Anna's Adventures in the New World

Vienna December 2009

2010-01-11T17:12:00.003-07:00

Sezession "Der Zeit Ihre Kunst | Der Kunst Ihre Freiheit"
"For each time its art | for each art its freedom"

Hrdlicka - Mahmal gegen Krieg und Faschismus "Memorial against war and fascism"

Herakles at the Hofburg

Chilly! Even the horses needed ear warmers!

Rainy Day in Venice

2009-10-17T10:23:00.004-06:00

It doesn't happen very often - I think it was the first time in 3 months that it rained, but it was beautiful! Venice looks so clean and fresh after the rain!

The succulents are happy :)

I am not planning on going swimming in the next little while. A lot of the trash from the streets ends up in the ocean.

Bella Pacifica

Rainbow over Venice

Leonardo

2009-10-01T23:27:00.007-06:00

"Art is never finished, only abandoned. "

says Leonardo da Vinci. I heard Fritjof Capra speak about his latest book "The Science of Leonardo" and I'd say I consider both of them, Fritjof and Leonardo, accepted in my club of heroes.

In the presentation I learned that Leonardo was left handed, wrote from the right to the left side on the pages in his many sketch books - in mirrored letters, just so that he wouldn't get bored.

He was also vegetarian - I am guessing there were not too many vegetarians by choice 500 years ago. He loved animals so much and he didn't want to hurt them, so he wouldn't eat them. When he was asked, how he knew that plants wouldn't feel pain too, he even came up with an evolutionary theory. He would argue that animals move, so they could bump into things, and therefore they would be able to feel pain, as a way of navigating safely through the world. Plants on the other hand, are stationary, so wouldn't require pain sensors.

Leonardo filled thousands of pages with concepts, drawings, experiments related to the natural world, which Fritjof Capra studied and he concludes: "Only now, five centuries later, as the limits of the Newtonian science are becoming all too apparent and the mechanistic Cartesian worldview is giving way to a holistic and ecological view not unlike Leonardo's, can we begin to appreciate the full power of his science and its great relevance for our modern era.

Fritjof Capra at Symbiosis in Yosemite

I am definitely inspired to read his book.

For more, check out this link.

Introducing the new addition to the family

2009-09-11T19:50:00.002-06:00

Here he is: Mr. Fit. Honda Fit. An ULEV. According to the California Air Resource Board an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle. So far it's averaging a 33 miles per gallon, which according to this website corresponds to 7 liters per 100 km. Mine is the silverbullet in the front, hanging out with his black buddy from Pasadena.

This is in the Mojave Desert - close to Kramer Junction. The rock formations in the distance allegedly are among the oldest rock in the world.

Since my move has cost some money, visits to the hairdresser have not been in the budget. Here I am, with long hair, trying to survive the heat of the desert, and happy to report that I have managed to stay "sunkissed" - not "sunburnt"! Best wishes - and remember to enjoy whatever you are doing!

Station Fire - near Los Angeles

2009-09-03T22:52:00.001-06:00

The mountains are on fire!

2009-09-03T22:12:00.004-06:00

I am not kidding!
One minute I am relaxing at Peet's on Main, the next day I find out the mountains are on fire!
This view is from Venice beach, the mountains are about 30 miles in land and the forest on the mountains is on fire. The News was telling me that the fire is 5% contained; does that mean that it is 95% completely out of control? Let's be optimistic and be happy that by now it is 30% containt and it looks like Mt Wilson's observatory and the radio signals (read more here)

America - the land of basketball!

New meets old
Gehry's Beach House
Venice Pier
Beach houses during the golden hour
Seagulls
on a yacht, which is an office, looking at Marina del Rey
Smoke makes nice sunsets! (so does smog pollution for that matter) The closer you get to the mountains, the smokier it gets, and the harder it is to breathe. I also hear it's raining ash!

Hiking in the Santa Monica Mountain

2009-08-24T22:09:00.008-06:00

The Santa Monica Mountains are just North of Santa Monica. A ride in the Honda Fit - along the coast on the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) through Malibu, then up the mountains at Yerba Buena Rd. took Rebecca and myself to Circle X Ranch. A few miles after Circle X Ranch starts the Mishe Mokwa Trail at the Sandstone Peak trailhead. Circle X Ranch is a great place to stop for water, a restroom, and a map though.

The Road from Circle X to Sandstone Peak Trailhead

Manzanita...with the peeling red bark

Here I am holding a pebble and...
voila! I placed it on the mountain in the distant! I tricked you, didn't I? ;)

Mishe Mokwa means Great Bear in Native American. To be specific "Grizzly" and he is the spirit keeper of West.

Funnel Web Spiders? Fortunately we only saw there beautiful structures, no encounters with the home owner.

Volcanic Rock near Inspiration Point

Mt. Allen also known as Sandstone Peak, which is ironically made from volcanic rock, not from Sandstone.

On the peak we were welcomed by circling vultures and a raven. The photo credit of the vulture on the picture below goes to Numoon, but the birds we saw sure looked like him.

After the heat on the mountain and a 4 hour hike, we needed some ocean breeze. Photos below from El Matador Beach - just north of Malibu.

More beautiful land creations...and the million dollar home in the back. The owner didn't think there was sufficient water in the pacific - the deck comes with a pool ;)

Deep Creek

2009-08-10T08:03:00.002-06:00

Enjoying the heat, coffee and view of the desert last weekend.

Deep Creek Hotsprings don't only offer awesome hotsprings, but also a refreshing cool creek. A 2-mile-hike through desert landscape leads to the springs.

At night I heard the coyotes howling in the distance, an owl and during the day we saw the biggest humming bird ever. He was the size of a robin! well almost..

See more here: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/recreation/deepcreek/

LA Update - July

2009-07-25T10:02:00.005-06:00

Life has been busy. I forgot how much energy it takes to settle in a new country. Everything is new. From finding your way to the grocery store, to work, getting a bank account. Unpacking. And then there is the phenomenon - that you know exactly where a certain thing was in the old place and in the new place its location is a mystery. Have you experienced this before? I am glad the move went fairly smooth and am grateful for all the friends and family, who helped with the (mas o menos) perfect execution. Muchas gracias!

Last weekend a mini vacation in the Huntington Gardens. I must say definitely in the top 3 list of the best parks ever. Californian climate allows pretty much anything to grow, so here are Asian gardens, English gardens full of Hummingbirds, and a conservatory.

Turtle Norton and curious Annie

Britta and Bones - hosts and tour guides :)

...definitily up to something...but what???

Warrior Goddess

This leaf is in the rain forest conservatory. If I was a volunteer at Huntington gardens, that's where I would hang out on a hot summer day - loved the mist!

Until soon. Best wishes.

2009-07-09T20:53:00.005-06:00

Wer Bäume setzt, obwohl er weiß, dass er nie in ihrem Schatten sitzen wird, hat zumindest angefangen, den Sinn des Lebens zu begreifen.

Rabindranath Tagore

indischer Schriftsteller, Philosoph und Nobelpreisträger

He who plants trees, even though he knows, that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the purpose of life.

Vincent

2009-06-30T10:34:00.002-06:00

Here is a little auntie-pride. Nephew Vinci performed in a musical "Sophie's world". I loved that book by Norwegian Jostein Gaardner by the way. If you are interested in philosophy at all, I recommend the read. He wrote it for teenagers, but I enjoyed it as an adult. It gives a nice overview of the history of philosophy.

And voila, here is Vinci:

The Getty

2009-06-30T10:23:00.002-06:00

I have had the pleasure to visit the Getty Museum twice last week, as I was volunteering at the LA Business Council Sustainability Summit. I was told that it took 6 years to level the mountain for the massive complex. Can't imagine how much it must have cost. Mr. Getty's wealth was derived from oil business...why am I not surprised?

It was too far to cycle for me, so i explored carpooling and public transit options. I was a little worried about asking for a ride, but fellow sustainability summit volunteers were very accomodating! The bus system is not bad - for North American standards. Poor - for London UK standards though - a young woman, I believe she must have been a nanny from the UK, was complaining about the bus system. In my opinion that's not the bus system's fault .It's an urban planning issue: everything is so spread out here - compared to European cities.

Beautiful Architecture!

As Arnie says: "I'll be back!"

L.A.Annie reporting...

2009-06-20T10:28:00.003-06:00

Progress Report - LA Week 3:

I found a place to live as of July. On a walk street in Venice. One block from the beach with a beautiful backyard.
Number of times getting lost on my commute is steadily decreasing.
Still in love with SoCal.

Now I'll let the pictures speak:

The Courtyard Outside My Office

Intelligentsia - Coffee Bar in Venice

Yummie snacks, and good coffees. These baristas know what they are doing!

Santa Monica Pier

If you look closely, you can see David Hasselknoff walking away from his day-job.

