Ves najboljoš

I’m afraid this post will be rather untranslatable, but I’ll do my best.

First Pooh:

This is a page from the original copy of Winnie-the-Pooh as “improved” by me as a child before I convinced myself that I sucked artistically (here you can find another example of my Pooh art). The language is Slovenian since I tend to swing that way. For everybody else here is a part of it in English:

 So Owl wrote…and this is what he wrote:

HIPY PAPY BTHETHDTH THUTHDA BTHUTHDY

Pooh looked on admiringly.

“I’m just saying ‘A Happy Birthday’,” said Owl carelessly.

“It’s a nice long one,” said Pooh, very much impressed by it.

I was very impressed too when two days ago on my bthuthdy (when I gave myself gelato) special presents came rolling in. Well, the messenger brought them, but they got opened live via Skype.

The messenger’s present were the original Pooh copy and a brand new one, and browsing through the old one I remembered EXACTLY how it felt to hold the book so many years ago and colour it in. Rather impatiently, I recall.

Here is a collection of other gifts, so dear to my heart.

Sister found an online offer of a book necklace with a key. The books are real!

This bag was amore’s gift, not bestia’s, but the feeling is mutual. (The other side of the bag in the featured photo above.)

Father’s own handiwork, a (n)jam made of home-grown žižole (Ziziphus jujuba, commonly called jujube, red date, Chinese date, Korean date, or Indian date).

The envelope bearing this photo of me on my 5th birthday (if not mistaken), together with both my grandmothers and my beautiful and VERY young mother (taken by father)…

…contained this poem written by mom. Even though the last line says: “Manči, translate!” I shall not do it, only reveal that it mentions Thursday Doors, and includes Pearl Jam and Kurt Cobain in the same line, hilariously written in the Serbian write-as-you-speak style as “Prl Đem” and “Krt Kbejn”.

Thank you all for all the lovely things, memories and wishes, and for bringing us together even when we are apart. ❤

Photo: a © signature mmm production

States of mind and trust

That state of mind and trust when you realise:

that you are in Prague, it’s 40 degrees C before the rain, and you will hear Pearl Jam in a few hours

that zen is real and it is breathing down your neck (Lake Bolsena)

that you might win this game (I came second, Lake Zbilje, Slovenia)

that mom is scared and wishes to go but nothing bad will happen, again (in Vulci)

that you are about to leave Piran and Slovenia and sleep in another country tonight and every other night (taken almost three years ago on the day of the move)

that you are in the land of carciofi and Settimana enigmistica now (the scene I witnessed upon entering my new home)

that Pearl Jam were on to something with Yield (just around the corner)

that a house has indeed grown where there was none, as has the first dog, and sister (in Piran)

THAT WE HAVE JUST GOT A BESTIA! (Taken his first moment in our garden.)

that father WILL impersonate ancient architecture (in Pitigliano)

that the coming year will hopefully be just as sunny and chatty (taken on the last day of last year in Lucija).

Photo: a © signature mmm production (except cards by a kind donator)

In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: State of Mind

WPC: Now is the best present

Now will have to stretch into yesterday. To think of it, today has been pretty much the same so it should count. As it is, I have no problem living in the present. Especially with presents like these.

How it started out. This was followed (and I don’t exaggerate) by at least 4 more sea-food courses. Branzino had to wait till today.

Spin the black circle. The best present. And it’s a double LP.

Ok, ok, that’s a lie, the best present remains:

Ride the now until it lasts.

Photo: MM

In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: Now

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: (Non)Sense of hearing

A little aurally-visual journey for Cee’s sense challenge.

It begins sombrely, in Prague, with a choir practicing.

It continues on the Spanish steps in Roma with another choir, Scandinavian. It was sudden. The beautiful notes startled us and made us smile. (Or join in – mom used to be a choir singer too.)

Two years ago I got my first record player for my birthday. All things come to those who wait.

With the player came a stack of old records and this bilingual collection of New Yugoslav Poetry. Nothing about Yugoslavia will ever be new again.

This is the wall in a restaurant in Piran, Slovenia by the name of Sarajevo 1984. There were winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, that year and I was 14 years old. More on that here. These are album covers of Yugoslav musicians of the time. The inscription below says: “If you are falling off a rock, you might as well try to fly. There is nothing to lose.”

Two images from my 40th birthday celebration 5 years ago. That grin is self-explanatory.

And to conclude: a proof that mom is indeed a rapper.

Photo: MM (and one by an anonymous friendly person)

For:

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Habit

Pearl Jam: Habit

Seen it happen to a couple of friends
See it happen and the message it sends
Taking off for what’s an obvious fall
Just to see what all the fuss is about

It’s not your way…Not your way… It’s not your way

Another habit says it’s in love with you
Another habit says its love’s overdue
Another habit like an unwanted friend
I’m so happy with my righteous self

It’s not your way…Not your way… It’s not your way

Never thought you’d habit

“A neurotic is a man who builds a castle in the air. A psychotic is the man who lives in it. A psychiatrist is the man who collects the rent.” — Jerome Lawrence / “…it is the means by which we proclaim our feelings to one another, the way in which we influence others. Words can do immeasurable good and inflict terrible injuries.” —Sigmund Freud; Piran street, Slovenia.

Chocolate dreams, Ribca, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Rum Room by Maraska, Croatia.

Fakin wines, Motovun, Istria, Croatia.

Love is in the air, Piran, Slovenia.

Photo: MM

For:

Top five concerts of all times

I have never really thought about lining them up like that, but here they are, my favourite 5 concerts of all times, as asked by Daily Rock Report. I don’t choose by absolute quality but rather how they felt at those specific moments.

