On Truth

Well, I don´t know exactly all facts, but I 'believe' and agree:

religion as a natural, biological phenomenon

I guess I like being the driver in my 'driven' life.

:-)

Runner's High

There is proof ... and it was found in Germany!! ;-)

A runner's high does exist according to new studies: NYT german: Uni Bonn

Nothing I couldn't have told you before but we like it better scientifically proven anyway. The feeling afterwards is amazing. It is calm and focused. The mind is clear and happy, I even don't mind the pain in muscles and sometimes blisters on my feet. The problem really is to get out and start. But hopefully the temperatures will rise soon and make it easier again. The snowstorm yesterday didn't look too promising though... 

Running

Sometimes it is so easy. I wake up and think... gotta go running! and off I am. But sometimes it is really tough. Like those last days. I did my 10k a day but it was fight and I only managed to motivate myself with the sunshine in the morning and the memory of the feeling afterwards. It was cold, I felt tired and just not in the mood I guess. But those are good days too. Because running makes you feel better no matter how you feel about it while doing so. It clears your head and balances your emotions and puts everything in perspective not to mention all these physical improvements. Of course that was why I started it in the first place, but now I just know I feel better after a run, I managed to motivate myself and I get to study the trees along the way. I always have my next calender idea in mind and need to know when certain trees are ready or not. You cannot see much of that from the office, so running helps even to continue dendrological field studies (maybe that is just in my case). I really cannot wait for nicer temperatures. Up to a certain day running in the winter is fun, you know: gloves, hoody on, apple-devise in my ears and visible breathing... pretty damn cool. But NOW I don´t like cold anymore. ... We´ll see about that next week: my first run this year. I only signed up for 5k. Should be a nice start into the season on my home-track. I have to admit I live in the most beautiful running area. I get to run by the sea, which makes it very nice but tough sometimes too. Wind fights your pace and salty air make your nose running and eyes teary but still I love coming up the little hill and see the baltic in different conditions almost all the time. I love it when the waves are just strong enough to have those white breaks. It has that true marine blue then. Getting carried away here...  Go running or walking! :))

Beautiful Baltic

The Baltic Sea was very rough today. It was storming like crazy with winds from the east, which is very unusual here. Usually it comes from the west, so the wind today pushed against the rivers and beaches blocking regular waters paths. 

Normally there is at 500 meters of pure sand down to the water on the left hand side to the wall I was standing on. And on the right side the water is at 1 m lower - normally. It was fun!!! I walked 5k into town since biking wasn´t an option obviously. Around my part of the beach, the water came right up to the dunes. You couldn´t walk on the beach at all. The snow, rain and hail was needling my face so it is very smooth and piggy-pink now. It was actually the first real bad weather day I experienced here so far. I liked it - as long as there is spring to expect soon.

Happy Easter to every one!

j

Spring

Happy first day of spring and try not to be too consumed with consumption for easter! Do something with sense and sensibility!! Get out and look at trees or stay in bed and cuddle since the weather won´t be as nice as hoped for! ;-)

Cherry Plum / Blutpflaume 'Nigra'

It makes me really nervous when I forget plant names. I was walking around for days now and couldn´t think of the name of those shrubby small trees that start to bloom. They have a dark  reddish flower bud and turn into a cloud sweetest springlike pink once the flower opens. It is Prunus cerasifera 'Nigra'. This variety was introduced in the US in 1916. Once the blossoms are gone it amazes with dark red leaves which provide a perfect screen for any other plant even plain fresh green leaves look amazing in front of such a stunning unusual color. Later in summer there are some yummy juicy cherry-like fruits... can´t wait. 

Read and Think about

... the label of the food products you are about to consume! I know some of you get really frustrated with me when grocery shopping because I ALWAYS spend too much time reading and thinking in front of a shelve, the workers at my local market welcome me by now. But it is damn necessary if you want to be a free educated consumer trying to act sustainable at the point of sale. That´s all I have to say to this: nyt. It discusses the use of taste enhancer mostly all sorts of glutamine in modern food products. It is a protein that is found naturally in all sorts of dairy products, meat or soy (the highest natural content) and of course within ourselves. It is supposedly good for muscles so bodybuilders love it.... It can be extracted  as Glutamin acid in a rather complicated process and is then being sold as crystalline white substance which is then being added to food as E 620 or other salts like E621, E 622, E 623 ... 

