you.
Take care
Michael
26.5.10
Ride the Bike
Hi Ghazal,
I hope you found a nice bicycle helmet and arrived well in Unterschleissheim. The helmets, I have to admit, are a tribute to the sports industry which makes easy profit from selling them to the fearsome people. And they are a tribute to the insurrance companies, which can refuse to pay you a compensation, in case you are hit by a car and did not wear a helmet. Aestetically, however, they are a disaster. People look like a Alien III monster when they wear a bicycle helmet.
When you were sitting on the bike yesterday, with your open hair and the trenchcoat, you reminded me of a picture I saw on an french retro-poster advertising bikes (see below).
[caption id="attachment_138" align="alignnone" width="338" caption="Lady in red on ONYX Bike"]
[/caption]
I think we should make a photo of you on the bike, without a helmet.
Have a nice evening, see you tomorrow.
Michael
I hope you found a nice bicycle helmet and arrived well in Unterschleissheim. The helmets, I have to admit, are a tribute to the sports industry which makes easy profit from selling them to the fearsome people. And they are a tribute to the insurrance companies, which can refuse to pay you a compensation, in case you are hit by a car and did not wear a helmet. Aestetically, however, they are a disaster. People look like a Alien III monster when they wear a bicycle helmet.
When you were sitting on the bike yesterday, with your open hair and the trenchcoat, you reminded me of a picture I saw on an french retro-poster advertising bikes (see below).
[caption id="attachment_138" align="alignnone" width="338" caption="Lady in red on ONYX Bike"]
[/caption]I think we should make a photo of you on the bike, without a helmet.
Have a nice evening, see you tomorrow.
Michael
24.5.10
Ladies Football Team
Hi Ghazal,
I completely forgot that on Monday all museums in Germany are closed , including the castle Oberschleissheim. Therefore we have to postpone our visit to it. I probably wont come to the institute today at all, since we got relatives visiting us unexpectedly. I hope you are not too disapointed to hear this, but we can go to the castle another day later this week. I might bring a bike for you tomorrow, and we can pass along Oberschleissheim on your way home.
I very much hope that you had a nice long weekend, wherever you spend it, and that you will be back on Thuesday with fresh energy.
Michael
PS: On Saturday, whole Bavaria (and some bavaro-philic parts of the other german tribes) fell into sever agonia, when the Munich football team lost the Champions-League final. For me, football was never a very emotional thing, in particular without any local or national identification. Therefore, my sadness about the lost game was rather superfical and short-lasting. And what made it even easier for me was the fact, that two days before, another german team has won a Champions-League final: this time, it was the ladies team from Potsdam (i.e. the former residence town near Berlin, where I grew up). This womans football team is called "Turbine Potsdam", since it was founded as a sports-club for the workers of an electric industry branch. The coach is still the same since 40 years, and they are all like underdogs. It is like the story of an emigrant in the US, who from a dishwasher-boy made it up to the richest man in the country. Do you know, that womans football is so popular in Iran ? I ones saw a TV-program on it, and found it fascinating how people try to struggle for freedom and how they develop the most clever ideas to get around political suppression.
I completely forgot that on Monday all museums in Germany are closed , including the castle Oberschleissheim. Therefore we have to postpone our visit to it. I probably wont come to the institute today at all, since we got relatives visiting us unexpectedly. I hope you are not too disapointed to hear this, but we can go to the castle another day later this week. I might bring a bike for you tomorrow, and we can pass along Oberschleissheim on your way home.
I very much hope that you had a nice long weekend, wherever you spend it, and that you will be back on Thuesday with fresh energy.
Michael
PS: On Saturday, whole Bavaria (and some bavaro-philic parts of the other german tribes) fell into sever agonia, when the Munich football team lost the Champions-League final. For me, football was never a very emotional thing, in particular without any local or national identification. Therefore, my sadness about the lost game was rather superfical and short-lasting. And what made it even easier for me was the fact, that two days before, another german team has won a Champions-League final: this time, it was the ladies team from Potsdam (i.e. the former residence town near Berlin, where I grew up). This womans football team is called "Turbine Potsdam", since it was founded as a sports-club for the workers of an electric industry branch. The coach is still the same since 40 years, and they are all like underdogs. It is like the story of an emigrant in the US, who from a dishwasher-boy made it up to the richest man in the country. Do you know, that womans football is so popular in Iran ? I ones saw a TV-program on it, and found it fascinating how people try to struggle for freedom and how they develop the most clever ideas to get around political suppression.
23.5.10
The Genealogy of Mice
Hello Ghazal, my dear,
Have a nice and sunny day
Michael
PS: You have not suggested a time to visit the castle Oberschleissheim today or tomorrow. In case I don"t hear from you I"ll come tomorrow afternoon.
