Very Inspiring Blogger Award

 


 The wonderful Aristocratic Elegance nominated me for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award!
Yay! She is amazing, she posts the nicest outfits and I have never not liked a post of hers. You should definitely check her blog out!

It seems like I have to post 5 interesting or odd facts about me.

Now, here comes the problem: What exactly do they mean by interesting? I have no clue... I'll just do my best, I'm sorry if these facts are kind of lame and boring.

1.  I only own a handfull of CDs because I have all my music on my computers. When I buy CDs I normally buy them so I can listen to them in the car because I hate it when nothing good is on the radio. I switch between those CDs to get a bit of variation. The ones I like best are: Marylin Manson- Best Of, My Chemical Romance- Three Cheers for a Sweet Revenge, The Black Parade and Danger Days, one by The Baseballs, a German rock'n'roll band that covers pop songs, one by Nirvana and one by Die Toten Hosen. 
2. When I was young I couldn't sleep without listening to an audio drama on cassette. My favourites were The Three Investigators which are really popular here in Germany. After they stopped making them in the USA a company in Germany bought the rights and continued making them. They are a must have among many kids, teens but mainly adults. The speakers have been the same for decades and they're stars in the Three Investigators fandom, they do live shows and tours and everything! Last year I started collecting the audio dramas again because I still love them.
3. I sometimes think about what kind of character I would be in my favourite movies and books. I would be a Ravenclaw or Slytherin who doesn't like to play Quidditch and whose favourite subject would probably be Transfiguration or Potions. If I were one of the X-Men, my mutation would be super long, super strong hair. In my everyday life it would be pinned up in really cool updos with modern twists and some gorgeous hair accessoires like hair sticks.
4. I don't like Jack Kerouac's On The Road as much as I'd like to. I think it is a bit boring, to be honest, even though it is so well written. I'm very much into the Beat Generation at the moment, I love Ginsberg and his life and I watch every movie there is about him. I can't wait for the On the Road movie to be released on DVD, it has been sooo long since I saw it at the cinema...
5. Some talents I would like to have are: Being able to draw, having a nicer handwriting, staying calmer around people that say stupid things and being able to sew better. Oh, and I'd LOVE to know how to dance traditional Irish dances! And play the flute, violine and accordion!

Uhm, yeah, well that's my "interesting" facts.
Now I have to tag people. I have NO clue who already got nominated...

Mademoiselle Parapluie
Goldkind
Zelde

Here is one of the covers The Baseballs made, I love it! It's Candy Shop, the original is by 50 Cent.

Have a great day,
The Countess

Thoughts On Our Generation. A Poem. Sort of.

I gave up writing poems a long time ago but after reading a lot about Ginsberg and the Beat Generation I thought I could at least write down all the little pieces that come to my mind at random points.
I don't consider this real poetry, it is really just unarticulated thoughts but this is my blog and I'll post it anyway. Here we go. Enjoy.



A generation of artists and free spirits
Fingers stained with oil and ink and paint
Heads leaking and bursting,
Creativity dripping out when all we really need is logic, arthmetic and oh, so many grammar rules
A generation without Einsteins and Kants but with a fuckload of Ginsbergs and Morans and Palmers
What we have in vision we lack in discipline
I wouldn't want it any other way



People mentioned: Allen Ginsberg, Caitlin Moran, Amanda Palmer


Have a great day!
The Countess

What it is- A poem

 I thought I'd share one of my favourite poems with you today. It is called "Was es ist" (What it is) and it was written by the German poet Erich Friede.


What it is

It is nonsense
says Reason
It is what it is
says Love

It is misfortune
says Calculation
It is nothing but pain
says Fear
It is hopeless
says Insight
It is what it is
says Love

It is ridiculous
says Pride
It is careless
says Caution
It is impossible
says Experience
It is what it is
says Love


Was es ist
Es ist Unsinn
sagt die Vernunft
Es ist was es ist
sagt die Liebe
Es ist Unglück
sagt die Berechnung
Es ist nichts als Schmerz
sagt die Angst
Es ist aussichtslos
sagt die Einsicht
Es ist was es ist
sagt die Liebe
Es ist lächerlich
sagt der Stolz
Es ist leichtsinnig
sagt die Vorsicht
Es ist unmöglich
sagt die Erfahrung
Es ist was es ist
sagt die Liebe


Have a great day!
The Countess

Keep Calm and Watch The Hobbit

I told you I am a nerd, right?
Well...

