Sunday 20 September 2009

the last day


hello there,

it is 6.13pm on my last day of roof-holiday. the time went by so quickly!

above is a picture of how i felt on several occasions during my holiday, and tomorrow i will have to open the door. that's fine though, because i had a great time. i am in a different place now, much more relaxed than before, full of ideas for the future and some satisfaction that i did most of the things i had planned.

i can only recommend it to anyone!!!

i will move to a new blog soon, called kanaland.
hope to see you there!

c.

Friday 18 September 2009

spetsai armata festival


the non-scientific highlight of the summer school was the armata festival, a celebration of the greek revolution against the ottoman empire, in which the island spetsai and its heroine bouboulina took an active role. in remembrance of the battle of spetsai, an enemy ship is sunk in the sea near the harbour, watched by spectators on the shores and on numerous surrounding yachts.

this spectacle is followed by massive fireworks, the most amazing I HAVE EVER SEEN. (and i don't even like fireworks.. ;-))

above is the picture of the burning ship by a fellow summer school participant rafal marszalek. below is a video of the final minutes of the fireworks, filmed by liz morris. watch out during the final seconds, it was like the explosion of the death star. (also take note of the classy dance music that is played along with it)

spetsai summer school 2009


spetsai summer school 2009

in order to have a smooth and relaxed transition back into working life, i decided to apply for the embo/febs summer school in spetsai, greece. this course has taken place since 1966, featuring legendary scientists from the very beginning (francis crick hosted the second summer school in 1969. for a complete history of the course, check this webpage). this year's school was about protein-protein interactions and protein networks and covered a broad range of topics from proteomics to biological structure.

the meeting was very well thought through and allowed much time for science, but also for meeting people and learning about local culture. the mornings consisted of longer sessions with talks and discussions, followed by tutorials in the afternoon, and a shorter evening session. each night, the speakers took out small groups of people for dinner in local tavernas.

as in previous years, the list of speakers was excellent, the research presentations very interesting, clear and comprehensive. the poster sessions and talks of the participants were also fascinating and of very high quality (the fact that i have taken over 50 A4 pages of notes during the meeting is the ultimate proof for these statements). the highlight of the week was a series of lectures by aaron ciechanover, who received the nobel prize in chemistry for the discovery of the ubiquitin proteasome system in 2004. another great feature of the meeting was a morning session discussing the challenges for women in science and young families in general.

all of this was set in the beautiful location of the island of spetses in a hotel right near the sea, with stunning views over the peloponnese. one day was spent on the main land to see the ruins of epidavros and mycenae, and the town of nafplion. another afternoon, we went on a boat trip to the other side of the island, to a beautiful beach with some interesting cave formations closeby.

all in all, this meeting was absolutely fantastic, and i can only recommend it to anyone. it is an excellent chance to get to know senior researchers in your field and network with young colleagues in a relaxed yet science-focussed setting. unfortunately, funding bodies nowadays prefer a schedule completely packed with science, but in my opinion it was the more relaxed atmosphere that inspired conversations about science in all social situations, even on the dancefloor at the farewell party ;)!

Tuesday 25 August 2009

buffalo

standing in the winestand at the weinwoche can be very tiring for your feet, so we tend to wish for closing time to come. in order to keep us entertained, my uncle the winemaker (who is also a very well-read man) recites a poem by theodor fontane. it's about a fire onboard a ship on lake erie, on its way to the town of buffalo. holding out against the flames, the helmsman (john maynard) tries to maintain course to the shore, while the people onboard desperately count the minutes to reach buffalo.
maybe not quite as desperately, we also count the hours to closing time. that's why we call it buffalo.

this year for the first time, my uncle could not be there during the wineweek. even though we safely reached buffalo every night, we hope that he'll be there again next year to recite the poem:



"Who is John Maynard?"

"John Maynard was our helmsman true.
To solid land he carried us through.
He saved our lives, our noble king.
He died for us; his praise we sing.
John Maynard."


