Open window

 A circular saw
Drones on top of the street sounds
I miss birds singing.

#lifehacks: green dishwashing liquid

The miracle of green dishwashing liquid can not be underestimated. It can be used in many ways beyond cleaning dishes.

• Cleaning greasy hands - let's say you have repaired your bicycle and have grease on your hands. Pour some dishwashing liquid directly into the palm of your hand (do not add water) and rub the liquid around the greasy spots until it turns white and then grey. Rinse off with warm water.
  
  
• Getting rid of oil stains—If you get oil stains on your clothes, immediately apply dishwashing liquid liberally to the spot. Tap it so the liquid sinks into the material. Do not rub the material. Let it soak into the material for at least twenty minutes before putting it in the washing machine.
  
  For some reason, washing machines work better than handwashing. But if the material is too delicate,of course, hand wash in as hot a temperature as the material allows.
  
  
• As a lubricant for the manual pump of the toilets in boats - a few drops of liquid on the shaft of the handle once in a while makes it easier to pump.
  
  
• Cleaning a greasy, dirty bicycle chain - apply the liquid sparingly to the chain links. Wipe excess grease and dirt away with a rag. Add oil or clear lubricant once the worst is off, and wipe off more of the old grease and dirt. Once the chain is clean, apply the new lubricant sparingly. No water is used in this process.

I am... an avid reader (3/4)

My life as a reader began with library books, then books we had to read for our English literature classes, which I found so boring compared to the library books. It is not that I did not like the books; it is that I did not like picking them apart. 

Reading, at that time, was an intimate solo pursuit. Sometimes, my sisters and I would share books if they were especially riveting. Yet, we did not speak about what we liked or did not like about the books we read.

Sometime during our childhood, we started getting books as presents. My father built bookshelves in our bedrooms. Slowly, my favourite books grew like a family populating the shelves over the years. When I left home at 14, they were left behind.
My mother sent me "care packages" wherever I was living, with a selection of books to tide me over. This continued until I moved to Germany. The bookstores would have a small selection of English books. They were dear in price as well as eclectic in selection.

 
Thankfully, there were always the classics. Therefore, I bought and reread a large selection of books (Jane Austin, Bronte sisters, and Charles Dickens) of the books we read in school. Astonishingly, they were not in the least bit boring. They were brilliant and have remained a constant read in the proceeding decades.

One bookstore had a selection of Beckett, Wolfe, Camus, and Kafka, which became the dark horses in my family of books. Another store had Russian classics and works of dissidents. I loved every single one of them. There is nothing more precious than finding a good book in the corner of a bookstore in a foreign country.

Not being in a rush

Bending down my head
Breathing quietly in-out
Hairdresser's yoga.

#lifehacks: train travel

Train travel is my preferred method of transport. It used to be air travel, but that is long gone. These are things that I do to make my trips less stressful and more enjoyable.

• If I absolutely need to arrive at a specific time, e.g., for a business appointment or have a connecting train to catch, I tend to take an earlier train.
  
  The DB (Deutsche Bahn) used to have a better record for being punctual. Now, it is not so, yet the DB app and passengers still schedule trips with 5-10 minutes to transfer from one train to another. When they miss a connection, they get really upset. I prefer to go one train earlier, so the likelihood of catching the second train or arriving for the business appointment is better.

• Always reserve a window seat. You do not know what beauty you will experience watching the landscape pass by.

• Book a seat in a department near the first-class department. I have no empirical data, but the bathroom tends to be cleaner in the first-class department.

• Bring a selection of snacks to eat along the way. Nothing too healthy, nothing too large or cumbersome to hold, nothing that is smelly. A bento box of delights and a few crispy or crunchy bits.

• (I'd like to say bring plenty of water. But I don't tend to drink while I am travelling because I do not really want to go to the bathroom. I know this is not healthy.) 

• It is better to pack two small suitcases rather than one large one. 

• This is especially true for older short people. Lifting a large suitcase up and down stairs can be particularly bad for your back. 

• Since I have short legs as well, one of the bags is so packed that I can sit on it while waiting for a train and then store it on the floor of my seat so I can rest my feet on it. This also means I can take off my shoes if I am resting them on the suitcase.

• The other small piece of luggage can be stored overhead. Generally, people will help more easily if you have a small piece of luggage to put overhead than they will if it is large.

• Make sure to have a notebook and pen on hand in case ideas pop up in your head.

• Download several podcasts and audiobooks because you might take a while to find the right thing to listen to. Your mood can change during a train journey. The same thing goes for selecting which books you bring.

• Sometimes, I bring something to work on. I find that working at the beginning of a journey for an hour or so is productive as well it helps me to get into the flow, the slowness of time whiling away.

• I like to bring some knitting with me. It keeps my hands occupied while I look out on the passing landscape, listening to a podcast or audiobook.

I feel as if a long train journey is partly an outward journey of being the observer. Looking out the window or people-watching. It is also partly an inward journey of sinking into a good book or even into a state of daydreaming.

I once met someone who took a seat beside me, put his attache case on his lap, stared ahead, and did not move a bit. After an hour or so, we got into a conversation. He said he travelled back and forth from Hamburg to Munich every week. He worked in Hamburg. His family was in Munich. He had tried everything to make the trip go quickly. In the end, he decided to make a list of things he wanted to think about, and that is what he did; he just let himself think. Amazing. 

I am... a pensioner

 

It is grey outside

In my heart there is brightness

Nothing to do now!

#lifehacks: metal sinks

If you are cutting up anything smelly, like onions or fish, and you want to get the smell off your fingers, just wet the bottom of a metal sink a bit and rub your fingers back and forth. The smell will disappear instantly.  

I am... an aspiring bookbinder

(Lia's first notebook)

So, my dear friend Christine heard from a friend about a bookbinder who offers courses on bookbinding. Did I want to take a course with her? Sounded like fun, so I said yes, but I did not have any idea what it was going to be like.

Instead of spending the weekend with a group of elderly housewives in a trite community center trying to make small talk, all the while struggling to adhere to the simplest of instructions... 

Christine and I spent a magical few days with Silke, the bookbinder, working in her studio at the side of her house. She was so calm and excited at the same time and told us endless stories about the world of bookbinding. All the while, she gently walked us through the process of making our own notebooks. We couldn't help but become more and more entranced by the art of bookbinding. Now, this is a hobby I would love to do. 

We're starting slow. We've booked another few days in August. I'd like to do some sort of visual overview, a mix of photos, text, and drawings. Let's see if that happens. 

In the meantime, I am looking at all of Ido Agassi's Skillshare videos. Here are a few videos for you to get a taste of how wonderful his work is. 

I'm hooked! 

Last weekend as an employee

This is very weird
There is no more need to sleep in
Every day is same.  

#lifehacks: icecubes

Icecubes that are not made of water are a really good way to cool things down quickly.

• Carrot juice - a little carrot juice is good for babies because of the added vitamins. By placing a carrot juice ice cube in a hot bottle, you can cool it down quickly to the right temperature.

• Ginger shots and freshly squeezed lemon juice - add to boiling water and instantly have ginger lemon tea in the morning.

• Vegetable broth - add to a hot bowl of soup to cool down quickly

• Smoothie - instant mini popsicle 

The wonderful thing about ice cubes made with other things is that you only have to do it once, and they last a long time.