I have been excited for The Hobbit movie for the whole of 2012. I loved The Lords of the Rings trilogy, I have seen it more often than I can count and as my dad is what is probably the biggest LotR fan ever, we have the very extra special editions of all three movies. These editions each consist of four DVDs, two contain the movie itself and then there are many many great information on Tolkien, the LotR world, the making of the movies, the costumes, the characters, the philosophy behind some elements et cetera (I could go on for ages) on the other two DVDs. Whenever I watch LotR I admire the elves hair jealously, have the music stuck in my ear for weeks, start sewing/making something that reminds me of the costumes and consider learning elvish. Therefore I simply HAD to watch The Hobbit.

Things I liked about the movie:

• The soundtrack is AMAZING! The song of the dwarfes touches me every time I hear it, it creates a really strong atmosphere. I honestly could press eplay again and again and again...
• The length of the movie. People complain that it is too long, that such a short book should not be made into three movies that are each nearly three hours long, that they're just doing it for the money, blah blah blah... I completely disagree with those complaints! The length gave room for things that are not necessarily relevant for the plot but which gave the book this very special vibe and feeling. They could have shortened the scenes where the dwarfes are introduced and where they come to Bilbo's house, the story would still make sense. BUT: These are the scenes where we get to know them, where we start to love each of them with their little habits and quirks.  The scenes are also important to underline the contrast between them and Bilbo's way of life which again is important to understand why this whole journey is so hard for him. Another scene I loved was the riddle guessing between Bilbo and Smeagol/Gollum, the movie makers really took their time to allow the viewers to appreciate the wits of both Bilbo and Smeagol/Gollum.
• The costumes. As always. I mean, they're almost perfect! My favourites were Bilbo's vest with the golden buttons (and the loss of them as a symbol for leaving behind his comfortable and quiet life) and Thorin's costume. The rich blue fits him so very well!
• The dwarfes. They are funny, they are serious, they each have their very own character traits even though there are so many of them. My favoruites are a bit cliche: Thorin, obviously and his nephews Kíli and Fíli. It's the contrast of the stereotypical picture probably everyone has of dwarfes (which was partially manifested through the character Gimli in the LotR series) which struck me. Thorin is tall, smart and moody. Kíli and Fíli are young, light-hearted and reminded me a bit of Merry and Pippin. Also, Kíli's weapon is the bow, a typical elf weapon and he doesn't even have a beard but only a bit of stubble. Which leads me to the next thing: Thorin, Kíli and Fíli are HOT!!! Dwarfes are not supposed to be hot, at least that's what I first thought but hey, it doesn't hurt the story and their attractiveness again critisises the misconception of how dwarfes are supposed to be. A short question: What were they doing when they should have been watching the ponies? ^^
• The colours and pictures were even more beautiful than they were in the LotR trilogy.

What I didn't like about the movie:

•   The rhinestones on Galadriel's dress. What were the costume designers thinking when they applied them? They make the whole dress look cheap and costume-ish. Ugh.
• The 3D version. I saw the movie twice, once in 3D, once in 2D and I didn't enjoy the second version any less. I simply wasn't impressed by the 3D-effects and looking back I would have rather saved the money it costs to watch the 3D-version and invest it in seeing the movie a third time.

Have you seen the movie? Did you like it?
Have a great day,
The Countess

Christmas presents

Hello everyone, it has been a while. I have no excuse. I haven't even been busy, I just did not get around to do a blog post. 

What will be going on in my life in the next weeks?

University started again this week but it is the last month of the semester so from Febuary on I will have two months without any classes. I do have to write two 20 pages long essays in that time which is something I am not exactly looking forward to but yay, 60 days without classes! 

Also, Karneval is almost there and I still don't have a costume. I want to go as a unicorn and I have already chosen some inspirational pictures from the mighty internet but I haven't bought any fabric and other supplies yet. I am really excited to look through all those amazing shiny, glittery, pastel-coloured fabric choices that are available in the sewing shops during Karneval!

What has been going on in my life the last days?

I made another new year's resolution: Read one book a week. 
I have realised that I didn't read many books over 2012, mainly because I read many many news articles, short stories and fanfictions on the internet. I don't want to stop reading those, I just want to make sure I read some books, too! 

I finally managed to take some photos of the Christmas presents some of my lovely friends gave me.



Anna gave me this really fun air refresher. It is called Anti Monster Spray and you are supposed  to spray it "under the bed and in any dark corners". It smells like lavender and fresh laundry and is simply amaaaaazing! I am afraid of the dark and I love lavender so this is a gift that really fits me.

