Rusty’s Weekly Diary

A dream within a dream? NO – never more. This is real. A dancing dog.

Rock.  Pop.   Dance.

the words together now

      up

  on the dance floor

A former friend of Almut started writing very early when he still was at school. And when I remember it well he won a price with his lyrics – a small booklet titled ‚Worte sind Steine‘ (Hans Lassen; oh no – it is not him – but who else wrote it? Carlo Levi! Ah, memories are tricky sometimes … the booklet with Hans’ texts is ‘Zwischen Wort und Wort’).
Of course you can fight with words – they can be touchy, nice, they can be harsh, they can violate. Sometimes we do not know until somebody shouts ‚Hey, you are hurting me with that, are you crazy?‘ At least discussions start then – but do not start them with your feasts 😉 or teeth.

and autumn is slowly crawling in … still the weather is beautiful outside. Enjoy the sun as much as you can, sun is warming us. And he let’s us forget about the winter that will surely come after autumn (at least in Middle Europe) – hopefully with my beloved snow.

And when does the ‚Herbst des Lebens’ begin? When we notice little ‚Zipperleins’? When we forget names, little somethings? When we prepare to retire?

It is in fact simple: when we are getting old. Everybody is getting old – and this is normal. Do not fight too much against it.

Yes, we still have LPs and CDs – und das ist gut so.

Because we re-discovered a song – resp. a LP – Almut had totally forgotten about over the years: Dr. Alban, Hello Afrika.

Yes, Afrika with ‚k‘, really, I only noticed after a second take. From 1990 (!). Dr. Alban is Nigerian and is living in Sweden since his 18th birthday – that is the reason why for the ‚k‘ in Afrika. The singing dentist. There’s really a lot… working as a DJ helped him to finance his studies. He had the chance to go to university. I was totally thrilled by the song: ‚Hello Afrika, tell me how you doin‘. What would Africa answer, as a whole? What do you think? Hello to my bro.
But coming back to the song. Fantastic – moves legs and brain – there is also a woman singing – Leila K. – singing Nigerian? Marvellous. (P.S.: after listening to the song several times – it is English)
And Dr. Alban is not new to Almut, she has been on stage with a Dr. Alban song. Step Aerobic Group Show at the Kieler Woche with ‚Sing Hallelujah‘, decades ago … (huh, a little bit awkward, but, OK, she was young …).
Finally: Have a close look at the LP cover… what comes into your mind? Nothing? No good. Something? Better. Many things? Go tell me about it (hm, this reminds me of ….).

 

Had a good start into the new day? Many had not – for sure. Trouble at home? With master and mistress? No goodies at home? And many more annoying things. For those I have a special tip:

What is it that makes ‘a good start into the day’? For some it is the first hug, some like to stand for hours being groomed.

And important for many gogs – if they are willing to admit or not – a kind word or talk, a ‚Oh hello, good to see you, how are you?‘ IMPORTANT? VERY IMPORTANT!

SO: When you step out of your door make your decision: Smile or not. If you want that the others notice that your start was no good at all – grumble. Lucky you, when someone dares to ask how you are doing – then you can talk about and perhaps laugh about it together (good case).

OR (1) they say that you are a troublemaker, whiner – nobody will ever have a talk or walk with you again (worst case).
OR (2) You say to yourself: Shit can happen, smile – but please: Do not suppress it (because: This is no good.). Solve the things where they have to be solved (best case).

P.S.: SO: and OR (2): Having come to terms with yourself – ‘dann klappt’s auch mit dem Nachbarn’ (war das nicht die Somat Werbung???) VERY BEST CASE

Wenn ich nicht mit einkaufen kommen kann, Sozialkontakte nicht pflege, keine Arbeit habe, keine Fragen stellen darf (‚Misch dich nicht ein!‘ ‚Immer wenn du dich einmischst geht was schief.’ ‘Sitz’, ‘Platz’, ‘Ab’) – ja was kann/ darf/ soll ich dann noch hier? Simple Fragen werden mir schon als Einmischung ausgelegt… bald trau’ ich mich überhaupt nicht mehr irgend etwas zu sagen – verstumme quasi ganz. Ja, aus Angst. Aus Angst eine gewischt zu kriegen. Aus Angst noch mehr Brüllerei zu provozieren. Aus Angst vor der Angst.
Bleibt da noch was? Wo in den tiefsten Tiefen soll ich dann mein Selbstwertgefühl suchen? Schließlich bin ich ein intelligenter Schnauzer.

Man and woman. Marriage. Again and again. Often a trouble spot nobody finds right solution for it. Really? Perhaps we still have not found the right solution.

Einer will der Bestimmer sein – kann er ja mal. Aber eben nicht immer. Das ist kein Gesetz und nicht in Stein gemeißelt. Manchmal gibt es Situationen da wird einer dazu – und gibt diese Rolle natürlich ungern wieder ab wenn sie ihm so gut gefällt. Aber insgesamt ist es für die Chancen- und Talentverteilung vielleicht total kontraproduktiv.

