playgrounds 1

the winding taunus roads are an excellent playground for both bikers and 'vetters. they're not always as broad and shiny as this one, sometimes they're narrow and old, the asphalt surface broken and the markings faded. if you like to go cruising there, they may lead you through small villages with no more than 20 houses, where you won't meet a single soul except maybe a lonesome granny walking her dog...


left side: downwards direction, right side: upwards direction. btw, the dim shades on the rocks are wire mesh (or is it mesh wire?) ...

fuelling my passion

...for driving has become quite expensive. gas prices in germany are around 1.40 euros (1.88 US-$) per liter (gas quality: 95 octane, the one my automobile alter ego - the "other" stickers - needs).

now you might ask why prices are so high?
not only because of the crude prices which have risen constantly throughout the years, but also because of the federal taxes. 65.5 cents* (0.88 US-$) per liter represent the share of the german mineral oil tax, and further 26.6 cents (0.36 US-$) per liter are due to the VAT which is 19 % in germany by now. so, without these taxes, you would only have to pay 47.9 cents (0.64 US-$) per liter.
brave expensive new world...


* source: mwv (mineralölwirtschaftsverband, federal association of the mineral oil industry in germany)

introducing stickers...

...newton mcqueen, the automobile version, to my friends:
they liked him, but he wasn't happy about the procedure involved - imagine that people unknown to you open your body and scrutinize your inner organs, snoop around under your hood and peek or poke at any buttons within their reach. would you like that?




btw, in the meantime he has recovered from this "shmooze" attack by steph *biggrin*. well, he's a little bit shy, just like me (and steph, hm, she definitely isn't...)

bad mood on sunny days...

have been busy all the week, there wasn’t any time for translating... *thatsnotfunny*
at least the repair shop managed to fix the air condition (after weeks of waiting for the spare parts to arrive). tried it out last weekend, and it works quite well. nevertheless, i’m furious - i’ve found a scratch on the hood a few days later. no idea how it got there - arrrghhh!!!
and today, i had to take a taxi on the way home since all trains were stopped west of frankfurt – there was a bomb threat. i hate them bloody terrorists. idiots. they make me waste money for things i normally don’t spend any money for, such as taxis.

maybe you’ve noticed by now – i’m not in a good mood...

mal wieder die werkstatt

mal wieder die werkstatt... die ersatzteile für die klimaanlage sind endlich angekommen, und damit steigen meine chancen, den sommer auch ohne gluthitze im cockpit zu erleben ;-)

die werkstatt ist leider immer noch dieselbe, es gibt nun mal keinen anderen vertragshändler in frankfurt, der auch corvetten wartet. das ist der nachteil, wenn man ein für deutsche verhältnisse noch relativ exotisches auto fährt!
wie dem auch sei, ich hoffe und bange. vor der abgabe habe ich auf die "sauerei" beim letzten mal hingewiesen - eine entschuldigung kam zwar nicht, jedoch zeigte man sich einsichtig, "dass das nicht sein dürfe". darum bin ich nun gespannt, in welchem zustand ich mein baby diesmal wiederbekomme... *nervösmitdenfingerntrommelnd*

another nice pic...

...of my baby. or even better: ta-dah, this is the automobile version of me ;-)

time-out, postscriptum...

been back to work today.
awww, i'm still coughing... people in my office are annoyed, people in the train fed me sweets just to make me quit barking.
and although i take codeine - i must have hurt a muscle, one of these who are fastened to the ribs. this is fuckin' painful!!!

tried to do some translations, as a distraction. worked somehow... but at least, nobody notices.
the board only marks a story as 'updated' if you add a new chapter, but if you add text pieces within the same chapter, it doesn't **disappointment**
i think i'll go to bed... he he, at least, the 'daydream cinema' is functional again (snigger). the codeine doesn't interfere with my mind, so maybe i can do some thought-work on the sequel.

time-out, the third

this time-out is for me again (the human stickers). i’m at home, my doc has put me on antibiotics since i’m coughing my lungs out (virtually). therefore i missed a lot of weekend fun, such as the “big night of the museums” where all of frankfurt’s museums open until 2.00 a.m. in the morning, and which my friends had to enjoy without me.

guess i contracted this bronchitis in the s-bahn… well, wherever it came from, it makes me rest on my sofa, mostly doze or just watch tv, since the toxins set free by the dying masses of bacteria don’t go unnoticed – they have their own nasty ways of saying “hello” to you, and if it’s only by giving you a good headache or making your limbs feel somewhat crushed. i particularly feel like the floor mat in a taxi (i.e. being stomped or kicked at). that means: no vehicular actions of whatever kind. my baby (the automobile stickers) has to stay indoors. no driving, no translating, also my emails go unanswered. sorry, folks! at the moment, i even find daydreaming hard, since i’m too tired to focus. i better have some sleep…