Any clinical study on the substance didn´t show any indication of health risk when used in regular doses. But since it is a taste enhancer everything (supposedly) tastes better and therefore: what is a reasonable doses? I observed that kids who are used to canned and processed food (which generally include all sorts of Es because aroma just doesn´t stay) do not like the taste of natural fresh food. Even as adults they have to have their Maggi or others when they cook. I grew up with mom´s delicious home made chicken-broth. I do eat processed food (how can you not in this world)... but I would prefer fresh any time also because of the taste (not to mention the resources that are used to produce most processed food). Smell, taste and feel the structure of different fresh foods with your tongue, nose, lips - whatever, learn the difference between with and without enhancer and make up your mind. Try and enjoy food. It might be weird at first but it is like art, when it´s most disturbing it is the best. Go into a grocery store (organic or a better regular one) and smell the apples, most of them don´t smell anymore, but sometimes you find one and then buy the smell you like the best. You will notice a delicate balance between sweet and sour with an aroma explosion on the sides of your tongue. When it tickles like champaign you are hooked to apples... the good ones (which cost a fortune and need to be treated like treasures!!! no refrigerating!!!) :)

Food enhancer only contribute to convenience and globalized taste. The differences in tastes will be lost and therefor varieties in food. But it won´t kill us immediately.  

Justice

What a big word. 

I spent the last 6 weeks traveling throughout Germany and Switzerland discussing agriculture and food matters with lots of people. Today I finally enjoyed reading the sunday times over my coffee again and found this article: A Global Need For Grain That Farms Can´t Fill

Well, looking at the latest developments in agriculture and food industries "justice" is pretty stressed all over. Justice for farmers who finally get better prices for their commodities, justice for developing countries who finally develop at least in parts and seem more able to gain access to resources and food. But how do we really feel about it watching our food prices to speed up? Milk, butter, bread ... everything has nearly doubled. Now agriculture and food ind. is accused to drive the inflation and heat social matters. Let me put it this way: a VW Beetle used be around 2000 € now it is around around 20000 € whereas a piece of butter used to be 2,50 € and at it´s lowest last year it was less then 50 cent. You simply can´t produce a piece of butter for that. Not even when you leave out risen energy prices and an all other speeding costs. 

Farmers also now have the weird choice of producing energy or food on their fields. Whatever pays them more will be it, of course they are not doing this for the romantic farmlife, they are economists themselves who have been mistreated big time the last years. So don´t expect them to be overly concerned with  your prices. And the need for energy is biiiig. We are in the weird position where energy and food are growing to the same value.... But I am wondering: corn that is growing for energy-production doesn´t need to be "safe" as in food-standards. One reason why farmers don´t use pesticides and fertilizers (not to mention monocultures or GMO!!) as much as they used or would to is because of food safety issues (and environmental concerns). Well .... corn that´s been fermented to gas which then is been burned to energy doesn´t need these standards for food security.

The other thing that concerns me is, that last year in europe the fallow grounds were opened for production already, that is land put out of production to rest for revitalization (and to lower production) and now there are even voices who claim to put more land to work. More land from where? Nature reserves of course! To feed the current demand (and make the most profit out of it) people would put anything at risk. Once a land has been used for intense agriculture it cannot be transfered back easily. It takes a lifetime to reestablish a young forest and a young forest doesn´t provide anything that an aged forest does in terms of CO2 conservation and water reserve. Not to mention the biological habitat. 

Food is a much undervalued and underestimated product. It has its own rules, doesn´t work like industrial goods and depends on global rules of climate and nature. It is something that doesn´t fit into economic rules. It is something we seem to only need a certain amount of, but that is crucially substantial. We tend to forget that.

We are exporting most of our grain and meat yet have a self sufficiency rate of over 100% for everything but fruits and veggies. Don´t worry, we will be fine, we just have to pay a higher price for food. A more reasonable price and it hurts me as much as you. So making this a sustainable long term "justice" for everyone, I guess we need to cut back and let others have some to. Cut back on cars and energy consumption, cut back on food (just think of how much you throw away) and cut back on demanding the world for ourselves. As a society we need to realize that we are still depending on nature. And there is nothing eco-romantic about it... crucial reality if you follow the  climate changes.

