2010 retrospect

G'day,

I finally made some time to do a blog entry of my own. As I have to maintain Otto's blog as first priority my own blog became less of a priority...

This time its easy to name the best thing that happened during the last year:

Otto Herman August Vinhage, born 11.41 am on 9.12.2010 at the Mercy Hospital, Heidelberg, Australia, 4220g and 55cm.

I can safely say that Otto's birth was the most intense experience of my life. Around five in the morning I was thinking "yeah, that's about enough now, can't we just have Otto now so I can get some sleep" which was not the most heroic thought considering that Josara was doing the actual labouring and I was just standing around handing Josara cold water and getting my hands squashed. I confess that around that time I did feel a certain envy of bygone generations of fathers and the fact that my own father went fishing while I was born seemed quite attractive but that moment of weakness passed. I am truly awed by having witnessed Otto's birth and I am proud that I was able to support my wife by being there.

Well, since Otto is home, sleep became a rare commodity. Otto demands feeding every three to three and a half hours. Until now I've thought there is no downside to having breasts but now I know that if you are the one with the breasts your sleep is REALLY limited. I mean, I can actually sleep 8 hours in a row if Josara lets me but she has to get the tits out every couple of hours.

I was wondering before Otto arrived, if the fact that my wife's breasts are now put to a different use than my entertainment would have an impact on my view towards breasts in general and I'm happy to report that this is not the case. My general love for breasts has only increased as they are not just enjoyable but also useful.

What else has happened? Ah, the in-laws have visited us...they came a week before Otto's estimated time of arrival and had to cancel their flight back because Otto only arrived on the day they were due to fly back. It was nice having them over and they can come back any time they like. We all learned some interesting facts like that if you don't tell you Dutch bank that you are going on a holiday and you dare to use your credit card in Australia they block your account due to "suspicious activity". That's a handy feature to have in a credit card...having some idiot in a bank deciding that a certain account activity is "suspicious"...if my bank would do that to me they'd have one customer less...

Christmas came and went like every year. I guess the year in which I can safely ignore it as far as possible are limited now because probably from next year on Otto will have a say in it. Josara's sister was here over Christmas and that was also quite nice to have her here.

T plus 6 and nothing...

G'day,

these sure are interesting times. Otto is six days overdue now and he still doesn't show any sign that he would like to vacate his current dwelling. I guess we are as ready as one can be and having the in-laws here since two weeks has only raised the level of readiness. I would be surprised if we had forgotten anything but let's wait and see.

Even though there is nothing substantial to report I decided to post some pictures and a link to a great website.

This is art: website of Kaitlin who is a fellow Aikidoka: http://www.a-curious-bestiary.com/
Apart from throwing people around or hitting them with sticks and going "Hai!" she is a paintress and I really like her paintings. When I look at any of her curious creatures I am wondering what it's story is. If I ever write a children's book, she is the illustrator I would like to work with...have a look; she's also on facebook and her stuff is for sale so if anyone is still looking for a unique Christmas present...
I tried to get a picture of the full moon but I guess you need special gear for that...
Southern Old Lady Moth (Dasypodia selenophora) who was visiting for a night
Willem, my favourite motif
Genetics gone wrong, two headed cat
Pixel, close up
Buddy...

That's all for today...have fun and cya laters...and no worries I will tell you once Otto is born...

How to build a computer

G'day,

Today's blog update is mainly educational. It's about how to build a computer, how Murphy's law will always interfere and the uselessness of colour coded wires if the code is kept secret...and some bits about Otto of course.

So once you decide you'd like to have a new computer there are mainly two options, either buy ready-made or build your own. That's only true if you are no Mac user, if you are a follower of the church of Steve Jobs you only have one option: give him heaps of money but fortunately I don't go for Mac.

I use Windows (TM)...yes, I can hear all you Appleheads point out that Apple runs more stable, doesn't have the same virus problems, looks better and does what it is supposed to do...but as you have paid 5 times as much for your machine it should better work...and look good...

Well, I like the daily challenge that is Windows (TM), there is something deeply satisfying in fixing all those little issues while cursing Bill Gates and after more than a decade I kind of know my way around Windows (TM). One piece of advice though: do not use the newest Windows (TM) version, never. Use an older, established version, one where the mayor bugs have been ironed out because Microsoft's new releases are public beta tests...at least two years into the market and you can start thinking about using it. 7 is still too new for my taste, I could have used Vista but as I never liked Vista I stayed with good old XP at least I know the issues there...