This will be part of my bike route to work as of July...The Boardwalk in Santa Monica and Venice aka Musclebeach...very LA, I hear.

Please note, that the colour of my toe nails matches the colour of my bike frame. Oops, I meant color. Need to communicate in American English now!

Amelia

2009-06-13T20:42:00.002-06:00

from the Calgary Archive File: Rebecca, Amelia and Chris a few weeks ago in Calgary.
Miss you!

Local Honey

2009-06-11T21:43:00.002-06:00

My co-worker Isabel in Calgary, who is originally from Columbia, shared an interesting tidbit about honey with me over lunch a few months ago.

When traveling to a new place, eat some local honey, Isabel says, and it will help your immune system to get accustomed to the local environment, and any allergens it might contain.

I also just consulted Dr. Google and he confirms that local honey can help with allergies, as it contains trace amount of allergens.

It was a little challenging to find local SoCal honey, most of the honey on the shelf at the supermarket was from overseas, New Zealand, etc. I did find one kind eventually (which was more expensive than the honey from NZ,...we live in a weird world...). It includes habanero pepper, so it's spicy. So far, so good. No adaptation issues in the new big city. The honey remedy must work! (and okay, I admit, I would use any excuse to try some new honey...)

Going Carless in Los Angeles

2009-06-02T21:29:00.009-06:00

Greetings from LA and welcome to a new chapter of Anna's Adventures in the New World. I am currently making a move - starting to set up my life in Los Angeles.

Why LA? People have been asking me this question today - my official first work day out of the Santa Monica office.

Reason #1: Food. The food I ate in Calgary was mostly coming from California anyway. In an effort to eat locally, I decided to move closer to the source.

Reason #2: Warm weather and sunshine. Blue (ish - considering the smog) sky and warm weather, that's the way I - Leo Anna - like it!

Reason #3: People! I am sure that a state of 30 Million People has some interesting characters to offer. Most of the California Residents that I have met in the past years, have been awesome and interesting people, with progressive minds (although right now, I miss my Canadian friends :(...I made some wonderful friends up North)

Reason #4 Yoga: I look forward to continue my Iyengar yoga practice here - there appear to be quite a few studios offering Iyengar yoga!

Reason #5 Work: In my work I focus on sustainability. In the city, where I hear that you can sometimes taste the smog, there is a lot more incentive to take action to reduce the environmental footprint. So that should be good too.

In a nutshell, I'd say LifeStyle. It seems that anything you could possibly want to pursue, you can find it in LA. Unless you are trying to pursue a carless lifestyle, of course. Which I am planning on doing - at least for the first month.

No car for me for now! So what are my options?

Waiting for the bus is not so bad, when the sky is blue, palm trees are around and your busline is called sunset ride.

Walking to the bus station, these purple trees are currently blooming everywhere and smell like heaven.

On my way to Beverly Hills

My Surly LHT ready to go, a little shy next to the cool Beverly Hill Cruisers

LA is Succulent Central

mmm...this gas station on Olympic and Robertson almost makes me reconsider my no-driving choice ;)

Backyard Blooming

The June living room - a ranch house (which in LA lingo means it's a one story home)

More Home Shots

Two of my Roomies. Wag on the left, Boogie on the right.

Boogie whispering to Wag: "Ask her why she talks like Arnie, the Governator and stop staring at her, you make her nervous!"

That's it from LA for now. Other than that, I am taking in the Newness and enjoy one moment at the time. Best wishes!

David Maisel

2009-05-21T06:40:00.003-06:00

Another art photographer, who caught my eye: David Maisel. The bright green picture on the top must be some sort of tailing pond from a mining operation in Nevada.

The other picture is from his series "Oblivion" a bird's eye shot of Los Angeles' communities and its infamous freeway system.

More here.

Calgary History Hotspot - Inglewood

2009-05-17T12:30:00.005-06:00

One of my favourite places in Calgary is Inglewood. It's located at the junction of the Bow River and the Elbow River. Lots of old character building, that have witnessed pretty much all of Calgary's history - like the Restaurant "Rouge" shown above.

The Calgary Ghost Tour also leads through Inglewood. I haven't done it myself, but some friends have and they enjoyed it a lot. If you look closely through the window reflections, you might be able to see a ghost enjoying an afternoon drink :)

Jen anxious to get some ice cream

The Deane House - supposedly haunted too...

The Deane House - a Restaurant - in the summer they grow their own vegetables in the garden - sweet!

One of the oldest buildings in Calgary - the Hunting Cabin right next to the Deane House.

Old Meets New in Inglewood

This Modern Building above needs some Green!

I like this design. The wooden slats and some vegetation in the front yard add some warmth.

Spring Time in Calgary is April

Did you know that New Street is the oldest street in Calgary? Supposedly the oldest street was closer to the river, but got swept away in a flood. So they built a new street to replace the one gone. Now New Street is Calgary's oldest street. It's charming!

You Are What You Eat

2009-04-04T09:31:00.003-06:00

"You are what you eat" - if this is true, then - influenced by Gourmet chef Deanna - I must turn into something dark green, fishy soon ;)!

But really, what we eat become the building blocks for our bodies.

...beings arise from food
food arises from rain...
Bhagavad Gita

I have two rules when it comes to food:

it has to taste good
it has to make me feel good or energize me

Tuna

Oh, that's what a cast iron pan is for! Note to myself: need to get a cast iron pan... More fishy goodness with onion, blood orange and dill.

This Day is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life

2009-03-20T19:36:00.004-06:00

You need beyond eagle eye-sight to be able to read the writing underneath the Cafe Marcella sign in Amsterdam -therefore I spelled it out in the title - but I felt it to be an appropriate post for today. Today is the first day of spring (yeah!) and it's the first day of the year in Iran (don't feel bad, if you didn't know that it is Iranian New Year today, I just found out too).

Enjoy this first day of the rest of your life!

Orion - The Hunter God

2009-02-27T09:57:00.007-07:00

Today I want to tell the story of Orion. Orion is a star constellation. I can see him in the early night hours of a clear night, hanging out in the southern skies.

That's what he'd look like through a telescope.

Orion is the Hunter god in Greek mythology. Supposedly, he was a really good hunter and after a successful mission of killing some beasts on behalf of the King, he got a little carried away and boasted: "I will kill all the wild animals on the Earth!" Scary, eh?

----- * -----

Thankfully Gaia, the Mother Goddess, Goddess of the Natural World, understandably thought:" This Orion Guy. He shouldn't say things like that. I hear arrogance. If he does, what he says, it would be a catastrophe. I have to act fast."

Gaia sent one of her animal friends on a mission to kill Orion: Scorpius, the Scorpion. The mission was accomplished successfully. None of Orion's weapons proved to be useful. He was stung to death by Scorpius.

Gaia's reward to Scorpius' successful mission was a placement in the stars. The other gods, who were sad about Orion's death also dedicated a star constellation to him - far away on the other side of the skies though, to prevent another conflict.

A story that is thousands of years old.
But the situation sounds familiar....

Sources:
http://www.awitness.org/column/wrath_gaia_orion.html
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/mythology/orion.html

Do people ever laugh at you? You might be on the right path...

2009-02-21T09:12:00.002-07:00

Image Credit: Bob Row

All truth passes through three stages:

First, it is ridiculed.

Second, it is violently opposed.

Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.

Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher (1788 - 1860)

winter shadows

2009-02-21T09:08:00.001-07:00

winter shadows, originally uploaded by Wild R Annie.

Prairie Grass II

2009-02-21T09:05:00.001-07:00

Prairie Grass II, originally uploaded by Wild R Annie.

by the Glenmore Reservoir

Fish Eye Lens of the Coffee Drinker

2009-02-21T08:48:00.001-07:00

Nutloaf a la Marcie

2009-02-21T08:27:00.006-07:00

I have had the honor or luck to be surrounded by great chefs lately. Marcie is one of them. And her nutloaf (which mysteriously doesn't contain any nuts) is one of my latest addition to the family of recipes I can make. Thank you for sharing the recipe, Marcie!

Marcie's variations are in brackets. I can also never stick exactly to the recipe (my variations also in brackets - like this (AW:...)). Especially now, that I know my food sensitivities after doing a muscle test:

cow dairy, soy, and vinegars are on the no-no list. Thankfully butter and apple cider vinegar are exempt. Annie-how, I have digressed, here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Voracious Vegan Pate aka Marcie's Nutloaf

1 cup onions, diced
5 mushrooms, diced (I add ~1/2 c more potato and skip these) (AW: I used sweet potato)
4 cloves garlic, diced
Splash olive oil
1 c raw sunflower seeds, ground (food processor or blender)
½ c flour (AW: I used spelt flower)
½ c nutritional yeast (AW: I used kamut flower and 1 can of chickpeas)
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried sage
¼ c kelp powder (I have never used this) (AW: I used Nori Nori Seaweed)
1 ½ c water
3 Tbsp Braggs (I use soy sauce) (AW: I used sea salt)
1 c potatoes, grated (AW: I used sweet potatoe)
1/3 c olive oil
1 habanero pepper, seeded and minced (optional) (AW: I don't fool around! I used 1/2 a chipotle pepper WITH seeds)

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium saucepan, sauté the onions, mushrooms, and garlic in oil on medium high. In a large bowl combine the ground sunflower seeds, flour, yeast, basil, salt, thyme, sage, and kelp. Add the water, Braggs, potatoes, and oil, and stir together. Stir in the sautéed vegetables and optional pepper and mix well. Spoon mixture into a lightly oiled 9” pie plate (or loaf pan, or small casserole dish). Bake 45 minutes or until centre is set and browned (for pate), a bit longer for loaf. Chill thoroughly before serving (for pate). Makes 4-6 servings of pate.

