It’s a sad day when uploading and updating FB is easier than anything else…I’ll try a FORTH time on this post later.  I have to go meet Stefan!!!!!!!!

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Yesterday we went to Gemaldegallerie.  Talk about sensory overload!!!  Soooooo many amazing pieces of art in a labyrinth of rooms.  It completely disoriented me in space and time.  AND I didn’t get through the whole place.  Guess there’s a reason to come back now!  I’m trying to upload pics but I have to pick through a 1000 of them and then hope *I* have the stronger magnetic force on the bandwidth.  Mwahahahahahahaha!!!  Enjoy what goes up and there will be more later!

Started the application process…it looks too easy…it’s freaking me out…     d’UH-mmm

…the upload is painfully slow.  I got some Pergamon pics up.  The main part of the Ishtar Gates will have to wait.  I’m off to the National Gallerie and MISS JULIE tonight…WITH English super titles.  YEAH!!!

Our apartment is near a church (in Europe????  Weird, right??) and the church bells sound every 1/2 hour…except at 7a M-Sa and 9a Su when they ring-the-phuq-forever!!!  I count things…it’s an OCD thing…up stairs – must count…down stairs – must count even if they are the same stairs I use 20 times a day.  Apparently, I do this in my sleep as well b/c at 7a every morning I wake up at about 38-42…rings…and IT KEEPS RINGING!!!  There is no melody to the bells, they just ring.  I call it 100-o-clock…

Rewind a bit…we didn’t go to FAUST on Sunday night as planned.  Robert read the reviews and they were HORRIBLE!!!  We went to see EUGENE ONEGIN instead.  I enjoyed it.  The stage was a shallow 4′-ish deep and crammed with furniture!  There were 5 distinct rooms that morphed into each other.  The performers entered in street clothes and the story was performed in a narrator style.  I’m not familiar with the original text/story so I’m not sure of the style of the piece but the performers didn’t say “lines,” instead it was monologues to the audience.  It was in German so I have no idea what they were really talking about but the story in my head was great!  About 40 minutes into it, Eugene began putting on make up…and then the most amazing period costume(!!!!!!!) period fasteners!!!  A dresser had to come onstage to help him.  It was magnificent.  Each performer put on a period costume, one of the characters was Alexander Pushkin, the author.  There wasn’t a lot of movement so it made sense to have the shallow stage.  There were sooooo many old books!!!  And they threw them on the floor.  Aaaaagh!

Monday we tried to go to 3 different museums…but they were closed.  We ended up at the Bauhaus museum.  Soooo wonderful!  There was only 1 Kandinsky but it was very interesting to listen to the audio tour.  …no photos… Monday night was Robert Wilson’s show.  I guess it was only performed the 1 time and put together for THAT space.  After having my ears raped for what seemed like 3 days (screechy white noise-y thing…) RW started reading the Lecture on Nothing text by John Cage.  It was…about nothing and kinda awesome!  I don’t remember the lines specifically…even though they were repeated pretty much for an hour but it was basically (or what *I* took from it) enjoy the moment and be IN it.

Yesterday we went to the Museum of Photography.  The exhibit was Vogue covers…and most things Conde Naste’.  FABULOUS!!!  …no photos again…and the catalog was 60Euros and about 80lbs!  Bummer because there were some amazing photos I will now have to prowl for.  We saw Minna Von Barnhelm last night.  It was a comedy at a children’t theater.  It was silly and fun with a song about pickled eggs…which were offered to the audience.

Today it is raining.  My computer works (YEAH!!!!) and just because it is 9/5 here…it’s not the right 9/5 in NY for NYU to post their 2013 application.  Yes, I have no patience.  Pictures will come soon…need to TCB first!

First advert in Berlin I saw…

I am Internet spoiled. I know. Short blog today because while in the process of trying to upload a picture…the whole blog was deleted. Partial user error, partial slow connection…FU technology! Suck it!!M

There is 1 bathroom and only 2 sets of keys to the apartment. ‘Nuff said.

