03.09.2001 (mo), Atlanta
Labor day.
I complete the cycle of getting Americanized. Spend the whole day on my couch
watching television, ate at least 10 different type of candies, ordered a pizza.
I have no idea how many movies I watched today neither what their content was.
09.09.2001 (sa), Atlanta
Prepared. I spent 4 hours today to search for a gift box
(approx 10x10 cm) and a rubber ball. This is ridiculous. I even started a
discussion with a very amused sales guy in a shop for watches, I saw the perfect
box containing a watch (quite ugly watch) and tried to convince the sales guy to
give away the box without make me buy the 120 USD watch:-) He didn't. At last I
found dozen of boxes in "The Container Store", I remembered this shop
quite well, but it took me half an hour to find its location again.
Once I got the box, I still had to search for the rubber ball. And once I had
the box, suddenly in any shop I then entered, there were boxes over boxes. I
hate that.
No I am sitting here and still have no rubber ball I could put in the very nice
box. I need to come up with another idea.
16.09.2001 (su), Atlanta
"Freedom itself was attacked this morning, and freedom will be defended."
(Bush)
That's it. Back to work tomorrow.
Even though what happened in New York and Washington this week... well;-). We were at Savannah which is one of the most beautiful
towns I ever have visited. We also checked out Hilton Head which is supposed to
be the vacation location for celebrities (haven't seen one, well, may I have
seen one but haven't recognized him/her).
For sure you know, what happened to America on the 11th. Sure, anybody knows. Nearly every shop is out of American flags
and banners. (Walmart reports to have 340.000 USA flags/banners sold until
Friday.) You see them everywhere, at houses, gas
stations. Cars driving around with banners at their antenna or at the windows.
What the people think (and say) is: We stick together... how sad that something
like this had to happen to bring us closer to each other... we will strike back.
Today - as I brought Sanna to the airport for her flight back - we have
seen a man praying in direction of Mecca below an escalator in the airport
atrium. People walked by, I have seen nobody taking offense.
Stefan was in Mexico supposed to fly back to Atlanta on Wednesday, today I
picked him up from the Marta. He got - at last - a flight from Puebla to Houston
today (7am, leaving at 9am, missing his connection from Houston to Atlanta.)
Thomas was in Detroit at Tuesday, had to drive back 13 hours with a rental car.
The other guys were at the office in Atlanta (evacuated at the 11th after the
reports came in because the King&Queen Building we are in is a twin tower
complex which is significantly dominating Sandy Springs, indeed this is the
first time I mention that). I was on vacation, got the information from my mother who
called from Germany to ask where I was, then switching on the TV, found myself
suddenly in a surrealistic scene.
What happened, but especially how it was done, is so full of blank malevolence.
To use cross-country flights, near the take-off airport for full tanks, maximum
damage, to do it on a weekday after 8am after people went to work. I don't think
they expected the buildings to collapse, I really don't think so.
The blood donation - the only thing the poor people can give - beats any record
and the officials report even although they don't need the blood for the WTC
victims any more, they collect it now to be prepared for the "wartime
ahead". Three days long this message was part of the news ticker in nearly
any news channel: Dependants are directed not to give the social security ID of
their loved-ones they are searching for to pretending rescue workers near the
WTC site. (Background: if you have a valid SID you can apply for a credit card
or loan, the credit card company checks for the credit history of people by
using their SID then granting the credit cards based on this history usually
without any personal contact with the applicant.) Hackers opened several sites
and placed names of missing people in the "survivor" list (without
reason), people traveled to the listed hospitals to see their dependants then
realizing that it was a fake. By modifying the DNS entries at newsbytes.com
visitors of several sites were redirected to a site which displayed "Fluffi
Bunni goes JIHAD". Any public building has closed nearby parking lots, now
official rules are on the way which probably will define this in common.
17.09.2001 (mo), Atlanta
I hear President Bush talking about the "long lasting and
complicated" war which is now to fight ("and we will win"), hear
them talking about "acceptable interference into the citizens private
life". Well. Just heard the FBI Director in a press conference who
said: "I want you to get this straight: the United States of America will
not tolerate attacks on Arabian Americans at all." So far the FBI is
investigating 40 assaults of Americans against Arabic or Arabic looking people
in the USA. In New York an estimated count of 20% less taxis are available - a
working domain of Arabic and Indian people.
The first Marines arrived in Pakistan today, Taliban committee will decide
tomorrow whether they will hand over Bin Laden or not. I don't think they will
do it.
Isn't that nice, the only thing which apparently can prevent a war is that one
country is handing over one person - no matter whether he did this or not, he
did enough to deserve a few lifetimes of jail anyway.
18.09.2001 (tu), Atlanta
This is not a good day. Actually this is the worst type of
day at all. If a day is good or bad you have something to be happy or to get mad
about. Nothing went really wrong today, nothing really worked. Nobody was really
complaining, nobody really mad, nobody really happy or sad, nobody really successful
nor unsuccessful. Nothing was decided nor disagreed. I cannot say that I really
hate that, well at least nothing really bad happened, didn't it? I was doing
something the whole day, indeed I was pretty busy but I have horrible issues
remembering what I did all day. Lets see... Woke up (that was easy to remember);
was pretty late (couldn't sleep yesterday until 3am); went to work; tried to
figure out how McAfees ePolicy Server works (thereby something uninstalled the
McAfee Virus Scanner from my computer and none of the deployed versions was able
to reinstall); got a mail which contained a few bitching stuff which usually
makes me wondering what people think about what I care (but today it just
annoyed me); got the feeling that my entire stuff planning got a reset right now
and anything I thought out and mentioned a year ago is suddenly other peoples
idea; got remembered that if people don't get information this is all my fault,
may it is; oh: mentioned, that I again am at the right time at the wrong place
or better at the wrong time away from the right place, that was pretty sad to
figure out.