From Detroit to Buffalo
As mist sprays her bow like flakes of snow
Over Lake Erie the "Swallow" takes flight
And every heart is joyful and light.
In the dusk, the passengers all
Can already make out the dim landfall,
And approaching John Maynard, their hearts free of care,
They ask of their helmsman, "Are we almost there?"
He looks around and toward the shore:
" Still 30 minutes.... a half hour more."


All hearts are happy, all hearts are light --
Then out of the hold comes a cry of fright.
" Fire!" it is, that terrified shout.
From the cabin and hatch black smoke pours out.
Smoke, then fire and flames aglow,
And still 20 minutes to Buffalo.


And the passengers, in a colorful crowd
Stand pressed together on the bow.
Up on the bow there is still air and light
But the smoke at the helm forms a thick, dark night.
" Where are we? Where?" the men must know,
And still 15 minutes to Buffalo. --


The wind grows strong but the smoke cloud stays.
To the helm the captain turns his gaze.
The helmsman is hidden by the raging fires
But through the bullhorn the captain enquires:
" Still there, John Maynard?"
" Yes, sir. I am."
" Onto the beach! Into the surf!"
" Yes, sir. That's my plan."
And the people cry: "Hold on! Hallo!"
And still 10 minutes to Buffalo.--


"Still there, John Maynard?" And the answer is clear,
Though with dying voice: "Yes, sir. I'm still here."
And in the surf, rocks, obstacles afloat,
Into their midst he plunges the boat.
To be saved, it's the only way to go.
Salvation: the shores of Buffalo!


The fire is out. The ship's run aground.
All are saved. Only one can't be found.


The bells ring out, their notes all fly
From churches and chapels to heaven on high.
The city is still but for funeral bells.
For one service only the sad sound swells:
In the procession ten thousand go by,
Or maybe more -- and not one dry eye.


With layers of flowers the grave they soften.
Under more flowers they bury the coffin.
With golden script in marble stone
The city has its tribute shown:


"Here lies John Maynard! In smoke and fire
He held fast to the wheel; he did not tire.
He saved our lives, our noble king.
He died for us; his praise we sing.
John Maynard!"


the english version of the poem was taken from here.
for the german original check here.

Thursday 20 August 2009

kapow!!!!

become an italian stallion.

Sunday 16 August 2009

siggi III.

i heard from a reliable source yesterday that siggi is still around, has been mended a few more times and is enjoying retirement in a comfortable bed.

Saturday 15 August 2009

rheingauer weinwoche



this week i work at the rheingauer weinwoche in wiesbaden. it's a 10-day long festival where over 200,000 bottles of wine are are drunk each year (during ten days ;-)). this might cause a lot of tipsy visitors, but the atmosphere is very friendly, as people tend to get very merry when they drink yummy rheingauer wine (and there is lots of food and music, too). since the first time the festival was held in 1976, over 10 million people have visited. it is a very popular festival not only locally, people come from many places in the world. just yesterday, i sold glasses of wine in four languages. my mom's family has had a wine stand at the weinwoche since the very first year (for my uncle's winery, take a look here), and so i have helped out there ever since i can remember.
it's a fun festival, so if you ever find yourselves in the rheingau area the 2nd and 3rd week of august, don't forget going to visit wiesbaden.

for a picture and a map of where we are, take a look at the pictures.

prost!!!

Monday 10 August 2009

movie

liberate yourself!

with the lemonademovie.

the stages of relaxation


written by a work-a-holic and recovering caffeine-a-holic

we normally spend most of our time ticking items off our to-do-lists. our days consist of work, sleep, coffee, and maybe a meal with some friends in-between. when the week-end comes (that is, if we are lucky enough to have a work-free week-end come our way), we run errands we were unable to fulfill during the week, give our flat-bottomed bodies some exercise, or try to schedule some fun. we feel we deserve this even though we have nothing to talk about but work and are so exhausted that we'd rather stay in bed. if we manage to avoid these duties, then we might spend our free time in bed, eat muesli interspersed with take-away and go through yet another dvd marathon, in order to rest our bodies, empty our brains and let our muscles atrophy even further.
(by the way, i say we because i don't want to feel all alone.. ;-))

this has been my lifestyle for longer than i'd like to admit. so after spending months trying to reduce my working hours which caused me more stress than actually doing the work, i decided to put a stop to the situation and take some time out to wind down: three months of self-prescribed relaxation.

so what happened since then?
since my last day at work at the end of june, i have experienced several phases on the path to relaxation. here they come:

STAGE I
the first stage of relaxation was unexpected and brief: FEAR. having been full of enthusiasm and anticipation on my last day of work, coming home without anything to do was moving out of my comfort zone into undefined territory. was this a good idea? would i be able to entertain myself for three months at home?