I interprete the missing answer to my last e-mail as a sign, that you got cought so much by Lee Silvers book on "Mouse Genetics". I hope that you find it not just scientifically interesting, but also entertaining.
To be honest, I always have problems seeing a lot of heroic activity in observations on how cells after irradiation battle to repair their DNA or commit suicide for the sake of the entire organism. It is either just a matter of adaptation, or opportunism as we would call in humans, or a battle between two armies fighting with unequal weapons (physical radiation and biological enzymes). Both, opportunism as well as stupid heroism in a war was definitely not what contributed a lot to progress during human evolution.
In case of the mouse genetics and antropology, however, the question which physiological and behavioural properties drive the development is realy fascinating. Did you red about the two dominant mouse sub-species (M.m.domesticus, or the west-european house-mouse and M.m.musculus or the eastern field-mouse). Most of the mice strains we keep in the laboratory world-wide are genetic recombinats between these two.
Now comes the exciting interrelation of the two sub-species: domesticus established its dominant area in south-western europe, from the mediterranean countries up to Germany. M.m.musculus, in contrast populated the old-world from central Germany further east (Poland, Czech, Russia, China to the Pacific ocean). Believe it or not, the boundary between the eastern and the western Mouse Hemisphere went from northern Germany down to the south at the Alp mountains, first along the river Elbe and then along the river Isar. Some even believe, that Neuherberg is located right on this very tiny zone where occasionally the eastern M.m.muscullus and the western M.m.domsticus encounter (B.t.w., if the whole mapping is 100% precise with the Isar-river representing the border-line, we here in Daglfing would belong to the M.m.musculus world, whereas you in Unterschleissheim would already live in M.m.domesticus hemisphere).
The small border stripe where animals of the both sub-species occupy a common area, occasionally see genetic mixing of the two. They can form hybrids, and in the laboratory it was shown that the hybridn offspring between musculus and domesticus are also fertile, i.e. in theory they could give rise to next generations and a whole new sub-specie. In nature, however, the occasional happening of matings between the two give rise to hybrid offspring, that seem to have a selective disadvantage. They are less fit and never increased in population size. So the mixing area remained restricted to this small stripe in central germany (good for science, of course, since therefor we got the relatively homogenous animals for laboratory strains).
What also gave me a shiver when I red this is the funny co-incidence of the above mentioned "demarcation line" between eastern M.m.musculus and western M.m.domesticus with the former iron curtain that devided the eastern, socialist part of Europe from the western, capitalist world. This iron curtain also run north to south along the river Elbe.
Could it be that this artifical devision into an eastern and an western world during the second half of the 20th century was already planned early in evolution. Strange idea, I must admit, but sometime we are much less self-determined as we always like to show, in particular if it is in politics and military activities, in which people sometimes follow instincts like an animal.
The connection between the geographic distribution of M.m.domesticus and M.m.musculus with human history has another, more peaceful aspect. The new world, i.e. North and South America, did not had mouse at all before the european occupation in the 15th century began. Mice were brought over to the new continent on board the ships of the conquerers. Since most of these ships came from western europe (Spain, Portugal, France, England), they importet M.m.domsticus in Amerika, where still today it is the dominant mouse. Only a very tine stripe along the pacific coast (California) was first occupied by settlers from asia (Russia, later Chinese and Japanese), which brought there M.m.musculus. Again, like in Europe, the geographic distribution of the two sub-species remains there very separated.
I hope you are well, and I hope you don"t mind getting e-mails from me.
(sorry, I don"t have a mailing list on which your address is just one among another million, and from which I could easily remove yours. The e-mails are always personally just for you. So if you find them boring or otherways annoying, you have to delete them right away. I will keep them anyhow in my outbox, they are like a diary).
To be honest, I always have problems seeing a lot of heroic activity in observations on how cells after irradiation battle to repair their DNA or commit suicide for the sake of the entire organism. It is either just a matter of adaptation, or opportunism as we would call in humans, or a battle between two armies fighting with unequal weapons (physical radiation and biological enzymes). Both, opportunism as well as stupid heroism in a war was definitely not what contributed a lot to progress during human evolution.
In case of the mouse genetics and antropology, however, the question which physiological and behavioural properties drive the development is realy fascinating. Did you red about the two dominant mouse sub-species (M.m.domesticus, or the west-european house-mouse and M.m.musculus or the eastern field-mouse). Most of the mice strains we keep in the laboratory world-wide are genetic recombinats between these two.