New York, New York

2009-02-14T10:26:00.002-07:00

I briefly visited NY a few weeks ago. I did what most New Yorkers do: worked like a dog, stepped onto the streets and wave down taxis, and ate great deli food. A few photos are on flickr.

Ecuador Rocks

2009-01-27T23:30:00.004-07:00

In Ecuador trees have now rights too. Ecuadorians rewrote their constitution in 2008 and included a chapter on rights for nature.

Article 1 reads: Nature or Pachamama, where life is reproduced and exists, has the right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, functions and its processes in evolution.
....

and Art. 5. The persons, people, communities and nationalities will have the right to benefit from the environment and form natural wealth that will allow wellbeing.

January 20 2009

2009-01-19T22:07:00.004-07:00

Glasspiel

2009-01-18T17:02:00.001-07:00

What's your walk score?

2009-01-17T08:48:00.003-07:00

- Check out this website: http://www.walkscore.com

- Type in your address, and find out, how your neighbourhood scores in walkability.

In case you decide to move someplace else, this might be a good decision tool!

In my perfect life, walking would be part of my lifestyle. I would LOVE to be able to walk to work, walk to the grocery store, walk to the coffee house etc. But lately - many degrees Celsius, snow, darkness, distance to work, etc. have kept me from walking, cycling, really doing anything outside during the week (and I am pretty good at making up excuses...).

Photo Credit: Flickr

Off to go for a walk on a beautiful, sunny, warm Saturday!

Chris Jordan

2008-12-25T22:12:00.003-07:00

I discovered photographer Chris Jordan's website a few days ago. These photos are from his exhibition "An American Self Portrait -Running the Numbers". His stunning art portrays American culture through the lens of statistics.

- 28,000 42-gallon barrels, the amount of of oil consumed in the United States every two minutes (equal to the flow of a medium-sized river).

Light Bulbs; A zoom in towards the 320 000 Light Bulbs, which equals residential electricity wasted (due to bad wiring, electronics in sleeping mode).

Plastic Bottles - two million plastic beverage bottles, the number used in the US every five minutes. Designed for a useful life of a few years, if that. Made from a material that stays around for hundreds of years (unless it gets incinerated whereby it releases toxins). That doesn't sound like the smartest product design to me.

A detail from "Prison Uniforms". 2.3 million folded prison uniforms, equal to the number of Americans incarcerated in 2005. The U.S. has the largest prison population of any country in the world. And some of the prisons are private, for-profit businesses.

You can check out more of his photos here. Enjoy!

Miracle

2008-12-23T07:04:00.001-07:00

There are two ways to live your life - one is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle.

Merino

2008-12-14T11:12:00.002-07:00

Sheep like this guy in the picture are my dear friends this time of the year. This morning the thermometer displayed chilly -29 degrees Celsius.

My survival tip? Merino Wool from head to toe. It keeps me warm and dry on chilly days like this:

Icebreaker Socks
Patagonia Wool Top
MEC Merino Light Weight Long John's

You can go to Patagonia's footprint chronicles to see what it takes to produce their merino wool top (select Wool 2 Crew). Its journey starts with Merino sheep in New Zealand, the fabric is then made in Japan before the product hits stores in North America. I appreciate Patagonia's effort to bring some transparency into their supply chain and to report the sucess stories as well as the areas that can be improved. I wish more companies would do that.

Stay warm...

Amazon

2008-12-10T21:44:00.002-07:00

One of my goals at work this year is to write a paper on "Certified Wood" - shedding some light on what the Forest Stewardship Council is all about. So I have been reading lots about forests, causes for deforestation, I found out that logging is just one small part of the problem. Forests converted into agricultural uses, to produce for example soy and palm oil for food production and biofuel and cattle ranching are even bigger threats to the Amazon and Indonesian forests (the 2 deforestation hotspots globally) than logging.

I have also learned that civil rights violations go hand in hand with deforestation. Millions of tribal people call the forests their home, so when the forest gets destroyed, so goes their home and their life style. Check out the video below for a visual refresher of our rights. And please send me some focus energy, so that I finish the paper soon.

kANNAda Day

2008-12-06T14:39:00.008-07:00

Here are a few pictures from yesterday's Citizenship celebration. Now I am officially a dual citizen. One step closer to becoming a global citizen :)

Jamie and Jen in the first picture, Kurt and Deanna above showing their support by sharing a smile. The judge also commented on sharing smiles: it appears to be one of the traits that are expected from good Canadian citizens...

Nervous Annie - a few minutes before the big moment.

The Officials

Vik - wearing the traditional Maple Leaf Bindi and Malynne

Karen, Brit and Rebecca. More pictures on Vik's blog including a bonus video and check out flickr! By the way, all the Canadians in these pictures got an "honorary mention" of the judge for their good cheering performance!

Some suggestions for future improvements to the ceremony, such as adding guys dressed up in beaver suits to the event, came up over breakfast, but overall the ceremony was well received by us.

Sculpture in Downtown Calgary - honoring the Dinosaurs, I believe. We are grateful for all the lovely fossil fuel Calgary thrives off.

And as gifts are appropriate for a once in a lifetime situation as this one, I couldn't resist treating myself to a Patagonia Down Jacket. Super toasty and super light weight - perfect winter jacket for "climatically challenging" Canada - as the Judge called it. I chose their new color "Espresso", which according to my recent color consultation is a good color for me (I am not surprised - with that name - it must be a good color for me).

A bientot!

Spoonfed

2008-12-02T06:57:00.002-07:00

Last weekend I went to Leona's Do Be Clean Open House, where we were also spoiled with soup.

Carmen served her home made soups, which she also delivers in glass jars around the city. Served with yummie dill crackers. If you are Calgarian and feel like handing over your soup power to Carmen, check out her website here.

I have learned...

2008-11-29T09:31:00.003-07:00

I have learned so much with you all, I have learned that everybody wants
to live on top of the mountain, without knowing that true happiness is
obtained in the journey taken & the form used to reach the top of the hill.

I have learned that when a newborn baby holds, with its little hand, his
father's finger, it has trapped him for the rest of his life.

I have learned that a man has the right and obligation to look down at
another man, only when that man needs help to get up from the ground.

from Gabriel Garcia Marquez says goodbye*

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, famous writer from Colombia , and Nobel Peace
prize winner for literature, has retired from public life for reasons of
health. He has a form of cancer which is terminal. He has sent a
farewell letter to his friends.

It's Official

2008-11-20T17:58:00.004-07:00

On December 5th I am going to turn into a Canadian. I am going to take the oath of citizenship and swear to be faithful to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second. I know, it sounds far fetched, so far away, across the ocean. But she is the Queen of Canada. Mmm...does that turn me into a Brit then too?

Canada has been good to me. Not many countries allow you to become one of them so "easily" . I say that now that that my memory is fading, forgotten are the stacks of form, that I had to fill out, medical exams, and the fingerprints, I had to get in both Canada and Austria years ago. And believe me, the Austrian authorities were testing my patience. Sending me up and down the stairs 5 x, charging me 70 Euro and then telling me: "Too bad that you are not a criminal: then you would have gotten the fingerprints for free. " Of course, they send me up and down the stairs again to pay the 70 Euro.

But still, at least it IS possible to become and feel like a Canadian. It wouldn't be that easy to become an Austrian. In fact, in Austria I'd be/ feel like a foreigner, if I moved to the other side of the country (In Tyrol, you are Tyrolian first, then Austrian, I hear). They would hear my Eastern Austrian accent, and treat me as such.

Here in the New World, I feel accepted, even with my Austro-Canadian accent. Arnie, the Styrian Oak, might have plowed the way for me. Although I think I am pretty good at saying "about" ::abAOUt:: :) And who knows, maybe the friendly Canadians do talk funny behind my back.

So thank you, all of you warm hearted Canadians out there in chilly winter wonderland, for accepting me as one of yours!