STAGE II
thankfully these thoughts only lasted moments. since i was exhausted, the next stage of relaxation kicked straight in: the bed collapse and TV MARATHON phase, already mentioned above: you are tired, you want to rest, but you are still so hyped up on stress hormones that you can't fall asleep. hence you need something to do in bed: watch mind-numbing television (it also helps to purge any stressful thoughts, at least for the time the movie is playing). in my case, for the first few days, a DVD set of old black and white miss marple movies served the purpose. and die hard I-4. and a few rocky movies. excellent.

STAGE III
after experiencing phase two for a few days, i was ready to move on to phase III: return to COMMON patterns of BEHAVIOUR. having partly recharged my batteries, i was keen to do something, but my mind was still not free to start something new. hence i used my new energy to do what? yes?
work. just a little bit, "for fun", you might say. embarrassing.
(i have to mention that phase III also had a positive side-effect (phase IIIb). i did something i had meant to do for years and never found the time: i started my webpage. this was a great thing to do at this stage, because it resembled work and was still creative in a way. not too bad for a start!!!)

STAGE IV
thankfully work can be boring. however much we like to fool ourselves (using "we" helps me admit uncomfortable truths), working hard is not our natural state. when you finally come to this realisation, you are ready for the next stage: the FUN phase!!!!!
i spent this phase in venice. drinking coffee, reading the newspaper, eating ice-cream and far too much mozzarella, while looking at art in-between. splendid. i even read a book. oh yes indeed. (if you want to hear real people talking like this, take a look at the miss marple movies i mentioned above).

STAGE V
i returned home ready for more. and entered phase V: SELF-REALISATION. i consider this the peak of relaxation: i set up my drawing room, started with some sketches, played the piano.... i felt happy that true relaxation had finally kicked in.

that is.. until i got an e-mail from my boss. oh no! i had to climb down the ladder back onto level three, work for two days full of self-pity and go into work for a meeting. that was that.


but even if the path to relaxation is rocky, i don't give up! i returned home, keen to get back to where i had left off. it wasn't easy...
i was disappointed.... in the end i spent a few days in a state of amalgamation of the stages i had experienced before: hanging out with friends (IV), cooking my favourite meals (IIIb), watching tv (II), being afraid that i would not reach stage five again (I) and stressing about work (IIIa).
a slight boredom kicked in, which even led me to clean the house. but all that made me realise something important: boredom can be a catalyst to reach stage five again!

STAGE V (again)
this time around, stage five came to me in a different shape: SELF-REFLECTION. i started thinking about what i want in life, about the future, and i was able to do this much more freely than before. very nice!!!

so far at least, i can say that my holiday-relaxation-mission has been accomplished.

i've attached a little drawing to illustrate the stages of relaxation.
i hope you all need less practice to get where you would like to be!

c.

Saturday 8 August 2009

sometimes...


... you wanna have a simple meal!

;-)

jamaica torte


i am critical towards cakes,
but this one is goohood....
a clever man has written down the recipe here.

Friday 31 July 2009

make your own shoe.

...here.

veggie cabbage roulade a la mama



i cooked a dish today that i had not eaten since i turned vegetarian 12 years ago (or longer!). it's the vegetarian version of a german classic.

for the filling:
- fry diced onions until transparent
- add sliced chili, fry until everything starts to brown
- add quorn mince, fry briefly
- add plenty of nutmeg, cayenne pepper, a little bit of rosemary and oregano, chili powder, salt and pepper
- put aside to cool down to room temperature

