Published Friday September 10th, 2004

H'm.. It seems that quite some time has passed yet again since i last wrote anything.. Seeing as i have some free time, why not write an entry! Yes! In this case, here i go with my typical, monotonous retelling of events..

Monday i went to Rheinfelden, right on the border of Switzerland and Germany. I went with my grandmother and grandfather. We drove over into Germany where my grandmother went shopping, and then my grandfather and I returned to Switzerland and went to a sort of recuperation hotel. Here, there was a nicely heated pool (34 Celsius) which was also salted equivalent to the Red Sea, i think it's called. After drinking something we got changed and headed into the pool. I felt quite out of place. I was the only one under 50 (Okay, perhaps that is a bit exaggerated for dramatic effect. More accurately none younger than 30ish.) However, it was quite nice and pleasant to spend some time with my grandfather and to chat with him. He's fun to listen to with his various jokes, comments, and insights. He has changed quite a bit over the past few years, and it's interesting to observe this. He's a good person.

At around 1900 when we finished with the bathing, my grandfather and I went back over into Germany where we picked up my grandmother. She had bought a lovely amount of things. We went to another store, a store somewhat like Home Depot in the U.S.A. where my grandmother bought some flowers. We then went to eat dinner at a Greek restaurant, still in Germany. The food was absolutely fantastic. I'm not a fan of eating, nor a fan of continuing to eat when one is full just to finish what is on one's plate, but in this case i just had to eat it all because it was just so, so very good. The seasoning on the meat, and the meat itself-superb! After the great dinner, we returned back to Switzerland, and back home.

Tuesday came along.. and i read all day. Quite literally. I stopped briefly to go to Coop and purchase some things for my grandmother at around 1600, lunch and dinner. The rest of the time i just read. I read until 0430 in the early Wednesday morning. Wednesday had a bit more in the plans than to lay around in bed all day and read, even though this was quite enjoyable.

After lunch, I drove with my grandmother into Bern. After we had had something to drink, we both went to register our mobile phones because up to until now mobile phones were more or less anonymous, and i liked it this way much better. Damn big brother. After this, we separated and I walked up and down the streets lined with a plethora of miscellaneous stores. Watched people, made observations, the usual things. Occasionally there would be representatives for some organisations wanting ones money to help with various projects. These people would walk up to you and start talking to you, and ultimately requesting money. They would take down your credit card, and offered to make it easy on you by charging your credit card automatically on a monthly basis. Two things I do not like about this: I lose control over a bit of my money, and I really don't trust these people to walk around the streets with my credit card number written down on a paper in their bag. Nonetheless I let them come up to me and speak while I mused to myself. One female a few years older than I was approached me, wearing a shirt with a lack of cloth (not that I minded) was making it completely obvious that she was attempting to use her charm and her beauty to cash in on the people she spoke to's money. She walked up really close to me, forcing me to look down at her and all other things this entitles and when i'd step back she would step forward. I quickly recognised this with great joy and we started to waltz in circles while she spoke. It took her a while to realise this, and when she did she must have felt pretty stupid because that's what her facial expressions told me. After she continued to preach a bit more about her organisations work and i had convinced her that she would not be able to convince me to give her, or rather her organisation any money, she walked away only to repeat her same tactics on yet another male. I stood there on the street corner and observed her further as she walked about only approaching youthful males, and rarely if at all women. However, this tactic was not exploited only by her. I also observed a young male execute the same tactics on youthful females, and rarely approach any males. I watched these two, and many more frolic about the streets for quite some time, musing to myself with great joy, until 1800 came along and i had set a meeting point with my grandmother.

