Dave And Busters In New Jersey

Slide Show # 1: Kolmanskop, Namibia

Today there are here in the blog Chromodesk an absolute first: This slide show about Kolmanskop (or Kolmannskuppe) is the first purely substantive contribution that has nothing to do with photographic equipment and camera technology! No discussion of any equipment or software, but a nice little story about a very special bizarre place in Africa.

In the area near Lüderitz on the west coast of Namibia in 1908 discovered the first diamond, African and that by a worker who was shoveling the desert sands of the railroad tracks. He showed him a German, and this led to a huge diamond boom, which left the city created Kolmanskop. There were houses built, there were ice machines, there was the first X-ray device of Africa, all in the middle of nowhere, somewhere between the dunes of the Namib Desert. Legends say that the workers simply had to pick only the valuable stones sliding on his knees from the ground, because the diamonds sparkled in the moonlight, and apparently only waiting to make the owners of the mines rich and richer. have been What must for a thriving German community there at the end of the world where everything had to be carted from far away, there was finally nothing but sand and diamonds, not even water there was, let alone food, clothing or any luxury goods. Everything had only about several hundred kilometers via rail or ship to be transported to Kolmanskop.

But at some point had been exhausted, the diamonds. The promotion was not worth it anymore. In 1938 the reduction was set in, a ghost, and after 1956 no one lived there anymore. All were moved to the now newly discovered deposits. To date, the diamond mining is a very important economic sector for Namibia. And to this day live in Namibia and back in Lüderitz many German, whose roots date to the early colonial period. There are so many different types, the "colonial masters", the farmers at the end of the world, the lucky emigrants who failed existences, life artist, the busy traders, the tour guides - and many others. But these are very different stories.

A little German village in the Namib desert, surrounded by the sand dunes - how bizarre! It once was a community full of life, based on the money made with diamonds, but today it's just a ghost town for tourists. And a nice spot for taking photos.

Good Colors With Red Floor

report training camp training camp Mallorca Mallorca

Shame on me, the last entry is already long, long ago ... put your
After three weeks of training camp, I'm now back for a week in Jena and the Saxony state legislature and may be a bit of the legs. After the previous training on Mallorca but that was sorely needed ...
It worked in Alcudia with a few exceptions, all given to the training plan and as the weeks were very successful. Unfortunately the weather was sometimes not so correctly with ... The first week was very good and offered good conditions. In the second week, however, we could enjoy the spring with a difference in Mallorca. It became increasingly colder and began to crown snow even on. For Mallorcan conditions but more than usually ...
Well, in spite of temperatures just above 0 ° C and rain again and again, we're always came out for practice and I was able to put everything here. The thought that there was still snow at home and another 10, 15 ° C was colder, it was bearable again ... ;-)
And the view from the "spring-like" levels in the snowy mountains of the Tramuntana mountain range was on the other hand very nicely ...
The first 10 or 14 days I still had support from my training group from Jena and so were both the training and the "leisure", that is a delicious breakfast and dinner are very diverse and amusing. Because sometimes after long days of training is nothing funnier than the past tales of sporting and otherwise exploits ...

The training days themselves mostly ran as follows: 7 am was the meeting place in the 400m swimming pool and were removed before breakfast reeled off 3-5km in the basin. Then there was a hearty breakfast and 11 am against it went for 3-4hours his bike after the bike training there was a short lunch, usually ready-made pasta or cookies and bananas. Balanced is different, but because we'll see about it ...;-) away then, like this for 17h we went out to walk and was in a few days after the Run Athletics announced yet. 19.30pm then had supper, quite often so long until we go to the waiter kindly asking ...;-)

The last week I was then, after the others have flown again, traveling alone. And after I have indeed felt more fatigue in the bones, but I could also note with satisfaction that the shape curve rose very slowly and so gradually I took off. The remaining "free time" (was not so much because I've really let rip again), was not as varied, but so did at least learn to time for the University of ... And the weather was finally good again, so I even once briefly in the combination / short could come on a bike and a bit of sun on the cellar tanned legs and arms. could grab

I Then on Saturday but the bag and stow the bike in the trunk, but I was just happy to be allowed back home. Since then have had to rest first announced contribute to the training. It was a pleasant but sometimes a change, more or less as you wish to train ...

goes from Monday it back into the scope of training, the competitions are so not much time ...

