What has you here today?    work history (html) about me tajik bookmarks

I should be on the phones again—regularly talking—in a month, expect more articulacy then 19th of July, 2006 POST·MERIDIEM 08:51

Things I’ve learned over the last few days:

  • If someone talking German mentions your [xɛndɪ] repeatedly, they’re talking about your mobile, and they’re probably Russian.
  • Ben Wing makes stupid mistakes too.
  • Despite dressing not remotely Gothic, I am not un-Gothic enough to be turned away from a Goth club. Damnit, that was a waste of time, I should have stayed in Saturday evening.
  • Joachim Fest writes really really well, and I need to read more erudite people in German, rather than technical-oriented people.

Word of the day: Поезд is Tajik for “train,” I imagine from Russian.

From Emma on the 21st of July at 5:12

You @ Goth club?! I want more details!!! Also, I expect equally diverting outings if I ever make my way over to Berlin. Ahhhh, the image of you at a Goth club tickles me ;-)
From Aidan Kehoe on the 21st of July at 13:10

You @ Goth club?! I want more details!!!

Went in, watched the band—they were Italians singing in English, the front man was sweating lots and wasn’t wearing a shirt, Started conversations, realised how one dresses was really important to almost everyone there, and as such my first impressions were lacking, gave up, left. (And don’t be so surprised! :-)
From Ste on the 21st of July at 15:55

Yeah, from my experience of Goth clubs, (and that is limited to Dominion, and one bizzarre evening into early morning in Slimelight in London) image seems to be uber important.

I imagine the explosion of Digital TV and the glut of music channels spewing out what was formerly "alternative" music 24 hours a day has made it more difficult to keep something like "goth" as elitist has it has been, especially when you find out everything you need to know, and download all the music you want from the Internet.

One thing I remember was a distrust of outsiders, even if they were from different "sub-culture" cliques, (punks for example), which to me seems odd, since on an individual level Punks and Goths seem to get on quite well, if they meet in a neutral environment (a rock friendly pub for instance).

From on the 21st of July at 23:06

I brought fine scotch and wine to the last goth party I went to. wore a black silk sleeveless shirt and baggy jeans held up by a chain link belt. I can’t remember if I still had the spidery bright green shawl on at that point. perfect touch.

I wonder if there are as many thrift stores in Berlin as there are in Chicago? great places to buy clothes.

and, what’s in a month?
From Aidan Kehoe on the 22nd of July at 19:37

Ste, I did enjoy Dominion the couple of times I was there, but then I had people I knew to talk to and it was a matter of looking at people and how much work they’d put in to look extra-extra-super-special.

And I suspect the general friendliness of individual Goths is one of the reasons it’s lasted so long as a movement; but then maybe I’m wrong in thinking that’s strange—are there still New Romantics around? Did punk die off from about 1986–1994 as much as I thought it did?

SheilaAnonymous Chicagoan: I haven’t seen any thrift stores, but then I haven’t looked hard. I did come back from 40 minutes’ browsing in boring mainstream shops in Prenzlauer Berg happy with what I could buy, which rarely happened in Dublin.

And in a month, I should know enough about the normal problems with my company’s software to be able to do tech support, in addition to the programming I’m doing at the moment.
From Emma on the 23rd of July at 21:03

I haven’t seen any thrift stores, but then I haven’t looked hard.

If you haven’t seen any, then you most certainly haven’t looked hard at all! Try walking around in Friedrichshain...and there are actually a lot of shops in Prenzlauer Berg that aren’t so boringly mainstream (but those around U-Eberswalder wie Sgt. Pepper’s will disappoint, I expect). The bonus to Friedrichshain is that there should also be plenty of attractive 20-somethings walking around, too. And I’m guessing you’ve already tried Humana?
From Aidan Kehoe on the 23rd of July at 23:20

Emma, that forty minutes has been my entire clothes-shopping experience in Berlin! :-) .

I am idly planning to opt out of the dressing-like-a-twentysomething thing entirely by buying good shirts, a few more suits, and polishing my (already ridiculously conservative) shoes at least every week. Plus; the time and energy put into general clothes shopping equally helps in interviews, fishing for upgrades on flights, giving people the impression you’ve got your shit together. Minus; all of the attractive women in this city in my age bracket are students, they’re unlikely to be enchanted by the markers of being budding plutocrat scum

Comments are currently disabled.