#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 (2/2)

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. 

#lifehacks: plane travel

Before I start, please look at videos about how to pack your luggage, how to get good deals, and how to spend your flying miles. There are so many good channels out there that deal with such matters marvellously.

This post is for older people travelling by plane long distances. I will mention a few tips in random order.

• Arrive at the airport at least three to four hours early because the problem isn't checking in but how many millions of passengers are waiting to get through security.
  
  If fast lane security is possible, buy it, but even these lanes are not full-proof.
  
  
• Use the extra time you have before the flight in a lounge. The prices for these lounges can be very steep, depending on the airport, but you have to minimize your stress before going on a flight. Having fewer people around you and less noise is always good. 
  
  
• If you have checked-in your luggage, carry at least two days' worth of clothes. Two swimsuits are a must if you are going anywhere warm.
  
  
• This next tip is for anyone who is short. After passing through security, I transfer all of my electronics and purse into my carry-on luggage. Then, I put clothes into my small backpack, place the backpack under the seat in front, and pull it out later on and use it as a footrest. For some reason, having my legs raised helps me get into a relaxed/sleep state during long flights Especially, if I can turn a bit on my side.
  
  
• I wear silicon earplugs with noise-cancelling headphones. Reducing the amount of noise during the flight is one of the game changers for arriving in good shape.
  
  Obviously, if you can sleep that would be wonderful, but I cannot. So quiet is almost as good.
  
  
• I order a special meal. This usually arrives first. So I can eat, close my eyes, and pretend to sleep while the whole process goes on with everyone else.
  
  (The engineer in me makes it hard to look at the flight crew serving drinks and food because they so often do it without any love, as if feeding cattle, and some of them are so inefficient.)
  
  
• I drink a lot the day before a trip, not so much on the day I travel, and then drink a lot on the day after I arrive. Maybe this goes against common practices, but it usually means that I do not have to go to the toilet so often during the trip.
  
  
• I eat before going on the plane. Sometimes, the airline food can be very poor quality, so it is better to wait to eat until after arrival.
  
  
• I have a small spray bottle of water that I spray my face with every 30 minutes or so. If you breathe in while spraying, you moisturize your nasal passages. This reduces the damage dry air does and, therefore, potentially reduces the chance of catching airborne illnesses.
  
  
• After sitting down, I wipe down my seat and the table in front of me with disinfectant. Someone who knows their stuff told me that the air is actually very clean; it is the surfaces that are not.
  
  I carry a package of wipes, as well as one small container of liquid disinfectant. I have a second small container in my check-in luggage for the trip back.
  
  
• At the beginning of the flight, I go to one of the toilets near my seat. I always wipe down the toilet seat before using it. I also wipe down the sink and surfaces around the sink with paper towels before I leave the toilet, which means all surfaces are dry. Each time I leave the toilet, it looks like it was not used. I continue to use only this one toilet throughout the flight.
  
  I do not have any scientific data, but my experience is that people are less likely to leave a mess behind in a clean toilet than they are if it is already messy when they come in.
  
  
• Finally, I leave my seat as orderly as possible. I put the blanket and pillow on the seat. I bring a bag to put my garbage in and place everything there. I also wipe down the surfaces for the next passenger.   

Perks of my job

Perhaps I have mentioned this before… maybe numerous times, but one of the perks of my job is being able to travel and stay in nice hotels. Something that was unthought of when I was a child. I vaguely remember staying at a motel maybe once or twice on the way to visit friends. Yet, maybe it is only my imagination. 

The years of working as a trainer allowed me to travel and to stay in mom and pop B&Bs or something along the lines of trucker motels. These places have their charms because there is always something about the decor and amenities which are shared no matter where the place is located. The morning rooms are always filled with people from all sorts of walks of life. I love sitting there over a long breakfast and make up stories of their lives.

With my current company, for the first time, I have been able to stay in luxury hotels. Or at least what I call luxury. Places where the staff is usually separated into the managers who have been working at the hotel for possibly decades and the new young eager employees who are using this stint as a springboard. No matter the size of the hotel or where it is situated, this younger set of employees are often coming from every corner of the world.