1. Suicidal Tendencies, Vienna, 1994: this one caught me (and others) by surprise and we still haven’t quite recovered. This is their concert from Madrid a year earlier:

2. House of Pain, Vienna, 1994 (?): I was on the stage with them! (Pulled out from the pit for suffering, but still!)

3. Rock in Riem, Germany, 1994, two-day festival with Clawfinger, Rage against the Machine, Therapy?, Aerosmith & Peter Gabriel (the first three bands I saw repeatedly over the years and they always more than delivered, and during the last two we were resting in the beer tent). This line-up of all the line-ups included Extreme (!), The Breeders, Manic Street Preachers, Soul Asylum, Nina Hagen, Crowded House, the Cranberries, Bonnie Raitt, Richie Havens, Paradise Lost, and ok also Smashing Pumpkins – so that we weren’t TOO angry that we missed Radiohead since they played first and our bus driver got lost.)

4. Pearl Jam (I saw them 8 times, each one was special, narrowing them down to three: Budapest 1996 – because it was the first, Ljubljana 2000 – because it was at home, Prague 2012 – because it was the happiest).

5. Urban Species, Paris, 90’s: Another unexpected perfect one

(Honorary mention: Plavi orkestar, Ljubljana, 1984; Dire Straits, Ljubljana, 1985; Michelle Shocked, Vienna, 90’s; Guns ‘n Roses + Faith No More + Soundgarden, Vienna, 1992; Ice-T & Body Count, Vienna, 1993)

These are just the very best, the other hundreds were merely good (ok, there were a few bad ones too, but really just a few).

It is obvious that all these dates are a bit removed, but I’m not done yet, just a bit more picky. Last year I heard Pearl Jam in Trieste as well as Caparezza and Paolo Nutini in Roma, this year possibly Manu Chao in Slovenia. And below is how I like to look at concerts. It’s interesting that nowadays I think my chest is examined for other reasons. In Italy nobody reads.

≈ Manja Maksimovič ≈

From Iggy Pop and The Stooges gig in Tivoli, Ljubljana, 2008. Photo: Zedd

World Tour

I found a neat little thing, http://www.travellerspoint.com/travel-maps.cfm, and now I’m travelling the world.

First, the actual tour of my life, the places of importance, where I was born and how I was slowly discovering my homeland and then the neighbours and then some other countries. LA in SF are the only two places outside of Europe, what a stay-at-home. And I love the last leap (but not the final, I have plans, at least for Sarajevo and Napoli) from Piran to Capalbio. Next to it there is a star, meaning home.

WoWorld Tour

• 1 : Ljubljana, Slovenia
• 2 : Maribor, Slovenia
• 3 : Duba, Pelješac peninsula, Croatia
• 4 : Mošćenička Draga, Croatia
• 5 : Divača, Slovenia
• 6 : Punat, island Krk, Croatia
• 7 : Paris, France
• 8 : Vienna, Austria
• 9 : London, United Kingdom
• 10 : Prague, Czech Republic
• 11 : Köbenhavn, Denmark
• 12 : Bucharest, Romania
• 13 : Crete, Greece
• 14 : Samos, Greece
• 15 : Lefkada, Greece
• 16 : Karpathos, Greece
• 17 : Los Angeles, USA
• 18 : San Francisco, USA
• 19 : Piran, Slovenia
• 20 : Capalbio, Toscana, Italy

Next here is the Pearl Jam Life Line tour

1 : Salzburg, Austria (Neil Young with Pearl Jam without EV), 1995
2 : Budapest, Hungary, 1996
3 : Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2000
4 : Zagreb, Croatia, 2006
5 : Munich, Germany, 2007
6 : London, UK, 2010
7 : Venice, Italy, 2010
8 : Prague, Czech Republic, 2012
9 : Trieste, Italy, 2014

If I made the third map, it would be of places I still wish to see. I know there is Cornwall on it, and Sarajevo, all the rest of Italy, and every remote or not so remote island there ever was (for example Bora Bora). There is entire Canada, Peru, New York (but mostly to see this house), New Zealand (because they have the Alps, too) and Madagascar, for some reason (maybe because it’s an island). Looking at the map of the world after I haven’t seen it for a while, I’ve realised that it is indeed vast and it is good this way. I plan to live long.

About top photo: Hotel in Piran, Slovenia. Photo: MM

≈ Manja Maksimovič ≈

The Nelsons just breathe

Any father and son singing a Pearl Jam song would do, actually. But this is them.

Pearl Jam drabble (100 words)

An extra ticket waits for somebody to complete the expected 30,000 people. Sis told her facebook, put an ad online, nothing.

I tell her to go wider, call long lost people. I can hear her thinking over the phone. She will.

Later, a message: “Done, the ticket goes to the best possible candidate”. Do I want to be told or prefer a surprise?

It only takes a second.

“Sašo Jovanovič.”

“Come on, Manja,” in mock disappointment.

And only she knows that no, I wasn’t cheating. Her gallant prom date didn’t inform me of her call.

She did say best possible.

≈ Manja Maksimovič ≈

Another time after another PJ concert: Prague, 2012, leaving here. Photo: MM

My kind of love

Thanks for the photo, dad, and for the shirt, N+V! Photo: BM

17. November 1996: Budapest, Hungary

18. June 2000: Ljubljana, Slovenia

26. September 2006: Zagreb, Croatia

12. June 2007: Munich, Germany

25. June 2010: London, Great Britain

6. July 2010: Venice, Italy

2. July 2012: Prague, Czech Republic

+ now

Why is this not here yet?

Must amend immediately.

And this will happen soon, too:

Photo: MM

But first bestia needs to get over his bronchitis, of all things. (Unsalty pumpkin seeds, says a witch.)

Or he won’t be able to sing.