So I have decided to build my own computer cause I'm on a budget and want to make the most of it and the ready-mades come with all sorts of expensive crap I will never use in my whole life. I only needed three things: a decent processor, a motherboard and some memory. Well, I also needed a hard drive, a DVD drive and a case to hold the stuff together
The whole pile of stuff as it came from the shop (btw I found out that it's cheaper to buy parts at your local cheap computer part dealer than online) is inspected by the head of the department of quality control. As always Murphy's law stroke and the case I wanted was out of stock so they sold me a AP 102 instead of a AP 101...
Big box for little CPU. AMD X4 965...best cost benefit ratio according to the German computer website chip.de and they should know...
Motherboard...I went for AsRock, I used them before and they do decent boards for not too much money and this one has a nice on-board graphics card which saved me buying a separate graphics card.

Step 1 is connecting the CPU with the board which is not too hard as it only fits into one socket but still one should pay attention to connect it the right way round...
A correct placed CPU...
now step 2...install CPU cooling unit...finding the right socket for the fan could take a while...
A connection plan is your friend when you are searching for the right socket...
Well...now one only has to be able to know what all those weird letter combinations actually mean SATA, IDE, RAM, PWR, RSW etc.

Step 3 is inserting RAM bars into the slots and step 4 is to affix the motherboard within the case
Step 5 insert hard drive and DVD into case and start wondering about all those wires and how to hook it all up...another glance at the manual of the case and/or the motherboard is advisable when you are connecting stuff like the power switch funny that even though the cables are clearly colour coded it's not mentioned which cable is which but as there are only two options you can't go too wrong...Step 6: connect what needs connection

When everything is connected it's a good move to double check if everything is connected and maybe even triple check the important bits. When satisfied turn power on and if something happens it means that at least the main power switch has been connected correctly.
Now it's time to check if the whole thing has been wired correctly. Step 7: connect to monitor and insert Windows (TM) installation CD...if screen turns blue all is well...
Success!!! New computer, 3.4 GHz at 4 GB RAM for Aus$ 500

If anyone need to know where to get the cheapest computer parts in Melbourne just ask me...

In other news, Otto is not born yet (approx 4 weeks to go) but he already has his own blog. Josara explained that he values his privacy much more than I do, so his blog is password protected. If you would like to be able to follow Otto's blog send Josara or me an email or a pm on facebook and we might consider to give you access...

That's all for today...have fun, take care and see yous laters!

Update (long overdue)

G'day,

You might remember me, I used to write this blog...and even though I had the intention to continue writing I got stuck and didn't feel like it and this and that and blah blah but today I give you a short update on some of the many things that happened during the last three month.

Josara got even more pregnant, now it's less than six weeks to go and Otto does what I can't do on a daily base: kicking a pregnant woman in the guts! That's my son!

We had our first class for parents to be yesterday evening and all ten couples had to introduce themselves and tell the class the pet name for their baby as apparently it's not done to announce the actual name of the unborn child. So while the males sat sheepishly next to their women more or less creative pet names were announced until Josara introduced us including Otto who is actually called Otto. Josara and me both wondered why parents don't publish the actual name for the child until it's born and came up with several theories but some research on the internet showed that the reason is even more ridiculous than we have guessed.

It's either to protect the name so people don't "steal" it, which made us laugh quite hard...I mean honestly, if someone got told that our son will be called Otto and this person thinks "what a great name" and names his new kitten/fish/baby/car Otto, too...does that mean the name Otto is burned? Or do these parents live in the delusion that their idea for a name is unique and they need to protect the copyright on this? I'm still laughing when I imagine those parents sitting together and enjoying the secret knowledge that their baby will go by the unique and creative name of Kevin or Sheila...

The other main reason is even more ridiculous: the parents fear that their choice of name will not meet general approval and in order to prevent the criticism before the child is named they keep the name secret until they name the baby officially in the knowledge that people are less likely to criticise the name choice when facts have been established. I think if people can't even manage to face critique over the name, how the fuck will they stand up to any decision they will make?