Generally, I find it far more interesting to observe the employees and how they do their jobs and how they work together than I do looking at hotel guests. For as is the case for most service jobs, they often forget there are other people in the room and behave naturally. At the moment there are two women working the reception desk for Sunday morning check out. They probably started hours ago. There are no guests checking out at the moment, so one of the women is do a funny calisthenics routine to get her energy back, while the other looks on laughing. A guest arrives and, pink-cheeked, she reverts back to her role. Good for her!

My mind in a daze

I read Beloved
And the Book of Night Women
Such haunting stories.

Evidence that spring is coming

Bleak grey rainy day
Broken by an explosion
Magnolia blooms.

I am... an avid reader (2/4)

Pat had a gift of knowing which book or author matched the stirrings of a person's heart and brain. She read a book a day, many of which she gifted forward. 

The books on my living room bookshelves are a testament to her influence. Those books have stood the test of time. I have read most of them numerous times, some countless times. They are my constant companions, each forming my imagination into what it is today.

There are those who console, excite, or even hammer upon what I believe to be true. Once exposed to their teaching, I can only be changed. These books are not just stories; instead, they act as alchemy, transforming my dulled and mundane thoughts into ones of wonder. 

For this, I am forever grateful to Pat.

I am (still) a... businesswoman

One of the most delightful parts of my job is travelling and working with colleagues all over the world. Today, for example, I had to choose between going to Mallorca to participate in a three-day global event or to Copenhagen for ten days to do a proper handover with Anna. Even though it should not have been much of a choice weather-wise, I decided on Copenhagen for the people and the pleasures of enjoying this fabulous city one last time as a businesswoman and not a tourist.

(Note: the hotel I am staying at is on the harbourfront. What a luxury.)

Photo by Rolands Varsbergs on Unsplash

Neighbourly civility

Early morning walk

Village elders walking dogs 

Everyone nods once.

Time away

It's cold outside, but I leave the door open to let in birdsong and sun rays, so they may keep me company. I'm staying on a houseboat only ten kilometres away from home. It could easily be a thousand for only water, sky, and woodlands surround the boat.

The storm winds of yesterday have calmed. Small waves slap joyfully on the sides; occasionally, they make a gulping sound as if coming up for breath. The sun creates a bright surface of silver pennies. Or, at least I think they are called such. In any case, it is hard to keep my eyes from wandering over in their direction, even though their brightness glares.

Across the bay, a buoy stands straight as a soldier, silent to any whining wind. Finally, a canvas of clouds rolls overhead. Bringing so much drama in greys to my loneliness.

I am... an avid reader (1/2)

Books. Books. Books. My best friends.

 
Reading was a way to escape during my childhood. I'd spend hours in my room, letting my imagination explore other worlds. The best part was finding friends in faraway places who lived lives of such adventure that it made my heart beat quickly. This was where I wanted to be. These places were where I felt most at home.

Every week, we would go to three libraries and take out the maximum number of books. It was a thrill to bring back new books and put them in a pile next to my bed. Anticipation (Vorfreude) distracted me to an extreme; I yearned to start right away. The stories were all waiting for me to open the covers of the books and let them come into existence. A thrill I experience to this day.

I am... nearly retired

Another month of working and being retired at the same time. Last August I officially retired, but unofficially, I continued to work. 

The only real perk of this was having two incomes. Yet, once I go to the tax advisor, I will undoubtedly see how much I have to pay in back taxes, and this will make me wonder whether the stress of the last year has been worth it. Even though I love my job, even though I love my team, I have had to work more than I wished to and under unfavourable circumstances. I am kaputt.

What I am questioning now is to what extent my strategy for retiring was just plain wrong. Since I did not want to turn the switch from "working" to "retired", I started various other activities on the side. These activities and projects have brought much joy and a sense of purpose, but they also need much attention.

I am experimenting a bit with the Boca project to see if I can be involved in projects without having to be the motor pushing everything through. There is a good group of people working on the project. It will remain to be seen, how much work they can do on their own and how much will come back to me.

Now I can finally focus on the Talkshow Rivals project, which I have worked on in spurts. There is also the project with Nicola, creating e-learning content that is also promising. And then there are those I am coaching. 

At this point in time, it is a question of what "nearly retired" could mean. Is this going to be a steady state, or will I step completely aside?

Happiness bubbling up from inside

It is warm enough
To find a quiet corner
With the sun, my friend.