LOHAS

I learned something at the conference yesterday. I always wondered why "green" still has the image of birkenstocks and woolsweaters... well it doesn´t actually. It´s pretty en vogue you just need to be around marketing people... LOHAS it´s what you call it today with it´s famous promoters: Vanity Fair. I just hope it is more than a marketing- instrument. I hope people fill it with background and have a real sustainable influence with sustainable ideas... trendies usually jump on the next one pretty fast - nothing sustainable about it. We´ll see.

Don´t talk about it

Everyone is pregnant! It used to be 20 but now it is 30 - everyone is pregnant or just delivered. It is fun. The generation has finally left school and reached adulthood, takes over responsibilities and christmas -if at all- makes sense again. But for those around who are not busy yet with breast feeding, spit wiping or belly-button-pop-outs, a missunderstood and misstreated tiny minority, life is tough. You not only miss your party-pals you also get the poor-woman-left-behind-look. For some reason you haven´t reached the status of reproduction yet so something must be wrong with you. Men who are left over are cool, career driven machos only to be desired.

An interesting flirt-advise: he said: “If you meet a man, don´t tell him you want kids!” Well, isn´t that too obvious to hide?! At some point a woman is simply READY to have kids, it is in her DNA, there is nothing she can do about it. The point is a woman´s brain is not in her uterus - so by saying she want´s to have a baby, she means: sooner or later with Mr. Right! She is simply ready to go the next step but doesn´t go down that road with simply everyone. It seems though that men in that age, who are still single, aren´t ready at all. They may never have left boyhood to become men, who are able take care of their offsprings. Guys let me tell you, there is hardly anything more manly then raising kids and becoming really cool dads. It is a duty that needs all the power and guts you have and I am afraid some guys just don´t have it. Playing around sounds too good. But don´t be scared - lucky you there are women who just know how to handle everything and love you for leaving the house in the morning. Don´t worry!! 

;-)

11

10 years ago a very special little girl had her first birthday cake all over her face and I had the pleasure of watching her trying to navigate the chewy yummy frosting in her mouth with both hands. She learned to use silverwear pretty fast as she did with everything else. She is one of the brightest little girls you have ever met and though I never had the peasure to spent her birthday with her again, I assume she is doing something fun every year for her birthday.

Although that´s a zillion years ago I remember when I was 11. The whole world was about playing, teasing my brother and going to school, for fun of course. We did play a lot, didn´t listen to our parents as much as we should have and life was great! I had everything I basically needed back then. Of course I had no idea that such a thing as politics excisted and that it kept me and everyone else in east germany from going to all the places we might have liked going to. I didn´t understand the concept but I remember the feeling at my grandparents balcony, which looked out to West-Berlin. I was wondering what is there, why do we never go there? Why were there soldiers with guns at some places in Berlin? I already knew what soldiers are and that guns could be dangerous. And a lot of kids from school were really proud of their jeans from west-germany, which I never understood. Pants were pants back then as long as I didn´t have to wear these red corduroy ones, my mom loved so much. I couldn´t care less. All I needed was my bike, my friends and family. I had a beautiful childhood.

But before I turned 12, the world changed, literally. My parents had rented a little cabin the summer of 1989 in the mountains in soutwest of east-Germany. We were on vacation and enjoyed swimming, hiking and I even remember my Dad letting me drive that old car for the first time (don´t try this at thome). You could do such things back then. Anyway, we had a great time but my parents were pretty alert to the daily news. I didn´t really know why but a lot of people were about to go somewhere and it made other people nervous. That fall the so called “Wall”, which devided Germany in two parts came down and the people from both sides could go anywhere they wanted to. But that was only one part of the big change. All the sudden, I have a memory of a worried look at my parents faces. The system had changed and we had to adapt and change lifestyles and attitudes. A lot of people in east germany had to find new jobs and keep up with new problems of social cruelty and a thing called capitalism. It was all about money all the sudden. I remember my first time in West-Berlin. At first I was holding on to my mom pretty tight but I got used to it pretty quick and curiosity came in. I will never forget the first taste of kiwi at the age of twelve. :)

Although the change was a very rough time of insecurity and loosing grounds I am sooo happy that I had the chance only 9 years later to travel across the ocean to become an extended member of an extraordinary family and had the time of my life taking care of  the sweetest little girl ever who just turned 11. 

Love you!