Aber viele Männer meinen immer noch ganz selbstverständlich: ‚Ne, einer muß da schon zurück stecken.‘ Selbst gehört im Bekanntenkreis – und wie selbstverständlich ist das halt immer die Frau. Mann muß ja Kohle ran schaffen und ist dadurch der designierte Bestimmer. Umgekehrt geriert sich übrigens auch Frau so wenn sie das Geld verdient (auch schon so erlebt).

Das ist kein Kausalzusammenhang, liebe Leute, dass derjenige der verdient bestimmt! Der der das Geld verdient macht seinen Job – aber zuhause ist nicht Job, da ist Ehe oder Partnerschaft – das ist was anderes.

Wenn da nicht zumindest die Chance besteht dass der Nicht-Verdiener auch mal das Sagen hat – dann ist Gefahr in Verzug. Dann wird das gute alte Rollenmodell gelebt und nichts anderes. Dann haben wir das 20. Jahrhundert noch nicht überwunden an der Stelle.

Demokratische Verhältnisse müssen her – denn da hat auch nicht automatisch die Partei das Sagen die das meiste Geld hat (hopefully ;-)) sondern Stimmen, also Zu-Stimmung erzielt hat. Das sollte doch in Partnerschaften möglich sein, oder?

And what about humans and dogs?

Artists know about it – sitting/ standing in front of a white sheet of paper – and really nothing comes into your mind. For hours, for days …

Ordinary working dogs just cannot comprehend. ‚Do something.’ ‚You have been in your studio the whole day – and what is ready now?‘ – Hm, what? Easy enough to say – with their SMS typing or Whats apps, mails, tweets, posts and who knows what else – only to be busy or at least look like.

An artist simply does not do this. He stands the emptiness. Because he knows: Someday it is coming – the idea that fills the empty sheet of paper. And then helps him to go on. He knows that real creativity cannot be forced. Even if some coaches already postulate it. But they always put the methodology in the foreground, not the inspiration itself.

And this subtle difference only a few know about.

Nobody really wants to realize that we are already under a total social and digital control.

‚Handy dabei?‘ werden Almut und Thomas oft gefragt, klar, oft aus Sicherheitsgründen, aber viel mehr doch inzwischen auch um genau fest zu halten wo ich wie mit wem was bespreche und mache – da schon im Hintergrund jemand wieder an einer App rum schraubt. Da ist das ‚Tüte dabei?‘ als Standardfrage für die Hundekotentsorgung doch ehrlicher, oder? Oder wollen sie in Zukunft den Hundekot mit ihrem smartphone aufheben?

Oder in den Museen und Ausstellungen – scheint ja ohne Audioguide gar nicht mehr zu bewältigen zu sein bzw. werden schon so gemacht dass selbst ich einen Audioguide bräuchte. Geh’, so a Schmarrn. Soll i da wia a Zombie duarch lafa?

Und merkt ihr eigentlich dass sich parallel eine neue deutsche Widerstandsfront bildet, die alles Englische et. Al. gar nicht haben will? Wo schon das Wort Café offenbar unerwünscht ist?

Wir sind hier in Deutschland. Ja, klar. Aber mir dann jedes englische oder sonstige Wort abspenstig zu machen ist doch albern und total reaktionär. Schließlich treff’ ich jeden Tag Hunde aus Spanien, Griechenland oder sonstwo her. Lieber bringen wir uns doch ein paar Sprachen bei und lassen zur Freude aller ein paar Bonmots fallen. Das bringt keinen um – und wer’s nicht kann dem helfen wir halt. Persönlich. Individuell.

Denn bald wird es heißen: App? Kann jeder. Persönlich? Ist high class. 

I really wanted to get into it here, find a new job that really suits me, I was really enthusiastic.

And now? After all that time I have to say that I did not succeed. Or better – could not find the right job here. Why? First of all  I tried to find a job in the same way and in the same field than before – wrong plan. My fault. Because my idea of ‘QM’ is different to the idea of thousands of rules and paragraphs. Job opportunities in the newspapers sounded promising – and in the end turned out to be ‚fakes’. As nobody wants to hear simple facts – and always keep smiling is a nice idea but sometimes you have to be bad.

So I had the chance to get into the fields of manufactured jewelry, art, museum stores, shops in general, design, coaching, concept writing and drawing, dog and horse training  – everything from different perspectives – and so much more that I really have to say I lost my red line.

But did I really?
No. Instead I found myself again – my own instincts and feelings, knowing about my weaknesses and really seeing my strengths. Knowing my interests, intuition.

At the beginning money was important, of course, I did not want to crash after successful years.

But more and more the things I did became more important than the money (may the dollar counting fraction stay away please).

‘Help the people’ is it (and sometimes the animals) – and I ‘feel something so right doing the wrong thing’ (Musikeinspieler: One Republic). ‘We’re not counting money we are counting stars.’ (Musikeinspieler: s.o.). I love to see the sparkle in your eyes – than it feels right for you – than it is real. For me as well. I am breaking many rules, I know – but always with the aim to make things easier for us.

But beware: Everybody who will draw money , fame and glory out of my creations (and there are lots of) without informing me (or already did) – and I know there are some – be sure that I will get back to you to get what is mine.