Yours forever,

Immigrant-Annie (aka Newcomer-Annie for my politically sensitive friends :)

Geocaching

2008-11-15T08:07:00.006-07:00

I was happy to run into Gerald on the train in Austria. Yes, I know, this post is about a month late - I don't know, what happened, I was sucked into this black hole without computers over the last few weeks...

We made plans to meet to pursue Gerald's "bizarre hobby" - as he described it himself: Geocaching. Gerald aka Fetzo is a master geocacher, with over 200 geocaches discovered.

We met in Fetzo's home, where he gave us the intro to his hobby on http://www.geocaching.com/.

In a nutshell: some other geocacher hides a little tupperware container somewhere, preferably at a somewhat exciting location. Then registers it on the Geocaching website, including coordinates and some hints, so that people can go on a "scavenger hunt" with a GPS. Sometimes there could be little presents in the tupperware container, as a "souvenir" from the trip. In return, you leave another little present - pour les prochaines - they want to find something too.

We decided to go to Wilhelmsburg, about 20min south of STP. A cache was hidden on a hill by "gallows" from 1800 - you know, where they hung people.

The GPS is our friend. And off we go. I love walking - once I am out there. But without a reason, I find it hard to get myself motivated to go for a walk. I need a friend, a dog, or a destination to get me going. Geocaching is good this way. It speaks to the ancient hunter/explorer/discoverer in us :)

It turned out to be a rather short walk. To spice the walk up we added some excitement - well, we jumped over the ditch.

We are getting closer. On the way, we pass this old, beautiful oak tree. This mighty oak is definitely at an age to have witnessed the hanging of the crooks, murderers, and hopefully not too many innocent people, that have occurred some 200 years ago.

Group Photo: Judith, Matthias, Gerald, Anna and the Oak

And here is our destination: the gallows. Built in 1800, the emperor gave the jurisdiction to some monks that lived close by. So, the monks made the decision whether a person was to get hung or not. What can I say. I am happy to live in the 21st century.

Judith is our star. She discovers the treasure. And it was not easy: the hint that was given said: it's under some shrubs close to the gallows. Well the shrubs were gone, but nevertheless: Judith found the treasure under a rock.

Unfortunately not a chest of gold, but tupperware in a plastic bag, which took away some of the excitement. We forgot to bring little presents for the cache, so we decided just to sign the log book, and not to take any of the presents in the cache. But I must say none of the presents rocked my world anyways - neither the scruffy stuffed animal nor the hair elastic.

Thanks Gerald for the photos!

Amsterdam

2008-11-01T21:48:00.004-06:00

Amsterdam did not dissappoint me. The city is lovely. Almost every time, when i was on my way to exploring the city, I managed to get lost within 2 minutes, and found myself in a fairy tale.

Everyone rides old, mostly black bicycles around the city of grachten. Mothers with kids, young people talking on cellphone and girls looking for something in their purses while riding. I even saw guys on bikes carrying big things like a string bass or a ladder. They must have a sixth sense, the do-not-crash-at-the-uncontrolled-intersection sense. Because these uncontrolled intersections are plenty. But for some reason, they manage to handle these intersections without problem.

Vondelpark - where the wild parrots hang out. I wasn't dreaming, someone else saw them too, as the youtube clip below shows.

Weekly Digest

2008-09-30T22:33:00.002-06:00

Highwood Meadows

Not much time for blogging, therefore a brief summary of this week's highlights in Anna's life:

Saw two grizzly bears on Sunday!!!
Was very grateful that I was hiking with a big group, because the two beauties surprised us close up!
Wrote my citizenship test this morning. The Canadian Dream is manifesting... (in case you want to know, what the questions are like click here and find out, if you can get the perfect score!)
Calgary weather is magnificent: this week has been the yellowest, most beautiful autumn week of my Canadian era so far!
Mercury is retrograding - therefore I am not even going to try to start something new. I am just hoping that next week's flights are going to be on time...

Painted Faces II

2008-09-15T19:36:00.004-06:00

I know, the face painter at yesterday's wedding at the Zoo was primarily meant to be entertainment for the kids, but I lined up to get my face painted too. A little more subtle than the design of Neko, the butterfly girl, but she was the one who inspired me.

...et moi...

Painted Faces I

2008-09-15T19:24:00.003-06:00

Neko - the Butterfly Girl

It's most definitely...

2008-09-14T22:13:00.000-06:00

...autumn in Calgary

Pepper

2008-09-11T18:57:00.002-06:00

May I introduce you? The brown and white guy, I am hugging in the picture is Pepper from the Eagle Feather Ranch. The Eagle Feather Riders ride without saddle and bridle, which is quite different from my riding experience.

Not sure, if Pepper is as much into hugging as I am. He looks a little hostile...

Amsterdam - here I come!

2008-08-27T11:37:00.003-06:00

by Arlette

Finally. I have been wanting to visit Amsterdam for years, and this October it will finally become reality. Half business, half fun. In fact the business part should be fun too: it's a course about environmental life cycle analysis. I am very excited.

I will even have a personal tour guide. My friend Judith, an Amsterdam expert, will join me for a few days. I like it when things fall into place - I can't wait to explore the city of Grachten!

And of course, I will visit the motherland as well. Look forward to seeing you, Austrians (just in time for Heurigen season)!

Serpent

2008-08-24T19:50:00.004-06:00

Crazy thing happened to me today. I went for dinner with Rebecca and suddenly a beautiful exotic-looking woman smiles at me and then I noticed a huge Boa around her neck - and I mean the real one. I am not afraid of snakes per se, but something in me said very clearly: watch out!

Rebecca, on the other hand was all over Sasa (I believe that was her name - or something that sounds very similar. It's pronounced Sssssss..asa). Skeptical Annie had to get scientific prove first that she is not going to be strangled by the Boa. The owners did confirm that she is well-fed and she only kills for food. So I was relieved, because I thought the chances are very high that she prefers a rat over me.

I asked if I could take a photo of Debbie (the beautiful owner) with her snake. It completely backfired. "Why don't I take the picture of YOU with the snake!" Debbie said. So here we are - Rebecca and I as brave serpent whisperers!

Cirque du Soleil

2008-08-17T09:44:00.005-06:00

Corteo is still showing in Calgary until the beginning of September. I highly recommend it. Those peeps are amazing, talented, courageous, and will take you on a magical journey! And hooping just gained another dimension - enjoy the video clip!

Carlos

2008-08-16T12:59:00.005-06:00

in Nosehill Park

We can either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same.
Carlos Castaneda, author & mystic

And gratitude is a great gateway to happiness. I am really grateful for all you wonderful people (also the ones across borders and oceans) in my life!

A few shots from my short weekend visit to Shambala in British Columbia can be seen by clicking on the picture below.

Another thing that makes me happy is roaming around in the city, hanging out with friends, and watching strangers. Stopping for a cup of coffee in a sidewalk cafe, listening to the birds and getting some fresh groceries on the way home. That's the way I like it!

Watch the movie from NY below for some carless street project inspiritation. The New Yorkers really seem to like it! It is a lot easier to enjoy, play and interact in an open space instead of in a parking lot with running engines.

from Streetfilms - thanks for sharing No Impact Man.

Dubuasca

2008-08-06T22:53:00.000-06:00

Love this song. Enjoy.

Luise

2008-08-04T10:24:00.002-06:00

I love coincidences. The morning when Luise was born, I was on my way to Lake Louise in the Rockies - staying overnight in a hennessy hammock. Unknowingly honoring Luise's arrival in this world :)

First I was a little afraid of bears, but this fear was quickly overcome, as my mind had to deal with other stuff: how to stay warm. I was okay, as long I was on the thermorest, but as soon as my knee was off the thermorest, touching the hammock - I was freezing!

Still, the hammock adventure was worth it. When I opened my eyes in the moring, I only saw hammocks, bicycles, trees, moss, grass and sky.

Note to myself: next time I will go hammocking closer to the equator. Click on the pictures to see more photos.

Eclipse Continued

2008-08-03T12:29:00.004-06:00

Maria and Emil happy about the new addition to the family

On August 2nd 2008 (02.08.2008), the day after the eclipse, my little sister Maria's little baby, who was expected to be a boy named Theo, arrived. Theo turned out to be a girl and was named Luise (I am still hoping that she will be middle-named Anna;)

Welcome Luise!

She is going to be one fiery girl - with the Sun, the Ascendent, Venus and Moon all in Leo!

Luise was born at home, which Maria prefers to a hospital birth. According to her mid-wife, there were lots of babies born that day. I wonder if it's because of the eclipse?

I look forward to meeting Klein-Luise on my next trip home - hopefully in the fall.

Ich wuensche Euch, Klaus, Maria, Emil, Ida und Luise alles Gute!

Eclipse Alert!

2008-07-31T18:29:00.003-06:00

Tonight we will experience a solar eclipse. And a New Moon. And in Leo. That must be good! Unfortunately it's going to happen at 3 in the morning, so not visible here in Calgary. I will be dreaming...