Ah the city.. Bern at this moment. I love this city.. My thoughts loose all focus when I step here, pondering among unimaginable tangents of thoughts formed here by the observation of the masses. The crippled, spread out, but within close vicinity of each other beg. Some maimed to a point where they have no limbs but their arms. We as by-passers stare not at their poor beings because we were taught not to stare, though others stare because they were not taught not to stare. A subconscious feeling of paranoia shakes my body always weary of those around me. Man behind me: Do not mistake what harm I might bring upon you with the pen I hold now, though i can not deny that I have no skill which would grant such accuracy.. So i find my safety in observing my observations. Holding no reservations over my unspoken paranoia. Through actions I condemn myself for because they warrant segregation, I categorise the people of my surroundings.. Young, old, tall, short, fat, skinny, ugly, pretty*. Of course this is almost a basic human observation. I hold in my categorisation in addition to said: dangerous, threatening, comforting, peaceful, questionable and interesting (as opposed to odd.) Basic animal survival instincts on a more conscious level.

What of those on the streets who come up to you and ask you for some money? Do you give them something? Do they realise that if I gave every one of them (how derogatory) something, that I would then have to beg for my own money? Is this some sort of unrelenting grip which greed holds on me? What use would they make of the money? Drugs? Alcohol? Why do I assume these things first? Why don't I assume that they need the money for a sandwich, a tram, or a phone call? Because society has imprinted it into my mind that beggars are typically beggars because of their affiliations with drugs and alcohol. What one does not know, one can not assume. Said statement: True and False. If a child is never told the difference between black and white skin, will it ever make a prejudice on these terms? It is important without a doubt to teach of slavery, of enslaved blacks of Africa brought to the Americas, to teach of segregation and prejudices, but i curse those who planted the seed within me which discerns a difference between two different skin colours. A discernment I still battle to remove from my conscious and subconscious. Damn them! I question what of the Jews sought out and destroyed by Hitler's Nazis? I do not discern between Jew and myself, though Jews were segregated just as African-Americans had been in times of slavery and segregation's pre-1960ties U.S.A. It's arguably true that such segregation's still yet exist and a fact that segregation's teem upon our planet...

If I lived in a large city, I'd lay down a contingency plan for my daily passing through time. I'd eat in the same, carefully selected restaurant, and I'd walk the same streets. I would find great comfort in this pattern, though in any other circumstance such a repetitive bore would not be proceeded with.

* I use pretty because one might infer a gender from beautiful, handsome or attractive.

Thursday Reto joined my grandmother, grandfather and I for lunch. After a quick shower and some chatting amongst those present, Reto and I left and drove to a town named Langnau. We wanted to go bowling, but upon reaching the bowling place we found out that they did not open until 19.00. So, we decided to go to Mediamarkt yet again (we had gone to mediamarkt together last Friday.) because Reto had received CHF 80 in gift certificates for this store from his mother and sister for his birthday Tuesday, two days before. We killed a good amount of time there, and one we left we went to Coop where we bought some dinner, and then went to Reto's house. We had dinner, and then started playing computer games into the night until 0400. I went to bed at 0500.. Woke up at 1400 Friday afternoon.

Thursday, Anna returned from the U.S.A.. After staying with my family and I she has come back to Switzerland.. and now I'm here, too! I saw her for a brief few seconds when i returned home from Reto's house Friday around 1500. Reto had to rush off to a hair appointment which he was late for because we over slept. Magically, three hours passed and I hate dinner, after which i joined my grandma to go shopping at the Coop where I purchased some more credit for my mobile phone because i've been sending many text-messages, or SMS's and my phone was running short on credit. Fascinating, no? Oh.. oh yes very.

I've been repeatedly amused at how Reto and his room/apartment-mate get along together. They act just how my friends and I act towards each other. Poking fun at each other in the utmost sarcastic ways, making jokes, singing stupid little songs which make no sense, acting as though they were lovers. It's quite amusing, because, as i said, my friends and i do the exact same things! It was interesting to realise how comfortable I felt with Reto and his apartment. Comfortable enough that I started to forget things in places where i would usually not forget things, or even leave them. Reto and I's politics are so similar, it's great! Heh..

This evening has been the first time that i've really seen the sky covered with clouds in the past two weeks, or so. Amazing! simply, amazing! Oh..yes. M'm, sarcasm.

Amusing site/link. Here are three amusing googlewar results: one, two,three.

Hrm.. Well, this should do it for now. Bedtime soon so that i can get up in time in the morning.