Mariazell had this wonderful unicorn brooch custom made for me by a friend of hers. Isn't hat the cutest thing ever? She also gave me a really cool tulle ring which is really hard to photograph which is the reason why I cannot show it to you.

Rici made this really cool bracelet for me. My other girlfriends got the same in different colours so they are basically friendship bracelets, yay!

The weekend before Christmas, the Count, some friends and I went to Aachen to visit some very dear friends who study there. We went to the famous Aachen Christmas market where I wanted to buy this gorgeous silver ring. The stone is a black agate, my favourite stone of all time so I HAD to get it. Unfortunately, I didn't have wnough cash on me so the Count was nice enough to lend me some. Afterwards he refused to let me pay him back two days later he and gave the ring to me as an early Christmas present. We agreed not to give each other presents! Agh! I mean, I loved the idea but I had to get him a present the day before Christmas! Which was a Sunday, by the way... In the end, I made him a gift card to see a 3-D movie with me and as intended he used it to see The Hobbit (which was AWESOME!!!).

A few days ago, i decided to give myself a little present. I have wanted to get this necklace for weeks now but it is real silver and the bird is coated with real gold so it cost 20€ which is more than I normally spend on things such as jewellery because I am a poor Uni student who still lives at home.
I did buy it afterall because it is pure perfection! It suits me, my values, my view of the world and of course, my style.

Did you get any extra special presents?
Have a great day,
The Countess

Visiting the Storybook Museum

I love fairytales. They remind me of my childhood, of long gone times, of what-ifs and of the sheer believe that everything will end well in some weird and twisted sort of way. I can get lost in stories about witches, dwarfs and magic, even though I am almost 22 years old now. The origins of fairytales fascinate me, too, I love to learn about how they have changed over time. 

When I heard the local storybook museum had an art exhibition on the Grimm Brothers my little Countess of Fairytales heart jumped a bit. Now, my dear friend Vivi and I finally had the time to go visit the museum and believe me, we had the best of times! The exhibition featured only pictures, almost no texts with information were given as th museum wants to make sure it directs its exhibitions at all ages but the shown art was amazing and inspiring! 
I do not think that I have ever seen so many different versions of princesses and bad wolfs (Doctor Who reference ftw!) and they had books with the most common and the most strange fairytales lying around for everyone to read them. On the second floor the museum has a huge room full of children's books from fairytales to Pippi Longstockings and the Very Hungry Caterpillar.

I didn't take any photos of the books and pictures because I wasn't sure if that was allowed but here is evidence of what happens to you when you read fairytales for too long:

The Countess of Fairytales on her throne

I call it The Bat

"To my consternation I have heard that there are people who have never seen a leprechaun. I am sure something is wrong with their eyesight."

Stories for children and those who love children

Do you like fairtales? Which is your personal favourite?

Have a great day,
The Countess

Going to Yum Town

The wonderful Amey at Vegan Eats and Treats hosted a giveaway a while ago and I won one of her amazing cookbooklettes. Today it arrived and oh my, look at this great thing:

It's called Yum Town and has 14 different vegan recipes in it, catergorized under soups, entrees and cookies. Everythings sounds delicious and I cannot wait to try them all out. I am going to start with the Tofu Dijon tomorrow, I love mustard!

It is written in the loveliest handwriting and decorated with amazing little figures that she draws. I mean, look at this, it is probably the coolest cookbook(lette) I have ever owned!

le meow!

Vegan cooking is love!

Amey even added a little calender with some of her drawings, my friend Vivi who is an artist herself has already admired it.

Thank you sooo much, dear Amey!!

Have a great day,
The Countess

New Year's Resolutions

• Eat healthier, try to include more veggies and fruits in my diet. My father calls me the vegan that doesn't eat vegetables, I want to change that.
• Practise juggling on a regular basis again.
• Sew more.
• Try to use the car less often.
• Buy more fairtrade and bio products.
• Treat my hair better. I had it cut a few days ago, I lost almost 15cm :'( Now it looks really nice and healthy again and I want to keep it in that condition. Maybe I'll do a post just about my hair care routine...
• Visit more museums, watch more movies, see more ballet and opera plays et cetera.
• Spend as much time with friends as possible, maybe while doing the things mentioned above.

Have a very vry happy new year, I wish all of you the best!
Do you have any new year's resolutions?

Have a great day and year,
The Countess