Be real and get involved with...

2008-07-28T18:28:00.003-06:00

...the plastic project! And it's happening right here in Calgary.

Studio Green Tea is collecting plastic for an art project.

That makes my life easier, as throwing plastic into the garbage didn't make me very happy. But what can I do? There are hardly any effective recycling processes in place for plastic and a lot of the food I buy comes in plastic containers.

Currently some of the plastics in Calgary get collected and stored for hopefully some future uses. Some of them, like the HDPE milk jugs get downcycled to pipes. Better than not recycling at all, but the emphasis is on DOWN-cycling. Compared to glass and steel's recyclability, plastics do really poorly.

Currently plastics end up somewhere on our planet, like in landfills or in the ocean, which is a problem (I wrote about the Plasticific here), as it takes hundreds of years to degrade.

So here is our opportunity, fellow Calgarians:

check your plastic, if it has a recycling symbol.
Numbers 1 through 5 without the 3 are good - can be collected for the art project.
Clean the material - we want the artists to enjoy the project as well, so let's have them do their magic with non-stinky material.
Connect with the plastic project team, aka Green Tea Studios to arrange material drop off.

Find out more about the plastic project, including contact info here.

And while we are at this: Zack & Co from Green Tea Studios also did some other fun installations which are candy for the eye and funky to the ear.

Click here for some meteoric astro chill and ocean beauty;

or here for some microeditminimalelectrofunk (Ah! a wordsnake! Looks very Dschoerman ;)

Happy Plastic Gathering!

Happy Anna Day!

2008-07-26T11:49:00.003-06:00

When I was a child, July 26 was an extra special day. In the middle of the summer holidays, I got a cake, best wishes and presents from my family. Enough reason to wake up with extra excitement and joy for the day!

So for all us Anna's (and I know there are many - even if's the middle name) - enjoy your special day! Best wishes to little Anna in Edmonton - have a fun party :)

Off to the folk fest to celebrate...

St. Anna, who was the mother of Maria, with her three husbands - just found out about this here!

Obama in Berlin

2008-07-24T21:59:00.003-06:00

Yes, let's build bridges between North America and Europe!

A potential American President, who is liked in Germany? That would be novel.

Bird and Fortune - Subprime Crisis

2008-07-24T04:55:00.001-06:00

British Humour. Funny.

Never Shop Alone

2008-07-23T16:53:00.003-06:00

These pictures are from the last Fashionista Social Club event a few weeks back.

You might know that I can't stand malls - they stress me, make me bitchy, and give me a headache. I really don't get why so many people decide to waste so much time there.

That doesn't mean that I don't like nice clothes. When they get pre-screened by a connoisseur and served with some sparkling wine and raspberries - that's the way I like it!

Fashionista Social Queen Laura chooses good fabrics too: the dress in the picture is made from silk, which feels lovely, and she also carries cashmere and merino wool.

The only problem: I come with the intention to get some work clothes, but I always walk away with yet another summer dress...Oh well, next time! Never shop alone.

Recharging Batteries

2008-07-20T12:03:00.002-06:00

John Beswick - my role model in how to recharge batteries. Wish I had a hammock...

As so often after a stressful situation, I have come down with a cold. The body doesn't lie and if it calls for attention, it's best to listen to it.

This sunny weekend is all about recharging my batteries, being in the moment, rest, relax and renew.

Off to the roof top patio to enjoy my cup of tea under the blue skies...

We are but Guests on the Mountain

2008-07-09T22:29:00.010-06:00

My week has been filled with sadness. Cousin and friend Robin passed away unexpectedly while climbing on Mt. Kidd in Kananaskis last week.

In times like this, I am reminded how important family and friends are. I sometimes take you for granted.

Robin taught me that life with a smile on your face is better. It's true. Try it.

I will remember your kind nature, our lively conversations, and our hikes in the mountains.

Robin

Alone Looking at the Mountain
All the birds have flown up and gone;
A lonely cloud floats leisurely by.
We never tire of looking at each other -
Only the mountain and I.

Li Po
This poem was in Robin's photo album from his Peru trip (spring 2008)

"When you were born, you cried, and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a manner that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice."
You certainly lived life. And we certainly cried.

Wasting Time

2008-06-27T18:13:00.003-06:00

Time you enjoyed wasting, is not wasted.

John Lennon

Do you enjoy it?

Catching Up

2008-06-26T22:16:00.006-06:00

I am back in town and found my Mini USB cable, so I was able to download the pictures from Toronto.

Toronto was good. I enjoyed the big city - 3 days without a car, but getting around with public transit and walking, which seems a lot easier in Toronto than Calgary. Or maybe my destinations were just all in the right spots. I enjoyed some good exotic food, like at the Harlem: for the first time - I believe - I had Gazpacho, Caribbean chilled soup. Pretty tasty with the cornbread. And the art on the wall portrait was telling a strong story about the artists opinion in world politics.

David Suzuki was awesome. He inspired me. I loved hearing his story's of the history of the world, how we are completely dependent on nature. How without nature, we couldn't live on this planet. Nature gives us food and purifies the air we breathe. Oh, and water is an equally precious resource, that needs to be treated respectfully. Looking after our resources makes sense. It's like money: we want to keep some capital, and let the capital work for us and sustain itself. Keeping our resources strong and healthy is the right longterm thing to do. On day 1 they had a water break on the main pipe outside the building. So there were hundreds of people sitting in a conference, drinking coffee and then they said: sorry water is broken: you can't go to the washrooms. We had to go to the neighbour hotel. Funny, that that happened at a green building conference! At that point, it's good that you have good neigbours, that let you use their washrooms, otherwise it could have been a dilemma!

Yonge Street is lovely too. I went to a yoga class, conveniently located only a few stations north of downtown. And I got a little walk and window shopping in - that's the way I like it!

Some of the architecture caught my eye.

Good trip - and now I am enjoying the summer in Calgary. It's the best time of the year here in Calgary. It's been a rainy month, so it's super green right now! Lots of stuff blooming. The mosquitos, those little buggers, unfortunately also thrive in this climate. They have been brutal this year: They eat you alive ;) ! Well, they keep you active: they keep you moving...

Photos from beautiful, awesome, sunny California will follow soon!

Happy weekend! xo )

One the Roll

2008-06-14T08:36:00.004-06:00

I am back in Calgary for a one day pit stop. Toronto was amazing. On Thursday, David Suzuki was speaking, and man, is he ever an inspiring speaker. The first time I heard of him was on the Queen Charlotte Island. Tante Sandy made me aware of him and told me about his Nature show. So I got his book "Sacred Balance". Highly recommended.

I won't get into in his speech too much at the moment. I just wanted to say hello and let you know, photos from TO are still to follow. Once I find my USB cable, that I knew where it was when I was in the old place, but now in the new place, we are still playing hide and seek...

Now I got to go back to packing my stuff. I am taking a week of work. Yeah - I love holidays! I am going to sunny California (surprise ;) a welcoming change after - what seems like a month - of rain in Alberta.

May your week be super - ueber - drueber - fantastic!

Shifting into the Mainstream

2008-06-11T20:48:00.006-06:00

Greetings from Toronto. I am currently at the Canadian Green Building Council's first national summit and I am very grateful for having made the trip to the other side of the country. "Shifting into the Mainstream" - the title of the summit is very much to the point: within the last year - without doubt - the green movement has shifted from solely being in the minds of granolas, hippies, ecologists (and me) into the mind of the mainstream.

It's amazing what a room of like-minded people can do to refresh our vision of living in harmony with our planet. It's amazing how chatting with people who share the same values nourishes the soul, and makes me look forward to finding new opportunities to make a difference.

Tonight Ray Anderson was the keynote speaker at the celebration. (Check out Mr. Anderson's talk on youtube here) He reminded us: "Let us not celebrate too long. We still have a long way to go. There is no time for complacency. Our technology has to fundamentally change. Instead of "plundering" our resources - from the linear concept of TAKE - MAKE - WASTE, we need to to transform our technology in a cyclical concept of reusing renewable materials with as little waste as possible." So, true.

He finished his speech with: "One person at the time. It cannot happen without you and me. It's up to us."

And we need to act now. Let's move out of the competitive mind into the creative mind and let's make a living, create value AND have a zero footprint: all at the same time, they are not mutually exclusive. It might not be completely possible right now, but we can align our actions today, so that tomorrow we are one step closer to a more sustainable future.

Are you a dog person?

2008-06-06T07:08:00.002-06:00

tristan

"My goal in life is to be as good of a person as my dog thinks I am."
- author unknown

Happy Weekend :)

The Life of Henri

2008-06-04T21:50:00.003-06:00

Ever felt not quite content for no apparent reason?

Well, you are not alone: listen to what Henri is thinking...

