Saturday 30 June 2007

Reha, day 2 - a day by bike




This day I spent mostly on my bike. In the mornings I did 20 kilometres along the Baltic Sea Shore. I spent some time at a small Sail Boat Regatta and enjoyed my time there, lying in the sun and listening to the sound of the waves.

In the afternoon I did some more geocaching and exploring the woods north of Ahrenshoop. The forest there may be approximately 15 x 10 kilomtres so that’s a wide area there. It is even called a “jungle” and yes, there are plants of 2 ormore metres height. The terrain changes very often from swampy to white sand, from good ways to muddy paths. But everyway trees and plants. If you have had enough of woods, just look at your compass, turn direction west and after a few kilometres you will always reach the white, sandy beach of the Baltic Sea. That was fantastic! I was nearly alone there because the weather was very windy with rain in between. So I often made a break and lay down in the white sand to watch the seagulls and to see how the waves constantly trying to get back what ones belonged to the sea.

The bike routes over here are not the best. Very often they are made of concrete slabs 180 x 30 cm, and there is always some space between them. Feels as if every second there is someone hitting your bike with a hammer. So I tried to avoid those concrete slabs and tried to drive on the small 30 cm besides them.

It was a nice but tyring day. In the end I had driven nearly 60 kilometres and spent some 5 hours out in nature. My muscles were getting harder and harder and I even missed supper ( but I expected that and it was not too bad). Tomorrow I better have a rest, because on Monday I am expecting a lot of exercises and therapy waiting for me.

This days kilometres: 58,73

Overall kilometres: 86,53

Friday 29 June 2007

Reha, day 1 – why do people always forget me??



My first day was nice and easy.I travelled to Bremen Main Station by bike (16 kilometres) took my bike with me on the train and left the train 3,5 hours later in a small village. The clinic wrote me that they would catch me and my bike there. So, I waited but none appeared. I called at to the Reha-Clinic and …. “Oh I am so sorry, looks as if we have forgotten you, we will send you a taxi in a minute.” The taxi brought me to the clinic and after check-in I had to go to the first medical inspection.. After the nurse had checked some basics, she told me that I should wait a minute for the doctor. I waited not only one but 60 minutes. I asked the nurse 2 times if I should maybe come back later, but no, the doc will be here in a minute. So, after 60 minutes the doctor came out of her office, looking at me and asking my name. I told her and she: “Oh, I am so sorry, I have forgotten you! I just wanted to leave for my weekend” We had a very nice conversation for maybe 1,5 hours and after the first medical examination, she said that I am in fairly good shape. I will receive my therapy-plan only on Monday and the weekend is free.

So, here I am – let’s see what’ll happen

total distance by bike today: 27,80

Thursday 28 June 2007

Geocaching - Mein 160. Cache

Die Moorriem Reihe (Nr. 1-13 + Bonus Cache) wollte ich eigentlich noch vor meiner Reha klar machen. Aber das war wohl nix. Gleich beim 1ten Teil tauchte ein Anwohner auf und verscheuchte mich vom potentiellen Versteck. Er sehe es nicht gerne wenn hier Leute ein "Päuschen" machten. So gings dann auch weiter. Viele der Moorriem Reihe waren heute nicht zu loggen...oder nur mit erheblicher Wartezeit.
Ingesamt hab ich dann immerhin 6 Moorriem Caches an diesem Tag gehoben. Ob ich den Rest nochmal irgendwann anfahren werde? Ich glaubs eher nicht. Es sind zwar nette Locations und tolle Info dazu, aber die Dosen selber sind dann doch meist vermuggelt und da machts mir persönlich nicht ganz soviel Spaß.
Welcher nun ganz genau der 160. Cache war, weiss ich selbst nicht mehr. Ich meine sogar es wäre Moorriem 1:Moorhausen

Tuesday 26 June 2007

June 25th, a birthday

June 25th is my birthday. This year I celebrated my 44th birthday. 44? Is it old? Is it young? Does anybody care for that??