So aside from not seeing the Season 7 opener of Doctor Who I need an all new power supply for my laptop…we hope… 70€ and it should be here by Tuesday. If that is not the problem I may have to resort to buying a new computer. NOT the option I want, but an option nonetheless. 3 months with no computer will not work for me. There are limitations to the iPad!!! NYU application went live yesterday!!!!!!! But there is no link to an application…or I just can’t see it on my iPad. HOWEVER, the deadline for Stage/Screen Design program is Jan 1, 2013…worst case, I fill it out as soon as I get home…while I suffer from post-European jet lag… If it lasted 2weeks when I came home from France after 8 days…I should be better by March!

The Media Markt (that’s how it’s spelled) is 4 floors of uber-awesomeness!!!! They have RECORDS there!!!!! Thought about picking up Kraftwerks for Ginger…MM’s Dope Show just cause that suit is crazy…but why buy MORE vinyl I can’t play? Media M is in a giant mall full of…SUBWAY (I’ll never escape the smell…), Esprit, Body Shop and about 300 other american stores… And what do I buy? An awesome waterproof jacket w a hood…from North Face. It was super on sale! …and it is purple…SHUT UP!! There was only 1 and it was my size!

We all went to see Danton’s Death last night at the Berliner Ensemble Theater. No idea what it was about…French Revolution, some whores, a couple of love interests, an incredible forced perspective, raked stage and a guillotine. Everyone dies at the end. It was GREAT!!!! I think we are going to see LULU there later this week. Tonight is FAUST. I’m excited for that. It will be nothing like the Shakespeare Santa Cruz production a few years ago, but I just like the story.

We are 4 today, roaming the city. Danila is stuck in some other city so we’re on our own! Me, Sojin, Britney and Amanda. Maybe we’ll go to the Bauhaus museum (…there’ll all sorts of Bella Lugosi stuff there, right?), maybe the zoo…THERE ARE SOOOOO MANY THINGS TO SEE!!!!!

…there are only 683 pics to upload…hoping for a happy computer soon…

So, first there was the phone issue…Verizon swore to me on 3 separate occasions that my phone WOULD WORK here!!! That I would at least be able to connect to the Internet and with a German sim card, I’d have anything else I needed. Not even a little bit…NO service whatsoever, the sim is locked and Verizon customer support has yet to respond… Oh, and there is very little weeee-feeeee in our apartment. So I bought a new phone. I’m not happy about this but I can get me email, update FB and Danila can call me so it’s useful. Ernie hooked me up with an awesome adaptor…but all the plugs are sunken I/o flush with the wall so…yeah…MY error was in buying a converter that only takes 2 prong when the power strip I have is 3 pronged but since the outlets are sunken…AND my laptop does not recognize that it is plugged in so it it COMPLETELY dead and I have to find a new power cord. My iPad is not recognizing the photo card adapter so still not photos to upload. Weeeeee! BUT facetiming with Casey, Ray and some of The Last Con people was fun!!!! I miss my friends! …I just need to buy a Mac…gawdammit…

BUT, Soojin and I DID find a Starbucks with wi-fI and plan to live here for a while. Green Day was amazing the other night, despite the 3.8km walk from the train station because google maps couldn’t find public transportation. On the way home, I asked a very friendly German Bradley Cooper-alike for directions. He was most helpful!!! German audiences are soooo different than American ones! BJ sang Shout and for the “little bit softer now” part…85% of the audience SAT DOWN in the pit!!! In the mud (it rained during the show)!!!!! It was crazy awesome! The boys sang a LOT of old school stuff. Was NICE! Only a handful of Am. Idiot songs and 3 new ones. I’m looking forward to the new album. Sounded like the old stuff and a little bit Foxborough Hot Tubs, which excites me.

It’s been museums every day so far. Cool stuff! Pergamon was astounding!!!! I could’ve just hung out in the alter room all day! The carvings are sooooo beautiful! So intricate, so…god-like. The Ishtar gate was equally magnificent. UGH!! I want to post my pictures!!

We’re off to visit the farmers market, find electronics and see Danton Tod this evening!!!