Wasootch - Last Weekend

2008-06-01T18:57:00.006-06:00

Family Reunion

It's great to come from a big family: I have got cousins in a lot places, mostly in central Europe though, but one of them is even here in Calgary sometimes. Robin is off to Europe right now, but will be back in Cow Boom Town later this summer.

We decided to go to the mountains together, before Robin went to Europe. We started at Wasootch Creek, which is one of the first parking lots along the Kananaskis highway (coming from Highway 1 shortly after Barrier Lake).

We weren't sure what the weather was going to be like, so Robin had two plans in mind: walking along the creek bed along the wasootch creek or alternatively, hiking up on a ridge.

It was rainy and foggy, but no snow on the ground. We were going to be in the forest for a big portion of the time anyway, and we are not make from sugar (and hence not have to worry to dissolve in the rain), so we decided to go up on the ridge. Up through the forest towards the ridge, and along the ridge into the clouds.

I still want to do the creek stroll sometime: there won't be much elevation gain or views, but it sounds like a great opportunity to experience the pristine and peaceful Rockies.

Who needs to a trail? Robin is the king of bush-wacking. What can I say: Der Apfel faellt nicht weit vom Stamm. Or: He's a chip off the old block: that's what LEO translates it to. Cousin Robin is just like his father Wilfried when it comes to exploring the mountains.

The Unnamed Ridge

The last hike for the Salomons! This hike took the last little bit out of them. They have served me well, they are great for hiking, but scrambling was a little bit too much for them. I have had them for a few years, so they got good use, but now it's time for a new pair (or maybe two: one for trail hiking and one for scrambling).

Robin's friend Marco, Italian mountain addict, was showing off some chimney scrambling, while I was chilling on the ridge. And chilling I mean literally here. The yoga sutras claim that a real yogi can withstand the cold without problem: well, I am not quite there yet.

Along the Ridge - in the Clouds

No - these are not easter eggs, but moose droppings. I was surprised to see them up on the ridge: I expected moose rather in the valleys and marshes, but apparently they like to hang out in th mountains as well!

Click here to see more pictures.

I am moving...

2008-05-28T06:49:00.002-06:00

Luckily only 10 steps away from my current place. I am staying in the same building. One of my neighbours is going to Africa for 6 months, so I will rent from him for a while.

The advantages are that I have access to a patio, a rooftop patio and a balcony. Yes - some outside space to enjoy the short, yet most beautiful Canadian summer! And I will save on rent and can put some money aside for my adventures in 2009.

I am not looking forward to the actual move, but it's a good opportunity to do some purging. Not my forte, but it needs to happen. I just have to remember Thoreau's and Emerson's advice - to keep it simple.

Simplify, simplify.
-H.D.Thoreau

One "simplify" would have sufficed.
-R.W. Emerson, in response

Kitchen Electro Funk and Vocal Grooves

2008-05-23T13:53:00.009-06:00

I came across this kitchen remix (Merci for sharing, Severine!) - it's pretty funny. Perfect, absolutely perfect kitchen remix recipe instructions.

It reminded me of Bauchklang, a group of groovy vocal artists from my hometown STP aka St. Poelten.

Lower Austria, the province/state or - to be precise - the "Bundesland" that I am from, has gotten a lot of bad press lately, usually about weirdos that hide some family members in the basement.

So I thought, I shed some positive light on Lower Austria. I thought, I let you know that we are not all weirdos, but there is some pretty great stuff coming out of Lower Austria - Baucklang definitely being among the top 3 hightlights from ST.P. (let me think about the other 2 for a little bit ;).

Bauchklang means "belly sound" and for a reason - as far as I know it's all a capella, no instruments - and yes, you can feel that bass in your belly. Pretty amazing what Hubsi, Fraenzl Andi and Co. can do with their voices.

Check out the video below, I-Tunes or their website for some audio goodies - I recommend "diss anymore" and "Navigator (drum and bassy) or "I-transmission" or "shaker" or really anything.

Wigging-it-up

2008-05-22T22:05:00.002-06:00

Wigging it up - a few weeks ago and a few years ago. Seems to be a hobby. It's such an easy and effective way of feeling different for a little while. And most importantly: it's fun!

Bow Valley Parkway

2008-05-19T19:28:00.011-06:00

May I introduce you? This is Big Agnes, the mother of comfort, a spacious 4-person tent, that I plan on spending lots of time with this summer. This last weekend, she was unleashed on a cycling trip with Vik and Kurt to the Bow Valley Parkway in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. I almost forgot: but definitely among the top 3 things in Calgary (besides the blue sky) is the vicinity to the Rocky Mountains. I will remember this this summer and get out to the mountains, as much as I can.

Welcome to the Mother of Comfort. Happy Annie enjoying the spaciousness of the new outdoor palace. I am pretty impressed with the view, that Big Agnes offers. Almost 360 degrees. Better than any wide screen TV.

What's even better is that Vik offered to carry all the group camping gear, including Big Agnes - and there is a reason why there is a "big" in Big Agnes. Kurt and I felt very pampered, as we only had to carry our own personal stuff.

And for the first time in my life, Vik didn't turn into a black little dot on the horizon on the uphill parts, but we were traveling almost at the same speed. Sweet! So in case you cycle with people that are way faster than you: just give them an additional 200 lbs to carry and you might end up in the same league.

The Big Dummy fully loaded.

We are laughing! An empty campground at Castle Mountain Junction. Just us, the trees, the creek, the full moon and a few chipmunks.

Kurt cruising along

Big Dummy - Here I come!

Kurt and Vik's final descent into Lake Louise.

Light-Weight-Tourer Annie

Boreal Annie

When we rolled into Lake Louise, a little bit of afternoon rain surprised us (luckily while we were at the bakery), so we had to carry out Plan B and Plan C. Plan B was a visit to the restaurant at the youth hostel.

Plan C was a drink and a mid afternoon snack at the Station in Lake Louise. Halibut with salad and a corona on the porch. Highly recommended, if you are in the area and crave some luxury, history, scenic views, trains and good food.

It's crocus time

2008-05-16T21:58:00.003-06:00

I discovered beautiful prairie crocus on the hill between Bridgeland and Deerfoot Trail last weekend.

I am off to the Rockies tomorrow - we have a long weekend here - yeah! Soon I will introduce you to my new friend Agnes: I am planning a few adventures with her this summer.

blogging away

2008-05-14T08:03:00.003-06:00

This post shall serve to encourage YOU to start a blog. If you already have one and you read this post, please feel free to add a comment, as I am by no means an expert. I would describe myself as an intuitive user. If I can’t figure it out quickly, I blame the computer, call it "non-intuitive" or "stupid program" and move on to something else. Or I call a computer savvy friend.

Here are two free blog hosting services, I know of:

Blogger

Blogger is what you see here. All you need is a gmail account. Fill in the form, think of a blog name, pick a layout, go to posts and write your first entry, add a picture, if you like, and you in the game. It's that easy! I recommend to say yes to "show word verification for comments" to avoid spam. And put your email address in the comment notification e-mail to get notified, when you have a new comment. In "Layout" you can add and delete page elements, like links, slideshows, widgets, and similar and personalize your blog.

Wordpress

Alternatively you can use wordpress. I have just recently started a blog about sustainability on wordpress - called dolessharm. I like their layouts, they look fresh and new to my blogspot-trained eye, but I still have to familiarize myself with all its functions.

Check out the Wiki How To site for more tips on how to start a blog.

But what are healthy boundaries in the blogosphere? Know that anyone with a computer and internet access can read your blog. That means, it could be your aunt, your co-worker, or whoever.

It’s NOT a good place to talk badly about people behind their back (there is no back - unless you make your blog private), if you don’t want them to know about it. Blogging is public domain. But I guess that is a good thing: it keeps us from wasting energy on gossiping.

The most important thing is: be authentic and have fun with it! I look forward to reading your blog.

I am back

2008-05-08T21:57:00.004-06:00

British Columbia was beautiful: amazing views for the eyes, and warm weather for a change. And the yoga conference was excellent for body, mind and soul.

By the way: I didn't see too much damage from the Pine Beetle. I mean, I did see brown branches on pines, but where I traveled the majority of the trees seemed unaffected. Maybe there are more lodgepole pine trees further north?

Click on the picture to see a few pictures from the trip.

Off to Penticton

2008-04-30T06:38:00.004-06:00

I am off to Penticton. I have not even completely unpacked from my last trip, but that's okay: makes packing for this trip easier. I haven't been to BC for a while, and I look forward to a road trip through the Rockies and enjoying the beauty of central BC.

I have heard about the pine beetle infestation in BC a lot. But now I will see it with my own eyes. Hopefully I can take some pictures.

Other than that I will yoga it up with Geeta Iyengar at the Iyengar Yoga Assocation's AGM.

Enjoy your week!