Since we all will be leaving this week for some vacation, we were more busy with caring for our luggage than celebrating. So, the whole day went as usual: get up at 6.00, work until 4.00 pm, catch JJ at Kindergarten. At home we had a lot to do and I have been on the phone constantly talking to my friends who called to tell me how sorry they were that I am soooo very old now already *smile*...
Then we decided to have a little break and had a nice greek evening. I went to a restaurant and bought some greek food to take away. At home we switched on the TV (I did not watch any TV the whole last weekend) and what was there on the screen? One of our favourite comedy movies: "My big fat greek wedding" So, this fitted perfectly to our food and we even found a bottle of greek wine.

So, I spent my birthday in Greece...somehow

Thursday 21 June 2007

Physiological Changes of Fatherhood

There's also preliminary but tantalizing evidence that fatherhood can change the brain. A 2006 study found enhancements in the prefrontal cortex of the father marmoset. After childbirth, the neurons in this region showed greater connectivity, suggesting that having young children could boost the part of the brain responsible for planning and memory, skills parents need when having kids gives them more to keep track of. The neurons also had more receptors for vasopressin, a hormone that has been shown to prompt animal fathers to bond with offspring.
Armed with the knowledge that their hormone levels have shifted precisely so they'll be more apt to cuddle their newborns, men may feel entitled to do more of the soothing. Which can only be good for kids—and for tired moms. This Father's Day, it's time to thank dads for all their bodies do.
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found on www.slate.com

Wednesday 20 June 2007

busy June

June seems to be a month full of surprises this year. First we had Jale in hospital. Now it is my mother. She has kind of an abscess in her throat and since none knows if it is good or bad, they will cut it out in hospital tomorrow. She will stay in hospital for 1 week maybe and so she will not be able to say byebye to Jale and Julia.

They will be leaving to St. Petersburg on June 27th. First they did not want to go at all, but since Jale keeps complaining about my coming 3 weeks stay at the medical rehabilitation, we decided that it will be better for them to go to St. Petersburg for 3,5 weeks. JJ will have a lot of things to discover there, she will not think of me too aften and at that moment it will make sense...it will make her more relaxed and not cry too often.

Finally it is me. On monday is my birthday but I did not invite anyone since my Mom will be in hospital then, I won't feel like throwing a party.
I will leave on June 29th and will return July 20th. I am ready for it now and I am looking forward to any new impression and experience.

Everyone who is waiting for an e-mail or any other sign from me: please excuse my silence...have to manage my life over here first. Too many things running through my head.
Will be back...one day...sure...promised :-)

Friday 15 June 2007

Geocaching, June 14th, my 150th cache

Long time no "after-work-caching-tour" I thought to myself. But now it was high-time again. At home everyone had recovered, we visited all doctors...so, I switched off my mobile phone and went off after work for some geocaching in the woods again.
I was in an area that I knew from other caching-tours. Appr. 30-35 kilometres from here.

The forests out there are simply perfect. Small ways, not many people around and always challenging caches hidden there. Perfect for me!!
It was dry and sunny weather when I began with my first search at Hinkelsteine . This one was easy. I knew immediately where the cache would be, but there has been an older couple in a garden nearby that was constantly staring at the man who was sitting and walking around there with no plan as it looked. Finally they both turned away after some minutes and I took the chance to grab the cache, write my log and put it back safely.

At the next cache
, NSG Gierenberg ,there were less problems. No mugglers around but I also had no GPS signal. It was dark in the forest...a roof made of green leaves covered everything and made it impossible to navigate. So, I was following my "cachers-instincts" and found the box after a few minutes only :-)

When I reached Eichen-Naturdenkmal it was raining heavily...but I did not really care. But he cache...hmm.....this was heavy. I nearly beat myself here. I had only the coordinates for the first waypoints of this multi-cache and knew nothing else. I forgot to print the logs and hints for this cache and so it looked as if I would have to quit here. I wanted to stop my search after 20 minutes and wanted to leave when I discovered a very small sign with East/North Coordinates on it. From there it was only a 100 metres to the cache location.
Perfect...I was proud!! The cache itself was hidden under an old oak tree...must have been a hundred years or more old. Very impressive.