Now comes the exciting interrelation of the two sub-species: domesticus established its dominant area in south-western europe, from the mediterranean countries up to Germany. M.m.musculus, in contrast populated the old-world from central Germany further east (Poland, Czech, Russia, China to the Pacific ocean). Believe it or not, the boundary between the eastern and the western Mouse Hemisphere went from northern Germany down to the south at the Alp mountains, first along the river Elbe and then along the river Isar. Some even believe, that Neuherberg is located right on this very tiny zone where occasionally the eastern M.m.muscullus and the western M.m.domsticus encounter (B.t.w., if the whole mapping is 100% precise with the Isar-river representing the border-line, we here in Daglfing would belong to the M.m.musculus world, whereas you in Unterschleissheim would already live in M.m.domesticus hemisphere).
The small border stripe where animals of the both sub-species occupy a common area, occasionally see genetic mixing of the two. They can form hybrids, and in the laboratory it was shown that the hybridn offspring between musculus and domesticus are also fertile, i.e. in theory they could give rise to next generations and a whole new sub-specie. In nature, however, the occasional happening of matings between the two give rise to hybrid offspring, that seem to have a selective disadvantage. They are less fit and never increased in population size. So the mixing area remained restricted to this small stripe in central germany (good for science, of course, since therefor we got the relatively homogenous animals for laboratory strains).
What also gave me a shiver when I red this is the funny co-incidence of the above mentioned "demarcation line" between eastern M.m.musculus and western M.m.domesticus with the former iron curtain that devided the eastern, socialist part of Europe from the western, capitalist world. This iron curtain also run north to south along the river Elbe.
Could it be that this artifical devision into an eastern and an western world during the second half of the 20th century was already planned early in evolution. Strange idea, I must admit, but sometime we are much less self-determined as we always like to show, in particular if it is in politics and military activities, in which people sometimes follow instincts like an animal.
The connection between the geographic distribution of M.m.domesticus and M.m.musculus with human history has another, more peaceful aspect. The new world, i.e. North and South America, did not had mouse at all before the european occupation in the 15th century began. Mice were brought over to the new continent on board the ships of the conquerers. Since most of these ships came from western europe (Spain, Portugal, France, England), they importet M.m.domsticus in Amerika, where still today it is the dominant mouse. Only a very tine stripe along the pacific coast (California) was first occupied by settlers from asia (Russia, later Chinese and Japanese), which brought there M.m.musculus. Again, like in Europe, the geographic distribution of the two sub-species remains there very separated.
I hope you are well, and I hope you don"t mind getting e-mails from me.
(sorry, I don"t have a mailing list on which your address is just one among another million, and from which I could easily remove yours. The e-mails are always personally just for you. So if you find them boring or otherways annoying, you have to delete them right away. I will keep them anyhow in my outbox, they are like a diary).
Have a nice and sunny day
Michael
PS: You have not suggested a time to visit the castle Oberschleissheim today or tomorrow. In case I don"t hear from you I"ll come tomorrow afternoon.
Visiting Castle Oberschleissheim
Hi Ghazal,
Haven''''''''t heard from you anything, I hope you are alright. I have to do something in the Lab tomorrow and on Monday, although officially it is closed. I suggest we use the nice weather and I show you the castle in Oberschleissheim (for me it is just 5 min drive from the Institute).
Please send me a message when it suits you best.
best greetings Michael
Haven''''''''t heard from you anything, I hope you are alright. I have to do something in the Lab tomorrow and on Monday, although officially it is closed. I suggest we use the nice weather and I show you the castle in Oberschleissheim (for me it is just 5 min drive from the Institute).
Please send me a message when it suits you best.
best greetings Michael
20.5.10
Persian Prince and an Orchid
Dear Ghazal,
Hope you have a nice evening. Sorry for bothering you, there is
something I"d like to hear your opinion about. Today I saw an advert for a movie called "Prince of Persia" (You can see a trailer right away on the youtube wellcome-page). What I saw there reminds me a bit of bad hollywood blood-and-battle films. Have you an idea if the movie is worth viewing ? Maybe there is already some discussion about its value going on in the iranian community, which of course I can"t follow. Maybe you heard something.
greetings
waiting to see you tomorrow
PS: I asked today in the flower shop about what the orchids like and what they dislike. They need about 50ml water per week, they don"t like heavy sun, and they don"t like to be carried around. I also heard from a good friend who is an orchid breeder himself, that they stay longer in full blossoms if somebody speaks to them with a warm, dark voice. I"m absolutely sure that they will have all of this in your appartment.
Michael (20-05-2010)
Hope you have a nice evening. Sorry for bothering you, there is
something I"d like to hear your opinion about. Today I saw an advert for a movie called "Prince of Persia" (You can see a trailer right away on the youtube wellcome-page). What I saw there reminds me a bit of bad hollywood blood-and-battle films. Have you an idea if the movie is worth viewing ? Maybe there is already some discussion about its value going on in the iranian community, which of course I can"t follow. Maybe you heard something.
greetings
waiting to see you tomorrow
PS: I asked today in the flower shop about what the orchids like and what they dislike. They need about 50ml water per week, they don"t like heavy sun, and they don"t like to be carried around. I also heard from a good friend who is an orchid breeder himself, that they stay longer in full blossoms if somebody speaks to them with a warm, dark voice. I"m absolutely sure that they will have all of this in your appartment.