It's funny what kind of stuff you read in books and on the net how you have to do this and how you must not do that and so on and I guess that all first time parent have no real idea what's wrong and what's right and I guess that's the reason why the baby industry seems to make the second biggest revenue right after the oil/military/pharma complex. The whole idea banks on the insecurity of first time parents.

I'm very lucky that all of my friends who have raised children proved beyond doubt that you neither need to have lots of money to buy all those fancy baby/child thingies nor do you have to study the latest findings in education or erect a protective bubble to keep the evil of the world out. All those children are freaking awesome and I'd like to use the opportunity to say "Happy 12th birthday" to one of them: Jan, rock on! (Ah, and when we visit Europe next time we need to take a picture with both Ottos and Jans, hehe)

Ok, in other news: we have a new car
our old car, 25 years old
our new car, 2 years old and enough space for a baby and two dogs

And something educational: How to built a raised garden bed?
Get wood (hahaha) or as I did get eWood, recycled printer cartridges, link here
cut to right size...I build a garden bed, 240cm x 120cm x 60cm
choose right spot and screw sides together
I used a layer of cardboard and hessian as base to prevent the Australian power grass to grow into the garden bed
Then fill the thing with layers of straw, compost, cow shit, soil and finish with a layer of mulch to prevent drying-out of the soil, probably more important in Australian summers than back home in Europe...

Then get some seeds...
chilli for instance...and the rest should be easy...

Last thing for the blog today: the importance of testing the stuff you get for your baby. I mean you should know if and how a baby carrier thing works before the baby arrives...if you have a cat who just loves attention then you have an ideal test candidate
Baby carrier thing test in progress....

Well, that's all for today, let's see if I manage to get the next blog entry done before another three month are over...have fun, take care and see yous later

An evening at the races

G'day,

Today some pictures of Dorje's birthday race...
Participants get registered
Important safety advise: don't wear a scarf while go-carting
The carts...up to 75 km/h...that's decent
Zero alcohol tolerance...that means what?

Everybody gets breathalyzed before being allowed to drive... one last obstacle to overcome...could be a hard one, I mean an Irishman sober on his 40st birthday?
Dorje giving a blow job...
Me blowing...
John doing the same and so on and so forth...out of twelve people seven were sober...even the Irish guys and that's official...well someone with 0.58 won the first challenge of the day...
We survivors were about to see the best safety video ever...
getting into gear...
a sober Irishman
extreme helmeting
finding the assigned vehicle
hey ho...let's go...
Go-carting is awesome fun...but with those fast carts it was a challenge not to do 360 degree turns...I managed even 540 degree turns...
Qualifying
Getting ready for the race...
I ran into John during the race which cost me quite some time...
Awards...finished third...
The real winners were the ones who didn't even race...

It was fun, I guess we will need to do that again soon...that all for today, have a great one and take care...cya

My niece Johanna Pauline

G'day,

Please meet Johanna Pauline, my sister's first daughter, born 14.07.2010, 51 cm and 3780g. Mother and baby are alive and well.
great hairstyle by the way

Jochen as a proud father

Congratulaions!

While I'm at it I can also use the opportunity to voice my slight dissatisfaction with the result of the world cup. Main target has been met though, Italy had to leave after the group stage, everything else was not a priority.

That's it for now, I'm writing a longer blog entry about Australian politics right now but it's still not finished. Have a good one, take care and cya laters...

more soccer...

G'day,

Now while the chicken is slowly roasting in the oven I find the time to complete the soccer blogging. The quarterfinals started with a promising game Brazil vs Holland and even though I was for Holland I had my doubts they could win that thing as well, Brazil is one of the biggest names in soccer and their performance during this world cup so far has not been too bad. We all know how it ended and I must say that the Dutch put up a great fight and deserved to win that game.

I went to bed then to find out the next morning that I should have watched the second game. In the aftermath of that game the discussions on FIFA rules reached the point where I couldn't understand it any more. Yes, I agree that there were pretty heavy referee mistakes this world cup and yes, the new ball has it's funny little ways and yes, maybe it's time for FIFA to view their referee policy in a different light but counting a goal that has not been scored? That's bullshit!