In this sense,

Cheers ...

What Does Follandp Mean

love and death

Two images of the Glass House Mountains, Australia 2004

Many artists the theory that there are only two major issues that we can deal seriously, love and death. All other issues are just variations of these two or are used to to distract from the inevitability of death, or the lack of fulfillment in love. I agree with this view wholeheartedly.

was drastically apparent to me two weeks ago, when before my eyes a dramatic event took place in which it was about one second to another without warning, life and death. The consequences of this process will also mean that I was missing until now is the time and energy to write here in my blog a new post. The following will happen is: During a meeting bagged one of my colleagues suddenly without previous signs in his chair together. He was not responding and even stopped breathing. Of course we have other Present immediately notified by phone the ambulance and started with the usual first aid measures, including the resuscitation of respiratory and cardiac massage.

a thought that not only came to me, but also colleagues in the head, as it later turned out was in conversation, like this: "If I could also end up like this?" Or: "When is it with me so far?" Or: "Take care of myself well for myself, what risk factors do I have?" The suspicion of a heart attack was natural, and he confirmed it later. After several days of coma colleague regaining consciousness, but has engine misfire, which need to be further investigated. When we had him out in the course of the first measures on the ground, but he had on his face looked as gray and lifeless, that we all thought that was it for him now that does not come back. I realized that we all live mostly as if there would be no death, as it would always go up, we would still have time to make up what we might move today, because we think we would have first had succeed at work, do something to earn money and then we would have eventually saved enough perhaps, would eventually ascended far enough, and then we could make it a little more quiet. Or do we move the important things as to family, friends and their own health and relaxation for the weekend or even on the next vacation, because at the weekend but then comes back as an important date in between.

If we admit to ourselves but that we must die, that we do not know when that will be and run as it is, then suddenly the time is precious, and some things are at once completely unimportant, that we thought just yet we do or they would necessarily have. Love and death. More is not important. We waste time on the computer and write on the Internet, tweets and blogs because we are actually looking for life and love, for attention and affirmation. We buy gadgets, mobile phones and cameras, because we have something to do when we can hold on us that gives us distraction and (pseudo) communications in order to deceive our sometimes rather meaningless activities and our times, very unsatisfactory existence of time. I wonder: What really makes me inwardly rich and full? Power? Money? Possession? A new camera? Certainly not, such things make life easier and make it more comfortable, but they make so sick like cotton candy ... An impressive natural experience? A close personal encounter? A good friend? Family and true love? These are the issues that bring real vitality for me, and far too often in everyday life recede into the background.

And then where does

into photography? It is also only the totally inept attempt to capture something that can not hold itself: the beautiful moment, the fleeting moment, the fleeting memory. But we are human, we try the impossible, and that is actually behind the whole photography. But if we overdo it and no longer free for new experiences, then it is like in the second picture of this post, in which the strangler fig tree the tree that serves as its host, slowly suffocated. It takes years, and survived the strangler fig either alone, but it remains empty, hollow inside, so you can see through, for the tree inside died and decayed. The strangler fig is left alone and must be yes in the end die.

And how will I spend my time on this earth yet? I will also be old, like the painter to bring in the photo above, and my last years trying to make beautiful photos and to travel the world and to enjoy life? Or I will push the true life long before me, I do not usually good enough to collect many risk factors and die long before the average life expectancy of some disease or a heart attack? Who knows, but I got it after all in our hands to change something, maybe more "real" life instead of the "virtual" on the Internet, perhaps less work and more friends and family, maybe less excitement and stress, and more conscious relaxation and slow travel. And maybe sometimes more and sometimes less photography? Who knows?

Ask yourself: What are your priorities in life? What is important for you? Do not live as if you would never die. Do what you really want to do. Take photos, give your beloved ones a hug. Do it right now. Carpe diem.