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Amadeus

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Blog Entries posted by Amadeus

  1. Amadeus

    Kings Of Metal...

    By Amadeus,

    Still listening to that "Warrior Radio" station - a strange fascination goes out from it, somehow..
     
    As I type, it's pumping Manowar into my ears - "Hail and Kill" - rather loudly, as I have to admit. Brings back more memories - teenage years and all that. Blimey, the stuff I used to really like and listen to with full commitment - amazing...
     
    How did the lyrics to one of their songs go:
     
    Heavy Metal Or No Metal At All
    Wimps And Posers Leave The Hall !
     
    err..where's the band gone?....
     
    (I won't admit to still having a copy of "Kings of Metal" somewhere - nope, never!)
  2. Amadeus
    Right - I've got my brand new Metal Detector for over a week now, but didn't really get a chance to try it out yet, mainly thanks to work. So this morning, after finishing another night shift, I decided to finally try it out on Douglas Beach - just to see if and how it actually works... You know how it feels when you get a new toy - you want to try it out as soon as you get it - its an urge, something that just needs to be done, no matter what....
     
    Like all new hobbies, this one seems to be a bit of a science, so studying the (surprisingly small) manual was first on the agenda - switch thingy on, put on headphones, set "fine tune" to 50%, move "coarse" control until you hear sound, then move it back a bit - easy!
     
    So off I went along the beach, moving the thing from left to right, and right to left - just as instructed - not expecting to find anything more than old coke cans and other rubbish...
     
    The first find actually was rubbish - some metal object which was definitely worthless, but then the noise in my headphones got louder again, indicating another find - exciting!
     
    So marked the spot again and started digging - only a few inches below the ground, right near the stairs to the beach in front of Colours, I suddenly held a round metal object in my hand - definitely a coin, and here it is:
     

     
    Its dated "1946", and I've got no idea if its actually worth anything (probably not), but just finding that on my first attempt ever was nice - definitely gonna try that again - there's gotta be some treasure out there, and I'm gonna find it! Manx Museum: reserve me a room - I'm going in
  3. Amadeus

    The Beast Is Back

    By Amadeus,

    Finally, finally, my little Jag is back on the road - booked it in for service and repairs before christmas, and its finally done. Haven't got the bill yet, so I'm still smiling - bottle of JD and large glass are at the ready, though - just in case I need them at the moment of truth - opening an envelope can be a nerve wrecking experience... At least I didn't give it to Jaguar to get fixed - that would have ruined me properly, looking at their rates...
     
    Well, she's back on the road, and drives really well - still a bit reluctant when cold, but once the block has warmed up, she purrs like a cat - only a bit louder... I'm still rather careful with it - have to get used to it first - but couldn't resist giving it a little run to the Creg yesterday - boy, what a monster... Every downward movement of your right foot provokes a sound that somehow reminds you of a sleeping Lion that has been kicked in the groin - it roars - it roars big time, painting a huge smile on your face while doing so - you have to hear, feel, and experience it for yourself to really know what I mean...
     
    I don't think its actually that fast (giving its weight), and its certainly lacking that "turbo-feeling" (when your head suddenly decides to move backwards, while the car jumps forwards with what feels like "warp speed"), but it has torque, and plenty of it - no matter what speed you're doing - there's power, and loads of it... Driving through town is weird, though - you don't need the throttle - only the brake. Its pushing so much, any more action of the right foot, and you're easily doing 50 - have to get used to that, and keep an even closer eye on the speedo now...
     
    Well, I shall now patiently await the arrival of that innocent looking letter containing the bill - it may look like any other letter to you, dear postman, but trust me - it isn't! Its a hugely important piece of information, a document that decides where I go on holiday this year, and what kind of food will reside in my fridge for the next month or so - Salmon or Brussels pate, Tesco Value or M&S... And its all part of the experience, the feeling you get when you sit in front of the screen, typing away on your blog, and think to yourself "yep, I've got a Jaguar V12 supercar" - and you know what? It feels good....
     