You've got mail

2008-04-27T12:44:00.002-06:00

What took weeks just a decade ago, can be done overnight today. I am talking about mail. I love the instant gratification of e-mail. Across countries, continents, it doesn't matter, the e-mail man delivers within just a few minutes.

It's especially useful when your family lives overseas. I have become "pen-pals" with my niece Antonia. I sent her a letter yesterday, and so that she doesn't forget Auntie Annie from Canada, I attached a current picture of me.

This morning I got this picture of her with the letter in my inbox, and it made me smile. It's definitely no substitute to a real visit, and I wished very much I could have been with her and the entire wexi-clan. But a weekend trip to Europe is just not in the cards: I would have been like a half-dead fly anyways - trying to recover from an 8 hour jet lag.

So, in between the infrequent visits to the mother country, I am grateful for having the internet, jajah, e-mails and photosharing websites (picasa or flickr): they give me a sense of staying in touch - at least on the screen and in my thoughts.

Homeless Soccer

2008-04-27T09:31:00.007-06:00

Soccer and I don't really do anything for each other. I think I am missing some receptors in my brain, because I don't seem to get the same emotions as most other people do when watching sports. What looks like a green background with some red and white dots on the TV screen to me, results in ecstastic, excited, and loud responses in others. Lucky soccer fans!

But when Elisabeth brought the homeless soccer cup to my attention, that even sparked some interest in me. 500 homeless people from 40+ different countries have come together to play soccer for the past 5 years. The first event happened in Graz, Austria in 2003 and this year's world cup is in Melbourne, Australia. And it's more than a world cup - it changes people's lives and often is the event that helps the players to deal with the issues that got them on to the street in the first place.

Like Peter, a vendor of the street paper "Donaustrudl" in Regensburg, Germany, who got inspired to start a library business and go back to school.

Or Cheong from Hongkong, a professional soccer player, who ended up on the street because of a gambling problem, who's theme is now: "Look forward, never give up."

Or Stephanie from the US, who says:
“For the first time in a long time, I felt important. Having been a part of that gave me the confidence to face people again, to face the world.”

Pretty cool.

Today is Earth Day

2008-04-22T06:50:00.003-06:00

"Stop worrying the planet will be fine." says the Good Human (whose blog slogan is "Don't blow it - good planets are hard to find")

"...It's us that I am worried about".

Maybe not my generation (but maybe my generation), but definitely the children of today and their children need to be concerned, whether or not there will be an environment that is supporting of human life with dignity. And unless you are an "Apres moi, le deluge" (Nach mir die Sintflut) type of person, it makes sense to think about solutions, define goals, implement strategies and tactics how to change from the destructive and exploiting status quo to a more environmentally benign life style.

I believe that it's not too late yet. Yes, there will be some consequences to the choices we have made up to now, even if we went 100% climate neutral and to sustainable resource management right now. But the human race is resilient and we are capable of great things when necessity demands it. And the time is now.

Personal choices can not be the solution, if only performed by a minority of people. On the other hand, like Michael Pollon suggests in his article "...for us to wait for legislation or technology to solve the problem of how we're living our lives suggests we're not really serious about changing — something our politicians cannot fail to notice. They will not move until we do."

And we need our politicians to move. Because it's not just about personal choices. We need to re-think our transportation systems, how we design cities, our food supply chains, energy and our raw material management. That's a big task. Oh, and the whole world needs to be on board. This issue doesn't know any borders.

Honestly, the environmental crisis can be a depressing topic. Believe me, I have taken it to my heart and I felt the pain. On the other hand, me being depressed about this situation doesn't make it any better. I'd rather approach it optimistically - by doing what I can - one step at the time. And hopefully the leaders of this world will follow. Obviously they won't follow me literally, but thankfully I am not the only one. Paul Hawken in Blessed Unrest speaks about the Environmental and Social Justice Movement as the biggest movement in human history.

So this Earth Day I will take a minute and ponder: "What kind of future do I imagine for life on Earth?" And I will be optimistic.

Walk in the Woods

2008-04-21T19:18:00.007-06:00

This evening my mission was to find some yoghurt without sugar, starch and gelatine. I couldn't find it at the regular grocery store (meijers) yesterday, which by the way is HUGE, so I attempted the local health food store and scored.

Unfortunately my navigation skills are not the best yet in Michigan (maybe it's those damn left turns), and I got a little lost. Instead of Holland, I ended up in Saugatuck by Lake Michigan. But as it is, when you least expect anything, life sometimes offers some nice surprises:

I ended up by a parking lot by the Felt Mansion, from where several trails lead into Saugatuck State Park. Wikipedia tells me the mansion is a prison (!) since the 1970's. If I ever end up in prison, that's the one I'd pick.

The walk in the woods was beautiful, peaceful, and exactly what I needed. I forgot how much I enjoy being in the forest. I used to spend hours in the woods. Walks in the woods clear my mind, I love the silver bark of the beeches, and little squirrels running away from me puts a smile on my face. It doesn't take a lot -to make my day in the woods.

This forest grows on sand - the dunes from Lake Michigan.

Here is some GREEN! Highly appreciated after a winter in artic Calgary.

I was really surprised to find cacti and yuccas in Michigan:

Not quite like a cactus like in the Sonoran desert, but definitely prickly!

Yucca

New HQ

2008-04-21T18:45:00.004-06:00

The first group of people has moved into the newly renovated office and I must say, it looks pretty! From the outside it still appears a little cold and unfinished, but hopefully the trees and shrubs around the building grow fast to change that. It's going to be a LEED-certified building, meaning that it has been designed and built with energy efficiency, environmental and human health in mind.

Lots of open space with lots of light in the atrium.

Outside and in the other wing: still under construction...

Michigan

2008-04-21T06:11:00.004-06:00

I think I said it before: Michigan reminds me a little bit of St. Poelten: flat, overcast and similar flora and fauna.

Michi-gonians are a little different drivers though: less aggressive than Austrians, but they like their traffic lights (see above) and they thought of a unique way of turning left. Instead of turning left at the intersection of choice, you

drive straight through the intersection,
then half block there is an opportunity to do a U-ie, so do a U-ie
turn around
turn right at the intersection of your choice.

Why do things the easy way, if there is a complicated way!

Snowy Saturday

2008-04-19T22:07:00.002-06:00

While Austrians are watching the flowers blossoming, Calgarians are surviving blizzards.

On top of our arctic conditions, when I got home last night the heat was off and the temperature was at refreshing 15 degrees. Damn new technology. I love in floor heating, but I love it even more when it's working. I ended up sleeping in my sweater, and thankfully it got fixed right away on Saturday morning. I can honestly say that I am really looking forward to spring.

I am off to Michigan tomorrow morning, and I was told the tulips are starting to grow there. Can't wait to see some green.

Success

2008-04-19T11:18:00.004-06:00

I made peace with the fact that I have to do some work to earn a living. So it might as well be something that I love doing and that I am good at. In the book The Artists Way at Work they cite a survey of successful people. What successful people all seem to have in common were three things:

A daily reflective practice - that could be yoga, meditation, going for a run or bike ride, prayer, drinking tea and looking outside the window, you name it.
The ability of re-framing failure - not getting hung up on a past failure, losing a job or a partner, public embarrassment, screwing up a project, etc. Failure happens to all of us in one way or another. The question is are we taking the lesson learned from the incident and integrate this into our future decision making? Or do we beat ourselves up for having made a mistake? One option of re-framing a failure is to think "Next time I will do..." instead of "Why the @#$% did I not do...? The latter is useless dealing with the past that we can't change, the first option can potentially influence our future action positively.
The ability of leveraging one's own skills.

Finding my skills
We all come with a set of unique skills. We all have a certain set of strengths. But how do I know what they are?

I turned to the book Strengthsfinder 2.0 to help me answer this question. I saw this book floating around our office and people were talking highly about it, so I gave it a try. It's another personality test, so of course I am into it!

Turns out my strenghts are:

Connectedness - my soul knows that we are all connected.
Intellection - meaning I like stuff the stimulates my thinking and spending time with smart people.
Input - I like aquiring new information. Thank God for the Internet - my google search bar puts only two mouse clicks between my questions and some answers.
Learning - that might explain the many courses I have been taking since I am done school: language courses, the LEED exam, and now the yoga teacher training.
Futuristic - I do have a vision of future, where we live in harmony with our planet. Despite of our current contradicting, destructive way of living (e.g. the majority of our electricity is produced by coal fired plants, that pollute the air we breathe and contribute to climate change), I believe that if humanity puts their energy and effort towards innovation of technologies and new ways of life styles, we can continue living our dreams while doing less harm. Hopefully this happens in my life time.

Unfortunately Strenghtsfinder is not available for free or online. You have to get a hardcopy book to get an access code to the online test, which seems a little wasteful in the era of digital information. If you end up taking the test, let me know. I am always curious to gain deeper knowledge (see above)! Apparently I work well with people with strong communication and activator skills.