- soak two slices of bread or rolls in water, squeeze until they stop dripping
- add mince-mix
- add two raw eggs, mix it all up

for the roulades:
- remove outside big leaves of white cabbage (also works with savoy cabbage)
- blanch in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the leaves
- remove from water, put aside (no need to cool down with ice)
- form a little ball of mince and place into cabbage leaf, wrap it around and then wrap a second one around it
- tie roulade together with a piece of clean string (tie a bow, otherwise you'll have trouble eating)

for the sauce:
- fry onions until transparent
- add caraway seeds
- add remainder of cabbage (chopped into bite-sized pieces)
- fry for a while
- pour over 150mL of white wine, reduce down to 1/3
- pour over 100mL of vegetable stock, reduce again
- add some veggie gravy powder if you like, to give the sauce some thickness
- in the end, place roulades in the sauce, put on the lid and simmer for ~15-20 minutes

serve with boiled potatoes. and beer. guten appetit!!!

ps: the filling of the roulade can also be used to make a fake meat ball. make the desired shape and roll through some breadcrumbs, then fry in a pan.

Wednesday 29 July 2009

a picture of siggi

it came out very small, but you can make out the various injuries... in real life, siggi's head would never hold up straight, but that's artistic freedom.

Tuesday 28 July 2009

productive holidays

the fruit of my first week of holidays: www.dr-cee.net

my childhood friend norman and his soft toy siggi

emptiness on my blog. here's a little story to keep you entertained....

when i was little, i lived across the street from a boy my age called
norman. we used to play together a lot, from the age of five to ten
maybe, along with my little sister claudia and sometimes also his
older sister katja. it was quite simple: in the afternoon, we'd just
walk over the other house, knock on the door and play until dinner
time.
i think it's fair to say that i was quite shy as a kid and maybe
therefore mostly well behaved. my friend norman was the opposite - he
was a wild boy! when playing hide and seek, he'd hide in unusual
places like the rubbish bin, where i would never find him. he'd come
home and be so impatient to be let in the house that he threw himself
against the entrance until the glass door shattered (the entrance was
not only made of reinforced glass, it also had a metal grid in front
of it. yet he still managed to break it). when doing our homework, he
just wouldn't stay on his chair, but run off and climb onto the
kitchen cupboards to hide from his mom. he'd even jump down the middle
of the staircase or hang down from the poles of the landing until they became loose. since he could never sit still, the material of his seat at the kitchen table had been completely rubbed
off. i would often be in awe watching him do things that i would
never ever dare to do. when being told off, he'd not only continue
whatever he was doing, he'd even sing a song made up
especially for this occasion. i was fascinated with this degree of
insubordination. obviously, his mother less so....
she had a really hard time controlling the child, as he seemed to
respond to almost no form of persuasion. apart from one: norman had a
soft toy cat that he'd named after his uncle's real life cat siggi.
soft toy siggi would sleep in his bed every night and had been hugged
so many times that there was no fluff left on the fabric (the fabric
had once been white and was now grey and beige). what was left of the
material had been reduced to a thin mesh of strings through which you
could see siggi's insides. its neck had already been reinforced with
new material, but even that had almost rubbed away and was
now a floppy ring of cloth dangling around an even more floppy neck.
even though siggi was almost indistinguishable from a cleaning cloth,
norman loved it like nothing else. hence siggi was his only weakness...
when the last measure of disciplination* seemed necessary, his mother
would threaten to "hurt" siggi. most times, the threat alone would lead to norman
giving in, but on several occasions it came to the worst:
siggi became one-eyed and its tail showed clean cuts in four
different places. he'd even been slit through the throat and had a
whole paw cut off. unfortunately, any injury to siggi would cause such
a flood of tears in the boy that the cat would be sewn back together
the same day by a very sorry mom ...until the next time it became
necessary to go to the extreme.

when i met norman last summer, he seemed like a very quiet and polite
man. he stood still throughout the entire length of our conversation.

i wonder whether stitched-together siggi is still around and whether it is missing any
body parts... ;-)






* i think i made up this word but i like it.

Wednesday 1 July 2009



yesterday was my last day at work. my next day at work will be the 22nd of september 2009!

i left work excited and happy, but today i woke up a little scared: what am i going to do with all of this free time?

i'll tell you what i am going to do. in this roof-top blog.

have a nice summer.