    (And nobody needs to know that it cost less than an old Mondeo to buy - so please don't tell anyone, ok? )
  4. Amadeus

    Song...

    By Amadeus,

    Back on "Warrior Radio" at the moment, and the song they're playing has got to be one of the best I have ever heard - ever...
     
    Remix: Nightwish vs Zimmer & Rabin
     
    Think a band where every member studied music (Nightwish) vs huge Hollywood score composers - this song must be the reason why speakers were invented - big speakers..
     
    I think my neigbours might hate me now..oh well, off to find that song on CD somewhere...
  5. Amadeus

    A Neverending Story...

    By Amadeus,

    Just sitting in front of the computer - as usual - working away on stuff, and listening to online radio while doing so - for some reason, I thought I try a station called "Warrior Radio" on Live365.com, the site I usually use to listen to stuff.
     
    The station name just sounded interesting, and I kind of expected something really bad, but know what: The first song to hit my ears was 'Atreyu's Quest' by Klaus Doldinger, from the soundtrack to "The Neverending Story" ("Die Unendliche Geschichte", to give it its original German title)
     
    Shivers down my spine, for quite a number of reasons:
     
    1: Although it's an old 80's movie, it's still my all-time favourite - watched it X+ times - first time at the local cinema, and then X-more times on Video2000 many many moons ago (for the younger readers: many years ago, there was a battle between V2000, Beta and VHS - VHS won in the end, but the other formats still produced a number of titles during their short lifespan, and we had all three players at home at the time - I somehow think my dad ultimately regreted buying two of them )
     
    2: Michael Ende, the author of the Neverending Story, was born in my hometown, barely 500 meters away from where I grew up - the place was called "Buntes Haus" (Colourful House) and was torn down years ago - I still remember it the way it was, though - a near derelict, yet beautiful buildig in the centre of town.
     
    3: I've been through the book X+ times. I don't read many books - I'm mainly geared towards quickly digestible information, and somehow always have been - news, short and snappy articles with good headlines, well worded current affairs stuff - that kinda thing.. I always saw books as a waste of time - read the review or synopsis, that will be enough - I have enough imagination for myself, I don't need external stimulation through printed paper, thank you very much.. With the Neverending Story, it was different, though - after the first page, I was hooked... I still remember that it had a sort-of grey cover, and differently coloured text - green and red. Green for the first part, red for the second (I think).
     
    4: I've been to the set of the movie a number of times. It's at the Bavaria Film Studios in Munich, and has all the characters, models (no CGI at the time..), and other stuff from the movie - you kinda walk through it, and recognize stuff - it's amazing... (btw: That's the same studio where "Das Boot" was filmed - if you're ever in Munich - go there! Nothing beats walking through the original (real) submarine used for the movie, and just in case you remember a movie called "Enemy Mine", that was filmed there as well, and you'll also walk through the set during the tour)
     
    5: Probably most importantly, and most influental, I met Michael Ende when he visited my school many years ago - he came there for a reading, and I remember he was reading from Momo (love that movie and book as well - Men in Grey, anyone ?). I still remember it like it was yesterday - him, sitting there on his own in front of a packed room (around 600 people, I think), reading from his book - and reading like he must have felt when he wrote it - absolutely amazing - nobody, absolutely nobody in the whole wide world, could have read it the way he did - exactly the way I was reading it, stimulating the same mental pictures I developed when I was reading it for myself, back home, underneath my blanket, with a torch in my hand - not sure if he was just so good at reading his own stuff, or if it had something to do with the fact that he had returned to his hometown for this, and was somehow using 'home advantage', but there was something magical about this - a really great atmosphere filling this huge hall - all created by one single guy at the front, reading from a book - I will never, absolutely never, forget that afternoon - one of the most memorable moments of my life.....
     
    Once he finished reading, he held a sort of 'meet and greet' session - anyone could queue up, shake his hand, ask for his autograph, etc..
     