Now that I know my strengths, I am on to the next step: on how to fully leverage them.

Blooming Desert, California, March 2008

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
Albert Schweitzer

Who says you have to be human, to be a Picasso?

2008-04-16T21:16:00.001-06:00

This elephant is seriously into painting. Pretty impressive.

Each movement is my mantra

2008-04-15T21:48:00.005-06:00

On Monday I rode my bicycle to work. For the first time this year. The highlights of my ride were two seagulls on a lamp post, a coyote on the way there and a deer on the way back.

My mantra for riding to work? "Slow and steady wins the race." Slow and steady cycling is still a better work out than turning a car steering wheel or pressing the pedal to the metal. "Slow and steady..." also makes it easier at 6:30 am to prepare myself for a bike ride.

But this year I will introduce a new mantra: Fast and Easy. Once I am out of bed and on the bike path I am usually more excited about going fast and easy than slow and steady. "Fast and easy" means increasing cadence and having fun. It means the face stays relaxed and so do the shoulders (that usually requires some core strength action).

Oh, and the picture is the first one ever from the new camera. I thought the seagulls were worth it.

Icelandic Art at the Truck

2008-04-14T07:07:00.004-06:00

melting ice

I went to an Icelandic art exhibition called Sundog at the Truck Gallery on Friday. Above is the last shot I took with my little Canon before the lens decided, it was time to retire. Ice melting on an overhead screen. Very appropriate for our times.

So on the weekend I got a new little Canon (Canon SD870 IS). They have come down in price tremedously in the past few years. This time I got one with image stabilisation. We will see, if I shoot more sharply now!

Plasticific

2008-04-13T09:19:00.015-06:00

This is disturbing. Last week I found this picture of a turtle on The Ecologist and it wrenched my heart. Poor little baby hatchling must have got caught in a plastic ring commonly used for six-packs of beer cans. And grew into it.

They also mentioned the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” in the article, which was news to me. According to the Independent it is twice the size of the continental US and it’s a soup of plastic in the Pacific Ocean.

Plastic takes FOREVER to break down. And there is currently no good recycling systems for many of the plastics. And typically toxic additives are used and toxins are released during production and when it's breaking down or being burned. In fact, plastics don't break down by exposure to the sun only. They slowly photo-degrades to a molecular level, at which point further degradation can only be achieved by burning. That means it will be sitting in the ocean for a long time. The pieces might be so small that we don’t see them, but they will still be there. These plastics are eventually getting into our food stream. What effect this has on us and the environment is little known. I have heard that some might be hormone disruptors, but either way: my intuition tells me it’s probably not good.

The garbage patch was discovered by rich sailor Mr. Moore, when he was looking for a short cut on his yacht back to LA. When he ended up being in the plastic soup for a week, he realized that this is crazy and turned into an environmental activist. I guess, even the nicest yacht is not so great anymore, if the places to discover are trashed. Mr Moore warns that unless consumers cut back on their use of disposable plastics, the plastic stew would double in size over the next decade.

...for every 6 pounds of plastic that we got, there was only one pound of zooplankton.
Captain Charles Moore

What's next? Should we lie back and watch the clouds go by and keep on trashing our environment?

I think, we urgently need a more environmentally-benign replacement for plastic.

Maybe biopolymers are a solution, like these biodegradable plastic baskets, which are claimed to degrade after 18 weeks in the ground?

In the meantime, now more than ever, whenever I can choose between plastic fork or a metal fork, I will most definitely choose the metal one.

bike-to-work

2008-04-11T17:40:00.002-06:00

brit on bike on bike-to-work day

The City of Calgary has a draft version of a bicycle and pedestrian policy in place. It lists some good points that, once implemented, will transform Calgary into a more walk- and bike-friendly city. For example:

“Plan for cyclists separately from planning for pedestrians; the needs of the two groups are different.” Absolutely true – that will reduce the risk of running over kids, dogs, and drunks. Dedicated bike lanes in the down town core would be wicked too!

Read the policy here, and if you have any constructive comments, let the City know by sending them an email.

What we choose...

2008-04-09T11:02:00.005-06:00

...to buy can change the course of life on this planet.

Janette

Crackberry

2008-04-08T07:00:00.003-06:00

One thing I learned from my boss from Texas, is that if you want something you have to ask for it. So I did. I asked for a blackberry, which really is blue and really is crack. After the recent lay-offs a few BBs became available, which goes well with my interest in sustainability: re-use, the middle of the RRR.

It allows me to stay connected with my inbox, even when I am not at my desk. I am always on time, and 50% of humanity are not: so it's useful when I am waiting for other people in a meeting room.
And working from home just got easier.
It's a good alarm clock too.

So don't forget to ask.

Venice Beach

2008-04-02T22:17:00.005-06:00

Here are a few pictures from a while back - the Sunday morning in Venice Beach. Nice and hot! It's a really cute neigbourhood with a sense of community. Beautiful lush tropical plants in the front yards and palm trees along the boulevards.

Cool Architecture

Cool People

And I was surprised to see Meinl Kaffee from Vienna and Gruener Veltliner on the menue at the Three Square Bakery. It felt like at home in Austria, well ..., like Austria in the tropics.

Baby Instructions

2008-03-31T22:42:00.008-06:00

In case you are one of the people of expecting new little people in your life, to be on the safe side, here are some instructions and warnings.

Sitting

2008-03-31T17:12:00.004-06:00

Today I came across this review of Zody, the chair I sit on all day, when I am at work. Geeks gave it two thumbs up. I like it too. It’s adjustable in many ways, so I make sure that the arm rests are in line with the work surface and at a height that keeps my shoulders broad and relaxed. Most importantly I tilt the seat slightly forward, so that I sit upright and my pelvis is in a neutral position, which maintains the natural lordosis of the lower back: the slight inward curve that helps to avoid compression in the lower back.

After all we don’t want to end up like this guy:

Rrrrussian Mafia

2008-03-29T11:12:00.007-06:00

Our special guest Yana from Moscow is in town, so we played a round of Mafia. It's a good party game, especially if played with Russians, they are pros, but I am sure Italians can kick ass too. My skills are improving. I am not being killed off in the first round anymore - yeah!

I believe it was Socrates who said you get to know a person better by playing a game for one hour than by talking to a person for 1000 hours. It's worth a try. You can find the instructions to the game here.

Mafia boss Yana with her Russian body guards - you don't mess with her! ;)

Who is the Mafia? Who is innocent? Who can be trusted?

Rebecca and the Russian Presidents - from Lenin, blurry in the foreground, to Gorbi and Putin further in the back. In the very back, that's Rebecca - not a Russian president.

Brit outing himself as an innocent citizen (red card) after he was killed. I am sorry!

More pictures on flickr!

focus

2008-03-27T21:38:00.005-06:00

Really focus on the people in the white shirts:

Kindness

2008-03-27T07:20:00.003-06:00

Ram Dass has said, that there are three rules for living a rich life with meaning and purpose:

"Be kind. Be kind. And be kind."

I heart LA

2008-03-24T20:54:00.006-06:00

Did I already mention that I love California?

And that despite of 10-lane highways, a 24/7 rush hour (in LA that is), and ridiculously long line ups at LAX.

But it offers everything: people from all over the world live there, fresh food is plentiful and whatever your heart might desire, you can be certain that you will find like minded people. After all, there are 36 million people to choose your friends from.

California

2008-03-24T06:39:00.005-06:00

Another trip to sunny California to experience sun, palm trees and to visit with friends. And I am certainly glad I did absorb the heat over the last few days, because in half an hour I will drive to work..in a snow storm.

This time the desert was blooming!

Happy Easter! Easter eggs in front of a mansion in Pasadena.

Battery

2008-03-18T20:40:00.004-06:00

Today I found out the City of Calgary doesn't mind that regular household batteries (AA and such) are going in the regular trash, and will end up on the landfill. I was REALLY surprised, because in Europe, or at least in Austria, this is illegal.

In the US, corporations have to collect batteries and pay for their disposal at a special hazardous waste landfill (probably by putting more effort into sealing them), but households, which - by definition - contribute to the use of household batteries, are exempt from the regulation. Which doesn't make any sense: if I recognize the need for recycling in one area, corporations, I understand that its components, the heavy metals are very useful for certain uses, such as in generating energy, but that they should be kept away from our food, water and air cycles. Fresh water is a finite resource and demand is growing by an increasing population. Therefore we have to keep our fresh water supply clean, and we also don't want to incinerate batteries: the heavy metals make the air we breathe toxic.

Taking the raw material and keeping it in a closed-loop cycle, from extraction to end-of-useful-life to re-manufacture and re-use. Where the resource is used and re-used with the least amount of "dirty energy" necessary to run the whole operation. That would be a good tactic - with future generations in mind. Or do we expect from our children's children that they shall mine our landfills? Let's not put the heavy metals there in there in the first place.