This was my 150th cache:
Waldparkplatz Osenberge
The way towards this cache began at a parking area. From here there was a narrow and winding way leading through the forest. I walked some 10 minutes until I was close. My GPS was exact this time and so I had no probs to find the location. The cache itself was hidden very smart...under green moss it was invisible and I had to use my cache stick to find it. There was a key chain with a blinking sign on it in the cache. I took it as a gift for JJ ( I always try to bring her some little things from some cache when on caching-tour) and I left a small elephant-chop .

Zwischen den Wegen
I did not find this one:-( I had fairly good signals from the GPS (some 10m off) but the cache was hidden very well. I had no exact idea of where to search but I expected it to be hard here. The other logs all told about a good hidden cache and in this rain I simply did not want to go on searching more intense.

All in all...it was a nice night out in the woods. I felt relaxed and excited...a funny mix that I did not expect to fit so very well together.




Geocaching - Mein 150. Cache

Lange habe ich kein "Feierabend-Caching" mehr gemacht. Gestern war es endlich wieder soweit. Zuhause alle gesund, alle Ärzte bereits abgeklappert...also Handy ausgeschaltet und wo kann man zum entspannten Cachen besser hin fahren als in die Gegend zwischen Hatten und Sandkrug??
Die Caches die dort ausgelegt wurden sind nicht zu anspruchsvoll aber immer toll gelegt...gerade richtig.

Die Wälder sind dort einfach toll, kaum Leute weit und breit. Es regnete ein wenig aber was solls? Habs kaum bemerkt.
Los ging es einfach bei den Hinkelsteinen . Es war zwar von Anfang an klar wo die kleine Dose liegen würde, aber ein älteres Ehepaar hat gegenüber sehr ausdauernd seinen Garten gegossen und immer mal wieder gepeilt was der seltsame Mann da wohl so planlos rumsitzt bzw. steht. Irgendwann als sie sich umgedreht hatten hab ich dann einfach beherzt zugegriffen, schnell geloggt und auch unbeobachtet zurückgelegt.

Am nächsten Cache, NSG Gierenberg, gabs weniger Probleme denn hier waren überhaupt keine Muggels zu sehen. Hatte zwar auch keinen GPS Empfang wegen dichtem Blätterdach, dafür waren aber auch nicht sooo wahnsinnig viele gute Versteckmöglichkeiten dort.

Eichen-Naturdenkmal ...da hab ich mich mal wieder fast selbst besiegt. Kein Ausdruck dabei, keine Textdatei auf dem iPod...also auch keine Logs und kein Hint. Nur eine gekritzelte Notiz: Mini-Multi. Tolle Sache :-( Den WP zu finden hat mich locker 20 Minuten gekostet *grrrrrr* (mit Hint wären es wohl 2 Minuten gewesen)...der Final war dann so einfach das ich den wahrscheinlich besser ohne WP gefunden hätte. Was fürn Krampf. Aber eine tolle Location...uralte Eichen..sehr beeindruckend!

Waldparkplatz Osenberge
Das war dann der 150. Cache...und das war ein schöner. Waldparkplatz und dann so ca. 100 m einen engen, grünen Trampelpfad zu Cache. Der Cache selbst war auch toll versteckt. Nicht sofort zu erkennen wo er stecken könnte und jede Menge Versteckmöglichkeiten. Seltsamerweise hab ich ihn dennoch fix gefunden und auf einer kleinen Lichtung ganz in Ruhe geloggt. Das war sehr relaxed und auch als ich schon wieder am Wagen war, hab ich keine Menschenseele zu Gesicht gekriegt.