    I was waiting in line as well, but everyone in front of me seemed to have some sort of posh diary for him to sign, something that seemed really well prepared and looked rather expensive - I didn't.... I didn't have anything for him to sign, apart from the ticket I got in order to attend the reading - ripped apart in the middle when I entered the venue. That was the only thing I had at hand for the person I admired so much to sign - the man that wrote a book that had me hooked for months, that made me imagine I'm Atreyu (never really fancied being Bastian - boring guy..), that made me belive there's a Phantasia, that gave my imagination wings - and all I cold give him to sign was that torn little ticket..
     
    It was my turn - I was standing in front of him, saying hello, trying to say how much I love his books and how much they mean to me, but somehow I couldn't - too many thoughts, too many things to say all at once - it just didn't work... He just looked up, like he probably did a thousand times before, took my little torn ticket, signed it, and handed it back to me, shaking my hand while doing so, smiling all the way through - a genuine smile, nothing faked - he smiled like he really enjoyed being there, and I am sure he did...
     
    I just took that ticket and held it in my hand - I held on to it it like a treasure, and still do - it's right here, on my desk, and I will keep it for all eternity, or at least as long as I'm around - a little piece of paper, torn in the middle, which means so much to me, as it was signed by the very man who made me believe that I could be anything and anyone when I was a kid - Mr Ende, thank you for that..
     
    And just in case you don't believe the "little student with torn ticket, signed by Michael Ende" story - here it is:
     

     

     
    It may only look like a little torn piece of paper, signed by someone, to you, but to me, it's a treasure, and it's going right back into its frame as I type - if this house should ever burn down (god forbid), that little piece of paper would be the first thing I would grab on the way out - apart from the cat maybe, but she's usually out of the door at the slightest sign of danger, so no real worries there..
  6. Amadeus

    Long Time, No Write...

    By Amadeus,

    It's been a while since I posted anything here - must have had something to do with that election.. Well, plenty of time again now - sort of, anyway - always something coming along to keep me occupied...
     
    Can't really think of anything too exciting to write at the moment, so just paste the lyrics of a song I really like - had it on in the car today on "way too loud" - like it It's from VNV Nation, and called Perpetual - worth getting, for sure..
     
    Perpetual
     
    [January 2005]
     
    Find it in you, raise your eyes
    look beyond the place you stand
    Towards the furthest reaches
    and to the smallest of things
    The sound you’re hearing
    is the symphony of what we are
    Revelation will not come
    with heart and mind closed and divided
     
    No need of Sun to light the way
    Across the ages, we have reigned as we endured
    Through the storm fronts we will ever surely pass
    To stand as neverending light
     
    Throw away the mantle
    Awake from your uncertain hesitation
    No way to describe or equate the feeling
    No end to what is at your command
    A million thoughts run through you,
    concentric circles, ever greater
    But you have always known
    that this is not all that there is
    To your questions there’ll be answers
     
    Let there be, let there always be neverending light..........
    © VNV Nation
  7. Amadeus

    Blog And Website

    By Amadeus,

    Blimey, quite long ago that I posted something here... Well, at the moment I'm still working on my election website www.realchange.im - it's got a Blog as well, so that's where most things are posted at the moment - drop by and have a look if you want...
  8. Amadeus

    Nearly It...

    By Amadeus,

    So, that's TT nearly over then - another two weeks of madness come to an end, and so does my time as temporary DJ in some well-known local pub/nightclub. Was fun, as it usually is, especially German Night - makes me smile every time
     
    Playing DJ is weird somehow - started last Sunday, expecting a rather quiet night - as if.. Packed house, and me on the controls - whoever said that being a DJ isn't a physical job should try it on a busy night - you'll be sweating, I guarantee... I only do that once in a while for the fun of it, and to be presented with a full house is kind of exciting, but it's also a bit scary - if you mess up now, if the next song isn't right, if anything happens - a couple of hundred people will look at you - no place to hide, the disco lights make sure of that... Still fun, though, but I wouldn't want it as a normal job - no wonder so many DJs go deaf with that noise around your ears all the time - people don't value their health enough these days...
     
