Churches, Parks, Large Burgers and Sitting on the Roof

The past 24 hours (literally) has exemplified just why it is I've moved to Berlin. It started at pretty much this time last night when I headed to a church just around the corner for a party/art exhibition/bbq type thing. Was a little unsure what to expect, mostly as I've never been to a party at a church before, but as its Berlin it wasn't quite what you'd associate with such a thing. It consisted of about 40 people sat/stood around, just outside the entrance, getting pissed and stuffing their faces with food whilst having a laugh. Occasionally ambling into the church itself to have a looksy at the various artworks hanging around :

This sounds far more pretentious than it was (not atall. honestly). Either that or wander up the rather dangerous (at least when pissed) stair case :

for a rather good view of Berlin (well, its here as much as my camera phone will allow. ie, not really a good view) :

The best part of the whole experience was later in the evening, when I may of been slightly drunked on vodka, stumbling through the church to go for a jimmy-riddle whilst two guys were singing hymns acoompanied by an organ. Not what my drunken mind is used to and quite surreal.

After that was a drink or two in Scotch and Soda (themed, but none the worse for it, if you hadn't guessed) and then it was suggested that we go to one of the party goers houses and sit on their roof terrace, have a couple of drinks and soak in the Berlin night. All great apart from the fact that when getting there and being pointed to go up the stairs to the roof we couldn't find said roof. You wouldn't think it'd be that difficult, but what were looking for was a door with some stairs leading to a decked garden type of thing. What we found were two derelict looking apartments without lights and with crumbling floors, imagine the set of Hostel or Hannibal Lecters' basement and you get the idea.

But after stumbling around while our alcohol addled brains tried to process the fact that we may about to be killed, we found a ladder. This led to a little hatch and then to just the open (creaky) roof. So we sat there for a short time and had a drink, looking at the tv tower whilst seemingly the rest of Berlin laughed and shouted, it was really like there were parties going on all around us. A final couple of drinks were then had in Hairy Marys ending up with me arriving into bed at about 6am.

6 hours of sleep later I was waking up to go for brunch, not the best of ideas in a drunken state you may think, and you may be right. The first thing that I noticed when walking out of my apartment though, was that today was hotter than satans ball bag. The second thing I noticed is that I wasn't anywhere near awake or in a state of functionality. But (fortunately) after stuffing my face with a breakfast buffet and drinking a rather large coffee whilst being roasted by the sun I was feeling a little better. The rest of the afternoon was then spent sitting in the park chatting shit and having a laugh, eating some rather good chocolate and banana ice cream, going to another park and sitting around listening to some music :

And then finishing the day up with a trip to The Bird, a rather good American style Burger place, where I ate approximately half a cow in 3 minutes flat (it was that good) and had a humongous mound of fries to wash it down with.

All in all a most pleasurable time.

And finally :

Not my usual style, but it does make me giggle.

Temporary Decisions and Suicidal Dogs

Last night was the regular Thursday night ToyTown drinks, of which I don't think I've missed one so far in my time here (not that I'm an alcoholic or anything). All in all it was a rather pleasant evening, sat around laughing for about 4 hours, cuddling Daisy (a wee excitable little doggy before you picture me taking advantage of some poor drunk girl recently arrived in Berlin) whilst getting rather pissed. The pissed part though, wasn't so planned. The idea was to have a couple of drinks, what with working the next day, and to be fair to myself that is precisely what I did. Its not my fault that the bar tenders idea of a reasonable amount of vodka (a shot or so) is a little larger than most peoples (ie. more than 50% of the liquid content). After one I was mildly tipsy, after two I was steaming.

So today has been a combination of working, sitting on the balcony in my grundikes reading a book by Charlie Brooker and sitting in the coffee shop drinking my regular large Mocha (I don't even have to ask the staff for it anymore. I feel like Norm from cheers, though without having just eaten 2000 donuts). Oh, all that and recovering from the unexpected hangover, they do seem to be so much worse when they're a surprise.

Apartment wise I've made a decision. After a couple of months looking at shitholes, overpriced shitholes, nice places in shitholes and one nice place in a polished turd of a street (ie. could be a shithole, but its not quite there) I had my options. One, move into a new apartment. Buy a few grands worth of furniture, washing machine etc. Sign up for all the year or two long contracts for day to day essentials (internet and such) and the long term lease on the apartment. Or, two, stay where I am now, pay a little more for the privilege and not have to sign my life away for said year or two or go through all the hassles of buying furniture (don't get me started on the additional pains I had just trying to get a desk and chair from Ikea, the cunts).

So, when I put it to myself like that, it wasn't too difficult to decide. Why spend all my time and energy moving to Berlin permanently when the moving part of this whole plan wasn't and isn't the main point. Breaking out of a stuck-in routine, having some fun and figuring out where to go/what to do next is, so that's what I'll be doing. It is just far too easy to get lost in the forward motion of doing stuff to be 'getting on with it' rather than stopping to think if what you're doing is really the best use of your time.

But, I've grown quite accustomed to my current accommodation and despite all the hassles of getting said Desk and Chair from those who we shall not mention again, its fricking good having a place to work/not work (the only thing that was really missing from the apartment before) :

My favourite picture finding of late is this, a poor doogles that's had enough of his miserable life and has decided to end it all 1920's silent film style :

Poor thing.