Bouquet of quotes

Finally, when I look out my window, the weather matches the calendar. For the 10th day since “official” spring begin and after daylight savings time has switched, the sky is blue and the sun is shining…

 It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold:  when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.  ~Charles Dickens

Spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you’ve got it, you want – oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!  ~Mark Twain

Awake, thou wintry earth -
Fling off thy sadness!
Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!
~Thomas Blackburn, “An Easter Hymn”

And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth’s dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.
~Percy Bysshe Shelley, “The Sensitive Plant”

Spring has returned.  The Earth is like a child that knows poems.  ~Rainer Maria Rilke

For girls who could use a good FUD

Hello boys and girls and welcome to yet another sensitive subject brought to you by bubkes. Today, we’ll be talking about FUDs – female urination devices. Now don’t go running off just yet – I bet there’s a situation where you could need one too. Ever been to a rock festival, where the lines for the port-a-potties are never-ending? While the men drunkenly stand near a fence and gleely pee all over refreshment supplies? Well I’ve been there, seen that – and haven’t you ever wished, ladies, that it could be that simple for us, too? It can!

Imagine being outdoors – camping, on a riverside BBQing, at an event like the yearly Thingsstätte in Heidelberg where there are no bathrooms in a 5 mile radius and the only options is to stand (or squat) on a very steep hill, possibly filled with stinging nettles (which you can’t see anyway because it’s in the middle of the woods and there are no lights there). Not to mention some very questionable bars where you feel you could a) get AIDS just from sitting on the rim – and wiping the seat off is not possible because there’s never any toilet paper and that doesn’t kill the germs anyway – or b) making the mess worse for not being able to aim correctly… Fear not, help is here!

First, there are the waxed cardboard / disposable types, like Urinelle and P-mate (don’t you just love these names?). Now, I imagine these to be rather uncomfortable, being that they’re made of paper. Plus, it’s not a good idea for the environment. But I do understand that this was the first idea to go to when this type of device was first invented. Yet, luckily, the idea has spread and developed – to the second type.

These are made of plastic or silicone and are reusable. This might sound gross at first, but think about it: urine is sterile when it leaves the body. This sort of device – like SheWee, GoGirl and WhizBiz (again, the names!) – can easily be stored in a zip-lock or even comes with its own storage tube. And if you’re at some concert or the like, I would recommend bringing along some anti-bacterial gel for the hands anyway. Then when you’re back home you can just clean it off, and you’re good to go again!

For those of you who are hard-core and really want to rough it, go to Stand2Pee and learn how to pee standing up, without exposing your tushes, and just by using your fingers. As a women. Crazy world. Oh and men, in case you’re still reading by now, you can also go there if you need help finding certain areas… There are some detailed graphics showing the various parts of a female anatomy. Speaking of men, women and urinating while standing up: here’s my last tip as to when you might want to use a FUD.

Every day above ground is a good one

I am currently working on a thesis paper that is part of an in-depth topic I have to present in my upcoming exam. I chose a review-article about social bonds and post-traumatic stress disorder, which means I’ve been spending my last couple days thinking about child molestation, physical abuse, rape, accidents, natural disasters, combat exposure, holocaust and other bright episodes of human life. I do find it all interesting, it’s just horrible to know how many things can go wrong.

In my research on the history of PTSD, I inevitably came across war stories, because the first time anyone took the care of looking into such symptoms systematically was when the behavior known as “shell shock” or “thousand yard stare” started showing up in world war, Vietnam or now Iraq veterans. Among all this, I read a story about the “Marlboro Marine”. James Blake Miller (born July 10, 1984) is a U.S. Iraq War veteran, who was dubbed “the Marlboro Marine”, after an iconic, close-up photograph of his dirt-smeared, battle-weary face, with a cigarette planted in his mouth, was published on the front page of more than 150 American newspapers in 2004. While looking for the picture, I found this video in the Los Angeles Times (which they won’t let me embed…): http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1287023361/bctid1299161489

On a similar note: I was watching MTV Noise the other day, and their topic this time was “F*ck War”, so it seems to be a reoccurring theme around here. Among the videos there was the clip of Pinks “Dear Mr. President”, which I think is a great song – especially after having seen Oliver Stone’s “W.” – and this next one, which I had almost forgotten about:

That Serj Tankian is just nuts, dude. Compelling images. And yes, this will stick in your head the rest of the day.