    Some pics from the nights to remember - maybe I'll take to the controls again at some point, but for now, I'll stick to my normal job(s) - work enough for me...
     

     

  9. Amadeus

    Kinda Lucky...

    By Amadeus,

    Life works in weird ways - take this for example:
     
    I usually park my little Rover at the house - there's a few spaces down here, and with a bit of luck (depending on when the participants of the daily rat race return), I usually get a spot slap-bang in front of my house.
     
    Well, yesterday - for the first time in months - did I not park on my usual spot. Had a few drinks in town, and left the car in Atholl Street, with the plan to collect it today. It really hardly ever happens that I leave the car in town - last time must have been months ago - and it turned out to be a good choice....
     
    Today - around 8.30am or so - I was pretty rudly awoken by the sound of sirens - the odd thing was, that the sirens got louder and louder, and then stopped - thinking that the house might be on fire or whatnot, I fell out of bed and checked - the view that presented itself to me outside wasn't exactly what I was expecting:
     

     
    Not really sure how it happened, but three cars were involved in a collission right outside my house. Actually, there were four cars involved - a van that was parked on the side was hit as well - now have a guess what would usually have been parked there instead of that van - yep, correct - my little Rover.
     
    Turns out, leaving the car in town, and not parking on my usual spot for the first time in months, saved it from being wrecked today - you couldn't really make that up if you tried... I wonder what the odds are on something like that...
     
    The people involved seemed ok btw - Airbags and seatbelts seemed to have done their jobs well on this occasion.
  10. Amadeus

    Off We Go Then..

    By Amadeus,

    Tuesday, 3rd of January 2006 - start of the official Amadeus Weblog then.
     
    Not that I would have loads of exciting things to share with anyone, but I thought it might be a good idea to keep track of the events a year brings. I can never really remember what I actually did in the last year ( can't even remember what I did last month or week, to be honest) - all the little things that are probably worth remembering, but that aren't automatically saved on the grey harddrive in my head - feels a bit as if I'm running under Windows at times...
     
    Well, today then: Got up way too early - 3pm is no time to face the world. Thought I use this rare opportunity to see some daylight and head to the bank'n stuff. The bank unfortunately thought different - by the time I changed into human shape and made it out of the house, it was 4.30 and the bank was shut - great, could have stayed in bed then...
     
    Went to Marks'n Sparks instead, and managed to grab the last two bowls of my favourite salad from the shelf - that stuff is usually always sold out before I make it down there, so some compensation then...
     
    Supermarkets are strange places anyway - the behaviour patterns of some people participating in "yellow sticker hunt" at Tesco often remind me in a frightening way of vultures waiting for prey - doesn't matter if you really need 15 packs of value pork sausages or 12 grilled chickens - it's cheap, so we want it! And we definitely don't want to lose out to the fellow shoppers who dare to approach the shelf at the same time - subtle eye contact with a hint of anger and determination, as well as a slight increase in speed for the final approach send out a clear signal: "They're not yours! They're mine!" I guess a military background could sometimes be an advantage in there...
  11. Amadeus

    Payday

    By Amadeus,

    Some recent study came to the conclusion that the average working person feels happiest around payday - wow, must have been rocket scientists to work that one out..
     
    They also concluded that the level of "general happiness" within the working population declines day by day after that, only to reach a high again on the next payday - the things people research. I sometimes wonder who pays for studies like that...
     
    Well, according to this, I have to be very happy today - end of the month, and the fruits of my nightly work have arrived on my bank account - thing is, I never feel really unhappy anyway - money or no money, and I had plenty of no-money in the past... And I don't really feel any more happy today - its just another day, and although having some dosh in the bank is nice, it still isn't everything - there are so many more things that make me smile more than payday.
     