Michael (20-05-2010)
19.5.10
A nice Day
Dear Ghazal,
I very much enjoyed the afternoon the entertaining conversation we had today.
I hope you arrived well in Unterschleissheim.
have a nice evening
Michael (19-05-2010)
I very much enjoyed the afternoon the entertaining conversation we had today.
I hope you arrived well in Unterschleissheim.
have a nice evening
Michael (19-05-2010)
16.5.10
Isar-Wave
Dear Ghazal,
I think I forgot to tell you that I won"t be in the Institute on Monday, since I have to give some lectures in Bonn. I told MA and his secretary to make sure, that the documents for your contract are handed over to the personal department by tomorrow.
I hope that you had a nice weekend. I"m a bit concerned that you might feel alone in the guesthouse in this remote suburbia Unterschleissheim. Please, don"t fall into despair. Before you came, Prof. T told me that you so much wanted to do your Msc project in Paris, London (maybe even in New York, who knows). I convinced him to give you the project here in Munich, and I"m absolute serious you wont regret it at the end. Munich is a provincial spot, of course, it has little glamour and no mystery and on the first glance it can be a bit boring. But it has some absolutely unexpected spots worth to visit (like the Isar-Wave next to Haus-der-Kunst, where Surfer ride and what was recently documented for an international movie), the English Garden with Chinese Tower, the waterfall at Unterfoehring, and flocks of sheeps. There is Horse-Riding near the place where I live, a multicultural sceenery in Haidhausen, some good places if you like to hear life-music, in Summer time there will be open-air theater, good museums that I"m sure you will enjoy like the Lehnbach-House, the Pinakothek, the Museum for Archaeology, Museum for Antropology and the Yewish Museum. And of course outside the town there are plenty of castles and lakes and other cosy places to discover.
You know I spend some years in places that by far were not my first choice, a remote city in the north of the Netherlands were I did my first postdoc and later a small-town south of London. In both instances, I hatet these places when I first arrived there, but later, after meeting nice people at work and in the neighborhood, I decided to stay a bit longer. Only after a few weeks I started to discover that both places (Groningen in the Netherlands and Sutton near London) both had their own charme and their hidden secretes and soon I felt there at home. Therefore, the best thing one can do if your are "damned" to live at a new place is trying to find out as soon as possible what this place can give you. And there always will be something unexpected to discover and enjoy, something not neccessarily recommended in the travel guide.
Best greetings, see you on Thuesday
Michael (16-05-2010)
I think I forgot to tell you that I won"t be in the Institute on Monday, since I have to give some lectures in Bonn. I told MA and his secretary to make sure, that the documents for your contract are handed over to the personal department by tomorrow.
I hope that you had a nice weekend. I"m a bit concerned that you might feel alone in the guesthouse in this remote suburbia Unterschleissheim. Please, don"t fall into despair. Before you came, Prof. T told me that you so much wanted to do your Msc project in Paris, London (maybe even in New York, who knows). I convinced him to give you the project here in Munich, and I"m absolute serious you wont regret it at the end. Munich is a provincial spot, of course, it has little glamour and no mystery and on the first glance it can be a bit boring. But it has some absolutely unexpected spots worth to visit (like the Isar-Wave next to Haus-der-Kunst, where Surfer ride and what was recently documented for an international movie), the English Garden with Chinese Tower, the waterfall at Unterfoehring, and flocks of sheeps. There is Horse-Riding near the place where I live, a multicultural sceenery in Haidhausen, some good places if you like to hear life-music, in Summer time there will be open-air theater, good museums that I"m sure you will enjoy like the Lehnbach-House, the Pinakothek, the Museum for Archaeology, Museum for Antropology and the Yewish Museum. And of course outside the town there are plenty of castles and lakes and other cosy places to discover.
You know I spend some years in places that by far were not my first choice, a remote city in the north of the Netherlands were I did my first postdoc and later a small-town south of London. In both instances, I hatet these places when I first arrived there, but later, after meeting nice people at work and in the neighborhood, I decided to stay a bit longer. Only after a few weeks I started to discover that both places (Groningen in the Netherlands and Sutton near London) both had their own charme and their hidden secretes and soon I felt there at home. Therefore, the best thing one can do if your are "damned" to live at a new place is trying to find out as soon as possible what this place can give you. And there always will be something unexpected to discover and enjoy, something not neccessarily recommended in the travel guide.
Best greetings, see you on Thuesday
Michael (16-05-2010)
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