Zwischen den Wegen
Nee....hier hab ich nix finden können. Irgendwo unter Moos sollte er stecken. Nachdem ich bis ca. 10m an die Koords gekommen war, war der GPS Empfang weg. Der Wald einfach zu dicht. Hab ein wenig herumgestochert aber das war wohl eher aussichtslos. Das ist noch mal einen Versuch zu vegetationsloser Zeit wert:-) Die Gegend und die Wanderwege jedenfalls sind sehr toll und erholsam. Auch ohne Found war das einen Besuch wert.
Gefallenendenkmal Sandkrug
Darüber gibts nicht viel zu erzählen. Einfacher Multi, schnell gefunden. Aber die Inschrift auf dem Denkmal hat es in sich. Da steht nämlich:
"Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, und im Unglück jetzt erst recht"

Hallo?? Was ist das denn??? Unfassbar...aber es muss wohl der damaligen Arroganz bzw. dem Zeitgeist des Volkes (nach dem 1. Weltkrieg) entsprochen haben...

Thursday 14 June 2007

Top 9 Things You Didn't Know About Death

Interested in some news about mortality??

1. When a person dies, hearing is the last sense to go -- the first is usually sight, followed by taste, smell and touch

2. A human head remains conscious for about 15 to 20 seconds after it has been decapitated

3. 100 people choke to death on pens each year. One is more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a spider

4. Alexander's funeral would have cost $600 million today. A road from Egypt to Babylon was built to carry his body

5. When inventor Thomas Edison died in 1931, his friend Henry Ford captured his last dying breath in a bottle

6. Over 2500 left-handed people are killed each year from using products made for right-handed people

7. It takes longer than ever before a body to decompose due to preservatives in the food that we eat these days

8. An eternal flame lamp at the tomb of a Buddhist priest in Nara, Japan has kept burning for 1,130 years

9. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry is the first person to have his ashes put aboard a rocket and 'buried' in space

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found on www.shorttext.com


Wednesday 13 June 2007

Deep thoughts of a 5 year old

Some days ago we sat together in the kitchen when our 5 y.o. daughter JJ all over sudden asked me:

JJ: Papa, who is the oldest of us 3?
Winni: Me
silence....thinking...

JJ: So, you're gonna die first
Winni: probably. You will be alone with Mom then
long silence...thinking
...thinking...

JJ: Ah-that doesn't matter. We will find a new Papa.
after a short break
JJ: But a YOUNGER one then!!

Julia: NOOOOO...please!!!!

Julia and me looked at each other and burst out laughing.
So, what should make me think more? JJ's words or Julia's words???
Maybe none??

Monday 11 June 2007

Jale's 5th birthday


On June 4th Jale celebrated her 5th birthday. She was still weak and ill that time and so we promised to do a big party for her. So we invited her friends for a party on sunday, 10th. She wanted to invite nearly everyone of her kindergarten kids...that would have been about 12 children. Way too many for our flat and for our nerves! But we have a general agreement: 1 friend per year, means, 5th birthday=5 friends, 6th birthday=6 friends etc etc.
For sunday she invited her friends: Marvin, Sabrina, Melanie, Alina and Ebru. Unfortuntaley Ebru was ill and could not be with us. Her party started at 2.30h p.m. and the parents picked up their children again at 6.30h p.m.
It was hot that day... 26-28°C but the kids were playing outside for some time and we only went inside our flat to have some cakes and cookies. All in all it was a loud and wild party but they all liked it and nobody wanted to leave.
After all kids had left and we cleaned up everything again, we had a cool drink to relax. Next morning I got up at 6.00h again and I felt as if I was boxing 12 rounds.......;-)

Thursday 7 June 2007

Aerial views Part 2

Aerial views from around the world

Aerial view of Gweebarra Bay Estuary, County Donegal, Ireland.
Aerial view of Roar Rollercoaster, Six Flags, Baltimore, USA
Aerial photograph of Beach and sand dune, Western Isles, Scotland.
Aerial view of Chessil beach, Dorset, England.
Aerial view of birds on Bass Rock, Scotland.
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