Mixed Pickles

Christine’s Stream of Strange Sympathies

A friend of mine inspired this new approach to dealing with social media: he is trying more and more to post only to draw people away from the platforms to something more interesting. Welcome to Mixed Pickles – my Stream of Consciousness and its Strange Sympathies. Stuff that inspires me and excites me and some ramblings of my monkey mind.

Nostalgia Galore!

Darling, the past is calling!... I watched Jim Henson: Idea Man, Ron Howard’s feature documentary that premiered in Cannes – where I predictably missed it. It’s a solid and warm portrait of the driven visionary who gave me a whole Fraggle Rock of beautiful childhood memories. This opened the gates for revisiting Street Gang – How We Got To Sesame Street, the feature doc about one of the most beautiful pieces of television ever made. And that took me down a rabbit hole back to the spectacular funky Fraggle Rock theme song and The Muppets’ manic mayhem of course, reminding me of how much I missed Swedish Chef and Pigs in Space meets Alien.

I asked myself what it is that I enjoy so much about those shows. And I think it is the anarchy of it all. The big-hearted, affectionate anarchy. Somehow I can’t find that anymore in most of today’s pop culture. Maybe the next thing that is somewhat the same but also different is Duncan Trussell’s The Midnight Gospel and this Netflix show Carole and the End of the World, which reminds me of Daria. I need to revisit Daria! Other than that, honestly, I find most things bland. If I am missing something exciting because I happily live under my Fraggle Rock, please send me your recommendations.

Some bright lights exist in the dull darkness of today’s streaming world: the Mubi documentary Last Year of Darkness (Happy Pride Month my fellow queers!) for example and on Netflix clearly ERIC. I have just started to watch it but am so so intrigued. The story, the tone, the structure. I am truly excited to watch more and that does barely ever happen anymore.

However I get frequently re-excited about blasts from the pasts lately! In my acute attack of nostalgia, I revisited Douglas Coupland and his work Bit Rot, a collection of his essays I found on my bookshelf and that took me down memory lane. I wonder where my Generation X 1st edition is, but my wild guess is that it is still at my parents' attic, and now I have an obsessive compulsion to find it when I visit next – together with my original E.T. poster and also do you remember this alarm clock? But I am digressing. Anyway, Douglas Coupland captured the zeitgeist of my youth like no other. When I visited his site, I stumbled upon this: Nevermind 30 Years. For one hour BBC radio, Douglas Coupland and guests examine how Nirvana’s Nevermind changed the outlook of our generation.

Speaking about Nirvana. I have one big regret in my life: not having gone to the last Nirvana concert in Munich when I had the chance. Nevermind will always be one of my all-time favorite albums, because it captured the spirit of my angry, energetic, queer Gen X youth, and Coupland’s BBC hour will take you through all the motions.

Lately, I think a lot about patterns. About what patterns define my day. What patterns define our interactions. I feel like many of us are addicted to filling any empty space in our minds and lives with screen distraction. With noise. To numb the pain. To inch away from the magnetic gaping void of any constructive utopian ideas for a future no one seems to believe in any more. I want less of that. I want to go back to a skate park, smoke weed, and just hang out with people who are cautiously optimistic that something can be done to make things better. Why does no one hang out anymore? We have super important job meetings and one hour coffees and purposeful dinners, and all is neatly in a box. Maybe that’s middle age? Or is it just our terrible very post-modern lifestyle? I miss hanging out with people. Playing video games, listening to standup or new albums, chat, cooking together – but not fancy dinner party performance-style. More like – what’s in the pantry – someone fire on the grill, anyone making gin & juice, S’mores, spin some records. Open house. But who has time for that with all the screens around? I crave more screen-free hangouts. The only place where this is my default lifestyle is Maui. My Maui family still spends hangout time together despite having jobs, lives, and kids. What do they do differently? And why can't I replicate this hangout lifestyle for the 11 months I'm off-island?

For my sanity and productivity I have started to radically reduce my obsessive news intake and also stopped voicing my political stances on social media. And it’s working. I feel better and I have more time. More time for beauty and joy. I took the following note but cannot remember why or what inspired it. I can’t find the context but it is a quote and when I remember who said it I will update it here but for now just this: “Beauty pleasure and joy are political goals and they are also part of what sustains while we work towards our goals”. That’s the spirit for now. Joy is a valid political goal. Maybe that’s a key to get back to working on new visions for a better future? Follow the joy? The kindness? The affectionate anarchy?

However – some thoughts to chew on:  

“Lost in the Middle East" by Etgar Keret

“The Internet Doesn’t Need Your Opinion On Everything”
by Rebecca Solnit & Adam Grant

"How to Comment on Social Media" by Rebecca Solnit

It took me a beat to digest the consequences of the EU elections and the rise of the extreme right across the continent. While watching the entire season of Joe Berlinger’s “Hitler and the Nazis – Evil on Trial” (that I had the great privilege of contributing to as the service producer in Germany), I couldn't help but think that the call – Wehret den Anfängen – Resist the beginnings! is really much too late. We are in the midst of a slow but steady takeover, and I wonder if these recurring patterns are a natural law or if there is something realistic we can do to counteract the train that's gaining steam. Where are the constructive utopias? How can we combat hate and anxiety and build back better?

I highly recommend watching Joe’s series. It is a six-hour cautionary tale that allows for pattern recognition – not only from the European perspective but also from the American one.

That takes me to Escape Dreams!

And when I thought all these thoughts all I wanted was to drop everything, leave my devices, and go an a great escape and just travel for pleasure – EAT PRAY LOVE, but that’s not in the cards right now, so the next best thing is reading about travel and adventures.

If you’ve – like me - never been to New Orleans but dream of it, check out this list of books that capture the essence of the city.

Or read this adventurous travel log so you don’t have to do what they have done:
“A Walk in the Park" by Kevin Fedarko

And then last but not least some work related findings.

I am knee-deep in preparing a masterclass for fellow producers on Sane Producing and Mindful Leadership, and one of my topics is sleep and sleep deprivation. There is a weird macho culture around sleep. Some people insist they don’t need more than six hours. Science proves them wrong, but unfortunately, we are in a post-science world across the board, and “lived experience” often beats research.

Check out this TED Talk: “Sleep is your Superpower.

With the summer hopefully finally starting in Berlin today, I woke up to a warm breeze that came in through the bedroom window and to this wonderful throw back song: - Champagne Supernova. It’s on this breezy playlist by French surf and skate magazine Wasted Talent.

Good day and good luck!

Christine