    "Recent Studies" - totally overrated...
  12. Amadeus

    Jag

    By Amadeus,

    Good news this week - at least I hope so. My little Jag is currently in the garage to get a service, and apart from the bits I knew about, nothing else seems to be wrong with it. That's quite remarkable for an old Jaguar - usually, there's always something else that needs to be fixed. I've just learned that the old XJ-S had the nickname "Racing Oil leak" in years gone by - doesn't make you feel any better when one is parked outside your house....
     
    Can't wait to get it back, though - cruising with a big V12 is fun - just driving along with the windows down, listening to the 12 pistons working away, the beautiful smell of leather seats and fresh air mixing in your nose, creating that "Classic Car on a day out" aroma - I sometimes wish they sold that in bottles...
     
    I've never driven any of these monsters really fast, though - I mean, there's plenty of power under the hood, but it somehow doesn't seem right to race around in it, to torture chassis and suspension on the journey from pothole to pothole. And anyway, I'm somehow way too scared that I would take out half the Island's population should it ever spin out of control (heaven forbid).
     
    That thing is big - the bonnet alone doesn't seem to end. I remember reading somewhere that in the beginning, when there were only a handful of cars around, drivers were required to employ a man to walk in front of their vehicle, waving a red flag to warn any unsuspecting pedestrians and horse riders of the approaching motorcar - somehow, that wouldn't feel out of place with this thing - at least I would know where it ends then...
     
    Until I can find an Olympic Athlete willing to run in front of it, while waving a little flag instead of the more usual torch, I think I will just rely on the safe knowledge that I could make any budding boyracer cry at the traffic lights if I really wanted to - but I won't...
     
    I think that at a certain age, you realize that speed isn't everything - its the experience that counts, the knowledge that you have 4.2 litres and 8 cylinders more than the 1.1 shed next to you - that you could annihilate him with one press on that little pedal under your right foot, but you won't - you rather let him race off into the sunset, silently congratulating him on his "victory" on this occasion, in the safe knowledge that he hasn't really won anything - in fact, he actually lost - He lost his chance to have another glimpse at this beautiful car, which still looks so damn good more than 30 years after it was first built....
  13. Amadeus

    Just Another Morning

    By Amadeus,

    Hm..this daily blog thing really doesn't work... There are loads of things running through my head every day, many probably worth remembering in one way or another, but somehow, I'm lacking the motivaion to start a new entry and write them down every day...
     
    At least, I'm still adding something to it every other day, and still feel motivated enough to keep it going.. I know I'll probably enjoy reading any entries in a few weeks/months/years time - reason enough to click on "new entry" once in a while...
     
    Maybe tomorrow will be more exciting...
  14. Amadeus

    Another Sunday

    By Amadeus,

    Just started a topic about Religion - kind of interesting, that.. What would the world be like without it? Tried to imagine it, but couldn't - do we really need to believe in something "higher"? And if we wouldn't believe in God - or whatever name we may call him by - what would we believe in?
     
    Would we really just believe in something else? Would we worship football clubs? Would we have the "Church of Chelsea", praying to the "special one"? No idea...keeps me thinking, though... Why do we believe in things we don't even know ever happened or existed? Do we need the reassurance? Do we require a quick and simple answer to all our "complicated questions", so we can get on with our pathetic little lifes? That one's gonna keep me busy for a while...
     
    Listening to Live365 at the moment - EBM Radio, my favourite station, on full blast via headphones - still a Goth inside then...
     
    Couldn't see anything wrong with that - seems to be the only kind of music and the only group of people that generally accepts you the way you are - no questions about the colour of your skin, no comments about your religion (there's that one again then), and no requirement to wear a certain brand - although you may get some funny looks if you turn up at a Lacrimosa concert dressed in white - you'll get over it, and will soon realize that black might have been a more appropriate choice - not that it would really matter, as long as you enjoy being there...
     