Now I recognize the real thing of this day, I am again wondering, why anybody
can say and do to me what ever he likes without any need for apology, while
anybody expects me to stay calm (what I not ever follow, definitely not) and to apologize,
what I usually do (especially if I haven't stayed calm). Why is this? May they
do and I don't hear it! I feel like my right foot is locked in a block of
concrete and people wondering why the hell I am not moving fast enough while
they ensure each other that they all the time knewed that this will not work out
if I do it and that I am too stupid to separate my own ass from my face (could
be, because I see both not that often). This is not a movie where at last will
come to truth that the hero was right all the time and anybody else was bitching
without reason (or usually only because they are the bad guys). The reality
leaves you with doubt. You don't know whether they are right or not, you don't
know whether it is your fault or not, you can assume and think it over, you can
move your egoism and arrogance into play and you may are impartial enough to
listen and watch your history what you did and what came out of it. The reality
is a bitch because it leaves you AND them without prove, it neither opens nor
closes the door, reality is questioning but also leaves the questions open. And
the real world will not close the curtain, maybe just a second before you
figured all out so you could say at least: "Oh, that was close." I
presume there is no curtain at all, or - could also be true - it is already that
tight closed, that I haven't mentioned it. My problem is not, that I am maybe a
entire incapable, egoistic and arrogant asshole, my problem is, that I never
will figure it out and maybe - this really drives me mad - I never will figure
it out BECAUSE I am.
(X)
You know what, somehow I don't give a damn. If I cannot figure it out and are
obviously not able to change it either, what sense does it make to get mad or
annoyed about it? What I learned from America is this: either you get annoyed,
mad and mean or you lean back and enjoy, it is your choice.
In this case, the choice is mine.
Guess what!?
If you need an update about the WTC news, watch TV.
20.09.2001 (th), Atlanta
IMYLH
21.09.2001 (fr), Atlanta
Approx. 40 of the 80 TV channels I have are broadcasting
the "America: A tribute to heroes" telethon. (www.tributetoheroes.org,
1-800-868-6483=1-800-TO UNITE) live from Los Angeles and New York. Entirely
commercial free. Anything and everyone at the show is donated or donating. At
the phones and in between the songs telling "hero-stories" Will Smith
(with Muhammed Ali), Selma Hayek, Andy Garcia, Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Tom
Woods, Robin Williams, Al Pacino, Meg Ryan, Whoppy Goldberg, George Clooney, Danny DeVito, Julia
Roberts, Ben Stiller, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Keaton, Kurt Russell, Clint
Eastwood, Robert DeNiro, Goldie Hawn, ... Playing U2, Tom Waits, Steve Wonder, Sting, Bruce
Springsteen, and many more all of them live and all of them very...
intense.
At least, each of them gave me the impression that they were there, to do what
they can do, that is even more then I can do.
22.09.2001 (sa), Atlanta
Check this out. While working I now watch since more then
three hours the Miss America show. It is so boring that it addicts you to watch
the show:-). And I am pretty sure on a night out in Atlanta you can see women
who (I was going to write "witch", is that a guy thing?) are more
beautiful then these. May this is because of this artificial smile on their
face.
Wait, now the final five wait for the "final justice". Ha, first they
have to stand a quiz. One point for me. Supreme court, ladies, is the highest judicial
authority (and all are right). One more for me (I read the declaration of
independence, three of the girls apparently not). How many presidents or
ex-president are still alive? 6. Damn forgot about Ford (even
don't remember that this guy was President). (Ford, Carter, Bush, Bush, Clinton,
still only five. Is tricky Dick still alive? Oops, Reagan is, isn't he?) And a
commercial again.
Here we go. 20.000 bucks for Miss New York, 25.000 (to continue her education:-)
for Miss District of Columbia, 30.000 for Miss Tennessee and 40.000 for Miss Massachusetts,
that leaves Mr. Oregon as Miss America 2001. Oh dear, Tony Danza shouldn't sing.
Ha! The crown just felt to the ground, how symbolic.
Yeah, dear world, here comes the ultimate show. Cheaters (real reality
television).
The subject is quite easy explained you call them when you think your partner is
cheating on you, then these guys will hunt and observe your spouse undercover
and millions of Americans have the chance to see them f-beep on a clearing or
working at your second live as prostitute. (Don't get too excited, you always see
them boning but the significant parts of the activity is carefully hidden.)
After being convicted, the main idea of the show is to film the confrontation of
the cheated and the cheater, starting by showing the filmed material to the
cheated sitting in a car near the current location of the cheater (while he or
she is
in a suspicious situation), seconds later, sure to have the cheated as angry as
possible and in maximum temper, lead them to the cheater. This is the real peak
point of the show.
30.09.2001 (th), Atlanta
I need more sleep. On Monday at the Goldfish, then hmmm, cannot remember, well whatever. On Tuesday we were out at the Highland Tap later at Halo. On Wednesday at Loca Luna (I love their spicy food). Today I will stay at home.
30.09.2001 (sa), Atlanta
The Braves won 5:3 vs. the New York Mets. Good game. Stefan and I got stucked in traffic when driving downtown, it took us over an hour to get to Marks place so we reached Turner Field at the 2nd Inning. The others went to the bar at the first level (always forget the name), while I was using our ticket seats (one of 8;-). I ate three of this small pizzas (still can feel how they getting digested).
30.09.2001 (su), Atlanta
So much about the very intense self-promise not to work at weekends anymore.