What happened was that in the last minute of the extra time one Uruguayan player prevented a goal by Ghana using his hand. The result: penalty for Ghana, red card for the Uruguayan player, all according to the rules. The penalty shot went on the crossbar and so both teams had to do the penalty shoot-out which Uruguay won. Such is life as well as soccer.

The next day people started to complain that this rules were not fair, that there are other sports like basketball in which a sure score that is prevented by an action against the rules will be counted never the less and that FIFA should consider this.

I don't agree completely with FIFA's position on technical aids when it comes to determine if a goal was a goal, that this would take the drama out of soccer but I think a goal that has been prevented by unfair measures should not been counted as a goal because that would take the drama out of the game. I mean, everyone who watched Uruguay vs Ghana will remember this exciting game for the rest of their life. If the goal would just have been counted, what a lame thing. And let's face it, if the same situation had happened in the first minute of a game Uruguay would have had to play the entire game with 10 people so I guess it's a fair rule.

Also who wants soccer to be more like basketball anyway? There is a reason I watch soccer and not basketball. That's a pussy game anyway nearly as bad as netball...

I was nervous all Saturday as I was convinced that Germany vs Argentina could go either way. I decided to watch the game at the German club in Windsor and picked up Dorje and his cousin around 11 to be in time for the game. When we arrived at the German club around 11.30 we were told that they won't show it due to "legal issue". I have no idea what kind of issues they were but we decided to watch at Steve's place in Brunswick. On the way there it became obvious that we'll be a little late and we were joking that if we come Steve would tell us the score is already 2:1 or so but when we arrived at 12.05 we learned that it was already 1:0 and I was quite happy to learn that it was for Germany. Watching the game was awesome. I have to say it again: this is the best German team I ever saw at a world cup, we can win this thing.

The late game was also quite funny, if Spain plays like that on Wednesday they won't stand a chance. The two penalties were extremely entertaining but I was quite glad that Spain scored the 1:0 so I finally could go to bed at 6.30 in the morning.

I am very much looking forward to watching the semi finals...well that's all for today...have fun, take care and cya laters

The importance of Australian politics

G'day,

Those of you who have a facebook page have probably noticed that facebook sometimes suggests people you may know, products you may be interested in or pages you may like. The results are often far-fetched, funny or inappropriate. For example my facebook suggests on a regular base that I should like the Australian army. Why would I like the army, if anything I like the navy, lot more homosexual activities going on there but anyway.

Saturday night my facebook came up with this:
*explanation for people who don't follow the news or are uninterested in either politics or cooking shows: Master chef Australia is a stupid cooking show following the concept of American/Australian/German idol, or "You think you can dance" with less singing/dancing but more cooking. Julia Gillard is the new Prime Minister of Australia.

I reckon this brief snapshot of popularity among the online community sends one message. If Julia wants to win the next election she should start appearing on stupid cooking show more often.

That's all for now...I'll write another entry on Saturday night later today...have fun. take care and cya laters

Old picture dump...(I am no Hippie even though I might be dressed similar!!!)

G'day,

Today I scanned have some old pictures...You'll probably laugh at most of them but please let me make one point: even though I wore strange garments, I never was a Hippie, I am no Hippie and I will never be a Hippie!!! I have even been kicked out of a Hippie festival for being politcally incorrect and I'm proud of that. Long hair and strange clothing are only proof of my lack of taste not my political, ethical or otherwise opinions! I hope that's clear...
Me age 19 in my first student home in Muenster (1991) my first electric guitar behind me
My flatmate Olli and me and the handkerchief of doom (approx 1993)
Gaby and me (1994)
dental hygiene in Lithuania (New Year's eve 1994)
New Year's eve 1996 in Holland
At Wiebke's and Yvonne's kitchen probably 1997
No idea where or when this pic was taken..
In my parent's garden 1997
The Holy Chao live at "g" in Stralsund summer 1997
The Holy Chao live at Sputnikhalle, Muenster
Another live shot, probably C.U.B.A. or Bennohaus...can't tell for sure
Practicing...1996 at Gleis 22
Danny D. and me during the recordings for "Use your confusion" 1997
Promo pics 1997
Promo pic 1997

New Year's eve 2003 in Finland

That's all for today...I hope you had a good laugh...take care, have fun cya later...