    Just be yourself - that's the message I was tought when I "joined the movement", and I've never felt any more at home... I've seen a few "goths" in town here over the years, and still admire their bravery - such a shame that so many people look down on them and secretly think "what freaks" - you should respect them for expressing their individual beliefs and looks on life in a world that is so totally uniform and blank - I always looked at them, and wished I knew them better, simply because I so much feel the same, but unfortunately can't walk around the way they do, simply because capitalism has got the better of me - if you're one of the people I passed in Strand Street over the years, pm me..
  15. Amadeus

    Saturday Morning

    By Amadeus,

    Yipieh! Made it trough another week then. Saturday morning always feels good - mainly because I'm off for three days after this - not back to work until rather late on Tuesday night.
     
    Decided to enjoy a quiet pint after work today - a rare occasion that, and it's out of the can as Pubs usually don't open this early (unless there's a Rugby World Cup at the other end of the world). In the end, it's evening for me now, so why not.. The process of buying beer at shortly past 8am is still a rather funny one, though...
     
    Somehow, the shop assistants always look at you as if you're the biggest alcoholic ever - "8 o'clock and he's getting his first fix already - what a saddo!" It's the look they give you - it just gives away all their thoughts.
     
    I considered dropping some kind of casual comment, something mentioning the fact that I've just finished a twelve hour nightshift, but I didn't - In the end, it would probably only be seen as a poor excuse of someone who's drinking all day and just felt the urge to get an early morning pint before work.
     
    Strange, really - I hardly ever go out, and the last time I went on the piss and got really plastered was ages ago, yet when I buy two cans of lager after work, I get more funny looks than the guys that down three or four pints in their lunch break during the day - I guess it's one of these things that come along with working nights, and I've learned to accept it...
     
    I'll never understand how people can drink during the day, though.. I've seen it so many times - rushing into the Pub at two minutes past one, ordering some food and getting a few pints or bottles down, before rushing back to work - maybe I'm still too European to understand this, but I would just fall asleep at my desk if I had only one pint during my working hours - regardless of the fact if I work day or nights...
     
    Well, the beer is long gone now, and I'm off to bed - maybe I'll dream off a better comment to use in the shop when I fancy a pint after work in the future...
  16. Amadeus

    Another Day

    By Amadeus,

    Hm..so much for keeping a "daily blog" then - never been good at writing diaries..
     
    I got a little diary as a present when I was younger - one of these old fashioned thingies, requiring you to use a pen or pencil to add an entry. Proper little book, though, with a tiny little padlock at the front - not that it would really have prevented anyone from finding out what was written inside - I mean, you could have put chewing gum on the front of it and it would have been more secure, but I liked it.
     
    I liked it for about three days - then I simply couldn't be bothered to pick up a pen and write down the exciting events of my youth anymore - I somehow regret that now.. Would have been nice to know all the gory details of my life as a teenager, listed on a day-to-day basis - now, I'm left with patchy memories of things I probably shouldn't have done, but am glad I did - learning curve, you'd probably call that...
     
    Will try to keep this blog thing going - might be interesting to read in a few years time.....
  17. Amadeus

    Day 2

    By Amadeus,

    Another night over then - good.. It's strange how some nights feel as if they have no end, and others just fly past you - tonight felt quick.
     
    Finishing work at 8am enables me to walk home and study the rat race in all it's detail - all the cars driving into town, all the people walking past me on their way to work - smartly dressed and still smelling of soap, perfume or after shave from their morning bathroom routine - their facial expressions varying from "I'm so motivated" to "I so can't be ar..." - interesting to watch, that..
     
    Feels a bit like groundhog day at times - the same people, the same cars, every day... I can even tell if someone's late by now: If I see certain cars while walking home, then I know they're on time. If I seem them when I'm already at home and brushing my teeth (my bathroom window overlooking the road from the nunnery to south quay), then I know they're probably late - sad somehow, I know - but such is life...
     
    So the next time you drive into Douglas in the morning - give us a wave! I'm the guy with the electric toothbrush in his mouth, who's wearing a white dressing gown and just about to go to bed...
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